It is well known that at nanoscale, parameters such as size, shape and surface morphology play a fundamental role on the properties that materials exhibit. In metallic nanoparticles, an increase in reactivity is obtained when size is reduced. In the case of bimetallic nanoparticles, unique physical and chemical properties can be achieved when composition and shape are controlled [1]. Aberration...

We demonstrate aqueous phase biosynthesis of phase-pure metallic copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) using a silver resistant bacterium Morganella morganii. This is particularly important considering that there has been no report that demonstrates biosynthesis and stabilization of pure copper nanoparticles in the aqueous phase. Electrochemical analysis of bacterial cells exposed to Cu(2+) ions provide...

Metallic wires can discriminate light polarization due to strong absorption of electric fields oscillating in parallel to wires. Here, we explore polarization-based biosensing of DNA hybridization in situ by employing metal target-conjugated nanoparticles to form a wire-grid polarizer (WGP) as complementary DNA strands hybridize. Experimental results using gold nanoparticles of 15 nm diameter t...

Nanoparticles are an important field of research due to their unique properties as compared to their bulk structures and the diverse applications arising from these properties. The major synthesis methods available involve physical and chemical methods which are expensive and use toxic chemicals. There is hence a need for an eco-friendly synthesis route which is in par with the chemical methods...

A simple optical model for photocurrent enhancement by plasmonic metal nanoparticles atop solar cells has been developed. Our model deals with the absorption, reflection, and scattering of incident sunlight as well as radiation efficiencies on metallic nanoparticles. Our calculation results satisfactorily reproduce a series of experimental spectral data for optically thin GaAs solar cells with ...

The synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is an active area of academic and, more significantly, applied research in nanotechnology. Several methods have been introduced for the synthesis of these materials. The techniques for synthesizing aluminum nanoparticles can be divided into solidphase, liquid-phase and gas-phase processes. The solid-phase techniques include mechanical ball milling and mec...

The electrocatalytic properties for electro-oxidation reactions of shape-controlled Pt-based catalysts have been improved by alloying with 2nd elements. In this study, we demonstrate cubic PtPd alloy nanoparticles synthesized using a thermal decomposition method. The cubic PtPd nanoparticles exhibit a homogeneous distribution of alloy nanostructures in the presence of Pt and Pd metallic phases....

We report the experimental realization of plasmonic heterodimers, pairs of directly adjacent, interacting metallic nanoparticles. A novel fabrication and positioning approach is utilized for the stepwise assembly of upright nanoparticle pairs, where the first nanoparticle is almost entirely embedded in an elastomeric dielectric medium prior to attachment of the second nanoparticle. The plasmon ...

The results of the investigation of the structural and magnetic (static and dynamic) properties of an assembly of metallic Fe nanoparticles synthesized by an organometallic chemical method are described. These nanoparticles are embedded in a polymer, monodisperse, with a diameter below 2 nm, which corresponds to a number of around 200 atoms. The X-ray absorption near-edge structure and Mössbaue...

Thin-film solar cells enable a strong reduction of the amount of silicon needed to produce photovoltaic panels but their efficiency lowers. Placing metallic or dielectric nanoparticles over the silicon substrate increases the light trapping into the panel thanks to the plasmonic scattering from nanoparticles at the surface of the cell. The goal of this paper is to optimize the geometry of a thi...