We explore theoretically the feasibility of functionalizing carbon nanostructures for hydrogen storage, focusing on the coating of C60 fullerenes with light alkaline-earth metals. Our first-principles density functional theory studies show that both Ca and Sr can bind strongly to the C60 surface, and highly prefer monolayer coating, thereby explaining existing experimental observations. The str...

We develop and characterize a UV ablation technique that can be used to pattern soft materials such as polymers and nonlinear molecules self-assembled over silica microstructures. Using this method, we fabricate a spatially periodic coating of nonlinear film over a thin silica fiber taper for second harmonic generation (SHG). Experimentally, we find that the second harmonic signal produced by t...

A novel kind of functional sutures was developed by combining electrospinning with a braiding technique. After post treatments, the electrospun PLLA nanofiber threads which were collected uniaxially were made into a more compact braided wire. Chitosan was used as a coating agent to make the braided wire surface smoothened and functionalized. Morphology and mechanical properties of the PLLA sutu...

By performing density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations, the performance of α-silicene as oxidation-resistant coating on Ag(111) surface is investigated. First of all, it is shown that the Ag(111) surface is quite reactive against O atoms and O2 molecules. It is known that when single-layer silicene is formed on the Ag(111) surface, the 3 × 3-reconstructed phase, α-silicene, is the gro...

Cryoprotectants such as antifreeze proteins (AFPs) and sugar molecules may provide a solution for icing problems. These anti-icing substances protect cells and tissues from freezing by inhibiting ice formation. In this study, we developed a method for coating an industrial metal material (aluminum, Al) with AFP from the Antarctic marine diatom, Chaetoceros neogracile (Cn-AFP), to prevent or del...

Magnetic particles may be used to selectively attach and manipulate or transport targeted species to a desired location under the influence of an external magnetic field. By virtue of their size, magnetic nanoparticles are superparamagnetic, offering great potential in a variety of applications in their bare form or through coating with a surface coating and functional group chosen for a specif...

Hot-melt coating (HMC) is an alternative, solvent-free method generally used to modify substrate release rate and/or mask its unpleasant taste. The aim of this study was assess two HMC methods (pan-coating and mortar-coating) by assaying functional properties the coated material. selected substrates included highly soluble sodium chloride (model substance) caffeine (bitter drug), agent glycerol...

. Surface characterization techniques were used to evaluate adamantylethyltrichlorosilane (AdSi) as a potential coating to provide surface protection or as an initiator for diamond-like thin films. FT-IR and FT-Raman results indicate that, after formation and heating, the coating system has developed a cross-linked siloxane network. Quartz crystal microbalance and contact angle measurements wer...