Based on the example of a nanopowder system ZrO₂–3% mol Y₂O₃ with atmospheric humidity interaction, the possibility of exothermic heterophase electrochemical energy conversion to electric energy is shown. Electrical properties and structure of the experimental sample were studied under gradient molecular flux density of humidity during sample saturation. The idea of development of the novel chemo-electronic converter device based on nanoscale dielectrics as ZrO₂–3% mol Y₂O₃ is proposed.

The present study was aimed at revealing the influence of the mechanical stress induced by water molecule adsorption on the composition of crystalline phases in the ZrO₂ + 3 mol% Y₂O₃-nanoparticles. Three basic methods were used to determine the phase transition: neutron diffraction, Raman microspectroscopic scanning, and X-ray diffraction. The fact of reversible phase-structural β → α transformation and the simultaneous presence of two polymorphic structural modifications (β is the phase of the tetragonal syngony and α of monoclinic syngony in nanosized particles (9 nm)) under normal physical conditions was established by these methods. An assumption was made regarding the connection of the physical mechanism of transformation of the extremely nonequilibrium surface of nanoparticles with electronic exchange of the material of the near-surface layer of nanoparticles with the adsorption layer through donor–acceptor interaction. The principal possibility of creating direct-acting hydroelectric converters based on nanoscale YSZ (Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia) systems due to the reversible character of the considered effect was shown.

The development of modern bio-nanoelectronic technologies requires new hybrid organo-inorganic systems that have a specific functional purpose and allow work in the tissues of living organisms. The practical realization and scientific study of a hybrid two-component system in the form of DNA molecule fragments and nanoparticles of biocompatible ceramics was the goal of this work. The interaction of a DNA molecule with nanoparticles of a solid solution of the composition ZrO2–3mol% Y2O3 (YSZ) was studied using Raman scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Samples of YSZ oxide and hydroxide were investigated in triplicate at room temperature using LabRAM HR Evolution Horiba spectrometer and JEM 200A instrument. The effect of the force field of the surface of YSZ nanoparticles on the optical properties of the DNA molecule in the TRIS buffer solution was shown. The effects of increasing the intensity of spectral lines in the long-wavelength region 250 – 660 cm-1 (254 cm -1, 322 cm -1, 470 cm -1, 663 cm -1). suppressing the intensity of spectral lines in the shortwave region 600 – 3300 cm -1 (604 cm -1, 917 cm -1, 951 cm -1, 1256 cm -1, 1302 cm -1, 2767 cm -1, 3180 cm -1, 3241 cm -1, 3285 cm -1), as well as shifting lines 519 cm -1, 917 cm -1, 1048 cm -1, 1547 cm -1 and 1639 on 40-60 cm-1 in the shortwave region are established. From the standpoint of the theory of wave processes, a qualitative description of the detected Up-conversion effect was done. An assumption about the potential applicability of the YSZ nanoparticle surface – DNA nucleotide interfaces as a heterodyne frequency converter in molecular- and bio-electronic devices was made.

Herein, we investigated the influence of two types of nanoparticle fillers, i.e., amorphous SiO₂ and crystalline ZrO₂, on the structural properties of their nanocomposites with high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The composite films were prepared by melt-blending with a filler content that varied from 1% to 20% v/v. The composites were characterized by small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For both fillers, the nanoaggregates were evenly distributed in the polymer matrix and their initial state in the powders determined their surface roughness and fractal character. In the case of the nano-ZrO₂ filler, the lamellar thickness and crystallinity degree remain unchanged over a broad range of filler concentrations. SANS and SEM investigation showed poor interfacial adhesion and the presence of voids in the interfacial region. Temperature-programmed SANS investigations showed that at elevated temperatures, these voids become filled due to the flipping motions of polymer chains. The effect was accompanied by a partial aggregation of the filler. For nano-SiO₂ filler, the lamellar thickness and the degree of crystallinity increased with increasing the filler loading. SAXS measurements show that the ordering of the lamellae is disrupted even at a filler content of only a few percent. SEM images confirmed good interfacial adhesion and integrity of the SiO₂/HDPE composite. This markedly different impact of both fillers on the composite structure is discussed in terms of nanoparticle surface properties and their affinity to the HDPE matrix.

Issues concerned with the energy conversion of exothermal heterophase processes are discussed using the physico-chemical interaction between ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ (3 mol %) nanopowder system and atmospheric moisture as an example. The electrical properties of an experimental sample are investigated upon moisture saturation in the case of a molecular-flow density gradient. A probable mechanism for the effect based on the theory of contact phenomena in semiconductors is proposed. The idea of developing chemical-electric converters fabricated from nanoscale materials with dielectric conduction is suggested.