BackgroundThe antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles has resulted in their extensive application in health, electronic, consumer, medicinal, pesticide, and home products; however, silver nanoparticles remain a controversial area of research with respect to their toxicity in biological and ecological systems.ResultsThis study tested the oral toxicity of silver nanoparticles (56 nm) over a period of 13 weeks (90 days) in F344 rats following Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) test guideline 408 and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). Five-week-old rats, weighing about 99 g for the males and 92 g for the females, were divided into four 4 groups (10 rats in each group): vehicle control, low-dose (30 mg/kg), middle-dose (125 mg/kg), and high-dose (500 mg/kg). After 90 days of exposure, clinical chemistry, hematology, histopathology, and silver distribution were studied. There was a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the body weight of male rats after 4 weeks of exposure, although there were no significant changes in food or water consumption during the study period. Significant dose-dependent changes were found in alkaline phosphatase and cholesterol for the male and female rats, indicating that exposure to more than 125 mg/kg of silver nanoparticles may result in slight liver damage. Histopathologic examination revealed a higher incidence of bile-duct hyperplasia, with or without necrosis, fibrosis, and/or pigmentation, in treated animals. There was also a dose-dependent accumulation of silver in all tissues examined. A gender-related difference in the accumulation of silver was noted in the kidneys, with a twofold increase in female kidneys compared to male kidneys.ConclusionsThe target organ for the silver nanoparticles was found to be the liver in both the male and female rats. A NOAEL (no observable adverse effect level) of 30 mg/kg and LOAEL (lowest observable adverse effect level) of 125 mg/kg are suggested from the present study.

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The fabrication of a prototype flat micro heat pipe (FMHP) of a size appropriate for mobile electronics and its performance test results are reported. To ensure reliable operation under repeated thermal loads and to enhance the heat transport capacity, copper is selected as the packaging material considering its high thermal conductivity and good strength. The wick structure of the FMHP consists of fan-shaped microgrooves with a width and depth of about 100 and 200 μm, respectively. The fabrication of microgrooves was done using a laser micromachining technique and water was used as the working fluid. Fan-shaped microgrooves were found to induce a greater capillary pressure than triangular microgrooves of a similar size. Subsequent test results confirmed that despite its small size, 56 mm (L) × 8 mm (W) × 1.5 mm (H), the FMHP had a high heat transport capacity; the maximum heat transfer rate was 8 W under stable operation conditions and 13 W at the dryout point. In addition, the FMHP worked under adverse-gravity conditions with little change in cooling capacity, a key advantage for application in modern mobile electronics.

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We report the fabrication and characteristics of surface relief grating on the end surface of silica optical fiber with a diameter of 125 m. One-and two-dimensional gratings were inscribed on the fiber surface covered with azo polymer thin-film layer using interferometric methods. Diffraction beam patterns of the zeroth and the first order due to surface relief gratings were observed using a 635 nm laser, and the relation between the measured diffraction beam pattern and the grating period was also investigated.

We measured the content of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in SWCNT soot within 3.7% error using UV-VIS-NIR absorption spectroscopy. We also propose a better overall evaluation method by combining thermogravimetic analysis with UV-VIS-NIR absorption spectroscopy to analyze the purity of SWCNT providing the accurate assessment of the amounts of noncarbonaceous impurity, carbonaceous impurity, and SWCNT each with respect to a highly purified reference.

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