Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 51
  • Item
    Transparent conductive oxides for coating applications
    (Saarbrücke : Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien, 2009) Quilitz, Mario; Oliveira, Peter W. de; Heusing, Sabine; Veith, Michael
    Transparent, conductive oxides (TCOs) applied as coatings find multiple applications in various areas such as flat panel display setups, as electrodes in touch-screen panels, electrochromic devices, solar cells and in architectural applications for example as IR reflectors. The favored material in the class of TCOs is still ITO - Sn-doped In2O3 - due to its unique combination of high transparency and electrical conductivity. Though already very good, the potential of the ITO coatings with regard to their conductivity leaves some space for future improvements. Also ITO as a material has some serious drawbacks, such as limited availability and high costs. this work presents some stratgies to overcome these obstacles. One way to enhance the conductivities of alternative materials is to use carbon nanotubes as a dopant. This strategy was tested for ATO (Antimony-doped Tin Oxide), Titan dioxide and AZO (Aluminium-doped Zinc oxide). The results for these materials are presented. In coatings of ITO on glass or polymeric foils usually silica-based binders are used. They have the disadvantage to reduce the contact between the highly conducting grains and thus reduce overall conductivity in the composite. The matrix between the nanoparticles can be improved by several measures. Experiments with relevance in this direction are discussed. A third strategy aims at the reduction of costs in the process of ITO fabrication. Here one way to go is to use an electrochemical synthesis method. Results of the line of development are presented. Other strategies comprise the suitable processing of materials with a lower intrinsic conductivity or the search for materials with high intrinsic conductivity close to that of ITO. Exmples are presented and discussed.
  • Item
    Large area production of optical coatings and devices by the sol-gel process
    (Saarbrücke : Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien, 2009) Oliveira, Peter; Quilitz, Mario; Heusing, Sabine; Lin, Hechun; Veith, Michael
    [no abstract available]
  • Item
    Keratin homogeneity in the tail feathers of Pavo cristatus and Pavo cristatus mut. alba
    (San Diego, Calif. : Elsevier, 2010) Pabisch, S.; Puchegger, S.; Kirchner, H.O.K.; Weiss, I.M.; Peterlik, H.
    The keratin structure in the cortex of peacocks' feathers is studied by X-ray diffraction along the feather, from the calamus to the tip. It changes considerably over the first 5. cm close to the calamus and remains constant for about 1. m along the length of the feather. Close to the tip, the structure loses its high degree of order. We attribute the X-ray patterns to a shrinkage of a cylindrical arrangement of β-sheets, which is not fully formed initially. In the final structure, the crystalline beta-cores are fixed by the rest of the keratin molecule. The hydrophobic residues of the beta-core are locked into a zip-like arrangement. Structurally there is no difference between the blue and the white bird. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.
  • Item
    Plasma-assisted modulation of morphology and composition in Tin oxide nanostructures for sensing applications
    (Saarbrücke : Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien, 2007) Mathur, Sanjay; Ganesan, Rajesh; Ruegamer, Thomas; Shen, Hao; Barth, Sven
    [no abstract available]
  • Item
    One-dimensional oxide nanostructures: growth, applications and devices
    (Saarbrücke : Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien, 2008) Barth, Sven; Mathur, Sanjay; Hernandez-Ramireza, Francisco; Romano-Rodrigueza, Albert
    One dimensional (1D) inorganic materials are gaining high attention due to their structural stability and unique structural fatures. Among them, oxides are widely studied due to their well established application potential and mechanical as well as chemical stability. We have developed a generic approach for size-selective and site-specific growth of oxide nanowires by combination of a catalyst assisted growth mechanism and a molecular precursor approach, which is a viable alternative to other gas phase and solution procedures and produces well-defined (morphology and composition) materials.
  • Item
    Kelvin probe force microscopy of charged indentation-induced dislocation structures in KBr
    (Saarbrücken : Leibniz-Institut für neue Materialien, 2009) Egberts, Philip; Bennewitz, Roland
    The incipient stages of plasticity in KBr single crystals have been examined in ultrahigh vacuum by means of Atomic Force Microscopy and Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM). Conducting diamond-coated tips have been used to both indent the crystals and image the resulting plastic deformation. KPFM reveals that edge dislocations intersecting the surface carry a negative charge similar to kinks in surface steps, while screw dislocations show no contrast. Weak topographic features extending in <110> direction from the indentation are identified by atomic-resolution imaging to be pairs of edge dislocations of opposite sign, separated by a distance similar to the indenter radius. They indicate the glide of two parallel {110} planes perpendicular to the surface, a process that allows for a slice of KBr to be pushed away from the indentation site.
  • Item
    The analysis of arabidopsis nicotianamine synthase mutants reveals functions for nicotianamine in seed iron loading and iron deficiency responses
    (Rockville, MD : American Society of Plant Biologists, 2009) Fink-Straube, Claudia; Klatte, Marco; Schuler, Mara; Wirtz, Markus; Hell, Rüdiger; Bauer, Petra
    Nicotianamine chelates and transports micronutrient metal ions in plants. It has been speculated that nicotianamine is involved in seed loading with micronutrients. A tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) mutant (chloronerva) and a tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) transgenic line have been utilized to analyze the effects of nicotianamine loss. These mutants showed early leaf chlorosis and had sterile flowers. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has four NICOTIANAMINE SYNTHASE (NAS) genes. We constructed two quadruple nas mutants: one had full loss of NAS function, was sterile, and showed a chloronerva-like phenotype (nas4x-2); another mutant, with intermediate phenotype (nas4x-1), developed chlorotic leaves, which became severe upon transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase and upon iron (Fe) deficiency. Residual nicotianamine levels were sufficient to sustain the life cycle. Therefore, the nas4x-1 mutant enabled us to study late nicotianamine functions. This mutant had no detectable nicotianamine in rosette leaves of the reproductive stage but low nicotianamine levels in vegetative rosette leaves and seeds. Fe accumulated in the rosette leaves, while less Fe was present in flowers and seeds. Leaves, roots, and flowers showed symptoms of Fe deficiency, whereas leaves also showed signs of sufficient Fe supply, as revealed by molecular-physiological analysis. The mutant was not able to fully mobilize Fe to sustain Fe supply of flowers and seeds in the normal way. Thus, nicotianamine is needed for correct supply of seeds with Fe. These results are fundamental for plant manipulation approaches to modify Fe homeostasis regulation through alterations of NAS genes.
  • Item
    Microstructure investigation of reflective coatings interference multilayers produced by sol-gel method
    (Saarbrücke : Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien, 2007) Jilavi, Mohammad H.; Sam, Ebru D.; Werner, Ulf; Oliveira, Peter W. de; Veith, Michael
    [no abstract available]
  • Item
    Stimulated emission depletion microscopy for imaging of engineered and biological nanostructures
    (Saarbrücken : Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien, 2010) Schumann, Christian; Cavelius, Christian; Schübbe, Sabrina; Kraegeloh, Annette
    The investigation of interactions between engineered nanostructures and biological systems is a key component in the assessment of potential environmental and health implications due to the increasing application of nanotechnology. Combining the high specificity of bioconjugate fluorescence labeling techniques with the sub-diffraction resolution of Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy and state-of-the-art nonlinear image restoration allows the imaging of these interactions on the length scales demanded by the interaction partners. In this article, we give an overview of the experimental approach and discuss its implications on the biological interpretation of the resulting fluorescence micrographs.
  • Item
    Organosilicate nanoparticles - a familiar material in new shape
    (Saarbrücken : Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien, 2010) Murray, Eoin; Kraus, Tobias
    [no abstract available]