Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a p-type II-VI compound semiconductor, which is an active component for producing photovoltaic solar cells in the form of thin films, due to its desirable physical properties. In this study, CdTe film was deposited using the radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system onto a glass substrate. To improve the properties of the CdTe film, effects of two experimental parameters of deposition time and RF power were investigated on the physical properties of the CdTe films. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and spectrophotometer were used to study the structural, morphological and optical properties of the CdTe samples grown at different experimental conditions, respectively. Our results suggest that film properties strongly depend on the experimental parameters and by optimizing these parameters, it is possible to tune the desired structural, morphological and optical properties. From XRD data, it is found that increasing the deposition time and RF power leads to increasing the crystallinity as well as the crystal sizes of the grown film, and all the films represent zinc blende cubic structure. Roughness values given from AFM images suggest increasing the roughness of the CdTe films by increasing the RF power and deposition times. Finally, optical investigations reveal increasing the film band gaps by increasing the RF power and the deposition time.

NiO films of different thickness ranging from 285 to 645 nm were deposited, using the electron beam physical vapor method at room temperature on glass substrates. Nano-structures of the films were obtained using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was observed that NiO thin films grow with (200) preferred orientation that increases with film thickness. In addition crystallite size obtained from XRD results and grain size obtained from AFM analysis increased with film thickness. Transmittance spectra of NiO films were collected between 340 and 850 nm wavelength. Refractive indices and the thickness of these films obtained using Swanepoel method. Optical functions of these films showed that films were of homogenous structure and the results agree with reported data obtained using different methods of film deposition.

Titanium films of 37.6 nm thickness were deposited on stainless steel type 304, and they were post-annealed under flow of oxygen at different temperatures. The structure of the films was analysed using RBS, XRD and AFM. The results showed an initial reduction of the grain size and surface roughness at 473 K annealing temperature, but grain size and surface roughness increased at higher temperatures. It is observed that the crystallographic structure of the film goes through a sudden change at 943 K annealing temperature and three phases of titanium oxide (i.e., rutile, anatase and brokite) are formed. The RBS spectra showed that oxygen density and penetration depth in the sample increased with annealing temperature.

Objective(s): During the last years with increasing resistant bacteria to the most antibiotics bacteriophages are suggested as appropriate treatment option. To investigate lytic activity of bacteriophages there are indirect microbial procedures and direct methods. The present study to complement microbial procedures and investigate ultra-structural characteristics of infection bacterium-phage use atomic force microscopy technique. Materials and Methods: The Siphoviridae bacteriophages were isolated from sewage at the Tertiary Pediatric Hospital. Bacteriophages (10×108 PFU/ml) were diluted and were mixed with 100 μ l of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ATCC 33591 (1. 5×108 CFU/ml). The tubes were incubated for 20 min at 37 ° C, at intervals 10 min, 10 μ l samples were removed and directly were investigated MRSA ATCC morphology, roughness parameter, 3D topography, cell height, and fast Fourier transform (FFT) by atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. Concurrently turbidity assay were performed. Results: Concentration of MRSA ATCC No. 33591 strain after 10 min in phage-treated MRSA S3 (1. 5×106 CFU/ml), S4 (1. 5×105 CFU/ml), S5 (1. 5×104 CFU/ml), S6 (1. 5×103 CFU/ml) decreased 2-log, 3-log, 4-log, and 5-log respectively. The results AFM micrographs shown the most changes in bacterial morphology and 3D topography, destruction of cell wall, decrease of cell height, and loss of their shape after 10 min at phage-treated MRSA S3 (1. 5×106 CFU/ml), S4 (1. 5×105 CFU/ml), S5 (1. 5×104 CFU/ml), S6 (1. 5×103 CFU/ml) respectively. Conclusion: In this study MRSA ATCC ultra-structural changes in phage-treated MRSA ATCC groups directly were detected using AFM technique.

Sol– gel nanocomposite coatings have been investigated for copper metal as a potential replacement for the hazardous and banned hexavalent chromate conversion coatings. TiO2 – CdO nanocomposite thin films were deposited on copper using the sol– gel method. The sol-gel coatings were prepared using a sol obtained by the hydrolysis and condensation of tetra-o-butyl titanate. They were doped with cadmium oxide inhibitor to provide active corrosion protection. The synthesized coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The anticorrosion performances of TiO2-CdO nanocomposite coatings were investigated in 3. 5% NaCl solution by the potentiodynamic polarization technique Tafle and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The potential corrosion increases from-210 mV versus Ag/AgCl (3M) for uncoated copper to-202 mV versus Ag/AgCl (3M) for TiO2-CdO nanocomposite-coated copper electrodes. The results of this study clearly ascertain that the TiO2-CdO nanocomposite has outstanding potential to protect the copper against corrosion in a chloride environment.