Ultrafast Laser-Induced Formation of Hollow Gold Nanorods and Their Optical Properties

Laser irradiation has been shown to be an efficient means to modify structures and shapes of plasmonic nanoparticles for tuning their properties. Thermomechanical deformations of single-crystal and penta-twinned gold nanorods by femtosecond laser irradiations have been studied by classical molecular dynamics simulations. It is demonstrated that hollow gold nanorods could be formed by femtosecond laser irradiations under certain conditions of maximum temperatures in nanorods by laser heating and cooling rates due to the extrinsic solvent. For a given maximum temperature and cooling rate, a larger cavity is induced in the irradiated single-crystal nanorod. The results also indicate that at the same cooling rate a higher threshold of maximum temperature can be required for producing the cavity in the twinned nanorod. The optical spectra of the laser-irradiated gold nanorods are calculated, and the shifts in the surface plasmon resonance peak of the nanorods are illustrated due to the thermal reshaping and the plasmon hybridization mechanism. Moreover, we show the formation of the hollow gold nanorod possessing the surface plasmon resonance peak in the second near-infrared window and a relatively small aspect ratio (∼2.8), which is highly desirable and suitable for serving as agents in biomedical imaging and photothermal therapy applications

Time-Domain Analysis for Fluid Damping of Acoustic Vibrations of Single Gold Nanorod in Water

Acoustic vibrations of single gold nanorods with various widths and aspect ratios in water have been studied by the continuum finite element simulations in the time domain. As compared to the earlier analytical studies, lower quality factors of nanorods due to the fluid are obtained by the finite element calculations. Especially for the extensional mode, the quality factors predicted by the approximate analytical models can be several times our results. Nonmonotonic dependence of the quality factors of nanorods on the aspect ratio of nanorod is observed for both extensional and breathing modes. For a given aspect ratio, the extensional and breathing quality factors of nanorods are increased with the increase of the nanorod width. Further simulations with involving the heat transfer between the nanorod and the surrounding water show that while causing negligible changes in the frequencies of the nanorod, the variations in the local temperature and viscosity of the surrounding water lead to some, but not considerable, increase in the quality factors of the nanorod

Exploring the Strain-Enhanced Li-Ion Migration in Li_1.33Al_0.33Ti_1.67(PO₄)₃ Solid Electrolyte

Solid-state lithium batteries are a promising solution to the next generation of electrochemical energy storage systems due to their large energy storage density and high levels of safety. Particularly, Li1+xAlxTi2–x(PO4)3 (LATP) has been recently attracting significant interest as it exhibits high Li-ion mobility and ionic conductivity. In addition to the doping level, the electrical properties of LATP can be altered by mechanical deformations. In this work, the strain effect on the Li-ion conductivity in Li1.33Al0.33Ti1.67(PO4)3 (LATP-0.33) was investigated using classical molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is shown by MD that the ionic conductivity of LATP can be significantly enhanced by the application of appropriate mechanical strains. Further DFT calculations have been performed to study the mechanism for the strain-enhanced conductivity of Li ions in LATP. It is illustrated that the applied strain can lead to the reduced interactions of Li ions with the neighboring O atoms in TiO6 along the Li-ion migration pathway and thus enhances the mobility of Li ions in LATP. The strain-induced enhancement of Li-ion migration in LATP as revealed in this work can be helpful for designing and engineering solid-state lithium batteries

Identification of relevant meta-analyses.

<p>Identification of relevant meta-analyses.</p

Summary of estimates of associations between passive smoking and the risk of specific diseases or health problems.

<p>Summary of estimates of associations between passive smoking and the risk of specific diseases or health problems.</p

Main characteristics of the included systematic reviews.

<p>Main characteristics of the included systematic reviews.</p

Appraisal of the included meta-analyses on the impact of passive smoking on various diseases.

<p>Appraisal of the included meta-analyses on the impact of passive smoking on various diseases.</p

Can public health policies on alcohol and tobacco reduce a cancer epidemic? Australia's experience

Can public health policies on alcohol and tobacco reduce a cancer epidemic? Australia's experienc

Additional file 1: of General practice for the poor and specialist services for the rich: inequality evidence from a cross-sectional survey on Hangzhou residents, China

Qusetionnaire. (DOCX 19 kb

MOESM1 of Can public health policies on alcohol and tobacco reduce a cancer epidemic? Australia's experience

Additional file 1. Search strategy. Summary of key public health policies on alcohol and tobacco and other intervention events in Australia between 1911 and 2013.. Description of cancer mortality data (ICD-10) and description of cancer mortality data used in the study were summarized in the file. Development of dummy variables for key public health policies or events. Test for stationarity. Estimates of ARIMA models on the relationships of alcohol and tobacco policy with alcohol and tobacco consumption. Alcohol and tobacco consumption (Age 15+) and skin cancer mortality in Australia