Abstract:The anodization of aluminum is an electro-chemical process that changes the surface chemistry of the metal, via oxidation, to produce an anodic oxide layer. During this process a self organized, highly ordered array of cylindrical shaped pores can be produced with controllable pore diameters, periodicity and density distribution. This enables anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes to be used as templates in a variety of nanotechnology applications without the need for expensive lithographical techniques. This review article is an overview of the current state of research on AAO membranes and the various applications of nanotechnology that use them in the manufacture of nano-materials and devices or incorporate them into specific applications such as biological/chemical sensors, nano-electronic devices, filter membranes and medical scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Surface topographical features on biomaterials, both at the submicrometre and nanometre scales, are known to influence the physicochemical interactions between biological processes involving proteins and cells. The nanometre-structured surface features tend to resemble the extracellular matrix, the natural environment in which cells live, communicate, and work together. It is believed that by engineering a well-defined nanometre scale surface topography, it should be possible to induce appropriate surface signals that can be used to manipulate cell function in a similar manner to the extracellular matrix. Therefore, there is a need to investigate, understand, and ultimately have the ability to produce tailor-made nanometre scale surface topographies with suitable surface chemistry to promote favourable biological interactions similar to those of the extracellular matrix. Recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology have produced many new nanomaterials and numerous manufacturing techniques that have the potential to significantly improve several fields such as biological sensing, cell culture technology, surgical implants, and medical devices. For these fields to progress, there is a definite need to develop a detailed understanding of the interaction between biological systems and fabricated surface structures at both the micrometre and nanometre scales.

ÔØ Å ÒÙ× Ö ÔØTailoring the physicochemical and mechanical properties of optical copper cobalt oxide thin films through annealing treatment This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT2 Abstract Sol-gel dip-coated optical coatings, copper-cobalt oxides on aluminium substrates, were thermally treated at different annealing temperatures in the range 500 -650 °C. The resulting films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometry and nanoindentation techniques. The crystallinity of CoCu 2 O 3 enhanced significantly, with increasing annealing temperature from 500 to 650 °C, while the electronic structure and bonding states of the copper-cobalt oxides matrix remained unchanged. UV-Vis-NIR analysis showed that the solar absorptance (α) of the coatings changed with increasing of annealing temperature and an optimum α (84.4%) was achieved at 550 °C, which also coincides to the maximum tensile residual stress of the coating.Nanoindentation tests exhibited an increasing trend in both the hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E) of the coatings with increase in annealing temperature, although a slight decrease in the H/E ratio was also observed. The experimental studies were complemented by Finite Element Modelling (FEM). The results showed that, under mechanical loading, the stress and plastic deformation were concentrated within the coating layers. As such, the likelihood of delamination of the coating layer upon unloading would be reduced.

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