Synthesis of Au, Ag, Curcumin Au/Ag, and Au-Ag Nanoparticles and Their Nonlinear Refractive Index Properties

Nanoparticles of gold and silver were prepared by a reduction method and by employing green chemistry principles such as using curcumin as a reducing and a stabilizing agent. The formation of nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-Vis absorption spectra and TEM. Mie theory was used to determine the particle sizes. The nonlinear refraction and absorption properties of the particles were measured using the z-scan technique. A large value of third-order nonlinearities was obtained using the nanoparticles produced

On the predominant mechanisms active during the high power diode laser modification of the wettability characteristics of an SiO2/Al2O3-based ceramic material

The mechanisms responsible for modifications to the wettability characteristics of a SiO2/Al2O3-based ceramic material in terms of a test liquid set comprising of human blood, human blood plasma, glycerol and 4-octonol after high power diode laser (HPDL) treatment have been elucidated. Changes in the contact angle, , and hence the wettability characteristics of the SiO2/Al2O3-based ceramic were attributed primarily to: modifications to the surface roughness of the ceramic resulting from HPDL interaction which accordingly effected reductions in ; the increase in the surface O2 content of the ceramic after HPDL treatment; since an increase in surface O2 content intrinsically brings about a decrease in , and vice versa and the increase in the polar component of the surface energy, due to the HPDL induced surface melting and resolidification which consequently created a partially vitrified microstructure that was seen to augment the wetting action. However, the degree of influence exerted by each mechanism was found to differ markedly. Isolation of each of these mechanisms permitted the magnitude of their influence to be qualitatively determined. Surface energy, by way of microstructural changes, was found to be by far the most predominant element governing the wetting characteristics of the SiO2/Al2O3-based ceramic. To a much lesser extent, surface O2 content, by way of process gas, was also seen to influence to a changes in the wettability characteristics of the SiO2/Al2O3-based ceramic, whilst surface roughness was found to play a minor role in inducing changes in the wettability characteristics

Wetting and bonding characteristics of selected liquid-metals with a high power diode laser treated alumina bioceramic

Changes in the wettability characteristics of an alumina bioceramic occasioned by high power diode laser (HPDL) surface treatment were apparent from the observed reduction in the contact angle. Such changes were due to the HPDL bringing about reductions the surface roughness, increases in the surface O2 content and increases in the polar component of the surface energy. Additionally, HPDL treatment of the alumina bioceramic surface was found to effect an improvement in the bonding characteristics by increasing the work of adhesion. An electronic approach was used to elucidate the bonding characteristics of the alumina bioceramic before and after HPDL treatment. It is postulated that HPDL induced changes to the alumina bioceramic produced a surface with a reduced bandgap energy which consequently increased the work of adhesion by increasing the electron transfer at the metal/oxide interface and thus the metal-oxide interactions. Furthermore, it is suggested that the increase in the work of adhesion of the alumina bioceramic after HPDL treatment was due to a correlation existing between the wettability and ionicity of the alumina bioceramic; for it is believed that the HPDL treated surface is less ionic in nature than the untreated surface and therefore exhibits better wettability characteristics

Optical Nonlinear Properties and Optical Switching of Henna (Lawson) Films

The nonlinear absorption coefficient and nonlinear refractive index have been investigated for Henna (Lawson) ( 2- hydroxyl-1,4 naphthoquinone) film using Z scan experiment at wavelengths 488 nm 514 nm and 633nm. The Z-scan measurements indicated that the Henna sample exhibited large nonlinear optical properties at low input power. The sample exhibited saturation absorption process at wavelengths 488 nm and 514 nm and exhibited a reverse saturation absorption process at wavelength 633nm. Intensity dependence of the nonlinear absorption reveals that the Henna can be considered as a potential candidate for optical limiting at 633 nm. The optical nonlinearities were utilized to demonstrate all optical switching

Synthesis of Au, Ag, Curcumin Au/Ag, and Au-Ag Nanoparticles and Their Nonlinear Refractive Index Properties

Nanoparticles of gold and silver were prepared by a reduction method and by employing green chemistry principles such as using curcumin as a reducing and a stabilizing agent. The formation of nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-Vis absorption spectra and TEM. Mie theory was used to determine the particle sizes. The nonlinear refraction and absorption properties of the particles were measured using the z-scan technique. A large value of third-order nonlinearities was obtained using the nanoparticles produced

Nonlinear optical measurements of BF2–aza dipyrromethene fluorophores

Nonlinear absorption coefficient and the nonlinear refractive index of a series of BF2 aza dipyrromethene chromophores in tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions were measured using the Z-scan technique with a low power continuous wave laser at 633 nm. Acquired data illustrated that the process involved in nonlinear absorption is reverse saturation absorption. The excited state absorption cross sections for all complexes were calculated and a pump and probe technique was used to record the triplet absorption spectrum. The band gap of the triplet state was estimated from this spectral data and the optical limiting behavior was demonstrated for each derivative. Keyword: BF2-azadipyrromethene fluorophore propertie

Visible and near-infrared absorption properties of blood from sickle cell patients and normal individuals.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder characterised by red blood cells that assume an abnormal and rigid shape. A point mutation in the beta globin chain of haemoglobin results in glutamic acid to be replaced with valine at the sixth position. The abnormal haemoglobin (HbS) leads to the distortion of red blood cells in certain conditions, such as low oxygen tension, and leads to sickling. Sickling decreases the flexibility of red blood cells and causes microvascular occlusion, which may manifest as stroke, acute chest syndrome, pulmonary hypertension or organ damage. SCD occurs primarily among people of sub-Saharan African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian descent. Of note, sickle cell anaemia refers to people who are homozygous for the mutation causing HbS, while sickle cell trait refers to heterozygotes who have one normal haemoglobin gene and one sickle cell gene. Approximately 250,000 children worldwide are born each year with sickle cell anaemia. According to the Gulf Genetic Center (GGC), abnormal haemoglobin was detected in 44.35% of neonatal samples in Bahrain. Of those, 18.1% had sickle cell trait and 2.1% had SCD. Additionally, the GGC reported that in the non-neonatal cases, the overall frequency of SCD was found to be 10.44%. Several techniques are used to screen for sickle cell trait or SCD, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), haemoglobin electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. HPLC uses ultraviolet rays to detect the difference in shape and surface area between the normal blood cells and the sickle cells. Haemoglobin electrophoresis differentiates between the haemoglobin forms based on charge, while DNA sequencing of the haemoglobin gene can detect the presence of the single amino acid substitution implicated in SCD. First reported in 1942, five different formsof haemoglobin (oxyhaemoglobin, carbomyl haemoglobin, methaemoglobin, reduced haemoglobin and metcyanhaemoglobin) were detected based on marked differences in the absorption spectra in the visible (380nm-760nm) and near-infrared (760nm-2,500nm) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. No such investigation comparing the absorption spectra of normal adult haemoglobin (HbA) and sickle cell haemoglobin (HbS) has been conducted in the visible and near-infrared region. Such is the aim of this brief study.</p