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    Resolving mobility anisotropy in quasi-free-standing epitaxial graphene by terahertz optical Hall effect
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2021) Armakavicius, Nerijus; Kühne, Philipp; Eriksson, Jens; Bouhafs, Chamseddine; Stanishev, Vallery; Ivanov, Ivan G.; Yakimova, Rositsa; Zakharov, Alexei A.; Al-Temimy, Ameer; Coletti, Camilla; Schubert, Mathias; Darakchieva, Vanya
    In this work, we demonstrate the application of terahertz-optical Hall effect (THz-OHE) to determine directionally dependent free charge carrier properties of ambient-doped monolayer and quasi-free-standing-bilayer epitaxial graphene on 4H–SiC(0001). Directionally independent free hole mobility parameters are found for the monolayer graphene. In contrast, anisotropic hole mobility parameters with a lower mobility in direction perpendicular to the SiC surface steps and higher along the steps in quasi-free-standing-bilayer graphene are determined for the first time. A combination of THz-OHE, nanoscale microscopy and optical spectroscopy techniques are used to investigate the origin of the anisotropy. Different defect densities and different number of graphene layers on the step edges and terraces are ruled out as possible causes. Scattering mechanisms related to doping variations at the step edges and terraces as a result of different interaction with the substrate and environment are discussed and also excluded. It is suggested that the step edges introduce intrinsic scattering in quasi-free-standing-bilayer graphene, that is manifested as a result of the higher ratio between mean free path and average terrace width parameters. The suggested scenario allows to reconcile existing differences in the literature regarding the anisotropic electrical transport in epitaxial graphene. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
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    Controlled synthesis of mussel-inspired Ag nanoparticle coatings with demonstrated in vitro and in vivo antibacterial properties
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2021) Wang, Xiaowei; Xu, Kehui; Cui, Wendi; Yang, Xi; Maitz, Manfred F.; Li, Wei; Li, Xiangyang; Chen, Jialong
    The in-situ formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via dopamine-reduction of Ag+ has been widely utilized for titanium implants to introduce antibacterial properties. In previous studies, the preparation of AgNPs has focused on controlling the feeding concentrations, while the pH of the reaction solution was ignored. Herein, we systematically determined the influence of various pH (4, 7, 10) and Ag+ concentrations (0.01, 0.1 mg/mL) on the AgNPs formation, followed by the evaluation of the antibacterial properties in vitro and in vivo. The results revealed that an alkaline environment was favourable for AgNP formation and resulted in more particles. Although the AgNPs bearing Ti had lower biocompatibilities, it was significantly improved after 7 days of mineralization in simulated body fluid. The outstanding antibacterial property of the AgNPs was well maintained after one day and seven days of implantation. Moreover, 3D micro-CT modelling showed that the pH 10/0.1 group exhibited remarkable osteogenesis, which may be due to their strong antibacterial properties and ability to promote mineralization. Therefore, we have demonstrated that the solution pH was as important as the feeding Ag+ concentration in determining AgNP formation, and it has paved the way for developing various AgNP-loaded surfaces that could meet different antibacterial needs.
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    A new strategy to improve viscoelasticity, crystallization and mechanical properties of polylactide
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2021) Huang, Ying; Müller, Michael Thomas; Boldt, Regine; Zschech, Carsten; Gohs, Uwe; Wießner, Sven
    Biodegradable polylactide/masticated natural rubber (PLA/mNR) blends were prepared by electron induced reactive processing (EIReP) without using any chemical additives. The PLA/mNR blends showed droplet-matrix morphology with decreased mNR particle size after EIReP treatment. The absolute value of complex viscosity and storage modulus increased significantly for the EIReP modified blends, suggesting the improved melt strength and elasticity. The crystallization investigation showed that the cold crystallization peak of PLA phase gradually disappeared after EIReP modification. Instead, the crystallization peak arose during melt cooling process. Consequently, the crystallinity of PLA phase increased from 6.2% to 39.0% as the mNR content increased from 0 to 20 wt%. It was found that the softening temperature of PLA examined by dynamic mechanical analysis increased effectively with the characters of higher modulus compared to the non-modified blends. The EIReP modified blends exhibited excellent mechanical properties with 7-fold increase of impact toughness compared with neat PLA, implying a superior interfacial adhesion and chain interactions between the two polymer phases. Furthermore, the thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the thermal stability was slightly enhanced for the EIReP modified blends.
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    Experimental multi-scale approach to determine the local mechanical properties of foam base material in polyisocyanurate metal panels
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2021) Gahlen, P.; Fröbel, S.; Karbach, A.; Gabriel, D.; Stommel, M.
    Polyisocyanurate (PIR) foams were examined regarding their local chemical composition using ATR-IR spectroscopy. As a special parameter the PIR: Amide III intensity ratio is to be mentioned, which represents the quantity of the formed PIR groups. Based on the local PIR: Amide III intensity ratio, the mechanical properties (Young's modulus) of the foam base material were analyzed at defined positions by AFM and Nanoindentation. It turned out that the AFM method is only suitable for qualitative analysis, because the values differ strongly from macroscopic measurements. For the measurements using nanoindentation, a new embedding method was developed, which achieves significantly more realistic and reproducible results compared to the embedding method used in the literature and shows a very good agreement with the macroscopic values. In general, it has been shown that a higher PIR: Amide III intensity ratio tends to lead to a higher Young's modulus. Nevertheless, there are other, currently unknown characteristic values which also influence the Young's modulus.