Brian Daly

Probing the magnetic properties of cobalt–germanium nanocable arrays

We report the synthesis of high density arrays of coaxial nanocables, consisting of germanium nanowires surrounded by cobalt nanotube sheaths, within anodic aluminium oxide membranes. The nanocable arrays were prepared using a supercritical fluid inclusion process, whereby the cobalt nanotubes were first deposited on the pore walls of the nanoporous membranes and subsequently filled with germanium to form coaxial nanocables. The composition and structure of the metal–semiconductor nanostructures was investigated by electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray mapping and X-ray diffraction at high angles. The magnetic properties of the co-axial nanocables were probed using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). In essence, this paper describes a technique for merging semiconductor and magnetic technologies into well-defined building blocks which may ultimately lead to new multifunctional devices, such as spin-field effect transistors.

Photoconductivity of Germanium Nanowire Arrays Incorporated in Anodic Aluminum Oxide

Photoconductivity of germanium nanowire arrays of 50 and 100 nm diameter incorporated into Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) membranes illuminated with visible light is investigated. Photocurrent response to excitation radiation with time constants faster than 10−4 s were governed by absorption of incident light by nanowires, while photokinetics with time constants of the order of 10−3 s originates from the photoluminescence of the AAO matrix. Possible applications of nanowire arrays inside AAO as photoresistors are discussed.

Structural investigation of germanium–cobalt core shell nanocable arrays

The compositional structure of high density arrays of coaxial nanocables, consisting of germanium nanowires surrounded by cobalt nanotube sheaths, within anodic aluminium oxide membranes, were investigated by various X-ray analysis techniques. The nanocable arrays were prepared using a supercritical fluid inclusion process, whereby the cobalt nanotube precursor was first deposited on the pore walls of the nanoporous membranes and subsequently filled with germanium to form coaxial nanocables. The composition and structure of both the as-synthesised (450 °C) and annealed (850 °C) nanostructures were investigated by X-ray diffraction at high angles (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES).

The Community Assessment of Risk and Treatment Strategies (CARTS): An Integrated Care Pathway to Manage Frailty and Functional Decline in Community Dwelling Older Adults

The Community Assessment of Risk & Treatment Strategies (CARTS) is an evolving integrated care pathway for community-dwelling older adults, designed to screen for and prevent frailty through the use of innovative, novel targeted risk screening instruments, comprehensive geriatric assessment, tailored interventions and integrated patient-centred multi-disciplinary monitoring. This multimodal service aims to positively affect risk and frailty transitions, to reduce adverse healthcare outcomes and achieve the European Innovation Partnerships on Active and Healthy Ageing’s (EIP-AHA) goal of improved healthy life years. The CARTS programme builds on the activities and deliverables defined within Action Plan A3 of the EIP-AHA ‘Prevention and early diagnosis of frailty, both physical and cognitive, in older people’, aiming to use information and communications technology (ICT) to facilitate its implementation in clinical practice. The CARTS instruments have been piloted in Ireland as well as in Portugal, Spain and Australia. An update on the research conducted to date and future plans are presented.

SUPERCRITICAL FLUID PROCESSING OF FUNCTIONAL OXIDE CORE-SHELL NANOCABLE ARRAYS

ABSTRACT The ability to couple two or more materials, exhibiting distinct properties, into a single geometry, such as core-shell nanocables, may lead to the realisation of novel multi –functional materials for applications such as spin valve systems. We discuss in this paper the use of supercritical fluid inclusion techniques for the growth of cobalt/magnetite and magnetite/cobalt core/shell nanocables within the pores of anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) membranes. These nanowires exhibit tunable magnetic properties which are dominated by the core material.