A Dual-Mode Bandpass Filter with Multiple Controllable Transmission-Zeros Using T-Shaped Stub-Loaded Resonators

A dual-mode broadband bandpass filter (BPF) with multiple controllable transmission-zeros using T-shaped stub-loaded resonators (TSSLRs) is presented. Due to the symmetrical plane, the odd-even-mode theory can be adopted to characterize the BPF. The proposed filter consists of a dual-mode TSSLR and two modified feed-lines, which introduce two capacitive and inductive source-load (S-L) couplings. Five controllable transmission zeros (TZs) can be achieved for the high selectivity and the wide stopband because of the tunable amount of coupling capacitance and inductance. The center frequency of the proposed BPF is 5.8 GHz, with a 3 dB fraction bandwidth of 8.9%. The measured insertion and return losses are 1.75 and 28.18 dB, respectively. A compact size and second harmonic frequency suppression can be obtained by the proposed BPF with S-L couplings

A tunable Au core–Ag shell nanoparticle tip for tip-enhanced spectroscopy

A single Au nanoparticle (NP) with a diameter of 5 nm was transferred to the end of a Si-tip through a picking process, and an Ag shell with a controlled thickness was formed on the Au core. By carrying out tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) measurements on biphenyl-4-thiol (BPT) with the Au@Ag NP-tip (overall diameter of 22-60 nm), we confirm that such tips show a plasmonic localfield enhancement which is sufficient for tip-enhanced spectromicroscopy.1195Ysciescopu

Nanostar probes for tip-enhanced spectroscopy

To overcome the current limit of tip-enhanced spectroscopy that is based on metallic nano-probes, we developed a new scanning probe with a metallic nanostar, a nanoparticle with sharp spikes. A Au nanoparticle of 5 nm was first attached to the end of a tip through DNA-DNA hybridization and mechanical pick-up. The nanoparticle was converted to a nanostar with a core diameter of similar to 70 nm and spike lengths between 50 nm and 80 nm through the reduction of Au3+ with ascorbic acid in the presence of Ag+. Fabrication yields of such tips exceeded 60%, and more than 80% of such tips showed a mechanical durability sufficient for use in scanning microscopy. Effectiveness of the new probes for tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) and tip-enhanced fluorescence (TEF) was confirmed. The probes exhibited the necessary enhancement for TEF, and the tip-on and tip-off ratios varied between 5 and 100. This large tip-to-tip variability may arise from the uncontrolled orientation of the apexes of the spike with respect to the sample surface, which calls for further fabrication improvement. The result overall supports a new fabrication approach for the probe that is effective for tip-enhanced spectroscopy.open11148sciescopu

Facile Synthesis of High Quality Graphene Nanoribbons

Graphene nanoribbons have attracted attention for their novel electronic and spin transport properties1-6, and because nanoribbons less than 10 nm wide have a band gap that can be used to make field effect transistors. However, producing nanoribbons of very high quality, or in high volumes, remains a challenge. Here, we show that pristine few-layer nanoribbons can be produced by unzipping mildly gas-phase oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotube using mechanical sonication in an organic solvent. The nanoribbons exhibit very high quality, with smooth edges (as seen by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy), low ratios of disorder to graphitic Raman bands, and the highest electrical conductance and mobility reported to date (up to 5e2/h and 1500 cm2/Vs for ribbons 10-20 nm in width). Further, at low temperature, the nanoribbons exhibit phase coherent transport and Fabry-Perot interference, suggesting minimal defects and edge roughness. The yield of nanoribbons was ~2% of the starting raw nanotube soot material, which was significantly higher than previous methods capable of producing high quality narrow nanoribbons1. The relatively high yield synthesis of pristine graphene nanoribbons will make these materials easily accessible for a wide range of fundamental and practical applications.Comment: Nature Nanotechnology in pres

Axially graded heteroepitaxy and Raman spectroscopic characterizations of Si1-xGex nanowires

We report the axially graded heteroepitaxy of Si1-xGex nanowires, by the kinetic controls of the Au-catalytic decomposition of precursors during chemical vapor syntheses. Transmission electron microscope studies demonstrate that the relative composition of Si and Ge is continuously graded along the uniformly thick nanowires, sharing the same crystal structures with the continuously varying lattices. We also employed a confocal Raman scattering imaging technique, and showed that the local variations in Raman phonon bands, specific to Si and Ge alloying (nu(Si-Si), nu(Si-Ge), and nu(Ge-Ge)), can be spatially and spectrally resolved along the individual nanowires, within the spatial resolution of similar to 500 nm. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.open111213Nsciescopu

Public-Private Partnership in the Housing and Communal Services and University Housing Infrastructure of Kazakhstan

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0The article is devoted to the use of public-private partnership in housing and communal services and the expansion of University housing infrastructure in Kazakhstan. The analysis of the qualitative and quantitative status of projects that are officially registered in the databases of relevant state institutions is carried out. All implemented projects of public-private partnership with participation of state budgeting are subject to competitive selection, certain stages of reviewing and study of economic efficiency of project solutions, search for business partners who are ready to take on certain risks. This analysis reveals the real state of implementation of state programs to modernize housing and utilities, increase the housing stock of University infrastructure. Since the analysis of the distribution of public-private partnership projects for housing and communal services, energy supply in all regions of Kazakhstan was carried out, the research results presented in this article will be used in drawing up strategic plans for the territories development. Since the financing of some investment projects for the modernization of housing and communal services is carried out on the basis of state, local budgets, all these projects must be registered in the information databases of state bodies. The article also presents the results of expanding University housing infrastructures through the construction of new and reconstruction of existing student dormitories using mechanism of public-private partnership in the regions, which is currently at the initial stage of project formation. The article presents the results of the implementation of this task in the regions, which is currently at the initial stage of the formation of PPP projects for the construction of student dormitories

Silicon production using long flaming coal and improvement of its quality indicators

The object of this study is to explore possibility of metallothermic producing of crystalline silicon using various types of carbon reducing agents as a reducing agent. The experience of existing enterprises shows that one of the best carbon reducing agents qualifying silicon electric melting technology is charcoal. On the other hand, charcoal has a number of disadvantages, such as its scarcity, high cost and low mechanical strength. Experimental melts has shown the principal possibility of producing the crystalline silicon that meets the requirements of quartz standard using low ash special coke and long-flame coal as reducing agents

Laser-induced etching of few-layer graphene synthesized by Rapid-Chemical Vapour Deposition on Cu thin films

The outstanding electrical and mechanical properties of graphene make it very attractive for several applications, Nanoelectronics above all. However a reproducible and non destructive way to produce high quality, large-scale area, single layer graphene sheets is still lacking. Chemical Vapour Deposition of graphene on Cu catalytic thin films represents a promising method to reach this goal, because of the low temperatures (T < 900 Celsius degrees) involved during the process and of the theoretically expected monolayer self-limiting growth. On the contrary such self-limiting growth is not commonly observed in experiments, thus making the development of techniques allowing for a better control of graphene growth highly desirable. Here we report about the local ablation effect, arising in Raman analysis, due to the heat transfer induced by the laser incident beam onto the graphene sample.Comment: v1:9 pages, 8 figures, submitted to SpringerPlus; v2: 11 pages, PDFLaTeX, 9 figures, revised peer-reviewed version resubmitted to SpringerPlus; 1 figure added, figure 1 and 4 replaced,typos corrected, "Results and discussion" section significantly extended to better explain etching mechanism and features of Raman spectra, references adde

Depolarization effect in optical absorption measurements of one- and two-dimensional nanostructures

We measure absolute optical absorption cross-sections of one-(1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures using a focused laser beam while varying the numerical aperture (NA) of the focusing lens. We find the optical absorption deviates at higher NA. In the high NA regime, absorption by graphene decreases from 2.2% to below 1.8%; for Ge nanowires, it decreases from an expected value by a factor of 1.2. We explain this using the depolarization effect at the focal spot and conclude that these corrections allow for accurate quantitative measurements of optical and optoelectronic processes in 1D or 2D nanostructures. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4752889]open1167Nsciescopu