Mg nanocrystals of controllable sizes were prepared in gram quantities by chemical reduction of magnesocene using a reducing solution of potassium with an aromatic hydrocarbon (either biphenyl, phenanthrene, or naphthalene). The hydrogen sorption kinetics were shown to be dramatically faster for nanocrystals with smaller diameters, although the activation energies calculated for hydrogen absorption (115-122 kJ/mol) and desorption (126-160 kJ/mol) were within previously measured values for bulk Mg. This large rate enhancement cannot be explained by the decrease in particle size alone but is likely due to an increase in the defect density present in smaller nanocrystals.

We present data for batch-to-batch variation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized with orange peel extract. These samples were prepared in the CEM microwave for 15 min. The relative standard deviation (as a measure of precision) is provided and is, in most cases, less than 20%.

Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) nanocrystals, synthesized by a hot injection solution method, have been fabricated into thin films by dip-casting onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates. The photoresponse of the CZTS nanocrystal films was evaluated using absorbance measurements along with photoelectrochemical methods in aqueous electrolytes. Photoelectrochemical characterization revealed a p-type photoresponse when the films were illuminated in an aqueous Eu(3+) redox electrolyte. The effects of CZTS stoichiometry, film thickness, and low-temperature annealing on the photocurrents from front and back illumination suggest that the minority carrier diffusion and recombination at the back contact (via reaction of photogenerated holes with Eu(2+) produced from photoreduction by minority carriers) are the main loss mechanisms in the cell. Low-temperature annealing resulted in significant increases in the photocurrents for films made from both Zn-rich and stoichiometric CZTS nanocrystals.

A thorough structure determination has been performed on Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 nanoparticles, a popular photovoltaic material, using neutron diffractionto characterize the long-range average crystal structureand X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy at the Cu, Zn, and Sn K-edges to elucidate the element-specific local structure. This is the first combined multiscale approach on nanoparticles of this material. The results indicate the presence of aperiodic disorder on the cation sites that is diminished by annealing. This disorder involves local lattice distortions around the crystallographic sites rather than the presence of interstitial atoms. It is most consistent with the known antisite substitutions that are integral to CZTS (referring to the ordering of the Cu, Zn, and Sn between planes). However, instead of being confined within single unit cells so as to maintain the crystallographic symmetry, periodicity, and homogeneity, the substitutional disorder appears to extend over larger regions consisting of multiple unit cells but still smaller than the physical dimensions of the nanoparticles. These results therefore imply the presence of nanoscale domains characterized by local fluctuations in composition that cause the individual domains to be enriched in certain metal ions and depleted in others. These will be mirrored by domains with the opposite fluctuations at other locations in the crystal so that the overall composition remains close to the stoichiometric Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 . This disorder is likely pronounced in these samples due to the relatively low temperature reaction (300 °C) and annealing (350 °C) conditions and can be expected to have a significant effect on the resulting physical properties of the material and its photovoltaic performance.

Iron chalcogenides, in particular iron pyrite, have great potential to be useful materials for cost-effective thin film photovoltaics. However, the performance of pyrite as an absorber material in photovoltaic devices has fallen far short of the theoretical efficiency. A potential cause of this may be the instability of the pyrite phase. An alternate class of iron chalcogenides, Fe2MS4 (M = Ge, Si) has been proposed as a possible alternative to pyrite, yet has only been studied for interesting magnetic properties. Herein, we report the first solution synthesis of colloidal Fe2GeS4 and report the optical properties, reactivity, and potential for use as a photovoltaic material.

The objective of this study was to assess the antibacterial activity and inhibition of biofilm formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against Escherichia coli (MG1655), Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Janthinobacterium lividum. The AgNPs utilized in this study were prepared through one-pot microwave-assisted syntheses guided by principles of green chemistry. The AgNPs were synthesized in three different schemes by reducing Ag+ ions (from AgNO3) with reducing agents dextrose, arabinose, and soluble starch. Formation of AgNPs occurred in less than 15 min, and nanoparticles had diameters of 30 nm or less. Successful synthesis of AgNPs was confirmed using multiple orthogonal approaches, including UV–visible spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy, while size analysis was gathered from transmission electron microscopy images and dynamic light scattering. All AgNPs prepared in this study exhibited antibacterial effects on a variety of organisms as determined by a well diffusion assay with no antibacterial effects observed in the control wells.

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Colloidal nanostructures of Fe2GeS4 are synthesized by injection of a solution of hexamethyldisilazane and hexamethyldisilathiane in octadecene at 120 °C into a mixture of FeCl2, GeI4, hexadecylamine, and octadecene followed by heating (320 °C, 24 h).