22,998 research outputs found
The effects of external magnetic field on the surface charge distribution of spherical nanoparticles
Abstract The finite element method has been implemented in order to investigate the electronic structure of spherical quantum dots (QDs) in an external magnetic field. The SchrĂśdinger equation has been discretized by means of the Galerkin's weighted residue method with a nonuniform mesh of triangular elements. Unlike other approaches, the computational effort required to obtain converged results is independent of the strength of the magnetic field. The effects of the diamagnetic term on the energy levels and surface charge density distribution for semiconductor metal oxide QDs in alkaline aqueous colloids have been discussed.
Magnetization orientation dependence of the quasiparticle spectrum and hysteresis in ferromagnetic metal nanoparticles
We use a microscopic Slater-Koster tight-binding model with short-range
exchange and atomic spin-orbit interactions that realistically captures generic
features of ferromagnetic metal nanoparticles to address the mesoscopic physics
of magnetocrystalline anisotropy and hysteresis in nanoparticle quasiparticle
excitation spectra. Our analysis is based on qualitative arguments supported by
self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculations for nanoparticles containing up to
260 atoms. Calculations of the total energy as a function of magnetization
direction demonstrate that the magnetic anisotropy per atom fluctuates by
several percents when the number of electrons in the particle changes by one,
even for the largest particles we consider. Contributions of individual
orbitals to the magnetic anisotropy are characterized by a broad distribution
with a mean more than two orders of magnitude smaller than its variance and
with no detectable correlations between anisotropy contribution and
quasiparticle energy. We find that the discrete quasiparticle excitation
spectrum of a nanoparticle displays a complex non-monotonic dependence on an
external magnetic field, with abrupt jumps when the magnetization direction is
reversed by the field, explaining recent spectroscopic studies of magnetic
nanoparticles. Our results suggests the existence of a broad cross-over from a
weak spin-orbit coupling to a strong spin-orbit coupling regime, occurring over
the range from approximately 200- to 1000-atom nanoparticles.Comment: 39 pages, 18 figures, to be published in Physical Review
Magnetic nanocomposites at microwave frequencies
Most conventional magnetic materials used in the electronic devices are
ferrites, which are composed of micrometer-size grains. But ferrites have small
saturation magnetization, therefore the performance at GHz frequencies is
rather poor. That is why functionalized nanocomposites comprising magnetic
nanoparticles (e.g. Fe, Co) with dimensions ranging from a few nm to 100 nm,
and embedded in dielectric matrices (e.g. silicon oxide, aluminium oxide) have
a significant potential for the electronics industry. When the size of the
nanoparticles is smaller than the critical size for multidomain formation,
these nanocomposites can be regarded as an ensemble of particles in
single-domain states and the losses (due for example to eddy currents) are
expected to be relatively small. Here we review the theory of magnetism in such
materials, and we present a novel measurement method used for the
characterization of the electromagnetic properties of composites with
nanomagnetic insertions. We also present a few experimental results obtained on
composites consisting of iron nanoparticles in a dielectric matrix.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, 5 table
Effect of dimerization on the field-induced birefringence in ferrofluids
The magnetic-field-induced birefringence in a ferrofluid composed of spherical cobalt nanoparticles has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. The considerable induced birefringence determined experimentally has been attributed to the formation of chains of nanoparticles. The birefringence has been measured as a function of the external magnetic field and the volume fraction (f) of nanoparticles. It is quadratic in f as opposed to the Faraday effect, which is linear in f. Experimental results agree well with the theoretical model based on a simple density functional approach. For dilute solutions the experimental results can be explained by assuming that only dimers of nanoparticles are formed while the concentration of longer chains is negligible
Packaging biological cargoes in mesoporous materials: Opportunities for drug delivery
Introduction: Confinement of biomolecules in structured nanoporous materials offers several desirable features ranging from chemical and thermal stability, to resistance to degradation from the external environment. A new generation of mesoporous materials presents exciting new possibilities for the formulation and controlled release of biological agents. Such materials address niche applications in enteral and parenteral delivery of biologics, such as peptides, polypeptides, enzymes and proteins for use as therapeutics, imaging agents, biosensors, and adjuvants.Areas covered: Mesoporous silica Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 (SBA-15), with its unique, tunable pore diameter, and easily functionalized surface, provides a representative example of this new generation of materials. Here, we review recent advances in the design and synthesis of nanostructured mesoporous materials, focusing on SBA-15, and highlight opportunities for the delivery of biological agents to various organ and tissue compartments.Expert opinion: The SBA-15 platform provides a delivery carrier that is inherently separated from the active biologic due to distinct intra and extra-particle environments. This permits the SBA-15 platform to not require direct modification of the active biological therapeutic. Additionally, this makes the platform universal and allows for its application independent of the desired methods of discovery and development. The SBA-15 platform also directly addresses issues of targeted delivery and controlled release, although future challenges in the implementation of this platform reside in particle design, biocompatibility, and the tunability of the internal and external material properties. Examples illustrating the flexibility in the application of the SBA-15 platform are also discussed
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