Liquid phase synthesis of materials -nanostructures and characterization

The liquid phase synthesis of materials is a powerful way to obtain samples which could otherwise notbe prepared by conventional methods. This is particularly useful when dealing with nanomaterials, asstarting from metal organic precursors favors a better control of the nucleation/growth phenomena.In this work, the synthesis of nanoparticles of metal oxide compositions was performed using nonhydrolyticsolvothermal synthesis in the ZrO2, ZnO, SnO2 and TiO2 systems. The objective was to obtaincrystallized particles with uniform sizes of less than 5 nm to correlate the synthesis parameters, sizeand local structure of the samples. Indeed, for such small sizes, the bulk-based structural models donot apply anymore and specific properties are identified.For all the selected chemical systems, the synthesis of very small crystallized particles was successful.In this case, the control of water and thermal parameters is as important as the choice of the reagents.The samples were analyzed by conventional X-ray diffraction, pair distribution function andtransmission electron microscopy in order to determine their average and local structure as well astheir morphology. Locally, the atomic structure of the particles are clearly different from the bulkstructures when the sizes are inferior to 5 nm

ePatient and eNurses Tools Based on Tactile Interfaces Applications for Nursing Home Residents and Nurse Team Support

International audienceThis article shows what usage can be made of touch screens to monitor elderly activities and health parameters. The system is based upon a classical 10-inch tablet on which a portal allows to access several activities for communications, cerebral activities through games, electronic mailbox, and multimedia applications. Statistical results can be used by the medical team to follow the mental and medical state of the resident, and to adapt the daily activities. The graphic interface and the game types are derived using a semiotic approach taking into account the biography of the person through the memory of gesture