The structural and magnetic properties of rare-earth nanocomposite magnets of a (Nd,Dy)(Fe,Co,Nb,B)5.5 single layer and a (Nd,Dy)(Fe,Co,Nb,B)5.5/α-Fe multilayer prepared by sputtering and heat treatment have been investigated. Incomplete exchange coupling behaviour is observed in the Ti-buffered NdDyFeCoNbB + 40 wt%Fe single layer magnet. After annealing, the laminated nanostructure consisting ...

Recent advances in nanostructure-based biotechnology have resulted in a growing demand for vertical nanostructure substrates with elaborate control over the nanoscale geometry and a high-throughput preparation. In this work, we report the fabrication of non-periodic vertical silicon nanocolumn substrates via polyelectrolyte multilayer-enabled randomized nanosphere lithography. Owing to layer-by...

The structural colours of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) have been attributed to a diversity of physical mechanisms, including multilayer interference, diffraction, Bragg scattering, Tyndall scattering and Rayleigh scattering. We used fibre optic spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and 2D Fourier analysis to investigate the physical mechanisms of structural colour pro...

We report the growth of ultrathin diamond nanorods (DNRs) by a microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition method using a mixture gas of nitrogen and methane. DNRs have a diameter as thin as 2.1 nm, which is not only smaller than reported one-dimensional diamond nanostructures (4-300 nm) but also smaller than the theoretical value for energetically stable DNRs. The ultrathin DNR is enca...

Structural colors are common in nature. Generally single feathers or other integuments contain only one structural color, but those of the common bronzewing display a consistent color gradient from blue to red (462-647 nm) over the proximo-distal length of individual barbs. We used optical microscopy and macro- and micro-spectrophotometry to characterize this color gradient, and transmission el...

Many nano-optical applications require a suitable nanofabrication technology. Hole-mask colloidal nanolithography has proven to be a low-cost and large-area alternative for the fabrication of complex plasmonic nanostructures as well as metamaterials. In this paper, we describe the fabrication process step by step. We manufacture a variety of different plasmonic structures ranging from simple na...

This paper presents the experimental results concerning the study of the photoelectric behaviour of a multijunction type multilayer mixed heterostructure with photosynthetic pigments (Chl) having the form: SnOx/nCdS:pChl-p Chl-pCuxS-Al-Chl/Cu. Being constituted from more series-superposed and vertically-illuminated semiconductor junctions, the respective photosystem allows the selective usage o...

An innovative solar cell based on a nanowire/quantum dot hybrid nanostructure array is designed and analyzed. By growing multilayer InAs quantum dots on the sidewalls of GaAs nanowires, not only the absorption spectrum of GaAs nanowires is extended by quantum dots but also the light absorption of quantum dots is dramatically enhanced due to the light-trapping effect of the nanowire array. By in...

Mass transfer in nanocomposite hydrogel thin films consisting of alternating layers of an organometallic redox polymer (RP) and oxidoreductase enzymes was investigated. Multilayer nanostructures were fabricated on gold surfaces by the deposition of an anionic self-assembled monolayer of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid, followed by the electrostatic binding of a cationic redox polymer, poly[vinylpyri...

Thin-film technology is widely implemented in numerous applications. Although flat substrates are commonly used, we report on the advantages of using curved surfaces as a substrate. The curvature induces a lateral film-thickness variation that allows alteration of the properties of the deposited material. Based on this concept, a variety of implementations in materials science can be expected. ...