Nickel is the major cause of allergic contact dermatitis in the general population, both among children and adults, as well as in large occupational groups. This metal is used in numerous industrial and consumer products, including stainless steel, magnets, metal plating, coinage, and special alloys, and is therefore almost impossible to completely avoid in daily life. Nickel contact dermatitis...

We present a microfluidic technique for precision patterning thin-film metals (silver and gold) without the need for photolithography. This technique is employed for the fabrication of metal resistors that are subsequently utilized as temperature sensors, strain gauges, and fluid flow sensors. Patterns of thin film metal are fabricated by premixing and flowing electroless silver or gold plating...

We present a technique for patterning thin-film metals (silver and gold) without the need for photolithography. The technique involves microfluidics and can be performed on planar or curved surfaces. Patterns of thin-film metal are fabricated by flowing electroless silver or gold plating solutions through predefined microchannels made of polydimethylsiloxane sealed against a surface of interest...

A novel fabrication process is proposed for manufacturing thin-film metal Fresnel lenses for X-ray applications. This process combines diamond turning technology and photolithographic processes. To prevent thin-film lens substrates from deflection during diamond turning, films were prepared on single crystalline silicon wafers by electrolytic plating. After the Fresnel lens structure is generat...

Membranes are crucial in modern industry and both new technologies and materials need to be designed to achieve higher selectivity and performance. Exotic materials such as nanoparticles offer promising perspectives, and combining both their very high specific surface area and the possibility to incorporate them into macrostructures have already shown to substantially increase the membrane perf...

In this work, we use a two-step metal-assisted chemical etching method to produce films of silicon nanowires shaped in micrograins from metallurgical-grade polycrystalline silicon powder. The first step is an electroless plating process where the powder was dipped for few minutes in an aqueous solution of silver nitrite and hydrofluoric acid to permit Ag plating of the Si micrograins. During th...

Occupational exposures to inhalation of certain metal dusts or aerosols can cause loss of olfactory acuity, atrophy of the nasal mucosa, mucosal ulcers, perforated nasal septum, or sinonasal cancer. Anosmia and hyposmia have been observed in workers exposed to Ni- or Cd-containing dusts in alkaline battery factories, nickel refineries, and cadmium industries. Ulcers of the nasal mucosa and perf...