Self assembled nanoparticle aggregates from line focused femtosecond laser ablation

In this paper we present the use of a line focused femtosecond laser beam that is rastered across a 2024 T3 aluminum surface to produce nanoparticles that self assemble into 5-60 micron diameter domed and in some cases sphere-shaped aggregate structures. Each time the laser is rastered over initial aggregates their diameter increases as new layers of nanoparticles self assemble on the surface. The aggregates are thus composed of layers of particles forming discrete layered shells inside of them. When micron size aggregates are removed, using an ultrasonic bath, rings are revealed that have been permanently formed in the sample surface. These rings appear underneath, and extend beyond the physical boundary of the aggregates. The surface is blackened by the formation of these structures and exhibits high light absorption

Investigation of femtosecond laser induced ripple formation on copper for varying incident angle

The hydrodynamic mechanisms associated with the formation of femtosecond laser induced ripples on copper for two angles of incidence are reported. Laser pulse length used for this work is 35 fs. A revised two-temperature model is presented that comprises transient changes of optical characteristics during the irradiation with femtosecond pulses to model relaxation processes and thermal response in bulk copper. The theoretical model takes into account the fluid flow dynamics that result in ripple periods shorter than the wavelength of the surface plasmon polaritons. Theoretical and experimental results are reported for incident angles of 0°and 45° relative to the surface normal. There is agreement between the experimentally measured and the theoretically predicted ripple periodicity for 50 pulses at 0° incidence. By contrast, for 100 pulses at 0° incidence, and 50 and 100 pulses at 45° incidence, the experimentally measured ripples have a larger period than the one predicted by the model while the trends in period with increased incident angle, and increased fluence are in agreement between the experimental and the theoretical results

Growth mechanisms of multiscale, mound-like surface structures on titanium by femtosecond laser processing

Femtosecond laser surface processing (FLSP) can be used to functionalize many surfaces, imparting specialized properties such as increased broadband optical absorption or superhydrophobicity/- hydrophilicity. In this study, the subsurface microstructure of a series of mound-like FLSP structures formed on commercially pure titanium using five combinations of laser fluence and cumulative pulse counts was studied. Using a dual beam Scanning Electron Microscope with a Focused Ion Beam, the subsurface microstructure for each FLSP structure type was revealed by cross-sectioning. The microstructure of the mounds formed using the lowest fluence value consists of the original Ti grains. This is evidence that preferential laser ablation is the primary formation mechanism. However, the underlying microstructure of mounds produced using higher fluence values was composed of a distinct smaller-grained a-Ti region adjacent to the original larger Ti grains remaining deeper beneath the surface. This layer was attributed to resolidification of molten Ti from the hydrodynamic Marangoni effect driven fluid flow of molten Ti, which is the result of the femtosecond pulse interaction with the material

Growth mechanisms of multiscale, mound-like surface structures on titanium by femtosecond laser processing

Femtosecond laser surface processing (FLSP) can be used to functionalize many surfaces, imparting specialized properties such as increased broadband optical absorption or superhydrophobicity/- hydrophilicity. In this study, the subsurface microstructure of a series of mound-like FLSP structures formed on commercially pure titanium using five combinations of laser fluence and cumulative pulse counts was studied. Using a dual beam Scanning Electron Microscope with a Focused Ion Beam, the subsurface microstructure for each FLSP structure type was revealed by cross-sectioning. The microstructure of the mounds formed using the lowest fluence value consists of the original Ti grains. This is evidence that preferential laser ablation is the primary formation mechanism. However, the underlying microstructure of mounds produced using higher fluence values was composed of a distinct smaller-grained a-Ti region adjacent to the original larger Ti grains remaining deeper beneath the surface. This layer was attributed to resolidification of molten Ti from the hydrodynamic Marangoni effect driven fluid flow of molten Ti, which is the result of the femtosecond pulse interaction with the material

NANO-PARTICLE/QUANTUM DOT BASED OPTICAL DODE

A particle based optical diode having at least two cavities or at least two regions of a single cavity, wherein the regions contain different types of particles

Formation of aggregated nanoparticle spheres through femtosecond laser surface processing

A detailed structural and chemical analysis of a class of self-organized surface structures, termed aggregated nanoparticle spheres (AN-spheres), created using femtosecond laser surface processing (FLSP) on silicon, silicon carbide, and aluminum is reported in this paper. AN-spheres are spherical microstructures that are 20–100 μm in diameter and are composed entirely of nanoparticles produced during femtosecond laser ablation of material. AN-spheres have an onion-like layered morphology resulting from the build-up of nanoparticle layers over multiple passes of the laser beam. The material properties and chemical composition of the AN-spheres are presented in this paper based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) milling, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. There is a distinct difference in the density of nanoparticles between concentric rings of the onion-like morphology of the AN-sphere. Layers of high-density form when the laser sinters nanoparticles together and low-density layers form when nanoparticles redeposit while the laser ablates areas surrounding the AN-sphere. The dynamic nature of femtosecond laser ablation creates a variety of nanoparticles that make-up the AN-spheres including Si/C core-shell, nanoparticles that directly fragmented from the base material, nanoparticles with carbon shells that retarded oxidation, and amorphous, fully oxidized nanoparticles

Micro/nanostructures formation by femtosecond laser surface processing on amorphous and polycrystalline Ni60Nb40

Femtosecond laser surface processing is a technology that can be used to functionalize many surfaces, imparting specialized properties such as increased broadband optical absorption or superhydrophilicity/superhydrophobicity. In this study, two unique classes of surface structures, below surface growth (BSG) and above surface growth (ASG) mounds, were formed by femtosecond laser surface processing on amorphous and polycrystalline Ni60Nb40 with two different grain sizes. Cross sectional imaging of these mounds revealed thermal evidence of the unique formation processes for each class of surface structure. BSG mounds formed on all three substrates using the same laser parameters had similar surface morphology. The microstructures in the mounds were unaltered compared with the substrate before laser processing, suggesting their formation was dominated by preferential valley ablation. ASG mounds had similar morphology when formed on the polycrystalline Ni60Nb40 substrates with 100 nm and 2 [H9262]m grain size. However, the ASG mounds had significantly wider diameter and higher peak-to-valley heights when the substrate was amorphous Ni60Nb40. Hydrodynamic melting was primarily responsible for ASG mound formation. On amorphous Ni60Nb40 substrates, the ASG mounds are most likely larger due to lower thermal diffusivity. There was clear difference in growth mechanism of femtosecond laser processed BSG and ASG mounds, and grain size does not appear to be a factor

CAG Repeats Determine Brain Atrophy in Spinocerebellar Ataxia 17: A VBM Study

Abnormal repeat length has been associated with an earlier age of onset and more severe disease progression in the rare neurodegenerative disorder spinocerebellar ataxia 17 (SCA17).To determine whether specific structural brain degeneration and rate of disease progression in SCA17 might be associated with the CAG repeat size, observer-independent voxel-based morphometry was applied to high-resolution magnetic resonance images of 16 patients with SCA17 and 16 age-matched healthy controls. The main finding contrasting SCA17 patients with healthy controls demonstrated atrophy in the cerebellum bilaterally. Multiple regression analyses with available genetic data and also post-hoc correlations revealed an inverse relationship again with cerebellar atrophy. Moreover, we found an inverse relationship between the CAG repeat length and rate of disease progression.Our results highlight the fundamental role of the cerebellum in this neurodegenerative disease and support the genotype-phenotype relationship in SCA17 patients. Genetic factors may determine individual susceptibility to neurodegeneration and rate of disease progression

Genome-wide association of familial prostate cancer cases identifies evidence for a rare segregating haplotype at 8q24.21

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of prostate cancer risk focused on cases unselected for family history and have reported over 100 significant associations. The International Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics (ICPCG) has now performed a GWAS of 2511 (unrelated) familial prostate cancer cases and 1382 unaffected controls from 12 member sites. All samples were genotyped on the Illumina 5M+exome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) platform. The GWAS identified a significant evidence for association for SNPs in six regions previously associated with prostate cancer in population-based cohorts, including 3q26.2, 6q25.3, 8q24.21, 10q11.23, 11q13.3, and 17q12. Of note, SNP rs138042437 (p = 1.7e−8) at 8q24.21 achieved a large estimated effect size in this cohort (odds ratio = 13.3). 116 previously sampled affected relatives of 62 risk-allele carriers from the GWAS cohort were genotyped for this SNP, identifying 78 additional affected carriers in 62 pedigrees. A test for an excess number of affected carriers among relatives exhibited strong evidence for co-segregation of the variant with disease (p = 8.5e−11). The majority (92 %) of risk-allele carriers at rs138042437 had a consistent estimated haplotype spanning approximately 100 kb of 8q24.21 that contained the minor alleles of three rare SNPs (dosage minor allele frequencies <1.7 %), rs183373024 (PRNCR1), previously associated SNP rs188140481, and rs138042437 (CASC19). Strong evidence for co-segregation of a SNP on the haplotype further characterizes the haplotype as a prostate cancer pre-disposition locus

Germline Mutations in HOXB13 and Prostate-Cancer Risk

Family history is a significant risk factor for prostate cancer, although the molecular basis for this association is poorly understood. Linkage studies have implicated chromosome 17q21-22 as a possible location of a prostate-cancer susceptibility gene