Zahava Barkay

Transparent metal nanowire thin films prepared in mesostructured templates.

The preparation of conductive and transparent gold/silver nanowire mesh films is reported. The nanowires formed after the reduction of the metal ions was triggered and a thin growth solution film was spread on a substrate. Metal reduction progressed within a template of a highly concentrated surfactant liquid crystalline mesostructure formed on the substrate during film drying to form ordered bundles of ultrathin nanowires. The films exhibited metallic conductivity over large areas, high transparency, and flexibility.

Contact angle hysteresis on polymer substrates established with various experimental techniques, its interpretation, and quantitative characterization.

The effect of contact angle hysteresis (CAH) was studied on various polymer substrates with traditional and new experimental techniques. The new experimental technique presented in the article is based on the slow deformation of the droplet, thus CAH is studied under the constant volume of the drop in contrast to existing techniques when the volume of the drop is changed under the measurement. The energy of hysteresis was calculated in the framework of the improved Extrand approach. The advancing contact angle established with a new technique is in a good agreement with that measured with the needle-syringe method. The receding angles measured with three experimental techniques demonstrated a very significant discrepancy. The force pinning the triple line responsible for hysteresis was calculated.

Enhanced osseointegration of grit-blasted, NaOH-treated and electrochemically hydroxyapatite-coated Ti-6Al-4V implants in rabbits

Osseointegration, in terms of the bone apposition ratio (BAR) and the new bone area (NBA), was measured by backscattered electron imaging. The results were compared for four implant types: grit-blasted and NaOH-treated Ti-6Al-4V (Uncoated-NaOH), electrodeposited with hydroxyapatite without alkali treatment (ED-HAp), electrodeposited with hydroxyapatite after alkali treatment (NaOH-ED-HAp), and plasma sprayed with hydroxyapatite (PS-HAp). No heat treatment was done after soaking in NaOH. The implants were press fitted into the intramedullary canal of mature New Zealand white rabbits and analyzed, both at the diaphyseal and at the metaphyseal zones, either 1week or 12weeks after surgery. NaOH-ED-HAp already exhibited a higher BAR value than the ED-HAp at 1week, and was as good as the commercial PS-HAp at 12weeks. The NBA value for NaOH-ED-HAp at 12weeks was the highest. The higher content of octacalcium phosphate in NaOH-ED-HAp, as evident from the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the oxygen shake-up peaks, and the associated increase in the solubility of this coating in vivo are considered responsible for the enhanced osseointegration. Taking into account also the reduced occurrence of delamination and the inherent advantages of the electrodeposition process, electrodeposition of HAp following soaking in NaOH may become an attractive alternative for the traditional plasma-sprayed process for coating of orthopedic and dental implants.

Confinement-guided shaping of semiconductor nanowires and nanoribbons: "writing with nanowires".

To fully exploit their full potential, new semiconductor nanowire building blocks with ab initio controlled shapes are desired. However, and despite the great synthetic advances achieved, the ability to control nanowires geometry has been significantly limited. Here, we demonstrate a simple confinement-guided nanowire growth method that enables to predesign not only the chemical and physical attributes of the synthesized nanowires but also allows a perfect and unlimited control over their geometry. Our method allows the synthesis of semiconductor nanowires in a wide variety of two-dimensional shapes such as any kinked (different turning angles), sinusoidal, linear, and spiral shapes, so that practically any desired geometry can be defined. The shape-controlled nanowires can be grown on almost any substrate such as silicon wafer, quartz and glass slides, and even on plastic substrates (e.g., Kapton HN).

Nanoparticle plasma ejected directly from solid copper by localized microwaves

A plasma column ejected directly from solid copper by localized microwaves is studied. The effect stems from an induced hotspot that melts and emits ionized copper vapors as a confined fire column. Nanoparticles of ∼20–120 nm size were revealed in the ejected column by in situ small-angle x-ray scattering. Optical spectroscopy confirmed the dominance of copper particles in the plasma column originating directly from the copper substrate. Nano- and macroparticles of copper were verified also by ex situ scanning electron microscopy. The direct conversion of solid metals to nanoparticles is demonstrated and various applications are proposed.

Wettability study of modified silicon dioxide surface using environmental scanning electron microscopy

The wettability analysis is often used to characterize a surface in micro and nanometer scale. At these small scales, effects of the contact line tension are also expected to play a significant role. Wettability effect is studied using environmental scanning electron microscopy on silicon dioxide surface modified by a low-energy electron irradiation method. Electron-induced wettability variation and patterning at micrometer scale on silicon dioxide substrate allow investigating the contact angle dependence on the water droplet line curvature and calculating values of the line tension of a three-phase system (solid-liquid-vapor) of about 10−9 J/m that is consistent with theoretical estimations. It is found that the sign of the line tension alters from positive for hydrophilic surface to negative for hydrophobic one.

Wettability study using transmitted electrons in environmental scanning electron microscope

A method for quantitative wettability study at nanoscale is presented. It is based on measuring transmitted electrons through nanodroplets using wet scanning transmission electron microscope (wet-STEM) detector in environmental scanning electron microscope. The quantitative information of the nanodroplet shape and contact angle is obtained by fitting Monte Carlo simulation results for transmitted electrons through spherical cap geometry with the experimental wet-STEM results. The characterization is demonstrated for particles and for initial stages of water droplet condensation over a nonhomogeneous holey carbon grid. The method is suggested for application in thin polymer and biological films.

Secondary electron doping contrast: Theory based on scanning electron microscope and Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements

The secondary electron emission flux in a scanning electron microscope is a powerful tool for delineation of electrically active dopant concentration, built-in potentials, and surface electric fields in semiconductor junctions. In all the secondary electron images of p-n junctions, the p-doped regions appear brighter than n-doped regions. We present a theory for the doping contrast in p-n junctions that is based on the secondary electron emission yield and surface band bending extracted from Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements. We show that the contrast is governed by the secondary electron escape depth, and their escape probability which is related to the secondary electron energy distribution and the effective electron affinity. It is found that the escape depth is the main factor determining the dopant contrast, and the escape probability has a smaller effect. In addition, our theory explains the logarithmic dependence of the measured contrast on the acceptor concentration in silicon reported by...

Single-pulse arc production of carbon nanotubes in ambient air

Multi-wall nanotubes (MWNTs) of carbon were produced by pulsed arc discharges between a room temperature sample and a counter-electrode, with peak currents of 7–100 A, and pulse lengths of 0.2–26 µs, in open air at selected locations on the sample. The samples were 10 × 10 mm2 graphite plates, carbon-coated 200 mesh copper grids, and Ni-coated glass slides. The counter-electrodes were graphite in the form of 1 × 4 mm2 bars or 4 mm diameter rods with a cone tip of 28°, or 0.1 mm diameter steel rods. Randomly oriented MWNTs (typically 5–15 walls) with a diameter of ~ 10 nm and lengths of up to 3 µm were produced on the samples with a single 0.2 µs pulse, implying linear growth rates of up to 15 m s−1. MWNTs were produced with both polarities and with all types of counter-electrodes used when the substrate contained carbon. Near vertically oriented MWNTs were deposited on the Ni/glass samples using a graphite counter-electrode. The simplicity, rapidity and selectivity of the process may facilitate wider study and practical application.

Gravity orientation in social wasp comb cells (Vespinae) and the possible role of embedded minerals

Social wasps and hornets maintain their nest in the dark. The building of the combs by all Vespinae is always in the direction of the gravitational force of Earth, and in each cell’s ceiling, at least one ‘keystone’ is embedded and fastened by saliva. The sensory mechanisms that enable both building of sizeable symmetrical combs and nursing of the brood in the darkness merit investigation, and the aim of the present study was to identify and characterize the ‘keystones’ that exist in the ceiling and in the walls of the social wasp comb cells. Bio-ferrography was used to isolate magnetic particles on slides. These slides, as well as original cells, were analyzed in an environmental scanning electron microscope by a variety of analytical tools. It was found that both the roof and the walls of each comb cell bear minerals, like ferrites, as well as Ti and Zr. The latter two elements are less abundant in the soil around the nest. Ti and Zr are known to reflect infrared (IR) light. IR imaging showed a thermoregulatory center in the dorsal thorax of the adult Oriental hornet. It is not known yet whether these insects can sense IR light.