Here we report a new, bench-top synthesis for iron/iron oxide core/shell nanoparticles via the thermal decomposition of Fe(η(5)-C(6)H(3)Me(4))(2). The iron/iron oxide core/shell nanoparticles are superparamagnetic at room temperature and show improved negative contrast in T(2)-weighted MR imaging compared to pure iron oxides nanoparticles, and have a transverse relaxivity (r(2)) of 332 mM(-1) s(-1).

No abstract

Nucleation of calcium carbonate was achieved on mixed octadecanoic acid/octadecanol Langmuir monolayers. Two different nucleation regimes are distinguished based on monolayer alcohol content corresponding to the zone axes [01.0] (high alcohol content, weak or no interaction between the critical calcium carbonate nucleus and the monolayer) and [11.0] (low alcohol content, stronger face selective nucleation). The cation-mediated hydrogen-bonded soap network is disrupted by the presence of the alcohol, resulting in a reduced interaction between the monolayer and the subphase. This leads to little or no control over the nucleating crystal. The alcohol concentration at which the transition between the two preferential zone axes occurs is weakly dependent on growth pressure. No other variation with growth pressure was observed.