Deterministic Aperiodic (DA) arrays of gold (Au) nanoparticles are proposed as a novel approach for the engineering of reproducible surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. A set of DA and periodic arrays of cylindrical and triangular Au nanoparticles with diameters ranging between 50-110 nm and inter-particle separations between 25-100 nm were fabricated by e-beam lithography on qu...

A seed-mediated growth method for surface modification was applied to the attachment of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to glassy carbon (GC) surfaces. By simply immersing a GC plate at first into a seed solution containing 4 nm Au nano-seed particles and then into a growth solution containing HAuCl(4), ascorbic acid and cetyltrimethyammonium bromide, AuNPs could be successfully attached to the GC s...

The recent thrust in utilizing atomically precise organic ligands protected gold clusters (Au clusters) as photosensitizer coupled with semiconductors for nano-catalysts has led to the claims of improved efficiency in photocatalysis. Nonetheless, the influence of photo-stability of organic ligands protected-Au clusters at the Au/semiconductor interface on the photocatalytic properties remains r...

Au-based catalysts have great potential because of their unique activity and selectivity for a variety of important reactions. The special catalytic properties of supported Au nano-particles depend critically upon the particle morphology, i.e. size, shape and thickness, as well as support effects. This paper reviews the current understanding of CO oxidation on supported Au catalysts. The electr...

Sulfonated Zn phthalocyanine, as a prospective photosensitizer in the photodynamic therapy of tumors, is investigated by means of Raman, infrared, and fluorescence spectroscopies. Conventional and surface-enhanced spectra from this photosensitizer are obtained and compared. Gold nano-islands attached to silica cores (Au-SiO2) are proposed as nanostructures providing plasmonically enhanced signa...

Nano-sized, nonreacting, noncoarsening ZrO2 particles reinforced Sn–3.0 wt%Ag–0.5 wt%Cu composite solders were prepared by mechanically dispersing ZrO2 nano-particles into Sn–Ag–Cu solder. The interfacial morphology of unreinforced Sn–Ag–Cu solder and solder joints containing ZrO2 nano-particles with Au/Ni metallized Cu pads on ball grid array (BGA) substrates and the distribution of reinforcin...

Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation in a suspension system requires a sophisticated nano-device that combines a photon absorber with effective redox catalysts. This study demonstrates an innovative molecular linking strategy for fabricating photocatalytic materials that allow effective charge separation of excited carriers, followed by efficient hydrogen evolution. The method for the s...

The collective wave type plasmon polariton self-modes in the metallic (Au, Ag) nano-chain were determined and analyzed with respect to the nano-sphere size and chain separation parameters. At some regions for parameters, the undamped modes were identified when the interaction had been assumed as the near-field-zone dipole coupling. These modes were found on the rim of stability of the linear th...

The synthesis and functionalization of imines and amines are key steps in the preparation of many fine chemicals and for pharmaceuticals in particular. Traditionally, metal complexes are used as homogeneous catalysts for these organic transformations. Here we report gold–palladium and ruthenium–palladium nano-alloys supported on TiO2 acting as highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts for the on...