Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a vapor phase thin film deposi- tion technique, performed at low substrate temperatures, which enables the deposition of extremely uniform thin films. This technique is scalable up to very large substrates, making it very interesting for industrial applications. On the other hand, ZnO, both undoped and aluminum doped is commonly used as a transparent electrode in solar cells based on Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS), and is usually deposited by Physical Vapor Deposition techniques. In this paper, we investigate the potential of ALD for the deposition of ZnO windows for solar cell applications. Thin films of a few hundreds of nanometers were grown by ALD, both undoped and doped with aluminum. They were studied by X-ray diffraction, electrical trans- port measurements, Atomic Force Microscopy and transmittance experiments.

Induction sensors are used in a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. One way to improve these is rigorous modelling of the sensor combined with a low voltage and current input noise preamplifier aiming to optimize the whole induction magnetometer. In this paper, we explore another way, which consists in the use of original ferromagnetic core shapes of induction sensors, which bring substantial improvements. These new configurations are the cubic, orthogonal and coiled-core induction sensors. For each of them we give modelling elements and discuss their benefits and drawbacks with respect to a given noise-equivalent magnetic induction goal. Our discussion is supported by experimental results for the cubic and orthogonal configurations, while the coiled-core configuration remains open to experimental validation. The transposition of these induction sensor configurations to other magnetic sensors (fluxgate and giant magneto-impedance) is an exciting prospect of this work.

Solid micron- and nano- particles have been extensively used to stabilize dispersions such Pickering emulsions and particle-stabilized foams. In many cases, particle's adsorption onto the fluid interfaces represents a limiting step for the stability of the dispersion since adsorption can be very slow or even hindered by interfacial potential barriers. In the first part of the talk, I will show experimental evidences on the slow dynamics of nanoparticles at the interface and the role of colloidal forces and wetting on the free energy profile across the interface. A step beyond the understanding of particle's adsorption onto the interface is the control of nanoparticle crossing of liquid-liquid interfaces. The second part of the talk discusses experiments and models describing the adsorption-desorption phenomena, which result in the phase transfer of nanoparticles from oil to water and viceversa . Gold nanoparticles coated with stimuli-responsive polymer transfer from water to oil and from oil to water across the planar interfaces when environmental parameters are slightly changed. The oil to water transfer occurs when the temperature is reduced below 5 °C, while they transfer from salty water to oil when the environmental temperature returns to room temperature. The water-to-oil particle transfer is dictated by the ionic strength of the aqueous phase. In contrast, the oil-to-water particle transfer is correlated with the hydration interaction. The transfer mechanism disparity for the two directions during NP crossing of oil-water interfaces result from an intricate interplay of interfacial interactions and transitions. Among the different experimental tools used for the investigation, multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry was applied to in situ assess the contact angle and surface coverage of nanoparticles as small as 18 nm at water-oil and water-air interfaces.

Solid micron- and nano- particles have been extensively used to stabilize dispersions such Pickering emulsions and particle-stabilized foams. In many cases, particle’s adsorption onto the fluid interfaces represents a limiting step for the stability of the dispersion since adsorption can be very slow or even hindered by interfacial potential barriers. In the first part of the talk, I will show experimental evidences on the slow dynamics of nanoparticles at the interface and the role of colloidal forces and wetting on the free energy profile across the interface. A step beyond the understanding of particle’s adsorption onto the interface is the control of nanoparticle crossing of liquid-liquid interfaces. The second part of the talk discusses experiments and models describing the adsorption-desorption phenomena, which result in the phase transfer of nanoparticles from oil to water and viceversa . Gold nanoparticles coated with stimuli-responsive polymer transfer from water to oil and from oil to water across the planar interfaces when environmental parameters are slightly changed. The oil to water transfer occurs when the temperature is reduced below 5 °C, while they transfer from salty water to oil when the environmental temperature returns to room temperature. The water-to-oil particle transfer is dictated by the ionic strength of the aqueous phase. In contrast, the oil-to-water particle transfer is correlated with the hydration interaction. The transfer mechanism disparity for the two directions during NP crossing of oil–water interfaces result from an intricate interplay of interfacial interactions and transitions. Among the different experimental tools used for the investigation, multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry was applied to in situ assess the contact angle and surface coverage of nanoparticles as small as 18 nm at water-oil and water-air interfaces.

Here multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry was successfully applied to in situ assess the contact angle and surface coverage of gold nanoparticles as small as 18 nm, coated with stimuli-responsive polymers, at water-oil and water-air interfaces in the presence of NaCl and NaOH, respectively. The interfacial adsorption of the nanoparticles was found very slow and took days to reach a fairly low surface coverage. For water-oil interfaces, in-situ nanoparticle contact angles agree with the macroscopic equilibrium contact angles of planar gold surfaces with the same polymer coatings; whilst for water-air interfaces, significant differences have been observed.

Further development of biomaterials is expected as advanced therapeutic products must be compliant to good manufacturing practice regulations. A spraying method for building-up polyelectrolyte films followed by the deposition of dental pulp cells by spraying is presented. Physical treatments of UV irradiation and a drying/ wetting process are applied to the system. Structural changes and elasticity modifications of the obtained coatings are revealed by atomic force microscopy and by Raman spectroscopy. This procedure results in thicker, rougher and stiffer film. The initially ordered structure composed of mainly a helices is transformed into random/b-structures. The treat- ment enhanced dental pulp cell adhesion and proliferation, suggesting that this system is prom- ising for medical applications.

Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) contain a variety of sensory neurons that transduce somatic stimuli. Following peripheral nerve injury, sensory neurons have to adapt to a new environment in order to successfully promote their axonal elongation (regenerative growth mode). Unsuccessful regeneration leads to post-traumatic neuropathies, such ataxia and pain-related behavior, which are often chronic and mostly resistant to current treatments. Therefore understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to improved neurite re-growth is a major step to propose new therapies for nerve repair. In this work, we use differential interference contrast microscopy (DIC), fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the morphological and nanomechanical properties of mice DRG sensory neurons in regenerative growth mode. DIC results show that conditioned axotomy, induced by sciatic nerve injury, did not increase somatic size of adult lumbar sensory neurons but promoted the appearance of longer and larger neurites and growth cones. Our AFM data indicate that conditioned neurons are characterized by softer growth cones and cell bodies, compared to control neurons. As cell elasticity is related mainly to the intrinsic properties of the cell membrane and cytoskeleton structures such as microtubules and actin fibers, the increase of the cell membrane elasticity suggests a modification in the ratio and the inner framework of the main structural proteins. Furthermore, in order to evidence structural differences between conditioned and control somas and growth cones, we use immunocytochemistry to localize actin (anti-actin antibody) and neuronal microtubules (anti-βIII-tubulin).