Enhanced Size-Dependent Piezoelectricity in Nanostructured Films

Surface piezoelectricity: Size effects in nanostructures and the emergence of piezoelectricity in non-piezoelectric materials

In this work, using a combination of a theoretical framework and atomistic calculations, we highlight the concept of “surface piezoelectricity,” which can be used to interpret the piezoelectricity of nanostructures. Focusing on three specific material systems (ZnO, SrTiO3, and BaTiO3), we discuss the renormalization of apparent piezoelectric behavior at small scales. In a rather interesting int...

Polymeric nanostructured composite films*

This research news describes the construction of polymeric nanostructured composite film based on a variety of interactions, such as hydrophobic–hydrophilic effect, electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, etc. The work focused on developing strategies to solve the basic problems in the area of ultrathin film research, such as stability, improving the interface quality, creating patterned i...

Sonochemical Preparation and Size-Dependent Properties of Nanostructured CoFe2O4 Particles

Nanostructured CoFe2O4 particles were prepared by a sonochemical approach, first by preparation of the amorphous precursor powders, followed by heat treatment at relatively very low temperatures. The precursor was prepared by sonochemical decomposition of solutions of volatile organic precursors, Fe(CO)5 and Co(NO)(CO)3, in Decalin at 273 K, under an oxygen pressure of 100-150 kPa. The amorphou...

Investigation of size–dependent cell adhesion on nanostructured interfaces

BACKGROUND Cells explore the surfaces of materials through membrane-bound receptors, such as the integrins, and use them to interact with extracellular matrix molecules adsorbed on the substrate surfaces, resulting in the formation of focal adhesions. With recent advances in nanotechnology, biosensors and bioelectronics are being fabricated with ever decreasing feature sizes. The performances o...

Magnetic hardening in FePt nanostructured films