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CoS nanoplates and nanoparticles films were successfully grown on carbon fibers (CF) via one-step process and used in fiber-shaped dye sensitized solar cells as counter electrodes. The electrocatalytic ability of CF accompanied with CoS nanoplates electrode was comparable with the expensive Pt wire, and obviously superior to the CF covered by CoS nanoparticles film. The results were believed to originate from: (1) the enough void space among CoS nanoplates allows easier redox ion diffusion; (2) the two-dimensional nanoplates favor the longer distance electron transport with less diffusive hindrance than the randomly depositing nanoparticles film, where the electrons have to cross many tiny particle boundaries that can trap electrons.

For the clinical application of bone tissue engineering with the combination of biomaterials and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), bone scaffolds should possess excellent biocompatibility and osteoinductivity to accelerate the repair of bone defects. Herein, strontium hydroxyapatite [SrHAP, Ca10-xSrx(PO4)6(OH)2]/chitosan (CS) nanohybrid scaffolds were fabricated by a freeze-drying method. The SrHAP nanocrystals with the different x values of 0, 1, 5 and 10 are abbreviated to HAP, Sr1HAP, Sr5HAP and Sr10HAP, respectively. With increasing x values from 0 to 10, the crystal cell volumes and axial lengths of SrHAP become gradually large because of the greater ion radius of Sr2+ than Ca2+, while the crystal sizes of SrHAP decrease from 70.4nm to 46.7nm. The SrHAP/CS nanohybrid scaffolds exhibits three-dimensional (3D) interconnected macropores with pore sizes of 100-400μm, and the SrHAP nanocrystals are uniformly dispersed within the scaffolds. In vitro cell experiments reveal that all the HAP/CS, Sr1HAP/CS, Sr5HAP/CS and Sr10HAP/CS nanohybrid scaffolds possess excellent cytocompatibility with the favorable adhesion, spreading and proliferation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). The Sr5HAP nanocrystals in the scaffolds do not affect the adhesion, spreading of hBMSCs, but they contribute remarkably to cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. As compared with the HAP/CS nanohybrid scaffold, the released Sr2+ ions from the SrHAP/CS nanohybrid scaffolds enhance alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization and osteogenic-related COL-1 and ALP expression levels. Especially, the Sr5HAP/CS nanohybrid scaffolds exhibit the best osteoinductivity among four groups because of the synergetic effect between Ca2+ and Sr2+ ions. Hence, the Sr5HAP/CS nanohybrid scaffolds with excellent cytocompatibility and osteogenic property have promising application for bone tissue engineering.

The properties of bone scaffolds, including biocompatibility, osteoinductivity and antibacterial activity, are of great importance for reconstruction of large bone defects and prevention of implant-associated infections. Herein, we develop an Ag-loaded strontium hydroxyapatite (SrHAP)/chitosan (CS) porous scaffold (Ag-SrHAP/CS) according to the following steps: (i) freeze-drying fabrication of a SrHAP/CS porous scaffold; and (ii) deposition of Ag nanoparticles on the above scaffold. In addition, HAP/CS and Ag-HAP/CS porous scaffolds are prepared under the same conditions without doping Sr element. All the HAP/CS, Ag-HAP/CS, SrHAP/CS and Ag-SrHAP/CS porous scaffolds provide a friendly environment for the adhesion, spreading and proliferation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). The three-dimensional (3D) interconnected macropores with a pore size of 100-400 μm allow the spreading of hBMSCs throughout the whole scaffolds. Interestingly, the Sr ions and Ag ions released from the Ag-SrHAP/CS porous scaffolds significantly enhance their osteoinductivity and antibacterial activity, respectively. The Sr element in the SrHAP/CS and Ag-SrHAP/CS porous scaffolds increase the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of hBMSCs, extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization, and the expression levels of osteogenic-related genes BMP-2 and COL-I. Moreover, the Ag ions released from the Ag-HAP/CS and Ag-SrHAP/CS scaffolds can effectively inhibit the growth and attachment of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, ATCC 25923). In conclusion, the Ag-SrHAP/CS porous scaffold possesses excellent biocompatibility, osteoinductivity and antibacterial activity, so it has great potential for application in bone tissue engineering to repair bone defects and avoid infections.

This paper reported a thermo-responsive shape memory effect in common isotactic propylene/1-butene copolymer (iPPBu) synthesized by Ziegler-Natta catalyst. The deformation principle in the copolymer was cold deformation, and the recovery temperature was around 60 °C, giving the recovery ratio Rr as high as 80%. After a cold deformation, the copolymer could return to the original shape at about 60 °C, with a recovery ratio Rr of up to 80%. The crystal structures of the copolymer during deformation and recovery were investigated by WAXS measurements, and the shape memory effect mechanism in such materials was proposed. The mechanism varied according to the copolymer composition, but the crystal transformation always played a key role in the shape memory behavior. iPPBus with about 30–60 mol% of 1-butene exhibited unique crystal transition from isotactic polypropylene (iPP) α form to iPP trigonal form under stretching, which rendered the materials with fixing ratio Rf of 70–80% and relatively stable recovery ratio Rr of 65–80% at 60 °C owing to the constant melting point of trigonal crystal. This work provided a potential application of these common propylene copolymers in shape memory materials.

Dopamine-modified poly(acrylic acid) (PAA-dopa) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON) was layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled to prepare thin film based on hydrogen bonding. The carboxylic group of acrylic acid and the phenolic hydroxyl group of dopamine can both act as hydrogen bond donors. The critical assembly and the critical disintegration pH values of PVPON/PAA-dopa film are enhanced compared with PVPON/PAA film. The hydrogen-bonded PVPON/PAA-dopa thin film can be cross-linked via catechol chemistry of dopamine. After cross-linking, the film can be exfoliated from the substrate in alkaline solution to get a free-standing film. Moreover, by tuning the pH value, deprotonation and protonation of PAA will make the hydrogen bond in the film break and reconstruct, which induces that the free-standing film has a reversible swelling–shrinking behavior.

We probe the temperature dependent far-infrared conductivity of highly strained (100) and (110) VO 2 thin films using THz Time Domain Spectroscopy. Large in-plane anisotropy is observed in both the metallic conductivity and the metal-insulator transition temperature.

We report on the enhanced linear absorption and modified nonlinear absorption of TiO2 nanowires coated with Ag nanoparticles. Experimental results indicated that the coated Ag nanoparticles significantly increased the linear absorption of the nanostructures in the wavelength range of visible light. Z-scan experiments showed that when the excitation energy increased, the nonlinear absorption of the TiO2 nanowires changed from reverse-saturable absorption to saturable absorption. When Ag nanoparticles were coated on the TiO2 nanowires, the reverse-saturable absorption was significantly inhibited. The as-prepared nanostructures may find potential applications in the field of solar cells and all-optical switching.

Spintronic devices generally require the spin of carriers to be utilized in the storage or manipulation of data. One theoretical model for ferromagnetism in dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMS) results from the percolation of ferromagnetic regions around dilute dopants such as Mn atoms in III-V or group IV materials through the interaction of Mn atoms with carriers. Our work employed Mn implantation in Ge with subsequent rapid thermal annealing or TEM in-situ annealing to study the correlation between structure and magnetic properties. The magnetic properties of 300-350 ºC implanted Ge:Mn (which produced crystalline Ge films) varied significantly with implantation dose and annealing condition due to precipitation and transformation of different MnxGe1-x secondary phases. It was found that Mn substitution of Ge and MnxGe1-x secondary phases can both result in ferromagnetic properties. By combining TEM in-situ annealing and ex-situ magnetic characterization, we have demonstrated detailed correlation of magnetic properties with nanoscale structures in Mn implanted Ge DMS materials.

We probe the temperature dependent far-infrared conductivity of highly strained (100)VO 2 thin films using THz TDS. A large in-plane anisotropy is observed in both the metallic conductivity and the metal-insulator transition temperature.

Spin switching devices constructed using self‐assembled magnetic Ge quantum dots are the ultimate goal of this effort. These devices are based on the manipulation of magnetic exchange between magnetic quantum dots and/or coherent spin states in the quantum dots. In this study, we introduced 1.1 atomic % of Mn ions into Ge thin films and 3 at.% Mn into Ge Quantum Dots by ion implantation in order to explore the ferromagnetism in Mn implanted Ge. In order to recrystallize the Ge and enhance the incorporation of Mn ions into the Ge lattice, rapid thermal annealing was applied following the implantation. A maximum saturation moment of 0.7 μB/Mn at 5 K was reached when the sample was annealed at 300° C and the moment decreased with higher annealing temperatures. The ferromagnetism in Mn:Ge thin films disappeared at ∼15 K. However, superparamagnetism has been observed at 1 T up to 200 K for the 300° C annealed film and persisted to room temperature for the 400° C annealed film. Mn implanted Ge Quantum Dots were...

This chapter contains both the description of advanced spintronic devices for logic and memory applications and the synthesis and characterization of some new magnetic materials that would lead to new paradigms in spintronics. The first part gives a brief introduction to spintronics and its history. First-generation spintronics has entered the mainstream of information technology through its utilization of the magnetic tunnel junction in applicable devices such as read head sensors for hard disk drives and magnetic random access memory. We also discuss the conceptual spintronic devices, including spin torque transfer random access memory, spin-polarized field-effect transistor, and spin-based qubit quantum processor, and their potential impacts on information technology. The future of spintronic devices requires next-generation spintronic materials. The second part of the chapter is dedicated to the synthesis and characterization of some novel magnetic materials, including ferromagnetic oxides and diluted magnetic Group IV semiconductors.

Amorphous Ge1−xMnx thin films have been prepared by co-depositing Ge and Mn on SiO2/Si using an ultrahigh vacuum molecular beam epitaxy system. Across a range of growth temperatures and Mn concentrations (2.8 at. %, 10.9 at. %, and 21.3 at. %), we achieved enhanced magnetic and electrical properties with non-magnetic codopants dispersed in the films. Self-assembled Mn-rich amorphous nanostructures were observed in the amorphous Ge matrix, either as isolated nanoclusters or as nanocolumns, depending on Mn concentration. The ferromagnetic saturation moments were found to increase with Mn concentration and reached a maximum of 0.7 μB/Mn in the as-grown samples. Two magnetic transition temperatures around 15 K and 200 K were observed in these amorphous MBE-grown samples. Coercivity is considered within the context of local magnetic anisotropy. The anomalous Hall effect confirmed a strong correlation between the magnetization and transport properties, indicating that global ferromagnetic coupling was carrier-m...

In this study, ferromagnetic MnAl films were prepared by alternating Al/Mn quasi-monolayer deposition using a novel biased target ion beam deposition (BTIBD) technique. XRD results showed that the magnetic τ phase was well formed in MnAl thin films (∼10 nm), which grew epitaxially on single crystal MgO (001) substrates. The optimized saturation magnetization was ∼394 emu/cc. Furthermore, we observed a thickness-dependent uniaxial anisotropy in ferromagnetic MnAl films, which was attributed to the change of the tetragonal lattice distortion as a function of film thickness. The relationship between the film thicknesses and saturation magnetizations suggested the existence of a magnetically dead layer ∼2.7 nm with an extrapolated saturation moment around 523 emu/cc (∼1.90 μB/Mn). This value has exceeded the experimental value in bulk materials and is close to the theoretically predicted magnetization (∼1.975 μB/Mn).

Ge1−xMnx thin films with an average Mn concentration of 0.64 at. % were fabricated through Mn ion implantation into crystalline germanium-on-insulator wafers. Implantation damage was removed and crystallinity restored by pulsed laser melting from a single 30-ns 308-nm XeCl+ excimer laser pulse. Resolidified films demonstrated higher Curie temperatures but smaller saturation magnetizations than those of both as-implanted films and implanted films subjected to rapid thermal annealing. These findings are attributed to the redistribution of Mn during solidification.

The metal-insulator transition (MIT) in vanadium dioxide in the vicinity of room temperature makes it one of the most interesting materials for novel switching device applications. It is therefore essential to have a fundamental understanding of the VO2 surface when it is incorporated into multilayer structures or nanodevices. This study focuses on the surface modification of VO2 in response to the thermal treatment during phase transition. Vacuum annealing at temperatures in the vicinity of the MIT triggers a partial reduction in the surface, and thus initiates a chemical phase transition. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy are used to investigate the electronic properties and surface structure of the VO2 thin film on (0001) sapphire substrates. Band gap maps with a high spatial resolution and single point spectroscopy I-V curves are measured as the sample is cycled through the MIT, and thus provide a direct observation of the surface phase transition at the nanoscale. The VO2 surface exhibit...

We introduced 1.1 at. % of Mn ions into Ge thin films in order to explore the ferromagnetism in Mn implanted Ge. Rapid thermal anneal (RTA) was applied after the implantation to recrystallize the Ge and enhance the incorporation of Mn ions into the Ge lattice. A maximum saturation moment of 0.7 μB/Mn at 5 K was reached when the sample was annealed at 300 °C for 1 min, and the moment decreased with higher annealing temperatures. Two transitions temperatures Tc and Tcl were observed corresponding to the global ferromagnetism in Mn:Ge bulk and short range magnetic ordering in Mn-rich clusters. Both critical temperatures increased with RTA temperatures and Tcl even persisted close to room temperature for the 400 °C, 1 min anneal. No secondary phases were observed.

Vanadium dioxide is investigated as potential oxide barrier in spin switches, and in order to incorporate VO2 layers in complex multilayer devices, it is necessary to understand the relation between bulk and surface/interface properties. Highly oriented VO2 thin films were grown on (0001) sapphire single crystal substrates with reactive bias target ion beam deposition. In the analysis of the VO2 films, bulk-sensitive methods [x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transport measurements] and surface sensitive techniques [photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy] were employed. The samples were subjected to heating cycles with annealing temperatures of up to 425 and 525K. Prior to annealing the VO2 films exhibit the transition from the monoclinic to the tetragonal phase with the concurrent change in conductivity by more than a factor of 103 and their phase purity is confirmed by XRD. Annealing to 425K and thus cycling across the metal-insulator transition (MIT) temperature h...