title: Metal oxide microrings with femtoliter capacity for Raman microspectroscopy.
abstract: A simple strategy, based on ultrafast heating of polystyrene microspheres infiltrated with a zinc acetate solution, is employed here for preparing ZnO microcontainers with femtoliter capacity. Their potential exploitation in micro-Raman assays for basic studies in bio- and nanotechnology is tested in different proof-of-concept experiments concerning the in situ analysis of l-glutathione crystals and gold-yeast cytochrome c bioconjugates. The ZnO microcontainers are also used as scaffolds for atomic layer deposition of TiO(2) overlayers with a fine-tuning of thickness and morphology. The resulting ZnO/TiO(2) heterostructures are tested in different photocatalytic experiments involving degradation and laser-induced conversion of methylene blue.
authors.affiliation: University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy. ivano.alessandri@ing.unibs.it
authors.forename: Ivano
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Alessandri
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Depero
mesh_terms: D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D008832:Microchemistry / Q000379:methods*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D004337:Drug Carriers; D015034:Zinc Oxide