602 research outputs found
Photonic stop bands in quasi-random nanoporous anodic alumina structures
The existence of photonic stop bands in the self-assembled arrangement of
pores in porous anodic alumina structures is investigated by means of rigorous
2D finite- difference time-domain calculations. Self-assembled porous anodic
alumina shows a random distribution of domains, each of them with a very
definite triangular pattern, constituting a quasi-random structure. The
observed stop bands are similar to those of photonic quasicrystals or random
structures. As the pores of nanoporous anodic alumina can be infiltrated with
noble metals, nonlinear or active media, it makes this material very attractive
and cost-effective for applications including inhibition of spontaneous
emission, random lasing, LEDs and biosensors
Effect of the anodization voltage on the porewidening rate of nanoporous anodic alumina
A detailed study of the pore-widening rate of nanoporous anodic alumina
layers as a function of the anodization voltage was carried out. The study
focuses on samples produced under the same electrolyte and concentration but
different anodization voltages within the self-ordering regime. By means of
ellipsometry-based optical characterization, it is shown that in the
porewidening process, the porosity increases at a faster rate for lower
anodization voltages. This opens the possibility of obtaining three-dimensional
nanostructured nanoporous anodic alumina with controlled thickness and
refractive index of each layer, and with a refractive index difference of up to
0.24 between layers, for samples produced with oxalic acid electrolytes
Fabrication of self-ordered nanoporous alumina for optical and structural characterization
Presentem la fabricació, caracterització estructural i òptica de
membranes d'alúmina nanoporosa autoordenada. Les mostres
han estat fabricades per el procés de doble anodització.
La morfologia de les membranes obtinguda mitjançant les diferents
condicions d'anodització ha estat examinada amb un microscopi
electrònic d'escombrat per tal d'estimar les seves
propietats geomètriques. Les propietats estructurals estudiades
mitjançant difracció de raigs X mostren que durant el procés
de recuit termic, des de 600 ºC fins a 1200 ºC, l'alúmina
nanoporosa ha cristal·litzat des de la fase amorfa fins a les formes
gamma i alfa (cristal·lines). L'espectre de la transmissió
òptica de les membranes d'alúmina porosa autoordenada va
ser mesurat mitjançant un espectròmetre UV-VIS en el rang
300 - 1000 nmWe present the fabrication and optical and structural characterization
of self-ordered nanoporous alumina membranes.
The samples were fabricated using a two-step anodization
process. The morphology of the membranes produced using
different anodizing conditions was examined with a scanning
electron microscope in order to estimate their geometrical
properties. The structural properties studied by X-ray diffraction
showed that nanoporous alumina is crystallized from
amorphous phase to gamma and alpha (crystalline) forms during
annealing at 600 ºC to 1200 ºC. The optical transmission
spectra of the membranes were measured using a UV-VIS
spectrometer in the range of 300 - 1000 nm
1-D nanoporous anodic alumina rugate filters by means of small current variations for real-time sensing applications
Diphenylphenoxy-Thiophene-PDI Dimers as Acceptors for OPV Applications with Open Circuit Voltage Approaching 1 Volt
Two new perylenediimides (PDIs) have been developed for use as electron acceptors in
solution-processed bulk heterojunction solar cells. The compounds were designed to exhibit maximal solubility in organic solvents, and reduced aggregation in the solid state. In order to achieve this,
diphenylphenoxy groups were used to functionalize a monomeric PDI core, and two PDI dimers were bridged with either one or two thiophene units. In photovoltaic devices prepared using PDI dimers
and a monomer in conjunction with PTB7, it was found that the formation of crystalline domains in either the acceptor or donor was completely suppressed. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction,
charge carrier mobility measurements and recombination kinetics studies all suggest that the lack of crystallinity in the active layer induces a significant drop in electron mobility. Significant surface
recombination losses associated with a lack of segregation in the material were also identified as a significant loss mechanism. Finally, the monomeric PDI was found to have sub-optimum LUMO energy matching the cathode contact, thus limiting charge carrier extraction. Despite these setbacks,
all PDIs produced high open circuit voltages, reaching almost 1 V in one particular caseThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness
(MEIC) (TEC2015-71324-R, CTQ2014-55798-R and TEC2015-71915-REDT (MINECO/FEDER))This work was supported by the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) (ICREA “Academia Award”, AGAUR 2017 SGR 017SGR1527
pH-responsive drug delivery system based on hollow silicon dioxide micropillars coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers
Achieving orphan designation for placental insufficiency: annual incidence estimations in Europe
Objective
To determine whether a novel therapy for placental insufficiency could achieve orphan drug status by estimating the annual incidence of placental insufficiency, defined as an estimated fetal weight below the 10th centile in the presence of abnormal umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry, per 10 000 European Union (EU ) population as part of an application for European Medicines Agency (EMA ) orphan designation.
Design
Incidence estimation based on literature review and published national and EU statistics.
Setting and population
European Union.
Methods
Data were drawn from published literature, including national and international guidelines, international consensus statements, cohort studies and randomised controlled trials, and published national and EU statistics, including birth rates and stillbirth rates. Rare disease databases were also searched.
Results
The proportion of affected pregnancies was estimated as 3.17% (95% CI 2.93–3.43%), using a weighted average of the results from two cohort studies. Using birth rates from 2012 and adjusting for a pregnancy loss rate of 1/100 gave an estimated annual incidence of 3.33 per 10 000 EU population (95% CI 3.07–3.60 per 10 000 EU population). This fell below the EMA threshold of 5 per 10 000 EU population.
Conclusions
Maternal vascular endothelial growth factor gene therapy for placental insufficiency was granted EMA orphan status in 2015 after we demonstrated that it is a rare, life‐threatening or chronically debilitating and currently untreatable disease. Developers of other potential obstetric therapies should consider applying for orphan designation, which provides financial and regulatory benefits
Engineering optical properties of gold-coated nanoporous anodic alumina for biosensing
Stacked nanoporous anodic alumina gradient-index filters with tunable multispectral photonic stopbands as sensing platforms
This study presents the development and optical engineering of stacked nanoporous anodic alumina gradient-index (NAA-GIFs) filters with tunable multispectral photonic stopbands for sensing applications. The structure of these photonic crystals (PC) is formed by stacked layers of NAA produced with sinusoidally modified effective medium. The progressive modification of the sinusoidal period during the anodization process enables the generation and precise tuning of the characteristic photonic stopbands (PSB) (i.e., one per sinusoidal period in the anodization profile) of these PC structures. Four types of NAA-GIFs featuring three distinctive PSBs positioned within the visible spectral region are developed. The sensitivity of the effective medium of these NAA-GIFs is systematically assessed by measuring spectral shifts in the characteristic PSBs upon infiltration of their nanoporous structure with analytical solutions of d-glucose with several concentrations (0.025–1 M). This study provides new insights into the intrinsic relationship between the nanoporous architecture of these PCs and their optical properties, generating opportunities to fabricate advanced optical sensing systems for high-throughput and multiplexed detection of analytes in a single sensing platform.Laura K. Acosta, Francesc Bertó-Roselló, Elisabet Xifre-Perez, Abel Santos, Josep Ferré-Borrull, and Lluis F. Marsa
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