Tungsten doped titanium dioxide films with both transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and photocatalytic properties were produced via aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition of titanium ethoxide and dopant concentrations of tungsten ethoxide at 500 °C from a toluene solution. The films were anatase TiO2, with good n-type electrical conductivities as determined via Hall effect measurements. The ...

Previous fiber-shaped solar cells are based on polymeric materials or dye-sensitized wide band-gap oxides. Here, we show that efficient fiber solar cells can be made from semiconducting nanostructures (e.g. CdSe) with smaller band-gap as the light absorption material. We directly grow a vertical array of CdSe nanowires uniformly around a core metal wire and make the device by covering the top o...

A novel and simple platform for an efficient SERS detection was demonstrated in a hanging plasmonic droplet of Ag sols by virtue of three-dimensional (3D) SERS hotspots. The platform was a single droplet of concentrated Ag sols with analytes hung on a hydrophobically treated transparent cover glass. Liquid adhesive force, solvent evaporation, and hydrophobic interaction induced a concentration ...

Multielectrode arrays (MEAs) allow for acquisition of multisite electrophysiological activity with submillisecond temporal resolution from neural preparations. The signal to noise ratio from such arrays has recently been improved by substrate perforations that allow negative pressure to be applied to the tissue; however, such arrays are not optically transparent, limiting their potential to be ...

Adequate visualization and identification of the posterior hyaloid, epiretinal membranes and the internal limiting membrane are of paramount importance in modern vitreoretinal surgery. "Chromovitrectomy" is a term used for describing the vital dyes use in order to stain these transparent tissues and facilitate their manipulation during vitreous surgery. This article reviews the indications, app...

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is widely used as light trapping schemes in solar cells, because it can concentrate light fields surrounding metal nanostructures and realize light management at the nanoscale. SPR in photovoltaics generally occurs at the metal/dielectric interfaces. A well-defined interface is therefore required to elucidate interfacial SPR processes. Here, we designed a photovo...

Nanochannel devices have been fabricated using standard micromachining techniques such as optical lithography, deposition and etching. 1D nanochannels with thin glass capping and through-wafer inlet/outlet ports were constructed. 2D nanochannels have been made transparent by oxidation of polysilicon channel wall for optical detection and these fragile channels were successfully connected to mac...

Plasmonic silver nanoparticles have unique properties that lend themselves to unusual optical applications, potentially including use as absorption amplifiers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). However, these particles are easily damaged under oxidizing conditions. Atomic layer deposition of TiO2 onto transparent-conductive-oxide-supported silver particles was examined as a means of protect...

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have achieved impressive conversion efficiencies for solar energy of over 11% with an electrolyte that contains triiodide/iodide as a redox couple. Although triiodide/iodide redox couples work efficiently in DSCs, they suffer from two major disadvantages: electrolytes that contain triiodide/iodide corrode electrical contacts made of silver (which reduces the op...

PURPOSE We reviewed various methodologies for studying leukocyte-retinal endothelial interactions in vivo, and summarized the information obtained from studies employing these methods. PROCEDURES Fluorescence dye-enhanced scanning laser ophthalmoscopy facilitates study of leukocyte-cell interactions in the retinal microcirculation. RESULTS Various methods such as adaptive optics scanning la...