Detonation nanodiamonds tailor the structural oeder of PEDOT chains in conductive coating layers of hybrid nanoparticles

Solid layers of PEDOT–detonation nanodiamond based nanoparticles with an exceptional structural order were produced by means of a template-free polymerization technique. As an efficient multifunctional filler, the nanocrystalline diamond has been shown to possess a high catalytic activity on the monomer polymerization rate as well as to play a fundamental role as a 3D arrangement-directing agent of the PEDOT chains at the micro- and nano-scale. SEM, TEM and TED analyses highlighted the mutual organization between PEDOT oligomers and nanodiamond grains, and the produced hierarchical effects on the arrangement of the backbones of the final polymer. Optical and Raman spectroscopy, used together with XRD diffraction to study the molecular structure and crystallographic features of the hybrid materials, pointed out that the adopted synthetic strategy enables highly conjugated and doped hybrid systems to be generated. The spatial distribution of the filler inside the polymeric matrix and the mutual connectivity of nanodiamond crystals and PEDOT segments are found to strongly improve the functional properties of the host polymer. Mechanical characterizations by advanced AFM-based techniques revealed that both indentation modulus and hardness of PEDOT/nanodiamond materials are 3 times higher than the pure PEDOT polymer, while electrical characterizations by a 4-probe method gave sheet resistance values of 1 106 U sq 1 for the nanocomposite particle

Density functional study of H-induced sites in hybrid carbon nanomaterials

Recently we have reported on the growth of an exciting new class of hybrid nanostructured carbon materials, coupling nanosized diamond with single-walled carbon nanotubes. The inner structures were shown to be single-walled C nanotubes or bundles of single-walled nanotubes up to 15 ím long, and the outer deposit consisted of faceted diamond crystallites with diameters in the range of 20-100 nm. To aid in understanding the mechanisms responsible for the formation of such materials, the present study uses density functional theory to examine the role of atomic hydrogen in creating localized sp3 hybridized defects on the outer wall of carbon nanotubes. The results illustrate that certain absorption configurations may produce defects containing dangling carbon bonds, and thus promote the formation of suitable sites for nanodiamond nucleation

Nanoforum 2013:

This issue contains a selection of papers presented at NANOFORUM 2013 that reached its ninth edition and confirmed itself as a first-rate meeting dedicated to nano and advanced technologies. The aim of the event was, as tradition of this successful series of conferences, to present an overview of recent topics being developed in many of the wide-ranging fields related to the “nanoworld,” and to give a stimulating glimpse on future directions in nanotechnology. NANOFORUM 2013 has provided the opportunity to meet specialized Italian and foreign operators of companies and research center

Fabrication routes of microsized electrochemical biosensors based on single-walled carbon nanotubes

In this work two different synthesis processes for Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes deposition (such as the Hot Filament-Chemical Vapor Deposition, HF-CVD, and the electrophoretic deposition, EPD) on microwire surfaces, were described. Then, the morphological and structural characterization of SWNT-modified microwires were performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Raman Spectroscopy, respectively. Finally, the nanostrcutured microelectrodes were electrochemically characterized using NADH, NAD+, epinephrine, and ascorbic acid (AA), useful biological molecules to develop electrochemical sensors and biosensors

Introduction to carbon nanotubes: fabrication and properties

Owing to their surprising properties, carbon nanotubes (CNT) have recently raised a great deal of interest, both from scientific and engineering point of view. The development in understanding phenomena, preparing materials, designing and realizing devices dealing with carbon nanotubes is such a fast growing area that is almost impossible to exhaustively present: here it will be only given a reasoned list of the main themes focused on the production of CNT based systems

Morphology, growth mechanism and electroactivity of PEDOT layers produced by electrochemical routes in acquous medium

The electrochemical polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) in sodium poly(styrene-4- sulfonate) (NaPSS) polyelectrolyte aqueous solutionwas studied in order to establish a direct relationship between the synthesis conditions and the growth mechanisms of the polymeric film. The final morphology, the polymer structure and the electroactivity of the produced PEDOT:PSS layers have also been investigated in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the physico-chemical properties of the material. At this aim the current–time transients referred to the growth best conditions have been fitted using a mathematical equation that considers two contributions corresponding to 3D progressive nucleation under diffusion control and to 3D instantaneous nucleation controlled by charge transfers. The atomic force microscopy study performed on the polymeric films at various stages of electrodeposition supported the proposed growth model. The structural feature and the electrochemical performance of the PEDOT:PSS systems have been studied by Raman spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. These studies showed that the adopted experimental conditions allow one to grow PEDOT:PSS films in their oxidized state and characterized by high-capacitive properties

Diamond-based systems: innovative materials for photonics

Diamond and nanodiamond based systems are here presented as innovative fluorescent materials for photonics applications. In particular a brief outlook of the diamond optical properties and technological solutions are shown. The coupling of the diamond photoluminescence emission with antennas or lightguides structures is then investingated in order to enhance and collect the fluorescence of such systems for the realization of highly efficient optical device