2008 NOV 24 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to recent research from Hangzhou, People's Republic of China, "We report a new self-induced catalyst-free method for the preparation of shrubbery TiSi nanowires by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. SiH4 and TiCl4 are used as a silicon precursor and titanium precursor, respectively."

  "Ti5Si3 thin films are formed initially, and then one-dimensional TiSi nanostructures are grown on top of the thin films. A novel, assembled structure with electrically conductive shrubbery TiSi nanowires with an electrically conductive Ti5Si3 thin layer underneath is finally obtained. The TiSi nanowires grow along the direction perpendicular to the (110) plane of the orthorhombic TiSi crystal. The nanowires are more than 5 mu m long, and their diameters are about 15-40 nm. With the flux of (SiH4 + TiCl4) reaching values larger than 35 seem or increasing from 20 to 35 seem, the quantities of TiSi nuclei are increased and, thus, the TiSi nanowire bundles and rocket-shaped nanowires are also successfully prepared, respectively. With regard to producing a high storage capacitor with the nanowire bottom electrode embedded within the dielectric thin film of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST), the capacitance of the BST/assembled-nanowire-electrode complex structure is about 28 pF, which is approximately 3 times higher than that of BST deposited on indium-tin oxide (ITO)," wrote J. Du and colleagues, Zhejiang University ...read more

  2008 NOV 24 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "The controllable synthesis of CdMoO4 hollow microspheres has been successfully realized in a large scale by a facile precipitation reaction between Cd(CH3COO)(2) and Na2MoO4 in the absence of any templates or additives. The as-prepared hollow spheres consist of small nanoparticles with a size of ca. 100 nm," investigators in Shanghai, People's Republic of China report.

  "By adjusting the reaction condition, hollow spheres with different morphologies and microstructures could be obtained. The growth mechanism was investigated on the basis of the results of time-dependent experiments. The band gap estimated from the main absorption edges of the UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrum is 3.31 eV. The photocatalytic activity experiment indicated that the CdMoO4 hollow microspheres prepared at 40 degrees C exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity in the photocatalytic decolorization of Rhodamine-B aqueous solution under the UV light illumination than commercially available TiO2. Notably, the photocatalytic property of CdMoO4 samples is strongly dependent on their morphologies and microstructures," wrote L. Zhou and colleagues ...read more

  2008 NOV 24 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to a study from People's Republic of China, "Multiple morphologies and structures of Ag nanocrystals have been synthesized at a large-scale within a facile and organic-free replacement reaction system. Different morphologies (including nanoplate, dendrite, and nanosphere) in the Ag nanostructure growth have been observed."

  "A continuous transition from single crystal structures to mesocrystals to polycrystalline aggregates can be achieved by simply adjusting the silver ion concentration. The suggested oriented attachment processes contribute to form different crystallographic structures, and the chemical potential of the reaction system provides a driving force for grain rotation and realignment, and the final fusion of attached grains," wrote J.X. Fang and colleagues, Xi'an Jiao Tong University ...read more