SummaryThe structure of core–shell Cu@silica and Ag@Si nanoparticles obtained in one-step through evaporation of elemental precursors by a high-powered electron beam are investigated. The structure of the core and shell of the particles are investigated in order to elucidate their mechanisms of formation and factors affecting the synthesis. It is proposed that the formation of Cu@silica particles is mainly driven by surface tension differences between Cu and Si while the formation of Ag@Si particles is mainly driven by differences in the vapour concentration of the two components.

Metal-semiconductor Janus-like nanoparticles with the composition tantalum silicide-silicon (TaSi2/Si) were synthesized for the first time by means of an evaporation method utilizing a high-power electron beam. The composition of the synthesized particles were characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), selective area electron diffraction (SAED), and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDX) analysis. The system is compared to previously synthesized core-shell type particles in order to show possible differences responsible for the Janus-like structure forming instead of a core-shell architecture. It is proposed that the production of Janus-like as opposed to core-shell or monophase particles occurs due to the ability of Ta and Si to form compounds and the relative content of Ta and Si atoms in the produced vapour. Based on the results, a potential mechanism of formation for the TaSi2/Si nanoparticles is discussed.

In this work, the efficiency of inactivation of a cold argon plasma jet at atmospheric pressure (APPJ) on the basis of a lowcurrent spark discharge into microorganisms with different characteristics of the cell walls was evaluated. Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli M17, gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis 534 and Bacillus cereus IP 5832, and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were seeded on cultured Petri dishes. A plasma jet with an average power of 0.85 W and a flow rate of argon of 6.7 l/min was directed perpendicular to the Petri dishes with agar. The distance to the agar varied from 0.5 to 3 cm, and the treatment time varied from 5 to 300 s. The efficiency of inactivation was assessed by measuring the area of inactivation zones (where there was no growth of microorganisms). It was shown that gram-negative bacteria E. coli M17 is most susceptible to exposure to the plasma jet, and gram-positive bacteria B. cereus IP 5832 and yeast S. cerevisiae are most stable. It is established that an increase in the treatment time of plasma jets of a low-current spark allows effective inactivation of microorganisms over a much larger area.

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