We use an ultrahigh-vacuum transmission-electron microscopy, equipped with an electron-beam evaporator directed at a heating stage in the pole piece, to follow the reaction pathway of Ni on Ge(001) substrate at 300 °C. Using reactive deposition, we illustrate that epitaxial orthorhombic NiGe (a=5.381Å, b=3.428Å, and c=5.811Å) phase can be grown directly without the initial formation of metal-rich Ni2Ge phase. The epitaxial orientation of the NiGe islands and the underlying Ge(001) substrate were found to be NiGe(1¯01)∕∕Ge(001) and NiGe[010]∕∕Ge[110].

Silver nanostructures were synthesized by a template wetting method throughout decomposition of silver acetate. The morphology and activation energy of silver nanostructures were investigated. The activation energy from silver acetate to silver particles can be evaluated by Friedman method, which is dependent of the decomposition process, and the activation energy was estimated in the range between 355 and 400 kJ/mol. The template wetting method utilizing the decomposition of silver acetate can be applied to produce a silver nanostructured material with high functional properties.

Anodic titania film was synthesized by electrochemical micro plasma oxidation method in H2SO4/NH4NO3 electrolyte, and electrochemical anodizing was carried out at various electrolyte temperatures. The photocatalytic properties and surface characteristics of anodic titania film were investigated. For anodic titania film synthesized at higher electrolyte temperature, the specific surface area of anodic film and the anatase crystalline phase gradually increased. The anodic titania film fabricated in high temperature electrolyte showed not only a slight red shift related to increasing the anatase phase ratio but also a high efficiency of dye degradation.

Effects of annealing treatments of aluminum substrate for ordered nanopore arrays formed by self-organized anodization have been investigated. To observe the relationship between microstructures of aluminum substrate and nanopore regularity formed after anodization of the aluminum substrate, aluminum specimens were annealed at 300, 400, and 500 °C. The anodic alumina layer was prepared by two-step anodizing process in oxalic acid at 40 V. The ordered arrays of nanopore on anodic alumina were shown to be strongly dependent on the annealing conditions, and nanopore regularity on alumina template increased with increasing annealing temperature and time.

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