Hybrid ZnO:polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells from a ZnO precursor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beek, W.J.E.; Slooff, L.H.; Wienk, M.M.; Kroon, J.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.; Kafafi, Z.H.

2005-01-01

We describe a simple and new method to create hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells consisting of ZnO and conjugated polymers. A gel-forming ZnO precursor, blended with conjugated polymers, is converted into crystalline ZnO at temperatures as low as 110 °C. In-situ formation of ZnO in MDMO-PPV

Photoanodic Hybrid Semiconductor–Molecular Heterojunction for Solar Water Oxidation

KAUST Repository

Joya, Khurram Saleem

2015-06-29

Inorganic photo-responsive semiconducting materials have been employed in photoelectrochemical(PEC) water oxidation devicesin pursuit of solar to fuel conversion.[1]The reaction kinetics in semiconductors is limited by poor contact at the interfaces, and charge transfer is impeded by surface defects and the grain boundaries.[2]It has shown that successful surface functionalization of the photo-responsive semiconducting materials with co-catalysts can maximize the charge separation, hole delivery and its effective consumption, and enhances the efficiency and performane of the PEC based water oxidation assembly.[3]We present here unique modification of photoanodic hematite (α-Fe2O3) and bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) with molecular co-catalysts for enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation (Figure 1). These hybrid inorganic–organometallic heterojunctions manifest impressive cathodic shifts in the onset potentials, and the photocurrent densities have been enhanced by > 90% at all potentials relative to uncatalyzed α-Fe2O3 or BiVO4, and other catalyst-semiconductor based heterojunctions.This is a novel development in the solar to fuel conversion field, and is crucially important for designing a tandem device where light interfere very little with the catalyst layer on top of semiconducting light absorber.

Hybrid Perovskite/Perovskite Heterojunction Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yinghong; Schlipf, Johannes; Wussler, Michael; Petrus, Michiel L; Jaegermann, Wolfram; Bein, Thomas; Müller-Buschbaum, Peter; Docampo, Pablo

2016-06-28

Recently developed organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells combine low-cost fabrication and high power conversion efficiency. Advances in perovskite film optimization have led to an outstanding power conversion efficiency of more than 20%. Looking forward, shifting the focus toward new device architectures holds great potential to induce the next leap in device performance. Here, we demonstrate a perovskite/perovskite heterojunction solar cell. We developed a facile solution-based cation infiltration process to deposit layered perovskite (LPK) structures onto methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) films. Grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering experiments were performed to gain insights into the crystallite orientation and the formation process of the perovskite bilayer. Our results show that the self-assembly of the LPK layer on top of an intact MAPI layer is accompanied by a reorganization of the perovskite interface. This leads to an enhancement of the open-circuit voltage and power conversion efficiency due to reduced recombination losses, as well as improved moisture stability in the resulting photovoltaic devices.

Nanostructured hybrid materials from aqueous polymer dispersions.

Science.gov (United States)

Castelvetro, Valter; De Vita, Cinzia

2004-05-20

Organic-inorganic (O-I) hybrids with well-defined morphology and structure controlled at the nanometric scale represent a very interesting class of materials both for their use as biomimetic composites and because of their potential use in a wide range of technologically advanced as well as more conventional application fields. Their unique features can be exploited or their role envisaged as components of electronic and optoelectronic devices, in controlled release and bioencapsulation, as active substrates for chromatographic separation and catalysis, as nanofillers for composite films in packaging and coating, in nanowriting and nanolithography, etc. A synergistic combination or totally new properties with respect to the two components of the hybrid can arise from nanostructuration, achieved by surface modification of nanostructures, self-assembling or simply heterophase dispersion. In fact, owing to the extremely large total surface area associated with the resulting morphologies, the interfacial interactions can deeply modify the bulk properties of each component. A wide range of starting materials and of production processes have been studied in recent years for the controlled synthesis and characterization of hybrid nanostructures, from nanoparticle or lamellar dispersions to mesoporous materials obtained from templating nanoparticle dispersions in a continuous, e.g. ceramic precursor, matrix. This review is aimed at giving some basic definitions of what is intended as a hybrid (O-I) material and what are the main synthetic routes available. The various methods for preparing hybrid nanostructures and, among them, inorganic-organic or O-I core-shell nanoparticles, are critically analyzed and classified based on the reaction medium (aqueous, non-aqueous), and on the role it plays in directing the final morphology. Particular attention is devoted to aqueous systems and water-borne dispersions which, in addition to being environmentally more acceptable or even a

Investigations of inorganic and hybrid inorganic-organic nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Kam, Kinson Chihang

This thesis focuses on the exploratory synthesis and characterization of inorganic and hybrid inorganic-organic nanomaterials. In particular, nanostructures of semiconducting nitrides and oxides, and hybrid systems of nanowire-polymer composites and framework materials, are investigated. These materials are characterized by a variety of techniques for structure, composition, morphology, surface area, optical properties, and electrical properties. In the study of inorganic nanomaterials, gallium nitride (GaN), indium oxide (In2O3), and vanadium dioxide (VO2) nanostructures were synthesized using different strategies and their physical properties were examined. GaN nanostructures were obtained from various synthetic routes. Solid-state ammonolysis of metastable gamma-Ga2O 3 nanoparticles was found to be particularly successful; they achieved high surface areas and photoluminescent study showed a blue shift in emission as a result of surface and size defects. Similarly, In2O3 nanostructures were obtained by carbon-assisted solid-state syntheses. The sub-oxidic species, which are generated via a self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid mechanism, resulted in 1D nanostructures including nanowires, nanotrees, and nanobouquets upon oxidation. On the other hand, hydrothermal methods were used to obtain VO2 nanorods. After post-thermal treatment, infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that these nanorods exhibit a thermochromic transition with temperature that is higher by ˜10°C compared to the parent material. The thermochromic behavior indicated a semiconductor-to-metal transition associated with a structural transformation from monoclinic to rutile. The hybrid systems, on the other hand, enabled their properties to be tunable. In nanowire-polymer composites, zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver (Ag) nanowires were synthesized and incorporated into polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPy) via in-situ and ex-situ polymerization method. The electrical properties of these composites are

Hybrid nanostructures: synthesis, morphology and functional properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Povolotskaya, A V; Povolotskiy, A V; Manshina, A A

2015-01-01

Hybrid nanostructures representing combinations of different materials and possessing properties that are absent in separate components forming the hybrid are discussed. Particular attention is given to hybrid structures containing plasmonic and magnetic nanoparticles, methods of their synthesis and the relationship between the composition, structure and properties. The functional features of the hybrid nanomaterials of various morphology (with core–shell structures, with encapsulated metal nanoparticles and with metal nanoparticles on the surface) are considered. The unique properties of these hybrid materials are demonstrated, which are of interest for solving problems of catalysis and photocatalysis, detecting impurities in various media, in vivo visualization, bioanalysis, as well as for the design of optical labels and multifunctional diagnostic nanoplatforms. The bibliography includes 182 references

Silicon nanowire array architecture for heterojunction electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solovan, M. M.; Brus, V. V.; Mostovyi, A. I.; Maryanchuk, P. D.; Orletskyi, I. G.; Kovaliuk, T. T.; Abashin, S. L.

2017-01-01

Photosensitive nanostructured heterojunctions n-TiN/p-Si were fabricated by means of titanium nitride thin films deposition (n-type conductivity) by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering onto nano structured single crystal substrates of p-type Si (100). The temperature dependencies of the height of the potential barrier and series resistance of the n-TiN/p-Si heterojunctions were investigated. The dominant current transport mechanisms through the heterojunctions under investigation were determined at forward and reverse bias. The heterojunctions under investigation generate open-circuit voltage V_o_c = 0.8 V, short-circuit current I_s_c = 3.72 mA/cm"2 and fill factor FF = 0.5 under illumination of 100 mW/cm"2.

Hybride magnetic nanostructure based on amino acids functionalized polypyrrole

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nan, Alexandrina, E-mail: alexandrina.nan@itim-cj.ro; Bunge, Alexander; Turcu, Rodica [National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 67-103 Donat, 400293 Cluj-Napoca (Romania)

2015-12-23

Conducting polypyrrole is especially promising for many commercial applications because of its unique optical, electric, thermal and mechanical properties. We report the synthesis and characterization of novel pyrrole functionalized monomers and core-shell hybrid nanostructures, consisting of a conjugated polymer layer (amino acids functionalized pyrrole copolymers) and a magnetic nanoparticle core. For functionalization of the pyrrole monomer we used several amino acids: tryptophan, leucine, phenylalanine, serine and tyrosine. These amino acids were linked via different types of hydrophobic linkers to the nitrogen atom of the pyrrole monomer. The magnetic core-shell hybrid nanostructures are characterized by various methods such as FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and magnetic measurements.

As-grown graphene/copper nanoparticles hybrid nanostructures for enhanced intensity and stability of surface plasmon resonance

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yun-Fei; Dong, Feng-Xi; Chen, Yang; Zhang, Xu-Lin; Wang, Lei; Bi, Yan-Gang; Tian, Zhen-Nan; Liu, Yue-Feng; Feng, Jing; Sun, Hong-Bo

2016-11-01

The transfer-free fabrication of the high quality graphene on the metallic nanostructures, which is highly desirable for device applications, remains a challenge. Here, we develop the transfer-free method by direct chemical vapor deposition of the graphene layers on copper (Cu) nanoparticles (NPs) to realize the hybrid nanostructures. The graphene as-grown on the Cu NPs permits full electric contact and strong interactions, which results in a strong localization of the field at the graphene/copper interface. An enhanced intensity of the localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) supported by the hybrid nanostructures can be obtained, which induces a much enhanced fluorescent intensity from the dye coated hybrid nanostructures. Moreover, the graphene sheets covering completely and uniformly on the Cu NPs act as a passivation layer to protect the underlying metal surface from air oxidation. As a result, the stability of the LSPRs for the hybrid nanostructures is much enhanced compared to that of the bare Cu NPs. The transfer-free hybrid nanostructures with enhanced intensity and stability of the LSPRs will enable their much broader applications in photonics and optoelectronics.

Near infrared photodetector based on polymer and indium nitride nanorod organic/inorganic hybrids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai, Wei-Jung; Li, Shao-Sian; Lin, Chih-Cheng; Kuo, Chun-Chiang; Chen, Chun-Wei; Chen, Kuei-Hsien; Chen, Li-Chyong

2010-01-01

We propose a nanostructured near infrared photodetector based on indium nitride (InN) nanorod/poly(3-hexylthiophene) hybrids. The current-voltage characteristic of the hybrid device demonstrates the typical p-n heterojunction diode behavior, consisting of p-type polymer and n-type InN nanorods. The device shows a photoresponse range of 900-1260 nm under various reverse biases. An external quantum efficiency of 3.4% at 900 nm operated at -10 V reverse bias was obtained, which is comparable with devices based on lead sulfide and lead selenide hybrid systems.

Silicon nanowire array architecture for heterojunction electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Solovan, M. M., E-mail: m.solovan@chnu.edu.ua [Chernivtsi National University, Department of Electronics and Energy Engeneering (Ukraine); Brus, V. V. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fur Materialien und Energie GmbH, Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics (Germany); Mostovyi, A. I.; Maryanchuk, P. D.; Orletskyi, I. G.; Kovaliuk, T. T. [Chernivtsi National University, Department of Electronics and Energy Engeneering (Ukraine); Abashin, S. L. [National Aerospace University “Kharkiv Aviation Institute”, Department of Physics (Ukraine)

2017-04-15

Photosensitive nanostructured heterojunctions n-TiN/p-Si were fabricated by means of titanium nitride thin films deposition (n-type conductivity) by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering onto nano structured single crystal substrates of p-type Si (100). The temperature dependencies of the height of the potential barrier and series resistance of the n-TiN/p-Si heterojunctions were investigated. The dominant current transport mechanisms through the heterojunctions under investigation were determined at forward and reverse bias. The heterojunctions under investigation generate open-circuit voltage V{sub oc} = 0.8 V, short-circuit current I{sub sc} = 3.72 mA/cm{sup 2} and fill factor FF = 0.5 under illumination of 100 mW/cm{sup 2}.

25th anniversary article: hybrid nanostructures based on two-dimensional nanomaterials.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xiao; Tan, Chaoliang; Yin, Zongyou; Zhang, Hua

2014-04-09

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), receive a lot of attention, because of their intriguing properties and wide applications in catalysis, energy-storage devices, electronics, optoelectronics, and so on. To further enhance the performance of their application, these 2D nanomaterials are hybridized with other functional nanostructures. In this review, the latest studies of 2D nanomaterial-based hybrid nanostructures are discussed, focusing on their preparation methods, properties, and applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A hybrid heterojunction with reverse rectifying characteristics fabricated by magnetron sputtered TiOx and plasma polymerized aniline structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarma, Bimal K; Pal, Arup R; Bailung, Heremba; Chutia, Joyanti

2012-01-01

A TiO x film produced by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering without substrate heating or post-deposition annealing and a plasma polymerized aniline (PPA) structure deposited in the same reactor by a radio-frequency glow discharge without the assistance of a carrier gas are used for the fabrication of a heterojunction. The gas phase discharge is investigated by a Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy. The individual layers and the heterojunction are characterized for structural and optoelectronic properties. PPA has polymer-like structure and texture and is characterized by saturated-unsaturated, branched and crosslinked networks. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a slightly reduced TiO x surface, which exhibits near band edge luminescence. The free radicals trapped in PPA readily react with oxygen when exposed to atmosphere. The heterojunction shows reverse rectifying characteristics under dark and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The energy levels of TiO x and PPA might exhibit reverse band bending and electrons and holes are accumulated on both sides of the heterojunction. The charge accumulation phenomena at the interface may play a key role in the device performance of a hybrid heterojunction. The current-voltage characteristic of the heterojunction is sensitive to UV light, so the structure may be used for photo-sensing applications. (paper)

Fabrication of InP-pentacene inorganic-organic hybrid heterojunction using MOCVD grown InP for photodetector application

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, Kalyan Jyoti; Pal, B.; Banerji, P.

2018-04-01

We fabricated inorganic-organic hybrid heterojunction between indium phosphide (InP) and pentacene for photodetector application. InP layer was grown on n-Si substrate by atmospheric pressure metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) technique. Morphological properties of InP and pentacene thin film were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Current-voltage characteristics were investigated in dark and under illumination condition at room temperature. During illumination, different wavelengths of visible and infrared light source were employed to perform the electrical measurement. Enhancement of photocurrent was observed with decreasing in wavelength of incident photo radiation. Ideality factor was found to be 1.92. High rectification ratio of 225 was found at ± 3 V in presence of infrared light source. This study provides new insights of inorganic-organic hybrid heterojunction for broadband photoresponse in visible to near infrared (IR) region under low reverse bias condition.

Ultrasensitive NO2 gas sensors using hybrid heterojunctions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and on-chip grown SnO2 nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyet, Quan Thi Minh; Van Duy, Nguyen; Manh Hung, Chu; Hoa, Nguyen Duc; Van Hieu, Nguyen

2018-04-01

Hybrid heterojunction devices are designed for ultrahigh response to NO2 toxic gas. The devices were constructed by assembling multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on a microelectrode chip bridged bare Pt-electrode and a Pt-electrode with pre-grown SnO2 nanowires (NWs). All heterojunction devices were realized using different types of MWCNTs, which exhibit ultrahigh response to sub-ppm NO2 gas at 50 °C operated in the reverse bias mode. The response to 1 ppm NO2 gas reaches 11300, which is about 100 times higher than that of a back-to-back heterojunction device fabricated from SnO2 NWs and MWCNTs. In addition, the present device exhibits an ultralow detection limit of about 0.68 ppt. The modulation of trap-assisted tunneling current under reverse bias is the main gas-sensing mechanism. This principle device presents a concept for developing gas sensors made of a hybrid between semiconductor metal oxide NWs and CNTs.

Hybrid luminescent/magnetic nanostructured porous silicon particles for biomedical applications

Science.gov (United States)

Muñoz-Noval, Álvaro; Sánchez-Vaquero, Vanessa; Torres-Costa, Vicente; Gallach, Darío; Ferro-Llanos, Vicente; Javier Serrano, José; Manso-Silván, Miguel; García-Ruiz, Josefa Predestinación; Del Pozo, Francisco; Martín-Palma, Raúl J.

2011-02-01

This work describes a novel process for the fabrication of hybrid nanostructured particles showing intense tunable photoluminescence and a simultaneous ferromagnetic behavior. The fabrication process involves the synthesis of nanostructured porous silicon (NPSi) by chemical anodization of crystalline silicon and subsequent in pore growth of Co nanoparticles by electrochemically-assisted infiltration. Final particles are obtained by subsequent sonication of the Co-infiltrated NPSi layers and conjugation with poly(ethylene glycol) aiming at enhancing their hydrophilic character. These particles respond to magnetic fields, emit light in the visible when excited in the UV range, and internalize into human mesenchymal stem cells with no apoptosis induction. Furthermore, cytotoxicity in in-vitro systems confirms their biocompatibility and the viability of the cells after incorporation of the particles. The hybrid nanostructured particles might represent powerful research tools as cellular trackers or in cellular therapy since they allow combining two or more properties into a single particle.

Polymer-fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, RAJ; Hummelen, JC; Saricifti, NS

Nanostructured phase-separated blends, or bulk heterojunctions, of conjugated Polymers and fullerene derivatives form a very attractive approach to large-area, solid-state organic solar cells.The key feature of these cells is that they combine easy, processing from solution on a variety of

Growth of hybrid carbon nanostructures on iron-decorated ZnO nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Mbuyisa, Puleng N.; Rigoni, Federica; Sangaletti, Luigi; Ponzoni, Stefano; Pagliara, Stefania; Goldoni, Andrea; Ndwandwe, Muzi; Cepek, Cinzia

2016-04-01

A novel carbon-based nanostructured material, which includes carbon nanotubes (CNTs), porous carbon, nanostructured ZnO and Fe nanoparticles, has been synthetized using catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of acetylene on vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs). The deposition of Fe before the CVD process induces the presence of dense CNTs in addition to the variety of nanostructures already observed on the process done on the bare NRs, which range from amorphous graphitic carbon up to nanostructured dendritic carbon films, where the NRs are partially or completely etched. The combination of scanning electron microscopy and in situ photoemission spectroscopy indicate that Fe enhances the ZnO etching, and that the CNT synthesis is favoured by the reduced Fe mobility due to the strong interaction between Fe and the NRs, and to the presence of many defects, formed during the CVD process. Our results demonstrate that the resulting new hybrid shows a higher sensitivity to ammonia gas at ambient conditions (∼60 ppb) than the carbon nanostructures obtained without the aid of Fe, the bare ZnO NRs, or other one-dimensional carbon nanostructures, making this system of potential interest for environmental ammonia monitoring. Finally, in view of the possible application in nanoscale optoelectronics, the photoexcited carrier behaviour in these hybrid systems has been characterized by time-resolved reflectivity measurements.

Hybrid van der Waals p-n Heterojunctions based on SnO and 2D MoS2

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhenwei; He, Xin; Zhang, Xixiang; Alshareef, Husam N.

2016-01-01

A p-type oxide/2D hybrid van der Waals p-n heterojunction is demonstrated for the first time between SnO (tin monoxide) (the p-type oxide) and 2D MoS2 (molybdenum disulfide), showing an ideality factor of 2 and rectification ratio up to 10

Hybrid simulation research on formation mechanism of tungsten nanostructure induced by helium plasma irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ito, Atsushi M., E-mail: ito.atsushi@nifs.ac.jp [National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki 509-5292 (Japan); Takayama, Arimichi; Oda, Yasuhiro [National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki 509-5292 (Japan); Tamura, Tomoyuki; Kobayashi, Ryo; Hattori, Tatsunori; Ogata, Shuji [Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Ohno, Noriyasu; Kajita, Shin [Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Yajima, Miyuki [National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki 509-5292 (Japan); Noiri, Yasuyuki [Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Yoshimoto, Yoshihide [University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Saito, Seiki [Kushiro National College of Technology, Kushiro, Hokkaido 084-0916 (Japan); Takamura, Shuichi [Aichi Institute of Technology, 1247 Yachigusa, Yakusa-cho, Toyota 470-0392 (Japan); Murashima, Takahiro [Tohoku University, 6-3, Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aoba-Ward, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Miyamoto, Mitsutaka [Shimane University, Matsue, Shimane 690-8504 (Japan); Nakamura, Hiroaki [National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki 509-5292 (Japan); Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)

2015-08-15

The generation of tungsten fuzzy nanostructure by exposure to helium plasma is one of the important problems for the use of tungsten material as divertor plates in nuclear fusion reactors. In the present paper, the formation mechanisms of the helium bubble and the tungsten fuzzy nanostructure were investigated by using several simulation methods. We proposed the four-step process which is composed of penetration step, diffusion and agglomeration step, helium bubble growth step, and fuzzy nanostructure formation step. As the fourth step, the formation of the tungsten fuzzy nanostructure was successfully reproduced by newly developed hybrid simulation combining between molecular dynamics and Monte-Carlo method. The formation mechanism of tungsten fuzzy nanostructure observed by the hybrid simulation is that concavity and convexity of the surface are enhanced by the bursting of helium bubbles in the region around the concavity.

Spectroscopically forbidden infra-red emission in Au-vertical graphene hybrid nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Sivadasan, A. K.; Parida, Santanu; Ghosh, Subrata; Pandian, Ramanathaswamy; Dhara, Sandip

2017-11-01

Implementation of Au nanoparticles (NPs) is a subject for frontier plasmonic research due to its fascinating optical properties. Herein, the present study deals with plasmonic assisted emission properties of Au NPs-vertical graphene (VG) hybrid nanostructures. The influence of effective polarizability of Au NPs on the surface enhanced Raman scattering and luminescence properties is investigated. In addition, a remarkable infra-red emission in the hybrid nanostructures is observed and interpreted on the basis of intra-band transitions in Au NPs. The flake-like nanoporous VG structure is invoked for the generation of additional confined photons to impart additional momentum and a gradient of confined excitation energy towards initiating the intra-band transitions of Au NPs. Integrating Au plasmonic materials in three-dimensional VG nanostructures enhances the light-matter interactions. The present study provides a new adaptable plasmonic assisted pathway for optoelectronic and sensing applications.

Plasmonic hybrid nanostructure with controlled interaction strength

Science.gov (United States)

Grzelak, Justyna K.; Krajnik, Bartosz; Thoreson, Mark D.; Nyga, Piotr; Shalaev, Vladimir M.; Mackowski, Sebastian

2014-03-01

In this report we discuss the influence of plasmon excitations in a silver island film on the fluorescence of photosynthetic complex, peridinin-chlorophyll-protein (PCP). Control of the separation between these two components is obtained by fabricating a wedge layer of silica across the substrate, with a thickness from 0 to 46 nm. Continuous variation of the silica thickness allows for gradual change of interaction strength between plasmon excitations in the metallic film and the excited states of pigments comprising photosynthetic complexes. While the largest separation between the silver film and photosynthetic complexes results in fluorescence featuring a mono-exponential decay and relatively narrow distribution of intensities, the PCP complexes placed on thinner silica spacers show biexponential fluorescence decay and significantly broader distribution of total fluorescence intensities. This broad distribution is a signature of stronger sensitivity of fluorescence enhancement upon actual parameters of a hybrid nanostructure. By gradual change of the silica spacer thickness we are able to reproduce classical distance dependence of fluorescence intensity in plasmonic hybrid nanostructures on ensemble level. Experiments carried out for different excitation wavelengths indicate that the interaction is stronger for excitations resonant with plasmon absorption in the metallic layer.

Nano-Structured Bio-Inorganic Hybrid Material for High Performing Oxygen Reduction Catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Rongzhong; Tran, Dat T; McClure, Joshua P; Chu, Deryn

2015-08-26

In this study, we demonstrate a non-Pt nanostructured bioinorganic hybrid (BIH) catalyst for catalytic oxygen reduction in alkaline media. This catalyst was synthesized through biomaterial hemin, nanostructured Ag-Co alloy, and graphene nano platelets (GNP) by heat-treatment and ultrasonically processing. This hybrid catalyst has the advantages of the combined features of these bio and inorganic materials. A 10-fold improvement in catalytic activity (at 0.8 V vs RHE) is achieved in comparison of pure Ag nanoparticles (20-40 nm). The hybrid catalyst reaches 80% activity (at 0.8 V vs RHE) of the state-of-the-art catalyst (containing 40% Pt and 60% active carbon). Comparable catalytic stability for the hybrid catalyst with the Pt catalyst is observed by chronoamperometric experiment. The hybrid catalyst catalyzes 4-electron oxygen reduction to produce water with fast kinetic rate. The rate constant obtained from the hybrid catalyst (at 0.6 V vs RHE) is 4 times higher than that of pure Ag/GNP catalyst. A catalytic model is proposed to explain the oxygen reduction reaction at the BIH catalyst.

Delayed frost formation on hybrid nanostructured surfaces with patterned high wetting contrast

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Youmin; Zhou, Peng; Yao, Shuhuai

2014-11-01

Engineering icephobic surfaces that can retard the frost formation and accumulation are important to vehicles, wind turbines, power lines, and HVAC systems. For condensation frosting, superhydrophobic surfaces promote self-removal of condensed droplets before freezing and consequently delay the frost growth. However, a small thermal fluctuation may lead to a Cassie-to-Wenzel transition, and thus dramatically enhance the frost formation and adhesion. In this work, we investigated the heterogeneous ice nucleation on hybrid nanostructured surfaces with patterned high wetting contrast. By judiciously introducing hydrophilic micro-patches into superhydrophobic nanostructured surface, we demonstrated that such a novel hybrid structure can efficiently defer the ice nucleation as compared to a superhydrophobic surface with nanostructures only. We observed efficient droplet jumping and higher coverage of droplets with diameter smaller than 10 μm, both of which suppress frost formation. The hybrid surface avoids the formation of liquid-bridges for Cassie-to-Wenzel transition, therefore eliminating the `bottom-up' droplet freezing from the cold substrate. These findings provide new insights to improve anti-frosting and anti-icing by using heterogeneous wettability in multiscale structures.

TiO2/carbon nanotube hybrid nanostructures: Solvothermal synthesis and their visible light photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian Lihong; Ye Liqun; Deng Kejian; Zan Ling

2011-01-01

MWCNT/TiO 2 hybrid nanostructures were prepared via solvothermal synthesis and sol-gel method with benzyl alcohol as a surfactant. As-prepared hybrid materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that MWCNTs were uniformly decorated with anatase nanocrystals in solvothermal condition, but MWCNTs were embedded in a majority of TiO 2 nanoparticles by sol-gel method. When the weight ratio of MWCNTs to TiO 2 was 20%, MWCNT/TiO 2 hybrid nanostructures prepared by solvothermal synthesis exhibited higher visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity than that prepared by sol-gel method. Post-annealing of MWCNT/TiO 2 nanostructures at 400 deg. C resulted in the formation of the carbonaceous Ti-C bonds on the interface between TiO 2 and MWCNTs, which enhanced the photoabsorbance of the hybrid materials in the visible light region and improved the visible-light degradation efficiency of methylene blue. - Graphical abstract: MWCNT/TiO 2 nanostructures have been prepared by solvothermal method, which exhibited higher visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity than that prepared by sol-gel method. The carbonaceous Ti-C bonds on the interface between TiO 2 and MWCNTs enhanced the photoabsorbance of the hybrid materials in the visible light region. Highlights: → Anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles were anchored on CNTs surface uniformly via solvothermal method → The morphology facilitated the electron transfer between CNTs and TiO 2 → Ti-C bonds extended the absorption of MWCNT/TiO 2 to the whole visible light region. → The hybrid nanostructures showed enhanced visible-light induced photocatalytic activity.

Organic / IV, III-V Semiconductor Hybrid Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pang-Leen Ong

2010-03-01

Full Text Available We present a review of the emerging class of hybrid solar cells based on organic-semiconductor (Group IV, III-V, nanocomposites, which states separately from dye synthesized, polymer-metal oxides and organic-inorganic (Group II-VI nanocomposite photovoltaics. The structure of such hybrid cell comprises of an organic active material (p-type deposited by coating, printing or spraying technique on the surface of bulk or nanostructured semiconductor (n-type forming a heterojunction between the two materials. Organic components include various photosensitive monomers (e.g., phtalocyanines or porphyrines, conjugated polymers, and carbon nanotubes. Mechanisms of the charge separation at the interface and their transport are discussed. Also, perspectives on the future development of such hybrid cells and comparative analysis with other classes of photovoltaics of third generation are presented.

Trap-mediated electronic transport properties of gate-tunable pentacene/MoS2 p-n heterojunction diodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jae-Keun; Cho, Kyungjune; Kim, Tae-Young; Pak, Jinsu; Jang, Jingon; Song, Younggul; Kim, Youngrok; Choi, Barbara Yuri; Chung, Seungjun; Hong, Woong-Ki; Lee, Takhee

2016-11-10

We investigated the trap-mediated electronic transport properties of pentacene/molybdenum disulphide (MoS 2 ) p-n heterojunction devices. We observed that the hybrid p-n heterojunctions were gate-tunable and were strongly affected by trap-assisted tunnelling through the van der Waals gap at the heterojunction interfaces between MoS 2 and pentacene. The pentacene/MoS 2 p-n heterojunction diodes had gate-tunable high ideality factor, which resulted from trap-mediated conduction nature of devices. From the temperature-variable current-voltage measurement, a space-charge-limited conduction and a variable range hopping conduction at a low temperature were suggested as the gate-tunable charge transport characteristics of these hybrid p-n heterojunctions. Our study provides a better understanding of the trap-mediated electronic transport properties in organic/2-dimensional material hybrid heterojunction devices.

Ultrasound assisted synthesis of morphology tunable rGO:ZnO hybrid nanostructures and their optical and UV-A light driven photocatalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thangaraj, Pandiyarajan, E-mail: rtpandiyarajan@gmail.com [Advanced Ceramics and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Concepcion (Chile); Ramalinga Viswanathan, Mangalaraja, E-mail: mangal@udec.cl [Advanced Ceramics and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Concepcion (Chile); Balasubramanian, Karthikeyan [Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620015 (India); Mansilla, Héctor D. [Departament of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Concepcion (Chile); Contreras, David [Departament of Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Center for Biotechnology, University of Concepcion (Chile); Sepulveda-Guzman, Selene [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, FIME, Ave. Pedro de Alba s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P.66455 San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L. (Mexico); Gracia-Pinilla, M.A. [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Físico-Matemáticas, Av. Universidad, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, NL (Mexico); Centro de Investigación en Innovación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, PIIT, Apodaca, Nuevo León 66600 (Mexico)

2017-06-15

Controlling size and shape of hybrid nanostructures is technologically important because of the strong effect of nanostructure dimension and morphology on optoelectronic, biosensors and catalytic properties. Here, we have demonstrated a simple strategy for simultaneous control of morphology, defect engineering and photocatalytic activities of reduced graphene oxide:zinc oxide (rGO:ZnO) hybrid nanostructures which were prepared by using low frequency (42 kHz) ultrasound. By varying the solvents, the morphology of ZnO gradually evolved from spherical shape to a star like nature and the ZnO nanoparticles decorated on reduced graphene oxide were clearly observed in the TEM analysis. Absorption, photoluminescence, Raman and FTIR spectra clearly indicated the formation of rGO:ZnO hybrid nanostructures. Thermal analysis revealed that the hybrid nanostructures exhibited a good thermal stability. The synergistic integration of the unique morphology and size imparts the rGO:ZnO hybrid nanostructures with remarkably enhanced photocatalytic efficiency when compared with bare ZnO. The enhanced photocatalytic behaviour of the rGO:ZnO composite has been discussed in details herein. Simple and facile synthesis route demonstrated the potential for the utilization of rGO:ZnO hybrid nanostructures with unique properties for environmental engineering applications.

Harnessing light energy with a planar transparent hybrid of graphene/single wall carbon nanotube/n-type silicon heterojunction solar cell

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Leifeng; Yu, Hua; Zhong, Jiasong

2015-01-01

The photovoltaic conversion efficiency of a solar cell fabricated by a simple electrophoretic method with a planar transparent hybrid of graphenes (GPs) and single wall carbon nanotubes (SCNTs)/n-type silicon heterojunction was significantly increased compared to GPs/n-Si and SCNTs/n-Si solar cells...

Non-covalently functionalized carbon nanostructures for synthesizing carbon-based hybrid nanomaterials.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Haiqing; Song, Sing I; Song, Ga Young; Kim, Il

2014-02-01

Carbon nanostructures (CNSs) such as carbon nanotubes, graphene sheets, and nanodiamonds provide an important type of substrate for constructing a variety of hybrid nanomaterials. However, their intrinsic chemistry-inert surfaces make it indispensable to pre-functionalize them prior to immobilizing additional components onto their surfaces. Currently developed strategies for functionalizing CNSs include covalent and non-covalent approaches. Conventional covalent treatments often damage the structure integrity of carbon surfaces and adversely affect their physical properties. In contrast, the non-covalent approach offers a non-destructive way to modify CNSs with desired functional surfaces, while reserving their intrinsic properties. Thus far, a number of surface modifiers including aromatic compounds, small-molecular surfactants, amphiphilic polymers, and biomacromolecules have been developed to non-covalently functionalize CNS surfaces. Mediated by these surface modifiers, various functional components such as organic species and inorganic nanoparticles were further decorated onto their surfaces, resulting in versatile carbon-based hybrid nanomaterials with broad applications in chemical engineering and biomedical areas. In this review, the recent advances in the generation of such hybrid nanostructures based on non-covalently functionalized CNSs will be reviewed.

A Review on the Low-Dimensional and Hybridized Nanostructured Diamond Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongdong Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In the last decade, besides the breakthrough of high-rate growth of chemical vapor deposited single-crystal diamonds, numerous nanostructured diamond films have been rapidly developed in the research fields of the diamond-based sciences and industrial applications. The low-dimensional diamonds of two-dimensional atomic-thick nanofilms and nanostructural diamond on the surface of bulk diamond films have been theoretically and experimentally investigated. In addition, the diamond-related hybrid nanostructures of n-type oxide/p-type diamond and n-type nitride/p-type diamond, having high performance physical and chemical properties, are proposed for further applications. In this review, we first briefly introduce the three categories of diamond nanostructures and then outline the current advances in these topics, including their design, fabrication, characterization, and properties. Finally, we address the remaining challenges in the research field and the future activities.

Compositional engineering of acceptors for highly efficient bulk heterojunction hybrid organic solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Amber Yousaf, S; Ikram, M; Ali, S

2018-10-01

The wet chemical synthesis of chromium oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles (NPs) and its application in active layer of inverted bulk heterojunction organic solar cells is documented in this research. Chromium oxide NPs of 10-30 nm size range having a band gap of 2.9 eV were successfully synthesized. These NPs were used in inverted organic solar cells in amalgamation with P3HT:PCBM and PTB7:PCBM polymers. The fabricated hybrid devices improves PCE significantly for P3HT:PCBM and PTB7:PCBM systems. The photophysical energy levels, optoelectrical properties and microscopic images have been systematically studied for the fabricated devices. The introduction of Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles (NPs) enhances light harvesting and tunes energy levels into improved electrical parameters. A clear red shift and improved absorption have been observed for ternary blended devices compared to that observed with controlled organic solar cells. Apparently, when the amount of NPs in the binary polymer blend exceeds the required optimum level, there is a breakdown of the bulk heterojunction leading to lowering of the optical and electrical performance of the devices. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hybrid zinc oxide/graphene electrodes for depleted heterojunction colloidal quantum-dot solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Tavakoli, Mohammad Mahdi; Aashuri, Hossein; Simchi, Abdolreza; Fan, Zhiyong

2015-10-07

Recently, hybrid nanocomposites consisting of graphene/nanomaterial heterostructures have emerged as promising candidates for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices. In this work, we have employed a facile and in situ solution-based process to prepare zinc oxide/graphene quantum dots (ZnO/G QDs) in a hybrid structure. The prepared hybrid dots are composed of a ZnO core, with an average size of 5 nm, warped with graphene nanosheets. Spectroscopic studies show that the graphene shell quenches the photoluminescence intensity of the ZnO nanocrystals by about 72%, primarily due to charge transfer reactions and static quenching. A red shift in the absorption peak is also observed. Raman spectroscopy determines G-band splitting of the graphene shell into two separated sub-bands (G(+), G(-)) caused by the strain induced symmetry breaking. It is shown that the hybrid ZnO/G QDs can be used as a counter-electrode for heterojunction colloidal quantum-dot solar cells for efficient charge-carrier collection, as evidenced by the external quantum efficiency measurement. Under the solar simulated spectrum (AM 1.5G), we report enhanced power conversion efficiency (35%) with higher short current circuit (80%) for lead sulfide-based solar cells as compared to devices prepared by pristine ZnO nanocrystals.

Hybrid Nanostructured Textile Bioelectrode for Unobtrusive Health Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Pratyush

Coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases and strokes are the leading causes of mortality in United States of America. Timely point-of-care health diagnostics and therapeutics for person suffering from these diseases can save thousands of lives. However, lack of accessible minimally intrusive health monitoring systems makes timely diagnosis difficult and sometimes impossible. To remedy this problem, a textile based nano-bio-sensor was developed and evaluated in this research. The sensor was made of novel array of vertically standing nanostructures that are conductive nano-fibers projecting from a conductive fabric. These sensor electrodes were tested for the quality of electrical contact that they made with the skin based on the fundamental skin impedance model and electromagnetic theory. The hybrid nanostructured dry electrodes provided large surface area and better contact with skin that improved electrode sensitivity and reduced the effect of changing skin properties, which are the problems usually faced by conventional dry textile electrodes. The dry electrodes can only register strong physiological signals because of high background noise levels, thus limiting the use of existing dry electrodes to heart rate measurement and respiration. Therefore, dry electrode systems cannot be used for recording complete ECG waveform, EEG or measurement of bioimpedance. Because of their improved sensitivity these hybrid nanostructured dry electrodes can be applied to measurement of ECG and bioimpedance with very low baseline noise. These textile based electrodes can be seamlessly integrated into garments of daily use such as vests and bra. In combination with embedded wireless network device that can communicate with smart phone, laptop or GPRS, they can function as wearable wireless health diagnostic systems.

Hybrid carbon nanostructure assemblage for high performance pseudo-capacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. K. Mishra

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Investigation of novel nanocomposites for pseudo-capacitors with high capacitance and energy density is the spotlight of current energy research. In the present work, hybrid carbon nanostructure assemblage of graphene and multiwalled carbon nanotubes has been used as carbon support to nanostructured RuO2 and polyaniline for high energy supercapacitors. Maximum specific capacitances of 110, 235 and 440 F g−1 at the voltage sweep rate of 10 mV s−1 and maximum energy densities of 7, 12.5 and 20.5 Wh kg−1 were observed for carbon assemblage and its RuO2 and polyanilne decorated nanocomposites, respectively, with 1M H2SO4 as electrolyte.

An overview on cellulose-based material in tailoring bio-hybrid nanostructured photocatalysts for water treatment and renewable energy applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Mohamad Azuwa; Abd Mutalib, Muhazri; Mohd Hir, Zul Adlan; M Zain, M F; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; Jeffery Minggu, Lorna; Awang, Nor Asikin; W Salleh, W N

2017-10-01

A combination between the nanostructured photocatalyst and cellulose-based materials promotes a new functionality of cellulose towards the development of new bio-hybrid materials for various applications especially in water treatment and renewable energy. The excellent compatibility and association between nanostructured photocatalyst and cellulose-based materials was induced by bio-combability and high hydrophilicity of the cellulose components. The electron rich hydroxyl group of celluloses helps to promote superior interaction with photocatalyst. The formation of bio-hybrid nanostructured are attaining huge interest nowadays due to the synergistic properties of individual cellulose-based material and photocatalyst nanoparticles. Therefore, in this review we introduce some cellulose-based material and discusses its compatibility with nanostructured photocatalyst in terms of physical and chemical properties. In addition, we gather information and evidence on the fabrication techniques of cellulose-based hybrid nanostructured photocatalyst and its recent application in the field of water treatment and renewable energy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Zinc oxide nanorods/polymer hybrid heterojunctions for white light emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Willander, M.; Nur, O.; Zaman, S.; Zainelabdin, A.; Bano, N.; Hussain, I.

2011-06-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) with its deep level defect emission covering the whole visible spectrum holds promise for the development of intrinsic white lighting sources with no need of using phosphors for light conversion. ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown on flexible plastic as substrate using a low temperature approach (down to 50 °C) were combined with different organic semiconductors to form hybrid junction. White electroluminescence (EL) was observed from these hybrid junctions. The configuration used for the hybrid white light emitting diodes (LEDs) consists of two-layers of polymers on the flexible plastic with ZnO NRs on the top. The inorganic/organic hybrid heterojunction has been fabricated by spin coating the p-type polymer poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) for hole injection with an ionization potential of 5.1 eV and poly(9, 9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) is used as blue emitting material with a bandgap of 3.3 eV. ZnO NRs are grown on top of the organic layers. Two other configurations were also fabricated; these are using a single MEH PPV (red-emitting polymer) instead of the PFO and the third configuration was obtained from a blend of the PFO and the MEH PPV. The white LEDs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction (XRD), current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and EL. The EL spectrum reveals a broad emission band covering the range from 420 to 800 nm, and the emissions causing this white luminescence were identified.

Zinc oxide nanorods/polymer hybrid heterojunctions for white light emitting diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willander, M; Nur, O; Zaman, S; Zainelabdin, A; Bano, N; Hussain, I

2011-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) with its deep level defect emission covering the whole visible spectrum holds promise for the development of intrinsic white lighting sources with no need of using phosphors for light conversion. ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown on flexible plastic as substrate using a low temperature approach (down to 50 0 C) were combined with different organic semiconductors to form hybrid junction. White electroluminescence (EL) was observed from these hybrid junctions. The configuration used for the hybrid white light emitting diodes (LEDs) consists of two-layers of polymers on the flexible plastic with ZnO NRs on the top. The inorganic/organic hybrid heterojunction has been fabricated by spin coating the p-type polymer poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) for hole injection with an ionization potential of 5.1 eV and poly(9, 9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) is used as blue emitting material with a bandgap of 3.3 eV. ZnO NRs are grown on top of the organic layers. Two other configurations were also fabricated; these are using a single MEH PPV (red-emitting polymer) instead of the PFO and the third configuration was obtained from a blend of the PFO and the MEH PPV. The white LEDs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction (XRD), current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and EL. The EL spectrum reveals a broad emission band covering the range from 420 to 800 nm, and the emissions causing this white luminescence were identified.

Hybrid nanostructured drug carrier with tunable and controlled drug release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Depan, D.; Misra, R.D.K.

2012-01-01

We describe here a transformative approach to synthesize a hybrid nanostructured drug carrier that exhibits the characteristics of controlled drug release. The synthesis of the nanohybrid architecture involved two steps. The first step involved direct crystallization of biocompatible copolymer along the long axis of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs), followed by the second step of attachment of drug molecule to the polymer via hydrogen bonding. The extraordinary inorganic–organic hybrid architecture exhibited high drug loading ability and is physically stable even under extreme conditions of acidic media and ultrasonic irradiation. The temperature and pH sensitive characteristics of the hybrid drug carrier and high drug loading ability merit its consideration as a promising carrier and utilization of the fundamental aspects used for synthesis of other promising drug carriers. The higher drug release response during the application of ultrasonic frequency is ascribed to a cavitation-type process in which the acoustic bubbles nucleate and collapse releasing the drug. Furthermore, the study underscores the potential of uniquely combining CNTs and biopolymers for drug delivery. - Graphical abstract: Block-copolymer crystallized on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Nanohybrid drug carrier synthesized by attaching doxorubicin (DOX) to polymer crystallized CNTs. Crystallized polymer on CNTs provide mechanical stability. Triggered release of DOX. Highlights: ► The novel synthesis of a hybrid nanostructured drug carrier is described. ► The drug carrier exhibits high drug loading ability and is physically stable. ► The high drug release is ascribed to a cavitation-type process.

Sensitive electrochemical monitoring of nucleic acids coupling DNA nanostructures with hybridization chain reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang, Junyang; Fu, Libing; Xu, Mingdi; Yang, Huanghao; Chen, Guonan; Tang, Dianping

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •A new signal-on metallobioassay was developed for detection of nucleic acids. •Target-triggered long-range self-assembled DNA nanostructures are used for amplification of electronic signal. •Hybridization chain reaction is utilized for construction of long-range DNA nanostructures. -- Abstract: Methods based on metal nanotags have been developed for metallobioassay of nucleic acids, but most involve complicated labeling or stripping procedures and are unsuitable for routine use. Herein, we report the proof-of-concept of a novel and label-free metallobioassay for ultrasensitive electronic determination of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related gene fragments at an ultralow concentration based on target-triggered long-range self-assembled DNA nanostructures and DNA-based hybridization chain reaction (HCR). The signal is amplified by silver nanotags on the DNA duplex. The assay mainly consists of capture probe, detection probe, and two different DNA hairpins. In the presence of target DNA, the capture probe immobilized on the sensor sandwiches target DNA with the 3′ end of detection probe. Another exposed part of detection probe at the 5′ end opens two alternating DNA hairpins in turn, and propagates a chain reaction of hybridization events to form a nicked double-helix. Finally, numerous silver nanotags are immobilized onto the long-range DNA nanostructures, each of which produces a strong electronic signal within the applied potentials. Under optimal conditions, the target-triggered long-range DNA nanostructures present good electrochemical behaviors for the detection of HIV DNA at a concentration as low as 0.5 fM. Importantly, the outstanding sensitivity can make this approach a promising scheme for development of next-generation DNA sensors without the need of enzyme labeling or fluorophore labeling

Chemically Designed Metallic/Insulating Hybrid Nanostructures with Silver Nanocrystals for Highly Sensitive Wearable Pressure Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Haneun; Lee, Seung-Wook; Joh, Hyungmok; Seong, Mingi; Lee, Woo Seok; Kang, Min Su; Pyo, Jun Beom; Oh, Soong Ju

2018-01-10

With the increase in interest in wearable tactile pressure sensors for e-skin, researches to make nanostructures to achieve high sensitivity have been actively conducted. However, limitations such as complex fabrication processes using expensive equipment still exist. Herein, simple lithography-free techniques to develop pyramid-like metal/insulator hybrid nanostructures utilizing nanocrystals (NCs) are demonstrated. Ligand-exchanged and unexchanged silver NC thin films are used as metallic and insulating components, respectively. The interfaces of each NC layer are chemically engineered to create discontinuous insulating layers, i.e., spacers for improved sensitivity, and eventually to realize fully solution-processed pressure sensors. Device performance analysis with structural, chemical, and electronic characterization and conductive atomic force microscopy study reveals that hybrid nanostructure based pressure sensor shows an enhanced sensitivity of higher than 500 kPa -1 , reliability, and low power consumption with a wide range of pressure sensing. Nano-/micro-hierarchical structures are also designed by combining hybrid nanostructures with conventional microstructures, exhibiting further enhanced sensing range and achieving a record sensitivity of 2.72 × 10 4 kPa -1 . Finally, all-solution-processed pressure sensor arrays with high pixel density, capable of detecting delicate signals with high spatial selectivity much better than the human tactile threshold, are introduced.

Facile fabrication and electrical investigations of nanostructured p-Si/n-TiO2 hetero-junction diode

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Arvind; Mondal, Sandip; Rao, K. S. R. Koteswara

2018-05-01

In this work, we have fabricated the nanostructured p-Si/n-TiO2 hetero-junction diode by using a facile spin-coating method. The XRD analysis suggests the presence of well crystalline anatase TiO2 film on Si with small grain size (˜16 nm). We have drawn the band alignment using Anderson model to understand the electrical transport across the junction. The current-voltage (J-V) characteristics analysis reveals the good rectification ratio (103 at ± 3 V) and slightly higher ideality factor (4.7) of our device. The interface states are responsible for the large ideality factor as Si/TiO2 form a dissimilar interface and possess a large number of dangling bonds. The study reveals the promises to be used Si/TiO2 diode as an alternative to the traditional p-n homo-junction diode, which typically require high budget.

Facile Hydrothermal Preparation of ZNO/CO3O4 Heterogeneous Nanostructures and its Photovoltaic Effect

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Fanan; Jiang, Minlin; Liu, Lianqing

2015-07-01

Photovoltaic technology offers great potential in the replacement of fossil fuel resources, but still suffers from high device fabrication cost. Herein, we attempted to provide a solution to these issues with heterogeneous nanostructures. Firstly, Zinc oxide (ZnO)/cobalt oxide (Co3O4) heterojunction nanowires are prepared through facile fabrication methods. By assembling Co(OH)2 nanoplates on ZnO nanowire arrays, the ZnO/Co3O4 heterogeneous nanostructures are uniformly synthesized on ITO coated glass and wafer. Current (I)-voltage (V) measurement through conductive atomic force microscope shows excellent photovoltaic effect. And, the heterojunction nanostructures shows unprecedented high open circuit voltage. Therefore, the potential application of the heterogeneous nanostructures in solar cells is demonstrated.

Hybrid resonant organic-inorganic nanostructures for novel light emitting devices and solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agranovich, Vladimir M. [Institute of Spectroscopy, Russian Academy of Science, Troitsk, Moscow (Russian Federation); Chemistry Department, University of Texas at Dallas, Texas (United States); Rupasov, Valery I. [ANTEOS, Inc., Shrewsbury, Massachusetts 01545 (United States); Silvestri, Leonardo [Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Universita degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Milano (Italy)

2010-06-15

The energy transfer from an inorganic layer to an organic component of resonant hybrid organic/inorganic nanos-tructures can be used for creation of new type of LED. We mentioned the problem of electrical pumping which has to be solved. As was first suggested in 1979 by Dexter the transfer energy in opposite direction from organic part of nanostructure to semiconductor layer can be used for the creation of new type of solar cells. In this note we stress the importance of the idea by Dexter for photovoltaics and solar cells. We argue that the organic part in such hybrid structures can play a role of an effective organic collector of the light energy (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Ultraviolet–Visible photo-response of p-Cu2O/n-ZnO heterojunction prepared on flexible (PET) substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elfadill, Nezar G.; Hashim, M.R.; Saron, K.M.A.; Chahrour, Khaled M.; Qaeed, M.A.; Bououdina, M.

2015-01-01

The deposition of monocrystalline ZnO nanostructures (using different concentration of reaction solution) on Cu 2 O thin film by hydrothermal method is reported. The mechanism of growing different ZnO nanostructures i.e. nanoneedles, nanotubes and nanorods are explained based on the gradient of Zn + species (resulting from precipitation) in reaction solution. The UV-VIS photo-detection properties of the three selected p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO heterojunctions are studied by illuminated I–V characteristic and the wavelength dependent photo-responsivity properties. The spectral responsivity curves can be divided into three regions (1.9–2.17 eV), (2.2–2.9 eV) and (>3.2 eV) denoted as A, B and C. The regions A and C are assigned for band to band level absorption in Cu 2 O and ZnO respectively, while region C is associated with a combination of two absorption process: part of photons were absorbed by the band to deep level absorption in ZnO and the transmitted photons were absorbed in Cu 2 O. It is found that the heterojunctions with nanotubes exhibit higher responsivity than other nanostructures, which is mainly due to the large surface-to-volume ratio. - Highlights: • Fabrication of p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO heterojunction on flexible PET substrate. • Synthesis of different ZnO nanostructures i.e. nanoneedles, nanotubes and nanorods. • The UV-VIS photo-detection properties of p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO heterojunctions

The hybrid nanostructure of MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedle/carbon aerogel for symmetric supercapacitors with high energy density

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Pin; Zhao, Zhenhuan; Li, Liyi; Tuan, Chia-Chi; Li, Haidong; Sang, Yuanhua; Jiang, Huaidong; Wong, C. P.; Liu, Hong

2015-08-01

Current applications of carbon-based supercapacitors are limited by their low energy density. One promising strategy to enhance the energy density is to couple metal oxides with carbon materials. In this study, a porous MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedle/carbon aerogel hybrid nanostructure was synthesized by assembling MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedle arrays on the surface of channel walls of hierarchical porous carbon aerogels derived from chitosan for the supercapacitor application. The synthetic process of the hybrid nanostructure involves two steps, i.e. the growth of Mn-Co precursors on carbon aerogel by a hydrothermal process and the conversion of the precursor into MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedles by calcination. The carbon aerogel exhibits a high electrical conductivity, high specific surface area and porous structure, ensuring high electrochemical performance of the hybrid nanostructure when coupled with the porous MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedles. The symmetric supercapacitor using the MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedle/carbon aerogel hybrid nanostructure as the active electrode material exhibits a high energy density of about 84.3 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 600 W kg-1. The voltage window is as high as 1.5 V in neutral aqueous electrolytes. Due to the unique nanostructure of the electrodes, the capacitance retention reaches 86% over 5000 cycles.Current applications of carbon-based supercapacitors are limited by their low energy density. One promising strategy to enhance the energy density is to couple metal oxides with carbon materials. In this study, a porous MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedle/carbon aerogel hybrid nanostructure was synthesized by assembling MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedle arrays on the surface of channel walls of hierarchical porous carbon aerogels derived from chitosan for the supercapacitor application. The synthetic process of the hybrid nanostructure involves two steps, i.e. the growth of Mn-Co precursors on carbon aerogel by a hydrothermal process and the conversion of the precursor into MnCo2O4.5 nanoneedles by

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of ZnO nanostructures by electrochemical hybridization with graphene oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Pruna, A.; Wu, Z.; Zapien, J. A.; Li, Y. Y.; Ruotolo, A.

2018-05-01

Synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures is reported by electrochemical deposition from an aqueous electrolyte in presence of graphene oxide (GO) with varying oxidation degree. The properties of hybrids were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman, Fourier-Transform Infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques and photocatalytic measurements. The results indicated the electrodeposition of ZnO in presence of GO with increased oxygen content led to marked differences in the morphology while Raman measurements indicated an increased defect level both in the ZnO and the electrochemically reduced GO (ErGO) within the hybrids. The decrease in C/O atomic ratio of GO (from 0.79 to 0.71) employed for the electrodeposition of ZnO resulted in an increase in photocatalytic efficiency for methylene blue degradation under UV irradiation from 4-folds to 10-folds with respect to non-hybridized ZnO. The observed synergetic effect of cathodic deposition potential and oxygen content in GO towards improving the photocatalytic activity of immobilized ZnO is expected to contribute to further development of more effective deposition approaches for the preparation of high performance hybrid nanostructures.

A hybrid classical-quantum approach for ultra-scaled confined nanostructures : modeling and simulation*

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietra Paola

2012-04-01

Full Text Available We propose a hybrid classical-quantum model to study the motion of electrons in ultra-scaled confined nanostructures. The transport of charged particles, considered as one dimensional, is described by a quantum effective mass model in the active zone coupled directly to a drift-diffusion problem in the rest of the device. We explain how this hybrid model takes into account the peculiarities due to the strong confinement and we present numerical simulations for a simplified carbon nanotube. Nous proposons un modèle hybride classique-quantique pour décrire le mouvement des électrons dans des nanostructures très fortement confinées. Le transport des particules, consideré unidimensionel, est décrit par un modèle quantique avec masse effective dans la zone active couplé à un problème de dérive-diffusion dans le reste du domaine. Nous expliquons comment ce modèle hybride prend en compte les spécificités de ce très fort confinement et nous présentons des résultats numériques pour un nanotube de carbone simplifié.

High efficient photocatalytic activity from nanostructuralized photonic crystal-like p-n coaxial hetero-junction film photocatalyst of Cu3SnS4/TiO2 nanotube arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan; Liu, Fang-Ting; Chang, Yin; Wang, Jian; Wang, Cheng-Wei

2017-12-01

Structuring the materials in the form of photonic crystals is a new strategy for photocatalytic applications. Herein, a new concept of photonic crystal-induced p-n coaxial heterojunction film photocatalyst of Cu3SnS4/TiO2 (CTS/PhC-TNAs) was well-designed and successfully fabricated by combining periodic pulse anodic oxidation and in-situ self-assembling methods Such nanostructured CTS/PhC-TNAs exhibited significantly improved photocatalytic degradation activity under simulated sunlight irradiation with methyl orange (MO) as the target pollutants. Within 120 min, 82% of the MO (10 mg/L) was photodegraded and its kinetic constant per specific surface area reached 0.05332 μmol/m2h, which is 1.6 and 12.8 times more quickly than that of PhC-TNAs and CTS, respectively. Its significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity could be mainly attributed to a joint effect of the unique photonic crystal property of PhC-TNAs and the nanostructured hollow p-n coaxial hetero-junction, which result in an increased efficiency of charge separation and transfer and also an improved spectral response capability. This photonic crystal film photocatalyst has the potential for enhancing the photocatalytic activity via further optimizing the photonic stop band of PhC-TNAs. The study presents a new means to design the kind of photonic crystal structural-induced novel photocatalysts with high photocatalytic activities in pollution treatment.

Single-step direct fabrication of pillar-on-pore hybrid nanostructures in anodizing aluminum for superior superhydrophobic efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Chanyoung; Choi, Chang-Hwan

2012-02-01

Conventional electrochemical anodizing processes of metals such as aluminum typically produce planar and homogeneous nanopore structures. If hydrophobically treated, such 2D planar and interconnected pore structures typically result in lower contact angle and larger contact angle hysteresis than 3D disconnected pillar structures and, hence, exhibit inferior superhydrophobic efficiency. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the anodizing parameters can be engineered to design novel pillar-on-pore (POP) hybrid nanostructures directly in a simple one-step fabrication process so that superior surface superhydrophobicity can also be realized effectively from the electrochemical anodization process. On the basis of the characteristic of forming a self-ordered porous morphology in a hexagonal array, the modulation of anodizing voltage and duration enabled the formulation of the hybrid-type nanostructures having controlled pillar morphology on top of a porous layer in both mild and hard anodization modes. The hybrid nanostructures of the anodized metal oxide layer initially enhanced the surface hydrophilicity significantly (i.e., superhydrophilic). However, after a hydrophobic monolayer coating, such hybrid nanostructures then showed superior superhydrophobic nonwetting properties not attainable by the plain nanoporous surfaces produced by conventional anodization conditions. The well-regulated anodization process suggests that electrochemical anodizing can expand its usefulness and efficacy to render various metallic substrates with great superhydrophilicity or -hydrophobicity by directly realizing pillar-like structures on top of a self-ordered nanoporous array through a simple one-step fabrication procedure.

A van der Waals pn heterojunction with organic/inorganic semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Daowei; Yang, Ziyi; Wu, Bing; Xu, Bingchen; Zhang, Yuhan; Li, Yun; Shi, Yi; Wang, Xinran; Pan, Yiming; Wang, Baigeng; Nan, Haiyan; Luo, Xiaoguang; Ni, Zhenhua; Gu, Shuai; Zhu, Jia; Chai, Yang

2015-01-01

van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions formed by two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted tremendous attention due to their excellent electrical/optical properties and device applications. However, current 2D heterojunctions are largely limited to atomic crystals, and hybrid organic/inorganic structures are rarely explored. Here, we fabricate the hybrid 2D heterostructures with p-type dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene (C 8 -BTBT) and n-type MoS 2 . We find that few-layer C 8 -BTBT molecular crystals can be grown on monolayer MoS 2 by vdW epitaxy, with pristine interface and controllable thickness down to monolayer. The operation of the C 8 -BTBT/MoS 2 vertical heterojunction devices is highly tunable by bias and gate voltages between three different regimes: interfacial recombination, tunneling, and blocking. The pn junction shows diode-like behavior with rectifying ratio up to 10 5 at the room temperature. Our devices also exhibit photovoltaic responses with a power conversion efficiency of 0.31% and a photoresponsivity of 22 mA/W. With wide material combinations, such hybrid 2D structures will offer possibilities for opto-electronic devices that are not possible from individual constituents

A van der Waals pn heterojunction with organic/inorganic semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

He, Daowei; Pan, Yiming; Nan, Haiyan; Gu, Shuai; Yang, Ziyi; Wu, Bing; Luo, Xiaoguang; Xu, Bingchen; Zhang, Yuhan; Li, Yun; Ni, Zhenhua; Wang, Baigeng; Zhu, Jia; Chai, Yang; Shi, Yi; Wang, Xinran

2015-11-01

van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions formed by two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted tremendous attention due to their excellent electrical/optical properties and device applications. However, current 2D heterojunctions are largely limited to atomic crystals, and hybrid organic/inorganic structures are rarely explored. Here, we fabricate the hybrid 2D heterostructures with p-type dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene (C8-BTBT) and n-type MoS2. We find that few-layer C8-BTBT molecular crystals can be grown on monolayer MoS2 by vdW epitaxy, with pristine interface and controllable thickness down to monolayer. The operation of the C8-BTBT/MoS2 vertical heterojunction devices is highly tunable by bias and gate voltages between three different regimes: interfacial recombination, tunneling, and blocking. The pn junction shows diode-like behavior with rectifying ratio up to 105 at the room temperature. Our devices also exhibit photovoltaic responses with a power conversion efficiency of 0.31% and a photoresponsivity of 22 mA/W. With wide material combinations, such hybrid 2D structures will offer possibilities for opto-electronic devices that are not possible from individual constituents.

A van der Waals pn heterojunction with organic/inorganic semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Daowei; Yang, Ziyi; Wu, Bing; Xu, Bingchen; Zhang, Yuhan; Li, Yun; Shi, Yi, E-mail: yshi@nju.edu.cn, E-mail: xrwang@nju.edu.cn; Wang, Xinran, E-mail: yshi@nju.edu.cn, E-mail: xrwang@nju.edu.cn [National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Pan, Yiming; Wang, Baigeng [National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Nan, Haiyan; Luo, Xiaoguang; Ni, Zhenhua [Department of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189 (China); Gu, Shuai; Zhu, Jia [College of Engineering and Applied Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Chai, Yang [Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon (Hong Kong)

2015-11-02

van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions formed by two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted tremendous attention due to their excellent electrical/optical properties and device applications. However, current 2D heterojunctions are largely limited to atomic crystals, and hybrid organic/inorganic structures are rarely explored. Here, we fabricate the hybrid 2D heterostructures with p-type dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene (C{sub 8}-BTBT) and n-type MoS{sub 2}. We find that few-layer C{sub 8}-BTBT molecular crystals can be grown on monolayer MoS{sub 2} by vdW epitaxy, with pristine interface and controllable thickness down to monolayer. The operation of the C{sub 8}-BTBT/MoS{sub 2} vertical heterojunction devices is highly tunable by bias and gate voltages between three different regimes: interfacial recombination, tunneling, and blocking. The pn junction shows diode-like behavior with rectifying ratio up to 10{sup 5} at the room temperature. Our devices also exhibit photovoltaic responses with a power conversion efficiency of 0.31% and a photoresponsivity of 22 mA/W. With wide material combinations, such hybrid 2D structures will offer possibilities for opto-electronic devices that are not possible from individual constituents.

Crystal phase-based epitaxial growth of hybrid noble metal nanostructures on 4H/fcc Au nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Qipeng; Wang, An-Liang; Gong, Yue; Hao, Wei; Cheng, Hongfei; Chen, Junze; Li, Bing; Yang, Nailiang; Niu, Wenxin; Wang, Jie; Yu, Yifu; Zhang, Xiao; Chen, Ye; Fan, Zhanxi; Wu, Xue-Jun; Chen, Jinping; Luo, Jun; Li, Shuzhou; Gu, Lin; Zhang, Hua

2018-03-01

Crystal-phase engineering offers opportunities for the rational design and synthesis of noble metal nanomaterials with unusual crystal phases that normally do not exist in bulk materials. However, it remains a challenge to use these materials as seeds to construct heterometallic nanostructures with desired crystal phases and morphologies for promising applications such as catalysis. Here, we report a strategy for the synthesis of binary and ternary hybrid noble metal nanostructures. Our synthesized crystal-phase heterostructured 4H/fcc Au nanowires enable the epitaxial growth of Ru nanorods on the 4H phase and fcc-twin boundary in Au nanowires, resulting in hybrid Au-Ru nanowires. Moreover, the method can be extended to the epitaxial growth of Rh, Ru-Rh and Ru-Pt nanorods on the 4H/fcc Au nanowires to form unique hybrid nanowires. Importantly, the Au-Ru hybrid nanowires with tunable compositions exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance towards the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media.

Hybrid van der Waals SnO/MoS2 Heterojunctions for Thermal and Optical Sensing Applications

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhenwei

2017-11-10

Emerging van der Waals heterojunctions (vdWH) containing 2D materials have shown exciting functionalities that surpass those of traditional devices based on bulk materials. In this Communication, a report on the properties of a 2D sulfide/oxide hybrid vdWH based on n-type molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and p-type tin monoxide (SnO) is presented, with promising rectification, thermal-sensing, and photosensing performance. Specifically, the hybrid SnO/MoS2 vdWH shows static rectification ratio of 2 × 102 with ideality factor of 2.3, and can operate at 100 Hz with good stability. The vdWH shows good temperature stability with reversible and reproducible current levels up to 110 °C, indicating its potential for thermal sensing applications. The sensitivity of current variation is calculated to be 0.0144 dec °C−1. Finally, maximum responsivity of 8.17 mA W−1 and external quantum efficiency of 2.14% have been achieved in photovoltaic measurements. The results suggest that MoS2–SnO hybrid vdWH are promising for various sensing applications.

Rectifying effect of heterojunctions between metals and doped conducting polymer nanostructure pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long Yunze; Yin Zhihua; Hui Wen; Chen Zhaojia; Wan Meixiang

2008-01-01

This paper reports that the Schottky junctions between low work function metals (e.g. Al and In) and doped semiconducting polymer pellets (e.g. polyaniline (PANI) microsphere pellet and polypyrrole (PPy) nanotube pellet) have been prepared and studied. Since Ag is a high work function metal which can make an ohmic contact with polymer, silver paste was used to fabricate the electrodes. The Al/PANI/Ag heterojunction shows an obvious rectifying effect as shown in I – V characteristic curves (rectifying ratio γ = 5 at ±6 V bias at room temperature). As compared to the Al/PANI/Ag, the heterojunction between In and PANI (In/PANI/Ag) exhibits a lower rectifying ratio γ = 1.6 at ±2 V bias at room temperature. In addition, rectifying effect was also observed in the heterojunctions Al/PPy/Ag (γ = 3.2 at ±1.6 V bias) and In/PPy/Ag (γ = 1.2 at ±3.0 V bias). The results were discussed in terms of thermoionic emission theory. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Semitransparent ZnO/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) based hybrid inorganic/organic heterojunction thin film diodes prepared by combined radio-frequency magnetron-sputtering and electrodeposition techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodríguez-Moreno, Jorge; Navarrete-Astorga, Elena; Martín, Francisco; Schrebler, Ricardo; Ramos-Barrado, José R.; Dalchiele, Enrique A.

2012-01-01

n-ZnO/p-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) semitransparent inorganic–organic hybrid vertical heterojunction thin film diodes have been fabricated with PEDOT and ZnO thin films grown by electrodeposition and radio-frequency magnetron-sputtering respectively, onto a tin doped indium oxide coated glass substrate. The diode exhibited an optical transmission of ∼ 40% to ∼ 50% in the visible region between 450 and 700 nm. The current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the heterojunction show good rectifying diode characteristics, with a ratio of forward current to the reverse current as high as 35 in the range − 4 V to + 4 V. The I–V characteristic was examined in the framework of the thermionic emission model. The ideality factor and barrier height were obtained as 4.0 and 0.88 eV respectively. - Highlights: ► Semitransparent inorganic–organic heterojunction thin film diodes investigated ► n-ZnO/p-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythipohene) used for the heterojunction ► Diodes exhibited an optical transmission of ∼ 40%–∼ 50% in the visible region ► Heterojunction current–voltage features show good rectifying diode characteristics ► A forward to reverse current ratio as high as 35 (− 4 V to + 4 V range) was attained

Laterally Ordered Bulk Heterojunction of Conjugated Polymers : Nanoskiving a Jelly Roll

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lipomi, Darren J.; Chiechi, Ryan C.; Reus, William F.; Whitesides, George M.

2008-01-01

This paper describes the fabrication of a nanostructured heterojunction of two conjugated polymers by a three-step process: i) spin-coating a multilayered film of the two polymers, ii) rolling the film into a cylinder (a ‘‘jelly roll’’) and iii) sectioning the film perpendicular to the axis of the

Study of Cu2O\\ZnO nanowires heterojunction designed by combining electrodeposition and atomic layer deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Makhlouf, Houssin; Weber, Matthieu; Messaoudi, Olfa; Tingry, Sophie; Moret, Matthieu; Briot, Olivier; Chtoutou, Radhouane; Bechelany, Mikhael

2017-12-01

Cu2O/ZnO nanowires (NWs) heterojunctions were successfully prepared by combining Atomic layer Deposition (ALD) and Electrochemical Deposition (ECD) processes. The crystallinity, morphology and photoconductivity properties of the Cu2O/ZnO nanostructures have been investigated. The properties of the Cu2O absorber layer and the nanostructured heterojunction were studied in order to understand the mechanisms lying behind the low photoconductivity measured. It has been found that the interface state defects and the high resistivity of Cu2O film were limiting the photovoltaic properties of the prepared devices. The understanding presented in this work is expected to enable the optimization of solar cell devices based on Cu2O/ZnO nanomaterials and improve their overall performance.

In Vivo Deep Tissue Fluorescence and Magnetic Imaging Employing Hybrid Nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortgies, Dirk H; de la Cueva, Leonor; Del Rosal, Blanca; Sanz-Rodríguez, Francisco; Fernández, Nuria; Iglesias-de la Cruz, M Carmen; Salas, Gorka; Cabrera, David; Teran, Francisco J; Jaque, Daniel; Martín Rodríguez, Emma

2016-01-20

Breakthroughs in nanotechnology have made it possible to integrate different nanoparticles in one single hybrid nanostructure (HNS), constituting multifunctional nanosized sensors, carriers, and probes with great potential in the life sciences. In addition, such nanostructures could also offer therapeutic capabilities to achieve a wider variety of multifunctionalities. In this work, the encapsulation of both magnetic and infrared emitting nanoparticles into a polymeric matrix leads to a magnetic-fluorescent HNS with multimodal magnetic-fluorescent imaging abilities. The magnetic-fluorescent HNS are capable of simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging and deep tissue infrared fluorescence imaging, overcoming the tissue penetration limits of classical visible-light based optical imaging as reported here in living mice. Additionally, their applicability for magnetic heating in potential hyperthermia treatments is assessed.

Stimulated emission within the exciplex band by plasmonic-nanostructured polymeric heterojunctions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinping; Li, Hongwei; Wang, Yimeng; Liu, Feifei

2015-03-01

Organic heterojunctions have been extensively employed in the design of light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic devices, and thin-film field-effect transistors, which can be achieved by constructing a bilayer or a multi-layered thin-film deposition, or by blending two or more organic semiconductors with different charge-transport performances. Charge transfer excited states or exciplex may form on the heterointerfaces. Efficient light-emitting diodes have been demonstrated using exciplex emission. However, lasing or stimulated emission processes have not been observed with exciplex formation at organic heterojunctions. In this work, we demonstrate strong coherent interaction between photons and exciplex formation in the blends of poly-9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N'-phenyl-l,4-phenylenediamine (PFB) and poly-9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole (F8BT), leading to transient stimulated exciplex emission. The responsible mechanisms involve plasmonic local-field enhancement and plasmonic feedback in a three-dimensional gold-nanoparticle matrix.Organic heterojunctions have been extensively employed in the design of light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic devices, and thin-film field-effect transistors, which can be achieved by constructing a bilayer or a multi-layered thin-film deposition, or by blending two or more organic semiconductors with different charge-transport performances. Charge transfer excited states or exciplex may form on the heterointerfaces. Efficient light-emitting diodes have been demonstrated using exciplex emission. However, lasing or stimulated emission processes have not been observed with exciplex formation at organic heterojunctions. In this work, we demonstrate strong coherent interaction between photons and exciplex formation in the blends of poly-9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N'-phenyl-l,4-phenylenediamine (PFB) and poly-9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole (F8BT), leading to transient

Oxide-Free Bonding of III-V-Based Material on Silicon and Nano-Structuration of the Hybrid Waveguide for Advanced Optical Functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantinos Pantzas

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Oxide-free bonding of III-V-based materials for integrated optics is demonstrated on both planar Silicon (Si surfaces and nanostructured ones, using Silicon on Isolator (SOI or Si substrates. The hybrid interface is characterized electrically and mechanically. A hybrid InP-on-SOI waveguide, including a bi-periodic nano structuration of the silicon guiding layer is demonstrated to provide wavelength selective transmission. Such an oxide-free interface associated with the nanostructured design of the guiding geometry has great potential for both electrical and optical operation of improved hybrid devices.

Plasmon hybridization in complex metallic nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Feng

With Plasmon Hybridization (PH) and Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method, we theoretically investigated the optical properties of some complex metallic nanostructures (coupled nanoparticle/wire, nanostars, nanorings and combined ring/disk nanocavity systems). We applied the analytical formulism of PH studying the plasmonic coupling of a spherical metallic nanoparticle and an infinite long cylindrical nanowire. The plasmon resonance of the coupled system is shown shifted in frequency, which highly depends on the polarization of incident light relative to the geometry of the structure. We also showed the nanoparticle serves as an efficient antenna coupling the electromagnetic radiation into the low-energy propagating wire plasmons. We performed an experimental and theoretical analysis of the optical properties of gold nanorings with different sizes and cross sections. For light polarized parallel to the ring, the optical spectrum sensitively depends on the incident angle. When light incidence is normal to the ring, two dipolar resonance is observed. As the incident light is titled, some previously dark mulipolar plasmon resonances will be excited as a consequence of the retardation. The concept of plasmon hybridization is combined with the power of brute-force numerical methods to understand the plasmonic properties of some very complicated nanostructures. We showed the plasmons of a gold nanostar are a result of hybridization of the plasmons of the core and the tips of the particle. The core serves as a nanoantenna, dramatically enhanced the optical spectrum and the field enhancement of the nanostar. We also applied this method analyzing the plasmonic modes of a nanocavity structure composed of a nanodisk with a surrounding minoring. For the concentric combination, we showed the nature of the plasmon modes can be understood as the plasmon hybrization of an individual ring and disk. The interation results in a blueshifted and broadened superradiant antibonding

Mechanical Behavior of Nanostructured Hybrids Based on Poly(Vinyl Alcohol/Bioactive Glass Reinforced with Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. S. Mansur

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This study reports the synthesis and characterization of novel tridimensional porous hybrids based on PVA combined with bioactive glass and reinforced by chemically functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNT for potential use in bone tissue engineering. The functionalization of CNT was performed by introducing carboxylic groups in multiwall nanotubes. This process aimed at enhancing the affinity of CNTs with the water-soluble PVA polymer derived by the hydrogen bonds formed among alcohol (PVA and carboxylic groups (CNT–COOH. In the sequence, the CNT–COOH (0.25 wt% were used as the nanostructure modifier for the hybrid system based on PVA associated with the bioactive glass (BaG. The mechanical properties of the nanostructured hybrids reinforced with CNT–COOH were evaluated by axial compression tests, and they were compared to reference hybrid. The averaged yield stresses of macroporous hybrids were (2.3 ± 0.9 and (4.4 ± 1.0 MPa for the reference and the CNT reinforced materials, respectively. Moreover, yield strain and Young's modulus were significantly enhanced by about 30% for the CNT–COOH hybrids. Hence, as far as the mechanical properties are concerned, the results have clearly showed the feasibility of utilizing these new hybrids reinforced with functionalized CNT in repairing cancellous bone tissues.

Solution processable inverted structure ZnO-organic hybrid heterojuction white LEDs

Science.gov (United States)

Bano, N.; Hussain, I.; Soomro, M. Y.; EL-Naggar, A. M.; Albassam, A. A.

2018-05-01

Improving luminance efficiency and colour purity are the most important challenges for zinc oxide (ZnO)-organic hybrid heterojunction light emitting diodes (LEDs), affecting their large area applications. If ZnO-organic hybrid heterojunction white LEDs are fabricated by a hydrothermal method, it is difficult to obtain pure and stable blue emission from PFO due to the presence of an undesirable green emission. In this paper, we present an inverted-structure ZnO-organic hybrid heterojunction LED to avoid green emission from PFO, which mainly originates during device processing. With this configuration, each ZnO nanorod (NR) forms a discrete p-n junction; therefore, large-area white LEDs can be designed without compromising the junction area. The configuration used for this novel structure is glass/ZnO NRs/PFO/PEDOT:PSS/L-ITO, which enables the development of efficient, large-area and low-cost hybrid heterojunction LEDs. Inverted-structure ZnO-organic hybrid heterojunction white LEDs offer several improvements in terms of brightness, size, colour, external quantum efficiency and a wider applicability as compared to normal architecture LEDs.

METALLIC AND HYBRID NANOSTRUCTURES: FUNDAMENTALS AND APPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murph, S.

2012-05-02

This book chapter presents an overview of research conducted in our laboratory on preparation, optical and physico-chemical properties of metallic and nanohybrid materials. Metallic nanoparticles, particularly gold, silver, platinum or a combination of those are the main focus of this review manuscript. These metallic nanoparticles were further functionalized and used as templates for creation of complex and ordered nanomaterials with tailored and tunable structural, optical, catalytic and surface properties. Controlling the surface chemistry on/off metallic nanoparticles allows production of advanced nanoarchitectures. This includes coupled or encapsulated core-shell geometries, nano-peapods, solid or hollow, monometallic/bimetallic, hybrid nanoparticles. Rational assemblies of these nanostructures into one-, two- and tridimensional nano-architectures is described and analyzed. Their sensing, environmental and energy related applications are reviewed.

Semitransparent ZnO/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) based hybrid inorganic/organic heterojunction thin film diodes prepared by combined radio-frequency magnetron-sputtering and electrodeposition techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodriguez-Moreno, Jorge; Navarrete-Astorga, Elena; Martin, Francisco [Laboratorio de Materiales y Superficies (Unidad Asociada al CSIC), Departamentos de Fisica Aplicada and Ing. Quimica, Universidad de Malaga, E29071 Malaga (Spain); Schrebler, Ricardo [Instituto de Quimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Casilla 4059, Valparaiso (Chile); Ramos-Barrado, Jose R. [Laboratorio de Materiales y Superficies (Unidad Asociada al CSIC), Departamentos de Fisica Aplicada and Ing. Quimica, Universidad de Malaga, E29071 Malaga (Spain); Dalchiele, Enrique A., E-mail: dalchiel@fing.edu.uy [Instituto de Fisica, Facultad de Ingenieria, Herrera y Reissig 565, C.C. 30, 11000 Montevideo (Uruguay)

2012-12-15

n-ZnO/p-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) semitransparent inorganic-organic hybrid vertical heterojunction thin film diodes have been fabricated with PEDOT and ZnO thin films grown by electrodeposition and radio-frequency magnetron-sputtering respectively, onto a tin doped indium oxide coated glass substrate. The diode exhibited an optical transmission of {approx} 40% to {approx} 50% in the visible region between 450 and 700 nm. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the heterojunction show good rectifying diode characteristics, with a ratio of forward current to the reverse current as high as 35 in the range - 4 V to + 4 V. The I-V characteristic was examined in the framework of the thermionic emission model. The ideality factor and barrier height were obtained as 4.0 and 0.88 eV respectively. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Semitransparent inorganic-organic heterojunction thin film diodes investigated Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer n-ZnO/p-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythipohene) used for the heterojunction Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Diodes exhibited an optical transmission of {approx} 40%-{approx} 50% in the visible region Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Heterojunction current-voltage features show good rectifying diode characteristics Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A forward to reverse current ratio as high as 35 (- 4 V to + 4 V range) was attained.

Self-assembly and transformation of hybrid nano-objects and nanostructures under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Stephen

2009-10-01

Understanding how chemically derived processes control the construction and organization of matter across extended and multiple length scales is of growing interest in many areas of materials research. Here we review present equilibrium and non-equilibrium self-assembly approaches to the synthetic construction of discrete hybrid (inorganic-organic) nano-objects and higher-level nanostructured networks. We examine a range of synthetic modalities under equilibrium conditions that give rise to integrative self-assembly (supramolecular wrapping, nanoscale incarceration and nanostructure templating) or higher-order self-assembly (programmed/directed aggregation). We contrast these strategies with processes of transformative self-assembly that use self-organizing media, reaction-diffusion systems and coupled mesophases to produce higher-level hybrid structures under non-equilibrium conditions. Key elements of the constructional codes associated with these processes are identified with regard to existing theoretical knowledge, and presented as a heuristic guideline for the rational design of hybrid nano-objects and nanomaterials.

Hybrid thin films based on bilayer heterojunction of titania nanocrystals/polypyrrole/natural dyes (Kappaphycus alvarezii) materials

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazali, Salmah Mohd; Salleh, Hasiah; Dagang, Ahmad Nazri; Ghazali, Mohd Sabri Mohd; Ali, Nik Aziz Nik; Rashid, Norlaily Abdul; Kamarulzaman, Nurul Huda; Ahmad, Wan Almaz Dhafina Che Wan

2017-09-01

In this research, hybrid thin films which consist of a combination of organic red seaweed (RS) (Kappaphycus alvarezii) and polypyrrole (PPy) with inorganic titania nanocrystals (TiO2 NCs) materials were fabricated. These hybrid thin films were fabricated accordingly with bilayer heterojunction of ITO/TiO2 NCs/PPy/RS via electrochemical method using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The effect of number of scans (thickness) of titania on optical and electrical properties of hybrid thin films were studied. TiO2 NCs function as an electron acceptor and electronic conductor. Meanwhile, PPy acts as holes conductor and RS dye acts as a photosensitizer enhances the optical and electrical properties of the thin films. The UV absorption spectrum of TiO2 NCs, PPy and RS are characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, while the functional group of RS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The UV-Vis spectra showed that TiO2 NCs, PPy and RS were absorbed over a wide range of light spectrum which were 200-300 nm, 300-900 nm and 250-900 nm; respectively. The FTIR spectra of the RS showed the presence of hydroxyl group which was responsible for a good sensitizer for these hybrid solar cells. The electrical conductivity of these hybrid thin films were measured by using four point probes. The electrical conductivity of ITO/ (1)TiO2 NCs/PPy/RS thin film under the radiation of 100 Wm-2 was 0.062 Scm-1, hence this hybrid thin films can be applied in solar cell application.

Nanostructured cobalt sulfide-on-fiber with tunable morphology as electrodes for asymmetric hybrid supercapacitors

KAUST Repository

Baby, Rakhi Raghavan; Alhebshi, Nuha; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Alshareef, Husam N.

2014-01-01

Porous cobalt sulfide (Co9S8) nanostructures with tunable morphology, but identical crystal phase and composition, have been directly nucleated over carbon fiber and evaluated as electrodes for asymmetric hybrid supercapacitors. As the morphology is changed from two-dimensional (2D) nanoflakes to 3D octahedra, dramatic changes in supercapacitor performance are observed. In three-electrode configuration, the binder-free Co9S82D nanoflake electrodes show a high specific capacitance of 1056 F g-1at 5 mV s-1vs. 88 F g-1for the 3D electrodes. As sulfides are known to have low operating potential, for the first time, asymmetric hybrid supercapacitors are constructed from Co9S8nanostructures and activated carbon (AC), providing an operation potential from 0 to 1.6 V. At a constant current density of 1 A g-1, the 2D Co9S8, nanoflake//AC asymmetric hybrid supercapacitor exhibits a gravimetric cell capacitance of 82.9 F g-1, which is much higher than that of an AC//AC symmetric capacitor (44.8 F g-1). Moreover, the asymmetric hybrid supercapacitor shows an excellent energy density of 31.4 W h kg-1at a power density of 200 W Kg-1and an excellent cycling stability with a capacitance retention of ∼90% after 5000 cycles. This journal is

Electric control of wave vector filtering in a hybrid magnetic-electric-barrier nanostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Yong-Hong; Lu, Ke-Yu; He, Ya-Ping; Liu, Xu-Hui; Fu, Xi; Li, Ai-Hua

2018-06-01

We theoretically investigate how to manipulate the wave vector filtering effect by a traverse electric field for electrons across a hybrid magnetic-electric-barrier nanostructure, which can be experimentally realized by depositing a ferromagnetic stripe and a Schottky-metal stripe on top and bottom of a GaAs/Al x Ga1- x As heterostructure, respectively. The wave vector filtering effect is found to be related closely to the applied electric field. Moreover, the wave vector filtering efficiency can be manipulated by changing direction or adjusting strength of the traverse electric field. Therefore, such a nanostructure can be employed as an electrically controllable electron-momentum filter for nanoelectronics applications.

pH-regulated antimony oxychloride nanoparticle formation on titanium oxide nanostructures: a photocatalytically active heterojunction

KAUST Repository

Buchholcz, Balázs

2017-02-06

Improving the catalytic activity of heterogeneous photocatalysts has become a hot topic recently. To this end, considerable progress has been made in the efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers by e.g. the realization of heterojunction photocatalysts. V-VI-VII compound semiconductors, namely, bismuth oxyhalides, are popular photocatalysts. However, results on antimony oxyhalides [SbOX (X = Br, Cl, I)], the very promising alternatives to the well-known BiOX photomodifiers, are scarce. Here, we report the successful decoration of titanium oxide nanostructures with 8-11 nm diameter SbOX nanoparticles for the first time ever. The product size and stoichiometry could be controlled by the pH of the reactant mixture, while subsequent calcination could transform the structure of the titanate nanotube (TiONT) support and the prepared antimony oxychloride particles. In contrast to the ease of composite formation in the SbOX/TiONT case, anatase TiO could not facilitate the formation of antimony oxychloride nanoparticles on its surface. The titanate nanotube-based composites showed activity in a generally accepted quasi-standard photocatalytic test reaction (methyl orange dye decolorization). We found that the SbOCl/TiONT synthesized at pH = 1 is the most active sample in a broad temperature range.

Near-field effects and energy transfer in hybrid metal-oxide nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Herr, Ulrich; Kuerbanjiang, Balati; Benel, Cahit; Papageorgiou, Giorgos; Goncalves, Manuel; Boneberg, Johannes; Leiderer, Paul; Ziemann, Paul; Marek, Peter; Hahn, Horst

2013-01-01

One of the big challenges of the 21st century is the utilization of nanotechnology for energy technology. Nanoscale structures may provide novel functionality, which has been demonstrated most convincingly by successful applications such as dye-sensitized solar cells introduced by M. Grätzel. Applications in energy technology are based on the transfer and conversion of energy. Following the example of photosynthesis, this requires a combination of light harvesting, transfer of energy to a reaction center, and conversion to other forms of energy by charge separation and transfer. This may be achieved by utilizing hybrid nanostructures, which combine metallic and nonmetallic components. Metallic nanostructures can interact strongly with light. Plasmonic excitations of such structures can cause local enhancement of the electrical field, which has been utilized in spectroscopy for many years. On the other hand, the excited states in metallic structures decay over very short lifetimes. Longer lifetimes of excited states occur in nonmetallic nanostructures, which makes them attractive for further energy transfer before recombination or relaxation sets in. Therefore, the combination of metallic nanostructures with nonmetallic materials is of great interest. We report investigations of hybrid nanostructured model systems that consist of a combination of metallic nanoantennas (fabricated by nanosphere lithography, NSL) and oxide nanoparticles. The oxide particles were doped with rare-earth (RE) ions, which show a large shift between absorption and emission wavelengths, allowing us to investigate the energy-transfer processes in detail. The main focus is on TiO2 nanoparticles doped with Eu(3+), since the material is interesting for applications such as the generation of hydrogen by photocatalytic splitting of water molecules. We use high-resolution techniques such as confocal fluorescence microscopy for the investigation of energy-transfer processes. The experiments are

Optical properties of hybrid quantum-well–dots nanostructures grown by MOCVD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mintairov, S. A., E-mail: mintairov@scell.ioffe.ru; Kalyuzhnyy, N. A.; Nadtochiy, A. M.; Maximov, M. V. [St. Petersburg Academic University (Russian Federation); Rouvimov, S. S. [University of Notre Dame (United States); Zhukov, A. E. [St. Petersburg Academic University (Russian Federation)

2017-03-15

The deposition of In{sub x}Ga{sub 1–x}As with an indium content of 0.3–0.5 and an average thickness of 3–27 single layers on a GaAs wafer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at low temperatures results in the appearance of thickness and composition modulations in the layers being formed. Such structures can be considered to be intermediate nanostructures between ideal quantum wells and quantum dots. Depending on the average thickness and composition of the layers, the wavelength of the photoluminescence peak for the hybrid InGaAs quantum well–dots nanostructures varies from 950 to 1100 nm. The optimal average In{sub x}Ga{sub 1–x}As thicknesses and compositions at which the emission wavelength is the longest with a high quantum efficiency retained are determined.

Controlled AFM manipulation of small nanoparticles and assembly of hybrid nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Suenne; Shafiei, Farbod; Ratchford, Daniel; Li Xiaoqin

2011-01-01

We demonstrate controlled manipulation of semiconductor and metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with 5-15 nm diameters and assemble these NPs into hybrid structures. The manipulation is accomplished under ambient environment using a commercial atomic force microscope (AFM). There are particular difficulties associated with manipulating NPs this small. In addition to spatial drift, the shape of an asymmetric AFM tip has to be taken into account in order to understand the intended and actual manipulation results. Furthermore, small NPs often attach to the tip via electrostatic interaction and modify the effective tip shape. We suggest a method for detaching the NPs by performing a pseudo-manipulation step. Finally, we show by example the ability to assemble these small NPs into prototypical hybrid nanostructures with well-defined composition and geometry.

Band-offsets at BaTiO3/Cu2O heterojunction and enhanced photoelectrochemical response: theory and experiment(Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Dipika; Satsangi, Vibha R.; Dass Kaura, Sahab; Shrivastav, Rohit; Waghmare, Umesh V.

2016-10-01

Band-offsets at BaTiO3/Cu2O heterojunction and enhanced photoelectrochemical response: theory and experiment Dipika Sharmaa, Vibha R. Satsangib, Rohit Shrivastava, Umesh V. Waghmarec, Sahab Dassa aDepartment of Chemistry, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra-282 110 (India) bDepartment of Physics and Computer Sciences, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra-282 110 (India) cTheoretical Sciences Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bangalore-560 064 (India) * Phone: +91-9219695960. Fax: +91-562-2801226. E-mail: drsahabdas@gmail.com. Study on photoelectrochemical activity of pristine BaTiO3, Cu2O and BaTiO3/Cu2O heterojunction has been carried out using DFT based band offsets and charge carriers effective mass calculations and their experimental verification. The results of DFT calculations show that BaTiO3 and Cu2O have staggered type band alignment after the heterojunction formation and high mobility of electrons in Cu2O as compared to the electrons in BaTiO3. Staggered type band edges alignment and high mobility of electrons and holes improved the separation of photo-generated charge carriers in BaTiO3/Cu2O heterojunction. To validate the theoretical results experiments were carried out on pristine BaTiO3, Cu2O and BaTiO3/Cu2O heterojunction with varying thickness of Cu2O. All samples were characterized by X- Ray Diffractometer, SEM and UV-Vis spectrometry. Nanostructured thin films of pristine BaTiO3, Cu2O and BaTiO3/Cu2O heterojunction were used as photoelectrode in the photoelectrochemical cell for water splitting reaction. Maximum photocurrent density of 1.44 mA/cm2 at 0.90 V/SCE was exhibited by 442 nm thick BaTiO3/Cu2O heterojunction photoelectrode Increased photocurrent density and enhanced photoconversion efficiency, exhibited by the heterojunction may be attributed to improved conductivity and enhanced separation of the photogenerated carriers at the BaTiO3/Cu2O interface. The experimental results and first

Schottky diodes between Bi2S3 nanorods and metal nanoparticles in a polymer matrix as hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saha, Sudip K.; Pal, Amlan J.

2015-01-01

We report the use of metal-semiconductor Schottky junctions in a conjugated polymer matrix as solar cells. The Schottky diodes, which were formed between Bi 2 S 3 nanorods and gold nanoparticles, efficiently dissociated photogenerated excitons. The bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) devices based on such metal-semiconductor Schottky diodes in a polymer matrix therefore acted as an efficient solar cell as compared to the devices based on only the semiconductor nanorods in the polymer matrix or when gold nanoparticles were added separately to the BHJs. In the latter device, gold nanoparticles offered plasmonic enhancement due to an increased cross-section of optical absorption. We report growth and characteristics of the Schottky junctions formed through an intimate contact between Bi 2 S 3 nanorods and gold nanoparticles. We also report fabrication and characterization of BHJ solar cells based on such heterojunctions. We highlight the benefit of using metal-semiconductor Schottky diodes over only inorganic semiconductor nanorods or quantum dots in a polymer matrix in forming hybrid BHJ solar cells

Growth and characterization of n-ZnO/p-GaN nanorods on silicon for the fabrication of heterojunction diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guan-Hung Shen [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Hong, Franklin Chau-Nan, E-mail: hong@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Center for Micro/Nano Science and Technology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); NCKU Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China)

2014-11-03

A heterojunction n-ZnO/p-GaN diode device was fabricated and characterized on Si (111) substrate. Vertically-aligned Mg-doped GaN nanorods (NRs) were grown on Si (111) by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. Intrinsic n-type ZnO was subsequently grown on top of p-GaN nanorods by hydrothermal method at low temperature. The effects of precursor concentrations on the morphology and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures were investigated. Various ZnO nanostructures could be synthesized to obtain different heterojunction nanostructures. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction results further verified that the GaN NRs were single crystals with the growth orientation along [0001], and the epitaxial wurtzite ZnO films were grown on GaN NRs. The n-ZnO film/p-GaN NR heterojunction diodes were thus fabricated. Diode-like rectifying behavior was actually observed with a leakage current of less than 2.0 × 10{sup −4} A at − 20 V bias, a forward current of 7.2 × 10{sup −3} A at 20 V bias, and the turn-on voltage at around 5.6 V. - Highlights: • High-quality zinc oxide layer was epitaxially grown on gallium nitride nanorods. • The morphology of zinc oxide can be controlled by varying the growth conditions. • The n-zinc oxide/p-gallium nitride diodes with rectifying behavior were fabricated.

Growth and characterization of n-ZnO/p-GaN nanorods on silicon for the fabrication of heterojunction diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guan-Hung Shen; Hong, Franklin Chau-Nan

2014-01-01

A heterojunction n-ZnO/p-GaN diode device was fabricated and characterized on Si (111) substrate. Vertically-aligned Mg-doped GaN nanorods (NRs) were grown on Si (111) by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. Intrinsic n-type ZnO was subsequently grown on top of p-GaN nanorods by hydrothermal method at low temperature. The effects of precursor concentrations on the morphology and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures were investigated. Various ZnO nanostructures could be synthesized to obtain different heterojunction nanostructures. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction results further verified that the GaN NRs were single crystals with the growth orientation along [0001], and the epitaxial wurtzite ZnO films were grown on GaN NRs. The n-ZnO film/p-GaN NR heterojunction diodes were thus fabricated. Diode-like rectifying behavior was actually observed with a leakage current of less than 2.0 × 10 −4 A at − 20 V bias, a forward current of 7.2 × 10 −3 A at 20 V bias, and the turn-on voltage at around 5.6 V. - Highlights: • High-quality zinc oxide layer was epitaxially grown on gallium nitride nanorods. • The morphology of zinc oxide can be controlled by varying the growth conditions. • The n-zinc oxide/p-gallium nitride diodes with rectifying behavior were fabricated

Observation of a photoinduced, resonant tunneling effect in a carbon nanotube–silicon heterojunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Aramo

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A significant resonant tunneling effect has been observed under the 2.4 V junction threshold in a large area, carbon nanotube–silicon (CNT–Si heterojunction obtained by growing a continuous layer of multiwall carbon nanotubes on an n-doped silicon substrate. The multiwall carbon nanostructures were grown by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD technique on a 60 nm thick, silicon nitride layer, deposited on an n-type Si substrate. The heterojunction characteristics were intensively studied on different substrates, resulting in high photoresponsivity with a large reverse photocurrent plateau. In this paper, we report on the photoresponsivity characteristics of the device, the heterojunction threshold and the tunnel-like effect observed as a function of applied voltage and excitation wavelength. The experiments are performed in the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelength range. The high conversion efficiency of light radiation into photoelectrons observed with the presented layout allows the device to be used as a large area photodetector with very low, intrinsic dark current and noise.

Electroluminescence from GaN-polymer heterojunction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chitara, Basant; Lal, Nidhi; Krupanidhi, S.B.; Rao, C.N.R.

2011-01-01

Inorganic and organic semiconductor devices are generally viewed as distinct and separate technologies. Herein we report a hybrid inorganic-organic light-emitting device employing the use of an air stable polymer, Poly (9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) as a p-type layer to create a heterojunction, avoiding the use of p-type GaN, which is difficult to grow, being prone to the complex and expensive fabrication techniques that characterises it. I-V characteristics of the GaN-polymer heterojunction fabricated by us exhibits excellent rectification. The luminescence onset voltage is typically about 8-10 V. The device emits yellowish white electroluminescence with CIE coordinates (0.42, 0.44). - Highlights: → We use a polymer Poly (9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) as a p-type layer to create a heterojunction. → I-V characteristics of the device fabricated by us exhibits excellent rectification. → The p-type polymer also emits yellow light, which when combined in proper composition with GaN, give rise to white light. → Device can be readily fabricated by just spin coating the polymer over GaN reducing the cost of the device.

A hybrid approach to the surface biofunctionalization of nanostructured porous alumina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silvan, Miguel Manso; Ruiz, Josefa Predestinacion Garcia [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada y Departamento de Biologia Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Unidad Asociada GMNF (ICMM-CSIC), 28049 Madrid (Spain); Centro de Investigaciones Biomedicas en Red, Bioingenieria Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBERbbn) (Spain); Gonzalez, Ruy Sanz [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Velez, Manuel Hernandez [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada y Departamento de Biologia Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Unidad Asociada GMNF (ICMM-CSIC), 28049 Madrid (Spain)

2010-02-15

The application of nanostructured porous alumina templates as a solid support in biomedical assays requires a surface biofunctionalization process that has been addressed in this work by an hybrid aminopropyl-triethoxysilane/tetraisopropyl-orthotitanate (APTS/ TIPT) self assembled film. The nanostructured porous alumina templates are activated in a peroxide solution before immersion in the biofunctionalizing APTS/TIPT solution. The biofunctionalization process was followed up by UV-vis spectroscopy, which confirmed the modification of the dielectric structure of the alumina surface. The influence of the biofunctionalization step in an immunological assay was carried out by fluorescence microscopy. Results confirm the gain in activity after the immobilization of an FITC labelled mouse Igg. Specific biological recognition in a bovine serum albumin (BSA)-antiBSA assay is proved afterwards by shifts observed in the reflectance interferograms thus providing a fast biosensing transducer platform. (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Hybrid zinc oxide conjugated polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beek, W.J.E.; Wienk, M.M.; Kemerink, M.; Yang, X.N.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2005-01-01

Bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices based on blends of a conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(3‘,7‘-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) as electron donor and crystalline ZnO nanoparticles (nc-ZnO) as electron acceptor have been studied. Composite nc-ZnO:MDMO-PPV films were cast

Enhanced photoelectrochemical response of plasmonic Au embedded BiVO4/Fe2O3 heterojunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Anuradha; Srivastav, Anupam; Khan, Saif A; Rani Satsangi, Vibha; Shrivastav, Rohit; Kumar Avasthi, Devesh; Dass, Sahab

2017-06-14

The effect of embedding Au nanoparticles (NPs) in a BiVO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 heterojunction for photoelectrochemical water splitting is studied here for the first time. The present nanostructured heterojunction offers three major advantages over pristine BiVO 4 and Fe 2 O 3 : (i) the formation of a heterojunction between BiVO 4 and Fe 2 O 3 enhances the charge carrier separation and transfer, (ii) the layer of Fe 2 O 3 provides protection to BiVO 4 from photocorrosion and, (iii) the Au NPs possessing surface plasmon resonance (SPR) enhance the photoelectrochemical response by transferring energy to metal oxides by hot electron transfer (HET) and plasmon resonant energy transfer (PRET). The present study reveals that the heterojunction ITO/BiVO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 (with 32% v/v Au solution in both layers) gives the best performance and mitigates the limitations of both pristine Fe 2 O 3 and BiVO 4 . A thirteen-fold increment in applied bias photon-to-current conversion efficiency (ABPE) was observed at 1.24 V vs. RHE under the condition of 1 Sun illumination. Monochromatic incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements indicated that an Au embedded heterojunction is more effective in harvesting visible light in comparison to a heterojunction without Au NPs.

Photovoltaic and Electroluminescence Characters in Hybrid ZnO and Conjugated Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Devices

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIU Jun-Peng; QU Sheng-Chun; XU Ying; CHEN Yong-Hai; ZENG Xiang-Bo; WANG Zhi-Jie; ZHOU Hui-Ying; WANG Zhan-Guo

2007-01-01

We report electroluminescence in hybrid ZnO and conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells. Photoluminescence quenching experimental results indicate that the ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer occurs from MDMO-PPV to ZnO under illumination. The ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer effect is induced because ZnO has an electron affinity about 1.2 eV greater than that of MDMO-PPV. Electron 'back transfer' can occur if the interfacial barrier between ZnO and MDMO-PPV can be overcome by applying a substantial electric field. Therefore, electroluminescence action due to the fact that the back transfer effect can be observed in the ZnO: MDMO-PPV devices since a forward bias is applied. The photovoltaic and electroluminescence actions in the same ZnO: MDMO-PPV device can be induced by different injection ways: photoinjection and electrical injection. The devices are expected to provide an opportunity for dual functionality devices with photovoltaic effect and electroluminescence character.

Photoluminescence quenching, structures, and photovoltaic properties of ZnO nanostructures decorated plasma grown single walled carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aïssa, Brahim, E-mail: brahim.aissa@mpbc.ca [University of Quebec, Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, INRS-EMT (Canada); Nedil, Mourad [Telebec Wireless Underground Communication Laboratory, UQAT (Canada); Belaidi, Abdelhak; Isaifan, Rima J. [Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (Qatar); Bentouaf, Ali [University Hassiba Ben Bouali, Physics Department, Faculty of Science (Algeria); Fauteux, Christian; Therriault, Daniel [École Polytechnique de Montréal, Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics (LM2), Mechanical Engineering Department (Canada)

2017-05-15

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were successfully grown directly on single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) template through the CO{sub 2} laser-induced chemical liquid deposition (LCLD) process. Photoluminescence (PL) of the deposited ZnO/SWCNT hybrid composites exhibits, at room temperature, a narrow near UV band located at 390 nm with no emission bands in the visible region, indicating a high degree of crystalline quality of the ZnO nanostructures. Moreover, when the relative SWCNT loads are varied within the composites, the PL intensity and the diffused optical reflectance diminish in comparison with those of ZnO alone, owing to the transfer of photo-excited electrons from ZnO to the SWCNT, and the enhancement of the optical absorbance, respectively. Finally, these ZnO/SWCNT hybrid composites are integrated into a heterojunction photovoltaic-based device, using PEDOT:PSS on ITO/glass substrate. The devices show an evident p–n junction behavior in the dark, and a clear I–V curve shift downward when illuminated with an open-circuit voltage of 1.1 V, a short circuit current density of 14.05 μA cm{sup −2}, and a fill factor of ∼35%. These results indicate that these composites fabricated via LCLD process could be promising for optoelectronic and energy-harvesting devices.

Fabrication of p-CuO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode via sol-gel spin coating technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prabhu, Rajeev R., E-mail: rajeevrprabhu@gmail.com [Nanophotonic and Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022 (India); Saritha, A.C.; Shijeesh, M.R. [Nanophotonic and Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022 (India); Jayaraj, M.K. [Nanophotonic and Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022 (India); Centre for Advanced Materials, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022 (India)

2017-06-15

Highlights: • Facile all-solution growth of nanostructured p-CuO and n-ZnO TSO films is reported. • Annealing the films in air affects the structural, electrical and optical properties. • p-n heterojunction using these films was fabricated in ITO/n-ZnO/p-CuO/Au structure. • Transparent heterojunction diode performed well with a V{sub on} of 2.5 V and n of 3.15. • Fabricated p-CuO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode can be used for UV detector application. - Abstract: We report a facile all-solution approach for the growth of nanostructured p-CuO and n-ZnO thin films. The influence of annealing temperature on the physical properties of CuO and ZnO thin films was examined. XRD and Raman spectra depict the structural and phase purity of solution grown CuO and ZnO films. The electrical as well as the optical properties of thin films were also studied. The average optical transmission of CuO and ZnO thin films in the visible spectral region was found to be above 80 and 95% respectively. Band gap energy variations on annealing temperature were investigated for CuO as well as ZnO films. Surface morphology analyzed by FESEM shows that the films are very smooth. All solution grown p-n heterojunction using p-CuO and n-ZnO films was fabricated in the structure ITO/n-ZnO/p-CuO/Au which showed rectification behavior with a turn on voltage of 2.5 V and an ideality factor of 3.15.

Photosensitive and temperature-dependent I–V characteristics of p-NiO film/n-ZnO nanorod array heterojunction diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Long, Hao; Ai, Lei [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education of China, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China); Li, Songzhan [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education of China, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China); School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, Hubei 430073 (China); Huang, Huihui; Mo, Xiaoming; Wang, Haoning; Chen, Zhao; Liu, Yuping [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education of China, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China); Fang, Guojia, E-mail: gjfang@whu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education of China, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China)

2014-05-01

Highlights: • A p-NiO film/n-ZnO nanorod array heterojunction was prepared. • The heterojunction shows good morphology and crystal properties. • The diode exhibits excellent rectifying behavior. • The diode exhibits strong temperature dependent I–V properties. • The hybrid diode shows good photosensitivity under the ultraviolet irradiation. - Abstract: A p-NiO film/n-ZnO nanorod (NR) array heterojunction was prepared by deposition of NiO film on ZnO NRs using radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering. The well-aligned ZnO NRs were fabricated by a simple and economic hydrothermal method on a ZnO:Al-coated glass substrate. Good morphology and crystal properties of the fabricated ZnO NRs and NiO film were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The p–n heterojunction exhibits excellent rectifying behaviour and strong temperature-dependent current–voltage properties in the range from −50 to 80 °C. The hybrid NR heterojunction diode shows good photosensitivity under the irradiation of 365 nm ultraviolet light. These results present potential applications in future microelectronic devices based on NiO films and the one-dimensional ZnO nanomaterials.

Nanostructure of PDMS–TEOS–PrZr hybrids prepared by direct deposition of gamma radiation energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lancastre, Joana J.H.; Falcão, António N.; Margaça, Fernanda M.A.; Ferreira, Luís M.; Miranda Salvado, Isabel M.; Almásy, László; Casimiro, Maria H.; Meiszterics, Anikó

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hybrid materials were prepared by direct energy deposition. • The influence of the catalyst content (PrZr) was investigated. • The developed oxide network was found to be strongly dependent on the PrZr content. • A model is proposed for the development of the oxide network in these materials. - Abstract: Organic–inorganic materials have been the object of intense research due to their wide range of properties and therefore innumerous applications. We prepared organic–inorganic hybrid materials by direct energy deposition on a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane silanol terminated (33 wt% fixed content), tetraethylorthosilicate and a minor content of zirconium propoxide that varied from 1 to 5 wt% using gamma radiation from a Co-60 source. The samples, dried in air at room temperature, are bulk, flexible and transparent. Their nanostructure was investigated by small angle neutron scattering. It was found that the inorganic oxide network has fractal structure, which becomes denser as the zirconium propoxide content decreases. The results suggest that oxide nanosized regions grow from the OH terminal group of PDMS which are the condensation seeds. Their number and position remains unaltered with the variation of zirconium propoxide content that only affects their microstructure. A model is proposed for the nanostructure of the oxide network that develops in the irradiation processed hybrid materials.

Nanostructure of PDMS–TEOS–PrZr hybrids prepared by direct deposition of gamma radiation energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lancastre, Joana J.H., E-mail: jlancastre@ctn.ist.utl.pt [C2TN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, E.N. 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, LRS (Portugal); Falcão, António N. [C2TN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, E.N. 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, LRS (Portugal); Margaça, Fernanda M.A., E-mail: fmargaca@ctn.ist.utl.pt [C2TN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, E.N. 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, LRS (Portugal); Ferreira, Luís M. [C2TN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, E.N. 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, LRS (Portugal); Miranda Salvado, Isabel M. [CICECO & Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais e Cerâmica, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Almásy, László [Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, PO Box 49, 1525 Budapest (Hungary); Casimiro, Maria H. [REQUIMTE/CQFB, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Meiszterics, Anikó [Gedeon Richter Ltd., PO Box 27, H-1475 Budapest (Hungary)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Hybrid materials were prepared by direct energy deposition. • The influence of the catalyst content (PrZr) was investigated. • The developed oxide network was found to be strongly dependent on the PrZr content. • A model is proposed for the development of the oxide network in these materials. - Abstract: Organic–inorganic materials have been the object of intense research due to their wide range of properties and therefore innumerous applications. We prepared organic–inorganic hybrid materials by direct energy deposition on a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane silanol terminated (33 wt% fixed content), tetraethylorthosilicate and a minor content of zirconium propoxide that varied from 1 to 5 wt% using gamma radiation from a Co-60 source. The samples, dried in air at room temperature, are bulk, flexible and transparent. Their nanostructure was investigated by small angle neutron scattering. It was found that the inorganic oxide network has fractal structure, which becomes denser as the zirconium propoxide content decreases. The results suggest that oxide nanosized regions grow from the OH terminal group of PDMS which are the condensation seeds. Their number and position remains unaltered with the variation of zirconium propoxide content that only affects their microstructure. A model is proposed for the nanostructure of the oxide network that develops in the irradiation processed hybrid materials.

Strong and reversible modulation of carbon nanotube-silicon heterojunction solar cells by an interfacial oxide layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Yi; Cao, Anyuan; Kang, Feiyu; Li, Peixu; Gui, Xuchun; Zhang, Luhui; Shi, Enzheng; Wei, Jinquan; Wang, Kunlin; Zhu, Hongwei; Wu, Dehai

2012-06-21

Deposition of nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes on Si wafers to make heterojunction structures is a promising route toward high efficiency solar cells with reduced cost. Here, we show a significant enhancement in the cell characteristics and power conversion efficiency by growing a silicon oxide layer at the interface between the nanotube film and Si substrate. The cell efficiency increases steadily from 0.5% without interfacial oxide to 8.8% with an optimal oxide thickness of about 1 nm. This systematic study reveals that formation of an oxide layer switches charge transport from thermionic emission to a mixture of thermionic emission and tunneling and improves overall diode properties, which are critical factors for tailoring the cell behavior. By controlled formation and removal of interfacial oxide, we demonstrate oscillation of the cell parameters between two extreme states, where the cell efficiency can be reversibly altered by a factor of 500. Our results suggest that the oxide layer plays an important role in Si-based photovoltaics, and it might be utilized to tune the cell performance in various nanostructure-Si heterojunction structures.

Intrinsic white-light emission from zinc oxide nanorods heterojunctions on large-area substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Willander, Magnus; Nur, O.; Zaman, S.; Zainelabdin, A.; Amin, G.; Sadaf, J. R.; Israr, M. Q.; Bano, N.; Hussain, I.; Alvi, N. H.

2011-02-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and especially in the nanostructure form is currently being intensively investigated world wide for the possibility of developing different new photonic devices. We will here present our recent findings on the controlled low temperature chemical growth of ZnO nanorods (NRs) on different large area substrates. Many different heterojunctions of ZnO NRs and p-substrates including those of crystalline e.g. p-GaN, p-SiC or amorphous nature e.g. p-polymer coated plastic and p-polymer coated paper will be shown. Moreover, the effect of the p-electrode of these heterojunctions on tuning the emitted wavelength and changing the light quality will be discussed. An example using ZnO NR/p-GaN will be shown and the electrical and electro-optical characteristics will be analyzed. For these heterojunctions the effect of post growth annealing and its effect on the electroluminescence (EL) spectrum will be shown. Finally, intrinsic white light emitting diodes based on ZnO NRs on foldable and disposable amorphous substrates (plastic and paper) will also be presented.

Metal/Carbon Hybrid Nanostructures Produced from Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition over Nafion-Supported Electrochemically Deposited Cobalt Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Islam

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In this work, we report development of hybrid nanostructures of metal nanoparticles (NP and carbon nanostructures with strong potential for catalysis, sensing, and energy applications. First, the etched silicon wafer substrates were passivated for subsequent electrochemical (EC processing through grafting of nitro phenyl groups using para-nitrobenzene diazonium (PNBT. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS and atomic force microscope (AFM studies confirmed presence of few layers. Cobalt-based nanoparticles were produced over dip or spin coated Nafion films under different EC reduction conditions, namely CoSO4 salt concentration (0.1 M, 1 mM, reduction time (5, 20 s, and indirect or direct EC reduction route. Extensive AFM examination revealed NP formation with different attributes (size, distribution depending on electrochemistry conditions. While relatively large NP with >100 nm size and bimodal distribution were obtained after 20 s EC reduction in H3BO3 following Co2+ ion uptake, ultrafine NP (<10 nm could be produced from EC reduction in CoSO4 and H3BO3 mixed solution with some tendency to form oxides. Different carbon nanostructures including few-walled or multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT and carbon nanosheets were grown in a C2H2/NH3 plasma using the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The devised processing routes enable size controlled synthesis of cobalt nanoparticles and metal/carbon hybrid nanostructures with unique microstructural features.

Crystallization behaviour of nanostructured hybrid SiO2-TiO2 gel glasses to nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsvetelina, Gerganova; Yordanka, Ivanova; Yuliya, Vueva; Miranda, Salvado Isabel M; Helena, Fernandes Maria

2010-04-01

The crystallization behaviour of hybrid SiO2-TiO2 nanocomposites derived from titanosiloxanes by sol-gel method has been investigated depending on the type of siloxane precursor and the pirolysis temperature. The resulting hybrid titanosiloxanes, crosslinked with trimethylsilil isocyanate (nitrogen-modified) or methyltrietoxisilane (carbon-modified), were pirolyzed in an inert atmosphere in the temperature range between 600 to 1100 degrees C in order to form C-(N)-Si-O-TiO2 nanocomposites. By means of XRD, FTIR, 29Si NMR, SEM, TEM and AFM investigations have been established that the transformation of the nanostructured SiO2-TiO2 hybrid materials into nanocomposites as well as the crystalline size depend on the titanium content and the type of cross-linking agents used in the synthesizes.

Synthesis of NiO-TiO2 hybrids/mSiO2 yolk-shell architectures embedded with ultrasmall gold nanoparticles for enhanced reactivity

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Jiasheng; Zhang, Yiwei; Zhou, Yuming; Zhao, Shuo; Zhang, Chao; Huang, Mengqiu; Gao, Yan

2017-08-01

Novel NiO-TiO2 hybrids/mSiO2 yolk-shell architectures loaded with ultrasmall Au nanoparticles (STNVS-Au) were developed via the rational synthetic strategy. The hierarchical yolk-shell nanostructures (STNVS) with high surface areas were constructed by a facile "bottom-up" assembly process using SiO2 materials and polymer resins as cores/shells and sacrificial templates, accompanied by a simple hydrothermal incorporation of NiO into uniform amorphous TiO2 layers that were converted to NiO-anatase TiO2 p-n heterojunction hybrids. Then, numerous sub-3 nm Au nanoparticles were post encapsulated within STNVS nanostructures through the low-temperature hydrogen reduction based on the unique deposition-precipitation method with Au(en)2Cl3 compounds as gold precursors. The NiO-TiO2 hybrids alloying with Au nanoparticles were effectively protected and entrapped within STNVS architectures, and interacted with outer mSiO2-Au shells, which comprised the powerful STNVS-Au yolk-shell nanoreactors and produced stronger configural synergies in enhancing the heterogeneous catalysis. Into catalyzing the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, the STNVS-Au was shown with outstanding activity and reusability, and its pristine morphology was well retained during the recycling process.

Non-covalent doping of graphitic carbon nitride with ultrathin graphene oxide and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets: an effective binary heterojunction photocatalyst under visible light irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, S W; Yang, L W; Tian, Y; Wei, X L; Ding, J W; Zhong, J X; Chu, Paul K

2014-10-01

A proof of concept integrating binary p-n heterojunctions into a semiconductor hybrid photocatalyst is demonstrated by non-covalent doping of graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with ultrathin GO and MoS2 nanosheets using a facile sonochemical method. In this unique ternary hybrid, the layered MoS2 and GO nanosheets with a large surface area enhance light absorption to generate more photoelectrons. On account of the coupling between MoS2 and GO with g-C3N4, the ternary hybrid possesses binary p-n heterojunctions at the g-C3N4/MoS2 and g-C3N4/GO interfaces. The space charge layers created by the p-n heterojunctions not only enhance photogeneration, but also promote charge separation and transfer of electron-hole pairs. In addition, the ultrathin MoS2 and GO with high mobility act as electron mediators to facilitate separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs at each p-n heterojunction. As a result, the ternary hybrid photocatalyst exhibits improved photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation compared to other reference materials. The results provide new insights into the large-scale production of semiconductor photocatalysts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hybrid Nanostructures Containing Sulfadiazine Modified Chitosan as Antimicrobial Drug Carriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdanel Silvestru Munteanu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Chitosan (CH nanofibrous structures containing sulfadiazine (SDZ or sulfadiazine modified chitosan (SCH in the form of functional nanoparticles attached to nanofibers (hybrid nanostructures were obtained by mono-axial and coaxial electrospinning. The mono-axial design consisted of a SDZ/CH mixture solution fed through a single nozzle while the coaxial design consisted of SCH and CH solutions separately supplied to the inner and outer nozzle (or in reverse order. The CH ability to form nanofibers assured the formation of a nanofiber mesh, while SDZ and SCH, both in form of suspensions in the electrospun solution, assured the formation of active nanoparticles which remained attached to the CH nanofiber mesh after the electrospinning process. The obtained nanostructures were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM. The SDZ release profiles and kinetics were analyzed. The SDZ or SCH nanoparticles loosely attached at the surface of the nanofibers, provide a burst release in the first 20 min, which is important to stop the possible initial infection in a wound, while the SDZ and SCH from the nanoparticles which are better confined (or even encapsulated into the CH nanofibers would be slowly released with the erosion/disruption of the CH nanofiber mesh.

Core-shell heterojunction of silicon nanowire arrays and carbon quantum dots for photovoltaic devices and self-driven photodetectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Chao; Nie, Biao; Zeng, Longhui; Liang, Feng-Xia; Wang, Ming-Zheng; Luo, Linbao; Feng, Mei; Yu, Yongqiang; Wu, Chun-Yan; Wu, Yucheng; Yu, Shu-Hong

2014-04-22

Silicon nanostructure-based solar cells have lately intrigued intensive interest because of their promising potential in next-generation solar energy conversion devices. Herein, we report a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array/carbon quantum dot (CQD) core-shell heterojunction photovoltaic device by directly coating Ag-assisted chemical-etched SiNW arrays with CQDs. The heterojunction with a barrier height of 0.75 eV exhibited excellent rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio of 10(3) at ±0.8 V in the dark and power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 9.10% under AM 1.5G irradiation. It is believed that such a high PCE comes from the improved optical absorption as well as the optimized carrier transfer and collection capability. Furthermore, the heterojunction could function as a high-performance self-driven visible light photodetector operating in a wide switching wavelength with good stability, high sensitivity, and fast response speed. It is expected that the present SiNW array/CQD core-shell heterojunction device could find potential applications in future high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Interfacial engineering of CuO nanorod/ZnO nanowire hybrid nanostructure photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Kilic, Bayram; Turkdogan, Sunay; Astam, Aykut; Baran, Sümeyra Seniha; Asgin, Mansur; Gur, Emre; Kocak, Yusuf

2018-01-01

Developing efficient and cost-effective photoanode plays a vital role determining the photocurrent and photovoltage in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, we demonstrate DSSCs that achieve relatively high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) by using one-dimensional (1D) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires and copper (II) oxide (CuO) nanorods hybrid nanostructures. CuO nanorod-based thin films were prepared by hydrothermal method and used as a blocking layer on top of the ZnO nanowires' layer. The use of 1D ZnO nanowire/CuO nanorod hybrid nanostructures led to an exceptionally high photovoltaic performance of DSSCs with a remarkably high open-circuit voltage (0.764 V), short current density (14.76 mA/cm2 under AM1.5G conditions), and relatively high solar to power conversion efficiency (6.18%) . The enhancement of the solar to power conversion efficiency can be explained in terms of the lag effect of the interfacial recombination dynamics of CuO nanorod-blocking layer on ZnO nanowires. This work shows more economically feasible method to bring down the cost of the nano-hybrid cells and promises for the growth of other important materials to further enhance the solar to power conversion efficiency.

Optoelectronic Evaluation and Loss Analysis of PEDOT:PSS/Si Hybrid Heterojunction Solar Cells.

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Yang, Zhenhai; Fang, Zebo; Sheng, Jiang; Ling, Zhaoheng; Liu, Zhaolang; Zhu, Juye; Gao, Pingqi; Ye, Jichun

2017-12-01

The organic/silicon (Si) hybrid heterojunction solar cells (HHSCs) have attracted considerable attention due to their potential advantages in high efficiency and low cost. However, as a newly arisen photovoltaic device, its current efficiency is still much worse than commercially available Si solar cells. Therefore, a comprehensive and systematical optoelectronic evaluation and loss analysis on this HHSC is therefore highly necessary to fully explore its efficiency potential. Here, a thoroughly optoelectronic simulation is provided on a typical planar polymer poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)/Si HHSC. The calculated spectra of reflection and external quantum efficiency (EQE) match well with the experimental results in a full-wavelength range. The losses in current density, which are contributed by both optical losses (i.e., reflection, electrode shield, and parasitic absorption) and electrical recombination (i.e., the bulk and surface recombination), are predicted via carefully addressing the electromagnetic and carrier-transport processes. In addition, the effects of Si doping concentrations and rear surface recombination velocities on the device performance are fully investigated. The results drawn in this study are beneficial to the guidance of designing high-performance PEDOT:PSS/Si HHSCs.

Preparation of TNAs/NiO p-n heterojunction and their applications in UV photosensor

Science.gov (United States)

Yusoff, M. M.; Mamat, M. H.; Malek, M. F.; Abdullah, M. A. R.; Ismail, A. S.; Saidi, S. A.; Mohamed, R.; Suriani, A. B.; Khusaimi, Z.; Rusop, M.

2018-05-01

A nanocomposite consisted of n-type titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanorod arrays (TNAs) and p-type nickel oxide (NiO) were deposited using a novel facile low-temperature aqueous chemical route (ACR) in a Schott bottle with cap clamps and sol-gel spin coating method, respectively on a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) glass substrate for the application of ultraviolet (UV) photosensor. The p-n heterojunction photosensor exhibited an increase in photocurrent under UV light (365 nm, 750 µW/cm2) at applied reverse bias. The measured UV response also revealed an increase in photocurrent, and dark current with increasing applied reverse bias on the p-n heterojunction. In this study, the fabricated TNAs/NiO composite nanostructures showed potential applications for photosensor based on the steady photocurrent results obtained under UV irradiation

Graphene-based heterojunction photocatalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xin; Shen, Rongchen; Ma, Song; Chen, Xiaobo; Xie, Jun

2018-02-01

Due to their unique physicochemical, optical and electrical properties, 2D semimetallic or semiconducting graphene has been extensively utilized to construct highly efficient heterojunction photocatalysts for driving a variety of redox reactions under proper light irradiation. In this review, we carefully addressed the fundamental mechanism of heterogeneous photocatalysis, fundamental properties and advantages of graphene in photocatalysis, and classification and comparison of graphene-based heterojunction photocatalysts. Subsequently, we thoroughly highlighted and discussed various graphene-based heterojunction photocatalysts, including Schottky junctions, Type-II heterojunctions, Z-scheme heterojunctions, Van der Waals heterostructures, in plane heterojunctions and multicomponent heterojunctions. Several important photocatalytic applications, such as photocatalytic water splitting (H2 evolution and overall water splitting), degradation of pollutants, carbon dioxide reduction and bacteria disinfection, are also summarized. Through reviewing the important advances on this topic, it may inspire some new ideas for exploiting highly effective graphene-based heterojunction photocatalysts for a number of applications in photocatlysis and other fields, such as photovoltaic, (photo)electrocatalysis, lithium battery, fuel cell, supercapacitor and adsorption separation.

Biomolecule-based nanomaterials and nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Willner, Itamar; Willner, Bilha

2010-10-13

Biomolecule-nanoparticle (or carbon nanotube) hybrid systems provide new materials that combine the unique optical, electronic, or catalytic properties of the nanoelements with the recognition or biocatalytic functions of biomolecules. This article summarizes recent applications of biomolecule-nanoparticle (or carbon nanotubes) hybrid systems for sensing, synthesis of nanostructures, and for the fabrication of nanoscale devices. The use of metallic nanoparticles for the electrical contacting of redox enzymes with electrodes, and as catalytic labels for the development of electrochemical biosensors is discussed. Similarly, biomolecule-quantum dot hybrid systems are implemented for optical biosensing, and for monitoring intracellular metabolic processes. Also, the self-assembly of biomolecule-metal nanoparticle hybrids into nanostructures and functional nanodevices is presented. The future perspectives of the field are addressed by discussing future challenges and highlighting different potential applications.

Phosphorene/ZnO Nano-Heterojunctions for Broadband Photonic Nonvolatile Memory Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Liang; Yuan, Jun; Ren, Yi; Wang, Yan; Yang, Jia-Qin; Zhou, Ye; Zeng, Yu-Jia; Han, Su-Ting; Ruan, Shuangchen

2018-06-10

High-performance photonic nonvolatile memory combining photosensing and data storage with low power consumption ensures the energy efficiency of computer systems. This study first reports in situ derived phosphorene/ZnO hybrid heterojunction nanoparticles and their application in broadband-response photonic nonvolatile memory. The photonic nonvolatile memory consistently exhibits broadband response from ultraviolet (380 nm) to near infrared (785 nm), with controllable shifts of the SET voltage. The broadband resistive switching is attributed to the enhanced photon harvesting, a fast exciton separation, as well as the formation of an oxygen vacancy filament in the nano-heterojunction. In addition, the device exhibits an excellent stability under air exposure compared with reported pristine phosphorene-based nonvolatile memory. The superior antioxidation capacity is believed to originate from the fast transfer of lone-pair electrons of phosphorene. The unique assembly of phosphorene/ZnO nano-heterojunctions paves the way toward multifunctional broadband-response data-storage techniques. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hybrid phonons in nanostructures

CERN Document Server

Ridley, Brian K

2017-01-01

Crystalline semiconductor nanostructures have special properties associated with electrons and lattice vibrations and their interaction, and this is the topic of the book. The result of spatial confinement of electrons is indicated in the nomenclature of nonostructures: quantum wells, quantum wires, and quantum dots. Confinement also has a profound effect on lattice vibrations and an account of this is the prime focus. The documentation of the confinement of acoustic modes goes back to Lord Rayleigh’s work in the late nineteenth century, but no such documentation exists for optical modes. Indeed, it is only comparatively recently that any theory of the elastic properties of optical modes exists, and the account given in the book is comprehensive. A model of the lattice dynamics of the diamond lattice is given that reveals the quantitative distinction between acoustic and optical modes and the difference of connection rules that must apply at an interface. The presence of interfaces in nanostructures forces ...

Ultrahigh broadband photoresponse of SnO2 nanoparticle thin film/SiO2/p-Si heterojunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Cuicui; Guo, Tianchao; Lu, Wenbo; Xiong, Ya; Zhu, Lei; Xue, Qingzhong

2017-06-29

The SnO 2 /Si heterojunction possesses a large band offset and it is easy to control the transportation of carriers in the SnO 2 /Si heterojunction to realize high-response broadband detection. Therefore, we investigated the potential of the SnO 2 nanoparticle thin film/SiO 2 /p-Si heterojunction for photodetectors. It is demonstrated that this heterojunction shows a stable, repeatable and broadband photoresponse from 365 nm to 980 nm. Meanwhile, the responsivity of the device approaches a high value in the range of 0.285-0.355 A W -1 with the outstanding detectivity of ∼2.66 × 10 12 cm H 1/2 W -1 and excellent sensitivity of ∼1.8 × 10 6 cm 2 W -1 , and its response and recovery times are extremely short (oxide or oxide/Si based photodetectors. In fact, the photosensitivity and detectivity of this heterojunction are an order of magnitude higher than that of 2D material based heterojunctions such as (Bi 2 Te 3 )/Si and MoS 2 /graphene (photosensitivity of 7.5 × 10 5 cm 2 W -1 and detectivity of ∼2.5 × 10 11 cm H 1/2 W -1 ). The excellent device performance is attributed to the large Fermi energy difference between the SnO 2 nanoparticle thin film and Si, SnO 2 nanostructure, oxygen vacancy defects and thin SiO 2 layer. Consequently, practical highly-responsive broadband PDs may be actualized in the future.

Theory of Quantum Transport in Metallic and Hybrid Nanostructures

CERN Document Server

Glatz, Andreas; Vinokur, Valerii M

2006-01-01

There is a major development emerging at the intersection of modern physics, computer science, and materials science, which struggles to squeeze more devices into a restricted volume and constitutes a central focus of modern nanotechnology. Utilizing the metal-based hybrid nanostructures may offer significant advantages over those exploiting purely semiconductor materials. First, the chemistry of metals is typically simpler than that of semiconductors. Second, the electric properties of metals are much less sensitive to the structural defects and impurities than those of semiconductors. Next, metallic devices allow better electric and thermal contacts. And, last but by no means least, the high electron velocity in metals promises to accelerate enormously operation rates with respect to those in semiconductor-based devices. The book reflects scientific developments in the physics of metallic compounds based nanodevices presented at the NATO-sponsored Workshop on nanophysics held in St. Petersburg, Russia in th...

A hybrid nanostructure of platinum-nanoparticles/graphitic-nanofibers as a three-dimensional counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Chien-Kuo; Tsai, Ming-Chi; Su, Ching-Yuan; Wei, Sung-Yen; Yen, Ming-Yu; Ma, Chen-Chi M; Chen, Fu-Rong; Tsai, Chuen-Horng

2011-11-07

We directly synthesized a platinum-nanoparticles/graphitic-nanofibers (PtNPs/GNFs) hybrid nanostructure on FTO glass. We applied this structure as a three-dimensional counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and investigated the cells' photoconversion performance. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Design of hybrid two-dimensional and three-dimensional nanostructured arrays for electronic and sensing applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Hyunhyub

This dissertation presents the design of organic/inorganic hybrid 2D and 3D nanostructured arrays via controlled assembly of nanoscale building blocks. Two representative nanoscale building blocks such as carbon nanotubes (one-dimension) and metal nanoparticles (zero-dimension) are the core materials for the study of solution-based assembly of nanostructured arrays. The electrical, mechanical, and optical properties of the assembled nanostructure arrays have been investigated for future device applications. We successfully demonstrated the prospective use of assembled nanostructure arrays for electronic and sensing applications by designing flexible carbon nanotube nanomembranes as mechanical sensors, highly-oriented carbon nanotubes arrays for thin-film transistors, and gold nanoparticle arrays for SERS chemical sensors. In first section, we fabricated highly ordered carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays by tilted drop-casting or dip-coating of CNT solution on silicon substrates functionalized with micropatterned self-assembled monolayers. We further exploited the electronic performance of thin-film transistors based on highly-oriented, densely packed CNT micropatterns and showed that the carrier mobility is largely improved compared to randomly oriented CNTs. The prospective use of Raman-active CNTs for potential mechanical sensors has been investigated by studying the mechano-optical properties of flexible carbon nanotube nanomembranes, which contain freely-suspended carbon nanotube array encapsulated into ultrathin (optical waveguide properties of nano-canals. We demonstrated the ability of this SERS substrate for trace level sensing of nitroaromatic explosives by detecting down to 100 zeptogram (˜330 molecules) of DNT.

Design of Hybrid Nanostructural Arrays to Manipulate SERS-Active Substrates by Nanosphere Lithography.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaoyu; Wen, Jiahong; Zhang, Mengning; Wang, Dunhui; Wang, Yaxin; Chen, Lei; Zhang, Yongjun; Yang, Jinghai; Du, Youwei

2017-03-01

An easy-handling and low-cost method is utilized to controllably fabricate nanopattern arrays as the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active substrates with high density of SERS-active areas (hot spots). A hybrid silver array of nanocaps and nanotriangles are prepared by combining magnetron sputtering and plasma etching. By adjusting the etching time of polystyrene (PS) colloid spheres array in silver nanobowls, the morphology of the arrays can be easily manipulated to control the formation and distribution of hot spots. The experimental results show that the hybrid nanostructural arrays have large enhancement factor, which is estimated to be seven times larger than that in the array of nanocaps and three times larger than that in the array of nanorings and nanoparticles. According to the results of finite-difference time-domain simulation, the excellent SERS performance of this array is ascribed to the high density of hot spots and enhanced electromagnetic field.

Effect of doping on structural, optical and electrical properties of nanostructure ZnO films deposited onto a-Si:H/Si heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Sali, S.; Boumaour, M.; Kermadi, S.; Keffous, A.; Kechouane, M.

2012-09-01

We investigated the structural; optical and electrical properties of ZnO thin films as the n-type semiconductor for silicon a-Si:H/Si heterojunction photodiodes. The ZnO film forms the front contact of the super-strata solar cell and has to exhibit good electrical (high conductivity) and optical (high transmittance) properties. In this paper we focused our attention on the influence of doping on device performance. The results show that the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra revealed a preferred orientation of the crystallites along c-axis. SEM images show that all films display a granular, polycrystalline morphology and the ZnO:Al exhibits a better grain uniformity. The transmittance of the doped films was found to be higher when compared to undoped ZnO. A low resistivity of the order of 2.8 × 10-4 Ω cm is obtained for ZnO:Al using 0.4 M concentration of zinc acetate. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra exhibit a blue band with two peaks centered at 442 nm (2.80 eV) and 490 nm (2.53 eV). It is noted that after doping the ZnO films a shift of the band by 22 nm (0.15 eV) is recorded and a high luminescence occurs when using Al as a dopant. Dark I-V curves of ZnO/a-Si:H/Si structure showed large difference, which means there is a kind of barrier to current flow between ZnO and a-Si:H layer. Doping films was applied and the turn-on voltages are around 0.6 V. Under reverse bias, the current of the ZnO/a-Si:H/Si heterojunction is larger than that of ZnO:Al/a-Si:H/Si. The improvement with ZnO:Al is attributed to a higher number of generated carriers in the nanostructure (due to the higher transmittance and a higher luminescence) that increases the probability of collisions.

Hybrid nanostructured materials with tunable magnetic characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torres-Martínez, Nubia E.; Garza-Navarro, M. A., E-mail: marco.garzanr@uanl.edu.mx; García-Gutiérrez, Domingo; González-González, Virgilio A.; Torres-Castro, Alejandro; Ortiz-Méndez, U. [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica (Mexico)

2014-12-15

We report on the development of hybrid nanostructured materials (HNM) based on spinel-metal-oxide nanoparticles (SMON) stabilized in carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC)/cetyltrimethyl-ammonium-bromide (CTAB) templates, with tunable magnetic characteristics. These HNM were synthesized using a one-pot chemical approach to obtain CMC/CTAB templates with controllable size and morphology, where the SMON could be densely arranged. The synthesized HNM were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and its related techniques, such as bright field (BF) and Z-contrast (HAADF-STEM) imaging, and selected area electron diffraction, as well as static magnetic measuring. Experimental evidence suggests that the morphology and size of the CMC/CTAB templates are highly dependent on the weight ratio of CTAB:SMON, as well as the hydration days of the CMC that is used for the synthesis of the HNM. Controlling these parameters allows modifying the density of the SMON arrangement in the CMC/CTAB templates. Moreover, magnetic features such as remanence, coercivity, and blocking/de-blocking processes of the particles’ magnetic moments are highly dependent on the interactions among the SMON assembled in the templates. Hence, the magnetic characteristics of HNM can be modulated or tuned by controlling the manner the SMON are arranged within the CMC/CTAB templates.

p-p Heterojunction of Nickel Oxide-Decorated Cobalt Oxide Nanorods for Enhanced Sensitivity and Selectivity toward Volatile Organic Compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Jun Min; Sohn, Woonbae; Shim, Young-Seok; Choi, Jang-Sik; Song, Young Geun; Kim, Taemin L; Jeon, Jong-Myeong; Kwon, Ki Chang; Choi, Kyung Soon; Kang, Chong-Yun; Byun, Hyung-Gi; Jang, Ho Won

2018-01-10

The utilization of p-p isotype heterojunctions is an effective strategy to enhance the gas sensing properties of metal-oxide semiconductors, but most previous studies focused on p-n heterojunctions owing to their simple mechanism of formation of depletion layers. However, a proper choice of isotype semiconductors with appropriate energy bands can also contribute to the enhancement of the gas sensing performance. Herein, we report nickel oxide (NiO)-decorated cobalt oxide (Co 3 O 4 ) nanorods (NRs) fabricated using the multiple-step glancing angle deposition method. The effective decoration of NiO on the entire surface of Co 3 O 4 NRs enabled the formation of numerous p-p heterojunctions, and they exhibited a 16.78 times higher gas response to 50 ppm of C 6 H 6 at 350 °C compared to that of bare Co 3 O 4 NRs with the calculated detection limit of approximately 13.91 ppb. Apart from the p-p heterojunctions, increased active sites owing to the changes in the orientation of the exposed lattice surface and the catalytic effects of NiO also contributed to the enhanced gas sensing properties. The advantages of p-p heterojunctions for gas sensing applications demonstrated in this work will provide a new perspective of heterostructured metal-oxide nanostructures for sensitive and selective gas sensing.

Impact of surface morphology of Si substrate on performance of Si/ZnO heterojunction devices grown by atomic layer deposition technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hazra, Purnima; Singh, Satyendra Kumar [Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Motilal Neheru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad 211004 (India); Jit, Satyabrata, E-mail: sjit.ece@itbhu.ac.in [Department of Electronics Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005 (India)

2015-01-01

In this paper, the authors have investigated the structural, optical, and electrical characteristics of silicon nanowire (SiNW)/zinc oxide (ZnO) core–shell nanostructure heterojunctions and compared their characteristics with Si/ZnO planar heterojunctions to investigate the effect of surface morphology of Si substrate in the characteristics of Si/ZnO heterojunction devices. In this work, ZnO thin film was conformally deposited on both p-type 〈100〉 planar Si substrate and substrate with vertically aligned SiNW arrays by atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. The x-ray diffraction spectra show that the crystalline structures of Si/ZnO heterojunctions are having (101) preferred orientation, whereas vertically oriented SiNW/ZnO core–shell heterojunctions are having (002)-oriented wurtzite crystalline structures. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of Si/ZnO heterojunctions show a very sharp single peak at 377 nm, corresponding to the bandgap of ZnO material with no other defect peaks in visible region; hence, these devices can have applications only in UV region. On the other hand, SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions are having band-edge peak at 378 nm along with a broad emission band, spreading almost throughout the entire visible region with a peak around 550 nm. Therefore, ALD-grown SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions can emit green and red light simultaneously. Reflectivity measurement of the heterojunctions further confirms the enhancement of visible region peak in the PL spectra of SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions, as the surface of the SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions exhibits extremely low reflectance (<3%) in the visible wavelength region compared to Si/ZnO heterojunctions (>20%). The current–voltage characteristics of both Si/ZnO and SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions are measured with large area ohmic contacts on top and bottom of the structure to compare the electrical characteristics of the devices. Due to large surface to-volume ratio of SiNW/ZnO core–shell heterojunction devices, the

DNA origami/gold nanorod hybrid nanostructures for the circumvention of drug resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Linlin; Jiang, Qiao; Liu, Jianbing; Li, Na; Liu, Qing; Dai, Luru; Gao, Yuan; Liu, Weili; Liu, Dongsheng; Ding, Baoquan

2017-06-14

We herein demonstrate that DNA origami can work as a multifunctional platform integrating a chemotherapeutic drug (doxorubicin), gold nanorods and a tumour-specific aptamer MUC-1, to realize the effective circumvention of drug resistance. Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded efficiently onto DNA origami through base pair intercalation and surface-modified gold nanorods (AuNRs) were assembled onto the DNA origami through DNA hybridization. Due to the active targeting effect of the assembled aptamers, the multifunctional nanostructures achieved increased cellular internalization of DOX and AuNRs. Upon near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation, the P-glycoprotein (multidrug resistance pump) expression of multidrug resistant MCF-7 (MCF-7/ADR) cells was down-regulated, achieving the synergistically chemotherapeutic (DOX) and photothermal (AuNRs) effects.

Silicon heterojunction transistor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsushita, T.; Oh-uchi, N.; Hayashi, H.; Yamoto, H.

1979-01-01

SIPOS (Semi-insulating polycrystalline silicon) which is used as a surface passivation layer for highly reliable silicon devices constitutes a good heterojunction for silicon. P- or B-doped SIPOS has been used as the emitter material of a heterojunction transistor with the base and collector of silicon. An npn SIPOS-Si heterojunction transistor showing 50 times the current gain of an npn silicon homojunction transistor has been realized by high-temperature treatments in nitrogen and low-temperature annealing in hydrogen or forming gas

Topological insulator nanowires and nanowire hetero-junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Haiming; Zhao, Lukas; Wade, Travis; Konczykowski, Marcin; Krusin-Elbaum, Lia

2014-03-01

The existing topological insulator materials (TIs) continue to present a number of challenges to complete understanding of the physics of topological spin-helical Dirac surface conduction channels, owing to a relatively large charge conduction in the bulk. One way to reduce the bulk contribution and to increase surface-to-volume ratio is by nanostructuring. Here we report on the synthesis and characterization of Sb2Te3, Bi2Te3 nanowires and nanotubes and Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3 heterojunctions electrochemically grown in porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes with varied (from 50 to 150 nm) pore diameters. Stoichiometric rigid polycrystalline nanowires with controllable cross-sections were obtained using cell voltages in the 30 - 150 mV range. Transport measurements in up to 14 T magnetic fields applied along the nanowires show Aharonov-Bohm (A-B) quantum oscillations with periods corresponding to the nanowire diameters. All nanowires were found to exhibit sharp weak anti-localization (WAL) cusps, a characteristic signature of TIs. In addition to A-B oscillations, new quantization plateaus in magnetoresistance (MR) at low fields (< 0 . 7T) were observed. The analysis of MR as well as I - V characteristics of heterojunctions will be presented. Supported in part by NSF-DMR-1122594, NSF-DMR-1312483-MWN, and DOD-W911NF-13-1-0159.

Metal nanostructures for non-enzymatic glucose sensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tee, Si Yin; Teng, Choon Peng; Ye, Enyi

2017-01-01

This review covers the recent development of metal nanostructures in electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose sensing. It highlights a variety of nanostructured materials including noble metals, other transition metals, bimetallic systems, and their hybrid with carbon-based nanomaterials. Particularly, attention is devoted to numerous approaches that have been implemented for improving the sensors performance by tailoring size, shape, composition, effective surface area, adsorption capability and electron-transfer properties. The correlation of the metal nanostructures to the glucose sensing performance is addressed with respect to the linear concentration range, sensitivity and detection limit. In overall, this review provides important clues from the recent scientific achievements of glucose sensor nanomaterials which will be essentially useful in designing better and more effective electrocatalysts for future electrochemical sensing industry. - Highlights: • Overview of recent development of metal nanostructures in electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose sensing. • Special attention is focussed on noble metals, other transition metals, bimetallic systems, and their hybrid with carbon-based nanomaterials. • Merits and limitations of various metal nanostructures in electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose sensing. • Strategies to improve the glucose sensing performance of metal nanostructures as electrocatalysts.

Hybrid organic/inorganic position-sensitive detectors based on PEDOT:PSS/n-Si

Science.gov (United States)

Javadi, Mohammad; Gholami, Mahdiyeh; Torbatiyan, Hadis; Abdi, Yaser

2018-03-01

Various configurations like p-n junctions, metal-semiconductor Schottky barriers, and metal-oxide-semiconductor structures have been widely used in position-sensitive detectors. In this report, we propose a PEDOT:PSS/n-Si heterojunction as a hybrid organic/inorganic configuration for position-sensitive detectors. The influence of the thickness of the PEDOT:PSS layer, the wavelength of incident light, and the intensity of illumination on the device performance are investigated. The hybrid PSD exhibits very high sensitivity (>100 mV/mm), excellent nonlinearity (0.995) with a response time of heterojunction are very promising for developing a new class of position-sensitive detectors based on the hybrid organic/inorganic junctions.

Design and electrical characterization of Au/Anthracene/p-Si/Al organic/inorganic heterojunction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Ghamdi, Attieh A., E-mail: aaaalghamdi4@kau.edu.sa [Center of Nanotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Department of Physics, North Jeddah (Saudi Arabia); Nawar, Ahmed M.; El-Tantawy, Farid [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia (Egypt); Yaghmour, S.J. [Department of Physics, King Abdulaziz University, North Jeddah (Saudi Arabia); Azam, Ameer [Center of Nanotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Department of Physics, North Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • We have successfully fabricated a Au/Anthracene/p-Si/Al organic/inorganic heterojunction. • The calculated series resistance and the shunt resistance of the device were found to be 440 Ω and 1.47 MΩ, respectively. • The Cheung-Cheung and Norde’s models were used to investigate and determine the heterojunction parameters. • Essential junction parameters and performance of heterojunction established a photovoltaic behavior. • Open circuit voltage (V{sub oc}) 0.382 V, short circuit photocurrent (I{sub SC}) 0.72 mA and power conversion efficiency (η) of 4.65%. - Abstract: Hybrid organic/inorganic heterojunction of nanocrystalline Anthracene and p-Si was fabricated by using a conventional thermal evaporation technique. The crystal and molecular structure of the Anthracene thin films were analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transformation-Infra Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The morphologies of the Anthracene/p-Si were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The dark current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of Au/Anthracene/p-Si/Al heterojunction were investigated at room temperature (293 K). The calculated series resistance and the shunt resistance of the device were found to be 440 Ω and 1.47 MΩ, respectively. The Cheung-Cheung and Norde’s models were used to investigate and determine the heterojunction parameters. The ideality factor and barrier height values of the Au/Anthracene/p-Si/Al diode were obtained to be 1.1 and 0.464 eV, respectively. The dependence of capacitance-voltage (C{sup -2}-V) for the device Anthracene/p-Si was found to be almost linear. Essential junction parameters and performance of heterojunction established a photovoltaic behavior with an open circuit voltage (V{sub oc}) 0.382 V, short circuit photocurrent (I{sub SC}) 0.72 mA and power conversion efficiency (η) of 4.65%.

Luminescence lifetime enhanced by exciton-plasmon couple in hybrid CsPbBr3 perovskite/Pt nanostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chunxu; Zhang, Jisen; Chen, Yongyi; Jing, Pengtao; Zhang, Ligong; Zhao, Haifeng; Fu, Xihong; Wang, Lijun

2018-02-01

Photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved spectroscopic studies on plasmonically coupled semiconductor nanoparticles (SNPs) have demonstrated the PL quenched and lifetime enhanced of SNPs in the presence of metal nanoparticles (MNPs). The hybrid colloidal CsPbBr3 perovskite SNPs/Pt MNPs (S-M) structures exhibit novel optical properties due to the synergetic interaction between the individual components. In hybrid S-M nanostructures colloidal chemistry incorporates SNP and MNP into a single unit resulting in the formation of plexciton (or excimon) which has now been established in a series of hybrid structures. The experimental results of femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy based on the time-resolved pump-probe confirm the transformation from excitons to plexcitons. It was found that the experimental data can’t be well described by the theory based on conventional Fӧster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The differences between theory and experiment may be due to the missing some PbBr2 PL peaks, the reason will be revealed further.

Impact of surface morphology of Si substrate on performance of Si/ZnO heterojunction devices grown by atomic layer deposition technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazra, Purnima; Singh, Satyendra Kumar; Jit, Satyabrata

2015-01-01

In this paper, the authors have investigated the structural, optical, and electrical characteristics of silicon nanowire (SiNW)/zinc oxide (ZnO) core–shell nanostructure heterojunctions and compared their characteristics with Si/ZnO planar heterojunctions to investigate the effect of surface morphology of Si substrate in the characteristics of Si/ZnO heterojunction devices. In this work, ZnO thin film was conformally deposited on both p-type 〈100〉 planar Si substrate and substrate with vertically aligned SiNW arrays by atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. The x-ray diffraction spectra show that the crystalline structures of Si/ZnO heterojunctions are having (101) preferred orientation, whereas vertically oriented SiNW/ZnO core–shell heterojunctions are having (002)-oriented wurtzite crystalline structures. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of Si/ZnO heterojunctions show a very sharp single peak at 377 nm, corresponding to the bandgap of ZnO material with no other defect peaks in visible region; hence, these devices can have applications only in UV region. On the other hand, SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions are having band-edge peak at 378 nm along with a broad emission band, spreading almost throughout the entire visible region with a peak around 550 nm. Therefore, ALD-grown SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions can emit green and red light simultaneously. Reflectivity measurement of the heterojunctions further confirms the enhancement of visible region peak in the PL spectra of SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions, as the surface of the SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions exhibits extremely low reflectance ( 20%). The current–voltage characteristics of both Si/ZnO and SiNW/ZnO heterojunctions are measured with large area ohmic contacts on top and bottom of the structure to compare the electrical characteristics of the devices. Due to large surface to-volume ratio of SiNW/ZnO core–shell heterojunction devices, the output current rating is about 130 times larger compared to their planar

High-performance nanostructured supercapacitors on a sponge

KAUST Repository

Chen, Wei; Baby, Rakhi Raghavan; Hu, Liangbing; Xie, Xing; Cui, Yi; Alshareef, Husam N.

2011-01-01

A simple and scalable method has been developed to fabricate nanostructured MnO 2-carbon nanotube (CNT)-sponge hybrid electrodes. A novel supercapacitor, henceforth referred to as "sponge supercapacitor", has been fabricated using these hybrid

High performance nanostructured Silicon heterojunction for water splitting on large scales

KAUST Repository

Bonifazi, Marcella

2017-11-02

In past years the global demand for energy has been increasing steeply, as well as the awareness that new sources of clean energy are essential. Photo-electrochemical devices (PEC) for water splitting applications have stirred great interest, and different approach has been explored to improve the efficiency of these devices and to avoid optical losses at the interfaces with water. These include engineering materials and nanostructuring the device\\'s surfaces [1]-[2]. Despite the promising initial results, there are still many drawbacks that needs to be overcome to reach large scale production with optimized performances [3]. We present a new device that relies on the optimization of the nanostructuring process that exploits suitably disordered surfaces. Additionally, this device could harvest light on both sides to efficiently gain and store the energy to keep the photocatalytic reaction active.

High performance nanostructured Silicon heterojunction for water splitting on large scales

KAUST Repository

Bonifazi, Marcella; Fu, Hui-chun; He, Jr-Hau; Fratalocchi, Andrea

2017-01-01

In past years the global demand for energy has been increasing steeply, as well as the awareness that new sources of clean energy are essential. Photo-electrochemical devices (PEC) for water splitting applications have stirred great interest, and different approach has been explored to improve the efficiency of these devices and to avoid optical losses at the interfaces with water. These include engineering materials and nanostructuring the device's surfaces [1]-[2]. Despite the promising initial results, there are still many drawbacks that needs to be overcome to reach large scale production with optimized performances [3]. We present a new device that relies on the optimization of the nanostructuring process that exploits suitably disordered surfaces. Additionally, this device could harvest light on both sides to efficiently gain and store the energy to keep the photocatalytic reaction active.

Complex Hollow Nanostructures: Synthesis and Energy-Related Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Le; Hu, Han; Wu, Hao Bin; Lou, Xiong Wen David

2017-04-01

Hollow nanostructures offer promising potential for advanced energy storage and conversion applications. In the past decade, considerable research efforts have been devoted to the design and synthesis of hollow nanostructures with high complexity by manipulating their geometric morphology, chemical composition, and building block and interior architecture to boost their electrochemical performance, fulfilling the increasing global demand for renewable and sustainable energy sources. In this Review, we present a comprehensive overview of the synthesis and energy-related applications of complex hollow nanostructures. After a brief classification, the design and synthesis of complex hollow nanostructures are described in detail, which include hierarchical hollow spheres, hierarchical tubular structures, hollow polyhedra, and multi-shelled hollow structures, as well as their hybrids with nanocarbon materials. Thereafter, we discuss their niche applications as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries and hybrid supercapacitors, sulfur hosts for lithium-sulfur batteries, and electrocatalysts for oxygen- and hydrogen-involving energy conversion reactions. The potential superiorities of complex hollow nanostructures for these applications are particularly highlighted. Finally, we conclude this Review with urgent challenges and further research directions of complex hollow nanostructures for energy-related applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Structural, optical, and improved photocatalytic properties of CdS/SnO_2 hybrid photocatalyst nanostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkata Reddy, Ch.; Ravikumar, R.V.S.S.N.; Srinivas, Ganganagunta; Shim, Jaesool; Cho, Migyung

2017-01-01

Highlights: • CdS, SnO_2, and a CdS/SnO_2 hybrid photocatalyst were synthesized using a two-step technique. • The dislocation density, strain values are higher for CdS/SnO_2 hybrid photocatalyst. • The CdS/SnO_2 has a higher surface area and smaller crystallite size compared to pristine CdS. • The CdS/SnO_2 catalyst greatly reduced recombination of electron and hole pairs. - Abstract: CdS, SnO_2 and CdS/SnO_2 hybrid photocatalyst nanostructure were synthesized using a two-step (co-precipitation/hydrothermal) method. The as-prepared materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), surface analysis (BET), photoluminescence spectra (PL), UV–Vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and photocatalytic activity. The band gap energies calculated from the DRS results are 3.30, 2.15, and 2.99 eV for pristine SnO_2, CdS, and the CdS/SnO_2 hybrid photocatalyst, respectively. The CdS/SnO_2 hybrid photocatalyst showed more efficient charge carrier separation and improved photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). The highest degradation rate constant was achieved for the CdS/SnO_2 hybrid photocatalyst (0.02434 min"−"1) compared to CdS (0.01381 min"−"1) and SnO_2 (0.00878 min"−"1). The present study provides insights for improving the photocatalytic activity and photo-stability of CdS/SnO_2 hybrid photocatalyst.

Heterojunction Structures for Photon Detector Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-21

IR: Fourier-transform infrared FTO: Fluorine doped tin oxide G-R: generation-recombination HEIWIP: heterojunction interfacial workfunction internal...SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The work presented here report findings in (1) infrared detectors based on p-GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunctions , (2) J and H...aggregate sensitized heterojunctions for solar cell and photon detection applications, (3) heterojunctions sensitized with quantum dots as low cost

Interplay of Nanoscale, Hybrid P3HT/ZTO Interface on Optoelectronics and Photovoltaic Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Jian-Jhong; Li, Yu-Hsun; Feng, Bo-Rui; Tang, Shiow-Jing; Jian, Wen-Bin; Fu, Chuan-Min; Chen, Jiun-Tai; Wang, Xu; Lee, Pooi See

2017-09-27

Photovoltaic effects in poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) have attracted much attention recently. Here, natively p-type doped P3HT nanofibers and n-type doped zinc tin oxide (ZTO) nanowires are used for making not only field-effect transistors (FETs) but also p-n nanoscale diodes. The hybrid P3HT/ZTO p-n heterojunction shows applications in many directions, and it also facilitates the investigation of photoelectrons and photovoltaic effects on the nanoscale. As for applications, the heterojunction device shows a simultaneously high on/off ratio of n- and p-type FETs, gatable p-n junction diodes, tristate buffer devices, gatable photodetectors, and gatable solar cells. On the other hand, P3HT nanofibers are taken as a photoactive layer and the role played by the p-n heterojunction in the photoelectric and photovoltaic effects is investigated. It is found that the hybrid P3HT/ZTO p-n heterojunction assists in increasing photocurrents and enhancing photovoltaic effects. Through the controllable gating of the heterojunction, we can discuss the background mechanisms of photocurrent generation and photovoltaic energy harvesting.

Photovoltaic Performance of a Nanowire/Quantum Dot Hybrid Nanostructure Array Solar Cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yao; Yan, Xin; Zhang, Xia; Ren, Xiaomin

2018-02-23

An innovative solar cell based on a nanowire/quantum dot hybrid nanostructure array is designed and analyzed. By growing multilayer InAs quantum dots on the sidewalls of GaAs nanowires, not only the absorption spectrum of GaAs nanowires is extended by quantum dots but also the light absorption of quantum dots is dramatically enhanced due to the light-trapping effect of the nanowire array. By incorporating five layers of InAs quantum dots into a 500-nm high-GaAs nanowire array, the power conversion efficiency enhancement induced by the quantum dots is six times higher than the power conversion efficiency enhancement in thin-film solar cells which contain the same amount of quantum dots, indicating that the nanowire array structure can benefit the photovoltaic performance of quantum dot solar cells.

A Bicontinuous Double Gyroid Hybrid Solar Cell

KAUST Repository

Crossland, Edward J. W.; Kamperman, Marleen; Nedelcu, Mihaela; Ducati, Caterina; Wiesner, Ulrich; Smilgies, Detlef -M.; Toombes, Gilman E. S.; Hillmyer, Marc A.; Ludwigs, Sabine; Steiner, Ullrich; Snaith, Henry J.

2009-01-01

We report the first successful application of an ordered bicontinuous gyroid semiconducting network in a hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cell. The freestanding gyroid network is fabricated by electrochemical deposition into the 10 nm wide voided

Efficient low bandgap polymer solar cell with ordered heterojunction defined by nanoimprint lithography.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yi; Mielczarek, Kamil; Zakhidov, Anvar; Hu, Walter

2014-11-12

In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of using nanoimprint lithography (NIL) to make efficient low bandgap polymer solar cells with well-ordered heterojunction. High quality low bandgap conjugated polymer poly[2,6-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']-dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) nanogratings are fabricated using this technique for the first time. The geometry effect of PCPDTBT nanostructures on the solar cell performance is investigated by making PCPDTBT/C70 solar cells with different feature sizes of PCPDTBT nanogratings. It is found that the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increases with increasing nanograting height, PCPDTBT/C70 junction area, and decreasing nanograting width. We also find that NIL makes PCPDTBT chains interact more strongly and form an improved structural ordering. Solar cells made on the highest aspect ratio PCPDTBT nanostructures are among the best reported devices using the same material with a PCE of 5.5%.

InGaP Heterojunction Barrier Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Welser, Roger E. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A new solar cell structure called a heterojunction barrier solar cell is described. As with previously reported quantum-well and quantum-dot solar cell structures, a layer of narrow band-gap material, such as GaAs or indium-rich InGaP, is inserted into the depletion region of a wide band-gap PN junction. Rather than being thin, however, the layer of narrow band-gap material is about 400-430 nm wide and forms a single, ultrawide well in the depletion region. Thin (e.g., 20-50 nm), wide band-gap InGaP barrier layers in the depletion region reduce the diode dark current. Engineering the electric field and barrier profile of the absorber layer, barrier layer, and p-type layer of the PN junction maximizes photogenerated carrier escape. This new twist on nanostructured solar cell design allows the separate optimization of current and voltage to maximize conversion efficiency.

Hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) and ZnO nanoparticles modified by side-chain functional polythiophenes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Fan; Du, Yanhui; Chen, Yiwang

2012-01-01

We report the investigation of the hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells based on the blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and ZnO nanoparticles modified by side-chain thiol functional poly(3-thiophenehexanethiol) (P3HT-SH). Grafting of P3HT-SH onto ZnO nanoparticles can promote the dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles within P3HT matrix and facilitate electron injection process into ZnO nanoparticles, resulting in a more efficient photoinduced charge transfer than that in simple physical mixture of P3HT and non-modified ZnO nanoparticles (P3HT/ZnO). Furthermore, the performance of hybrid photovoltaic device based on P3HT/P3HT-SH-modified ZnO blend exhibits an improved device efficiency compared with P3HT/ZnO even before thermal treatment. After being annealed at 80 °C, the P3HT/P3HT-SH-modified ZnO device shows the power conversion efficiency as high as 0.68%, with the short-circuit current density of 1.89 mA/cm 2 , the open-circuit voltage of 0.599 V and a fill factor of 60.5% under AM 1.5 G illumination with 100 mW/cm 2 light intensity. - Highlights: ► Hybrid solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) and modified ZnO nanoparticles ► ZnO nanoparticles modified by side-chain functional polythiophenes ► Uniform dispersion and intimate contact between polymers and nanoparticles ► Efficient charge transfer leading to the improvement of device efficiency

Effects of different hierarchical hybrid micro/nanostructure surfaces on implant osseointegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Bingkun; Niu, Qiang; Cui, Yajun; Jiang, Wei; Zhao, Yunzhuan; Kong, Liang

2017-06-01

Hierarchical hybrid micro/nanostructure implant surfaces are considered to better mimic the hierarchical structure of bone and the nanostructures substantively influence osseointegration through managing cell behaviors. To enhance implant osseointegration for further clinical application, we evaluated the material properties and osseointegration effects of hierarchical surfaces with different nano-morphologies, using a rat model. Two representative surface fabrication methods, hydrofluoric (HF) acid etching combined with anodization (HF + AN) or magnetron sputtering (HF + MS), were selected. Sample material properties were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and epoxy resin docking tensile test. Implants with different surfaces were inserted into the distal femurs of rats. After 12 weeks, osseointegration was examined by microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), histological, and biomechanical tests. Tensile testing demonstrated high bonding strength at coating/implant in the HF + MS group. Micro-CT revealed increased bone volume/total volume and significantly reduced trabecular separation in HF + MS versus other groups. Histological analysis showed significantly higher HF + MS bone-to-implant contact (74.78 ± 4.40%) versus HF + AN (65.11 ± 5.10%) and machined samples (56.03 ± 3.23%). The maximal HF + MS pull-out force increased by 33.7% versus HF + AN. These results indicated that HF + MS surfaces exhibited superior material property in terms of bonding strength and favorable implant osseointegration compared to other groups. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Embedded vertically aligned cadmium telluride nanorod arrays grown by one-step electrodeposition for enhanced energy conversion efficiency in three-dimensional nanostructured solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jun; Liu, Shurong; Mu, Yannan; Liu, Li; A, Runa; Yang, Jiandong; Zhu, Guijie; Meng, Xianwei; Fu, Wuyou; Yang, Haibin

2017-11-01

Vertically aligned CdTe nanorods (NRs) arrays are successfully grown by a simple one-step and template-free electrodeposition method, and then embedded in the CdS window layer to form a novel three-dimensional (3D) heterostructure on flexible substrates. The parameters of electrodeposition such as deposition potential and pH of the solution are varied to analyze their important role in the formation of high quality CdTe NRs arrays. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the solar cell based on the 3D heterojunction structure is studied in detail. In comparison with the standard planar heterojunction solar cell, the 3D heterojunction solar cell exhibits better photovoltaic performance, which can be attributed to its enhanced optical absorption ability, increased heterojunction area and improved charge carrier transport. The better photoelectric property of the 3D heterojunction solar cell suggests great application potential in thin film solar cells, and the simple electrodeposition process represents a promising technique for large-scale fabrication of other nanostructured solar energy conversion devices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of nanostructured ZnO film as a hole-conducting layer of organic photovoltaic cell

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyomin; Kwon, Yiseul; Choe, Youngson

2013-05-01

We have investigated the effect of fibrous nanostructured ZnO film as a hole-conducting layer on the performance of polymer photovoltaic cells. By increasing the concentration of zinc acetate dihydrate, the changes of performance characteristics were evaluated. Fibrous nanostructured ZnO film was prepared by sol-gel process and annealed on a hot plate. As the concentration of zinc acetate dihydrate increased, ZnO fibrous nanostructure grew from 300 to 600 nm. The obtained ZnO nanostructured fibrous films have taken the shape of a maze-like structure and were characterized by UV-visible absorption, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The intensity of absorption bands in the ultraviolet region was increased with increasing precursor concentration. The X-ray diffraction studies show that the ZnO fibrous nanostructures became strongly (002)-oriented with increasing concentration of precursor. The bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells were fabricated using poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and indene-C60 bisadduct as active layer, and their electrical properties were investigated. The external quantum efficiency of the fabricated device increased with increasing precursor concentration.

A metallic metal oxide (Ti5O9)-metal oxide (TiO2) nanocomposite as the heterojunction to enhance visible-light photocatalytic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, L H; Deng, Z X; Xiao, J X; Yang, G W

2015-01-26

Coupling titanium dioxide (TiO2) with other semiconductors is a popular method to extend the optical response range of TiO2 and improve its photon quantum efficiency, as coupled semiconductors can increase the separation rate of photoinduced charge carriers in photocatalysts. Differing from normal semiconductors, metallic oxides have no energy gap separating occupied and unoccupied levels, but they can excite electrons between bands to create a high carrier mobility to facilitate kinetic charge separation. Here, we propose the first metallic metal oxide-metal oxide (Ti5O9-TiO2) nanocomposite as a heterojunction for enhancing the visible-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles and we demonstrate that this hybridized TiO2-Ti5O9 nanostructure possesses an excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance in the process of photodegrading dyes. The TiO2-Ti5O9 nanocomposites are synthesized in one step using laser ablation in liquid under ambient conditions. The as-synthesized nanocomposites show strong visible-light absorption in the range of 300-800 nm and high visible-light photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of rhodamine B. They also exhibit excellent cycling stability in the photodegrading process. A working mechanism for the metallic metal oxide-metal oxide nanocomposite in the visible-light photocatalytic process is proposed based on first-principle calculations of Ti5O9. This study suggests that metallic metal oxides can be regarded as partners for metal oxide photocatalysts in the construction of heterojunctions to improve photocatalytic activity.

Microwave assisted synthesis of porous ZnO/SnS heterojunction and its application in visible light degradation of ciprofloxacin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Makama, A. B., E-mail: abmakama@hotmail.com; Salmiaton, A., E-mail: mie@upm.edu.my; Choong, T. S. Y., E-mail: csthomas@upm.edu.my; Abdullah, N., E-mail: nhafizah@upm.edu.my [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Serdang, UPM 43400 (Malaysia); Saion, E. B., E-mail: elias@upm.edu.my [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Serdang, UPM 43400 (Malaysia)

2016-07-06

Porous ZnO/SnS heterojunctions were successfully synthesized via microwave-assisted heating of aqueous solutions containing different amounts of SnS precursors (SnCl{sub 2} and Na{sub 2}S) in the presence of fixed amount of ZnCO{sub 3} nanoparticles. The experimental results revealed that the heterojunctions exhibited much higher visible light-driven photocatalytic activity for the degradation of the ciprofloxacin than pure SnS nanocrystals. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency (1-C{sub t}/C{sub 0}) of the pollutant for the most active heterogeneous nanostructure is about four times more efficient than pure SnS. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency is ascribed to the synergic effect of high photon absorption and reduction in the recombination of electrons and holes because of efficient separation and electron transfer from the SnS to ZnO nanoparticles.

IrOx-carbon nanotube hybrids: a nanostructured material for electrodes with increased charge capacity in neural systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Carretero, Nina M; Lichtenstein, Mathieu P; Pérez, Estela; Cabana, Laura; Suñol, Cristina; Casañ-Pastor, Nieves

2014-10-01

Nanostructured iridium oxide-carbon nanotube hybrids (IrOx-CNT) deposited as thin films by dynamic electrochemical methods are suggested as novel materials for neural electrodes. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) serve as scaffolds for growing the oxide, yielding a tridimensional structure with improved physical, chemical and electrical properties, in addition to high biocompatibility. In biological environments, SWCNT encapsulation by IrOx makes more resistant electrodes and prevents the nanotube release to the media, preventing cellular toxicity. Chemical, electrochemical, structural and surface characterization of the hybrids has been accomplished. The high performance of the material in electrochemical measurements and the significant increase in cathodal charge storage capacity obtained for the hybrid in comparison with bare IrOx represent a significant advance in electric field application in biosystems, while its cyclability is also an order of magnitude greater than pure IrOx. Moreover, experiments using in vitro neuronal cultures suggest high biocompatibility for IrOx-CNT coatings and full functionality of neurons, validating this material for use in neural electrodes. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Nanocomposites for Photovoltaic Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ruchuan

2014-01-01

Inorganic/organic hybrid solar cells have attracted a lot of interest due to their potential in combining the advantages of both components. To understand the key issues in association with photoinduced charge separation/transportation processes and to improve overall power conversion efficiency, various combinations with nanostructures of hybrid systems have been investigated. Here, we briefly review the structures of hybrid nanocomposites studied so far, and attempt to associate the power conversion efficiency with these nanostructures. Subsequently, we are then able to summarize the factors for optimizing the performance of inorganic/organic hybrid solar cells. PMID:28788591

Exploitation of inimitable properties of CuInS2 quantum dots for energy conversion in bulk heterojunction hybrid solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Jindal, Shikha; Giripunje, Sushama M.

2017-11-01

Quantum dots (QDs) are the suitable material for solar cell devices owing to its distinctive optical, electrical and electronic properties. Currently, the most efficient devices have employed the toxic QDs which cause destructive impact on environment. In the present article, we have used environment benign CuInS2 QDs as an acceptor material in bulk heterojunction device of P3HT and QDs. The energy level positions corroborated from UPS spectra substantiates the acceptor property of CuInS2. We scrutinized the hybrid solar cell by tailoring the acceptor content in active layer. The increased acceptor content intensifies the performance of device. The enhancement in photovoltaic parameters is mainly due to the fast dissociation and extraction of photogenerated excitons which occurs with the larger wt% of acceptor QDs. Current density-voltage characteristics describes the greater V oc and I sc in the 60 wt% CuInS2 QDs based solar cell as compared to the low wt% of QDs in the active layer.

Charge separation at disordered semiconductor heterojunctions from random walk numerical simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandujano-Ramírez, Humberto J; González-Vázquez, José P; Oskam, Gerko; Dittrich, Thomas; Garcia-Belmonte, Germa; Mora-Seró, Iván; Bisquert, Juan; Anta, Juan A

2014-03-07

Many recent advances in novel solar cell technologies are based on charge separation in disordered semiconductor heterojunctions. In this work we use the Random Walk Numerical Simulation (RWNS) method to model the dynamics of electrons and holes in two disordered semiconductors in contact. Miller-Abrahams hopping rates and a tunnelling distance-dependent electron-hole annihilation mechanism are used to model transport and recombination, respectively. To test the validity of the model, three numerical "experiments" have been devised: (1) in the absence of constant illumination, charge separation has been quantified by computing surface photovoltage (SPV) transients. (2) By applying a continuous generation of electron-hole pairs, the model can be used to simulate a solar cell under steady-state conditions. This has been exploited to calculate open-circuit voltages and recombination currents for an archetypical bulk heterojunction solar cell (BHJ). (3) The calculations have been extended to nanostructured solar cells with inorganic sensitizers to study, specifically, non-ideality in the recombination rate. The RWNS model in combination with exponential disorder and an activated tunnelling mechanism for transport and recombination is shown to reproduce correctly charge separation parameters in these three "experiments". This provides a theoretical basis to study relevant features of novel solar cell technologies.

Structural, optical, and improved photocatalytic properties of CdS/SnO{sub 2} hybrid photocatalyst nanostructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkata Reddy, Ch., E-mail: cvrphy@gmail.com [School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ravikumar, R.V.S.S.N. [Department of Physics, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar 522510 (India); Srinivas, Ganganagunta [Engineering Department, lbra College of Technology, lbra 400 (Oman); Shim, Jaesool, E-mail: jshim@ynu.ac.kr [School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712-749 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Migyung, E-mail: mgcho@tu.ac.kr [Department of Game Engineering, Tongmyong University, Busan 608-711 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-07-15

Highlights: • CdS, SnO{sub 2}, and a CdS/SnO{sub 2} hybrid photocatalyst were synthesized using a two-step technique. • The dislocation density, strain values are higher for CdS/SnO{sub 2} hybrid photocatalyst. • The CdS/SnO{sub 2} has a higher surface area and smaller crystallite size compared to pristine CdS. • The CdS/SnO{sub 2} catalyst greatly reduced recombination of electron and hole pairs. - Abstract: CdS, SnO{sub 2} and CdS/SnO{sub 2} hybrid photocatalyst nanostructure were synthesized using a two-step (co-precipitation/hydrothermal) method. The as-prepared materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), surface analysis (BET), photoluminescence spectra (PL), UV–Vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and photocatalytic activity. The band gap energies calculated from the DRS results are 3.30, 2.15, and 2.99 eV for pristine SnO{sub 2}, CdS, and the CdS/SnO{sub 2} hybrid photocatalyst, respectively. The CdS/SnO{sub 2} hybrid photocatalyst showed more efficient charge carrier separation and improved photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). The highest degradation rate constant was achieved for the CdS/SnO{sub 2} hybrid photocatalyst (0.02434 min{sup −1}) compared to CdS (0.01381 min{sup −1}) and SnO{sub 2} (0.00878 min{sup −1}). The present study provides insights for improving the photocatalytic activity and photo-stability of CdS/SnO{sub 2} hybrid photocatalyst.

Charge transport in nanostructured materials for solar energy conversion studied by time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Němec, Hynek; Kužel, Petr; Sundström, V.

2010-01-01

Roč. 215, 2-3 (2010), s. 123-139 ISSN 1010-6030 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GP202/09/P099; GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA100100902; GA MŠk LC512 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy * ultrafast dynamics * bulk heterojunction * semiconductor nanostructures * transport * mobility Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.243, year: 2010

Photoelectric characteristics of CH3NH3PbI3/p-Si heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Yamei, Wu; Ruixia, Yang; Hanmin, Tian; Shuai, Chen

2016-05-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 film is prepared on p-type silicon substrate using the one-step solution method to form a CH3NH3PbI3/p-Si heterojunction. The film morphology and structure are characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photoelectric properties of the CH3NH3PbI3/p-Si heterojunction are studied by testing the current-voltage (I-V) with and without illumination and capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics. It turns out from the I-V curve without illumination that the CH3NH3PbI3/p-Si heterojunction has a rectifier feature with the rectification ratio over 70 at the bias of ±5 V. Also, there appears a photoelectric conversion phenomenon on this heterojunction with a short circuit current (Isc) of 0.16 μA and an open circuit voltage (Voc) of about 10 mV The high frequency C-V characteristic of the Ag/CH3NH3PbI3/p-Si heterojunction turns out to be similar to that of the metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure, and a parallel translation of the C-V curve along the forward voltage axis is found. This parallel translation means the existence of defects at the CH3NH3PbI3/p-Si interface and positive fixed charges in the CH3NH3PbI3 layer. The defects at the interface of the CH3NH3PbI3/p-Si heterojunction result in the dramatic decline of the Voc. Besides, the C-V test of CH3NH3PbI3 film shows a non-linear dielectric property and the dielectric value is about 4.64 as calculated. Project supported by the Hebei Province Natural Science Foundation of China (No. F2014202184) and the Tianjin Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 15JCZDJC37800).

CONDENSED MATTER: ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL, MAGNETIC, AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES: Rectifying effect of heterojunctions between metals and doped conducting polymer nanostructure pellets

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Yun-Ze; Yin, Zhi-Hua; Hui, Wen; Chen, Zhao-Jia; Wan, Mei-Xiang

2008-07-01

This paper reports that the Schottky junctions between low work function metals (e.g. Al and In) and doped semiconducting polymer pellets (e.g. polyaniline (PANI) microsphere pellet and polypyrrole (PPy) nanotube pellet) have been prepared and studied. Since Ag is a high work function metal which can make an ohmic contact with polymer, silver paste was used to fabricate the electrodes. The Al/PANI/Ag heterojunction shows an obvious rectifying effect as shown in I - V characteristic curves (rectifying ratio γ = 5 at ±6 V bias at room temperature). As compared to the Al/PANI/Ag, the heterojunction between In and PANI (In/PANI/Ag) exhibits a lower rectifying ratio γ = 1.6 at ±2 V bias at room temperature. In addition, rectifying effect was also observed in the heterojunctions Al/PPy/Ag (γ = 3.2 at ±1.6 V bias) and In/PPy/Ag (γ = 1.2 at ±3.0 V bias). The results were discussed in terms of thermoionic emission theory.

Nanostructure induced changes in lifetime and enhanced second-harmonic response of organic-plasmonic hybrids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leißner, Till [NanoSYD, Mads Clausen Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Alsion 2, 6400 Sønderborg (Denmark); Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense (Denmark); Kostiučenko, Oksana; Rubahn, Horst-Günter; Fiutowski, Jacek, E-mail: fiutowski@mci.sdu.dk [NanoSYD, Mads Clausen Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Alsion 2, 6400 Sønderborg (Denmark); Brewer, Jonathan R. [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense (Denmark)

2015-12-21

In this letter we show that the optical response of organic nanofibers, grown from functionalized para-quaterphenylene molecules, can be controlled by forming organic-plasmonic hybrid systems. The interaction between nanofibers and supporting regular arrays of nanostructures leads to a strongly enhanced second harmonic response. At the same time, the fluorescence lifetime of the nanofibers is reduced from 0.32 ns for unstructured gold films to 0.22 ns for gold nanosquare arrays, demonstrating efficient organic–plasmonic interaction. To study the origin of these effects, we applied two-photon laser scanning microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. These findings provide an effective approach for plasmon-enhanced second-harmonic generation at the nanoscale, which is attractive for nanophotonic circuitry.

Charge separation sensitized by advanced II-VI semiconductor nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelley, David F. [Univ.of California, Merced, CA (United States)

2017-04-11

This proposal focuses on how the composition and morphology of pure and alloyed II-VI semiconductor heterostructures control their spectroscopic and dynamical properties. The proposed research will use a combination of synthesis development, electron microscopy, time-resolved electronic spectroscopy and modeling calculations to study these nanostructures. The proposed research will examine the extent to which morphology, compression due to lattice mismatch and alloy effects can be used to tune the electron and hole energies and the spectroscopic properties of II-VI heterojunctions. It will also use synthesis, optical spectroscopy and HRTEM to examine the role of lattice mismatch and hence lattice strain in producing interfacial defects, and the extent to which defect formation can be prevented by controlling the composition profile through the particles and across the interfaces. Finally, we will study the magnitude of the surface roughness in core/shell nanostructures and the role of shell thickness variability on the inhomogeneity of interfacial charge transfer rates.

Hollow metal nanostructures for enhanced plasmonics (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Genç, Aziz; Patarroyo, Javier; Sancho-Parramon, Jordi; Duchamp, Martial; Gonzalez, Edgar; Bastus, Neus G.; Houben, Lothar; Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal; Puntes, Victor F.; Arbiol, Jordi

2016-03-01

Complex metal nanoparticles offer a great playground for plasmonic nanoengineering, where it is possible to cover plasmon resonances from ultraviolet to near infrared by modifying the morphologies from solid nanocubes to nanoframes, multiwalled hollow nanoboxes or even nanotubes with hybrid (alternating solid and hollow) structures. We experimentally show that structural modifications, i.e. void size and final morphology, are the dominant determinants for the final plasmonic properties, while compositional variations allow us to get a fine tuning. EELS mappings of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) reveal an enhanced plasmon field inside the voids of hollow AuAg nanostructures along with a more homogeneous distributions of the plasmon fields around the nanostructures. With the present methodology and the appropriate samples we are able to compare the effects of hybridization at the nanoscale in hollow nanostructures. Boundary element method (BEM) simulations also reveal the effects of structural nanoengineering on plasmonic properties of hollow metal nanostructures. Possibility of tuning the LSPR properties of hollow metal nanostructures in a wide range of energy by modifying the void size/shell thickness is shown by BEM simulations, which reveals that void size is the dominant factor for tuning the LSPRs. As a proof of concept for enhanced plasmonic properties, we show effective label free sensing of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with some of our hollow nanostructures. In addition, the different plasmonic modes observed have also been studied and mapped in 3D.

Photoelectric Properties of Silicon Nanocrystals/P3HT Bulk-Heterojunction Ordered in Titanium Dioxide Nanotube Arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Švrček Vladimir

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract A silicon nanocrystals (Si-ncs conjugated-polymer-based bulk-heterojunction represents a promising approach for low-cost hybrid solar cells. In this contribution, the bulk-heterojunction is based on Si-ncs prepared by electrochemical etching and poly(3-hexylthiophene (P3HT polymer. Photoelectric properties in parallel and vertical device-like configuration were investigated. Electronic interaction between the polymer and surfactant-free Si-ncs is achieved. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence and transport properties were studied and the ratio between the photo- and dark-conductivity of 1.7 was achieved at ambient conditions. Furthermore the porous titanium dioxide (TiO2 nanotubes’ template was used for vertical order of photosensitive Si-ncs/P3HT-based blend. The anodization of titanium foil in ethylene glycol-based electrolyte containing fluoride ions and subsequent thermal annealing were used to prepare anatase TiO2nanotube arrays. The arrays with nanotube inner diameter of 90 and 50 nm were used for vertical ordering of the Si-ncs/P3HT bulk-heterojunction.

Nanocomposite-Based Bulk Heterojunction Hybrid Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bich Phuong Nguyen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic devices based on nanocomposites composed of conjugated polymers and inorganic nanocrystals show promise for the fabrication of low-cost third-generation thin film photovoltaics. In theory, hybrid solar cells can combine the advantages of the two classes of materials to potentially provide high power conversion efficiencies of up to 10%; however, certain limitations on the current within a hybrid solar cell must be overcome. Current limitations arise from incompatibilities among the various intradevice interfaces and the uncontrolled aggregation of nanocrystals during the step in which the nanocrystals are mixed into the polymer matrix. Both effects can lead to charge transfer and transport inefficiencies. This paper highlights potential strategies for resolving these obstacles and presents an outlook on the future directions of this field.

A Bicontinuous Double Gyroid Hybrid Solar Cell : Letter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Crossland, E.J.W.; Kamperman, M.M.G.; Nedelcu, M.; Ducati, C.; Wiesner, U.; Smilgies, D.M.; Toombes, G.E.S.; Hillmyer, M.A.; Ludwigs, S.; Steiner, U.; Snaith, H.J.

2009-01-01

We report the first successful application of an ordered bicontinuous gyroid semiconducting network in a hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cell. The freestanding gyroid network is fabricated by electrochemical deposition into the 10 nm wide voided channels of a self-assembled, selectively degradable

Hybrid tandem quantum dot/organic photovoltaic cells with complementary near infrared absorption

KAUST Repository

Kim, Taesoo; Palmiano, Elenita; Liang, Ru-Ze; Hu, Hanlin; Banavoth, Murali; Kirmani, Ahmad R.; Firdaus, Yuliar; Gao, Yangqin; Sheikh, Arif D.; Yuan, Mingjian; Mohammed, Omar F.; Hoogland, Sjoerd; Beaujuge, Pierre; Sargent, Edward H.; Amassian, Aram

2017-01-01

Monolithically integrated hybrid tandem solar cells that effectively combine solution-processed colloidal quantum dot (CQD) and organic bulk heterojunction subcells to achieve tandem performance that surpasses the individual subcell efficiencies

Characteristics of CoPc/CdS hybrid diode device

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

CdS/CoPc hybrid heterojunctions were fabricated and characterized. CdS films were deposited by the spray pyrolysis technique on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrates and ... ing solution was prepared by dissolving 0.025 M CdCl2.

Vertical MoSe2-MoO x p-n heterojunction and its application in optoelectronics

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaoshuang; Liu, Guangbo; Hu, Yunxia; Cao, Wenwu; Hu, PingAn; Hu, Wenping

2018-01-01

The hybrid n-type 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD)/p-type oxide van der Waals (vdW) heterojunction nanosheets consist of 2D layered MoSe2 (the n-type 2D material) and MoO x (the p-type oxide) which are grown on SiO2/Si substrates for the first time via chemical vapor deposition technique, displaying the regular hexagon structures with the average length dimension of sides of ˜8 μm. Vertical MoSe2-MoO x p-n heterojunctions demonstrate obviously current-rectifying characteristic, and it can be tuned via gate voltage. What is more, the photodetector based on vertical MoSe2-MoO x heterojunctions displays optimal photoresponse behavior, generating the responsivity, detectivity, and external quantum efficiency to 3.4 A W-1, 0.85 × 108 Jones, and 1665.6%, respectively, at V ds = 5 V with the light wavelength of 254 nm under 0.29 mW cm-2. These results furnish a building block on investigating the flexible and transparent properties of vdW and further optimizing the structure of the devices for better optoelectronic and electronic performance.

High Detectivity Graphene-Silicon Heterojunction Photodetector.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xinming; Zhu, Miao; Du, Mingde; Lv, Zheng; Zhang, Li; Li, Yuanchang; Yang, Yao; Yang, Tingting; Li, Xiao; Wang, Kunlin; Zhu, Hongwei; Fang, Ying

2016-02-03

A graphene/n-type silicon (n-Si) heterojunction has been demonstrated to exhibit strong rectifying behavior and high photoresponsivity, which can be utilized for the development of high-performance photodetectors. However, graphene/n-Si heterojunction photodetectors reported previously suffer from relatively low specific detectivity due to large dark current. Here, by introducing a thin interfacial oxide layer, the dark current of graphene/n-Si heterojunction has been reduced by two orders of magnitude at zero bias. At room temperature, the graphene/n-Si photodetector with interfacial oxide exhibits a specific detectivity up to 5.77 × 10(13) cm Hz(1/2) W(-1) at the peak wavelength of 890 nm in vacuum, which is highest reported detectivity at room temperature for planar graphene/Si heterojunction photodetectors. In addition, the improved graphene/n-Si heterojunction photodetectors possess high responsivity of 0.73 A W(-1) and high photo-to-dark current ratio of ≈10(7) . The current noise spectral density of the graphene/n-Si photodetector has been characterized under ambient and vacuum conditions, which shows that the dark current can be further suppressed in vacuum. These results demonstrate that graphene/Si heterojunction with interfacial oxide is promising for the development of high detectivity photodetectors. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effective Passivation and Tunneling Hybrid a-SiOx(In) Layer in ITO/n-Si Heterojunction Photovoltaic Device.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Ming; Wan, Yazhou; Li, Yong; Han, Baichao; Song, Wenlei; Xu, Fei; Zhao, Lei; Ma, Zhongquan

2017-05-24

In this article, using controllable magnetron sputtering of indium tin oxide (ITO) materials on single crystal silicon at 100 °C, the optoelectronic heterojunction frame of ITO/a-SiO x (In)/n-Si is simply fabricated for the purpose of realizing passivation contact and hole tunneling. It is found that the gradation profile of indium (In) element together with silicon oxide (SiO x /In) within the ultrathin boundary zone between ITO and n-Si occurs and is characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with the ion milling technique. The atomistic morphology and physical phase of the interfacial layer has been observed with a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. X-ray diffraction, Hall effect measurement, and optical transmittance with Tauc plot have been applied to the microstructure and property analyses of ITO thin films, respectively. The polycrystalline and amorphous phases have been verified for ITO films and SiO x (In) hybrid layer, respectively. For the quantum transport, both direct and defect-assisted tunneling of photogenerated holes through the a-SiO x (In) layer is confirmed. Besides, there is a gap state correlative to the indium composition and located at E v + 4.60 eV in the ternary hybrid a-SiO x (In) layer that is predicted by density functional theory of first-principles calculation, which acts as an "extended delocalized state" for direct tunneling of the photogenerated holes. The reasonable built-in potential (V bi = 0.66 V) and optimally controlled ternary hybrid a-SiO x (In) layer (about 1.4 nm) result in that the device exhibits excellent PV performance, with an open-circuit voltage of 0.540 V, a short-circuit current density of 30.5 mA/cm 2 , a high fill factor of 74.2%, and a conversion efficiency of 12.2%, under the AM 1.5 illumination. The work function difference between ITO (5.06 eV) and n-Si (4.31 eV) is determined by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and ascribed to the essence of the built-in-field of the PV device

TiO2 Nanorod Arrays Based Self-Powered UV Photodetector: Heterojunction with NiO Nanoflakes and Enhanced UV Photoresponse.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yanyan; Xu, Jianping; Shi, Shaobo; Dong, Hong; Cheng, Yahui; Wei, Chengtai; Zhang, Xiaosong; Yin, Shougen; Li, Lan

2018-04-04

The self-powered ultraviolet photodetectors (UV PDs) have attracted increasing attention due to their potential applications without consuming any external power. It is important to obtain the high-performance self-powered UV PDs by a simple method for the practical application. Herein, TiO 2 nanorod arrays (NRs) were synthesized by hydrothermal method, which were integrated with p-type NiO nanoflakes to realize a high performance pn heterojunction for the efficient UV photodetection. TiO x thin film can improve the morphological and carrier transport properties of TiO 2 NRs and decrease the surface and defect states, resulting in the enhanced photocurrent of the devices. NiO/TiO 2 nanostructural heterojunctions show excellent rectifying characteristics (rectification ratio of 2.52 × 10 4 and 1.45 × 10 5 for NiO/TiO 2 NRs and NiO/TiO 2 NRs/TiO x , respectively) with a very low reverse saturation current. The PDs based on the heterojunctions exhibit good spectral selectivity, high photoresponsivity, and fast response and recovery speeds without external applied bias under the weak light radiation. The devices demonstrate good stability and repeatability under UV light radiation. The self-powered performance could be attributed to the proper built-in electric field of the heterojunction. TiO 2 NRs and NiO nanoflakes construct the well-aligned energy-band structure. The enhanced responsivity and detectivity for the devices with TiO x thin films is related to the increased interfacial charge separation efficiency, reduced carrier recombination, and relatively good electron transport of TiO 2 NRs.

Oxygen- and Lithium-Doped Hybrid Boron-Nitride/Carbon Networks for Hydrogen Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Shayeganfar, Farzaneh; Shahsavari, Rouzbeh

2016-12-20

Hydrogen storage capacities have been studied on newly designed three-dimensional pillared boron nitride (PBN) and pillared graphene boron nitride (PGBN). We propose these novel materials based on the covalent connection of BNNTs and graphene sheets, which enhance the surface and free volume for storage within the nanomaterial and increase the gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen uptake capacities. Density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations show that these lithium- and oxygen-doped pillared structures have improved gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen capacities at room temperature, with values on the order of 9.1-11.6 wt % and 40-60 g/L. Our findings demonstrate that the gravimetric uptake of oxygen- and lithium-doped PBN and PGBN has significantly enhanced the hydrogen sorption and desorption. Calculations for O-doped PGBN yield gravimetric hydrogen uptake capacities greater than 11.6 wt % at room temperature. This increased value is attributed to the pillared morphology, which improves the mechanical properties and increases porosity, as well as the high binding energy between oxygen and GBN. Our results suggest that hybrid carbon/BNNT nanostructures are an excellent candidate for hydrogen storage, owing to the combination of the electron mobility of graphene and the polarized nature of BN at heterojunctions, which enhances the uptake capacity, providing ample opportunities to further tune this hybrid material for efficient hydrogen storage.

Electroluminescence of colloidal quasi-two-dimensional semiconducting CdSe nanostructures in a hybrid light-emitting diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Selyukov, A. S., E-mail: vslebedev.mobile@gmail.com; Vitukhnovskii, A. G.; Lebedev, V. S.; Vashchenko, A. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Federation); Vasiliev, R. B.; Sokolikova, M. S. [Moscow State University (Russian Federation)

2015-04-15

We report on the results of studying quasi-two-dimensional nanostructures synthesized here in the form of semiconducting CdSe nanoplatelets with a characteristic longitudinal size of 20–70 nm and a thick-ness of a few atomic layers. Their morphology is studied using TEM and AFM and X-ray diffraction analysis; the crystal structure and sizes are determined. At room and cryogenic temperatures, the spectra and kinetics of the photoluminescence of such structures (quantum wells) are investigated. A hybrid light-emitting diode operating on the basis of CdSe nanoplatelets as a plane active element (emitter) is developed using the organic materials TAZ and TPD to form electron and hole transport layers, respectively. The spectral and current-voltage characteristics of the constructed device with a radiation wavelength λ = 515 nm are obtained. The device triggering voltage is 5.5 V (visible glow). The use of quasi-two-dimensional structures of this type is promising for hybrid light-emitting diodes with pure color and low operating voltages.

Electroluminescence of colloidal quasi-two-dimensional semiconducting CdSe nanostructures in a hybrid light-emitting diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selyukov, A. S.; Vitukhnovskii, A. G.; Lebedev, V. S.; Vashchenko, A. A.; Vasiliev, R. B.; Sokolikova, M. S.

2015-01-01

We report on the results of studying quasi-two-dimensional nanostructures synthesized here in the form of semiconducting CdSe nanoplatelets with a characteristic longitudinal size of 20–70 nm and a thick-ness of a few atomic layers. Their morphology is studied using TEM and AFM and X-ray diffraction analysis; the crystal structure and sizes are determined. At room and cryogenic temperatures, the spectra and kinetics of the photoluminescence of such structures (quantum wells) are investigated. A hybrid light-emitting diode operating on the basis of CdSe nanoplatelets as a plane active element (emitter) is developed using the organic materials TAZ and TPD to form electron and hole transport layers, respectively. The spectral and current-voltage characteristics of the constructed device with a radiation wavelength λ = 515 nm are obtained. The device triggering voltage is 5.5 V (visible glow). The use of quasi-two-dimensional structures of this type is promising for hybrid light-emitting diodes with pure color and low operating voltages

Facile In Situ Fabrication of Nanostructured Graphene–CuO Hybrid with Hydrogen Sulfide Removal Capacity

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Sunil P.Lonkar; Vishnu V.Pillai; Samuel Stephen; Ahmed Abdala; Vikas Mittal

2016-01-01

A simple and scalable synthetic approach for one-step synthesis of graphene–Cu O(TRGC) nanocomposite by an in situ thermo-annealing method has been developed.Using graphene oxide(GO) and copper hydroxide as a precursors reagent,the reduction of GO and the uniform deposition of in situ formed Cu O nanoparticles on graphene was simultaneously achieved.The method employed no solvents,toxic-reducing agents,or organic modifiers.The resulting nanostructured hybrid exhibited improved H2 S sorption capacity of 1.5 mmol H2S/g-sorbent(3 g S/100 g-sorbent).Due to its highly dispersed sub-20 nm Cu O nanoparticles and large specific surface area,TRGC nanocomposite exhibits tremendous potential for energy and environment applications.

Observation of Lorentzian lineshapes in the room temperature optical spectra of strongly coupled Jaggregate/metal hybrid nanostructures by linear two-dimensional optical spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Wei; Sommer, Ephraim; De Sio, Antonietta; Gross, Petra; Vogelgesang, Ralf; Lienau, Christoph; Vasa, Parinda

2014-01-01

We analyze the linear optical reflectivity spectra of a prototypical, strongly coupled metal/molecular hybrid nanostructure by means of a new experimental approach, linear two-dimensional optical spectroscopy. White-light, broadband spectral interferometry is used to measure amplitude and spectral phase of the sample reflectivity or transmission with high precision and to reconstruct the time structure of the electric field emitted by the sample upon impulsive excitation. A numerical analysis of this time-domain signal provides a two-dimensional representation of the coherent optical response of the sample as a function of excitation and detection frequency. The approach is used to study a nanostructure formed by depositing a thin J-aggregated dye layer on a gold grating. In this structure, strong coupling between excitons and surface plasmon polaritons results in the formation of hybrid polariton modes. In the strong coupling regime, Lorentzian lineshape profiles of different polariton modes are observed at room temperature. This is taken as an indication that the investigated strongly coupled polariton excitations are predominantly homogeneously broadened at room temperature. This new approach presents a versatile, simple and highly precise addition to nonlinear optical spectroscopic techniques for the analysis of line broadening phenomena. (paper)

Reply to Comment on ‘Metallic nanowire–graphene hybrid nanostructures for highly flexible field emission devices’

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Joohyung; Lee, Hyungwoo; Lee, Byung Yang; Hong, Seunghun; Heo, Kwang

2012-01-01

In our previous paper (Arif et al 2011 Nanotechnology 22 355709), we developed a method to prepare metallic nanowire–graphene hybrid nanostructures and applied it to the fabrication of flexible field emission devices. For the quantitative analysis of the devices, the basic Fowler–Nordheim model was used. However, as pointed out by Forbes (2012 Nanotechnology 23 288001) the basic Fowler–Nordheim model should be corrected when the quantum confinement effect and the screening effect are considered. Forbes also developed a method that checks quantitatively the consistency between the experimental data and the theoretical assumptions. These discussions should provide an important theoretical framework in the quantitative analysis of our devices as well as large area field emitters in general. (reply)

Three-dimensional nano-heterojunction networks: a highly performing structure for fast visible-blind UV photodetectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Nasiri, Noushin; Bo, Renheng; Fu, Lan; Tricoli, Antonio

2017-02-02

Visible-blind ultraviolet photodetectors are a promising emerging technology for the development of wide bandgap optoelectronic devices with greatly reduced power consumption and size requirements. A standing challenge is to improve the slow response time of these nanostructured devices. Here, we present a three-dimensional nanoscale heterojunction architecture for fast-responsive visible-blind UV photodetectors. The device layout consists of p-type NiO clusters densely packed on the surface of an ultraporous network of electron-depleted n-type ZnO nanoparticles. This 3D structure can detect very low UV light densities while operating with a near-zero power consumption of ca. 4 × 10 -11 watts and a low bias of 0.2 mV. Most notably, heterojunction formation decreases the device rise and decay times by 26 and 20 times, respectively. These drastic enhancements in photoresponse dynamics are attributed to the stronger surface band bending and improved electron-hole separation of the nanoscale NiO/ZnO interface. These findings demonstrate a superior structural design and a simple, low-cost CMOS-compatible process for the engineering of high-performance wearable photodetectors.

Flexible and freestanding supercapacitor based on nanostructured poly(m-aminophenol)/carbon nanofiber hybrid mats with high energy and power densities

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhury, Arup; Dey, Baban; Sinha Mahapatra, Susanta; Kim, Doo-Won; Yang, Kap-Seung; Yang, Duck-Joo

2018-04-01

Nanostructured poly(m-aminophenol) (PmAP) coated freestanding carbon nanofiber (CNF) mats were fabricated through simple in situ rapid-mixing polymerization of m-aminophenol in the presence of a CNF mat for flexible solid-state supercapacitors. The surface compositions, morphology and pore structure of the hybrid mats were characterized by using various techniques, e.g., FTIR, Raman, XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, and N2 absorption. The results show that the PmAP nanoparticles were homogeneously deposited on CNF surfaces and formed a thin flexible hybrid mat, which were directly used to made electrodes for electrochemical analysis without using any binders or conductive additives. The electrochemical performances of the hybrid mats were easily tailored by varying the PmAP loading on a hybrid electrode. The PmAP/CNF-10 hybrid electrode with a relatively low PmAP loading (> 42 wt%) showed a high specific capacitance of 325.8 F g-1 and a volumetric capacitance of 273.6 F cm-3 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1, together with a specific capacitance retention of 196.2 F g-1 at 20 A g-1. The PmAP/CNF-10 hybrid electrode showed good cycling stability with 88.2% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. A maximum energy density of 45.2 Wh kg-1 and power density of 20.4 kW kg-1 were achieved for the PmAP/CNF-10 hybrid electrode. This facile and cost-effective synthesis of a flexible binder-free PmAP/CNF hybrid mat with excellent capacitive performances encourages its possible commercial exploitation.

Chemical vapor deposition growth of two-dimensional heterojunctions

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Yu; Li, Bo; Li, JingBo; Wei, ZhongMing

2018-01-01

The properties of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials with atom-smooth surface and special interlayer van der Waals coupling are different from those of traditional materials. Due to the absence of dangling bonds from the clean surface of 2D layered materials, the lattice mismatch influences slightly on the growth of 2D heterojunctions, thus providing a flexible design strategy. 2D heterojunctions have attracted extensive attention because of their excellent performance in optoelectronics, spintronics, and valleytronics. The transfer method was utilized for the fabrication of 2D heterojunctions during the early stage of fundamental research on these materials. This method, however, has limited practical applications. Therefore, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method was recently developed and applied for the preparation of 2D heterojunctions. The CVD method is a naturally down-top growth strategy that yields 2D heterojunctions with sharp interfaces. Moreover, this method effectively reduces the introduction of contaminants to the fabricated heterojunctions. Nevertheless, the CVD-growth method is sensitive to variations in growth conditions. In this review article, we attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the influence of growth conditions on the fabrication of 2D heterojunctions through the direct CVD method. We believe that elucidating the effects of growth conditions on the CVD method is necessary to help control and improve the efficiency of the large-scale fabrication of 2D heterojunctions for future applications in integrated circuits.

Coatings of nanostructured pristine graphene-IrOx hybrids for neural electrodes: Layered stacking and the role of non-oxygenated graphene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pérez, E. [Institut Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus UAB, E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain); Lichtenstein, M.P.; Suñol, C. [Institut d' Investigacions Biomèdiques de Barcelona (IIBB-CSIC), Institut d' Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), c/Rosselló 161, 08036 Barcelona (Spain); Casañ-Pastor, N., E-mail: nieves@icmab.es [Institut Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus UAB, E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain)

2015-10-01

The need to enhance charge capacity in neural stimulation-electrodes is promoting the formation of new materials and coatings. Among all the possible types of graphene, pristine graphene prepared by graphite electrochemical exfoliation, is used in this work to form a new nanostructured IrOx–graphene hybrid (IrOx–eG). Graphene is stabilized in suspension by IrOx nanoparticles without surfactants. Anodic electrodeposition results in coatings with much smaller roughness than IrOx–graphene oxide. Exfoliated pristine graphene (eG), does not electrodeposit in absence of iridium, but IrOx-nanoparticle adhesion on graphene flakes drives the process. IrOx–eG has a significantly different electronic state than graphene oxide, and different coordination for carbon. Electron diffraction shows the reflection features expected for graphene. IrOx 1–2 nm cluster/nanoparticles are oxohydroxo-species and adhere to 10 nm graphene platelets. eG induces charge storage capacity values five times larger than in pure IrOx, and if calculated per carbon atom, this enhancement is one order magnitude larger than the induced by graphene oxide. IrOx–eG coatings show optimal in vitro neural cell viability and function as cell culture substrates. The fully straightforward electrochemical exfoliation and electrodeposition constitutes a step towards the application of graphene in biomedical systems, expanding the knowledge of pristine graphene vs. graphene oxide, in bioelectrodes. - Highlights: • Pristine Graphene is incorporated in coatings as nanostructured IrOx–eG hybrid. • IrOx-nanoparticles drive the electrodeposition of graphene. • Hybrid CSC is one order of magnitude the charge capacity of IrOx. • Per carbon atom, the CSC increase is 35 times larger than for graphene oxide. • Neurons are fully functional on the coating.

The effect of dimensionality of nanostructured carbon on the architecture of organic-inorganic hybrid materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, R D K; Depan, D; Shah, J

2013-08-21

The natural tendency of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to agglomerate is an underlying reason that prevents the realization of their full potential. On the other hand, covalent functionalization of CNTs to control dispersion leads to disruption of π-conjugation in CNTs and the non-covalent functionalization leads to a weak CNT-polymer interface. To overcome these challenges, we describe the characteristics of fostering of direct nucleation of polymers on nanostructured carbon (CNTs of diameters (~2-200 nm), carbon nanofibers (~200-300 nm), and graphene), which culminates in interfacial adhesion, resulting from electrostatic and van der Waals interaction in the hybrid nanostructured carbon-polymer architecture. Furthermore, the structure is tunable through a change in undercooling. High density polyethylene and polypropylene were selected as two model polymers and two sets of experiments were carried out. The first set of experiments was carried out using CNTs of diameter ~2-5 nm to explore the effect of undercooling and polymer concentration. The second set of experiments was focused on studying the effect of dimensionality on geometrical confinements. The periodic crystallization of polyethylene on small diameter CNTs is demonstrated to be a consequence of the geometrical confinement effect, rather than epitaxy, such that petal-like disks nucleate on large diameter CNTs, carbon nanofibers, and graphene. The application of the process is illustrated in terms of fabricating a system for cellular uptake and bioimaging.

A Bicontinuous Double Gyroid Hybrid Solar Cell

KAUST Repository

Crossland, Edward J. W.

2009-08-12

We report the first successful application of an ordered bicontinuous gyroid semiconducting network in a hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cell. The freestanding gyroid network is fabricated by electrochemical deposition into the 10 nm wide voided channels of a self-assembled, selectively degradable block copolymer film. The highly ordered pore structure is ideal for uniform infiltration of an organic hole transporting material, and solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells only 400 nm thick exhibit up to 1.7% power conversion efficiency. This patterning technique can be readily extended to other promising heterojunction systems and is a major step toward realizing the full potential of self-assembly in the next generation of device technologies. © 2009 American Chemical Society.

Atomically precise graphene nanoribbon heterojunctions from a single molecular precursor

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Giang D.; Tsai, Hsin-Zon; Omrani, Arash A.; Marangoni, Tomas; Wu, Meng; Rizzo, Daniel J.; Rodgers, Griffin F.; Cloke, Ryan R.; Durr, Rebecca A.; Sakai, Yuki; Liou, Franklin; Aikawa, Andrew S.; Chelikowsky, James R.; Louie, Steven G.; Fischer, Felix R.; Crommie, Michael F.

2017-11-01

The rational bottom-up synthesis of atomically defined graphene nanoribbon (GNR) heterojunctions represents an enabling technology for the design of nanoscale electronic devices. Synthetic strategies used thus far have relied on the random copolymerization of two electronically distinct molecular precursors to yield GNR heterojunctions. Here we report the fabrication and electronic characterization of atomically precise GNR heterojunctions prepared through late-stage functionalization of chevron GNRs obtained from a single precursor. Post-growth excitation of fully cyclized GNRs induces cleavage of sacrificial carbonyl groups, resulting in atomically well-defined heterojunctions within a single GNR. The GNR heterojunction structure was characterized using bond-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy, which enables chemical bond imaging at T = 4.5 K. Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy reveals that band alignment across the heterojunction interface yields a type II heterojunction, in agreement with first-principles calculations. GNR heterojunction band realignment proceeds over a distance less than 1 nm, leading to extremely large effective fields.

Electron field emission characteristics of graphene/carbon nanotubes hybrid field emitter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Leifeng; He, Hong; Yu, Hua; Cao, Yiqi; Lei, Da; Menggen, QiQiGe; Wu, Chaoxing; Hu, Liqin

2014-01-01

The graphene (GP) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MCNTs) hybrid nanostructure emitter was constructed by a larger scale electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. The field emission (FE) performance of the hybrid emitter is greatly improved compared with that of only GP or MCNTs emitter. The low turn-on electric field (EF), the low threshold EF and the reliability FE properties are obtained from the hybrid emitter. The better FE properties result from the improved electrical properties. For further enhancement FE of hybrids, Ag Nanoparticles (NPs) were decorated on the hybrids and FE characteristics were also studied. These studies indicate that we can use the hybrid nanostructure to improve conductivity and contact resistance, which results in enhancement of the FE properties

Relationships between nanostructure and dynamic-mechanical properties of epoxy network containing PMMA-modified silsesquioxane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2009-06-01

Full Text Available A new class of organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites was obtained by blending PMMA-modified silsesquioxane hybrid materials with epoxy matrix followed by curing with methyl tetrahydrophthalic anhydride. The hybrid materials were obtained by sol-gel method through the hydrolysis and polycondensation of the silicon species of the hybrid precursor, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS, simultaneously to the polymerization of the methacrylate (MMA groups covalently bonded to the silicon atoms. The nanostructure of these materials was investigated by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and correlated to their dynamic mechanical properties. The SAXS results revealed a hierarchical nanostructure consisting on two structural levels. The first level is related to the siloxane nanoparticles spatially correlated in the epoxy matrix, forming larger hybrid secondary aggregates. The dispersion of siloxane nanoparticles in epoxy matrix was favored by increasing the MMA content in the hybrid material. The presence of small amount of hybrid material affected significantly the dynamic mechanical properties of the epoxy networks.

Catalyst-free fabrication of novel ZnO/CuO core-Shell nanowires heterojunction: Controlled growth, structural and optoelectronic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Muhammad Arif; Wahab, Yussof; Muhammad, Rosnita; Tahir, Muhammad; Sakrani, Samsudi

2018-03-01

Development of controlled growth and vertically aligned ZnO/CuO core-shell heterojunction nanowires (NWs) with large area by a catalyst free vapor deposition and oxidation approach has been investigated. Structural characterization reveals successful fabrication of a core ZnO nanowire having single crystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure along [002] direction and CuO nanostructure shell with thickness (8-10 nm) having polycrystalline monoclinic structure. The optical property analysis suggests that the reflectance spectrum of ZnO/CuO heterostructure nanowires is decreased by 18% in the visible range, which correspondingly shows high absorption in this region as compared to pristine ZnO nanowires. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of core-shell heterojunction nanowires measured by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) shows excellent rectifying behavior, which indicates the characteristics of a good p-n junction. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) has confirmed the sharp junction interface between the core-shell heterojunction nanowire arrays. The valence band offset and conduction band offset at ZnO/CuO heterointerfaces are measured to be 2.4 ± 0.05 and 0.23 ± 0.005 eV respectively, using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and a type-II band alignment structure is found. The results of this study contribute to the development of new advanced device heterostructures for solar energy conversion and optoelectronics applications.

Hybrid nanostructured materials for high-performance electrochemical capacitors

KAUST Repository

Yu, Guihua; Xie, Xing; Pan, Lijia; Bao, Zhenan; Cui, Yi

2013-01-01

The exciting development of advanced nanostructured materials has driven the rapid growth of research in the field of electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems which are critical to a variety of applications ranging from portable consumer

Self-assembled, nanowire network electrodes for depleted bulk heterojunction solar cells

KAUST Repository

Lan, Xinzheng; Bai, Jing; Masala, Silvia; Thon, Susanna; Ren, Yuan; Kramer, Illan J.; Hoogland, Sjoerd H.; Simchi, Arash; Koleilat, Ghada I.; Paz-Soldan, Daniel; Ning, Zhijun; Labelle, André J.; Kim, Jinyoung; Jabbour, Ghassan E.; Sargent, E. H.

2013-01-01

Herein, a solution-processed, bottom-up-fabricated, nanowire network electrode is developed. This electrode features a ZnO template which is converted into locally connected, infiltratable, TiO2 nanowires. This new electrode is used to build a depleted bulk heterojunction solar cell employing hybrid-passivated colloidal quantum dots. The new electrode allows the application of a thicker, and thus more light-absorbing, colloidal quantum dot active layer, from which charge extraction of an efficiency comparable to that obtained from a thinner, planar device could be obtained. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Self-assembled, nanowire network electrodes for depleted bulk heterojunction solar cells

KAUST Repository

Lan, Xinzheng

2013-01-06

Herein, a solution-processed, bottom-up-fabricated, nanowire network electrode is developed. This electrode features a ZnO template which is converted into locally connected, infiltratable, TiO2 nanowires. This new electrode is used to build a depleted bulk heterojunction solar cell employing hybrid-passivated colloidal quantum dots. The new electrode allows the application of a thicker, and thus more light-absorbing, colloidal quantum dot active layer, from which charge extraction of an efficiency comparable to that obtained from a thinner, planar device could be obtained. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanoscale Organic Hybrid Electrolytes

KAUST Repository

Nugent, Jennifer L.

2010-08-20

Nanoscale organic hybrid electrolytes are composed of organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures, each with a metal oxide or metallic nanoparticle core densely grafted with an ion-conducting polyethylene glycol corona - doped with lithium salt. These materials form novel solvent-free hybrid electrolytes that are particle-rich, soft glasses at room temperature; yet manifest high ionic conductivity and good electrochemical stability above 5V. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanoscale Organic Hybrid Electrolytes

KAUST Repository

Nugent, Jennifer L.; Moganty, Surya S.; Archer, Lynden A.

2010-01-01

Nanoscale organic hybrid electrolytes are composed of organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures, each with a metal oxide or metallic nanoparticle core densely grafted with an ion-conducting polyethylene glycol corona - doped with lithium salt. These materials form novel solvent-free hybrid electrolytes that are particle-rich, soft glasses at room temperature; yet manifest high ionic conductivity and good electrochemical stability above 5V. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hybrid solar cells from regioregular polythiophene and ZnO nanoparticles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beek, W.J.E.; Wienk, M.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2006-01-01

Blends of nanocryst. zinc oxide nanoparticles (nc-ZnO) and regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) processed from soln. have been used to construct hybrid polymer-metal oxide bulk-heterojunction solar cells. Thermal annealing of the spin-cast films significantly improves the solar-energy

Synthesis and shape control of copper tin sulphide nanocrystals and formation of gold-copper tin sulphide hybrid nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruszynska, Marta; Parisi, Juergen; Kolny-Olesiak, Joanna

2014-01-01

Hexagonal prismatic Cu 3 SnS 4 nanoparticles and nanorods were synthesized by a hot-injection procedure. Changing the reaction conditions leads to the formation of different shapes. When oleylamine is used as a solvent, hexagonal prismatic particles are obtained, while a reaction in octadecene results in the formation of nanorods. The growth process of copper tin sulphide starts with the formation of djurleite copper sulphide seeds. Their reaction with Sn 4+ ions leads to the formation of Cu 3 SnS 4 . These Cu 3 SnS 4 nanocrystals form Au-Cu 3 SnS 4 hybrid nanostructures by reaction with gold seeds.

Synthesis and AFM visualization of DNA nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizuno, Rika; Haruta, Hirotaka; Morii, Takashi; Okada, Takao; Asakawa, Takeshi; Hayashi, Kenshi

2004-01-01

We propose a novel bottom-up approach for the fabrication of various desired nanostructures, based on self-assembly of oligonucleotides governed by Watson-Crick base pairing. Using this approach, we designed Y-shaped, closed Y-shaped, H-shaped, and hexagonal structures with oligonucleotides. These structures were autonomously fabricated simply by mixing equimolar solutions of oligonucleotides and performing hybridization. After synthesis of the nanostructures, we confirmed their validity by agarose gel electrophoresis and atomic force microscope (AFM) visualization. We detected bands of the desired molecular sizes in the gel electrophoresis and observed the desired structures by AFM analysis. We concluded that the synthesized structures were consistent with our intended design and that AFM visualization is a very useful tool for the observation of nanostructures

The synergistic effect of phase heterojunction and surface heterojunction to improve photocatalytic activity of VO •-TiO2: the co-catalytic effect of H3PW12O40

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Haiyan; Cai, Shengnan; Yang, Pengfei; Bai, Yan; Dang, Dongbin

2018-06-01

With nanotube titanic acid (abbreviated as NTA) and the 12-tungstophosphoric acid (H3PW12O40• xH2O, denoted as HPW) as start materials, respectively, according to a simple hydrothermal process in acid medium, we successfully prepared HPW modified VO •-TiO2 composite photocatalysts. During heat treatment companied by the transformation of NTA to TiO2, a kind of single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancy (VO •) could be formed contributing to the visible light absorption of catalysts. The morphology, phase and chemical structure, optical and electronic properties, and so on of the produced catalysts with various HPW loadings are characterized. The size range of synthesized photocatalyst nanoparticles are about 10 50 nm. Taking aqueous rhodamine B (RhB) dye as model pollutant, we carried out photocatalytic activity test of the achieved catalysts, revealing that the hybrid photocatalysts display significantly enhanced visible light-driven ( λ ≥ 420 nm) photocatalytic activity for degradation of RhB. Among various catalysts, HPWN-0.1-120 composite with nominal loading of 0.1 g HPW and heat treatment temperature of 120 °C possesses the highest photocatalytic performance in visible light, which is closely related to the co-effect of phase heterojunction of rutile/anatase, surface heterojunction of anatase/HPW, and oxygen vacancy (VO •). The two types of heterojunction promote greatly the separation efficiency of photoelectrons and photoholes and oxygen vacancy lures response of catalysts to visible light.

Magnetic response of hybrid ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic core-shell nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, U; Li, W J; Adeela, N; Irfan, M; Javed, K; Wan, C H; Riaz, S; Han, X F

2016-03-21

The synthesis of FeTiO3-Ni(Ni80Fe20) core-shell nanostructures by a two-step method (sol-gel and DC electrodeposition) has been demonstrated. XRD analysis confirms the rhombohedral crystal structure of FeTiO3(FTO) with space group R3[combining macron]. Transmission electron microscopy clearly depicts better morphology of nanostructures with shell thicknesses of ∼25 nm. Room temperature magnetic measurements showed significant enhancement of magnetic anisotropy for the permalloy (Ni80Fe20)-FTO over Ni-FTO core-shell nanostructures. Low temperature magnetic measurements of permalloy-FeTiO3 core-shell structure indicated a strong exchange bias mechanism with magnetic coercivity below the antiferromagnetic Neel temperature (TN = 59 K). The exchange bias is attributed to the alignment of magnetic moments in the antiferromagnetic material at low temperature. Our scheme opens a path towards optimum automotive systems and wireless communications wherein broader bandwidths and smaller sizes are required.

Color-sensitive photoconductivity of nanostructured ZnO/dye hybrid films prepared by one-step electrodeposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oekermann, T.; Yoshida, T.; Tada, H.; Minoura, H.

2006-01-01

Nanostructured ZnO/dye hybrid films prepared by one-step electrodeposition have been investigated in conductivity and photoconductivity measurements in view of applications in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and in optoelectronics. Highly porous ZnO/eosin Y films, which were obtained at potentials < - 0.9 V vs. SCE, were found to have a very high conductivity already in the dark, probably because of a higher n-doping, which is due to a higher concentration of Zn atoms in the film. On the other hand, less porous or non-porous films, which were obtained at more positive potentials and in which the dye molecules are located within the ZnO crystals, were found to show a much higher sensitivity to illumination with visible light in photoconductivity measurements due to a higher absolute photoconductivity and a lower conductivity in the dark

Color-sensitive photoconductivity of nanostructured ZnO/dye hybrid films prepared by one-step electrodeposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oekermann, T. [Gifu University, Graduate School of Engineering, Yanagido 1-1, Gifu 501-1193 (Japan) and University of Hannover, Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Callinstrasse 3-3A, 30167 Hannover (Germany)]. E-mail: torsten.oekermann@pci.uni-hannover.de; Yoshida, T. [Gifu University, Graduate School of Engineering, Yanagido 1-1, Gifu 501-1193 (Japan)]. E-mail: yoshida@apchem.gifu-u.ac.jp; Tada, H. [Institute for Molecular Science, Okazaki National Research Institutes, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585 (Japan); Minoura, H. [Gifu University, Graduate School of Engineering, Yanagido 1-1, Gifu 501-1193 (Japan)

2006-07-26

Nanostructured ZnO/dye hybrid films prepared by one-step electrodeposition have been investigated in conductivity and photoconductivity measurements in view of applications in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and in optoelectronics. Highly porous ZnO/eosin Y films, which were obtained at potentials < - 0.9 V vs. SCE, were found to have a very high conductivity already in the dark, probably because of a higher n-doping, which is due to a higher concentration of Zn atoms in the film. On the other hand, less porous or non-porous films, which were obtained at more positive potentials and in which the dye molecules are located within the ZnO crystals, were found to show a much higher sensitivity to illumination with visible light in photoconductivity measurements due to a higher absolute photoconductivity and a lower conductivity in the dark.

Photovoltaic effects of Si-CdSe n-n heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, C.C.; Kim, W.T.

1979-01-01

Si-CdSe n-n heterojunction have been prepared by growing CdSe thin film on Si(111) surface with vacuum deposition method. The sign of photovoltage of this heterojunction was reversed at 1.67eV. The energy band profile of this heterojunction was deduced from its electrical and optical properties. This lattice mismatching abrupt heterojunction had a discontinuous energy band profile with the discontinuity of 0.87eV at the conduction band, of 0.27eV at the valance band. (author)

ZnO Nanostructures for Tissue Engineering Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Laurenti

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This review focuses on the most recent applications of zinc oxide (ZnO nanostructures for tissue engineering. ZnO is one of the most investigated metal oxides, thanks to its multifunctional properties coupled with the ease of preparing various morphologies, such as nanowires, nanorods, and nanoparticles. Most ZnO applications are based on its semiconducting, catalytic and piezoelectric properties. However, several works have highlighted that ZnO nanostructures may successfully promote the growth, proliferation and differentiation of several cell lines, in combination with the rise of promising antibacterial activities. In particular, osteogenesis and angiogenesis have been effectively demonstrated in numerous cases. Such peculiarities have been observed both for pure nanostructured ZnO scaffolds as well as for three-dimensional ZnO-based hybrid composite scaffolds, fabricated by additive manufacturing technologies. Therefore, all these findings suggest that ZnO nanostructures represent a powerful tool in promoting the acceleration of diverse biological processes, finally leading to the formation of new living tissue useful for organ repair.

Functional Imaging of Hybrid Nanostructures. Visualization of Mechanisms for Solar Energy Utilization. Northwestern FG-02-07ER46401 Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauhon, Lincoln J. [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)

2015-03-20

The report describes advances in understanding the interaction of light with hybrid nanostructured materials, and the influence of physical and electronic structure on the flow of excess energetic charge carriers to support the design and optimization of new materials for photoelectrical and photoelectrochemical energy conversion. Raman scattering, multi-wavelength optical excitation, and numerical modeling are combined with electrical transport measurements on model hybrid materials structures and devices to resolve, in energy and space, the absorption of light, the generation of excess energetic charge carriers, and the efficiency of their separation to generate electrical and chemical energy. Appropriate combinations of spatially-resolved, time-resolved, and spectrally-resolved measurements are used to isolate and quantify various steps in the energy conversion process, including geometrically and plasmonically enhanced absorption, the generation of carriers with excess energy, and the efficiency with which the carriers can move to and perform useful chemistry at interfaces.

Nanostructured germanium deposited on heated substrates with enhanced photoelectric properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Stavarache, Ionel; Maraloiu, Valentin Adrian; Prepelita, Petronela; Iordache, Gheorghe

2016-01-01

Obtaining high-quality materials, based on nanocrystals, at low temperatures is one of the current challenges for opening new paths in improving and developing functional devices in nanoscale electronics and optoelectronics. Here we report a detailed investigation of the optimization of parameters for the in situ synthesis of thin films with high Ge content (50 %) into SiO 2 . Crystalline Ge nanoparticles were directly formed during co-deposition of SiO 2 and Ge on substrates at 300, 400 and 500 °C. Using this approach, effects related to Ge-Ge spacing are emphasized through a significant improvement of the spatial distribution of the Ge nanoparticles and by avoiding multi-step fabrication processes or Ge loss. The influence of the preparation conditions on structural, electrical and optical properties of the fabricated nanostructures was studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, electrical measurements in dark or under illumination and response time investigations. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of the procedure by the means of an Al/n-Si/Ge:SiO 2 /ITO photodetector test structure. The structures, investigated at room temperature, show superior performance, high photoresponse gain, high responsivity (about 7 AW -1 ), fast response time (0.5 µs at 4 kHz) and great optoelectronic conversion efficiency of 900% in a wide operation bandwidth, from 450 to 1300 nm. The obtained photoresponse gain and the spectral width are attributed mainly to the high Ge content packed into a SiO 2 matrix showing the direct connection between synthesis and optical properties of the tested nanostructures. Our deposition approach put in evidence the great potential of Ge nanoparticles embedded in a SiO 2 matrix for hybrid integration, as they may be employed in structures and devices individually or with other materials, hence the possibility of fabricating various heterojunctions on Si, glass or flexible substrates for future development of Si

Nanostructured germanium deposited on heated substrates with enhanced photoelectric properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ionel Stavarache

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Obtaining high-quality materials, based on nanocrystals, at low temperatures is one of the current challenges for opening new paths in improving and developing functional devices in nanoscale electronics and optoelectronics. Here we report a detailed investigation of the optimization of parameters for the in situ synthesis of thin films with high Ge content (50 % into SiO2. Crystalline Ge nanoparticles were directly formed during co-deposition of SiO2 and Ge on substrates at 300, 400 and 500 °C. Using this approach, effects related to Ge–Ge spacing are emphasized through a significant improvement of the spatial distribution of the Ge nanoparticles and by avoiding multi-step fabrication processes or Ge loss. The influence of the preparation conditions on structural, electrical and optical properties of the fabricated nanostructures was studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, electrical measurements in dark or under illumination and response time investigations. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of the procedure by the means of an Al/n-Si/Ge:SiO2/ITO photodetector test structure. The structures, investigated at room temperature, show superior performance, high photoresponse gain, high responsivity (about 7 AW−1, fast response time (0.5 µs at 4 kHz and great optoelectronic conversion efficiency of 900% in a wide operation bandwidth, from 450 to 1300 nm. The obtained photoresponse gain and the spectral width are attributed mainly to the high Ge content packed into a SiO2 matrix showing the direct connection between synthesis and optical properties of the tested nanostructures. Our deposition approach put in evidence the great potential of Ge nanoparticles embedded in a SiO2 matrix for hybrid integration, as they may be employed in structures and devices individually or with other materials, hence the possibility of fabricating various heterojunctions on Si, glass or flexible substrates for future development of Si

Ternary manganese ferrite/graphene/polyaniline nanostructure with enhanced electrochemical capacitance performance

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Pan; Hu, Chenyao; Fan, Ye; Zhang, Wenyao; Zhu, Junwu; Wang, Xin

2014-11-01

A ternary manganese ferrite/graphene/polyaniline (MGP) nanostructure is designed and synthesized via a facile two-step approach. This nanostructure exhibits outstanding electrochemical performances, such as high specific capacitance (454.8 F g-1 at 0.2 A g-1), excellent rate capability (75.8% capacity retention at 5 A g-1), and good cycling stability (76.4% capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 2 A g-1), which are superior to those of its individual components (manganese ferrite, reduced-graphene oxide, polyaniline) and corresponding binary hybrids (manganese ferrite/graphene (MG), manganese ferrite/polyaniline (MP), and graphene/polyaniline (GP)). A symmetric supercapacitor device using the as-obtained hybrid has been fabricated and tested. The device exhibits a high specific capacitance of 307.2 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 with a maximum energy density of 13.5 W h kg-1. The high electrochemical performance of ternary MGP can be attributed to its well-designed nanostructure and the synergistic effect of the individual components.

Electrical Modulation of Fano Resonance in Plasmonic Nanostructures Using Graphene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Emani, Naresh K.; Chung, Ting-Fung; Kildishev, Alexander V.

2014-01-01

Pauli blocking of interband transistions gives rise to tunable optical properties in single layer graphene (SLG). This effect is exploited in a graphene-nanoantenna hybrid device where Fano resonant plasmonic nanostructures are fabricated on top of a graphene sheet. The use of Fano resonant eleme......-element simulations. Our approach can be used for development of next generation of tunable plasmonic and hybrid nanophotonic devices.......Pauli blocking of interband transistions gives rise to tunable optical properties in single layer graphene (SLG). This effect is exploited in a graphene-nanoantenna hybrid device where Fano resonant plasmonic nanostructures are fabricated on top of a graphene sheet. The use of Fano resonant...... elements enhances the interaction of incident radiation with the graphene sheet and enables efficient electrical modulation of the plasmonic resonance. We observe electrically controlled damping in the Fano resonances occurring at approximately 2 μm, and the results are verified by full-wave 3D finite...

Depleted Nanocrystal-Oxide Heterojunctions for High-Sensitivity Infrared Detection

Science.gov (United States)

2015-08-28

Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited Final Report: 4.3 Electronic Sensing - Depleted Nanocrystal- Oxide Heterojunctions for High...reviewed journals: Final Report: 4.3 Electronic Sensing - Depleted Nanocrystal- Oxide Heterojunctions for High-Sensitivity Infrared Detection Report Title...PERCENT_SUPPORTEDNAME FTE Equivalent: Total Number: 1 1 Final Progress Report Project title: Depleted Nanocrystal- Oxide Heterojunctions for High

Solution-Processed hybrid Sb2 S3 planar heterojunction solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wenxiao; Borazan, Ismail; Carroll, David

Thin-film solar cells based on inorganic absorbers permit a high efficiency and stability. Among or those absorber candidates, recently Sb2S3 has attracted extensive attention because of its suitable band gap (1.5eV ~1.7 eV) , strong optical absorption, low-cost and earth-abundant constituents. Currently high-efficiency Sb2S3 solar cells have absorber layer deposited on nanostructured TiO2 electrodes in combination with organic hole transport material (HTM) on top. However it's challenging to fill the nanostructured TiO2 layer with Sb2S3 and subsequently by HTM, this leads to uncovered surface permits charge recombination. And the existing of Sb2S3/TiO2/HTM triple interface will enhance the recombination due to the surface trap state. Therefore, a planar junction cell would not only have simpler structure with less steps to fabricate but also ideally also have a higher open circuit voltage because of less interface carrier recombination. By far there is limited research focusing on planar Sb2S3 solar cell, so the feasibility is still unclear. Here, we developed a low-toxic solution method to fabricate Sb2S3 thin film solar cell, then we studied the morphology of the Sb2S3 layer and its impact to the device performance. The best device with a structure of FTO/TiO2/Sb2S3/P3HT/Ag has PCE over 5% which is similar or higher than yet the best nanostructure devices with the same HTM. Furthermore, based on solution engineering and surface modification, we improved the Sb2S3 film quality and achieved a record PCE. .

Holey Reduced Graphene Oxide Coupled with an Mo2 N-Mo2 C Heterojunction for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Haijing; Xie, Ying; Jiao, Yanqing; Wu, Aiping; Tian, Chungui; Zhang, Xiaomeng; Wang, Lei; Fu, Honggang

2018-01-01

An in situ catalytic etching strategy is developed to fabricate holey reduced graphene oxide along with simultaneous coupling with a small-sized Mo 2 N-Mo 2 C heterojunction (Mo 2 N-Mo 2 C/HGr). The method includes the first immobilization of H 3 PMo 12 O 40 (PMo 12 ) clusters on graphite oxide (GO), followed by calcination in air and NH 3 to form Mo 2 N-Mo 2 C/HGr. PMo 12 not only acts as the Mo heterojunction source, but also provides the Mo species that can in situ catalyze the decomposition of adjacent reduced GO to form HGr, while the released gas (CO) and introduced NH 3 simultaneously react with the Mo species to form an Mo 2 N-Mo 2 C heterojunction on HGr. The hybrid exhibits superior activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction with low onset potentials of 11 mV (0.5 m H 2 SO 4 ) and 18 mV (1 m KOH) as well as remarkable stability. The activity in alkaline media is also superior to Pt/C at large current densities (>88 mA cm -2 ). The good activity of Mo 2 N-Mo 2 C/HGr is ascribed to its small size, the heterojunction of Mo 2 N-Mo 2 C, and the good charge/mass-transfer ability of HGr, as supported by a series of experiments and theoretical calculations. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Self-Powered, High-Speed and Visible-Near Infrared Response of MoO(3-x)/n-Si Heterojunction Photodetector with Enhanced Performance by Interfacial Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Chuanxi; Liang, Zhimin; Su, Mingze; Liu, Pengyi; Mai, Wenjie; Xie, Weiguang

2015-11-25

Photodetectors with a wide spectrum response are important components for sensing, imaging, and other optoelectronic applications. A molybdenum oxide (MoO(3-x))/Si heterojunction has been applied as solar cells with great success, but its potential in photodetectors has not been explored yet. Herein, a self-powered, high-speed heterojunction photodetector fabricated by coating an n-type Si hierarchical structure with an ultrathin hole-selective layer of molybdenum oxide (MoO(3-x)) is first investigated. Excellent and stable photoresponse performance is obtained by using a methyl group passivated interface. The heterojunction photodetector demonstrated high sensitivity to a wide spectrum from 300 to 1100 nm. The self-powered photodetector shows a high detectivity of (∼6.29 × 10(12) cmHz(1/2) W(-1)) and fast response time (1.0 μs). The excellent photodetecting performance is attributed to the enhanced interfacial barrier height and three-dimensional geometry of Si nanostructures, which is beneficial for efficient photocarrier collection and transportation. Finally, our devices show excellent long-term stability in air for 6 months with negligible performance degradation. The thermal evaporation method for large-scale fabrication of MoO(3-x)/n-Si photodetectors makes it suitable for self-powered, multispectral, and high-speed response photodetecting applications.

Achievement of High-Response Organic Field-Effect Transistor NO₂ Sensor by Using the Synergistic Effect of ZnO/PMMA Hybrid Dielectric and CuPc/Pentacene Heterojunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shijiao; Cheng, Jiang; Fan, Huidong; Yu, Junsheng; Li, Lu

2016-10-21

High-response organic field-effect transistor (OFET)-based NO₂ sensors were fabricated using the synergistic effect the synergistic effect of zinc oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate) (ZnO/PMMA) hybrid dielectric and CuPc/Pentacene heterojunction. Compared with the OFET sensors without synergistic effect, the fabricated OFET sensors showed a remarkable shift of saturation current, field-effect mobility and threshold voltage when exposed to various concentrations of NO₂ analyte. Moreover, after being stored in atmosphere for 30 days, the variation of saturation current increased more than 10 folds at 0.5 ppm NO₂. By analyzing the electrical characteristics, and the morphologies of organic semiconductor films of the OFET-based sensors, the performance enhancement was ascribed to the synergistic effect of the dielectric and organic semiconductor. The ZnO nanoparticles on PMMA dielectric surface decreased the grain size of pentacene formed on hybrid dielectric, facilitating the diffusion of CuPc molecules into the grain boundary of pentacene and the approach towards the conducting channel of OFET. Hence, NO₂ molecules could interact with CuPc and ZnO nanoparticles at the interface of dielectric and organic semiconductor. Our results provided a promising strategy for the design of high performance OFET-based NO₂ sensors in future electronic nose and environment monitoring.

Synthesis and shape control of copper tin sulphide nanocrystals and formation of gold-copper tin sulphide hybrid nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kruszynska, Marta; Parisi, Juergen; Kolny-Olesiak, Joanna [Oldenburg Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Physics, Energy and Semiconductor Research Lab.

2014-08-15

Hexagonal prismatic Cu{sub 3}SnS{sub 4} nanoparticles and nanorods were synthesized by a hot-injection procedure. Changing the reaction conditions leads to the formation of different shapes. When oleylamine is used as a solvent, hexagonal prismatic particles are obtained, while a reaction in octadecene results in the formation of nanorods. The growth process of copper tin sulphide starts with the formation of djurleite copper sulphide seeds. Their reaction with Sn{sup 4+} ions leads to the formation of Cu{sub 3}SnS{sub 4}. These Cu{sub 3}SnS{sub 4} nanocrystals form Au-Cu{sub 3}SnS{sub 4} hybrid nanostructures by reaction with gold seeds.

Three-dimensional observation of TiO2 nanostructures by electron tomography

KAUST Repository

Suh, Young Joon

2013-03-01

Three-dimensional nanostructures of TiO2 related materials including nanotubes, electron acceptor materials in hybrid polymer solar cells, and working electrodes of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were visualized by electron tomography as well as TEM micrographs. The regions on the wall of TiO2 nanotubes where the streptavidins were attached were elucidated by electron tomogram analysis. The coverage of TiO2 nanotubes by streptavidin was also investigated. The TiO2 nanostructures in hybrid polymer solar cells made by sol-gel and atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods and the morphologies of pores between TiO2 particles in DSSCs were also observed by reconstructed three-dimensional images made by electron tomography. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Poly(3-hexylthiophene)/ZnO hybrid pn junctions for microelectronics applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katsia, E.; Huby, N.; Tallarida, G.

2009-01-01

Hybrid poly(3-hexylthiophene)/ZnO devices are investigated as rectifying heterojunctions for microelectronics applications. A low-temperature atomic layer deposition of ZnO on top of poly(3-hexylthiophene) allows the fabrication of diodes featuring a rectification ratio of nearly 105 at ±4 V...

Toward designing semiconductor-semiconductor heterojunctions for photocatalytic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Liping; Jaroniec, Mietek

2018-02-01

Semiconductor photocatalysts show a great potential for environmental and energy-related applications, however one of the major disadvantages is their relatively low photocatalytic performance due to the recombination of electron-hole pairs. Therefore, intensive research is being conducted toward design of heterojunctions, which have been shown to be effective for improving the charge-transfer properties and efficiency of photocatalysts. According to the type of band alignment and direction of internal electric field, heterojunctions are categorized into five different types, each of which is associated with its own charge transfer characteristics. Since the design of heterojunctions requires the knowledge of band edge positions of component semiconductors, the commonly used techniques for the assessment of band edge positions are reviewed. Among them the electronegativity-based calculation method is applied for a large number of popular visible-light-active semiconductors, including some widely investigated bismuth-containing semiconductors. On basis of the calculated band edge positions and the type of component semiconductors reported, heterojunctions composed of the selected bismuth-containing semiconductors are proposed. Finally, the most popular synthetic techniques for the fabrication of heterojunctions are briefly discussed.

Ultrathin two-dimensional MnO2/graphene hybrid nanostructures for high-performance, flexible planar supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Lele; Peng, Xu; Liu, Borui; Wu, Changzheng; Xie, Yi; Yu, Guihua

2013-05-08

Planar supercapacitors have recently attracted much attention owing to their unique and advantageous design for 2D nanomaterials based energy storage devices. However, improving the electrochemical performance of planar supercapacitors still remains a great challenge. Here we report for the first time a novel, high-performance in-plane supercapacitor based on hybrid nanostructures of quasi-2D ultrathin MnO2/graphene nanosheets. Specifically, the planar structures based on the δ-MnO2 nanosheets integrated on graphene sheets not only introduce more electrochemically active surfaces for absorption/desorption of electrolyte ions, but also bring additional interfaces at the hybridized interlayer areas to facilitate charge transport during charging/discharging processes. The unique structural design for planar supercapacitors enables great performance enhancements compared to graphene-only devices, exhibiting high specific capacitances of 267 F/g at current density of 0.2 A/g and 208 F/g at 10 A/g and excellent rate capability and cycling stability with capacitance retention of 92% after 7000 charge/discharge cycles. Moreover, the high planar malleability of planar supercapacitors makes possible superior flexibility and robust cyclability, yielding capacitance retention over 90% after 1000 times of folding/unfolding. Ultrathin 2D nanomaterials represent a promising material platform to realize highly flexible planar energy storage devices as the power back-ups for stretchable/flexible electronic devices.

Effect of halogen-terminated additives on the performance and the nanostructure of all-polymer solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Soohyeong; Nam, Sungho; Seo, Jooyeok; Jeong, Jaehoon; Lee, Sooyong; Kim, Hwajeong; Kim, Youngkyoo

2015-02-01

Here, we report the influence of halogen-terminated additives on the performance and the nanostructure of all-polymer solar cells that are made with bulk heterojunction (BHJ) films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) (as an electron donor) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) (as an electron acceptor). Diiodooctane (DIO) and dibromooctane (DBO) were employed as additives in order to compare the effect of different halogen groups (bromine and iodine). Results showed that the power conversion efficiency of devices was slightly (˜15%) improved by using additives due to the increased open-circuit voltage and fill factor. The synchrotron radiation grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) measurements disclosed that the performance improvement was closely related to the relatively well-evolved nanostructures in the P3HT:F8BT films caused by the additives.

Visualizing excitations at buried heterojunctions in organic semiconductor blends.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakowetz, Andreas C; Böhm, Marcus L; Sadhanala, Aditya; Huettner, Sven; Rao, Akshay; Friend, Richard H

2017-05-01

Interfaces play a crucial role in semiconductor devices, but in many device architectures they are nanostructured, disordered and buried away from the surface of the sample. Conventional optical, X-ray and photoelectron probes often fail to provide interface-specific information in such systems. Here we develop an all-optical time-resolved method to probe the local energetic landscape and electronic dynamics at such interfaces, based on the Stark effect caused by electron-hole pairs photo-generated across the interface. Using this method, we found that the electronically active sites at the polymer/fullerene interfaces in model bulk-heterojunction blends fall within the low-energy tail of the absorption spectrum. This suggests that these sites are highly ordered compared with the bulk of the polymer film, leading to large wavefunction delocalization and low site energies. We also detected a 100 fs migration of holes from higher- to lower-energy sites, consistent with these charges moving ballistically into more ordered polymer regions. This ultrafast charge motion may be key to separating electron-hole pairs into free charges against the Coulomb interaction.

-MoS2 Lateral Heterojunctions

KAUST Repository

Li, Ming-yang

2018-02-28

2D layered heterostructures have attracted intensive interests due to their unique optical, transport, and interfacial properties. The laterally stitched heterojunction based on dissimilar 2D transition metal dichalcogenides forms an intrinsic p–n junction without the necessity of applying an external voltage. However, no scalable processes are reported to construct the devices with such lateral heterostructures. Here, a scalable strategy, two-step and location-selective chemical vapor deposition, is reported to synthesize self-aligned WSe2–MoS2 monolayer lateral heterojunction arrays and demonstrates their light-emitting devices. The proposed fabrication process enables the growth of high-quality interfaces and the first successful observation of electroluminescence at the WSe2–MoS2 lateral heterojunction. The electroluminescence study has confirmed the type-I alignment at the interface rather than commonly believed type-II alignment. This self-aligned growth process paves the way for constructing various 2D lateral heterostructures in a scalable manner, practically important for integrated 2D circuit applications.

Light extraction enhancement of 265 nm deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with over 90 mW output power via an AlN hybrid nanostructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inoue, Shin-ichiro, E-mail: s-inoue@nict.go.jp [Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kobe, Hyogo 651-2492 (Japan); Naoki, Tamari [Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kobe, Hyogo 651-2492 (Japan); Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Tokuyama Corporation, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 300-4247 (Japan); Kinoshita, Toru; Obata, Toshiyuki; Yanagi, Hiroyuki [Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Tokuyama Corporation, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 300-4247 (Japan)

2015-03-30

Deep-ultraviolet (DUV) aluminum gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on transparent aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates with high light extraction efficiency and high power are proposed and demonstrated. The AlN bottom side surface configuration, which is composed of a hybrid structure of photonic crystals and subwavelength nanostructures, has been designed using finite-difference time-domain calculations to enhance light extraction. We have experimentally demonstrated an output power improvement of up to 196% as a result of the use of the embedded high-light-extraction hybrid nanophotonic structure. The DUV-LEDs produced have demonstrated output power as high as 90 mW in DC operation at a peak emission wavelength of 265 nm.

Block copolymer based composition and morphology control in nanostructured hybrid materials for energy conversion and storage: solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells

KAUST Repository

Orilall, M. Christopher

2011-01-01

The development of energy conversion and storage devices is at the forefront of research geared towards a sustainable future. However, there are numerous issues that prevent the widespread use of these technologies including cost, performance and durability. These limitations can be directly related to the materials used. In particular, the design and fabrication of nanostructured hybrid materials is expected to provide breakthroughs for the advancement of these technologies. This tutorial review will highlight block copolymers as an emerging and powerful yet affordable tool to structure-direct such nanomaterials with precise control over structural dimensions, composition and spatial arrangement of materials in composites. After providing an introduction to materials design and current limitations, the review will highlight some of the most recent examples of block copolymer structure-directed nanomaterials for photovoltaics, batteries and fuel cells. In each case insights are provided into the various underlying fundamental chemical, thermodynamic and kinetic formation principles enabling general and relatively inexpensive wet-polymer chemistry methodologies for the efficient creation of multiscale functional materials. Examples include nanostructured ceramics, ceramic-carbon composites, ceramic-carbon-metal composites and metals with morphologies ranging from hexagonally arranged cylinders to three-dimensional bi-continuous cubic networks. The review ends with an outlook towards the synthesis of multicomponent and hierarchical multifunctional hybrid materials with different nano-architectures from self-assembly of higher order blocked macromolecules which may ultimately pave the way for the further development of energy conversion and storage devices. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Block copolymer based composition and morphology control in nanostructured hybrid materials for energy conversion and storage: solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Orilall, M Christopher; Wiesner, Ulrich

2011-02-01

The development of energy conversion and storage devices is at the forefront of research geared towards a sustainable future. However, there are numerous issues that prevent the widespread use of these technologies including cost, performance and durability. These limitations can be directly related to the materials used. In particular, the design and fabrication of nanostructured hybrid materials is expected to provide breakthroughs for the advancement of these technologies. This tutorial review will highlight block copolymers as an emerging and powerful yet affordable tool to structure-direct such nanomaterials with precise control over structural dimensions, composition and spatial arrangement of materials in composites. After providing an introduction to materials design and current limitations, the review will highlight some of the most recent examples of block copolymer structure-directed nanomaterials for photovoltaics, batteries and fuel cells. In each case insights are provided into the various underlying fundamental chemical, thermodynamic and kinetic formation principles enabling general and relatively inexpensive wet-polymer chemistry methodologies for the efficient creation of multiscale functional materials. Examples include nanostructured ceramics, ceramic-carbon composites, ceramic-carbon-metal composites and metals with morphologies ranging from hexagonally arranged cylinders to three-dimensional bi-continuous cubic networks. The review ends with an outlook towards the synthesis of multicomponent and hierarchical multifunctional hybrid materials with different nano-architectures from self-assembly of higher order blocked macromolecules which may ultimately pave the way for the further development of energy conversion and storage devices.

Nanostructured metal sulfides for energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Rui, Xianhong; Tan, Huiteng; Yan, Qingyu

2014-08-01

Advanced electrodes with a high energy density at high power are urgently needed for high-performance energy storage devices, including lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors (SCs), to fulfil the requirements of future electrochemical power sources for applications such as in hybrid electric/plug-in-hybrid (HEV/PHEV) vehicles. Metal sulfides with unique physical and chemical properties, as well as high specific capacity/capacitance, which are typically multiple times higher than that of the carbon/graphite-based materials, are currently studied as promising electrode materials. However, the implementation of these sulfide electrodes in practical applications is hindered by their inferior rate performance and cycling stability. Nanostructures offering the advantages of high surface-to-volume ratios, favourable transport properties, and high freedom for the volume change upon ion insertion/extraction and other reactions, present an opportunity to build next-generation LIBs and SCs. Thus, the development of novel concepts in material research to achieve new nanostructures paves the way for improved electrochemical performance. Herein, we summarize recent advances in nanostructured metal sulfides, such as iron sulfides, copper sulfides, cobalt sulfides, nickel sulfides, manganese sulfides, molybdenum sulfides, tin sulfides, with zero-, one-, two-, and three-dimensional morphologies for LIB and SC applications. In addition, the recently emerged concept of incorporating conductive matrices, especially graphene, with metal sulfide nanomaterials will also be highlighted. Finally, some remarks are made on the challenges and perspectives for the future development of metal sulfide-based LIB and SC devices.

Noncatalytic hydrogenation of decene-1 with hydrogen accumulated in a hybrid carbon nanostructure in nanosized membrane reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Soldatov, A. P.

2014-08-01

Studies on the creation of nanosized membrane reactors (NMRs) of a new generation with accumulated hydrogen and a regulated volume of reaction zone were continued at the next stage. Hydrogenation was performed in the pores of ceramic membranes with hydrogen preliminarily adsorbed in mono- and multilayered orientated carbon nanotubes with graphene walls (OCNTGs)—a new hybrid carbon nanostructure formed on the inner pore surface. Quantitative determination of hydrogen adsorption in OCNTGs was performed using TRUMEM ultrafiltration membranes with D av = 50 and 90 nm and showed that hydrogen adsorption was up to ˜1.5% of the mass of OCNTG. The instrumentation and procedure for noncatalytic hydrogenation of decene-1 at 250-350°C using hydrogen accumulated and stored in OCNTG were developed. The conversion of decene-1 into decane was ˜0.2-1.8% at hydrogenation temperatures of 250 and 350°C, respectively. The rate constants and activation energy of hydrogenation were determined. The latter was found to be 94.5 kJ/mol, which is much smaller than the values typical for noncatalytic hydrogenations and very close to the values characteristic for catalytic reactions. The quantitative distribution of the reacting compounds in each pore regarded as a nanosized membrane reactor was determined. The activity of hydrogen adsorbed in a 2D carbon nanostructure was evaluated. Possible mechanisms of noncatalytic hydrogenation were discussed.

Achievement of High-Response Organic Field-Effect Transistor NO2 Sensor by Using the Synergistic Effect of ZnO/PMMA Hybrid Dielectric and CuPc/Pentacene Heterojunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shijiao Han

2016-10-01

Full Text Available High-response organic field-effect transistor (OFET-based NO2 sensors were fabricated using the synergistic effect the synergistic effect of zinc oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate (ZnO/PMMA hybrid dielectric and CuPc/Pentacene heterojunction. Compared with the OFET sensors without synergistic effect, the fabricated OFET sensors showed a remarkable shift of saturation current, field-effect mobility and threshold voltage when exposed to various concentrations of NO2 analyte. Moreover, after being stored in atmosphere for 30 days, the variation of saturation current increased more than 10 folds at 0.5 ppm NO2. By analyzing the electrical characteristics, and the morphologies of organic semiconductor films of the OFET-based sensors, the performance enhancement was ascribed to the synergistic effect of the dielectric and organic semiconductor. The ZnO nanoparticles on PMMA dielectric surface decreased the grain size of pentacene formed on hybrid dielectric, facilitating the diffusion of CuPc molecules into the grain boundary of pentacene and the approach towards the conducting channel of OFET. Hence, NO2 molecules could interact with CuPc and ZnO nanoparticles at the interface of dielectric and organic semiconductor. Our results provided a promising strategy for the design of high performance OFET-based NO2 sensors in future electronic nose and environment monitoring.

Achievement of High-Response Organic Field-Effect Transistor NO2 Sensor by Using the Synergistic Effect of ZnO/PMMA Hybrid Dielectric and CuPc/Pentacene Heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shijiao; Cheng, Jiang; Fan, Huidong; Yu, Junsheng; Li, Lu

2016-01-01

High-response organic field-effect transistor (OFET)-based NO2 sensors were fabricated using the synergistic effect the synergistic effect of zinc oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate) (ZnO/PMMA) hybrid dielectric and CuPc/Pentacene heterojunction. Compared with the OFET sensors without synergistic effect, the fabricated OFET sensors showed a remarkable shift of saturation current, field-effect mobility and threshold voltage when exposed to various concentrations of NO2 analyte. Moreover, after being stored in atmosphere for 30 days, the variation of saturation current increased more than 10 folds at 0.5 ppm NO2. By analyzing the electrical characteristics, and the morphologies of organic semiconductor films of the OFET-based sensors, the performance enhancement was ascribed to the synergistic effect of the dielectric and organic semiconductor. The ZnO nanoparticles on PMMA dielectric surface decreased the grain size of pentacene formed on hybrid dielectric, facilitating the diffusion of CuPc molecules into the grain boundary of pentacene and the approach towards the conducting channel of OFET. Hence, NO2 molecules could interact with CuPc and ZnO nanoparticles at the interface of dielectric and organic semiconductor. Our results provided a promising strategy for the design of high performance OFET-based NO2 sensors in future electronic nose and environment monitoring. PMID:27775653

Scalable fabrication of nanostructured devices on flexible substrates using additive driven self-assembly and nanoimprint lithography

Science.gov (United States)

Watkins, James

2013-03-01

Roll-to-roll (R2R) technologies provide routes for continuous production of flexible, nanostructured materials and devices with high throughput and low cost. We employ additive-driven self-assembly to produce well-ordered polymer/nanoparticle hybrid materials that can serve as active device layers, we use highly filled nanoparticle/polymer hybrids for applications that require tailored dielectric constant or refractive index, and we employ R2R nanoimprint lithography for device scale patterning. Specific examples include the fabrication of flexible floating gate memory and large area films for optical/EM management. Our newly constructed R2R processing facility includes a custom designed, precision R2R UV-assisted nanoimprint lithography (NIL) system and hybrid nanostructured materials coaters.

Synthesis and Plasmonic Understanding of Core/Satellite and Core Shell Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Ruan, Qifeng

Localized surface plasmon resonance, which stems from the collective oscillations of conduction-band electrons, endows Au nanocrystals with unique optical properties. Au nanocrystals possess extremely large scattering/absorption cross-sections and enhanced local electromagnetic field, both of which are synthetically tunable. Moreover, when Au nanocrystals are closely placed or hybridized with semiconductors, the coupling and interaction between the individual components bring about more fascinating phenomena and promising applications, including plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies, solar energy harvesting, and cancer therapy. The continuous development in the field of plasmonics calls for further advancements in the preparation of high-quality plasmonic nanocrystals, the facile construction of hybrid plasmonic nanostructures with desired functionalities, as well as deeper understanding and efficient utilization of the interaction between plasmonic nanocrystals and semiconductor components. In this thesis, I developed a seed-mediated growth method for producing size-controlled Au nanospheres with high monodispersity and assembled Au nanospheres of different sizes into core/satellite nanostructures for enhancing Raman signals. For investigating the interactions between Au nanocrystals and semiconductors, I first prepared (Au core) (TiO2 shell) nanostructures, and then studied their synthetically controlled plasmonic properties and light-harvesting applications. Au nanocrystals with spherical shapes are desirable in plasmon-coupled systems owing to their high geometrical symmetry, which facilitates the analysis of electrodynamic responses in a classical electromagnetic framework and the investigation of quantum tunneling and nonlocal effects. I prepared remarkably uniform Au nanospheres with diameters ranging from 20 nm to 220 nm using a simple seed-mediated growth method associated with mild oxidation. Core/satellite nanostructures were assembled out of differently sized

Hybrid InGaAs quantum well-dots nanostructures for light-emitting and photo-voltaic applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mintairov, S A; Kalyuzhnyy, N A; Lantratov, V M; Maximov, M V; Nadtochiy, A M; Rouvimov, Sergei; Zhukov, A E

2015-09-25

Hybrid quantum well-dots (QWD) nanostructures have been formed by deposition of 7-10 monolayers of In0.4Ga0.6As on a vicinal GaAs surface using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence and photocurrent analysis have shown that such structures represent quantum wells comprising three-dimensional (quantum dot-like) regions of two kinds. At least 20 QWD layers can be deposited defect-free providing high gain/absorption in the 0.9-1.1 spectral interval. Use of QWD media in a GaAs solar cell resulted in a photocurrent increment of 3.7 mA cm(-2) for the terrestrial spectrum and by 4.1 mA cm(-2) for the space spectrum. Diode lasers based on QWD emitting around 1.1 μm revealed high saturated gain and low transparency current density of about 15 cm(-1) and 37 A cm(-2) per layer, respectively.

Ag nanoparticle–ZnO nanowire hybrid nanostructures as enhanced and robust antimicrobial textiles via a green chemical approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Zhou; Yuan, Weiwei; Song, Wei; Niu, Yongshan; Yan, Ling; Yu, Min; Dai, Ming; Feng, Siyu; Wang, Menghang; Fan, Yubo; Tang, Haoying; Liu, Tengjiao; Jiang, Peng; Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-01-01

A new approach for fabrication of a long-term and recoverable antimicrobial nanostructure/textile hybrid without increasing the antimicrobial resistance is demonstrated. Using in situ synthesized Ag nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on ZnO nanowires (NWs) grown on textiles by a ‘dip-in and light-irradiation’ green chemical method, we obtained ZnONW@AgNP nanocomposites with small-size and uniform Ag NPs, which have shown superior performance for antibacterial applications. These new Ag/ZnO/textile antimicrobial composites can be used for wound dressings and medical textiles for topical and prophylactic antibacterial treatments, point-of-use water treatment to improve the cleanliness of water and antimicrobial air filters to prevent bioaerosols accumulating in ventilation, heating, and air-conditioning systems. (paper)

Hard and transparent films formed by nanocellulose-TiO2 nanoparticle hybrids.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Schütz

Full Text Available The formation of hybrids of nanofibrillated cellulose and titania nanoparticles in aqueous media has been studied. Their transparency and mechanical behavior have been assessed by spectrophotometry and nanoindentation. The results show that limiting the titania nanoparticle concentration below 16 vol% yields homogeneous hybrids with a very high Young's modulus and hardness, of up to 44 GPa and 3.4 GPa, respectively, and an optical transmittance above 80%. Electron microscopy shows that higher nanoparticle contents result in agglomeration and an inhomogeneous hybrid nanostructure with a concomitant reduction of hardness and optical transmittance. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that the nanostructure of the hybrids is controlled by electrostatic adsorption of the titania nanoparticles on the negatively charged nanocellulose surfaces.

Hard and Transparent Films Formed by Nanocellulose–TiO2 Nanoparticle Hybrids

Science.gov (United States)

Schütz, Christina; Sort, Jordi; Bacsik, Zoltán; Oliynyk, Vitaliy; Pellicer, Eva; Fall, Andreas; Wågberg, Lars; Berglund, Lars; Bergström, Lennart; Salazar-Alvarez, German

2012-01-01

The formation of hybrids of nanofibrillated cellulose and titania nanoparticles in aqueous media has been studied. Their transparency and mechanical behavior have been assessed by spectrophotometry and nanoindentation. The results show that limiting the titania nanoparticle concentration below 16 vol% yields homogeneous hybrids with a very high Young’s modulus and hardness, of up to 44 GPa and 3.4 GPa, respectively, and an optical transmittance above 80%. Electron microscopy shows that higher nanoparticle contents result in agglomeration and an inhomogeneous hybrid nanostructure with a concomitant reduction of hardness and optical transmittance. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that the nanostructure of the hybrids is controlled by electrostatic adsorption of the titania nanoparticles on the negatively charged nanocellulose surfaces. PMID:23049689

Interfacial recombination at /AlGa/As/GaAs heterojunction structures

Science.gov (United States)

Ettenberg, M.; Kressel, H.

1976-01-01

Experiments were conducted to determine the interfacial recombination velocity at Al0.25Ga0.75As/GaAs and Al0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs heterojunctions. The recombination velocity was derived from a study of the injected minority-carrier lifetime as a function of the junction spacing. It is found that for heterojunction spacings in excess of about 1 micron, the interfacial recombination can be characterized by a surface recombination velocity of 4,000 and 8,000 cm/sec for the two types of heterojunctions, respectively. For double-heterojunction spacings below 1 micron, the constancy of the minority-carrier lifetime suggests that the interfacial recombination velocity decreases effectively. This effect is technologically very important since it makes it possible to construct very low-threshold injection lasers. No such effect is observed in single-heterojunction diodes.

Polyaniline-Cadmium Ferrite Nanostructured Composite for Room-Temperature Liquefied Petroleum Gas Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Kotresh, S.; Ravikiran, Y. T.; Tiwari, S. K.; Vijaya Kumari, S. C.

2017-08-01

We introduce polyaniline-cadmium ferrite (PANI-CdFe2O4) nanostructured composite as a room-temperature-operable liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensor. The structure of PANI and the composite prepared by chemical polymerization was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Comparative XRD and FT-IR analysis confirmed CdFe2O4 embedded in PANI matrix with mutual interfacial interaction. The nanostructure of the composite was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. A simple LPG sensor operable at room temperature, exclusively based on spin-coated PANI-CdFe2O4 nanocomposite, was fabricated with maximum sensing response of 50.83% at 1000 ppm LPG. The response and recovery time of the sensor were 50 s and 110 s, respectively, and it was stable over a period of 1 month with slight degradation of 4%. The sensing mechanism is discussed on the basis of the p- n heterojunction barrier formed at the interface of PANI and CdFe2O4.

Plasmon enhanced power conversion efficiency in inverted bulk heterojunction organic solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Minu; Ramkumar, S.; Namboothiry, Manoj A. G.

2017-08-01

P3HT:PCBM is one of the most studied polymer-fullerene system. However the reported power conversion efficiency (PCE) values falls within the range of 4% to 5%. The thin film architecture in OPVs exhibits low PCE compared to inorganic photovoltaic cells. This is mainly due to the low exciton diffusion length that limits the active layer thickness which in turn reduces the absorption of incident light. Several strategies are adapted in order to increase the absorption in the active layer without increasing the film thickness. Inclusion of metal nanoparticles into the polymer layer of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is one of the promising methods. Incorporation of metal nanostructures increases the absorption of organic materials due to the high electromagnetic field strength in the vicinity of the excited surface plasmons. In this work, we used 60 nm Au plasmonic structures to improve the efficiency of organic solar cell. The prepared metal nano structures were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Visible spectroscopy techniques. These prepared metallic nanoparticles can be incorporated either into the electron transport layer (ETL) or into the active P3HT:PC71BM layer. The effect of incorporation of plasmonic gold (Au) nanoparticle in the inverted bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) of P3HT:PC71BM fabricated in ambient air condition is in progress. Initial studies shows an 8.5% enhancement in the PCE with the incorporation of Au nanoparticles under AM1.5G light of intensity 1 Sun.

Transport characteristics of n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction as determined from temperature dependent current–voltage measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djiokap, S.R. Tankio, E-mail: stive.tankiodjiokap@nmmu.ac.za; Urgessa, Z.N.; Mbulanga, C.M.; Venter, A.; Botha, J.R.

2016-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods have been synthesized by a two-step chemical bath deposition process on silicon substrates having different dopant densities and orientations. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis reveal that the orientation of the Si substrate does not affect the orientation, distribution or crystallinity of the nanostructures. The electrical properties of the ZnO/Si heterojunction are also investigated by current–voltage (I–V) measurements. The ideality factor is found to be 2.6 at 295 K, indicating that complex current transport mechanisms are at play. Temperature dependent I–V characteristics have been used to determine the dominant transport mechanism. The experimental results suggest that in the low bias region the current is dominated by a trap assisted multi-step tunneling process.

Three-dimensional observation of TiO2 nanostructures by electron tomography

KAUST Repository

Suh, Young Joon; Lu, Ning; Park, Seong Yong; Lee, Tae Hun; Lee, Sang Hoon; Cha, Dong Kyu; Lee, Min Gun; Huang, Jie; Kim, Sung Soo; Sohn, Byeong Hyeok; Kim, Geung Ho; Ko, Min Jae; Kim, Jiyoung; Kim, Moon J.

2013-01-01

Three-dimensional nanostructures of TiO2 related materials including nanotubes, electron acceptor materials in hybrid polymer solar cells, and working electrodes of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were visualized by electron tomography as well

Star-shaped ZnO/Ag hybrid nanostructures for enhanced photocatalysis and antibacterial activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrade, George R.S., E-mail: grsandrade@hotmail.com [Postgraduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Nascimento, Cristiane C. [Postgraduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Sergipe, Glória Campus, Nossa Senhora da Glória, SE (Brazil); Lima, Zenon M. [Postgraduate Program in Industrial Biochemistry, Tiradentes University, Aracaju, SE (Brazil); Teixeira-Neto, Erico [LNNano − Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP (Brazil); Costa, Luiz P. [Postgraduate Program in Industrial Biochemistry, Tiradentes University, Aracaju, SE (Brazil); ITPS − Technological and Research Institute of Sergipe, Aracaju, SE (Brazil); Gimenez, Iara F. [Postgraduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil)

2017-03-31

Highlights: • A new and simple one-pot method for preparing star-shaped ZnO particles was reported. • ZnO particles were decorated with Ag nanoparticles (SNPs) by a photodeposition method. • The presence of SNC{sup −} ions on ZnO surface prevented uncontrollable growth of SNPs. • ZnO/Ag particles showed plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic activity toward an AZO dye. • SNP improved 16 times the antibacterial activity of ZnO toward 4 bacterial strains. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) particles with a star-shaped morphology have been synthesized by a novel and simple room-temperature method and decorated with silver nanoparticles (SNPs) for enhanced photocatalysis and bactericide applications. The presence of thiourea during the precipitation of ZnO in alkaline conditions allowed the control of morphological features (e.g. average size and shape) and the surface functionalization with thiocyanate ions (SCN{sup −}). SNPs were deposited into the ZnO surface by a photoreduction method and their sizes could be easily controlled by changing the ZnO/AgNO{sub 3} ratio. The presence of SCN{sup −} on the semiconductor surface prevents uncontrollable growth of Ag nanoparticles into different morphologies and high degrees of polydispersity. XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, UV-vis-NIR and PL were employed for characterizing the structure, morphology and optical properties of the as-obtained pure and hybrid nanostructures. Finally, the hybrid ZnO/Ag particles have shown plasmon-enhanced performance for applications in photocatalysis and antibacterial activity compared to the pure ZnO counterpart. In this work, evaluation of the photodegradation of an aqueous methylene blue solution under UV-A irradiation and the antibacterial activity toward 4 bacterial strains, including Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300, ATCC 25923 and ATCC 33591) and Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853).

Surface modification of microfibrous materials with nanostructured carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krasnikova, Irina V., E-mail: tokareva@catalysis.ru [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin av., 30, Tomsk 634050 (Russian Federation); Mishakov, Ilya V.; Vedyagin, Aleksey A. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin av., 30, Tomsk 634050 (Russian Federation); Bauman, Yury I. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Korneev, Denis V. [State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR, Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region 630559 (Russian Federation)

2017-01-15

The surface of fiberglass cloth, carbon and basalt microfibers was modified with carbon nanostructured coating via catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of 1,2-dichloroethane. Incipient wetness impregnation and solution combustion synthesis (SCS) methods were used to deposit nickel catalyst on the surface of microfibrous support. Prepared NiO/support samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and temperature-programmed reduction. The samples of resulted hybrid materials were studied by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopies as well as by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. The nature of the support was found to have considerable effect on the CCVD process peculiarities. High yield of nanostructured carbon with largest average diameter of nanofibers within the studied series was observed when carbon microfibers were used as a support. This sample characterized with moderate surface area (about 80 m{sup 2}/g after 2 h of CCVD) shows the best anchorage effect. Among the mineral supports, fiberglass tissue was found to provide highest carbon yield (up to 3.07 g/g{sub FG}) and surface area (up to 344 m{sup 2}/g) due to applicability of SCS method for Ni deposition. - Highlights: • The microfibers of different nature were coated with nanostructured carbon layer. • Features of CNF growth and characteristics of hybrid materials were studied. • Appropriate anchorage of CNF layer on microfiber’s surface was demonstrated.

Fabrication and characterization of photosensitive n-ZnO/p-InSe heterojunctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kudrynskyi, Z., E-mail: kudrynskyi@gmail.com [Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Chernivtsi Branch, Str. I. Vilde 5, 58001 Chernivtsi (Ukraine); Khomyak, V. [Yuriy Fedkovich Chernivtsi National University, Str. Kotsubinsky 2, 58012 Chernivtsi (Ukraine); Katerynchuk, V.; Kovalyuk, M.; Netyaga, V.; Kushnir, B. [Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Chernivtsi Branch, Str. I. Vilde 5, 58001 Chernivtsi (Ukraine)

2015-05-01

Indium monochalcogenide (InSe) with a band gap of 1.25 eV is a promising material for photovoltaic applications. In this work, photosensitive anisotype n-ZnO/p-InSe heterojunctions were fabricated by means of radio-frequency magnetron sputtering of the zinc oxide onto freshly cleaved (0001) van der Waals surface of p-InSe single-crystal. Structural properties of the obtained heterostructures were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction. Surface morphology of the grown ZnO thin films was studied by means of atomic force microscopy. The electrical and photoelectrical properties of the heterojunctions were investigated using the current-voltage characteristics measured at different temperatures, capacitance-voltage characteristics and photoresponse spectra. The dominating current transport mechanisms through the heterojunctions under investigation were determined at forward and reverse biases. It was found that the developed heterojunctions n-ZnO/p-InSe show photosensitivity in the photon energy range (1.25-3.20 eV) at room temperature. In addition, we analyzed the influence of vacuum annealing of the heterojunctions at different temperatures on their photoelectric properties. - Highlights: • Thin ZnO films were grown onto van der Waals surface of InSe substrate. • n-ZnO/p-InSe heterojunctions were fabricated. • The heterojunctions are photosensitive in photon energy range from 1.12 to 3.75 eV. • Despite the lattice mismatch of 19% the heterojunctions exhibit diode-like behavior. • Vacuum annealing improves electrical properties of the heterojunctions.

High performance ultraviolet photodetectors based on ZnO nanoflakes/PVK heterojunction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Yuhua; Xiang, Jinzhong, E-mail: jzhxiang@ynu.edu.cn [School of Physical and Astronomy, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091 (China); Tang, Libin, E-mail: scitang@163.com; Ji, Rongbin, E-mail: jirongbin@gmail.com; Zhao, Jun; Kong, Jincheng [Kunming Institute of Physics, Kunming 650223 (China); Lai, Sin Ki; Lau, Shu Ping [Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon (Hong Kong); Zhang, Kai [Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou 215123 (China)

2016-08-15

A high performance ultraviolet (UV) photodetector is receiving increasing attention due to its significant applications in fire warning, environmental monitoring, scientific research, astronomical observation, etc. The enhancement in performance of the UV photodetector has been impeded by lacking of a high-efficiency heterojunction in which UV photons can efficiently convert into charges. In this work, the high performance UV photodetectors have been realized by utilizing organic/inorganic heterojunctions based on a ZnO nanoflakes/poly (N-vinylcarbazole) hybrid. A transparent conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)-coated quartz substrate is employed as the anode in replacement of the commonly ITO-coated glass in order to harvest shorter UV light. The devices show a lower dark current density, with a high responsivity (R) of 7.27 × 10{sup 3 }A/W and a specific detectivity (D*) of 6.20 × 10{sup 13} cm Hz{sup 1/2}/W{sup −1} at 2 V bias voltage in ambient environment (1.30 mW/cm{sup 2} at λ = 365 nm), resulting in the enhancements in R and D* by 49% and one order of magnitude, respectively. The study sheds light on developing high-performance, large scale-array, flexible UV detectors using the solution processable method.

Recent Advances in Interface Engineering for Planar Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Yin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells are considered as one of the most promising next-generation solar cells due to their advantages of low-cost precursors, high power conversion efficiency (PCE and easy of processing. In the past few years, the PCEs have climbed from a few to over 20% for perovskite solar cells. Recent developments demonstrate that perovskite exhibits ambipolar semiconducting characteristics, which allows for the construction of planar heterojunction (PHJ perovskite solar cells. PHJ perovskite solar cells can avoid the use of high-temperature sintered mesoporous metal oxides, enabling simple processing and the fabrication of flexible and tandem perovskite solar cells. In planar heterojunction materials, hole/electron transport layers are introduced between a perovskite film and the anode/cathode. The hole and electron transporting layers are expected to enhance exciton separation, charge transportation and collection. Further, the supporting layer for the perovskite film not only plays an important role in energy-level alignment, but also affects perovskite film morphology, which have a great effect on device performance. In addition, interfacial layers also affect device stability. In this review, recent progress in interfacial engineering for PHJ perovskite solar cells will be reviewed, especially with the molecular interfacial materials. The supporting interfacial layers for the optimization of perovskite films will be systematically reviewed. Finally, the challenges remaining in perovskite solar cells research will be discussed.

Nanostructured thin films and coatings mechanical properties

CERN Document Server

2010-01-01

The first volume in "The Handbook of Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings" set, this book concentrates on the mechanical properties, such as hardness, toughness, and adhesion, of thin films and coatings. It discusses processing, properties, and performance and provides a detailed analysis of theories and size effects. The book presents the fundamentals of hard and superhard nanocomposites and heterostructures, assesses fracture toughness and interfacial adhesion strength of thin films and hard nanocomposite coatings, and covers the processing and mechanical properties of hybrid sol-gel-derived nanocomposite coatings. It also uses nanomechanics to optimize coatings for cutting tools and explores various other coatings, such as diamond, metal-containing amorphous carbon nanostructured, and transition metal nitride-based nanolayered multilayer coatings.

Charge Separation at Mixed-Dimensional Single and Multilayer MoS2/Silicon Nanowire Heterojunctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Henning, Alex; Sangwan, Vinod K; Bergeron, Hadallia; Balla, Itamar; Sun, Zhiyuan; Hersam, Mark C; Lauhon, Lincoln J

2018-05-16

Layered two-dimensional (2-D) semiconductors can be combined with other low-dimensional semiconductors to form nonplanar mixed-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions whose charge transport behavior is influenced by the heterojunction geometry, providing a new degree of freedom to engineer device functions. Toward that end, we investigated the photoresponse of Si nanowire/MoS 2 heterojunction diodes with scanning photocurrent microscopy and time-resolved photocurrent measurements. Comparison of n-Si/MoS 2 isotype heterojunctions with p-Si/MoS 2 heterojunction diodes under varying biases shows that the depletion region in the p-n heterojunction promotes exciton dissociation and carrier collection. We measure an instrument-limited response time of 1 μs, which is 10 times faster than the previously reported response times for planar Si/MoS 2 devices, highlighting the advantages of the 1-D/2-D heterojunction. Finite element simulations of device models provide a detailed understanding of how the electrostatics affect charge transport in nanowire/vdW heterojunctions and inform the design of future vdW heterojunction photodetectors and transistors.

Nanostructures of Boron, Carbon and Magnesium Diboride for High Temperature Superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pfefferle, Lisa [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Fang, Fang [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Iyyamperumal, Eswarmoorthi [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Keskar, Gayatri [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)

2013-12-23

Direct fabrication of MgxBy nanostructures is achieved by employing metal (Ni,Mg) incorporated MCM-41 in the Hybrid Physical-Chemical Vapor Deposition (HPCVD) reaction. Different reaction conditions are tested to optimize the fabrication process. TEM analysis shows the fabrication of MgxBy nanostructures starting at the reaction temperature of 600oC, with the yield of the nanostructures increasing with increasing reaction temperature. The as-synthesized MgxBy nanostructures have the diameters in the range of 3-5nm, which do not increase with the reaction temperature consistent with templated synthesis. EELS analysis of the template removed nanostructures confirms the existence of B and Mg with possible contamination of Si and O. NEXAFS and Raman spectroscopy analysis suggested a concentric layer-by-layer MgxBy nanowire/nanotube growth model for our as-synthesized nanostructures. Ni k-edge XAS indicates that the formation of MgNi alloy particles is important for the Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) growth of MgxBy nanostructures with fine diameters, and the presence of Mg vapor not just Mg in the catalyst is crucial for the formation of Ni-Mg clusters. Physical templating by the MCM-41 pores was shown to confine the diameter of the nanostructures. DC magnetization measurements indicate possible superconductive behaviors in the as-synthesized samples.

Determination of band offsets at strained NiO and MgO heterojunction for MgO as an interlayer in heterojunction light emitting diode applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, S.D., E-mail: devsh@rrcat.gov.in [Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452013 (India); Nand, Mangla [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400085 (India); Ajimsha, R.S.; Upadhyay, Anuj; Kamparath, Rajiv; Mukherjee, C.; Misra, P.; Sinha, A.K. [Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452013 (India); Jha, S.N. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400085 (India); Ganguli, Tapas [Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452013 (India)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Valence band offset at NiO/MgO heterojunction is experimentally determined. • Experimentally determined value of 2.3 ± 0.4 eV is significantly larger than the predicted from theoretical calculations. • The value of valence band offset is in corroboration with that estimated from the band transitivity model. • Our result can be used to predict accurately carrier transport and electroluminescence mechanisms for heterojunction LEDs. - Abstract: Valence band offset of 2.3 ± 0.4 eV at strained NiO/MgO heterojunction is determined from photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) measurements. The determined value of valence band offset is larger than that is predicted from first principle calculations, but is in corroboration with that obtained from band transitivity rule. Our PES result indicates a larger value of the valence band offset at strained NiO/MgO heterojunction and can be used to predict accurately carrier transport and electroluminescence mechanisms for n-ZnO/MgO/p-NiO and p-NiO/MgO/n-GaN heterojunction light emitting diodes.

An Optical Sensor with Polyaniline-Gold Hybrid Nanostructures for Monitoring pH in Saliva

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chongdai Luo

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Saliva contains important personal physiological information that is related to some diseases, and it is a valuable source of biochemical information that can be collected rapidly, frequently, and without stress. In this article, we reported a new and simple localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR substrate composed of polyaniline (PANI-gold hybrid nanostructures as an optical sensor for monitoring the pH of saliva samples. The overall appearance and topography of the substrates, the composition, and the wettability of the LSPR surfaces were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscope (SEM images, infrared spectra, and contact angles measurement, respectively. The PANI-gold hybrid substrate readily responded to the pH. The response time was very short, which was 3.5 s when the pH switched from 2 to 7, and 4.5 s from 7 to 2. The changes of visible-near-infrared (NIR spectra of this sensor upon varying pH in solution showed that—for the absorption at given wavelengths of 665 nm and 785 nm—the sensitivities were 0.0299 a.u./pH (a.u. = arbitrary unit with a linear range of pH = 5–8 and 0.0234 a.u./pH with linear range of pH = 2–8, respectively. By using this new sensor, the pH of a real saliva sample was monitored and was consistent with the parallel measurements with a standard laboratory method. The results suggest that this novel LSPR sensor shows great potential in the field of mobile healthcare and home medical devices, and could also be modified by different sensitive materials to detect various molecules or ions in the future.

An Optical Sensor with Polyaniline-Gold Hybrid Nanostructures for Monitoring pH in Saliva.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Chongdai; Wang, Yangyang; Li, Xuemeng; Jiang, Xueqin; Gao, Panpan; Sun, Kang; Zhou, Jianhua; Zhang, Zhiguang; Jiang, Qing

2017-03-17

Saliva contains important personal physiological information that is related to some diseases, and it is a valuable source of biochemical information that can be collected rapidly, frequently, and without stress. In this article, we reported a new and simple localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) substrate composed of polyaniline (PANI)-gold hybrid nanostructures as an optical sensor for monitoring the pH of saliva samples. The overall appearance and topography of the substrates, the composition, and the wettability of the LSPR surfaces were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, infrared spectra, and contact angles measurement, respectively. The PANI-gold hybrid substrate readily responded to the pH. The response time was very short, which was 3.5 s when the pH switched from 2 to 7, and 4.5 s from 7 to 2. The changes of visible-near-infrared (NIR) spectra of this sensor upon varying pH in solution showed that-for the absorption at given wavelengths of 665 nm and 785 nm-the sensitivities were 0.0299 a.u./pH (a.u. = arbitrary unit) with a linear range of pH = 5-8 and 0.0234 a.u./pH with linear range of pH = 2-8, respectively. By using this new sensor, the pH of a real saliva sample was monitored and was consistent with the parallel measurements with a standard laboratory method. The results suggest that this novel LSPR sensor shows great potential in the field of mobile healthcare and home medical devices, and could also be modified by different sensitive materials to detect various molecules or ions in the future.

Colloidal nanocrystal ZnO- and TiO2-modified electrodes sensitized with chlorophyll a and carotenoids: a photoelectrochemical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrella, Andrea; Cosma, Pinalysa; Lucia Curri, M.; Rochira, Sergio; Agostiano, Angela

2011-01-01

Heterostructures formed of films of organic-capped ZnO and TiO 2 nanocrystals (both with the size of ca. 6 nm) and photosynthetic pigments were prepared and characterized. The surface of optically transparent electrodes (Indium Tin Oxide) was modified with nanocrystals and prepared by colloidal synthetic routes. The nanostructured electrodes were sensitized by a mixture of chlorophyll a and carotenoids. The characterization of the hybrid structures, carried out by means of steady-state optical measurements, demonstrated such class of dyes able to extend the photoresponse of the large band-gap semiconductors. The charge-transfer processes between the components of the heterojunction were investigated, and photoelectrochemical measurements taken on the sensitized ZnO and TiO 2 nanocrystals electrodes elucidated the photoactivity of the heterojunctions as a function of the dyes and of the red–ox mediator used in solution. The effect of methyl viologen as different red–ox mediator was also evaluated in order to show its effect on the heterojunction photoactivity. The overall results contributed to describe the photoelectrochemical potential of the investigated heterojunctions, highlighting a higher response of the dye-sensitized ZnO nanocrystals, and then provided the TiO 2 -modified counterparts.

Organic semiconductor heterojunctions and its application in organic light-emitting diodes

CERN Document Server

Ma, Dongge

2017-01-01

This book systematically introduces the most important aspects of organic semiconductor heterojunctions, including the basic concepts and electrical properties. It comprehensively discusses the application of organic semiconductor heterojunctions as charge injectors and charge generation layers in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Semiconductor heterojunctions are the basis for constructing high-performance optoelectronic devices. In recent decades, organic semiconductors have been increasingly used to fabricate heterojunction devices, especially in OLEDs, and the subject has attracted a great deal of attention and evoked many new phenomena and interpretations in the field. This important application is based on the low dielectric constant of organic semiconductors and the weak non-covalent electronic interactions between them, which means that they easily form accumulation heterojunctions. As we know, the accumulation-type space charge region is highly conductive, which is an important property for high...

Lead Acetate Based Hybrid Perovskite Through Hot Casting for Planar Heterojunction Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Gwang Su; Choi, Won-Gyu; Na, Sungjae; Gökdemir, Fatma Pinar; Moon, Taeho

2018-03-01

Flawless coverage of a perovskite layer is essential in order to achieve realistic high-performance planar heterojunction solar cells. We present that high-quality perovskite layers can be efficiently formed by a novel hot casting route combined with MAI (CH3NH3I) and non-halide lead acetate (PbAc2) precursors under ambient atmosphere. Casting temperature is controlled to produce various perovskite microstructures and the resulted crystalline layers are found to be comprised of closely packed islands with a smooth surface structure. Lead acetate employed perovskite solar cells are fabricated using PEDOT:PSS and PCBM charge transporting layers, in p- i- n type planar architecture. Especially, the outstanding open-circuit voltage demonstrates the high crystallinity and dense coverage of the produced perovskite layers by this facile route.

Multi-channel unidirectional transmission of phononic crystal heterojunctions

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhenlong; Tong, Jie; Wu, Fugen

2018-02-01

Two square steel columns are arranged in air to form two-dimensional square lattice phononic crystals (PNCs). Two PNCs can be combined into a non-orthogonal 45∘ heterojunction when the difference in the directional band gaps of the two PNC types is utilized. The finite element method is used to calculate the acoustic band structure, the heterogeneous junction transmission characteristics, acoustic field distribution, and many others. Results show that a non-orthogonal PNC heterojunction can produce a multi-channel unidirectional transmission of acoustic waves. With the square scatterer rotated, the heterojunction can select a frequency band for unidirectional transmission performance. This capability is particularly useful for constructing acoustic diodes with wide-bands and high-efficiency unidirectional transmission characteristics.

Synthesis and Characterization of Ag-Ag2O/TiO2@polypyrrole Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajeev Kumar

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Hybrid multi-functional nanomaterials comprising two or more disparate materials have become a powerful approach to obtain advanced materials for environmental remediation applications. In this work, an Ag-Ag2O/TiO2@polypyrrole (Ag/TiO2@PPy heterojunction has been synthesized by assembling a self-stabilized Ag-Ag2O (p type semiconductor (denoted as Ag and polypyrrole (π-conjugated polymer on the surface of rutile TiO2 (n type. Ag/TiO2@PPy was synthesized through simultaneous oxidation of pyrrole monomers and reduction of AgNO3 in an aqueous solution containing well-dispersed TiO2 particles. Thus synthesized Ag/TiO2@PPy was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DSR. The photocatalytic activity of synthesized heterojunction was investigated for the decomposition of methylene blue (MB dye under UV and visible light irradiation. The results revealed that π-conjugated p-n heterojunction formed in the case of Ag/TiO2@PPy significantly enhanced the photodecomposition of MB compared to the p-n type Ag/TiO2 and TiO2@PPy (n-π heterojunctions. A synergistic effect between Ag-Ag2O and PPy leads to higher photostability and a better electron/hole separation leads to an enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag/TiO2@PPy under both UV and visible light irradiations.

Nanostructured sol-gel coatings doped with cerium nitrate as pre-treatments for AA2024-T3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheludkevich, M.L.; Serra, R.; Montemor, M.F.; Yasakau, K.A.; Salvado, I.M. Miranda; Ferreira, M.G.S.

2005-01-01

Nanostructured hybrid sol-gel coatings doped with cerium ions were investigated in the present work as pre-treatments for the AA2024-T3 alloy. The sol-gel films have been synthesized from tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) precursors. Additionally the hybrid sol was doped with zirconia nanoparticles prepared from hydrolyzed tetra-n-propoxyzirconium (TPOZ). Cerium nitrate, as corrosion inhibitor, was added into the hybrid matrix or into the oxide nanoparticles. The chemical composition and the structure of the hybrid sol-gel films were studied by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and AFM (atomic force microscopy), respectively. The evolution of the corrosion protection properties of the sol-gel films was studied by EIS (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy), which can provide quantitative information on the role of the different pre-treatments. Different equivalent circuits, for different stages of the corrosion processes, were used in order to model the coating degradation. The models were supported by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) measurements. The results show that the sol-gel films containing zirconia nanoparticles present improved barrier properties. Doping the hybrid nanostructured sol-gel coatings with cerium nitrate leads to additional improvement of the corrosion protection. The zirconia particles present in the sol-gel matrix seem to act as nanoreservoirs providing a prolonged release of cerium ions. The nanostructured sol-gel films doped with cerium nitrate can be proposed as a potential candidate for substitution of the chromate pre-treatments for AA2024-T3

Controllable synthesis and field emission enhancement of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} coated In{sub 2}O{sub 3} core-shell nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Yang; Li Yawei; Yu Ke; Zhu Ziqiang, E-mail: yk5188@263.net [Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices (Ministry of Education of China), Department of Electronic Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241 (China)

2011-03-16

Four types of indium oxide (In{sub 2}O{sub 3}) nanostructures were synthesized on Au-catalysed silicon substrate via a VLS method. A rod-like In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructure was chosen to fabricate In{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} core-shell nanostructures with different shell thicknesses via a two-step method. Core-shell nanostructures with shell thickness of 30 nm are reprocessed by annealing and H{sub 2} plasma treating. Field emission (FE) properties of all the samples were measured and compared. It is found that Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} coatings remarkably decrease the effective work function and improve the FE capabilities of In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructures (turn-on field decreases from 1.34 to 1.26 V {mu}m{sup -1}, threshold field decreases from 3.60 to 2.64 V {mu}m{sup -1}). Annealing and H{sub 2} plasma treating can promote the improvement even further (turn-on field 1.23 V {mu}m{sup -1}, 1.21 V {mu}m{sup -1} and threshold field 2.50 V {mu}m{sup -1}, 2.14 V {mu}m{sup -1}, respectively). The FE enhancement is attributed to the electron accumulation in the insulating Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructure and the electron redistribution at the heterojunction.

Formation of different gold nanostructures by silk nanofibrils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Guangqiang; Yang, Yuhong; Yao, Jinrong; Shao, Zhengzhong; Chen, Xin

2016-01-01

Metal nanostructures that have unique size- and shape-dependent electronic, optical and chemical properties gain more and more attention in modern science and technology. In this article, we show the possibility that we are able to obtain different gold nanostructures simply with the help of silk nanofibrils. We demonstrate that only by varying the pH of the reaction solution, we get gold nanoparticles, nano-icosahedrons, nanocubes, and even microplates. Particularly, we develop a practical method for the preparation of gold microplates in acid condition in the presence of silk nanofibrils, which is impossible by using other forms of silk protein. We attribute the role of silk nanofibrils in the formation of gold nanostructure to their reduction ability from several specific amino acid residues, and the suitable structural anisotropic features to sustain the crystal growth after the reduction process. Although the main purpose of this article is to demonstrate that silk nanofibrils are able to mediate the formation of different gold nanostructure, we show the potential applications of these resulting gold nanostructures, such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and photothermal transformation effect, as same as those produced by other methods. In conclusion, we present in this communication a facile and green synthesis route to prepare various gold nanostructures with silk nanofibrils by simply varying pH in the reaction system, which has remarkable advantages in future biomedical applications. - Highlights: • Different Au nanostructures can be obtained by a facile and green protein reduction method. • Silk nanofibrils serve as both reductant and template in the formation of Au nanostructures. • Different Au nanostructures can be obtained simply by regulating the pH in the medium. • Large Au microplates can be obtained with a cheap, abundant, sustainable silk protein. • Silk/Au hybrid nanocomposites show potential application in SERS and

Formation of different gold nanostructures by silk nanofibrils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Guangqiang [State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Collaborative Innovation Center of Polymers and Polymer Composite Materials, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 (China); Yang, Yuhong [Research Centre for Analysis and Measurement, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Yao, Jinrong; Shao, Zhengzhong [State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Collaborative Innovation Center of Polymers and Polymer Composite Materials, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 (China); Chen, Xin, E-mail: chenx@fudan.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Collaborative Innovation Center of Polymers and Polymer Composite Materials, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 (China)

2016-07-01

Metal nanostructures that have unique size- and shape-dependent electronic, optical and chemical properties gain more and more attention in modern science and technology. In this article, we show the possibility that we are able to obtain different gold nanostructures simply with the help of silk nanofibrils. We demonstrate that only by varying the pH of the reaction solution, we get gold nanoparticles, nano-icosahedrons, nanocubes, and even microplates. Particularly, we develop a practical method for the preparation of gold microplates in acid condition in the presence of silk nanofibrils, which is impossible by using other forms of silk protein. We attribute the role of silk nanofibrils in the formation of gold nanostructure to their reduction ability from several specific amino acid residues, and the suitable structural anisotropic features to sustain the crystal growth after the reduction process. Although the main purpose of this article is to demonstrate that silk nanofibrils are able to mediate the formation of different gold nanostructure, we show the potential applications of these resulting gold nanostructures, such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and photothermal transformation effect, as same as those produced by other methods. In conclusion, we present in this communication a facile and green synthesis route to prepare various gold nanostructures with silk nanofibrils by simply varying pH in the reaction system, which has remarkable advantages in future biomedical applications. - Highlights: • Different Au nanostructures can be obtained by a facile and green protein reduction method. • Silk nanofibrils serve as both reductant and template in the formation of Au nanostructures. • Different Au nanostructures can be obtained simply by regulating the pH in the medium. • Large Au microplates can be obtained with a cheap, abundant, sustainable silk protein. • Silk/Au hybrid nanocomposites show potential application in SERS and

From carbon nanostructures to high-performance sorbents for chromatographic separation and preconcentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Postnov, V N; Rodinkov, O V; Moskvin, L N; Novikov, A G; Bugaichenko, A S; Krokhina, O A

2016-01-01

Information on carbon nanostructures (fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene, nanodiamond and nanodispersed active carbon) used to develop high-performance sorbents of organics and heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions is collected and analyzed. The advantages in the synthesis of hybrid carbon nanostructures and the possibilities of surface modification of these systems in order to carry out fast sorption pre-concentration are considered. Prospects for application of these materials in sorption technologies and analytical chemistry are discussed. The bibliography includes 364 references

Block copolymer-nanoparticle hybrid self-assembly

KAUST Repository

Hoheisel, Tobias N.; Hur, Kahyun; Wiesner, Ulrich B.

2015-01-01

© 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Polymer-inorganic hybrid materials provide exciting opportunities as they may display favorable properties from both constituents that are desired in applications including catalysis and energy conversion and storage. For the preparation of hybrid materials with well-defined morphologies, block copolymer-directed nanoparticle hybrids present a particularly promising approach. As will be described in this review, once the fundamental characteristics for successful nanostructure formation at or close to the thermodynamic equilibrium of these nanocomposites are identified, the approach can be generalized to various materials classes. In addition to the discussion of recent materials developments based on the use of AB diblock copolymers as well as ABC triblock terpolymers, this review will therefore emphasize progress in the fundamental understanding of the underlying formation mechanisms of such hybrid materials. To this end, critical experiments for, as well as theoretical progress in the description of these nanostructured block copolymer-based hybrid materials will be discussed. Rather than providing a comprehensive overview, the review will emphasize work by the Wiesner group at Cornell University, US, on block copolymer-directed nanoparticle assemblies as well as their use in first potential application areas. The results provide powerful design criteria for wet-chemical synthesis methodologies for the generation of functional nanomaterials for applications ranging from microelectronics to catalysis to energy conversion and storage.

A self-powered nano-photodetector based on PFH/ZnO nanorods organic/inorganic heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaoyun; Liu, Wei; Li, Peigang; Song, Jia; An, Yuehua; Shen, Jingqin; Wang, Shunli; Guo, Daoyou

2018-03-01

PFH/ZnO nanorods heterojunctions were fabricated by spin-coating p-type Poly (9,9-dihexylfluorene) (PFH) on n-type vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays grown by a facile hydrothermal method on indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent conductive glass. A typical p-n junction behavior was observed in the fabricated heterojunction. The current of heterojunction increases and decreases dramatically by switching the illumination on and off at zero bias, showing potential self-powered photodetector applications. The heterojunction were capable of generating negative current when illuminated under an appropriate wavelength. The photoresponse properties of the heterojunction can be tuned by the applied bias. In vacuum, the rectifying behavior disappeared, and show only simple semiconductor behavior. Band structure of the heterojunction was schematic drawn and explain the mechanism of the properties of PFH/ZnO nanorods heterojunctions.

A self-powered nano-photodetector based on PFH/ZnO nanorods organic/inorganic heterojunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyun Li

2018-03-01

Full Text Available PFH/ZnO nanorods heterojunctions were fabricated by spin-coating p-type Poly (9,9-dihexylfluorene (PFH on n-type vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays grown by a facile hydrothermal method on indium tin oxide (ITO transparent conductive glass. A typical p-n junction behavior was observed in the fabricated heterojunction. The current of heterojunction increases and decreases dramatically by switching the illumination on and off at zero bias, showing potential self-powered photodetector applications. The heterojunction were capable of generating negative current when illuminated under an appropriate wavelength. The photoresponse properties of the heterojunction can be tuned by the applied bias. In vacuum, the rectifying behavior disappeared, and show only simple semiconductor behavior. Band structure of the heterojunction was schematic drawn and explain the mechanism of the properties of PFH/ZnO nanorods heterojunctions.

Magneto-optical response of Cu/NiFe/Cu nanostructure under surface plasmon resonance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahmoodi, S. [Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Kashan, Kashan, 87317 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Moradi, M., E-mail: m.moradi@kashanu.ac.ir [Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Kashan, Kashan, 87317 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mohseni, S.M. [Department of Physics, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran, 19839 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-12-15

In this paper, we present theoretical and experimental studies about the surface plasmon resonance effects on the magneto-optical activity of Cu/NiFe/Cu nanostructures as a function of layers thickness and light incident angle. Device fabrication was done by an oblique deposition technique with RF magnetron sputtering to carefully cover fine step thickness variation of all constituted layers. Angular dependent transverse Kerr response of samples was measured in the Kretschmann configuration at a fixed wavelength of 632 nm. At an optimum layer thickness and incident angle, significant amplification of the transverse Kerr effect was observed. Enhancement in the transverse Kerr effect can be realized by hybridization of surface plasmon excitation and cavity resonance in the plasmonic nanostructure. Experimental results were in qualitative agreement with modeling based on the 4×4 transfer matrix formalism. - Highlights: • Large magneto-optical response in Cu/NiFe/Cu multilayer nanostructure is achieved. • Layer thickness and sequence are studied to find large transverse Kerr signal. • Hybridization of surface plasmon excitation and cavity resonance were done.

Hybrid perovskites: Approaches towards light-emitting devices

KAUST Repository

Alias, Mohd Sharizal

2016-10-06

The high optical gain and absorption of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have attracted extensive research for photonic device applications. Using the bromide halide as an example, we present key approaches of our work towards realizing efficient perovskites based light-emitters. The approaches involved determination of optical constants for the hybrid perovskites thin films, fabrication of photonic nanostructures in the form of subwavelength grating reflector patterned directly on the hybrid perovskites as light manipulation layer, and enhancing the emission property of the hybrid perovskites by using microcavity structure. Our results provide a platform for realization of hybrid perovskites based light-emitting devices for solid-state lighting and display applications. © 2016 IEEE.

Hybrid perovskites: Approaches towards light-emitting devices

KAUST Repository

Alias, Mohd Sharizal; Dursun, Ibrahim; Priante, Davide; Saidaminov, Makhsud I.; Ng, Tien Khee; Bakr, Osman; Ooi, Boon S.

2016-01-01

The high optical gain and absorption of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have attracted extensive research for photonic device applications. Using the bromide halide as an example, we present key approaches of our work towards realizing efficient perovskites based light-emitters. The approaches involved determination of optical constants for the hybrid perovskites thin films, fabrication of photonic nanostructures in the form of subwavelength grating reflector patterned directly on the hybrid perovskites as light manipulation layer, and enhancing the emission property of the hybrid perovskites by using microcavity structure. Our results provide a platform for realization of hybrid perovskites based light-emitting devices for solid-state lighting and display applications. © 2016 IEEE.

Crystallization of a self-assembled three-dimensional DNA nanostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rendek, Kimberly N.; Fromme, Raimund; Grotjohann, Ingo; Fromme, Petra

2013-01-01

In this work, the crystallization of a self-assembling three-dimensional B-DNA nanostructure is described. The powerful and specific molecular-recognition system present in the base-pairing of DNA allows for the design of a plethora of nanostructures. In this work, the crystallization of a self-assembling three-dimensional B-DNA nanostructure is described. The DNA nanostructure consists of six single-stranded oligonucleotides that hybridize to form a three-dimensional tetrahedron of 80 kDa in molecular mass and 20 bp on each edge. Crystals of the tetrahedron have been successfully produced and characterized. These crystals may form the basis for an X-ray structure of the tetrahedron in the future. Nucleotide crystallography poses many challenges, leading to the fact that only 1352 X-ray structures of nucleic acids have been solved compared with more than 80 000 protein structures. In this work, the crystallization optimization for three-dimensional tetrahedra is also described, with the eventual goal of producing nanocrystals to overcome the radiation-damage obstacle by the use of free-electron laser technology in the future

Nanodiamond-based nanostructures for coupling nitrogen-vacancy centres to metal nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Jianxiao; Steinsultz, Nat; Ouyang, Min

2016-06-08

The ability to control the interaction between nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond and photonic and/or broadband plasmonic nanostructures is crucial for the development of solid-state quantum devices with optimum performance. However, existing methods typically employ top-down fabrication, which restrict scalable and feasible manipulation of nitrogen-vacancy centres. Here, we develop a general bottom-up approach to fabricate an emerging class of freestanding nanodiamond-based hybrid nanostructures with external functional units of either plasmonic nanoparticles or excitonic quantum dots. Precise control of the structural parameters (including size, composition, coverage and spacing of the external functional units) is achieved, representing a pre-requisite for exploring the underlying physics. Fine tuning of the emission characteristics through structural regulation is demonstrated by performing single-particle optical studies. This study opens a rich toolbox to tailor properties of quantum emitters, which can facilitate design guidelines for devices based on nitrogen-vacancy centres that use these freestanding hybrid nanostructures as building blocks.

Effect of Rashba and Dresselhaus Spin-Orbit Couplings on Electron Spin Polarization in a Hybrid Magnetic-Electric Barrier Nanostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shi-Peng; Lu, Mao-Wang; Huang, Xin-Hong; Tang, Qiang; Zhou, Yong-Long

2017-04-01

A theoretical study has been carried out on the spin-dependent electron transport in a hybrid magnetic-electric barrier nanostructure with both Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings, which can be experimentally realized by depositing a ferromagnetic strip and a Schottky metal strip on top of a semiconductor heterostructure. The spin-orbit coupling-dependent transmission coefficient, conductance, and spin polarization are calculated by solving the Schrödinger equation exactly with the help of the transfer-matrix method. We find that both the magnitude and sign of the electron spin polarization vary strongly with the spin-orbit coupling strength. Thus, the degree of electron spin polarization can be manipulated by properly adjusting the spin-orbit coupling strength, and such a nanosystem can be employed as a controllable spin filter for spintronics applications.

Orientation dependent band alignment for p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, M. J.; Lu, B.; Zhou, T. T.; Ye, Z. Z.; Lu, J. G.; Pan, X. H.

2013-01-01

Nonpolor a-plane and polar c-plane ZnO thin films were prepared on r-plane sapphire and quartz substrates, respectively. The electronic structure of the interface between subsequently fabricated NiO/ZnO heterojunctions has been investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and the band offsets are determined together with information yielded from UV-vis transition spectra. It is found that a type-II band alignment forms at the interface for both the samples. The revealed ZnO-orientation dependent band offsets are analyzed and are attributed mainly due to the variations in internal electric field arose from spontaneous polarization effect. The accurate determination of the band alignment is important for the design and application of NiO/ZnO based hybrid devices.

Orientation dependent band alignment for p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma, M. J.; Lu, B.; Zhou, T. T.; Ye, Z. Z.; Lu, J. G.; Pan, X. H. [State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Cyrus Tang Center for Sensor Materials and Applications, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)

2013-04-28

Nonpolor a-plane and polar c-plane ZnO thin films were prepared on r-plane sapphire and quartz substrates, respectively. The electronic structure of the interface between subsequently fabricated NiO/ZnO heterojunctions has been investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and the band offsets are determined together with information yielded from UV-vis transition spectra. It is found that a type-II band alignment forms at the interface for both the samples. The revealed ZnO-orientation dependent band offsets are analyzed and are attributed mainly due to the variations in internal electric field arose from spontaneous polarization effect. The accurate determination of the band alignment is important for the design and application of NiO/ZnO based hybrid devices.

Electro-optical modeling of bulk heterojunction solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kirchartz, Thomas; Pieters, Bart E.; Taretto, Kurt; Rau, Uwe

2008-11-01

We introduce a model for charge separation in bulk heterojunction solar cells that combines exciton transport to the interface between donor and acceptor phases with the dissociation of the bound electron/hole pair. We implement this model into a standard semiconductor device simulator, thereby creating a convenient method to simulate the optical and electrical characteristics of a bulk heterojunction solar cell with a commercially available program. By taking into account different collection probabilities for the excitons in the polymer and the fullerene, we are able to reproduce absorptance, internal and external quantum efficiency, as well as current/voltage curves of bulk heterojunction solar cells. We further investigate the influence of mobilities of the free excitons as well as the mobilities of the free charge carriers on the performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells. We find that, in general, the highest efficiencies are achieved with the highest mobilities. However, an optimum finite mobility of free charge carriers can result from a large recombination velocity at the contacts. In contrast, Langevin-type of recombination cannot lead to finite optimum mobilities even though this mechanism has a strong dependence on the free carrier mobilities.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in bimetallic nanostructure-enhanced methylammonium lead bromide perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Zarick, Holly F; Boulesbaa, Abdelaziz; Puretzky, Alexander A; Talbert, Eric M; DeBra, Zachary R; Soetan, Naiya; Geohegan, David B; Bardhan, Rizia

2017-01-26

In this work, we examine the impact of hybrid bimetallic Au/Ag core/shell nanostructures on the carrier dynamics of methylammonium lead tribromide (MAPbBr 3 ) mesoporous perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Plasmon-enhanced PSCs incorporated with Au/Ag nanostructures demonstrated improved light harvesting and increased power conversion efficiency by 26% relative to reference devices. Two complementary spectral techniques, transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) and time-resolved photoluminescence (trPL), were employed to gain a mechanistic understanding of plasmonic enhancement processes. TAS revealed a decrease in the photobleach formation time, which suggests that the nanostructures improve hot carrier thermalization to an equilibrium distribution, relieving hot phonon bottleneck in MAPbBr 3 perovskites. TAS also showed a decrease in carrier decay lifetimes, indicating that nanostructures enhance photoinduced carrier generation and promote efficient electron injection into TiO 2 prior to bulk recombination. Furthermore, nanostructure-incorporated perovskite films demonstrated quenching in steady-state PL and decreases in trPL carrier lifetimes, providing further evidence of improved carrier injection in plasmon-enhanced mesoporous PSCs.

Large-scale one-dimensional Bi x O y I z nanostructures: synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chaohong; Zhang, Dun

2015-03-01

The performances of Bi x O y I z photofunctional materials are very sensitive to their composition and microstructures; however, the morphology evolution and crystallization process of one-dimensional Bi x O y I z nanostructures, the roles of experimental factors, and related reaction mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this work, large-scale one-dimensional Bi x O y I z nanostructures were fabricated using simple inorganic iodine source. By combing the results of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, the effect of volume ratios of water and ethanol, concentration of NaOH, and reaction time on the morphologies and crystal phases of Bi x O y I z were elaborated. On the basis of characterizations, a possible process for the growth of Bi5O7I nanobelts was proposed. The optical performances of Bi x O y I z nanostructures were evaluated by ultraviolet-visible-near infrared diffuse reflectance spectra as well as photocatalytic degradation of organic dye and corrosive bacteria. The as-prepared Bi5O7I/Bi2O2CO3/BiOI composite showed excellent photocatalytic activity over malachite green under visible light irradiation, which was deduced closely related to its heterojunction structures.

Functionalization of Planet-Satellite Nanostructures Revealed by Nanoscopic Localization of Distinct Macromolecular Species

KAUST Repository

Rossner, Christian; Roddatis, Vladimir; Lopatin, Sergei; Vana, Philipp

2016-01-01

The development of a straightforward method is reported to form hybrid polymer/gold planet-satellite nanostructures (PlSNs) with functional polymer. Polyacrylate type polymer with benzyl chloride in its backbone as a macromolecular tracer

On-chip surface modified nanostructured ZnO as functional pH sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Qing; Liu, Wenpeng; Sun, Chongling; Zhang, Hao; Pang, Wei; Zhang, Daihua; Duan, Xuexin

2015-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are promising candidates as electronic components for biological and chemical applications. In this study, ZnO ultra-fine nanowire (NW) and nanoflake (NF) hybrid structures have been prepared by Au-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) under ambient pressure. Their surface morphology, lattice structures, and crystal orientation were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two types of ZnO nanostructures were successfully integrated as gate electrodes in extended-gate field-effect transistors (EGFETs). Due to the amphoteric properties of ZnO, such devices function as pH sensors. We found that the ultra-fine NWs, which were more than 50 μm in length and less than 100 nm in diameter, performed better in the pH sensing process than NW–NF hybrid structures because of their higher surface-to-volume ratio, considering the Nernst equation and the Gouy–Chapman–Stern model. Furthermore, the surface coating of (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) protects ZnO nanostructures in both acidic and alkaline environments, thus enhancing the device stability and extending its pH sensing dynamic range. (paper)

Microwave-assisted synthesis of C-doped TiO2 and ZnO hybrid nanostructured materials as quantum-dots sensitized solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Rangel-Mendez, Jose R.; Matos, Juan; Cházaro-Ruiz, Luis F.; González-Castillo, Ana C.; Barrios-Yáñez, Guillermo

2018-03-01

The microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis of C-doped TiO2 and ZnO hybrid materials was performed. Saccharose, titanium isopropoxide and zinc acetate were used as organic and inorganic sources for the synthesis. The influence of temperature and reaction time on the textural and optoelectronic properties of the hybrid materials was verified. Carbon quantum-dots of TiO2 and ZnO nanostructured spheres were obtained in a second pot by controlled calcination steps of the precursor hybrid materials. A carefully characterization by adsorption-desorption N2 isotherms, XRD, XPS, SEM, UV-vis/DR and electro- and photo-electrochemistry properties of the carbon quantum-dots TiO2 and ZnO spheres was performed. The photoelectrochemical activity of TiO2-C and ZnO-C films proved to be dependent on the conditions of synthesis. It was found a red-shift in the energy band gap of the semiconductors with values of 3.02 eV and 3.13 eV for the TiO2-C and ZnO-C, respectively, clearly lower than those on bare semiconductors, which is associated with the C-doping effect. From the photo-electrochemistry characterization of C-doped TiO2 and ZnO films can be concluded that the present materials have potential applications as photoelectrodes for quantum-dots sensitized solar cells.

Directed assembly of hybrid nanostructures using optically resonant nanotweezers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erickson, David [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

2015-09-09

This represents the final report for this project. Over the course of the project we have made significant progress in photonically driven nano-assembly including: (1) demonstrating the first direct optical tweezer based manipulation of proteins, (2) the ability to apply optical angular torques to microtubuals and other rod-shaped microparticles, (3) direct assembly of hybrid nanostructures comprising of polymeric nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes and, (4) the ability to drive biological reactions (specifically protein aggregation) that are thermodynamically unfavorable by applying localized optical work. These advancements are described in the list of papers provided in section 2.0 of the below. Summary details are provided in prior year annual reports. We have two additional papers which will be submitted shortly based on the work done under this award. An updated publication list will be provided to the program manager when those are accepted. In this report, we report on a new advancement made in the final project year, which uses the nanotweezer technology to perform direct measurements of particle-surface interactions. Briefly, these measurements are important for characterizing the stability and behavior of colloidal and nanoparticle suspensions and current techniques are limited in their ability to measure piconewton scale interaction forces on sub-micrometer particles due to signal detection limits and thermal noise. In this project year we developed a new technique called “Nanophotonic Force Microscopy” which uses the localized region of exponentially decaying, near-field, light to confine small particles close to a surface. From the statistical distribution of the light intensity scattered by the particle the technique maps out the potential well of the trap and directly quantify the repulsive force between the nanoparticle and the surface. The major advantage of the technique is that it can measure forces and energy wells below the thermal noise

Enhancement of the photovoltaic performance in P3HT: PbS hybrid solar cells using small size PbS quantum dots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Firdaus, Yuliar; Van der Auweraer, Mark, E-mail: mark.vanderauweraer@chem.kuleuven.be [Laboratory of Photochemistry and Spectroscopy, Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Chemistry Department, KULeuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 2404, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Vandenplas, Erwin; Gehlhaar, Robert; Cheyns, David [Imec vzw, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Justo, Yolanda; Hens, Zeger [Physical Chemistry Laboratory, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S3, 9000 Gent (Belgium)

2014-09-07

Different approaches of surface modification of the quantum dots (QDs), namely, solution-phase (octylamine, octanethiol) and post-deposition (acetic acid, 1,4-benzenedithiol) ligand exchange were used in the fabrication of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cell containing poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and small (2.4 nm) PbS QDs. We show that replacing oleic acid by shorter chain ligands improves the figures of merit of the solar cells. This can possibly be attributed to a combination of a reduced thickness of the barrier for electron transfer and an optimized phase separation. The best results were obtained for post-deposition ligand exchange by 1,4-benzenedithiol, which improves the power conversion efficiency of solar cells based on a bulk heterojunction of lead sulfide (PbS) QDs and P3HT up to two orders of magnitude over previously reported hybrid cells based on a bulk heterojunction of P3HT:PbS QDs, where the QDs are capped by acetic acid ligands. The optimal performance was obtained for solar cells with 69 wt. % PbS QDs. Besides the ligand effects, the improvement was attributed to the formation of an energetically favorable bulk heterojunction with P3HT, when small size (2.4 nm) PbS QDs were used. Dark current density-voltage (J-V) measurements carried out on the device provided insight into the working mechanism: the comparison between the dark J-V characteristics of the bench mark system P3HT:PCBM and the P3HT:PbS blends allows us to conclude that a larger leakage current and a more efficient recombination are the major factors responsible for the larger losses in the hybrid system.

Enhancement of the photovoltaic performance in P3HT: PbS hybrid solar cells using small size PbS quantum dots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Firdaus, Yuliar; Van der Auweraer, Mark; Vandenplas, Erwin; Gehlhaar, Robert; Cheyns, David; Justo, Yolanda; Hens, Zeger

2014-01-01

Different approaches of surface modification of the quantum dots (QDs), namely, solution-phase (octylamine, octanethiol) and post-deposition (acetic acid, 1,4-benzenedithiol) ligand exchange were used in the fabrication of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cell containing poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and small (2.4 nm) PbS QDs. We show that replacing oleic acid by shorter chain ligands improves the figures of merit of the solar cells. This can possibly be attributed to a combination of a reduced thickness of the barrier for electron transfer and an optimized phase separation. The best results were obtained for post-deposition ligand exchange by 1,4-benzenedithiol, which improves the power conversion efficiency of solar cells based on a bulk heterojunction of lead sulfide (PbS) QDs and P3HT up to two orders of magnitude over previously reported hybrid cells based on a bulk heterojunction of P3HT:PbS QDs, where the QDs are capped by acetic acid ligands. The optimal performance was obtained for solar cells with 69 wt. % PbS QDs. Besides the ligand effects, the improvement was attributed to the formation of an energetically favorable bulk heterojunction with P3HT, when small size (2.4 nm) PbS QDs were used. Dark current density-voltage (J-V) measurements carried out on the device provided insight into the working mechanism: the comparison between the dark J-V characteristics of the bench mark system P3HT:PCBM and the P3HT:PbS blends allows us to conclude that a larger leakage current and a more efficient recombination are the major factors responsible for the larger losses in the hybrid system

Potential effect of CuInS2/ZnS core-shell quantum dots on P3HT/PEDOT:PSS heterostructure based solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Jindal, Shikha; Giripunje, S. M.

2018-07-01

Nanostructured quantum dots (QDs) are quite promising in the solar cell application due to quantum confinement effect. QDs possess multiple exciton generation and large surface area. The environment friendly CuInS2/ZnS core-shell QDs were prepared by solvothermal method. Thus, the 3 nm average sized CuInS2/ZnS QDs were employed in the bulk heterojunction device and the active blend layer consisting of the P3HT and CuInS2/ZnS QDs was investigated. The energy level information of CuInS2/ZnS QDs as an electron acceptor was explored by ultra violet photoelectron spectroscopy. Bulk heterojunction hybrid device of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT: (CuInS2/ZnS QDs)/ZnO/Ag was designed by spin coating approach and its electrical characterization was investigated by solar simulator. Current density - voltage characteristics shows the enhancement in power conversion efficiency with increasing concentration of CuInS2/ZnS QDs in bulk heterojunction device.

Solution-processed n-ZnO nanorod/p-Co_3O_4 nanoplate heterojunction light-emitting diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong-Woo; Lee, Su Jeong; Biswas, Pranab; Lee, Tae Il; Myoung, Jae-Min

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The n-ZnO nanorods were epitaxially grown on p-Co_3O_4 nanoplates. • The heteroepitaxial p-n junction was fabricated by using hydrothermal process. • The LEDs emitted reddish-orange and violet light related to ZnO point defects. • The Co_3O_4 nanoplates function as a hole injection layer. • Junction between 1D NRs and 2D NPs provides a new approach to design nanostructures. - Abstract: A heterojunction light-emitting diode (LED) based on p-type cobalt oxide (Co_3O_4) nanoplates (NPs)/n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) is demonstrated. Using a low-temperature aqueous solution process, the n-type ZnO NRs were epitaxially grown on Co_3O_4 NPs which were two-dimensionally assembled by a modified Langmuir-Blodgett process. The heterojunction LEDs exhibited a typical rectifying behavior with a turn-on voltage of about 2 V and emitted not only reddish-orange light at 610 nm but also violet light at about 400 nm. From the comparative analyses of electroluminescence and photoluminescence, it was determined that the reddish-orange light emission was related to the electronic transitions from zinc interstitials (Zn_i) to oxygen interstitials (O_i) or conduction-band minimum (CBM) to oxygen vacancies (V_O), and the violet light emission was attribute to the transition from CBM to valence-band maximum (VBM) or Zn_i to zinc vacancies (V_Z_n).

Enhanced performance of P3HT/(PCBM:ZnO:TiO{sub 2}) blend based hybrid organic solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ikram, M., E-mail: mianraj.1981@gmail.com [Solar Application Lab, Department of Physics, Government College University Lahore, 54000 Pakistan (Pakistan); Murray, R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Delaware 19716 (United States); Imran, M. [Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 29 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190 (China); Ali, S. [Solar Application Lab, Department of Physics, Government College University Lahore, 54000 Pakistan (Pakistan); Shah, S.Ismat [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Delaware 19716 (United States); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Delaware 19716 (United States)

2016-03-15

Highlights: • We fabricated hybrid bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. • TiO{sub 2} and ZnO nanoparticles replace PCBM with fixed amount of P3HT in active layer • PCE was significantly improved by the introduction of TiO{sub 2} and ZnO. • A possible route toward low-cost OPV. • To the best of my knowledge, this work is the first time going to report. - Abstract: Quaternary blend hybrid organic solar cells enjoy both an increased light absorption range and an easy method to fabricate because of the simple structure. In this study effects of mixing inorganic metal oxides (ZnO and TiO{sub 2}) nanoparticles to the active layer of organic photovoltaics devices were investigated. The active layer primarily consists of various ratios of electron donor poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and an electron acceptor [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) together with nanostructured ZnO and TiO{sub 2} dispersed in chlorobenzene (CB) and 1,2-dichlorobenzene (DCB). The ratio of PCBM to nanoparticles was varied keeping the ratio of P3HT to acceptor material constant. Mixing of nanoparticle plays a significant role in the resulting power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the devices. An increased PCE for ZnO/TiO{sub 2} doped devices can be attributed to increased absorption in the visible region and enhanced charge collection due to the percolation networks formed by metal oxides nanoparticles.

Doped Heterojunction Used in Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cell

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanyan Gao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Incorporated foreign atoms into the quantum dots (QDs used in heterojunction have always been a challenge for solar energy conversion. A foreign atom indium atom was incorporated into PbS/CdS QDs to prepare In-PbS/In-CdS heterojunction by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method which is a chemical method. Experimental results indicate that PbS or CdS has been doped with In by SILAR method; the concentration of PbS and CdS which was doped In atoms has no significantly increase or decrease. In addition, incorporating of Indium atoms has resulted in the lattice distortions or changes of PbS or CdS and improved the light harvest of heterojunction. Using this heterojunction, Pt counter electrode and polysulfide electrolyte, to fabricate quantum dot sensitized solar cells, the short circuit current density ballooned to 27.01 mA/cm2 from 13.61 mA/cm2 and the open circuit voltage was improved to 0.43 V from 0.37 V at the same time.

Inorganic-organic hybrid polymers for food packaging

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Kesavan Pillai, Sreejarani

2015-09-01

Full Text Available packaging application. Numerous hybrid inorganic-organic materials have been developed using low temperature sol-gel chemistry, which enables the tailoring of the nanostructure and the resulting material is often multifunctional, offering a wide range...

Precursor Mediated Synthesis of Nanostructured Silicas: From Precursor-Surfactant Ion Pairs to Structured Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Hesemann, Peter; Nguyen, Thy Phung; Hankari, Samir El

2014-04-11

The synthesis of nanostructured anionic-surfactant-templated mesoporous silica (AMS) recently appeared as a new strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials. This method is based on the use of anionic surfactants together with a co-structure-directing agent (CSDA), mostly a silylated ammonium precursor. The presence of this CSDA is necessary in order to create ionic interactions between template and silica forming phases and to ensure sufficient affinity between the two phases. This synthetic strategy was for the first time applied in view of the synthesis of surface functionalized silica bearing ammonium groups and was then extended on the formation of materials functionalized with anionic carboxylate and bifunctional amine-carboxylate groups. In the field of silica hybrid materials, the "anionic templating" strategy has recently been applied for the synthesis of silica hybrid materials from cationic precursors. Starting from di- or oligosilylated imidazolium and ammonium precursors, only template directed hydrolysis-polycondensation reactions involving complementary anionic surfactants allowed accessing structured ionosilica hybrid materials. The mechanistic particularity of this approach resides in the formation of precursor-surfactant ion pairs in the hydrolysis-polycondensation mixture. This review gives a systematic overview over the various types of materials accessed from this cooperative ionic templating approach and highlights the high potential of this original strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials which appears as a complementary strategy to conventional soft templating approaches.

Performance of RF sputtered p-Si/n-ZnO nanoparticle thin film heterojunction diodes in high temperature environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Satyendra Kumar, E-mail: satyndra.singh.eee09@itbhu.ac.in [Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Model Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jammu, 181122 (India); Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, 211004 (India); Hazra, Purnima, E-mail: purnima.hazra@smvdu.ac.in [Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, 182320 (India)

2017-04-01

Highlights: • Synthesize ZnO nanoparticle thin film on p-Si substrate using RF sputtering method. • I–V and C–V characteristics of Si/ZnO heterojunction diode are studied. • High temperature performance is analyzed accounting barrier height inhomogeneities. • Gaussian distribution of BH inhomogeneities is considered to modify Richardson plot. • Modified R constant is 33.06 Acm{sup −2}K{sup −2}, i.e. nearer to theoretical value 32 Acm{sup −2}K{sup −2}. - Abstract: In this article, temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics of n-ZnO/p-Si nanoparticle thin film heterojunction diode grown by RF sputtering technique are analyzed in the temperature range of 300–433 k to investigate the performance of the device in high temperature environment. The microstructural, morphological, optical and temptrature dependent electrical properties of as-grown nanoparticle thin film were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emmision scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), variable angle ellipsometer and semiconductor device analyzer. XRD spectra of as-grown ZnO films are exhibited that highly c-axis oriented ZnO nanostructures are grown on p- Si〈100〉 substrate whereas AFM and FESEM images confirm the homogeneous deposition of ZnO nanoparticles on surface of Si substratewith minimum roughness.The optical propertiesof as-grown ZnO nanoparticles have been measured in the spectral range of 300–800 nm using variable angle ellipsometer.To measure electrical parameters of the device prototype in the temperature range of room temperature (300 K) to 433 K, large area ohmic contacts were fabricated on both side of the ZnO/Si heterostructure. From the current-voltage charcteristics of ZnO/Si heterojunction device, it is observed that the device exhibits rectifing nature at room temperature. However, with increase in temperature, reverse saturation current and barrier

ZnO-graphene quantum dots heterojunctions for natural sunlight-driven photocatalytic environmental remediation

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Suneel; Dhiman, Ankita; Sudhagar, Pitchaimuthu; Krishnan, Venkata

2018-07-01

In this work, we report the formation of heterojunctions comprising of graphene quantum dots (GQD) decorated ZnO nanorods (NR) and its use as efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation. The heterojunctions has been designed to be active both in the UV and visible light regions and anticipated utilize the maximum part of the solar light spectrum. In this view, we examined the photocatalytic performance of our heterojunctions towards the degradation of colored pollutant (methylene blue (MB) dye) and a colorless pollutant (carbendazim (CZ) fungicide) under sunlight irradiation. Compared to bare photocatalyst ZnO and GQD, the heterojunction with 2 wt% of GQD (ZGQD2) showed the best photocatalytic activity by effectively degrading (about 95%) of organic pollutants (MB and CZ) from water within a short span of 70 min. The superior photocatalytic activity of these ZnO-GQD heterojunctions could be attributed to efficient charge carrier separation lead suppressed recombination rate at photocatalyst interfaces. In addition to the enhanced light absorption from UV to visible region, the high specific surface area of ZGQD2 heterojunction (353.447 m2 g-1) also imparts strong adsorption capacity for pollutants over catalyst surface, resulting in high photoactivity. Based on the obtained results, band gap alignment at ZnO-GQD heterojunction and active species trapping experiments, a plausible mechanism is proposed for photocatalytic reaction. The excellent photostability and recyclability of the ZnO-GQD heterojunctions fostering as promising photocatalyst candidate for environmental remediation applications.

Current Status and Future Prospects of Copper Oxide Heterojunction Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Terence K S; Zhuk, Siarhei; Masudy-Panah, Saeid; Dalapati, Goutam K

2016-04-07

The current state of thin film heterojunction solar cells based on cuprous oxide (Cu₂O), cupric oxide (CuO) and copper (III) oxide (Cu₄O₃) is reviewed. These p-type semiconducting oxides prepared by Cu oxidation, sputtering or electrochemical deposition are non-toxic, sustainable photovoltaic materials with application potential for solar electricity. However, defects at the copper oxide heterojunction and film quality are still major constraining factors for achieving high power conversion efficiency, η. Amongst the Cu₂O heterojunction devices, a maximum η of 6.1% has been obtained by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of Al x Ga 1- x O onto thermal Cu₂O doped with Na. The performance of CuO/n-Si heterojunction solar cells formed by magnetron sputtering of CuO is presently limited by both native oxide and Cu rich copper oxide layers at the heterointerface. These interfacial layers can be reduced by using a two-step sputtering process. A high η of 2.88% for CuO heterojunction solar cells has been achieved by incorporation of mixed phase CuO/Cu₂O nanopowder. CuO/Cu₂O heterojunction solar cells fabricated by electrodeposition and electrochemical doping has a maximum efficiency of 0.64% after surface defect passivation and annealing. Finally, early stage study of Cu₄O₃/GaN deposited on sapphire substrate has shown a photovoltaic effect and an η of ~10 -2 %.

Biofunctionalization of carbon nanotubes/chitosan hybrids on Ti implants by atom layer deposited ZnO nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Yizhou; Liu, Xiangmei [Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials, Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China); Yeung, Kelvin W.K. [Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong (China); Chu, Paul K. [Department of Physics & Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Wu, Shuilin, E-mail: shuilin.wu@gmail.com [Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials, Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China)

2017-04-01

Highlights: • Carbon naonotubes/chitosan/ZnO coating was first constructed on Ti implants. • This system endowed Ti implants with excellent self-antibacterial activity. • The amount of Zn could be precisely controlled by atom layer deposition. • This system could regulate cell behaviors on metallic implants. - Abstract: One-dimensional (1D) nanostructures of ZnO using atomic layer deposition (ALD) on chitosan (CS) modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were first introduced onto the surfaces of biomedical implants. When the content of ZnO is not sufficient, CNTs can strengthen the antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus by 8% and 39%, respectively. CS can improve the cytocompatibility of CNTs and ZnO. The amount of Zn content can be controlled by changing the cycling numbers of ALD processes. This hybrid coating can not only endow medical implants with high self-antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) of over 73% and 98%, respectively, but also regulate the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts by controlling the amount of ZnO.

Biofunctionalization of carbon nanotubes/chitosan hybrids on Ti implants by atom layer deposited ZnO nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Yizhou; Liu, Xiangmei; Yeung, Kelvin W.K.; Chu, Paul K.; Wu, Shuilin

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Carbon naonotubes/chitosan/ZnO coating was first constructed on Ti implants. • This system endowed Ti implants with excellent self-antibacterial activity. • The amount of Zn could be precisely controlled by atom layer deposition. • This system could regulate cell behaviors on metallic implants. - Abstract: One-dimensional (1D) nanostructures of ZnO using atomic layer deposition (ALD) on chitosan (CS) modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were first introduced onto the surfaces of biomedical implants. When the content of ZnO is not sufficient, CNTs can strengthen the antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus by 8% and 39%, respectively. CS can improve the cytocompatibility of CNTs and ZnO. The amount of Zn content can be controlled by changing the cycling numbers of ALD processes. This hybrid coating can not only endow medical implants with high self-antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) of over 73% and 98%, respectively, but also regulate the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts by controlling the amount of ZnO.

Nanostructured Diamond-Like Carbon Films Grown by Off-Axis Pulsed Laser Deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong Shan Yap

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nanostructured diamond-like carbon (DLC films instead of the ultrasmooth film were obtained by pulsed laser ablation of pyrolytic graphite. Deposition was performed at room temperature in vacuum with substrates placed at off-axis position. The configuration utilized high density plasma plume arriving at low effective angle for the formation of nanostructured DLC. Nanostructures with maximum size of 50 nm were deposited as compared to the ultrasmooth DLC films obtained in a conventional deposition. The Raman spectra of the films confirmed that the films were diamond-like/amorphous in nature. Although grown at an angle, ion energy of >35 eV was obtained at the off-axis position. This was proposed to be responsible for subplantation growth of sp3 hybridized carbon. The condensation of energetic clusters and oblique angle deposition correspondingly gave rise to the formation of nanostructured DLC in this study.

Nanorobotics for creating NEMS from 3D helical nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong, Lixin; Zhang, Li; Bell, Dominik J; Gruetzmacher, Detlev; Nelson, Bradley J

2007-01-01

Robotic manipulation at the nanometer scale is a promising technology for structuring, characterizing and assembling nano building blocks into nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). Combined with recently developed nanofabrication processes, a hybrid approach to building NEMS from 3D SiGe/Si/Cr and Si/Cr nanostructures is presented. Nanosensors and nanoactuators are investigated from experimental, theoretical, and design perspectives

-MoS2 Lateral Heterojunctions

KAUST Repository

Li, Ming-yang; Pu, Jiang; Huang, Jing-Kai; Miyauchi, Yuhei; Matsuda, Kazunari; Takenobu, Taishi; Li, Lain-Jong

2018-01-01

2D layered heterostructures have attracted intensive interests due to their unique optical, transport, and interfacial properties. The laterally stitched heterojunction based on dissimilar 2D transition metal dichalcogenides forms an intrinsic p

Nanostructured films of inorganic-organic hybrid materials for application in photovoltaics; Nanostrukturierte Filme aus anorganisch-organischen Hybridmaterialien fuer die Photovoltaik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perlich, Jan

2009-06-25

Nanostructured thin films of crystalline TiO{sub 2} for applications in photovoltaics were studied. The fabrication of the thin films is based on a hybrid approach. The anorganic metal oxide prepared via a sol-gel synthesis is structurated by the template properties of the applied organic block-copolymer. Via the film epitaxy by means of centrifugal coating first hybrid films (polymer-nanocomposite films) were fabricated, which were changed by calcination into crystalline TiO{sub 2} films with taylored morphology. The successful development of novel preparation approaches to the adaption to consisting conditions in the application field of photovoltaics contains a route to the fine-tuning of the morphology as well as the fabrication of hierarchical morphologies in different configurations. The structural study of the single nanostructurated TiO{sub 2} films up to the functional multilayer arrangement as photovoltaic demonstration cell was performed with conventionally imaging methods, as for instance scanning force microscopy and electron microscopy as well as the special small-angle X-ray scattering method under rigid incident angle (GISAXS). [German] Es wurden nanostrukturierte duenne Filme aus kristallinem TiO{sub 2} fuer Anwendungen in der Photovoltaik untersucht. Die Herstellung der duennen Filme basiert auf einem Hybridansatz. Das ueber eine Sol-Gel-Synthese bereitgestellte anorganische Metalloxid wird durch die Template-Eigenschaften des eingesetzten organischen Block-Copolymers strukturiert. Ueber die Filmaufbringung mittels Schleuderbeschichtung wurden zunaechst Hybridfilme (Polymer-Nanokompositfilme) hergestellt, die durch Kalzinierung in kristalline TiO{sub 2}-Filme mit massgeschneiderter Morphologie umgewandelt werden. Die erfolgreiche Entwicklung von neuartigen Praeparationsansaetzen zur Adaption an bestehende Gegebenheiten im Anwendungsgebiet der Photovoltaik beinhaltet eine Route zur Feineinstellung der Morphologie sowie die Herstellung von

One-step electrochemical synthesis of a graphene–ZnO hybrid for improved photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Ang; Xiong, Li; Sun, Li; Liu, Yanjun; Li, Weiwei; Lai, Wenyong; Liu, Xiangmei; Wang, Lianhui; Huang, Wei; Dong, Xiaochen

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Graphene–ZnO hybrid was synthesized by one-step electrochemical deposition. • Graphene–ZnO hybrid presents a special structure and wide UV–vis absorption spectra. • Graphene–ZnO hybrid exhibits an exceptionally higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of dye methylene blue. - Abstract: A graphene–ZnO (G-ZnO) hybrid was synthesized by one-step electrochemical deposition. During the formation of ZnO nanostructure by cathodic electrochemical deposition, the graphene oxide was electrochemically reduced to graphene simultaneously. Scanning electron microscope images, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, and UV–vis absorption spectra indicate the resulting G-ZnO hybrid presents a special structure and wide UV–vis absorption spectra. More importantly, it exhibits an exceptionally higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of dye methylene blue than that of pure ZnO nanostructure under both ultraviolet and sunlight irradiation

Heterojunction fully depleted SOI-TFET with oxide/source overlap

Science.gov (United States)

Chander, Sweta; Bhowmick, B.; Baishya, S.

2015-10-01

In this work, a hetero-junction fully depleted (FD) Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (TFET) nanostructure with oxide overlap on the Germanium-source region is proposed. Investigations using Synopsys Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation tools reveal that the simple oxide overlap on the Germanium-source region increases the tunneling area as well as the tunneling current without degrading the band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) and improves the device performance. More importantly, the improvement is independent of gate overlap. Simulation study shows improvement in ON current, subthreshold swing (SS), OFF current, ION/IOFF ration, threshold voltage and transconductance. The proposed device with hafnium oxide (HfO2)/Aluminium Nitride (AlN) stack dielectric material offers an average subthreshold swing of 22 mV/decade and high ION/IOFF ratio (∼1010) at VDS = 0.4 V. Compared to conventional TFET, the Miller capacitance of the device shows the enhanced performance. The impact of the drain voltage variation on different parameters such as threshold voltage, subthreshold swing, transconductance, and ION/IOFF ration are also found to be satisfactory. From fabrication point of view also it is easy to utilize the existing CMOS process flows to fabricate the proposed device.

Tunneling-assisted transport of carriers through heterojunctions.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wampler, William R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Myers, Samuel M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Modine, Normand A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-10-01

The formulation of carrier transport through heterojunctions by tunneling and thermionic emission is derived from first principles. The treatment of tunneling is discussed at three levels of approximation: numerical solution of the one-band envelope equation for an arbitrarily specified potential profile; the WKB approximation for an arbitrary potential; and, an analytic formulation assuming constant internal field. The effects of spatially varying carrier chemical potentials over tunneling distances are included. Illustrative computational results are presented. The described approach is used in exploratory physics models of irradiated heterojunction bipolar transistors within Sandia's QASPR program.

High photoresponse of individual WS2 nanowire-nanoflake hybrid materials

Science.gov (United States)

Asres, Georgies Alene; Järvinen, Topias; Lorite, Gabriela S.; Mohl, Melinda; Pitkänen, Olli; Dombovari, Aron; Tóth, Geza; Spetz, Anita Lloyd; Vajtai, Robert; Ajayan, Pulickel M.; Lei, Sidong; Talapatra, Saikat; Kordas, Krisztian

2018-06-01

van der Waals solids have been recognized as highly photosensitive materials that compete conventional Si and compound semiconductor based devices. While 2-dimensional nanosheets of single and multiple layers and 1-dimensional nanowires of molybdenum and tungsten chalcogenides have been studied, their nanostructured derivatives with complex morphologies are not explored yet. Here, we report on the electrical and photosensitive properties of WS2 nanowire-nanoflake hybrid materials we developed lately. We probe individual hybrid nanostructured particles along the structure using focused ion beam deposited Pt contacts. Further, we use conductive atomic force microscopy to analyze electrical behavior across the nanostructure in the transverse direction. The electrical measurements are complemented by in situ laser beam illumination to explore the photoresponse of the nanohybrids in the visible optical spectrum. Photodetectors with responsivity up to ˜0.4 AW-1 are demonstrated outperforming graphene as well as most of the other transition metal dichalcogenide based devices.

p-type Mesoscopic nickel oxide/organometallic perovskite heterojunction solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kuo-Chin; Jeng, Jun-Yuan; Shen, Po-Shen; Chang, Yu-Cheng; Diau, Eric Wei-Guang; Tsai, Cheng-Hung; Chao, Tzu-Yang; Hsu, Hsu-Cheng; Lin, Pei-Ying; Chen, Peter; Guo, Tzung-Fang; Wen, Ten-Chin

2014-04-23

In this article, we present a new paradigm for organometallic hybrid perovskite solar cell using NiO inorganic metal oxide nanocrystalline as p-type electrode material and realized the first mesoscopic NiO/perovskite/[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) heterojunction photovoltaic device. The photo-induced transient absorption spectroscopy results verified that the architecture is an effective p-type sensitized junction, which is the first inorganic p-type, metal oxide contact material for perovskite-based solar cell. Power conversion efficiency of 9.51% was achieved under AM 1.5 G illumination, which significantly surpassed the reported conventional p-type dye-sensitized solar cells. The replacement of the organic hole transport materials by a p-type metal oxide has the advantages to provide robust device architecture for further development of all-inorganic perovskite-based thin-film solar cells and tandem photovoltaics.

Transparent Cu4O3/ZnO heterojunction photoelectric devices

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hong-Sik; Yadav, Pankaj; Patel, Malkeshkumar; Kim, Joondong; Pandey, Kavita; Lim, Donggun; Jeong, Chaehwan

2017-12-01

The present article reports the development of flexible, self-biased, broadband, high speed and transparent heterojunction photodiode, which is essentially important for the next generation electronic devices. We grow semitransparent p-type Cu4O3 using the reactive sputtering method at room temperature. The structural and optical properties of the Cu4O3 film were investigated by using the X-ray diffraction and UV-visible spectroscopy, respectively. The p-Cu4O3/n-ZnO heterojunction diode under dark condition yields rectification behavior with an extremely low saturation current value of 1.8 × 10-10 A and a zero bias photocurrent under illumination condition. The transparent p-Cu4O3/n-ZnO heterojunction photodetector can be operated without an external bias, due to the light-induced voltage production. The metal oxide heterojunction based on Cu4O3/ZnO would provide a route for the transparent and flexible photoelectric devices, including photodetectors and photovoltaics.

The Physics and Applications of a 3D Plasmonic Nanostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Terranova, Brandon B.

In this work, the dynamics of electromagnetic field interactions with free electrons in a 3D metallic nanostructure is evaluated theoretically. This dissertation starts by reviewing the relevant fundamentals of plasmonics and modern applications of plasmonic systems. Then, motivated by the need to have a simpler way of understanding the surface charge dynamics on complex plasmonic nanostructures, a new plasmon hybridization tree method is introduced. This method provides the plasmonicist with an intuitive way to determine the response of free electrons to incident light in complex nanostructures within the electrostatic regime. Next, a novel 3D plasmonic nanostructure utilizing reflective plasmonic coupling is designed to perform biosensing and plasmonic tweezing applications. By applying analytical and numerical methods, the effectiveness of this nanostructure at performing these applications is determined from the plasmonic response of the nanostructure to an excitation beam of coherent light. During this analysis, it was discovered that under certain conditions, this 3D nanostructure exhibits a plasmonic Fano resonance resulting from the interference of an in-plane dark mode and an out-of-plane bright mode. In evaluating this nanostructure for sensing changes in the local dielectric environment, a figure of merit of 68 is calculated, which is competitive with current localized surface plasmon resonance refractometric sensors. By evaluating the Maxwell stress tensor on a test particle in the vicinity of the nanostructure, it was found that under the right conditions, this plasmonic nanostructure design is capable of imparting forces greater than 10.5 nN on dielectric objects of nanoscale dimensions. The results obtained in these studies provides new routes to the design and engineering of 3D plasmonic nanostructures and Fano resonances in these systems. In addition, the nanostructure presented in this work and the design principles it utilizes have shown

Gas Sensing Properties of ZnO-SnO2 Nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Weigen; Li, Qianzhu; Xu, Lingna; Zeng, Wen

2015-02-01

One-dimensional (1D) semiconductor metal oxide nanostructures have attracted increasing attention in electrochemistry, optics, magnetic, and gas sensing fields for the good properties. N-type low dimensional semiconducting oxides such as SnO2 and ZnO have been known for the detection of inflammable or toxic gases. In this paper, we fabricated the ZnO-SnO2 and SnO2 nanoparticles by hydrothermal synthesis. Microstructure characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface morphologies for both the pristine and doped samples were observed using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Then we made thin film gas sensor to study the gas sensing properties of ZnO-SnO2 and SnO2 gas sensor to H2 and CO. A systematic comparison study reveals an enhanced gas sensing performance for the sensor made of SnO2 and ZnO toward H2 and CO over that of the commonly applied undecorated SnO2 nanoparticles. The improved gas sensing properties are attributed to the size of grains and pronounced electron transfer between the compound nanostructures and the absorbed oxygen species as well as to the heterojunctions of the ZnO nanoparticles to the SnO2 nanoparticles, which provide additional reaction rooms. The results represent an advance of compound nanostructures in further enhancing the functionality of gas sensors, and this facile method could be applicable to many sensing materials, offering a new avenue and direction to detect gases of interest based on composite tin oxide nanoparticles.

Au-Graphene Hybrid Plasmonic Nanostructure Sensor Based on Intensity Shift

Science.gov (United States)

Alharbi, Raed; Irannejad, Mehrdad; Yavuz, Mustafa

2017-01-01

Integrating plasmonic materials, like gold with a two-dimensional material (e.g., graphene) enhances the light-material interaction and, hence, plasmonic properties of the metallic nanostructure. A localized surface plasmon resonance sensor is an effective platform for biomarker detection. They offer a better bulk surface (local) sensitivity than a regular surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor; however, they suffer from a lower figure of merit compared to that one in a propagating surface plasmon resonance sensors. In this work, a decorated multilayer graphene film with an Au nanostructures was proposed as a liquid sensor. The results showed a significant improvement in the figure of merit compared with other reported localized surface plasmon resonance sensors. The maximum figure of merit and intensity sensitivity of 240 and 55 RIU−1 (refractive index unit) at refractive index change of 0.001 were achieved which indicate the capability of the proposed sensor to detect a small change in concentration of liquids in the ng/mL level which is essential in early-stage cancer disease detection. PMID:28106850

Au-Graphene Hybrid Plasmonic Nanostructure Sensor Based on Intensity Shift

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raed Alharbi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Integrating plasmonic materials, like gold with a two-dimensional material (e.g., graphene enhances the light-material interaction and, hence, plasmonic properties of the metallic nanostructure. A localized surface plasmon resonance sensor is an effective platform for biomarker detection. They offer a better bulk surface (local sensitivity than a regular surface plasmon resonance (SPR sensor; however, they suffer from a lower figure of merit compared to that one in a propagating surface plasmon resonance sensors. In this work, a decorated multilayer graphene film with an Au nanostructures was proposed as a liquid sensor. The results showed a significant improvement in the figure of merit compared with other reported localized surface plasmon resonance sensors. The maximum figure of merit and intensity sensitivity of 240 and 55 RIU−1 (refractive index unit at refractive index change of 0.001 were achieved which indicate the capability of the proposed sensor to detect a small change in concentration of liquids in the ng/mL level which is essential in early-stage cancer disease detection.

Ambipolar organic heterojunction transistors with various p-type semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Jianwu; Wang Haibo; Song De; Tian Hongkun; Geng Yanhou; Yan Donghang

2008-01-01

Ambipolar transport has been realized in organic heterojunction transistors with metal phthalocyanines, phenanthrene-based conjugated oligomers as the first semiconductors and copper-hexadecafluoro-phthalocyanine as the second semiconductor. The electron and hole mobilities of ambipolar devices with rod-like molecules were comparable to the corresponding single component devices, while the carrier mobility of ambipolar devices with disk-like molecules was much lower than the corresponding single component devices. The much difference of their device performance was attributed to the roughness of the first semiconductor films, which was original from their distinct growth habits. The flat and continuous films for the first semiconductors layer can lead to a smooth heterojunction interface, and obtained a high device performance for ambipolar organic heterojunction transistors

Low-Voltage Solution-Processed Hybrid Light-Emitting Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhry, Mujeeb Ullah; Tetzner, Kornelius; Lin, Yen-Hung; Nam, Sungho; Pearson, Christopher; Groves, Chris; Petty, Michael C; Anthopoulos, Thomas D; Bradley, Donal D C

2018-05-21

We report the development of low operating voltages in inorganic-organic hybrid light-emitting transistors (HLETs) based on a solution-processed ZrO x gate dielectric and a hybrid multilayer channel consisting of the heterojunction In 2 O 3 /ZnO and the organic polymer "Super Yellow" acting as n- and p-channel/emissive layers, respectively. Resulting HLETs operate at the lowest voltages reported to-date (<10 V) and combine high electron mobility (22 cm 2 /(V s)) with appreciable current on/off ratios (≈10 3 ) and an external quantum efficiency of 2 × 10 -2 % at 700 cd/m 2 . The charge injection, transport, and recombination mechanisms within this HLET architecture are discussed, and prospects for further performance enhancement are considered.

Current Status and Future Prospects of Copper Oxide Heterojunction Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terence K. S. Wong

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The current state of thin film heterojunction solar cells based on cuprous oxide (Cu2O, cupric oxide (CuO and copper (III oxide (Cu4O3 is reviewed. These p-type semiconducting oxides prepared by Cu oxidation, sputtering or electrochemical deposition are non-toxic, sustainable photovoltaic materials with application potential for solar electricity. However, defects at the copper oxide heterojunction and film quality are still major constraining factors for achieving high power conversion efficiency, η. Amongst the Cu2O heterojunction devices, a maximum η of 6.1% has been obtained by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD of AlxGa1−xO onto thermal Cu2O doped with Na. The performance of CuO/n-Si heterojunction solar cells formed by magnetron sputtering of CuO is presently limited by both native oxide and Cu rich copper oxide layers at the heterointerface. These interfacial layers can be reduced by using a two-step sputtering process. A high η of 2.88% for CuO heterojunction solar cells has been achieved by incorporation of mixed phase CuO/Cu2O nanopowder. CuO/Cu2O heterojunction solar cells fabricated by electrodeposition and electrochemical doping has a maximum efficiency of 0.64% after surface defect passivation and annealing. Finally, early stage study of Cu4O3/GaN deposited on sapphire substrate has shown a photovoltaic effect and an η of ~10−2%.

Current Status and Future Prospects of Copper Oxide Heterojunction Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Terence K. S.; Zhuk, Siarhei; Masudy-Panah, Saeid; Dalapati, Goutam K.

2016-01-01

The current state of thin film heterojunction solar cells based on cuprous oxide (Cu2O), cupric oxide (CuO) and copper (III) oxide (Cu4O3) is reviewed. These p-type semiconducting oxides prepared by Cu oxidation, sputtering or electrochemical deposition are non-toxic, sustainable photovoltaic materials with application potential for solar electricity. However, defects at the copper oxide heterojunction and film quality are still major constraining factors for achieving high power conversion efficiency, η. Amongst the Cu2O heterojunction devices, a maximum η of 6.1% has been obtained by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of AlxGa1−xO onto thermal Cu2O doped with Na. The performance of CuO/n-Si heterojunction solar cells formed by magnetron sputtering of CuO is presently limited by both native oxide and Cu rich copper oxide layers at the heterointerface. These interfacial layers can be reduced by using a two-step sputtering process. A high η of 2.88% for CuO heterojunction solar cells has been achieved by incorporation of mixed phase CuO/Cu2O nanopowder. CuO/Cu2O heterojunction solar cells fabricated by electrodeposition and electrochemical doping has a maximum efficiency of 0.64% after surface defect passivation and annealing. Finally, early stage study of Cu4O3/GaN deposited on sapphire substrate has shown a photovoltaic effect and an η of ~10−2%. PMID:28773398

Nanostructured ZnO-based biosensor: DNA immobilization and hybridization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Mishaal Mohammed

2017-09-01

Full Text Available An electrochemical DNA biosensor was successfully fabricated by using (3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES with zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods synthesized using microwave-assisted chemical bath deposition method on thermally oxidized SiO2 thin films. The structural quality and morphology of the ZnO nanorods were determined by employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD, which show a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferred orientation along the (101 direction. The surface of the SiO2 thin films was chemically modified with ZnO. Label-free detection DNA immobilization and hybridization were performed using potassium hexacyanoferrate with cyclic voltammetry (CV measurements. The capacitance, permittivity, and conductivity profiles of the fabricated sensor clearly indicate DNA immobilization and hybridization. Results show that the capacitance values of bare, ZnO- modified surface immobilization, and target DNA hybridization were 46×10−12F, 47×10−8F, 27μF, and 17μF, respectively, at 1Hz. The permittivity measurement increased from 3.94×103 to 251×103 and 165×103 at the frequency range of approximately 200 to 1Hz for bare and DNA immobilization and hybridization, respectively. The measured conductivity values for the bare, ZnO, immobilized, and hybridization device were 2.4×10−9, 10×10−8, 1.6×10−7, and 1.3×10−7Scm−1, respectively. Keywords: Zinc oxide, Biosensor, Capacitance, Permittivity, Conductivity

Facile Synthesis of Quasi-One-Dimensional Au/PtAu Heterojunction Nanotubes and Their Application as Catalysts in an Oxygen-Reduction Reaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Kai; Liu, Jiawei; Zhang, Huan; Huang, Zhao; Lu, Zhicheng; Foda, Mohamed F; Li, Tingting; Han, Heyou

2015-05-11

An intermediate-template-directed method has been developed for the synthesis of quasi-one-dimensional Au/PtAu heterojunction nanotubes by the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of Au on Te/Pt core-shell nanostructures in aqueous solution. The synthesized porous Au/PtAu bimetallic nanotubes (PABNTs) consist of porous tubular framework and attached Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). The reaction intermediates played an important role in the preparation, which fabricated the framework and provided a localized reducing agent for the reduction of the Au and Pt precursors. The Pt7 Au PABNTs showed higher electrocatalytic activity and durability in the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1 M HClO4 than porous Pt nanotubes (PtNTs) and commercially available Pt/C. The mass activity of PABNTs was 218 % that of commercial Pt/C after an accelerated durability test. This study demonstrates the potential of PABNTs as highly efficient electrocatalysts. In addition, this method provides a facile strategy for the synthesis of desirable hetero-nanostructures with controlled size and shape by utilizing an intermediate template. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Metal complex-based templates and nanostructures for magnetic resonance/optical multimodal imaging agents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Galindo Millan, Jealemy

2012-01-01

In this thesis, new approaches directed towards simple and functional imaging agents (IAs) for magnetic resonance (MR) and fluorescence multimodal imaging are proposed. In Chapter 3, hybrid silver nanostructures (hAgNSs), grown using a polyamino carboxylic acid scaffold, namely

Nanostructured hybrid ZnO thin films for energy conversion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantilleke Anura

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract We report on hybrid films based on ZnO/organic dye prepared by electrodeposition using tetrasulfonated copper phthalocyanines (TS-CuPc and Eosin-Y (EoY. Both the morphology and porosity of hybrid ZnO films are highly dependent on the type of dyes used in the synthesis. High photosensitivity was observed for ZnO/EoY films, while a very weak photoresponse was obtained for ZnO/TS-CuPc films. Despite a higher absorption coefficient of TS-CuPc than EoY, in ZnO/EoY hybrid films, the excited photoelectrons between the EoY levels can be extracted through ZnO, and the porosity of ZnO/EoY can also be controlled.

Large rectification magnetoresistance in nonmagnetic Al/Ge/Al heterojunctions

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Kun; Li, Huan-huan; Grünberg, Peter; Li, Qiang; Ye, Sheng-tao; Tian, Yu-feng; Yan, Shi-shen; Lin, Zhao-jun; Kang, Shi-shou; Chen, Yan-xue; Liu, Guo-lei; Mei, and Liang-mo

2015-01-01

Magnetoresistance and rectification are two fundamental physical properties of heterojunctions and respectively have wide applications in spintronics devices. Being different from the well known various magnetoresistance effects, here we report a brand new large magnetoresistance that can be regarded as rectification magnetoresistance: the application of a pure small sinusoidal alternating-current to the nonmagnetic Al/Ge Schottky heterojunctions can generate a significant direct-current volt...

Understanding Solvent Manipulation of Morphology in Bulk-Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuxia; Zhan, Chuanlang; Yao, Jiannian

2016-10-06

Film morphology greatly influences the performance of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ)-structure-based solar cells. It is known that an interpenetrating bicontinuous network with nanoscale-separated donor and acceptor phases for charge transfer, an ordered molecular packing for exciton diffusion and charge transport, and a vertical compositionally graded structure for charge collection are prerequisites for achieving highly efficient BHJ organic solar cells (OSCs). Therefore, control of the morphology to obtain an ideal structure is a key problem. For this solution-processing BHJ system, the solvent participates fully in film processing. Its involvement is critical in modifying the nanostructure of BHJ films. In this review, we discuss the effects of solvent-related methods on the morphology of BHJ films, including selection of the casting solvent, solvent mixture, solvent vapor annealing, and solvent soaking. On the basis of a discussion on interaction strength and time between solvent and active materials, we believe that the solvent-morphology-performance relationship will be clearer and that solvent selection as a means to manipulate the morphology of BHJ films will be more rational. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High-efficiency omnidirectional photoresponses based on monolayer lateral p–n heterojunctions

KAUST Repository

Tsai, Meng-Lin; Li, Ming-yang; Shi, Yumeng; Chen, Lih-Juann; Li, Lain-Jong; He, Jr-Hau

2016-01-01

Electrical and optical properties of lateral monolayer WSe2–MoS2 p–n heterojunctions were characterized to demonstrate a high responsivity of 0.26 A W−1 with an excellent omnidirectional photodetection capability. The heterojunction functioning as a

Interfacial effects in organic semiconductor heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stadler, P.

2011-01-01

The field of organic electronics has systematically gained interest in recent years, technologically and scientifically advances have been made leading to practical applications such as organic light emitting diodes, organic field-effect transistors and organic photo-voltaic cells. In this thesis a fundamental study on organic molecules is presented targeting on interfacial effects at organic heterojunctions. Generally in organic electronic devices interfaces are considered as key parameters for achieving high performance applications. Therefore in this work the emphasis is to investigate layer-by-layer heterojunctions of organic molecules. Defined heterojunctions at inorganic III-V semiconductors form superlattices and quantum-wells, which lead to interfacial effects summarized as quantum confinement and two-dimensional electron gases. Although organic molecules differ in many aspects from their inorganic counterparts, similar effects can be theoretically expected at organic heterojunctions as well. Organic molecules form van-der-Waals type crystals and domains which are macroscopically anisotropic and polycrystalline or amorphous. Organic molecules are intrinsic semiconductors and at interfaces dipoles are formed, which control the energy level alignment. In order to characterize such structures and compare them to inorganic superlattices and quantum-wells it is necessary to induce charge carriers. In this work this is established either by interfacial doping using high-performance dielectrics in a field-effect transistor structure or by photo-doping by exciting a donor-acceptor bilayer. In both cases C 60 was chosen as organic semiconductor exhibiting good acceptor properties and an electron mobility in the range of 0.5 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . The fabrication of well-defined few-molecular layers allows probing directly at the interface. Spectroscopic methods and transport measurements are applied for characterization: Photoemission spectroscopy, absorption and photo

Distributed-feedback single heterojunction GaAs diode laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scifres, D.R.; Burnham, R.D.; Streifer, W.

1974-01-01

Laser operation of single-heterojunction GaAl As/GaAs diode lasers using a periodic structure within the gain medium of the device, thereby obviating the need for carefully cleaved end crystal faces to produce feedback, is reported. By varying the grating period, wavelengths from 8430 to 8560 A were observed. The threshold current densities were of the same order as for normal single heterojunction diode lasers. Some advantages in output wavelengths were observed over lasers with cleared faces. (U.S.)

Hybrid Silicon Nanocone–Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sangmoo

2012-06-13

Recently, hybrid Si/organic solar cells have been studied for low-cost Si photovoltaic devices because the Schottky junction between the Si and organic material can be formed by solution processes at a low temperature. In this study, we demonstrate a hybrid solar cell composed of Si nanocones and conductive polymer. The optimal nanocone structure with an aspect ratio (height/diameter of a nanocone) less than two allowed for conformal polymer surface coverage via spin-coating while also providing both excellent antireflection and light trapping properties. The uniform heterojunction over the nanocones with enhanced light absorption resulted in a power conversion efficiency above 11%. Based on our simulation study, the optimal nanocone structures for a 10 μm thick Si solar cell can achieve a short-circuit current density, up to 39.1 mA/cm 2, which is very close to the theoretical limit. With very thin material and inexpensive processing, hybrid Si nanocone/polymer solar cells are promising as an economically viable alternative energy solution. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Hybrid Silicon Nanocone–Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sangmoo; Garnett, Erik C.; Wang, Shuang; Yu, Zongfu; Fan, Shanhui; Brongersma, Mark L.; McGehee, Michael D.; Cui, Yi

2012-01-01

Recently, hybrid Si/organic solar cells have been studied for low-cost Si photovoltaic devices because the Schottky junction between the Si and organic material can be formed by solution processes at a low temperature. In this study, we demonstrate a hybrid solar cell composed of Si nanocones and conductive polymer. The optimal nanocone structure with an aspect ratio (height/diameter of a nanocone) less than two allowed for conformal polymer surface coverage via spin-coating while also providing both excellent antireflection and light trapping properties. The uniform heterojunction over the nanocones with enhanced light absorption resulted in a power conversion efficiency above 11%. Based on our simulation study, the optimal nanocone structures for a 10 μm thick Si solar cell can achieve a short-circuit current density, up to 39.1 mA/cm 2, which is very close to the theoretical limit. With very thin material and inexpensive processing, hybrid Si nanocone/polymer solar cells are promising as an economically viable alternative energy solution. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

(Poly)cation-induced protection of conventional and wireframe DNA origami nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadi, Yasaman; De Llano, Elisa; Barišić, Ivan

2018-04-26

DNA nanostructures hold immense potential to be used for biological and medical applications. However, they are extremely vulnerable towards salt depletion and nucleases, which are common under physiological conditions. In this contribution, we used chitosan and linear polyethyleneimine for coating and long-term stabilization of several three-dimensional DNA origami nanostructures. The impact of the degree of polymerization and the charge density of the polymer together with the N/P charge ratio (ratio of the amines in polycations to the phosphates in DNA) on the stability of encapsulated DNA origami nanostructures in the presence of nucleases and in low-salt media was examined. The polycation shells were compatible with enzyme- and aptamer-based functionalization of the DNA nanostructures. Additionally, we showed that despite being highly vulnerable to salt depletion and nucleolytic digestion, self-assembled DNA nanostructures are stable in cell culture media up to a week. This was contrary to unassembled DNA scaffolds that degraded in one hour, showing that placing DNA strands into a spatially designed configuration crucially affect the structural integrity. The stability of naked DNA nanostructures in cell culture was shown to be mediated by growth media. DNA origami nanostructures kept in growth media were significantly more resistant towards low-salt denaturation, DNase I and serum-mediated digestion than when in a conventional buffer. Moreover, we confirmed that DNA origami nanostructures remain not only structurally intact but also fully functional after exposure to cell media. Agarose gel electrophoresis and negative stain transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the hybridization of DNA origami nanostructures to their targets in the presence of serum proteins and nucleases. The structural integrity and functionality of DNA nanostructures in physiological fluids validate their use particularly for short-time biological applications in which the

High-performance photoresponse from single-walled carbon nanotube-zinc oxide heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Jingbo; Najeeb, Choolakadavil Khalid; Lee, Jae-Hyeok; Lee, Minsu; Kim, Jae-Ho

2011-01-01

Photoactive materials consisting of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-zinc oxide (ZnO) heterojunctions targeted for optoelectronic applications are investigated in terms of photoresponse and photovoltaic effects. The devices based on SWNT-ZnO heterojunction films are fabricated by two step processes: first, a well aligned SWNT monolayer is deposited on an oxide substrate by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique; then a ZnO film prepared by filtration of ZnO nanowire solution is transferred onto the SWNT film to form SWNT-ZnO junctions. The SWNT-ZnO heterojunction demonstrates faster photoresponse time (2.75 s) up to 18 times and photovoltaic efficiency (1.33 nA) up to 4 times higher than that of only a ZnO device. Furthermore, the mechanisms of UV sensitivity enhancement and photovoltaic effects are explained according to the high electron mobility in the SWNT-ZnO heterojunctions.

Precursor Mediated Synthesis of Nanostructured Silicas: From Precursor-Surfactant Ion Pairs to Structured Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Hesemann

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The synthesis of nanostructured anionic-surfactant-templated mesoporous silica (AMS recently appeared as a new strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials. This method is based on the use of anionic surfactants together with a co-structure-directing agent (CSDA, mostly a silylated ammonium precursor. The presence of this CSDA is necessary in order to create ionic interactions between template and silica forming phases and to ensure sufficient affinity between the two phases. This synthetic strategy was for the first time applied in view of the synthesis of surface functionalized silica bearing ammonium groups and was then extended on the formation of materials functionalized with anionic carboxylate and bifunctional amine-carboxylate groups. In the field of silica hybrid materials, the “anionic templating” strategy has recently been applied for the synthesis of silica hybrid materials from cationic precursors. Starting from di- or oligosilylated imidazolium and ammonium precursors, only template directed hydrolysis-polycondensation reactions involving complementary anionic surfactants allowed accessing structured ionosilica hybrid materials. The mechanistic particularity of this approach resides in the formation of precursor-surfactant ion pairs in the hydrolysis-polycondensation mixture. This review gives a systematic overview over the various types of materials accessed from this cooperative ionic templating approach and highlights the high potential of this original strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials which appears as a complementary strategy to conventional soft templating approaches.

Efficient cascade multiple heterojunction organic solar cells with inverted structure

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Tingting; Li, Mingtao; Qiao, Zhenfang; Yu, Leiming; Zhao, Jianhong; Feng, Nianjun; Shi, Peiguang; Wang, Xiaoyan; Pu, Xiaoyun; Wang, Hai

2018-05-01

In this work, we demonstrate an efficient cascade multiple heterojunction organic solar cell with inverted structure. By using two donor materials, poly(3-hexylthiosphene) (P3HT) and titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc), as well as two acceptor materials, [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and C60, the cascade multiple heterojunctions of P3HT:PCBM/TiOPc:C60/C60 have been constructed. Applying the optimized inverted configuration of FTO/Zinc Tin Oxide (ZTO)/C60 (30 nm)/TiOPc:C60 (1:1.5, 25 nm)/P3HT:PCBM (1:0.8, 100 nm)/MoO3 (4 nm)/Ag, the considerably enhanced open circuit voltage (VOC) and short circuit current (JSC) can be harvested together, and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is three times higher than that of the control cell with conventional structure. The significant improvements of the inverted cell are mostly due to the broadened spectral absorption and high efficient multi-interface exciton dissociation in the cascade multiple heterojunctions, indicating that the optimized cascade heterojunctions match the inverted structure well.

Amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon heterojunctions for nuclear radiation detector applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, J.T.; Hong, W.S.; Luke, P.N.; Wang, N.W.; Ziemba, F.P.

1996-10-01

Results on characterization of electrical properties of amorphous Si films for the 3 different growth methods (RF sputtering, PECVD [plasma enhanced], LPCVD [low pressure]) are reported. Performance of these a-Si films as heterojunctions on high resistivity p-type and n- type crystalline Si is examined by measuring the noise, leakage current, and the alpha particle response of 5mm dia detector structures. It is demonstrated that heterojunction detectors formed by RF sputtered films and PECVD films are comparable in performance with conventional surface barrier detectors. Results indicate that the a-Si/c-Si heterojunctions have the potential to greatly simplify detector fabrication. Directions for future avenues of nuclear particle detector development are indicated

Amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon heterojunctions for nuclear radiation detector applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, J.T.; Hong, W.S.; Luke, P.N.; Wang, N.W.; Ziemba, F.P.

1996-01-01

Results on the characterization of the electrical properties of amorphous silicon films for the three different growth methods, RF sputtering, PECVD, and LPCVD are reported. The performance of these a-Si films as heterojunctions on high resistivity p-type and n-type crystalline silicon is examined by measuring the noise, leakage current and the alpha particle response of 5 mm diameter detector structures. It is demonstrated that heterojunction detectors formed by RF sputtered films and PECVD films are comparable in performance with conventional surface barrier detectors. The results indicate that the a-Si/c-Si heterojunctions have the potential to greatly simplify detector fabrication. Directions for future avenues of nuclear particle detector development are indicated

Nanostructured Gas Sensors for Health Care: An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Kaushik, Ajeet; Kumar, Rajesh; Jayant, Rahul Dev; Nair, Madhavan

2015-01-01

Nanostructured platforms have been utilized for fabrication of small, sensitive and reliable gas sensing devices owing to high functionality, enhanced charge transport and electro-catalytic property. As a result of globalization, rapid, sensitive and selective detection of gases in environment is essential for health care and security. Nonmaterial such as metal, metal oxides, organic polymers, and organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites exhibit interesting optical, electrical, magnetic and molecular properties, and hence are found potential gas sensing materials. Morphological, electrical, and optical properties of such nanostructures can be tailored via controlling the precursor concentration and synthesis conditions resulting to achieve desired sensing. This review presents applications of nano-enabling gas sensors to detect gases for environment monitoring. The recent update, challenges, and future vision for commercial applications of such sensor are also described here. PMID:26491544

Hierarchical On-Surface Synthesis of Deterministic Graphene Nanoribbon Heterojunctions

OpenAIRE

Bronner, Christopher; Durr, Rebecca A.; Rizzo, Daniel J.; Lee, Yea-Lee; Marangoni, Tomas; Kalayjian, Alin Miksi; Rodriguez, Henry; Zhao, William; Louie, Steven G.; Fischer, Felix R.; Crommie, Michael F.

2017-01-01

Bottom-up graphene nanoribbon (GNR) heterojunctions are nanoscale strips of graphene whose electronic structure abruptly changes across a covalently bonded interface. Their rational design offers opportunities for profound technological advancements enabled by their extraordinary structural and electronic properties. Thus far the most critical aspect of their synthesis, the control over sequence and position of heterojunctions along the length of a ribbon, has been plagued by randomness in mo...

Spin injection across a hybrid heterojunction: Theoretical understanding and experimental approach (invited)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, C.M.; Nitta, J.; Jensen, Ane

2002-01-01

Spin injection across a hybrid ferromagnet/semiconductor junction has proven to be difficult, unlike in an all-metal junction used in giant magnetoresistance devices. The difference responsible is highlighted in a simple model. We perform spin-injection-detection experiments on devices with two...... ferromagnetic contacts on a two-dimensional electron gas confined in an InAs quantum well. We demonstrate that spin injection allows the hybrid device to combine both the advantage of the ferromagnet as well as that of the semiconductor....

Supercapacitors based on pillared graphene nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jian; Zhong, Jiebin; Bao, Duoduo; Reiber-Kyle, Jennifer; Wang, Wei; Vullev, Valentine; Ozkan, Mihrimah; Ozkan, Cengiz S

2012-03-01

We describe the fabrication of highly conductive and large-area three dimensional pillared graphene nanostructure (PGN) films from assembly of vertically aligned CNT pillars on flexible copper foils for applications in electric double layer capacitors (EDLC). The PGN films synthesized via a one-step chemical vapor deposition process on flexible copper foils exhibit high conductivity with sheet resistance as low as 1.6 ohms per square and possessing high mechanical flexibility. Raman spectroscopy indicates the presence of multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and their morphology can be controlled by the growth conditions. It was discovered that nitric acid treatment can significantly increase the specific capacitance of the devices. EDLC devices based on PGN electrodes (surface area of 565 m2/g) demonstrate enhanced performance with specific capacitance value as high as 330 F/g extracted from the current density-voltage (CV) measurements and energy density value of 45.8 Wh/kg. The hybrid graphene-CNT nanostructures are attractive for applications including supercapacitors, fuel cells and batteries.

Nanostructured porous silicon-mediated drug delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Martín-Palma, Raúl J; Hernández-Montelongo, Jacobo; Torres-Costa, Vicente; Manso-Silván, Miguel; Muñoz-Noval, Álvaro

2014-08-01

The particular properties of nanostructured porous silicon (nanoPS) make it an attractive material for controlled and localized release of therapeutics within the body, aiming at increased efficacy and reduced risks of potential side effects. Since this is a rapidly evolving field as a consequence of the number of research groups involved, a critical review of the state of the art is necessary. In this work, the most promising and successful applications of nanoPS in the field of drug delivery are reviewed and discussed. Two key issues such as drug loading and release are also analyzed in detail. The development of multifunctional (hybrid) systems, aiming at imparting additional functionalities to the nanoPS particles such as luminescence, magnetic response and/or plasmonic effects (allowing simultaneous tracking and guiding), is also examined. Nanostructured materials based on silicon are promising platforms for pharmaceutical applications given their ability to degrade and low toxicity. However, a very limited number of clinical applications have been demonstrated so far.

Aluminum nanostructures with strong visible-range SERS activity for versatile micropatterning of molecular security labels.

Science.gov (United States)

Lay, Chee Leng; Koh, Charlynn Sher Lin; Wang, Jing; Lee, Yih Hong; Jiang, Ruibin; Yang, Yijie; Yang, Zhe; Phang, In Yee; Ling, Xing Yi

2018-01-03

The application of aluminum (Al)-based nanostructures for visible-range plasmonics, especially for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), currently suffers from inconsistent local electromagnetic field distributions and/or inhomogeneous distribution of probe molecules. Herein, we lithographically fabricate structurally uniform Al nanostructures which enable homogeneous adsorption of various probe molecules. Individual Al nanostructures exhibit strong local electromagnetic field enhancements, in turn leading to intense SERS activity. The average SERS enhancement factor (EF) for individual nanostructures exceeds 10 4 for non-resonant probe molecules in the visible spectrum. These Al nanostructures also retain more than 70% of their original SERS intensities after one-month storage, displaying superb stability under ambient conditions. We further achieve tunable polarization-dependent SERS responses using anisotropic Al nanostructures, facilitating the design of sophisticated SERS-based security labels. Our micron-sized security label comprises two-tier security features, including a machine-readable hybrid quick-response (QR) code overlaid with a set of ciphertexts. Our work demonstrates the versatility of Al-based structures in low-cost modern chemical nano-analytics and forgery protection.

Dielectric properties investigation of Cu2O/ZnO heterojunction thin films by electrodeposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Qiang; Xu, Mengmeng; Fan, Huiqing; Wang, Hairong; Peng, Biaolin; Long, Changbai; Zhai, Yuchun

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Bottom-up self-assembly Cu 2 O/ZnO heterojunction was fabricated by electrochemical deposition on indium tin oxide (ITO) flexible substrate (polyethylene terephthalate-PET). ► The dielectric response of Cu 2 O/ZnO heterojunction thin films had been investigated. ► The universal dielectric response was used to investigate the hopping behavior in Cu 2 O/ZnO heterojunction. -- Abstract: Structures and morphologies of the Cu 2 O/ZnO heterojunction electrodeposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) flexible substrate (polyethylene terephthalate-PET) were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), respectively. The dielectric response of bottom-up self-assembly Cu 2 O/ZnO heterojunction was investigated. The low frequency dielectric dispersion (LFDD) was observed. The universal dielectric response (UDR) was used to investigate the frequency dependence of dielectric response for Cu 2 O/ZnO heterojunction, which was attributed to the long range and the short range hopping charge carriers at the low frequency and the high frequency region, respectively

Design of novel hybrid organic-inorganic nanostructured biomaterials for immunoassay applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrade, G [Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, PO Box 486, 31270.901, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Barbosa-Stancioli, E F [Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, PO Box 486, 31270.901, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Piscitelli Mansur, A A [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Vasconcelos, W L [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Mansur, H S [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2006-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop novel hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer chemically crosslinked network to be tested as solid support on bovine herpesvirus immunoassay. Hybrids were synthesized by reacting PVA with three different alkoxysilanes modifying chemical groups: tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS). PVA-derived hybrids were also modified by chemically crosslinking with glutaraldehyde (GA) during the synthesis reaction. In order to investigate the structure in the nanometer-scale, PVA-derived hybrids were characterized by using small-angle x-ray scattering synchrotron radiation (SAXS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). PVA hybrids' chemical functionalities and their interaction with herpesviruses were also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The bioactivity assays were tested through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). SAXS results have indicated nano-ordered disperse domains for PVA hybrids with different x-ray scattering patterns for PVA polymer and PVA-derived hybrids. FTIR spectra have shown major vibration bands associated with organic-inorganic chemical groups present in the PVA, PVA-derived by silane modifier and PVA chemically crosslinked by GA. The immunoassay results have shown that PVA hybrids with chemically functionalized structures regulated to some extent the specific bioimmobilization of herpesvirus onto solid phase. We think that it is due to the overall balance of forces associated with van der Waals interaction, hydrophilic and hydrophobic forces and steric hindrance acting at the surface. PVA and PVA-derived hybrid materials were successfully produced with GA crosslinking in a nanometer-scale network. Also, such a PVA-based material could be advantageously used in immunoassays with enhanced specificity for diagnosis.

Design of novel hybrid organic-inorganic nanostructured biomaterials for immunoassay applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrade, G [Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, PO Box 486, 31270.901, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Barbosa-Stancioli, E F [Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, PO Box 486, 31270.901, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Piscitelli Mansur, A A [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Vasconcelos, W L [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Mansur, H S [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2006-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop novel hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer chemically crosslinked network to be tested as solid support on bovine herpesvirus immunoassay. Hybrids were synthesized by reacting PVA with three different alkoxysilanes modifying chemical groups: tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS). PVA-derived hybrids were also modified by chemically crosslinking with glutaraldehyde (GA) during the synthesis reaction. In order to investigate the structure in the nanometer-scale, PVA-derived hybrids were characterized by using small-angle x-ray scattering synchrotron radiation (SAXS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). PVA hybrids' chemical functionalities and their interaction with herpesviruses were also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The bioactivity assays were tested through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). SAXS results have indicated nano-ordered disperse domains for PVA hybrids with different x-ray scattering patterns for PVA polymer and PVA-derived hybrids. FTIR spectra have shown major vibration bands associated with organic-inorganic chemical groups present in the PVA, PVA-derived by silane modifier and PVA chemically crosslinked by GA. The immunoassay results have shown that PVA hybrids with chemically functionalized structures regulated to some extent the specific bioimmobilization of herpesvirus onto solid phase. We think that it is due to the overall balance of forces associated with van der Waals interaction, hydrophilic and hydrophobic forces and steric hindrance acting at the surface. PVA and PVA-derived hybrid materials were successfully produced with GA crosslinking in a nanometer-scale network. Also, such a PVA-based material could be advantageously used in immunoassays with enhanced specificity for diagnosis.

Rational Design of Zinc Phosphide Heterojunction Photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Bosco, Jeffrey Paul

The prospect of terawatt-scale electricity generation using a photovoltaic (PV) device places strict requirements on the active semiconductor optoelectronic properties and elemental abundance. After reviewing the constraints placed on an ``earth-abundant'' solar absorber, we find zinc phosphide (α-Zn 3P2) to be an ideal candidate. In addition to its near-optimal direct band gap of 1.5 eV, high visible-light absorption coefficient (>10. 4cm-1), and long minority-carrier diffusion length (>5 μm), Zn3P 2 is composed of abundant Zn and P elements and has excellent physical properties for scalable thin-film deposition. However, to date, a Zn 3P2 device of sufficient efficiency for commercial applications has not been demonstrated. Record efficiencies of 6.0% for multicrystalline and 4.3% for thin-film cells have been reported, respectively. Performance has been limited by the intrinsic p-type conductivity of Zn3P 2 which restricts us to Schottky and heterojunction device designs. Due to our poor understanding of Zn3P2 interfaces, an ideal heterojunction partner has not yet been found. The goal of this thesis is to explore the upper limit of solar conversion efficiency achievable with a Zn3P2 absorber through the design of an optimal heterojunction PV device. To do so, we investigate three key aspects of material growth, interface energetics, and device design. First, the growth of Zn3P2 on GaAs(001) is studied using compound-source molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). We successfully demonstrate the pseudomorphic growth of Zn3P2 epilayers of controlled orientation and optoelectronic properties. Next, the energy-band alignments of epitaxial Zn3P2 and II-VI and III-V semiconductor interfaces are measured via high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in order to determine the most appropriate heterojunction partner. From this work, we identify ZnSe as a nearly ideal n-type emitter for a Zn3P 2 PV device. Finally, various II-VI/Zn3P2 heterojunction solar cells designs are

Zinc-oxide nanorod / copper-oxide thin-film heterojunction for a nitrogen-monoxide gas sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Hwansu; Kim, Hyojin; Kim, Dojin

2014-01-01

A novel p - n oxide heterojunction structure was fabricated by employing n-type zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by using the hydrothermal method and a p-type copper-oxide (CuO) thin film deposited onto the ZnO nanorod array by using the sputtering method. The crystallinities and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current - voltage characteristics of the p - n oxide heterojunction showed a nonlinear diode-like rectifying behavior. The effects of an oxidizing or electron acceptor gas, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), on the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction were investigated to determine the potential applications of the fabricated material for use in gas sensors. The forward current of the p - n heterojunction was remarkably reduced when NO gas was introduced into dry air at temperatures from 100 to 250 .deg. C. The NO gas response of the oxide heterojunction reached a maximum value at an operating temperature of 180 .deg. C and linearly increased as the NO gas concentration was increased from 5 to 30 ppm. The sensitivity value was observed to be as high as 170% at 180 .deg. C when biased at 2 V in the presence of 20-ppm NO. The ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction also exhibited a stable and repeatable response to NO gas. The experimental results suggest that the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction structure may be a novel candidate for gas sensors.

Zinc-oxide nanorod / copper-oxide thin-film heterojunction for a nitrogen-monoxide gas sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Hwansu; Kim, Hyojin; Kim, Dojin [Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-11-15

A novel p - n oxide heterojunction structure was fabricated by employing n-type zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by using the hydrothermal method and a p-type copper-oxide (CuO) thin film deposited onto the ZnO nanorod array by using the sputtering method. The crystallinities and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current - voltage characteristics of the p - n oxide heterojunction showed a nonlinear diode-like rectifying behavior. The effects of an oxidizing or electron acceptor gas, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), on the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction were investigated to determine the potential applications of the fabricated material for use in gas sensors. The forward current of the p - n heterojunction was remarkably reduced when NO gas was introduced into dry air at temperatures from 100 to 250 .deg. C. The NO gas response of the oxide heterojunction reached a maximum value at an operating temperature of 180 .deg. C and linearly increased as the NO gas concentration was increased from 5 to 30 ppm. The sensitivity value was observed to be as high as 170% at 180 .deg. C when biased at 2 V in the presence of 20-ppm NO. The ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction also exhibited a stable and repeatable response to NO gas. The experimental results suggest that the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction structure may be a novel candidate for gas sensors.

Electrical properties of CdS/CdTe heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, T.L.; Chu, S.S.; Ang, S.T.

1988-01-01

The electrical properties of n-CdS/p-CdTe heterojunctions depend strongly on the cleanliness of the interface region. In this work, CdTe films were deposited on CdS/glass substrates by close-spaced sublimation (CSS) under various conditions. The dark current-voltage characteristics of the resulting heterojunctions were measured over a wide temperature range, and the capacitance-voltage characteristics were measured in the dark and under illumination. When the CdS surface is in situ cleaned prior to the deposition of the CdTe film, the current transport across the junction is controlled by a thermally activated process. Tunneling makes an important contribution to the interface recombination at temperatures below room temperature when the in situ cleaning of CdS is not used. The dark capacitance of CdS/CdTe heterojunctions prepared with in situ etching is essentially independent of the reverse bias due to intrinsic interface states. Under white light illumination, the 1/C 2 vs V relation is nearly linear. The CdS/CdTe heterojunctions without in situ cleaning showed different 1/C 2 vs V relations due to higher density of interface states. The in situ cleaning also has pronounced effects on the frequency dependence of dark and illuminated capacitances. Using the in situ cleaning technique, solar cells of about 1 cm 2 area have achieved an AM 1.5 (global) efficiency of about 10.5%

Top-down fabrication of plasmonic nanostructures for deterministic coupling to single quantum emitters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pfaff, W.; Vos, A.; Hanson, R.

2013-01-01

Metal nanostructures can be used to harvest and guide the emission of single photon emitters on-chip via surface plasmon polaritons. In order to develop and characterize photonic devices based on emitter-plasmon hybrid structures, a deterministic and scalable fabrication method for such structures

Optoelectrical Properties of a Heterojunction with Amorphous InGaZnO Film on n-Silicon Substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, D. L.; Ma, X. Z.; Li, L.; Xu, Z. K.

2017-10-01

An a-IGZO/ n-Si heterojunction device has been fabricated at room temperature by depositing amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) film on n-type silicon substrate by plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition and its optoelectrical properties studied in detail. The heterojunction showed distinct rectifying characteristic with rectification ratio of 1.93 × 103 at ±2 V bias and reverse leakage current density of 1.6 × 10-6 A cm-2 at -2 V bias. More interestingly, the heterojunction not only showed the characteristic of unbiased photoresponse, but could also detect either ultraviolet or ultraviolet-visible light by simply changing the polarity of the bias applied to the heterojunction. The variable photoresponse phenomenon and the charge transport mechanisms in the heterojunction are explained based on the energy band diagram of the heterojunction.

Monolayer MoS2 heterojunction solar cells

KAUST Repository

Tsai, Menglin

2014-08-26

We realized photovoltaic operation in large-scale MoS2 monolayers by the formation of a type-II heterojunction with p-Si. The MoS 2 monolayer introduces a built-in electric field near the interface between MoS2 and p-Si to help photogenerated carrier separation. Such a heterojunction photovoltaic device achieves a power conversion efficiency of 5.23%, which is the highest efficiency among all monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide-based solar cells. The demonstrated results of monolayer MoS 2/Si-based solar cells hold the promise for integration of 2D materials with commercially available Si-based electronics in highly efficient devices. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

A self-starting hybrid optoelectronic oscillator generating ultra low jitter 10-GHz optical pulses and low phase noise electrical signals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lasri, J.; Bilenca, A.; Dahan, D.

2002-01-01

In this letter, we describe a self-starting optical pulse source generating ultra low noise 15-ps-wide pulses at 10 GHz. It is based on a hybrid optoelectronic oscillator comprising a fiber extended cavity mode-locked diode laser which injection locks a self-oscillating heterojunction bipolar...

Hybrid 3D-2D printing for bone scaffolds fabrication

Science.gov (United States)

Seleznev, V. A.; Prinz, V. Ya

2017-02-01

It is a well-known fact that bone scaffold topography on micro- and nanometer scale influences the cellular behavior. Nano-scale surface modification of scaffolds allows the modulation of biological activity for enhanced cell differentiation. To date, there has been only a limited success in printing scaffolds with micro- and nano-scale features exposed on the surface. To improve on the currently available imperfect technologies, in our paper we introduce new hybrid technologies based on a combination of 2D (nano imprint) and 3D printing methods. The first method is based on using light projection 3D printing and simultaneous 2D nanostructuring of each of the layers during the formation of the 3D structure. The second method is based on the sequential integration of preliminarily created 2D nanostructured films into a 3D printed structure. The capabilities of the developed hybrid technologies are demonstrated with the example of forming 3D bone scaffolds. The proposed technologies can be used to fabricate complex 3D micro- and nanostructured products for various fields.

PREFACE: Self-organized nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Rousset, Sylvie; Ortega, Enrique

2006-04-01

the EUROCORES SONS Programme under the auspices of the European Science Foundation and the VI Framework Programme of the European Community. It was also funded by CNRS `formation permanente'. Major topics relevant to self-organization are covered in these papers. The first two papers deal with the physics of self-organized nucleation and growth. Both metal and semiconductor templates are investigated. The paper by Meyer zu Heringdorf focuses on the mesoscopic patterns formed by the Au-induced faceting of vicinal Si (001). Repain et al describe how uniform and long-range ordered nanostructures are built on a surface by using nucleation on a point-defect array. Electronic properties of such self-organized systems are reviewed by Mugarza and Ortega. The next three papers deal with molecules and self-organization. In the paper presented by Kröger, molecules are deposited on vicinal Au surfaces and are studied by STM. A very active field in self-organized nanostructures is the chemical route for nanoparticle synthesis. The paper by Piléni deals with self-organization of inorganic crystals produced by evaporation of a solution, also called colloids. Their physical properties are also treated. Gacoin et al illustrate chemical synthesis, including the template approach, using organized mesoporous silica films for the production of semiconductor or metal arrays of particles. An alternative method is developed in the paper by Allongue and Maroun which is the electrochemical method of building arrays of nanostructures. Ultimately, self-organization is a very interdisciplinary field. There is also an attempt in this issue to present some of the challenges using biology. The paper by Belamie et al deals with the self-assembly of biological macromolecules, such as chitin and collagen. Finally, Molodtsov and co-workers describe how a biological template can be used in order to achieve novel materials made of hybrid metallo-organic nanostructures.

Facile fabrication of nano-structured silica hybrid film with superhydrophobicity by one-step VAFS approach

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Yi; Yue, Renliang; Liu, Gang; Yang, Jie; Ni, Yong; Wu, Xiaofeng; Chen, Yunfa

2013-01-01

Here we report a novel one-step vapor-fed aerosol flame synthesis (VAFS) method to attain silica hybrid film with superhydrophobicity on normal glass and other engineering material substrates using hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) as precursor. The deposited nano-structured silica films represent excellent superhydrophobicity with contact angle larger than 150° and sliding angle below 5°, without any surface modification or other post treatments. SEM photographs proved that flame-made SiO2 nanoparticles formed dual-scale surface roughness on the substrates. It was confirmed by FTIR and XPS that the in situ formed organic fragments on the particle surface as species like (CH3)xSiO2-x/2 (x = 1, 2, 3) which progressively lowered the surface energy of fabricated films. Thus, these combined dual-scale roughness and lowered surface energy cooperatively produced superhydrophobic films. IR camera had been used to monitor the real-time flame temperature. It is found that the inert dilution gas inflow played a critical role in attaining superhydrophobicity due to its cooling and anti-oxidation effect. This method is facile and scalable for diverse substrates, without any requirement of complex equipments and multiple processing steps. It may contribute to the industrial fabrication of superhydrophobic films.

Photosensitive Ox/GaAs heterojunctions: Creation and properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rud' , V. Yu. [St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University (Russian Federation); Rud' , Yu. V., E-mail: yuryrud@mail.ioffe.ru; Terukov, E. I.; Ushakova, T. N. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute (Russian Federation)

2012-06-15

A method for the thermal oxidation of GaAs crystals in air is suggested and the first photosensitive Ox/n-GaAs heterojunctions, where Ox is a native oxide, are fabricated. The steady current-voltage characteristics and spectra of relative quantum efficiency of the new structures are studied. The features of the spectra of photoactive absorption of the obtained heterojunctions are discussed. The potential of using vacuumfree thermal oxidation of the GaAs crystals in air to fabricate broadband heterophotoconverters of optical radiation on their basis is established.

Conduction band offset at the InN/GaN heterojunction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Kejia; Lian Chuanxin; Su Ning; Jena, Debdeep; Timler, John

2007-01-01

The conduction-band offset between GaN and InN is experimentally determined. InN/n-type GaN isotype heterojunctions grown by molecular beam epitaxy are observed to exhibit Schottky-junction like behavior based on rectifying vertical current flow. From capacitance-voltage measurements on the heterojunction, the Schottky barrier height is found to be ∼0.94 eV. The photocurrent spectroscopy measurement by backside illumination reveals an energy barrier height of 0.95 eV across the heterojunction, consistent with the capacitance measurement. By combining electrical transport, capacitance-voltage, and photocurrent spectroscopy measurement results, the conduction band offset between InN and GaN is estimated to be ΔE C =1.68±0.1 eV

Three-dimensional flowerlike iron oxide nanostructures: Morphology, composition and metal ion removal capability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Dan [School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, 250022 Jinan (China); Yang, Ping, E-mail: mse_yangp@ujn.edu.cn [School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, 250022 Jinan (China); Huang, Baibiao [State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, 250100 Jinan (China)

2016-01-15

Graphical abstract: The iron alkoxide precursors are calcined into α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} microstructures with different morphologies by changing calcination atmosphere, reaction time of precursors and calcination temperature simply. The Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ag hybrid composites prepared through aqueous synthesis and light irradiation. - Highlights: • α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} microstructures with different morphologies were created. • Solvents play an important role for the solvothermal treatment of precursors. • The α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} microstructures show excellent adsorption properties. • Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ag hybrid composites were prepared to improve their properties. - Abstract: The flower-like precursors of Fe alkoxide constructed by the self-assembly of nanoflakes were prepared. Time-dependent experiments confirmed the formation mechanism of flower-like precursors. After calcination, α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanostructures with different morphologies were created. Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanostructures containing blocks with a truncated octahedron structure were obtained under N{sub 2} protection. α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructures were prepared in an air atmosphere. The values of maximum adsorption capacity of α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructures for Cr{sup 6+} ions were much higher than that of commercial bulk α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Ag NPs were deposited on α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructures through an aqueous synthesis and light irradiation using L-cysteine as a linker. Such procedure is utilizable for the preparation of the composites of noble metals and magnetic materials.

A nanostructured Ni/graphene hybrid for enhanced electrochemical hydrogen storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Moon-Hyung; Min, Young-Je; Gwak, Gyeong-Hyeon; Paek, Seung-Min; Oh, Jae-Min

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Graphene oxide(GO) was hybridized with the Ni(OH) 2 . • The Ni(OH) 2 /GO was reduced to Ni/graphene. • XRD, TEM, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy were examined. • The hydrogen storage property of Ni/graphene was significantly enhanced. - Abstract: To fabricate electrochemical hydrogen storage materials with delaminated structure, the graphene oxide (GO) in the ethylene glycol solution was reassembled in the presence of the precursor of Ni nanoparticles, and then, the reassembled hybrid was reduced under hydrogen atmosphere to obtain Ni/graphene hybrid. X-ray diffraction patterns and X-ray absorption spectscopic (XAS) analysis clearly show that Ni nanoparticles in Ni/graphene hybrid maintain its nanosized nature even after hybridization with graphene nanosheet (GNS). According to the TEM analysis, the Ni nanoparticles with an average size of 5.2 nm are homogeneously distributed onto the GNS in such a way that the nanoporous structure with much amount of void spaces could be fabricated. The obtained Ni/GNS exhibits a hydrogen storage capacity of 160 mA h/g, while the specific capacity of the graphene nanosheet was only 21 mA h/g. A flexible delaminated structure of Ni/GNS nanocomposite could provide additional intercalation sites for accommodation of hydrogen, leading to the enhancement of hydrogen storage capacity

Redox-active Hybrid Materials for Pseudocapacitive Energy Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Boota, Muhammad

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials show a great promise for the purpose of manufacturing high performance electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage systems and beyond. Molecular level combination of two best suited components in a hybrid material leads to new or sometimes exceptional sets of physical, chemical, mechanical and electrochemical properties that makes them attractive for broad ranges of applications. Recently, there has been growing interest in producing redox-active hybrid nanomaterials for energy storage applications where generally the organic component provides high redox capacitance and the inorganic component offers high conductivity and robust support. While organic-inorganic hybrid materials offer tremendous opportunities for electrochemical energy storage applications, the task of matching the right organic material out of hundreds of natural and nearly unlimited synthetic organic molecules to appropriate nanostructured inorganic support hampers their electrochemical energy storage applications. We aim to present the recent development of redox-active hybrid materials for pseudocapacitive energy storage. We will show the impact of combination of suitable organic materials with distinct carbon nanostructures and/or highly conductive metal carbides (MXenes) on conductivity, charge storage performance, and cyclability. Combined experimental and molecular simulation results will be discussed to shed light on the interfacial organic-inorganic interactions, pseudocapacitive charge storage mechanisms, and likely orientations of organic molecules on conductive supports. Later, the concept of all-pseudocapacitive organic-inorganic asymmetric supercapacitors will be highlighted which open up new avenues for developing inexpensive, sustainable, and high energy density aqueous supercapacitors. Lastly, future challenges and opportunities to further tailor the redox-active hybrids will be highlighted.

A hybrid nanoantenna for highly enhanced directional spontaneous emission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chou, R. Yuanying; Lu, Guowei, E-mail: guowei.lu@pku.edu.cn; Shen, Hongming; He, Yingbo; Cheng, Yuqing [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Perriat, Pascal [MATEIS, UMR 5510 CNRS, INSA-Lyon, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne Cedex 69621 (France); Martini, Matteo; Tillement, Olivier [ILM, UMR 5306 CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne Cedex 69622 (France); Gong, Qihuang [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871 (China)

2014-06-28

Spontaneous emission modulated by a hybrid plasmonic nanoantenna has been investigated by employing finite-difference time-domain method. The hybrid nanoantenna configurations constituted by a gap hot-spot and of a plasmonic corrugated grating and a metal reflector sandwiching a SiO{sub 2} thin layer which appears promising for high spontaneous emission enhancement devices. Simulation assays show that the coupling between the gap-antenna and plasmonic corrugations reaches an ultra-high near-field enhancement factor in the excitation process. Moreover, concerning the emission process, the corrugations concentrate the far-field radiated power within a tiny angular volume, offering unprecedented collection efficiency. In the past decades, many kinds of optical antennas have been proposed and optimized to enhance single molecule detection. However, the excitation enhancement effect for single individual or dimmer plasmonic nanostructure is limited due to intrinsic nonradiative decay of the nanoparticle plasmon and quantum tunneling effect. The proposed hybrid configuration overwhelms the enhancement limit of single individual plasmonic structure. The findings provide an insight into spontaneous emission high enhancement through integrating the functions of different metallic nanostructures.

A hybrid nanoantenna for highly enhanced directional spontaneous emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chou, R. Yuanying; Lu, Guowei; Shen, Hongming; He, Yingbo; Cheng, Yuqing; Perriat, Pascal; Martini, Matteo; Tillement, Olivier; Gong, Qihuang

2014-01-01

Spontaneous emission modulated by a hybrid plasmonic nanoantenna has been investigated by employing finite-difference time-domain method. The hybrid nanoantenna configurations constituted by a gap hot-spot and of a plasmonic corrugated grating and a metal reflector sandwiching a SiO 2 thin layer which appears promising for high spontaneous emission enhancement devices. Simulation assays show that the coupling between the gap-antenna and plasmonic corrugations reaches an ultra-high near-field enhancement factor in the excitation process. Moreover, concerning the emission process, the corrugations concentrate the far-field radiated power within a tiny angular volume, offering unprecedented collection efficiency. In the past decades, many kinds of optical antennas have been proposed and optimized to enhance single molecule detection. However, the excitation enhancement effect for single individual or dimmer plasmonic nanostructure is limited due to intrinsic nonradiative decay of the nanoparticle plasmon and quantum tunneling effect. The proposed hybrid configuration overwhelms the enhancement limit of single individual plasmonic structure. The findings provide an insight into spontaneous emission high enhancement through integrating the functions of different metallic nanostructures.

III-nitrides, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, and their heterojunctions

KAUST Repository

Mishra, Pawan

2017-04-01

Group III-nitride materials have attracted great attention for applications in high efficiency electronic and optoelectronics devices such as high electron mobility transistors, light emitting diodes, and laser diodes. On the other hand, group VI transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) in the form of MX2 has recently emerged as a novel atomic layered material system with excellent thermoelectric, electronic and optoelectronic properties. Also, the recent investigations reveal that the dissimilar heterojunctions formed by TMDs and III-nitrides provide the route for novel devices in the area of optoelectronic, electronics, and water splitting applications. In addition, integration of III-nitrides and TMDs will enable high density integrated optoelectronic circuits and the development of hybrid integration technologies. In this work, we have demonstrated kinetically controlled growth processes in plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) for the III-nitrides and their engineered heterostructures. Techniques such as Ga irradiation and nitrogen plasma exposure has been utilized to implement bulk GaN, InGaN and their heterostructures in PAMBE. For the growth of III-nitride based heterostructures, the in-situ surface stoichiometry monitoring (i-SSM) technique was developed and used for implementing stepped and compositionally graded InGaN-based multiple quantum wells (MQWs). Their optical and microstrain analysis in conjunction with theoretical studies confirmed improvement in the radiative recombination rate of the graded-MQWs as compared to that of stepped-MQWs, owing to the reduced strain in graded-MQWs. Our achievement also includes the realization of the p-type MoS2 by engineering pristine MoS2 layers in PAMBE. Mainly, Ga and nitrogen plasma irradiation on the pristine MoS2 in PAMBE has resulted in the realization of the p-type MoS2. Also, GaN epitaxial thin layers were deposited on MoS2/c-sapphire, WSe2/c-sapphire substrates by PAMBE to study the band

Semiconductor nanostructures for artificial photosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Peidong

2012-02-01

Nanowires, with their unique capability to bridge the nanoscopic and macroscopic worlds, have already been demonstrated as important materials for different energy conversion. One emerging and exciting direction is their application for solar to fuel conversion. The generation of fuels by the direct conversion of solar energy in a fully integrated system is an attractive goal, but no such system has been demonstrated that shows the required efficiency, is sufficiently durable, or can be manufactured at reasonable cost. One of the most critical issues in solar water splitting is the development of a suitable photoanode with high efficiency and long-term durability in an aqueous environment. Semiconductor nanowires represent an important class of nanostructure building block for direct solar-to-fuel application because of their high surface area, tunable bandgap and efficient charge transport and collection. Nanowires can be readily designed and synthesized to deterministically incorporate heterojunctions with improved light absorption, charge separation and vectorial transport. Meanwhile, it is also possible to selectively decorate different oxidation or reduction catalysts onto specific segments of the nanowires to mimic the compartmentalized reactions in natural photosynthesis. In this talk, I will highlight several recent examples in this lab using semiconductor nanowires and their heterostructures for the purpose of direct solar water splitting.

Interface states in stressed semiconductor heterojunction with antiferromagnetic ordering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kantser, V.G.

1995-08-01

The stressed heterojunctions with antiferromagnetic ordering in which the constituents have opposite band edge symmetry and their gaps have opposite signs have been investigated. The interface states have been shown to appear in these heterojunctions and they are spin-split. As a result if the Fermi level gets into one of the interface bands then it leads to magnetic ordering in the interface plane. That is if the interface magnetization effect can be observed. (author). 14 refs, 2 figs

Interface magnetization effect in heterojunctions based on semimagnetic compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malkova, N.

1998-07-01

The electronic states of stressed heterojunctions formed from narrow-gap semimagnetic semiconductors showing antiferromagnetic ordering are studies. The model Hamiltonian is constructed in the framework of the two-band envelope function approximation including far-band corrections. Heterojunctions both with normal and inverted band arrangements in the initial semiconductors are investigated. The interface Tamm-like states have been shown recently toe appear in these heterojunctions and they are spin-split with the magnetic axis perpendicular to the interface plane. The effect of far-band corrections is shown to be conditioned by the mutual movement of the constituent bands, resulting in changes and in some cases in full disappearance of the energy interval in which the interface state exists. The interface magnetization effect is expected when the Fermi level lies in one of the spin-polarized interface bands. Using the appropriate parameters, the value of the relative interface magnetization is calculated. (author)

Large rectification magnetoresistance in nonmagnetic Al/Ge/Al heterojunctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kun; Li, Huan-Huan; Grünberg, Peter; Li, Qiang; Ye, Sheng-Tao; Tian, Yu-Feng; Yan, Shi-Shen; Lin, Zhao-Jun; Kang, Shi-Shou; Chen, Yan-Xue; Liu, Guo-Lei; Mei, Liang-Mo

2015-09-21

Magnetoresistance and rectification are two fundamental physical properties of heterojunctions and respectively have wide applications in spintronics devices. Being different from the well known various magnetoresistance effects, here we report a brand new large magnetoresistance that can be regarded as rectification magnetoresistance: the application of a pure small sinusoidal alternating-current to the nonmagnetic Al/Ge Schottky heterojunctions can generate a significant direct-current voltage, and this rectification voltage strongly varies with the external magnetic field. We find that the rectification magnetoresistance in Al/Ge Schottky heterojunctions is as large as 250% at room temperature, which is greatly enhanced as compared with the conventional magnetoresistance of 70%. The findings of rectification magnetoresistance open the way to the new nonmagnetic Ge-based spintronics devices of large rectification magnetoresistance at ambient temperature under the alternating-current due to the simultaneous implementation of the rectification and magnetoresistance in the same devices.

Optimalization activity of ZnO NR/TiO2 NR-P3HT as an active layer based on hybrid bulk heterojunction on dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saputri, Liya Nikmatul Maula Zulfa; Ramelan, Ari Handono; Hanif, Qonita Awliya; Hasanah, Yesi Ihdina Fityatal; Prajanira, Lau Bekti; Wahyuningsih, Sayekti

2016-01-01

Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with metal inorganic and conjugated organic polymer mixture, ZnO NR/TiO 2 NR-P3HT as an active layer based on hybrid bulk heterojunction has been studied. The hybrid material was used to optimize DSSC performs for better efficiency than only TiO 2 as an electrode. Synthesis of TiO 2 nanorods (NR) was conducted by ball milling 1000 rpm for 4 hours and strong base reaction by hydrothermal process at 120 °C overnight. And the ZnO NR was synthesized from Zn(NO 3 ) 2 .4H 2 O precusor by hydrotermal process at 90 °C for 5 hours and calcined on various temperature s of 400, 600, and 800 °C. ZnO NR was coated into an Tndium Tin Oxide (TTO) glass to collecting electron s effectively, where TiO 2 NR were incorporated with poly(3 -hexylthiophene) (P3HT) on various concentration s of 5, 10, 15 mg/mL to obtain a larger surface area. Material characterization were performed by X -Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Uv-Vis spectrophotometer. For an application of DSSC were measured by T-V Keithley Multimeter and the efficiency of DSSC at various P3HT’s concentrations of 5, 10, 15 mg/mL were 7.44 × 10 −3 , 0.0114, 0.0104, respectively. The maximum efficiency of DSSC was showed when TiO 2 NR-P3HT’s concentration was 10 mg/mL.

Optimalization activity of ZnO NR/TiO2 NR-P3HT as an active layer based on hybrid bulk heterojunction on dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saputri, Liya Nikmatul Maula Zulfa; Ramelan, Ari Handono; Hanif, Qonita Awliya; Hasanah, Yesi Ihdina Fityatal; Prajanira, Lau Bekti; Wahyuningsih, Sayekti, E-mail: sayektiw@mipa.uns.ac.id [Chemistry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sebelas Maret University, Ir.Sutami 36A Kentingan Surakarta 57/26, Central Java (Indonesia)

2016-04-19

Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with metal inorganic and conjugated organic polymer mixture, ZnO NR/TiO{sub 2} NR-P3HT as an active layer based on hybrid bulk heterojunction has been studied. The hybrid material was used to optimize DSSC performs for better efficiency than only TiO{sub 2} as an electrode. Synthesis of TiO{sub 2} nanorods (NR) was conducted by ball milling 1000 rpm for 4 hours and strong base reaction by hydrothermal process at 120 °C overnight. And the ZnO NR was synthesized from Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}.4H{sub 2}O precusor by hydrotermal process at 90 °C for 5 hours and calcined on various temperature s of 400, 600, and 800 °C. ZnO NR was coated into an Tndium Tin Oxide (TTO) glass to collecting electron s effectively, where TiO{sup 2} NR were incorporated with poly(3 -hexylthiophene) (P3HT) on various concentration s of 5, 10, 15 mg/mL to obtain a larger surface area. Material characterization were performed by X -Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Uv-Vis spectrophotometer. For an application of DSSC were measured by T-V Keithley Multimeter and the efficiency of DSSC at various P3HT’s concentrations of 5, 10, 15 mg/mL were 7.44 × 10{sup −3}, 0.0114, 0.0104, respectively. The maximum efficiency of DSSC was showed when TiO{sup 2} NR-P3HT’s concentration was 10 mg/mL.

Dielectric nanostructures for broadband light trapping in organic solar cells

KAUST Repository

Raman, Aaswath

2011-09-15

Organic bulk heterojunction solar cells are a promising candidate for low-cost next-generation photovoltaic systems. However, carrier extraction limitations necessitate thin active layers that sacrifice absorption for internal quantum efficiency or vice versa. Motivated by recent theoretical developments, we show that dielectric wavelength-scale grating structures can produce significant absorption resonances in a realistic organic cell architecture. We numerically demonstrate that 1D, 2D and multi-level ITO-air gratings lying on top of the organic solar cell stack produce a 8-15% increase in photocurrent for a model organic solar cell where PCDTBT:PC71BM is the organic semiconductor. Specific to this approach, the active layer itself remains untouched yet receives the benefit of light trapping by nanostructuring the top surface below which it lies. The techniques developed here are broadly applicable to organic semiconductors in general, and enable partial decoupling between active layer thickness and photocurrent generation. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

Electroluminescence from a n-ZnO/p-GaN hybrid LED

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Behrends, Arne; Bakin, Andrey; Waag, Andreas [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Hans-Sommer Str. 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Kwack, Ho-Sang; Dang, Le Si [Institut Neel, CNRS-UJF, 25, rue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble (France)

2010-06-15

In this work we report on the fabrication and characterization of a n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction LED. The p-GaN layer was fabricated using MOCVD on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with Mg as the acceptor whereas the ZnO nanostructures were grown in a very simple vapor transport system without any additionally doping. Room temperature electroluminescence (EL) measurements show green deep band emission centered at 2.3 eV which is clearly visible with the naked eye when the structure is forward biased. Cathodoluminescence mapping was performed to explain the absence of the band edge emission in the EL spectrum. (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Self-Aligned van der Waals Heterojunction Diodes and Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sangwan, Vinod K; Beck, Megan E; Henning, Alex; Luo, Jiajia; Bergeron, Hadallia; Kang, Junmo; Balla, Itamar; Inbar, Hadass; Lauhon, Lincoln J; Hersam, Mark C

2018-02-14

A general self-aligned fabrication scheme is reported here for a diverse class of electronic devices based on van der Waals materials and heterojunctions. In particular, self-alignment enables the fabrication of source-gated transistors in monolayer MoS 2 with near-ideal current saturation characteristics and channel lengths down to 135 nm. Furthermore, self-alignment of van der Waals p-n heterojunction diodes achieves complete electrostatic control of both the p-type and n-type constituent semiconductors in a dual-gated geometry, resulting in gate-tunable mean and variance of antiambipolar Gaussian characteristics. Through finite-element device simulations, the operating principles of source-gated transistors and dual-gated antiambipolar devices are elucidated, thus providing design rules for additional devices that employ self-aligned geometries. For example, the versatility of this scheme is demonstrated via contact-doped MoS 2 homojunction diodes and mixed-dimensional heterojunctions based on organic semiconductors. The scalability of this approach is also shown by fabricating self-aligned short-channel transistors with subdiffraction channel lengths in the range of 150-800 nm using photolithography on large-area MoS 2 films grown by chemical vapor deposition. Overall, this self-aligned fabrication method represents an important step toward the scalable integration of van der Waals heterojunction devices into more sophisticated circuits and systems.

A flexible sensor based on polyaniline hybrid using ZnO as template and sensing properties to triethylamine at room temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quan, Le [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals Analysis, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Sun, Jianhua [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals Analysis, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Guangxi Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Resource Processing and Process Intensification Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); Bai, Shouli, E-mail: baisl@mail.buct.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals Analysis, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Luo, Ruixian [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals Analysis, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Li, Dianqing, E-mail: lidq@mail.buct.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals Analysis, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Chen, Aifan [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals Analysis, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Liu, Chung Chiun [Department of Chemical and Biomolecule Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 (United States)

2017-03-31

Highlights: • Rapid synthesis of PANI has novelty, which is different with that reported before. • Enhancement of gas sensing is attributed to synergistic effect and heterojunction. • PET film is used as substrate to obtain a flexible, wearable and smart sensor. • Room temperature operating of sensor leads to save energy, safety and long life. - Abstract: A network structure of PANI/SnO{sub 2} hybrid was synthesized by an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization using cheaper ZnO nanorods as sacrificial template and the hybrid was loaded on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) thin film to construct a flexible smart sensor. The sensor not only exhibits high sensitivity which is 20 times higher than that of pure PANI to 10 ppm triethylamine, good selectivity and linear response at room temperature but also has flexible, structure simple, economical and portable characters compared with recently existing sensors. Room temperature operating of the sensor is also particularly interesting, which leads to low power consumption, environmental safety and long life times. The improvement of sensing properties is attributed to the network structure of hybrid and formation of p-n heterojunction at the interface between the PANI and SnO{sub 2}. The research is expected to open a new window for development of a kind of wearable electronic devices based on the hybrid of conducting polymer and metal oxides.

Novel hybrid materials based on the vanadium oxide nanobelts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zabrodina, G.S., E-mail: kudgs@mail.ru [G.A. Razuvaev Institute of Organometallic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation); Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation); Makarov, S.G.; Kremlev, K.V. [G.A. Razuvaev Institute of Organometallic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation); Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation); Yunin, P.A.; Gusev, S.A. [Institute for Physics of Microstructures Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod 603087 (Russian Federation); Kaverin, B.S.; Kaverina, L.B. [G.A. Razuvaev Institute of Organometallic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation); Ketkov, S.Yu. [G.A. Razuvaev Institute of Organometallic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation); Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation)

2016-04-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Flat and curved vanadium oxide nanobelts have been synthesized. • Hybrid material was prepared via decoration of flexible nanobelts with zinc phthalocyanine. • Investigations of the thermal stability, morphologies and structures were carried out. - Abstract: Novel hybrid materials based on zinc phthalocyanine and nanostructured vanadium oxides have attracted extensive attention for the development of academic research and innovative industrial applications such as flexible electronics, optical sensors and heterogeneous catalysts. Vanadium oxides nanobelts were synthesized via a hydrothermal treatment V{sub 2}O{sub 5}·nH{sub 2}O gel with surfactants (TBAB, CTAB) used as structure-directing agents, where CTAB – cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, TBAB – tetrabutylammonium bromide. Hybrid materials were prepared decoration of (CTA){sub 0.33}V{sub 2}O{sub 5} flexible nanobelts with cationic zinc phthalocyanine by the ion-exchange route. Investigations of the thermal stability, morphologies and structures of the (CTA){sub 0.33}V{sub 2}O{sub 5}, (TBA){sub 0.16}V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanobelts and zinc phthalocyanine exchange product were carried out. The hybrid materials based on the nanostructured vanadium oxide and zinc phthalocyanine were tested as photocatalysts for oxidation of citronellol and 2-mercaptoethanol by dioxygen.

Low Dark-Current, High Current-Gain of PVK/ZnO Nanoparticles Composite-Based UV Photodetector by PN-Heterojunction Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sang-Won; Cha, Seung-Hwan; Choi, Kyung-Jae; Kang, Byoung-Ho; Lee, Jae-Sung; Kim, Sae-Wan; Kim, Ju-Seong; Jeong, Hyun-Min; Gopalan, Sai-Anand; Kwon, Dae-Hyuk; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-01-07

We propose a solution-processable ultraviolet (UV) photodetector with a pn-heterojunction hybrid photoactive layer (HPL) that is composed of poly-n-vinylcarbazole (PVK) as a p-type polymer and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as an n-type metal oxide. To observe the effective photo-inducing ability of the UV photodetector, we analyzed the optical and electrical properties of HPL which is controlled by the doping concentration of n-type ZnO NPs in PVK matrix. Additionally, we confirmed that the optical properties of HPL dominantly depend on the ZnO NPs from the UV-vis absorption and the photoluminescence (PL) spectral measurements. This HPL can induce efficient charge transfer in the localized narrow pn-heterojunction domain and increases the photocurrent gain. It is essential that proper doping concentration of n-type ZnO NPs in polymer matrix is obtained to improve the performance of the UV photodetector. When the ZnO NPs are doped with the optimized concentration of 3.4 wt.%, the electrical properties of the photocurrent are significantly increased. The ratio of the photocurrent was approximately 10³ higher than that of the dark current.

Low Dark-Current, High Current-Gain of PVK/ZnO Nanoparticles Composite-Based UV Photodetector by PN-Heterojunction Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sang-Won Lee

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a solution-processable ultraviolet (UV photodetector with a pn-heterojunction hybrid photoactive layer (HPL that is composed of poly-n-vinylcarbazole (PVK as a p-type polymer and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs as an n-type metal oxide. To observe the effective photo-inducing ability of the UV photodetector, we analyzed the optical and electrical properties of HPL which is controlled by the doping concentration of n-type ZnO NPs in PVK matrix. Additionally, we confirmed that the optical properties of HPL dominantly depend on the ZnO NPs from the UV-vis absorption and the photoluminescence (PL spectral measurements. This HPL can induce efficient charge transfer in the localized narrow pn-heterojunction domain and increases the photocurrent gain. It is essential that proper doping concentration of n-type ZnO NPs in polymer matrix is obtained to improve the performance of the UV photodetector. When the ZnO NPs are doped with the optimized concentration of 3.4 wt.%, the electrical properties of the photocurrent are significantly increased. The ratio of the photocurrent was approximately 103 higher than that of the dark current.

Amorphous silicon crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells

CERN Document Server

Fahrner, Wolfgang Rainer

2013-01-01

Amorphous Silicon/Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells deals with some typical properties of heterojunction solar cells, such as their history, the properties and the challenges of the cells, some important measurement tools, some simulation programs and a brief survey of the state of the art, aiming to provide an initial framework in this field and serve as a ready reference for all those interested in the subject. This book helps to "fill in the blanks" on heterojunction solar cells. Readers will receive a comprehensive overview of the principles, structures, processing techniques and the current developmental states of the devices. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang R. Fahrner is a professor at the University of Hagen, Germany and Nanchang University, China.

Low-threshold pure UV electroluminescence from n-ZnO:Al/i-layer/n-GaN heterojunction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Songzhan; Fang Guojia; Long Hao; Wang Haoning; Huang Huihui; Mo Xiaoming; Zhao Xingzhong

2012-01-01

Ultraviolet (UV) electroluminescence (EL) of n-ZnO:Al (AZO)/i-layer/n-GaN heterojunctions with different intrinsic layers has been obtained. Rectifying behavior and EL spectra of the heterojunctions are investigated at room temperature. Under positive voltage, a dominant UV emission peak around ∼370 nm is observed for both AZO/i-ZnO/n-GaN and AZO/i-MgO/n-GaN heterojunctions. Nevertheless, the UV emission peak intensity of AZO/i-MgO/n-GaN heterojunction is much stronger than that of AZO/i-ZnO/n-GaN heterojunction at the same voltage. The threshold voltage of AZO/i-MgO/n-GaN heterostructured device is as low as 2.3 V. The difference of EL spectra and the emission mechanism in these devices are discussed. - Highlights: ► UV electroluminescence of n-ZnO:Al/i-layer/n-GaN heterojunctions has been obtained. ► Under positive voltage, a dominant UV emission peak around ∼370 nm is observed for both heterojunctions. ► The UV emission peak intensity of the heterojunction with i-MgO layer is much stronger than that with i-ZnO layer at the same voltage. ► The threshold voltage of n-ZnO:Al/i-MgO/n-GaN heterostructured device is as low as 2.3 V.

Asymmetric Hybrid Nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chumanov, George [Clemson Univ., SC (United States)

2015-11-05

Hybrid Nanoparticles (AHNs) are rationally-designed multifunctional nanostructures and novel building blocks for the next generation of advanced materials and devices. Nanoscale materials attract considerable interest because of their unusual properties and potential for practical applications. Most of the activity in this field is focused on the synthesis of homogeneous nanoparticles from metals, metal oxides, semiconductors, and polymers. It is well recognized that properties of nanoparticles can be further enhanced if they are made as hybrid structures. This program is concerned with the synthesis, characterization, and application of such hybrid structures termed AHNs. AHNs are composed of a homogeneous core and several caps of different materials deposited on its surface (Fig. 1). Combined properties of the core and the caps as well as new properties that arise from core-cap and cap-cap interactions render AHNs multifunctional. In addition, specific chemical reactivity of the caps enables directional self-assembly of AHNs into complex architectures that are not possible with only spherical nanoparticles.

Growth of Carbon Nanotubes on Clay: Unique Nanostructured Filler for High-Performance Polymer Nanocomposites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Wei-De; Phang, In Yee; Liu, Tianxi

2006-01-01

High-performance composites are produced using nanostructured clay-carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrids as a reinforcing filler. The intercalation of iron particles between the clay platelets serves as the catalyst for the growth of CNTs, while the platelets are exfoliated by the CNTs, forming the unique

Electrostatically Gated Graphene-Zinc Oxide Nanowire Heterojunction.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Xueqiu; Pak, James Jungho

2015-03-01

This paper presents an electrostatically gated graphene-ZnO nanowire (NW) heterojunction for the purpose of device applications for the first time. A sub-nanometer-thick energy barrier width was formed between a monatomic graphene layer and electrochemically grown ZnO NWs. Because of the narrow energy barrier, electrons can tunnel through the barrier when a voltage is applied across the junction. A near-ohmic current-voltage (I-V) curve was obtained from the graphene-electrochemically grown ZnO NW heterojunction. This near-ohmic contact changed to asymmetric I-V Schottky contact when the samples were exposed to an oxygen environment. It is believed that the adsorbed oxygen atoms or molecules on the ZnO NW surface capture free electrons of the ZnO NWs, thereby creating a depletion region in the ZnO NWs. Consequentially, the electron concentration in the ZnO NWs is dramatically reduced, and the energy barrier width of the graphene-ZnO NW heterojunction increases greatly. This increased energy barrier width reduces the electron tunneling probability, resulting in a typical Schottky contact. By adjusting the back-gate voltage to control the graphene-ZnO NW Schottky energy barrier height, a large modulation on the junction current (on/off ratio of 10(3)) was achieved.

Preparation and characterization of flexible asymmetric supercapacitors based on transition-metal-oxide nanowire/single-walled carbon nanotube hybrid thin-film electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Po-Chiang; Shen, Guozhen; Shi, Yi; Chen, Haitian; Zhou, Chongwu

2010-08-24

In the work described in this paper, we have successfully fabricated flexible asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) based on transition-metal-oxide nanowire/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) hybrid thin-film electrodes. These hybrid nanostructured films, with advantages of mechanical flexibility, uniform layered structures, and mesoporous surface morphology, were produced by using a filtration method. Here, manganese dioxide nanowire/SWNT hybrid films worked as the positive electrode, and indium oxide nanowire/SWNT hybrid films served as the negative electrode in a designed ASC. In our design, charges can be stored not only via electrochemical double-layer capacitance from SWNT films but also through a reversible faradic process from transition-metal-oxide nanowires. In addition, to obtain stable electrochemical behavior during charging/discharging cycles in a 2 V potential window, the mass balance between two electrodes has been optimized. Our optimized hybrid nanostructured ASCs exhibited a superior device performance with specific capacitance of 184 F/g, energy density of 25.5 Wh/kg, and columbic efficiency of approximately 90%. In addition, our ASCs exhibited a power density of 50.3 kW/kg, which is 10-fold higher than obtained in early reported ASC work. The high-performance hybrid nanostructured ASCs can find applications in conformal electrics, portable electronics, and electrical vehicles.

Molecular and Nanoscale Engineering of High Efficiency Excitonic Solar Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jenekhe, Samson A. [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Ginger, David S. [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Cao, Guozhong [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)

2016-01-15

We combined the synthesis of new polymers and organic-inorganic hybrid materials with new experimental characterization tools to investigate bulk heterojunction (BHJ) polymer solar cells and hybrid organic-inorganic solar cells during the 2007-2010 period (phase I) of this project. We showed that the bulk morphology of polymer/fullerene blend solar cells could be controlled by using either self-assembled polymer semiconductor nanowires or diblock poly(3-alkylthiophenes) as the light-absorbing and hole transport component. We developed new characterization tools in-house, including photoinduced absorption (PIA) spectroscopy, time-resolved electrostatic force microscopy (TR-EFM) and conductive and photoconductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM and pc-AFM), and used them to investigate charge transfer and recombination dynamics in polymer/fullerene BHJ solar cells, hybrid polymer-nanocrystal (PbSe) devices, and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs); we thus showed in detail how the bulk photovoltaic properties are connected to the nanoscale structure of the BHJ polymer solar cells. We created various oxide semiconductor (ZnO, TiO₂) nanostructures by solution processing routes, including hierarchical aggregates and nanorods/nanotubes, and showed that the nanostructured photoanodes resulted in substantially enhanced light-harvesting and charge transport, leading to enhanced power conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells.

Transition-metal impurities in semiconductors and heterojunction band lineups

Science.gov (United States)

Langer, Jerzy M.; Delerue, C.; Lannoo, M.; Heinrich, Helmut

1988-10-01

The validity of a recent proposal that transition-metal impurity levels in semiconductors may serve as a reference in band alignment in semiconductor heterojunctions is positively verified by using the most recent data on band offsets in the following lattice-matched heterojunctions: Ga1-xAlxAs/GaAs, In1-xGaxAsyP1-y/InP, In1-xGaxP/GaAs, and Cd1-xHgxTe/CdTe. The alignment procedure is justified theoretically by showing that transition-metal energy levels are effectively pinned to the average dangling-bond energy level, which serves as the reference level for the heterojunction band alignment. Experimental and theoretical arguments showing that an increasingly popular notion on transition-metal energy-level pinning to the vacuum level is unjustified and must be abandoned in favor of the internal-reference rule proposed recently [J. M. Langer and H. Heinrich, Phys. Rev. Lett. 55, 1414 (1985)] are presented.

Molecular orientation and electronic structure at organic heterojunction interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhong, Shu [Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, 117543 Singapore (Singapore); Zhong, Jian Qiang; Wee, Andrew T.S. [Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 3, 117542 Singapore (Singapore); Chen, Wei, E-mail: phycw@nus.edu.sg [Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, 117543 Singapore (Singapore); Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 3, 117542 Singapore (Singapore); National University of Singapore (Suzhou) Research Institute, Suzhou (China)

2015-10-01

Highlights: • Molecular orientation at the organic heterojunction interfaces. • Energy level alignments at the organic heterojunction interfaces. • Gap-states mediated interfacial energy level alignment. - Abstract: Due to the highly anisotropic nature of π-conjugated molecules, the molecular orientation in organic thin films can significantly affect light absorption, charge transport, energy level alignment (ELA) and hence device performance. Synchrotron-based near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy represents a powerful technique for probing molecular orientation. The aim of this review paper is to provide a balanced assessment on the investigation of molecular orientation at the organic–organic heterojunction (OOH) interface by NEXAFS, as well as the gap-states mediated orientation dependent energy level alignment at OOH interfaces. We highlight recent progress in elucidating molecular orientation at OOH interfaces dominated by various interfacial interactions, gap-states controlled orientation dependent energy level alignments at OOH interfaces, and the manipulations of molecular orientation and ELA in OOH.

Electronic structure of defects in semiconductor heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haussy, Bernard; Ganghoffer, Jean Francois

2002-01-01

Full text.heterojunctions and semiconductors and superlattices are well known and well used by people interested in optoelectronics communications. Components based on the use of heterojunctions are interesting for confinement of light and increase of quantum efficiency. An heterojunction is the contact zone between two different semiconductors, for example GaAs and Ga 1-x Al x As. Superlattices are a succession of heterojunctions (up to 10 or 20). These systems have been the subjects of many experiments ao analyse the contact between semiconductors. They also have been theoretically studied by different types of approach. The main result of those studies is the prediciton of band discontinuities. Defects in heterojunctions are real traps for charge carriers; they can affect the efficiency of the component decreasing the currents and the fluxes in it. the knowledge of their electronic structure is important, a great density of defects deeply modifies the electronic structure of the whole material creating real new bands of energy in the band structure of the component. in the first part of this work, we will describe the heterostructure and the defect in terms of quantum wells and discrete levels. This approach allows us to show the role of the width of the quantum well describing the structure but induces specific behaviours due to the one dimensional modelling. Then a perturbative treatment is proposed using the Green's functions formalism. We build atomic chains with different types of atoms featuring the heterostructure and the defect. Densities of states of a structure with a defect and levels associated to the defect are obtained. Results are comparable with the free electrons work, but the modelling do not induce problems due to a one dimensional approach. To extend our modelling, a three dimensions approach, based on a cavity model, is investigated. The influence of the defect, - of hydrogenoid type - introduced in the structure, is described by a cavity

Antimicrobial activity of eumelanin-based hybrids: The role of TiO2 in modulating the structure and biological performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vitiello, Giuseppe; Pezzella, Alessandro; Zanfardino, Anna; Silvestri, Brigida; Giudicianni, Paola; Costantini, Aniello; Varcamonti, Mario; Branda, Francesco; Luciani, Giuseppina

2017-01-01

Eco-friendly hybrid Eumelanin-TiO 2 nanostructures, recently obtained through in situ methodology based on hydrothermal route, have shown a striking antimicrobial activity, after exposure to oxidative environment, even under visible light induction condition. Nevertheless, the role of each component in defining the efficacy of these biological properties is far from being clearly defined. Furthermore, the effect of oxidative step on hybrids structure has not yet addressed. This study aims at elucidating the role of the ratio between eumelanin precursor, 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA), and TiO 2 , for its polymerization in defining morphology and structural organization of TiO 2 -melanin nanostructures. Furthermore, tests on a Gram-negative Escherichia coli DH5α strain under UV irradiation and even visible light allowed to assess the contribution of each component, as well as of the TiO 2 –DHICA charge transfer complex to overall biological performance. Finally, results of biocide characterization were combined with spectroscopic evidences to prove that oxidative treatment induces a marked structural modification in melanin thus enhancing overall antimicrobial efficacy. - Highlights: • Eco-friendly hybrid Eumelanin-TiO 2 nanostructures shows striking antimicrobial activity under visible light. • TiO 2 catalyzes 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA) polymerization to eumelanin. • Eumelanin precursor/catalyst ratio modulates physico-chemical and structural properties of hybrid nanostructures. • Oxidative treatment increases the reticulation grade of the polymeric chains within the nanoparticles. • Additional oxidative process of the eumelanin pigment strongly improves the antimicrobial activity of hybrids.

Electrical parameters of metal doped n-CdO/p-Si heterojunction diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Umadevi, P. [Department of Physics, Sri Vidya College of Engineering & Technology, Virudhunagar 626005, Tamilnadu (India); Prithivikumaran, N., E-mail: janavi_p@yahoo.com [Nanoscience Research Lab, Department of Physics, VHNSN College, Virudhunagar 626001, Tamilnadu (India)

2016-11-15

The CdO, Al doped CdO and Cu doped CdO thin films were coated on p-type silicon substrates by sol–gel spin coating method. The structural, surface morphological and electrical properties of undoped, Al and Cu doped CdO films on silicon substrate were studied. The Ag/CdO/p-Si, Ag/Al: CdO/p-Si and Ag/Cu: CdO/p-Si heterojunction diodes were fabricated and the diode parameters such as reverse saturation current, barrier height and ideality factor of the diodes were investigated by current–voltage (I–V)characteristics. The reverse current of the diode was found to increase strongly with the doping. The values of barrier height and ideality factor were decreased by doping with aluminium and copper. Photo response of the heterojunction diodes was studied and it was found that, the heterojunction diode constructed with the doped CdO has larger Photo response than the undoped heterojunction diode.

Photocatalytic activity of Bi_2WO_6/Bi_2S_3 heterojunctions: the facilitation of exposed facets of Bi_2WO_6 substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Long; Wang, Yufei; Shen, Huidong; Zhang, Yu; Li, Jian; Wang, Danjun

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6 hybrids with exposed (020) Bi_2WO_6 facets have been synthesized. • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that a small amount of Bi_2S_3 was formed. • The enhanced photoactivity of hybrids is due to heterojunction and (020) facets. • A possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism is proposed. - Abstract: Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6 hybrid architectures with exposed (020) Bi_2WO_6 facets have been synthesized via a controlled anion exchange approach. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals that a small amount of Bi_2S_3 was formed on the surface of Bi_2WO_6 during the anion exchange process, thus leading to the transformation from the Bi_2WO_6 to Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6. A rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution was chosen as model organic pollutants to evaluate the photocatalytic activities of the Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6 catalysts. Under visible light irradiation, the Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6-TAA displayed the excellent visible light photoactivities compared with pure Bi_2S_3, Bi_2WO_6 and other composite photocatalysts. The efficient photocatalytic activity of the Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6-TAA composite microspheres was ascribed to the constructed heterojunctions and the inner electric field caused by the exposed (020) Bi_2WO_6 facets. Active species trapping experiments revealed that h"+ and O_2·"− are the main active species in the photocatalytic process. Furthermore, the as-obtained photocatalysts showed good photocatalytic activity after four recycles. The results presented in this study provide a new concept for the rational design and development of highly efficient photocatalysts.

Developing high-transmittance heterojunction diodes based on NiO/TZO bilayer thin films

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

In this study, radio frequency magnetron sputtering was used to deposit nickel oxide thin films (NiO, deposition power of 100 W) and titanium-doped zinc oxide thin films (TZO, varying deposition powers) on glass substrates to form p(NiO)-n(TZO) heterojunction diodes with high transmittance. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the TZO and NiO thin films and NiO/TZO heterojunction devices were investigated with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, UV-visible spectroscopy, Hall effect analysis, and current-voltage (I-V) analysis. XRD analysis showed that only the (111) diffraction peak of NiO and the (002) and (004) diffraction peaks of TZO were observable in the NiO/TZO heterojunction devices, indicating that the TZO thin films showed a good c-axis orientation perpendicular to the glass substrates. When the sputtering deposition power for the TZO thin films was 100, 125, and 150 W, the I-V characteristics confirmed that a p-n junction characteristic was successfully formed in the NiO/TZO heterojunction devices. We show that the NiO/TZO heterojunction diode was dominated by the space-charge limited current theory. PMID:23634999

Synchrotron-radiation photoemission study of CdS/CuInSe2 heterojunction formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, A.J.; Gebhard, S.; Rockett, A.; Colavita, E.; Engelhardt, M.; Hoechst, H.

1990-01-01

Synchrotron-radiation soft-x-ray photoemission spectroscopy was used to investigate the development of the electronic structure at the CdS/CuInSe 2 heterojunction interface. CdS overlayers were deposited in steps on single-crystal p- and n-type CuInSe 2 at 250 degree C. Results indicate that the CdS grows in registry with the substrate, initially in a two-dimensional growth mode followed by three-dimensional island growth as is corroborated by reflection high-energy electron-diffraction analysis. Photoemission measurements were acquired after each growth in order to observe changes in the valence-band electronic structure as well as changes in the In 4d, Se 3d, Cd 4d, and S 2p core lines. The results were used to correlate the interface chemistry with the electronic structure at these interfaces and to directly determine the CdS/CuInSe 2 heterojunction valence-band discontinuity and the consequent heterojunction band diagram. These results show that the Katnani-Margaritondo method is unreliable in determining offsets for heterojunctions where significant Fermi-level pinning may occur and where the local structure and chemistry of the interface depends strongly on the specific heterojunction

Solution-processed n-ZnO nanorod/p-Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoplate heterojunction light-emitting diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong-Woo; Lee, Su Jeong; Biswas, Pranab [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Tae Il [Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam Daero, Seongnam 13120 (Korea, Republic of); Myoung, Jae-Min, E-mail: jmmyoung@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-01

Highlights: • The n-ZnO nanorods were epitaxially grown on p-Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoplates. • The heteroepitaxial p-n junction was fabricated by using hydrothermal process. • The LEDs emitted reddish-orange and violet light related to ZnO point defects. • The Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoplates function as a hole injection layer. • Junction between 1D NRs and 2D NPs provides a new approach to design nanostructures. - Abstract: A heterojunction light-emitting diode (LED) based on p-type cobalt oxide (Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}) nanoplates (NPs)/n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) is demonstrated. Using a low-temperature aqueous solution process, the n-type ZnO NRs were epitaxially grown on Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} NPs which were two-dimensionally assembled by a modified Langmuir-Blodgett process. The heterojunction LEDs exhibited a typical rectifying behavior with a turn-on voltage of about 2 V and emitted not only reddish-orange light at 610 nm but also violet light at about 400 nm. From the comparative analyses of electroluminescence and photoluminescence, it was determined that the reddish-orange light emission was related to the electronic transitions from zinc interstitials (Zn{sub i}) to oxygen interstitials (O{sub i}) or conduction-band minimum (CBM) to oxygen vacancies (V{sub O}), and the violet light emission was attribute to the transition from CBM to valence-band maximum (VBM) or Zn{sub i} to zinc vacancies (V{sub Zn}).

Hybrid statistics-simulations based method for atom-counting from ADF STEM images.

Science.gov (United States)

De Wael, Annelies; De Backer, Annick; Jones, Lewys; Nellist, Peter D; Van Aert, Sandra

2017-06-01

A hybrid statistics-simulations based method for atom-counting from annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM) images of monotype crystalline nanostructures is presented. Different atom-counting methods already exist for model-like systems. However, the increasing relevance of radiation damage in the study of nanostructures demands a method that allows atom-counting from low dose images with a low signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, the hybrid method directly includes prior knowledge from image simulations into the existing statistics-based method for atom-counting, and accounts in this manner for possible discrepancies between actual and simulated experimental conditions. It is shown by means of simulations and experiments that this hybrid method outperforms the statistics-based method, especially for low electron doses and small nanoparticles. The analysis of a simulated low dose image of a small nanoparticle suggests that this method allows for far more reliable quantitative analysis of beam-sensitive materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anisotropic Self-Assembly of Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Microtoroids

KAUST Repository

Al-Rehili, Safa’a

2016-10-24

Toroidal structures based on self-assembly of predesigned building blocks are well-established in the literature, but spontaneous self-organization to prepare such structures has not been reported to date. Here, organic–inorganic hybrid microtoroids synthesized by simultaneous coordination-driven assembly of amphiphilic molecules and hydrophilic polymers are reported. Mixing amphiphilic molecules with iron(III) chloride and hydrophilic polymers in water leads, within minutes, to the formation of starlike nanostructures. A spontaneous self-organization of these nanostructures is then triggered to form stable hybrid microtoroids. Interestingly, the toroids exhibit anisotropic hierarchical growth, giving rise to a layered toroidal framework. These microstructures are mechanically robust and can act as templates to host metallic nanoparticles such as gold and silver. Understanding the nature of spontaneous assembly driven by coordination multiple non-covalent interactions can help explain the well-ordered complexity of many biological organisms in addition to expanding the available tools to mimic such structures at a molecular level.

Electrospinning direct preparation of SnO2/Fe2O3 heterojunction nanotubes as an efficient visible-light photocatalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Chengquan; Li, Yuren; Su, Qing; Lu, Bingan; Pan, Jiaqi; Zhang, Jiawang; Xie, Erqing; Lan, Wei

2013-01-01

Highlights: •SnO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 nano-heterojunction-tubes are prepared by a facile electrospinning technique. •The formation mechanism of heterojunction tubes is proposed for self-polymer-templates action. •SnO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 nano-heterojunction-tubes show high photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. •The reasons for the high photocatalytic activity are investigated in detail. -- Abstract: Herein SnO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 heterojunction nanotubes are prepared by a facile electrospinning technique. The heterojunction nanotubes with a diameter of about 200 nm uniformly distribute SnO 2 and Fe 2 O 3 nanocrystals and present the obvious interfaces between them, which form perfect SnO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 nano-heterojunctions. A possible mechanism based on self-polymer-templates is proposed to explain the formation of SnO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 heterojunction nanotubes. The heterojunction nanotubes show high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of RhB dye under visible light irradiation. The prepared SnO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 heterojunction nanotubes can also be applied to other fields such as sensor, lithium-ion batteries

Fabrication and investigation of photosensitive MoOx/n-CdTe heterojunctions

Science.gov (United States)

Solovan, M. M.; Gavaleshko, N. M.; Brus, V. V.; Mostovyi, A. I.; Maryanchuk, P. D.; Tresso, E.

2016-10-01

MoOx/n-CdTe photosensitive heterostructures were prepared by the deposition of molybdenum oxide thin films onto n-type single-crystal CdTe substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The obtained heterojunctions possessed sharply defined rectifying properties with the rectification ration RR ˜ 106. The temperature dependences of the height of the potential barrier and series resistance of the MoOx/CdTe heterojunctions were investigated. The dominating current transport mechanisms through the heterojunctions were determined at forward and reverse biases. The analysis of capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics, measured at different frequencies of the small amplitude AC signal and corrected by the effect of the series resistance, provided evidence of the presence of electrically charged interface states, which significantly affect the measured capacitance.

Nanopatterned Silicon Substrate Use in Heterojunction Thin Film Solar Cells Made by Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shao-Ze Tseng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a method for fabricating silicon heterojunction thin film solar cells with an ITO/p-type a-Si : H/n-type c-Si structure by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering. A short-circuit current density and efficiency of 28.80 mA/cm2 and 8.67% were achieved. Novel nanopatterned silicon wafers for use in cells are presented. Improved heterojunction cells are formed on a nanopatterned silicon substrate that is prepared with a self-assembled monolayer of SiO2 nanospheres with a diameter of 550 nm used as an etching mask. The efficiency of the nanopattern silicon substrate heterojunction cells was 31.49% greater than that of heterojunction cells on a flat silicon wafer.

Analytic device including nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Di Fabrizio, Enzo M.; Fratalocchi, Andrea; Totero Gongora, Juan Sebastian; Coluccio, Maria Laura; Candeloro, Patrizio; Cuda, Gianni

2015-01-01

A device for detecting an analyte in a sample comprising: an array including a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a nanochain comprising: a first nanostructure, a second nanostructure, and a third nanostructure, wherein size of the first nanostructure is larger than that of the second nanostructure, and size of the second nanostructure is larger than that of the third nanostructure, and wherein the first nanostructure, the second nanostructure, and the third nanostructure are positioned on a substrate such that when the nanochain is excited by an energy, an optical field between the second nanostructure and the third nanostructure is stronger than an optical field between the first nanostructure and the second nanostructure, wherein the array is configured to receive a sample; and a detector arranged to collect spectral data from a plurality of pixels of the array.

Antimicrobial activity of eumelanin-based hybrids: The role of TiO{sub 2} in modulating the structure and biological performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vitiello, Giuseppe [Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, p.le V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples (Italy); CSGI, Consorzio Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo dei Sistemi a Grande Interfase, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Florence (Italy); Pezzella, Alessandro [Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II” via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples (Italy); Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), CNR, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli (Italy); Zanfardino, Anna [Department of Biology, University of Naples “Federico II” via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples (Italy); Silvestri, Brigida [Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, p.le V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples (Italy); Giudicianni, Paola [Istituto di Ricerche sulla Combustione, Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche IRC-CNR, via Claudio, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Costantini, Aniello [Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, p.le V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples (Italy); Varcamonti, Mario [Department of Biology, University of Naples “Federico II” via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples (Italy); Branda, Francesco [Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, p.le V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples (Italy); Luciani, Giuseppina, E-mail: giuseppina.luciani@unina.it [Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, p.le V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples (Italy)

2017-06-01

Eco-friendly hybrid Eumelanin-TiO{sub 2} nanostructures, recently obtained through in situ methodology based on hydrothermal route, have shown a striking antimicrobial activity, after exposure to oxidative environment, even under visible light induction condition. Nevertheless, the role of each component in defining the efficacy of these biological properties is far from being clearly defined. Furthermore, the effect of oxidative step on hybrids structure has not yet addressed. This study aims at elucidating the role of the ratio between eumelanin precursor, 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA), and TiO{sub 2}, for its polymerization in defining morphology and structural organization of TiO{sub 2}-melanin nanostructures. Furthermore, tests on a Gram-negative Escherichia coli DH5α strain under UV irradiation and even visible light allowed to assess the contribution of each component, as well as of the TiO{sub 2}–DHICA charge transfer complex to overall biological performance. Finally, results of biocide characterization were combined with spectroscopic evidences to prove that oxidative treatment induces a marked structural modification in melanin thus enhancing overall antimicrobial efficacy. - Highlights: • Eco-friendly hybrid Eumelanin-TiO{sub 2} nanostructures shows striking antimicrobial activity under visible light. • TiO{sub 2} catalyzes 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA) polymerization to eumelanin. • Eumelanin precursor/catalyst ratio modulates physico-chemical and structural properties of hybrid nanostructures. • Oxidative treatment increases the reticulation grade of the polymeric chains within the nanoparticles. • Additional oxidative process of the eumelanin pigment strongly improves the antimicrobial activity of hybrids.

A nanostructured graphene/polyaniline hybrid material for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hualan; Hao, Qingli; Yang, Xujie; Lu, Lude; Wang, Xin

2010-10-01

A flexible graphene/polyaniline hybrid material as a supercapacitor electrode was synthesized by an in situ polymerization-reduction/dedoping-redoping process. This product was first prepared in an ethylene glycol medium, then treated with hot sodium hydroxide solution to obtain the reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline hybrid material. Sodium hydroxide also acted as a dedoping reagent for polyaniline in the composite. After redoping in an acidic solution, the thin, uniform and flexible conducting graphene/polyaniline product was obtained with unchanged morphology. The chemical structure of the materials was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The composite material showed better electrochemical performances than the pure individual components. A high specific capacitance of 1126 F g-1 was obtained with a retention life of 84% after 1000 cycles for supercapacitors. The energy density and power density were also better than those of pure component materials.

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of inverted hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells using TiO2/reduced graphene oxide films as electron transport layers

Science.gov (United States)

Morais, Andreia; Alves, João Paulo C.; Lima, Francisco Anderson S.; Lira-Cantu, Monica; Nogueira, Ana Flavia

2015-01-01

In this study, we investigated inverted hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells with the following configuration: fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) |TiO2/RGO|P3HT:PC61BM|V2O5 or PEDOT:PSS|Ag. The TiO2/GO dispersions were prepared by sol-gel method, employing titanium isopropoxide and graphene oxide (GO) as starting materials. The GO concentration was varied from 0.1 to 4.0 wt%. The corresponding dispersions were spin-coated onto FTO substrates and a thermal treatment was performed to remove organic materials and to reduce GO to reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The TiO2/RGO films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and microscopy techniques. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that the addition of RGO significantly changes the morphology of the TiO2 films, with loss of uniformity and increase in surface roughness. Independent of the use of V2O5 or PEDOT: PSS films as the hole transport layer, the incorporation of 2.0 wt% of RGO into TiO2 films was the optimal concentration for the best organic photovoltaic performance. The solar cells based on TiO2/RGO (2.0 wt%) electrode exhibited a ˜22.3% and ˜28.9% short circuit current density (Jsc) and a power conversion efficiency enhancement, respectively, if compared with the devices based on pure TiO2 films. Kelvin probe force microscopy images suggest that the incorporation of RGO into TiO2 films can promote the appearance of regions with different charge dissipation capacities.

DNA-directed self-assembly of gold nanoparticles into binary and ternary nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao Hui; Yi Changqing; Tzang Chihung; Zhu Junjie; Yang Mengsu

2007-01-01

The assembly and characterization of gold nanoparticle-based binary and ternary structures are reported. Two strategies were used to assemble gold nanoparticles into ordered nanoscale architectures: in strategy 1, gold nanoparticles were functionalized with single-strand DNA (ssDNA) first, and then hybridized with complementary ssDNA-labelled nanoparticles to assemble designed architectures. In strategy 2, the designed architectures were constructed through hybridization between complementary ssDNA first, then by assembling gold nanoparticles to the scaffolding through gold-sulfur bonds. Both TEM measurements and agarose gel electrophoresis confirmed that the latter strategy is more efficient in generating the designed nanostructures

Silicon heterojunction solar cell with passivated hole selective MoOx contact

Science.gov (United States)

Battaglia, Corsin; de Nicolás, Silvia Martín; De Wolf, Stefaan; Yin, Xingtian; Zheng, Maxwell; Ballif, Christophe; Javey, Ali

2014-03-01

We explore substoichiometric molybdenum trioxide (MoOx, x MoOx, we observe a substantial gain in photocurrent of 1.9 mA/cm2 in the ultraviolet and visible part of the solar spectrum, when compared to a p-type amorphous silicon emitter of a traditional silicon heterojunction cell. Our results emphasize the strong potential for oxides as carrier selective heterojunction partners to inorganic semiconductors.

Realistic molecular model of kerogen's nanostructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Bousige, Colin; Ghimbeu, Camélia Matei; Vix-Guterl, Cathie; Pomerantz, Andrew E; Suleimenova, Assiya; Vaughan, Gavin; Garbarino, Gaston; Feygenson, Mikhail; Wildgruber, Christoph; Ulm, Franz-Josef; Pellenq, Roland J-M; Coasne, Benoit

2016-05-01

Despite kerogen's importance as the organic backbone for hydrocarbon production from source rocks such as gas shale, the interplay between kerogen's chemistry, morphology and mechanics remains unexplored. As the environmental impact of shale gas rises, identifying functional relations between its geochemical, transport, elastic and fracture properties from realistic molecular models of kerogens becomes all the more important. Here, by using a hybrid experimental-simulation method, we propose a panel of realistic molecular models of mature and immature kerogens that provide a detailed picture of kerogen's nanostructure without considering the presence of clays and other minerals in shales. We probe the models' strengths and limitations, and show that they predict essential features amenable to experimental validation, including pore distribution, vibrational density of states and stiffness. We also show that kerogen's maturation, which manifests itself as an increase in the sp(2)/sp(3) hybridization ratio, entails a crossover from plastic-to-brittle rupture mechanisms.

Ionic-Liquid-Tethered Nanoparticles: Hybrid Electrolytes

KAUST Repository

Moganty, Surya S.

2010-10-22

A new class of solventless electrolytes was created by tethering ionic liquids to hard inorganic ZrO2 nanostructures (see picture; NIM=nanoscale ionic material). These hybrid fluids exhibit exceptional redox stability windows, excellent thermal stability, good lithium transference numbers, long-term interfacial stability in the presence of a lithium anode and, when doped with lithium salt, reasonable ionic conductivities.

Resonant enhancement of band-to-band tunneling in in-plane MoS2/WS2 heterojunctions

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, Tatsuya; Mori, Nobuya

2018-04-01

The band-to-band (BTB) tunneling current J through in-plane MoS2/WS2 heterojunctions is calculated by the nonequilibrium Green function method combined with tight-binding approximation. Types A and B of band configurations are considered. For type-A (type-B) heterojunctions, a potential notch exists (or is absent) at the heterointerface. Both type-A and type-B MoS2/WS2 heterojunctions can support a higher BTB current than MoS2 and WS2 homojunctions. For type-A heterojunctions, the resonant enhancement of J occurs resulting in a significantly higher BTB tunneling current.

Laterally inherently thin amorphous-crystalline silicon heterojunction photovoltaic cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chowdhury, Zahidur R., E-mail: zr.chowdhury@utoronto.ca; Kherani, Nazir P., E-mail: kherani@ecf.utoronto.ca [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 10 King' s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G4 (Canada)

2014-12-29

This article reports on an amorphous-crystalline silicon heterojunction photovoltaic cell concept wherein the heterojunction regions are laterally narrow and distributed amidst a backdrop of well-passivated crystalline silicon surface. The localized amorphous-crystalline silicon heterojunctions consisting of the laterally thin emitter and back-surface field regions are precisely aligned under the metal grid-lines and bus-bars while the remaining crystalline silicon surface is passivated using the recently proposed facile grown native oxide–plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride passivation scheme. The proposed cell concept mitigates parasitic optical absorption losses by relegating amorphous silicon to beneath the shadowed metallized regions and by using optically transparent passivation layer. A photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 13.6% is obtained for an untextured proof-of-concept cell illuminated under AM 1.5 global spectrum; the specific cell performance parameters are V{sub OC} of 666 mV, J{sub SC} of 29.5 mA-cm{sup −2}, and fill-factor of 69.3%. Reduced parasitic absorption, predominantly in the shorter wavelength range, is confirmed with external quantum efficiency measurement.

Simulation of a high-efficiency silicon-based heterojunction solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Jian, Liu; Shihua, Huang; Lü, He

2015-04-01

The basic parameters of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells, such as layer thickness, doping concentration, a-Si:H/c-Si interface defect density, and the work functions of the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and back surface field (BSF) layer, are crucial factors that influence the carrier transport properties and the efficiency of the solar cells. The correlations between the carrier transport properties and these parameters and the performance of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells were investigated using the AFORS-HET program. Through the analysis and optimization of a TCO/n-a-Si:H/i-a-Si:H/p-c-Si/p+-a-Si:H/Ag solar cell, a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 27.07% (VOC) 749 mV, JSC: 42.86 mA/cm2, FF: 84.33%) was obtained through simulation. An in-depth understanding of the transport properties can help to improve the efficiency of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells, and provide useful guidance for actual heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cell manufacturing. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61076055), the Open Project Program of Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory) of Fudan University (No. FDS-KL2011-04), the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Key Innovation Team (No. 2011R50012), and the Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory (No. 2013E10022).

Ultraviolet electroluminescence from n-ZnO/p-NiO heterojunction light-emitting diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, R.; Yao, B.; Li, Y.F.; Xu, Y.; Li, J.C.; Li, B.H.; Zhang, Z.Z.; Zhang, L.G.; Zhao, H.F.; Shen, D.Z.

2013-01-01

The n-ZnO/p-NiO heterojunction was prepared by depositing a p-type NiO film on a c-plane sapphire by rf magnetron sputtering and then growing a n-type ZnO film on the NiO film by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The heterojunction shows a diode-like rectification characteristic with a turn-on voltage of ∼3.6 V and emits UV light upon putting a forward bias. The intensity of the UV emission increases as injection current increases from 0.5 to 3.5 mA, but the wavelength of the UV emission decreases from 404 to 387 nm. It is demonstrated that the UV emission comes from near band-edge radiative recombination of electron and hole in the ZnO layer. The mechanism of the UV electroluminescence is discussed in the present work. - Highlights: ► The n-ZnO/p-NiO heterojunction was prepared by rf magnetron sputtering. ► The heterojunction shows a diode-like rectification characteristic with a turn-on voltage of ∼3.6 V. ► The heterojunction realizes UV EL emission with wavelength of 387 nm at the injection current of 3.5 mA.

Properties of ZnO/CuInSe/sub 2/ heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu, C.X.; Shih, I.

1986-01-01

Low resistivity thin films of ZnO have been prepared by an rf sputtering technique with a target containing indium. It was found that the electrical resistivity of the deposited ZnO films was dependent on the indium content in the films. The deposition method was used to form ZnO/CuInSe/sub 2/ heterojunctions on Bridgman-grown monocrystalline CuInSe/sub 2/ samples. Electrical properties of the heterojunctions have been investigated. Spectral photovoltage variation was also measured

Enhanced bulk heterojunction devices prepared by thermal and solvent vapor annealing processes

Science.gov (United States)

Forrest, Stephen R.; Thompson, Mark E.; Wei, Guodan; Wang, Siyi

2017-09-19

A method of preparing a bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cell through combinations of thermal and solvent vapor annealing are described. Bulk heterojunction films may prepared by known methods such as spin coating, and then exposed to one or more vaporized solvents and thermally annealed in an effort to enhance the crystalline nature of the photoactive materials.

An effective medium model versus a network model for nano-structured solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minnaert, B.; Grasso, C.; Burgelman, M.

2006-01-01

In this paper, two methods are compared to model the I-V curves of nano-structured solar cells. These cells consist of an interpenetrating network of an n-type transparent semiconductor oxide (e.g. TiO 2 ) and a p-type semiconductor absorber (e.g. CdTe, CuInS 2 ), deposited on TCO covered glass. The methods are also applicable when a dye and an electrolyte replace the p-semiconductor, and even to organic bulk heterojunction cells. A network model (NM) with resistors and diodes has been published by us before. Another method which has been proposed in the literature is an effective medium model (EMM). In this model, the whole p-n nano-structure is represented by one single effective semiconductor layer, which then is fed into a standard solar cell device simulator, e.g. SCAPS. In this work, it is shown that the NM and the EMM can describe the same physical structure, when they are set up properly. As an illustration, some problems are described both by EMM and NM, and the results are compared. The EMM in this work confirms the results obtained earlier with a simplified NM (constant R n , R p ): when illuminating the n-side, the structure is tolerant to R n but not to R p ; the interpenetrating geometry is disadvantageous for V oc . (authors)

Semiconductor device comprising a pn-heterojunction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2007-01-01

An electric device is disclosed comprising a pn-heterojunction ( 4 ) formed by a nanowire ( 3 ) of 111 -V semiconductor material and a semiconductor body ( 1 ) comprising a group IV semiconductor material. The nanowire ( 3 ) is positioned in direct contact with the surface ( 2 ) of the semiconductor

Flexible diode of polyaniline/ITO heterojunction on PET substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Bera, A.; Deb, K.; Kathirvel, V.; Bera, T.; Thapa, R.; Saha, B.

2017-10-01

Hybrid organic-inorganic heterojunction between polyaniline and ITO film coated on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate has been prepared through vapor phase polymerization process. Polaron and bipolaron like defect states induced hole transport and exceptional mobility makes polyaniline a noble hole transport layer. Thus a p-n junction has been obtained between the hole transport layer of polyaniline and highly conductive n-type layer of ITO film. The synthesis process was carried out using FeCl3 as polymerizing agent in the oxidative chemical polymerization process. The prepared polyaniline has been found to be crystalline on characterization through X-ray diffraction measurement. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements were done for compositional analysis of the prepared film. The UV-vis-NIR absorbance spectra obtained for polyaniline shows the characteristics absorbance as observed for highly conductive polyaniline and confirms the occurrence of partially oxidized emeraldine form of polyaniline. The energy band gap of the polyaniline has been obtained as 2.52 eV, by analyzing the optical transmittance spectra. A rectifying behavior has been observed in the electrical J-V plot, which is of great significance in designing polymer based flexible electronic devices.

Hexagonally Ordered Arrays of α-Helical Bundles Formed from Peptide-Dendron Hybrids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barkley, Deborah A. [Department; Rokhlenko, Yekaterina [Department; Marine, Jeannette E. [Department; David, Rachelle [Department; Sahoo, Dipankar [Department; Watson, Matthew D. [Department; Koga, Tadanori [Department; Department; Osuji, Chinedum O. [Department; Rudick, Jonathan G. [Department

2017-10-24

Combining monodisperse building blocks that have distinct folding properties serves as a modular strategy for controlling structural complexity in hierarchically organized materials. We combine an α-helical bundle-forming peptide with self-assembling dendrons to better control the arrangement of functional groups within cylindrical nanostructures. Site-specific grafting of dendrons to amino acid residues on the exterior of the α-helical bundle yields monodisperse macromolecules with programmable folding and self-assembly properties. The resulting hybrid biomaterials form thermotropic columnar hexagonal mesophases in which the peptides adopt an α-helical conformation. Bundling of the α-helical peptides accompanies self-assembly of the peptide-dendron hybrids into cylindrical nanostructures. The bundle stoichiometry in the mesophase agrees well with the size found in solution for α-helical bundles of peptides with a similar amino acid sequence.

Trap assisted space charge conduction in p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyagi, Manisha; Tomar, Monika; Gupta, Vinay

2015-01-01

Highlights: • p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode with enhanced junction parameters has been prepared. • Temperature dependent I–V throw insight into the involved conduction mechanism. • SCLC with exponential trap distribution was found to be the dominant mechanism. • C–V measurement at different frequencies support the presence of traps. - Abstract: The development of short-wavelength p–n junction is essentially important for the realization of transparent electronics for next-generation optoelectronic devices. In the present work, a p–n heterojunction diode based on p-NiO/n-ZnO has been prepared under the optimised growth conditions exhibiting improved electrical and junction parameters. The fabricated heterojunction gives typical current–voltage (I–V) characteristics with good rectifying behaviour (rectification ratio ≈ 10 4 at 2 V). The temperature dependent current–voltage characteristics of heterojunction diode have been studied and origin of conduction mechanism is identified. The space-charge limited conduction with exponential trap distribution having deep level trap is found to be the dominant conduction mechanism in the fabricated p–n heterojunction diode. The conduction and valence band discontinuities for NiO/ZnO heterostructure have been determined from the capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements

1D Ni-Co oxide and sulfide nanoarray/carbon aerogel hybrid nanostructures for asymmetric supercapacitors with high energy density and excellent cycling stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Pin; Tian, Jian; Sang, Yuanhua; Tuan, Chia-Chi; Cui, Guanwei; Shi, Xifeng; Wong, C P; Tang, Bo; Liu, Hong

2016-09-15

The fabrication of supercapacitor electrodes with high energy density and excellent cycling stability is still a great challenge. A carbon aerogel, possessing a hierarchical porous structure, high specific surface area and electrical conductivity, is an ideal backbone to support transition metal oxides and bring hope to prepare electrodes with high energy density and excellent cycling stability. Therefore, NiCo 2 S 4 nanotube array/carbon aerogel and NiCo 2 O 4 nanoneedle array/carbon aerogel hybrid supercapacitor electrode materials were synthesized by assembling Ni-Co precursor needle arrays on the surface of the channel walls of hierarchical porous carbon aerogels derived from chitosan in this study. The 1D nanostructures grow on the channel surface of the carbon aerogel vertically and tightly, contributing to the enhanced electrochemical performance with ultrahigh energy density. The energy density of NiCo 2 S 4 nanotube array/carbon aerogel and NiCo 2 O 4 nanoneedle array/carbon aerogel hybrid asymmetric supercapacitors can reach up to 55.3 Wh kg -1 and 47.5 Wh kg -1 at a power density of 400 W kg -1 , respectively. These asymmetric devices also displayed excellent cycling stability with a capacitance retention of about 96.6% and 92% over 5000 cycles.

In vitro selection of shape-changing DNA nanostructures capable of binding-induced cargo release.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Seung Soo; Plakos, Kory; Xiao, Yi; Eisenstein, Michael; Soh, H Tom

2013-11-26

Many biological systems employ allosteric regulatory mechanisms, which offer a powerful means of directly linking a specific binding event to a wide spectrum of molecular functionalities. There is considerable interest in generating synthetic allosteric regulators that can perform useful molecular functions for applications in diagnostics, imaging and targeted therapies, but generating such molecules through either rational design or directed evolution has proven exceptionally challenging. To address this need, we present an in vitro selection strategy for generating conformation-switching DNA nanostructures that selectively release a small-molecule payload in response to binding of a specific trigger molecule. As an exemplar, we have generated a DNA nanostructure that hybridizes with a separate 'cargo strand' containing an abasic site. This abasic site stably sequesters a fluorescent cargo molecule in an inactive state until the DNA nanostructure encounters an ATP trigger molecule. This ATP trigger causes the nanostructure to release the cargo strand, thereby liberating the fluorescent payload and generating a detectable fluorescent readout. Our DNA nanostructure is highly sensitive, with an EC50 of 30 μM, and highly specific, releasing its payload in response to ATP but not to other chemically similar nucleotide triphosphates. We believe that this selection approach could be generalized to generate synthetic nanostructures capable of selective and controlled release of other small-molecule cargos in response to a variety of triggers, for both research and clinical applications.

Indium oxide/n-silicon heterojunction solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Tom; Ghosh, Amal K.

1982-12-28

A high photo-conversion efficiency indium oxide/n-silicon heterojunction solar cell is spray deposited from a solution containing indium trichloride. The solar cell exhibits an Air Mass One solar conversion efficiency in excess of about 10%.

(Gold core)/(titania shell) nanostructures for plasmon-enhanced photon harvesting and generation of reactive oxygen species

KAUST Repository

Fang, Caihong; Jia, Henglei; Chang, Shuai; Ruan, Qifeng; Wang, Peng; Chen, Tao; Wang, Jianfang

2014-01-01

Integration of gold and titania in a nanoscale core/shell architecture can offer large active metal/semiconductor interfacial areas and avoid aggregation and reshaping of the metal nanocrystal core. Such hybrid nanostructures are very useful for studying plasmon-enhanced/enabled processes and have great potential in light-harvesting applications. Herein we report on a facile route to (gold nanocrystal core)/(titania shell) nanostructures with their plasmon band synthetically variable from ∼700 nm to over 1000 nm. The coating method has also been applied to other mono- and bi-metallic Pd, Pt, Au nanocrystals. The gold/titania nanostructures have been employed as the scattering layer in dye-sensitized solar cells, with the resultant cells exhibiting a 13.3% increase in the power conversion efficiency and a 75% decrease in the scattering-layer thickness. Moreover, under resonant excitation, the gold/titania nanostructures can efficiently utilize low-energy photons to generate reactive oxygen species, including singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals.

The effect of interface state continuum on the impedance spectroscopy of semiconductor heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brus, V V

2013-01-01

A quantitative analysis of the impedance spectroscopy of semiconductor heterojunctions was carried out in the presence of interface state continuum at the heterojunction interface. A comparison of the impedance spectroscopy of semiconductor heterojunctions simulated in the context of the interface state continuum model with that simulated in the scope of the single-level state model was carried and possible misinterpretations were considered. The previously proposed approaches for the determination of the interface-state-related parameters and for the calculation of the actual barrier capacitance (the single-level state model) were modified in order to take into account the effect of interface state continuum. (paper)

Triboelectric-thermoelectric hybrid nanogenerator for harvesting frictional energy

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Min-Ki; Kim, Myoung-Soo; Jo, Sung-Eun; Kim, Yong-Jun

2016-12-01

The triboelectric nanogenerator, an energy harvesting device that converts external kinetic energy into electrical energy through using a nano-structured triboelectric material, is well known as an energy harvester with a simple structure and high output voltage. However, triboelectric nanogenerators also inevitably generate heat resulting from the friction that arises from their inherent sliding motions. In this paper, we present a hybrid nanogenerator, which integrates a triboelectric generator and a thermoelectric generator (TEG) for harvesting both the kinetic friction energy and the heat energy that would otherwise be wasted. The triboelectric part consists of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film with nano-structures and a movable aluminum panel. The thermoelectric part is attached to the bottom of the PTFE film by an adhesive phase change material layer. We confirmed that the hybrid nanogenerator can generate an output power that is higher than that generated by a single triboelectric nanogenerator or a TEG. The hybrid nanogenerator was capable of producing a power density of 14.98 mW cm-2. The output power, produced from a sliding motion of 12 cm s-1, was capable of instantaneously lighting up 100 commercial LED bulbs. The hybrid nanogenerator can charge a 47 μF capacitor at a charging rate of 7.0 mV s-1, which is 13.3% faster than a single triboelectric generator. Furthermore, the efficiency of the device was significantly improved by the addition of a heat source. This hybrid energy harvester does not require any difficult fabrication steps, relative to existing triboelectric nanogenerators. The present study addresses a method for increasing the efficiency while solving other problems associated with triboelectric nanogenerators.

In situ hybridization of superparamagnetic iron-biomolecule nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Moghimi, Nafiseh; Donkor, Apraku David; Mohapatra, Mamata; Thomas, Joseph Palathinkal; Su, Zhengding; Tang, Xiaowu Shirley; Leung, Kam Tong

2014-07-23

The increase in interest in the integration of organic-inorganic nanostructures in recent years has promoted the use of hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) in medicine, energy conversion, and other applications. Conventional hybridization methods are, however, often long, complicated, and multistepped, and they involve biomolecules and discrete nanostructures as separate entities, all of which hinder the practical use of the resulting HNPs. Here, we present a novel, in situ approach to synthesizing size-specific HNPs using Fe-biomolecule complexes as the building blocks. We choose an anticancer peptide (p53p, MW 1.8 kDa) and an enzyme (GOx, MW 160 kDa) as model molecules to demonstrate the versatility of the method toward different types of molecules over a large size range. We show that electrostatic interaction for complex formation of metal hydroxide ion with the partially charged side of biomolecule in the solution is the key to hybridization of metal-biomolecule materials. Electrochemical deposition is then used to produce hybrid NPs from these complexes. These HNPs with controllable sizes ranging from 30 nm to 3.5 μm are found to exhibit superparamagnetic behavior, which is a big challenge for particles in this size regime. As an example of greatly improved properties and functionality of the new hybrid material, in vitro toxicity assessment of Fe-GOx HNPs shows no adverse effect, and the Fe-p53p HNPs are found to selectively bind to cancer cells. The superparamagnetic nature of these HNPs (superparamagnetic even above the size regime of 15-20 nm!), their biocompatibility, and the direct integration approach are fundamentally important to biomineralization and general synthesis strategy for bioinspired functional materials.

Research on a Micro-Nano Si/SiGe/Si Double Heterojunction Electro-Optic Modulation Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Song Feng

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The electro-optic modulator is a very important device in silicon photonics, which is responsible for the conversion of optical signals and electrical signals. For the electro-optic modulator, the carrier density of waveguide region is one of the key parameters. The traditional method of increasing carrier density is to increase the external modulation voltage, but this way will increase the modulation loss and also is not conducive to photonics integration. This paper presents a micro-nano Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction electro-optic modulation structure. Based on the band theory of single heterojunction, the barrier heights are quantitatively calculated, and the carrier concentrations of heterojunction barrier are analyzed. The band and carrier injection characteristics of the double heterostructure structure are simulated, respectively, and the correctness of the theoretical analysis is demonstrated. The micro-nano Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction electro-optic modulation is designed and tested, and comparison of testing results between the micro-nano Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction micro-ring electro-optic modulation and the micro-nano Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI micro-ring electro-optic modulation, Free Spectrum Range, 3 dB Bandwidth, Q value, extinction ratio, and other parameters of the micro-nano Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction micro-ring electro-optic modulation are better than others, and the modulation voltage and the modulation loss are lower.

Device physics underlying silicon heterojunction and passivating-contact solar cells: A topical review

KAUST Repository

Chavali, Raghu V. K.

2018-01-15

The device physics of commercially dominant diffused-junction silicon solar cells is well understood, allowing sophisticated optimization of this class of devices. Recently, so-called passivating-contact solar cell technologies have become prominent, with Kaneka setting the world\\'s silicon solar cell efficiency record of 26.63% using silicon heterojunction contacts in an interdigitated configuration. Although passivating-contact solar cells are remarkably efficient, their underlying device physics is not yet completely understood, not in the least because they are constructed from diverse materials that may introduce electronic barriers in the current flow. To bridge this gap in understanding, we explore the device physics of passivating contact silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. Here, we identify the key properties of heterojunctions that affect cell efficiency, analyze the dependence of key heterojunction properties on carrier transport under light and dark conditions, provide a self-consistent multiprobe approach to extract heterojunction parameters using several characterization techniques (including dark J-V, light J-V, C-V, admittance spectroscopy, and Suns-Voc), propose design guidelines to address bottlenecks in energy production in SHJ cells, and develop a process-to-module modeling framework to establish the module\\'s performance limits. We expect that our proposed guidelines resulting from this multiscale and self-consistent framework will improve the performance of future SHJ cells as well as other passivating contact-based solar cells.

Study of interfaces in organic semiconductor heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maheshwari, P; Dutta, D; Sudarshan, K; Sharma, S K; Pujari, P K; Samanta, S; Singh, A; Aswal, D K

2011-01-01

The defect structure at the organic heterojunctions is studied using slow positron beam. The structural and electronic properties of heterojunctions are of technological and fundamental importance for understanding and optimization of electronic processes in organic devices. Interface trap centres play a significant role in the electrical conduction through the junctions. Depth dependent Doppler broadened annihilation measurements have been carried out in p- and n-type organic semiconductor thin films (30-80 nm) both single as well as multilayers grown on quartz substrate. The objective of the present study is to investigate the defect structure and to understand the behavior of positrons at the charged organic interfaces. Our result shows the sensitivity of positrons to the interfacial disorders that may be a convoluted effect of the presence of defects as well as the influence of the charge dipole in multilayers.

Copper oxide/N-silicon heterojunction photovoltaic device

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Tom; Ghosh, Amal K.

1982-01-01

A photovoltaic device having characteristics of a high efficiency solar cell comprising a Cu.sub.x O/n-Si heterojunction. The Cu.sub.x O layer is formed by heating a deposited copper layer in an oxygen containing ambient.

Construction of MoS2/Si nanowire array heterojunction for ultrahigh-sensitivity gas sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Di; Lou, Zhenhua; Wang, Yuange; Xu, Tingting; Shi, Zhifeng; Xu, Junmin; Tian, Yongtao; Li, Xinjian

2017-10-01

Few-layer MoS2 thin films were synthesized by a two-step thermal decomposition process. In addition, MoS2/Si nanowire array (SiNWA) heterojunctions exhibiting excellent gas sensing properties were constructed and investigated. Further analysis reveals that such MoS2/SiNWA heterojunction devices are highly sensitive to nitric oxide (NO) gas under reverse voltages at room temperature (RT). The gas sensor demonstrated a minimum detection limit of 10 ppb, which represents the lowest value obtained for MoS2-based sensors, as well as an ultrahigh response of 3518% (50 ppm NO, ˜50% RH), with good repeatability and selectivity of the MoS2/SiNWA heterojunction. The sensing mechanisms were also discussed. The performance of the MoS2/SiNWA heterojunction gas sensors is superior to previous results, revealing that they have great potential in applications relating to highly sensitive gas sensors.

Vicinal surfaces for functional nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Tegenkamp, Christoph

2009-01-07

Vicinal surfaces are currently the focus of research. The regular arrangements of atomic steps on a mesoscopic scale reveal the possibility to functionalize these surfaces for technical applications, e.g. nanowires, catalysts, etc. The steps of the vicinal surface are well-defined defect structures of atomic size for nucleation of low-dimensional nanostructures. The concentration and therefore the coupling between the nanostructures can be tuned over a wide range by simply changing the inclination angle of the substrate. However, the coupling of these nano-objects to the substrate is just as important in controlling their electronic or chemical properties and making a functionality useable. On the basis of stepped insulating films, these aspects are fulfilled and will be considered in the first part of this review. Recent results for the epitaxial growth of wide bandgap insulating films (CaF(2), MgO, NaCl, BaSrO) on metallic and semiconducting vicinal substrates (Si(100), Ge(100), Ag(100)) will be presented. The change of the electronic structure, the adsorption behavior as well as the kinetics and energetics of color centers in the presence of steps is discussed. The successful bridging of the gap between the atomic and mesoscopic world, i.e. the functionalization of vicinal surfaces by nanostructures, is demonstrated in the second part by metal adsorption on semiconducting surfaces. For (sub)monolayer coverage these systems have in common that the surface states do not hybridize with the support, i.e. the semiconducting surfaces are insulating. Here I will focus on the latest results of macroscopic transport measurements on Pb quantum wires grown on vicinal Si(111) showing indeed a one-dimensional transport behavior.

Vicinal surfaces for functional nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tegenkamp, Christoph [Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Appelstrasse 2, D-30167 Hannover (Germany)], E-mail: tegenkamp@fkp.uni-hannover.de

2009-01-07

Vicinal surfaces are currently the focus of research. The regular arrangements of atomic steps on a mesoscopic scale reveal the possibility to functionalize these surfaces for technical applications, e.g. nanowires, catalysts, etc. The steps of the vicinal surface are well-defined defect structures of atomic size for nucleation of low-dimensional nanostructures. The concentration and therefore the coupling between the nanostructures can be tuned over a wide range by simply changing the inclination angle of the substrate. However, the coupling of these nano-objects to the substrate is just as important in controlling their electronic or chemical properties and making a functionality useable. On the basis of stepped insulating films, these aspects are fulfilled and will be considered in the first part of this review. Recent results for the epitaxial growth of wide bandgap insulating films (CaF{sub 2}, MgO, NaCl, BaSrO) on metallic and semiconducting vicinal substrates (Si(100), Ge(100), Ag(100)) will be presented. The change of the electronic structure, the adsorption behavior as well as the kinetics and energetics of color centers in the presence of steps is discussed. The successful bridging of the gap between the atomic and mesoscopic world, i.e. the functionalization of vicinal surfaces by nanostructures, is demonstrated in the second part by metal adsorption on semiconducting surfaces. For (sub)monolayer coverage these systems have in common that the surface states do not hybridize with the support, i.e. the semiconducting surfaces are insulating. Here I will focus on the latest results of macroscopic transport measurements on Pb quantum wires grown on vicinal Si(111) showing indeed a one-dimensional transport behavior. (topical review)

Vicinal surfaces for functional nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tegenkamp, Christoph

2009-01-01

Vicinal surfaces are currently the focus of research. The regular arrangements of atomic steps on a mesoscopic scale reveal the possibility to functionalize these surfaces for technical applications, e.g. nanowires, catalysts, etc. The steps of the vicinal surface are well-defined defect structures of atomic size for nucleation of low-dimensional nanostructures. The concentration and therefore the coupling between the nanostructures can be tuned over a wide range by simply changing the inclination angle of the substrate. However, the coupling of these nano-objects to the substrate is just as important in controlling their electronic or chemical properties and making a functionality useable. On the basis of stepped insulating films, these aspects are fulfilled and will be considered in the first part of this review. Recent results for the epitaxial growth of wide bandgap insulating films (CaF 2 , MgO, NaCl, BaSrO) on metallic and semiconducting vicinal substrates (Si(100), Ge(100), Ag(100)) will be presented. The change of the electronic structure, the adsorption behavior as well as the kinetics and energetics of color centers in the presence of steps is discussed. The successful bridging of the gap between the atomic and mesoscopic world, i.e. the functionalization of vicinal surfaces by nanostructures, is demonstrated in the second part by metal adsorption on semiconducting surfaces. For (sub)monolayer coverage these systems have in common that the surface states do not hybridize with the support, i.e. the semiconducting surfaces are insulating. Here I will focus on the latest results of macroscopic transport measurements on Pb quantum wires grown on vicinal Si(111) showing indeed a one-dimensional transport behavior. (topical review)

Microstructural, spectroscopic, and antibacterial properties of silver-based hybrid nanostructures biosynthesized using extracts of coriander leaves and seeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luna C

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Carlos Luna,1 Enrique Díaz Barriga-Castro,2 Alberto Gómez-Treviño,3 Nuria O Núñez,4 Raquel Mendoza-Reséndez1 1Research Center of Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Nuevo León, Mexico; 2Central Laboratory of Analytical Instrumentation, Research Center for Applied Chemistry, Coahuila, Mexico; 3Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Nuevo León, Mexico; 4Colloidal Materials Research Group, Institute of Materials Science of Seville, Spanish National Research Council, University of Seville, Seville, Spain Abstract: Coriander leaves and seeds have been highly appreciated since ancient times, not only due to their pleasant flavors but also due to their inhibitory activity on food degradation and their beneficial properties for health, both ascribed to their strong antioxidant activity. Recently, it has been shown that coriander leaf extracts can mediate the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles through oxidation/reduction reactions. In the present study, extracts of coriander leaves and seeds have been used as reaction media for the wet chemical synthesis of ultrafine silver nanoparticles and nanoparticle clusters, with urchin- and tree-like shapes, coated by biomolecules (mainly, proteins and polyphenols. In this greener route of nanostructure preparation, the active biocompounds of coriander simultaneously play the roles of reducing and stabilizing agents. The morphological and microstructural studies of the resulting biosynthesized silver nanostructures revealed that the nanostructures prepared with a small concentration of the precursor Ag salt (AgNO3 =5 mM exhibit an ultrafine size and a narrow size distribution, whereas particles synthesized with high concentrations of the precursor Ag salt (AgNO3 =0.5 M are polydisperse and formation of supramolecular structures occurs. Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy

A boron and gallium co-doped ZnO intermediate layer for ZnO/Si heterojunction diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yuanxi; Huang, Jian; Li, Bing; Tang, Ke; Ma, Yuncheng; Cao, Meng; Wang, Lin; Wang, Linjun

2018-01-01

ZnO (Zinc oxide)/Si (Silicon) heterojunctions were prepared by depositing n-type ZnO films on p-type single crystal Si substrates using magnetron sputtering. A boron and gallium co-doped ZnO (BGZO) high conductivity intermediate layer was deposited between aurum (Au) electrodes and ZnO films. The influence of the BGZO layer on the properties of Au/ZnO contacts and the performance of ZnO/Si heterojunctions was investigated. The results show an improvement in contact resistance by introducing the BGZO layer. Compared with the ZnO/Si heterojunction, the BGZO/ZnO/Si heterojunction exhibits a larger forward current, a smaller turn-on voltage and higher ratio of ultraviolet (UV) photo current/dark current.

Tunable reverse-biased graphene/silicon heterojunction Schottky diode sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Amol; Uddin, Ahsan; Sudarshan, Tangali; Koley, Goutam

2014-04-24

A new chemical sensor based on reverse-biased graphene/Si heterojunction diode has been developed that exhibits extremely high bias-dependent molecular detection sensitivity and low operating power. The device takes advantage of graphene's atomically thin nature, which enables molecular adsorption on its surface to directly alter graphene/Si interface barrier height, thus affecting the junction current exponentially when operated in reverse bias and resulting in ultrahigh sensitivity. By operating the device in reverse bias, the work function of graphene, and hence the barrier height at the graphene/Si heterointerface, can be controlled by the bias magnitude, leading to a wide tunability of the molecular detection sensitivity. Such sensitivity control is also possible by carefully selecting the graphene/Si heterojunction Schottky barrier height. Compared to a conventional graphene amperometric sensor fabricated on the same chip, the proposed sensor demonstrated 13 times higher sensitivity for NO₂ and 3 times higher for NH₃ in ambient conditions, while consuming ∼500 times less power for same magnitude of applied voltage bias. The sensing mechanism based on heterojunction Schottky barrier height change has been confirmed using capacitance-voltage measurements. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A pM leveled photoelectrochemical sensor for microcystin-LR based on surface molecularly imprinted TiO2@CNTs nanostructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Meichuan; Ding, Xue; Yang, Qiwei; Wang, Yu; Zhao, Guohua; Yang, Nianjun

2017-06-05

A simple and highly sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor towards Microcystin-LR (MC-LR), a kind of typical cyanobacterial toxin in water samples, was developed on a surface molecular imprinted TiO 2 coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MI-TiO 2 @CNTs) hybrid nanostructure. It was synthesized using a feasible two-step sol-gel method combining with in situ surface molecular imprinting technique (MIT). With a controllable core-shell tube casing structure, the resultant MI-TiO 2 @CNTs are enhanced greatly in visible-light driven response capacity. In comparison with the traditional TiO 2 (P25) and non-imprinted (NI-)TiO 2 @CNTs, the MI-TiO 2 @CNTs based PEC sensor showed a much higher photoelectric oxidation capacity towards MC-LR. Using this sensor, the determination of MC-LR was doable in a wide linear range from 1.0pM to 3.0nM with a high photocurrent response sensitivity. An outstanding selectivity towards MC-LR was further achieved with this sensor, proven by simultaneously monitoring 100-fold potential co-existing interferences. The superiority of the obtained MC-LR sensor in sensitivity and selectivity is mainly attributed to the high specific surface area and excellent photoelectric activity of TiO 2 @CNTs heterojunction structure, as well as the abundant active recognition sites on its functionalized molecular imprinting surface. A promising PEC analysis platform with high sensitivity and selectivity for MC-LR has thus been provided. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication, characterization, and photocatalytic performance of exfoliated g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}–TiO{sub 2} hybrids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Fei, E-mail: feichang@usst.edu.cn [School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093 (China); Zhang, Jian; Xie, Yunchao; Chen, Juan; Li, Chenlu; Wang, Jie; Luo, Jieru; Deng, Baoqing [School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093 (China); Hu, Xuefeng, E-mail: xfhu@yic.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, Shandong (China)

2014-08-30

Highlights: • Synthesis of TiO{sub 2} hybrids with exfoliated g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} was provided. • Heterojunction structures were formed and identified by several analytic techniques. • Newly prepared CNs–TiO{sub 2} hybrids showed obviously enhanced photocatalytic ability toward degradation of dye RhB. • Photoinduced holes made an important role on photocatalytic process. - Abstract: A series of TiO{sub 2} hybrids composited with exfoliated g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets (CNs) were successfully synthesized through a facile sol–gel method and fully characterized by X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis DRS). The CNs–TiO{sub 2} hybrids were exposed to visible light irradiation and showed much higher catalytic capability toward degrading dye rhodamine B (RhB) comparing with bare TiO{sub 2} and N-TiO{sub 2}. The sample CNs–TiO{sub 2}-0.05 exhibited the largest apparent reaction rate constant among all CNs–TiO{sub 2} hybrids, which was 2.4 times and 7.0 times as high as bare TiO{sub 2} and N-TiO{sub 2}, respectively. The enhanced catalytic efficiency could be mainly attributed to the well-matched band gap structure with heterojunction interface, suitable specific surface area, and favorable optical property. In addition, active species trapping experiments were conducted, revealing that photoinduced holes (h{sup +}) had a severe influence on catalytic outcome, through which a possible catalytic mechanism was finally realized and proposed.

Current Status and Future Prospects of Copper Oxide Heterojunction Solar Cells

OpenAIRE

Terence K. S. Wong; Siarhei Zhuk; Saeid Masudy-Panah; Goutam K. Dalapati

2016-01-01

The current state of thin film heterojunction solar cells based on cuprous oxide (Cu2O), cupric oxide (CuO) and copper (III) oxide (Cu4O3) is reviewed. These p-type semiconducting oxides prepared by Cu oxidation, sputtering or electrochemical deposition are non-toxic, sustainable photovoltaic materials with application potential for solar electricity. However, defects at the copper oxide heterojunction and film quality are still major constraining factors for achieving high power conversion e...

Photoemission investigation of the ZnSe/CdTe heterojunction band discontinuity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, A.J.

1995-01-01

Synchrotron radiation soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and reflection high-energy electron diffraction were used to investigate the structural and electronic properties at the ZnSe/CdTe(100) heterojunction interface. ZnSe overlayers were sequentially grown in steps on p-type CdTe(100) single crystals at 200 degree C. In situ photoemission measurements were acquired after each growth in order to observe changes in the valence band electronic structure as well as changes in the Cd 4d, Zn 3d, and Te 4d core lines. The results were used to correlate the interfacial chemistry with the electronic structure and to directly determine the ZnSe/CdTe heterojunction valence band discontinuity and the consequent heterojunction band diagram. Results of these measurements reveal that the valence band offset is ΔE v =0.20 eV. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Structural, electronic and transport properties of armorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulze, Tim Ferdinand

2011-06-15

The present dissertation is concerned with the physical aspects of the a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction in the context of PV research. In a first step, the technological development which took place in the framework of the thesis is summarized. Its main constituent was the development and implementation of ultrathin ({<=}10 nm) undoped a-Si:H[(i)a-Si:H] layers to improve the passivation of the c-Si surface with the goal of increasing the open-circuit voltage of the solar cell. It is shown that the effect of (i)a-Si:H interlayers depends on the c-Si substrate doping type, and that challenges exist particularly on the technologically more relevant (n)c-Si substrate. A precise optimization of (i)a-Si:H thickness and the doping level of the following a-Si:H top layers is required to realize an efficiency gain in the solar cell. In this chapter, the key scientific questions to be tackled in the main part of the thesis are brought up by the technological development. In the next chapter, the charge carrier transport through a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunctions is investigated making use of current-voltage (I/V) characteristics taken at different temperatures. The dominant transport mechanisms in a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunctions are identified, and the relevance for solar cell operation is discussed. It is found that in the bias regime relevant for solar cell operation, the theoretical framework for the description of carrier transport in classical c-Si solar cells applies as well, which enables to use I/V curves for a simple characterization of a-Si:H/c-Si structures. The next chapter deals with the microscopic characterization of ultrathin a-Si:H layers. Employing infrared spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy, the structural, electronic and optical properties of (i)a-Si:H are analyzed. It is found that ultrathin a-Si:H essentially behaves like layers of 10..100 times the thickness. This represents the basis for the

Trap assisted space charge conduction in p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tyagi, Manisha [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 (India); Tomar, Monika [Physics department, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 (India); Gupta, Vinay, E-mail: drguptavinay@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 (India)

2015-06-15

Highlights: • p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode with enhanced junction parameters has been prepared. • Temperature dependent I–V throw insight into the involved conduction mechanism. • SCLC with exponential trap distribution was found to be the dominant mechanism. • C–V measurement at different frequencies support the presence of traps. - Abstract: The development of short-wavelength p–n junction is essentially important for the realization of transparent electronics for next-generation optoelectronic devices. In the present work, a p–n heterojunction diode based on p-NiO/n-ZnO has been prepared under the optimised growth conditions exhibiting improved electrical and junction parameters. The fabricated heterojunction gives typical current–voltage (I–V) characteristics with good rectifying behaviour (rectification ratio ≈ 10{sup 4} at 2 V). The temperature dependent current–voltage characteristics of heterojunction diode have been studied and origin of conduction mechanism is identified. The space-charge limited conduction with exponential trap distribution having deep level trap is found to be the dominant conduction mechanism in the fabricated p–n heterojunction diode. The conduction and valence band discontinuities for NiO/ZnO heterostructure have been determined from the capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements.

Polymer and polymer-hybrid nanoparticles from synthesis to biomedical applications

CERN Document Server

Rangelov, Stanislav

2013-01-01

Polymeric and hybrid nanoparticles have received increased scientific interest in terms of basic research as well as commercial applications, promising a variety of uses for nanostructures in fields including bionanotechnology and medicine. Condensing the relevant research into a comprehensive reference, Polymer and Polymer-Hybrid Nanoparticles: From Synthesis to Biomedical Applications covers an array of topics from synthetic procedures and macromolecular design to possible biomedical applications of nanoparticles and materials based on original and unique polymers. The book presents a well-r

Crystallinity of the epitaxial heterojunction of C60 on single crystal pentacene

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuruta, Ryohei; Mizuno, Yuta; Hosokai, Takuya; Koganezawa, Tomoyuki; Ishii, Hisao; Nakayama, Yasuo

2017-06-01

The structure of pn heterojunctions is an important subject in the field of organic semiconductor devices. In this work, the crystallinity of an epitaxial pn heterojunction of C60 on single crystal pentacene is investigated by non-contact mode atomic force microscopy and high-resolution grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. Analysis shows that the C60 molecules assemble into grains consisting of single crystallites on the pentacene single crystal surface. The in-plane mean crystallite size exceeds 0.1 μm, which is at least five time larger than the size of crystallites deposited onto polycrystalline pentacene thin films grown on SiO2. The results indicate that improvement in the crystal quality of the underlying molecular substrate leads to drastic promotion of the crystallinity at the organic semiconductor heterojunction.

Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells Based on Blends of Conjugated Polymers with II–VI and IV–VI Inorganic Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan Kisslinger

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Bulk heterojunction solar cells based on blends of quantum dots and conjugated polymers are a promising configuration for obtaining high-efficiency, cheaply fabricated solution-processed photovoltaic devices. Such devices are of significant interest as they have the potential to leverage the advantages of both types of materials, such as the high mobility, band gap tunability and possibility of multiple exciton generation in quantum dots together with the high mechanical flexibility and large molar extinction coefficient of conjugated polymers. Despite these advantages, the power conversion efficiency (PCE of these hybrid devices has remained relatively low at around 6%, well behind that of all-organic or all-inorganic solar cells. This is attributed to major challenges that still need to be overcome before conjugated polymer–quantum dot blends can be considered viable for commercial application, such as controlling the film morphology and interfacial structure to ensure efficient charge transfer and charge transport. In this work, we present our findings with respect to the recent development of bulk heterojunctions made from conjugated polymer–quantum dot blends, list the ongoing strategies being attempted to improve performance, and highlight the key areas of research that need to be pursued to further develop this technology.

Electronic structures of interfacial states formed at polymeric semiconductor heterojunctions

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ya-Shih; Westenhoff, Sebastian; Avilov, Igor; Sreearunothai, Paiboon; Hodgkiss, Justin M.; Deleener, Caroline; Friend, Richard H.; Beljonne, David

2008-06-01

Heterojunctions between organic semiconductors are central to the operation of light-emitting and photovoltaic diodes, providing respectively for electron-hole capture and separation. However, relatively little is known about the character of electronic excitations stable at the heterojunction. We have developed molecular models to study such interfacial excited electronic excitations that form at the heterojunction between model polymer donor and polymer acceptor systems: poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine) (PFB) with poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT), and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-N-(4-butylphenyl)diphenylamine) (TFB) with F8BT. We find that for stable ground-state geometries the excited state has a strong charge-transfer character. Furthermore, when partly covalent, modelled radiative lifetimes (~10-7s) and off-chain axis polarization (30∘) match observed `exciplex' emission. Additionally for the PFB:F8BT blend, geometries with fully ionic character are also found, thus accounting for the low electroluminescence efficiency of this system.

A Room-temperature Hydrogen Gas Sensor Using Palladium-decorated Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube/Si Heterojunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Gang DU

2016-05-01

Full Text Available We report a room-temperature (RT hydrogen gas (H2 sensor based on palladium-decorated single-walled carbon nanotube/Si (Pd-SWNTs/Si heterojunction. The current-voltage (I-V curves of the Pd-SWNTs/Si heterojunction in different concentrations of H2 were measured. The experimental results reveal that the Pd-SWNTs/Si heterojunction exhibits high H2 response. After exposure to 0.02 %, 0.05 %, and 0.1 % H2 for 10 min, the resistance of the heterojunction increases dramatically. The response is 122 %, 269 % and 457 %, respectively. A simple interfacial theory is used to understand the gas sensitivity results. This approach is a step toward future CNTs-based gas sensors for practical application.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.22.2.12925

High-efficiency omnidirectional photoresponses based on monolayer lateral p–n heterojunctions

KAUST Repository

Tsai, Meng-Lin

2016-10-28

Electrical and optical properties of lateral monolayer WSe2–MoS2 p–n heterojunctions were characterized to demonstrate a high responsivity of 0.26 A W−1 with an excellent omnidirectional photodetection capability. The heterojunction functioning as a diode exhibits a prominent gate-tuning behavior with an ideality factor of 1.25. In addition, ultrafast photoresponse, low-light detectability, and high-temperature operation have been achieved. These unique characteristics pave a way for the future development of sub-nano semiconductor devices.

Predicting Chiral Nanostructures, Lattices and Superlattices in Complex Multicomponent Nanoparticle Self-Assembly

KAUST Repository

Hur, Kahyun

2012-06-13

"Bottom up" type nanoparticle (NP) self-assembly is expected to provide facile routes to nanostructured materials for various, for example, energy related, applications. Despite progress in simulations and theories, structure prediction of self-assembled materials beyond simple model systems remains challenging. Here we utilize a field theory approach for predicting nanostructure of complex and multicomponent hybrid systems with multiple types of short- and long-range interactions. We propose design criteria for controlling a range of NP based nanomaterial structures. In good agreement with recent experiments, the theory predicts that ABC triblock terpolymer directed assemblies with ligand-stabilized NPs can lead to chiral NP network structures. Furthermore, we predict that long-range Coulomb interactions between NPs leading to simple NP lattices, when applied to NP/block copolymer (BCP) assemblies, induce NP superlattice formation within the phase separated BCP nanostructure, a strategy not yet realized experimentally. We expect such superlattices to be of increasing interest to communities involved in research on, for example, energy generation and storage, metamaterials, as well as microelectronics and information storage. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Hierarchical carbon nanostructure design: ultra-long carbon nanofibers decorated with carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Mel, A A; Achour, A; Gautron, E; Angleraud, B; Granier, A; Le Brizoual, L; Djouadi, M A; Tessier, P Y; Xu, W; Choi, C H

2011-01-01

Hierarchical carbon nanostructures based on ultra-long carbon nanofibers (CNF) decorated with carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been prepared using plasma processes. The nickel/carbon composite nanofibers, used as a support for the growth of CNT, were deposited on nanopatterned silicon substrate by a hybrid plasma process, combining magnetron sputtering and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of spherical nanoparticles randomly dispersed within the carbon nanofibers. The nickel nanoparticles have been used as a catalyst to initiate the growth of CNT by PECVD at 600 deg. C. After the growth of CNT onto the ultra-long CNF, SEM imaging revealed the formation of hierarchical carbon nanostructures which consist of CNF sheathed with CNTs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that reducing the growth temperature of CNT to less than 500 deg. C leads to the formation of carbon nanowalls on the CNF instead of CNT. This simple fabrication method allows an easy preparation of hierarchical carbon nanostructures over a large surface area, as well as a simple manipulation of such material in order to integrate it into nanodevices.

Catalyst-free growth and tailoring morphology of zinc oxide nanostructures by plasma-enhanced deposition at low temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, W. Z.; Wang, B. B.; Qu, Y. Z.; Huang, X.; Ostrikov, K.; Levchenko, I.; Xu, S.; Cheng, Q. J.

2017-01-01

ZnO nanostructures were grown under different deposition conditions from Zn films pre-deposited onto Si substrates in O 2 -Ar plasma, ignited in an advanced custom-designed plasma-enhanced horizontal tube furnace deposition system. The morphology and structure of the synthesized ZnO nanostructures were systematically and extensively investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. It is shown that the morphology of ZnO nanostructures changes from the hybrid ZnO/nanoparticle and nanorod system to the mixture of ZnO nanosheets and nanorods when the growth temperature increases, and the density of ZnO nanorods increases with the increase of oxygen flow rate. The formation of ZnO nanostructures was explained in terms of motion of Zn atoms on the Zn nanoparticle surfaces, and to the local melting of Zn nanoparticles or nanosheets. Moreover, the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanostructures were studied, and it was revealed that the photoluminescence spectrum features two strong ultraviolet bands at about 378 and 399 nm and a series of weak blue bands within a range of 440–484 nm, related to the emissions of free excitons, near-band edge, and defects of ZnO nanostructures. The obtained results enrich our knowledge on the synthesis of ZnO-based nanostructures and contribute to the development of ZnO-based optoelectronic devices.

Catalyst-free growth and tailoring morphology of zinc oxide nanostructures by plasma-enhanced deposition at low temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, W. Z. [Quanzhou Normal University, Key Laboratory of Information Functional Material for Fujian Higher Education, College of Physics & Information Engineering (China); Wang, B. B. [Chongqing University of Technology, College of Chemical Engineering (China); Qu, Y. Z.; Huang, X. [Xiamen University, College of Energy, Xiang’an Campus (China); Ostrikov, K. [Queensland University of Technology, School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering (Australia); Levchenko, I.; Xu, S. [Nanyang Technological University, Plasma Sources and Applications Centre, National Institute of Education (Singapore); Cheng, Q. J., E-mail: qijin.cheng@xmu.edu.cn [Xiamen University, College of Energy, Xiang’an Campus (China)

2017-03-15

ZnO nanostructures were grown under different deposition conditions from Zn films pre-deposited onto Si substrates in O{sub 2}-Ar plasma, ignited in an advanced custom-designed plasma-enhanced horizontal tube furnace deposition system. The morphology and structure of the synthesized ZnO nanostructures were systematically and extensively investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. It is shown that the morphology of ZnO nanostructures changes from the hybrid ZnO/nanoparticle and nanorod system to the mixture of ZnO nanosheets and nanorods when the growth temperature increases, and the density of ZnO nanorods increases with the increase of oxygen flow rate. The formation of ZnO nanostructures was explained in terms of motion of Zn atoms on the Zn nanoparticle surfaces, and to the local melting of Zn nanoparticles or nanosheets. Moreover, the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanostructures were studied, and it was revealed that the photoluminescence spectrum features two strong ultraviolet bands at about 378 and 399 nm and a series of weak blue bands within a range of 440–484 nm, related to the emissions of free excitons, near-band edge, and defects of ZnO nanostructures. The obtained results enrich our knowledge on the synthesis of ZnO-based nanostructures and contribute to the development of ZnO-based optoelectronic devices.

The Fabrication of Bulk Heterojunction P3HT: PCBM Organic Photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Darwis, D.; Sesa, E.; Farhamza, D.; Iqbal

2018-05-01

Bulk heterojunction Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices are gaining a lot of interest due to their potential for ease of processing and lower manufacturing cost sustainable energy generation. In consequence, the number of studies into the properties and characteristics of organic solar cell devices has been increased to improving their power conversion. A further advancement over past decade has shown that improved efficiency could be obtained by mixed of poly(3 - hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [1] – phenyl - C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as an active layer. A series of optimizations of this P3HT: PCBM blends, such as the mixture ratio variation, the annealing treatments, and solvent treatment, have been emerged to improve the efficiency of the OPV. As a result, significant improvements were achieved. Here, we report the fabrication heterojunction devices of 2.9 % efficiency. This result has been achieved using the configuration of a typical heterojunction solar cell modules consists of layered glass/ITO/PEDOT: PSS/active layer/cathode interlayer

Understanding noise suppression in heterojunction field-effect transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, F.

1996-01-01

Full text: The enhanced transport properties displayed by quantum-well-confined, two-dimensional, electron systems underpin the success of heterojunction, field-effect transistors. At cryogenic temperatures, these devices exhibit impressive mobilities and, as a result, high signal gain and low noise. Conventional wisdom has it that the same favourable conditions also hold for normal room-temperature operation. In that case, however, high mobilities are precluded by abundant electron-phonon scattering. Our recent study of nonequilibrium current noise shows that quantum confinement, not high mobility, is the principal source of noise in these devices; this opens up new and exciting opportunities in low-noise transistor design. As trends in millimetre-wave technology push frequencies beyond 100 GHz, it is essential to develop a genuine understanding of noise processes in heterojunction devices

Resistance change effect in SrTiO3/Si (001) isotype heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xiushi; Gao, Zhaomeng; Li, Pei; Wang, Longfei; Liu, Xiansheng; Zhang, Weifeng; Guo, Haizhong

2018-02-01

Resistance switching has been observed in double and multi-layer structures of ferroelectric films. The higher switching ratio opens up a vast path for emerging ferroelectric semiconductor devices. An n-n+ isotype heterojunction has been fabricated by depositing an oxide SrTiO3 layer on a conventional n-type Si (001) substrate (SrTiO3/Si) by pulsed laser disposition. Rectification and resistive switching behaviors in the n-n+ SrTiO3/Si heterojunction were observed by a conductive atomic force microscopy, and the n-n+ SrTiO3/Si heterojunction exhibits excellent endurance and retention characteristics. The possible mechanism was proposed based on the band structure of the n-n+ SrTiO3/Si heterojunction, and the observed electrical behaviors could be attributed to the modulation effect of the electric field reversal on the width of accumulation and the depletion region, as well as the height of potential of the n-n+ junction formed at the STO/Si interface. Moreover, oxygen vacancies are also indicated to play a crucial role in causing insulator to semiconductor transition. These results open the way to potential application in future microelectronic devices based on perovskite oxide layers on conventional semiconductors.

Monolithic Inorganic ZnO/GaN Semiconductors Heterojunction White Light-Emitting Diodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Seonghoon; Oh, Seung Kyu; Ryou, Jae-Hyun; Ahn, Kwang-Soon; Song, Keun Man; Kim, Hyunsoo

2018-01-31

Monolithic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that can generate white color at the one-chip level without the wavelength conversion through packaged phosphors or chip integration for photon recycling are of particular importance to produce compact, cost-competitive, and smart lighting sources. In this study, monolithic white LEDs were developed based on ZnO/GaN semiconductor heterojunctions. The electroluminescence (EL) wavelength of the ZnO/GaN heterojunction could be tuned by a post-thermal annealing process, causing the generation of an interfacial Ga 2 O 3 layer. Ultraviolet, violet-bluish, and greenish-yellow broad bands were observed from n-ZnO/p-GaN without an interfacial layer, whereas a strong greenish-yellow band emission was the only one observed from that with an interfacial layer. By controlled integration of ZnO/GaN heterojunctions with different postannealing conditions, monolithic white LED was demonstrated with color coordinates in the range (0.3534, 0.3710)-(0.4197, 0.4080) and color temperatures of 4778-3349 K in the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage 1931 chromaticity diagram. Furthermore, the monolithic white LED produced approximately 2.1 times higher optical output power than a conventional ZnO/GaN heterojunction due to the carrier confinement effect at the Ga 2 O 3 /n-ZnO interface.

Flexible hybrid energy cell for simultaneously harvesting thermal, mechanical, and solar energies.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ya; Zhang, Hulin; Zhu, Guang; Lee, Sangmin; Lin, Zong-Hong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2013-01-22

We report the first flexible hybrid energy cell that is capable of simultaneously or individually harvesting thermal, mechanical, and solar energies to power some electronic devices. For having both the pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties, a polarized poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film-based nanogenerator (NG) was used to harvest thermal and mechanical energies. Using aligned ZnO nanowire arrays grown on the flexible polyester (PET) substrate, a ZnO-poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) heterojunction solar cell was designed for harvesting solar energy. By integrating the NGs and the solar cells, a hybrid energy cell was fabricated to simultaneously harvest three different types of energies. With the use of a Li-ion battery as the energy storage, the harvested energy can drive four red light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Piezoelectric touch-sensitive flexible hybrid energy harvesting nanoarchitectures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Dukhyun; Kim, Eok Su; Kim, Tae Sang; Lee, Sang Yoon; Choi, Jae-Young; Kim, Jong Min; Lee, Keun Young; Lee, Kang Hyuck; Kim, Sang-Woo

2010-01-01

In this work, we report a flexible hybrid nanoarchitecture that can be utilized as both an energy harvester and a touch sensor on a single platform without any cross-talk problems. Based on the electron transport and piezoelectric properties of a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructured thin film, a hybrid cell was designed and the total thickness was below 500 nm on a plastic substrate. Piezoelectric touch signals were demonstrated under independent and simultaneous operations with respect to photo-induced charges. Different levels of piezoelectric output signals from different magnitudes of touching pressures suggest new user-interface functions from our hybrid cell. From a signal controller, the decoupled performance of a hybrid cell as an energy harvester and a touch sensor was confirmed. Our hybrid approach does not require additional assembly processes for such multiplex systems of an energy harvester and a touch sensor since we utilize the coupled material properties of ZnO and output signal processing. Furthermore, the hybrid cell can provide a multi-type energy harvester by both solar and mechanical touching energies.

Si/ZnO NANO STRUCTURED HETEROJUNCTIONS BY APCVD METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Maleki

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, polycrystalline pure zinc oxide nano structured thin films were deposited on two kinds of single crystal and polycrystalline of p and n type Si in three different substrate temperatures of 300, 400 and 500◦C by low cost APCVD method. Structural, electrical and optical properties of these thin films were characterized by X ray diffraction, two point probe method and UV visible spectrophotometer respectively. IV measurements of these heterojunctions showed that turn on voltage and series resistance will increase with increasing substrate temperature in polycrystalline Si, while in single crystal Si, turn on voltage will decrease. Although they are acceptable diodes, their efficiency as a heterojunction solar cell are so low

Fabrication of nanostructured graphene/polyaniline hybrid material for supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, H.L.; Hao, Q.L.; Wang, X.; Lu, L.D.; Yang, X.J. [Nanjing Univ. of Science and Technology (China). Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials, Ministry of Education

2010-07-01

In this study, a flexible graphene/polyaniline hybrid material was prepared using an in situ polymerization-reduction/dedoping-redoping process for use as a supercapacitor electrode. Graphene oxide and a single layer of graphite oxide were used as a substrate material for the graphene oxide-polyaniline composite using an in situ polymerization method. The composite was then treated with a hot sodium hydroxide solution in order to produce a reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline hybrid material. The sodium hydroxide was also used as a dedoping reagent for the polyaniline in the composite. A thin, uniform and flexible conducting graphene/polyaniline product with an unchanged morphology was obtained using the process. Analyses of the material demonstrated that the composite showed an improved electrochemical performance than the pure individual components, with a specific capacitance of 1126 F per g and a retention life of 84 per cent after 1000 cycles. 4 refs., 1 fig.

Electron transport properties in ZnO nanowires/poly(3-hexylthiophene) hybrid nanostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Ke; Cheng Gang; Wang Shujie; Fu Dongwei; Zou Bingsuo; Du Zuliang

2010-01-01

The ZnO nanowires (NWs) array/poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) hybrid prototype device was fabricated. An ultraviolet (UV) light of λ = 350 nm is used to investigate the photo-electric properties of the ZnO NWs array and hybrid structure. In this way, we can avoid the excitation of P3HT, which can give us a real electron transport ability of ZnO NWs itself. Our results demonstrated a higher and faster photo-electric response of 3 s for the hybrid structure while 9 s for the ZnO NWs array. The surface states related slow photo-electric response was also observed for them. The charge transfer mechanism and the influence of surface states were discussed. The current work provides us profound understandings on the electron transport ability of ZnO NWs array in a working hybrid polymer solar cell, which is crucial for optimizing the device performance.

High Output Piezo/Triboelectric Hybrid Generator

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Woo-Suk; Kang, Min-Gyu; Moon, Hi Gyu; Baek, Seung-Hyub; Yoon, Seok-Jin; Wang, Zhong-Lin; Kim, Sang-Woo; Kang, Chong-Yun

2015-03-01

Recently, piezoelectric and triboelectric energy harvesting devices have been developed to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Especially, it is well known that triboelectric nanogenerators have a simple structure and a high output voltage. However, whereas nanostructures improve the output of triboelectric generators, its fabrication process is still complicated and unfavorable in term of the large scale and long-time durability of the device. Here, we demonstrate a hybrid generator which does not use nanostructure but generates much higher output power by a small mechanical force and integrates piezoelectric generator into triboelectric generator, derived from the simultaneous use of piezoelectric and triboelectric mechanisms in one press-and-release cycle. This hybrid generator combines high piezoelectric output current and triboelectric output voltage, which produces peak output voltage of ~370 V, current density of ~12 μA.cm-2, and average power density of ~4.44 mW.cm-2. The output power successfully lit up 600 LED bulbs by the application of a 0.2 N mechanical force and it charged a 10 μF capacitor to 10 V in 25 s. Beyond energy harvesting, this work will provide new opportunities for developing a small, built-in power source in self-powered electronics such as mobile electronics.

High Output Piezo/Triboelectric Hybrid Generator

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Woo-Suk; Kang, Min-Gyu; Moon, Hi Gyu; Baek, Seung-Hyub; Yoon, Seok-Jin; Wang, Zhong-Lin; Kim, Sang-Woo; Kang, Chong-Yun

2015-01-01

Recently, piezoelectric and triboelectric energy harvesting devices have been developed to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Especially, it is well known that triboelectric nanogenerators have a simple structure and a high output voltage. However, whereas nanostructures improve the output of triboelectric generators, its fabrication process is still complicated and unfavorable in term of the large scale and long-time durability of the device. Here, we demonstrate a hybrid generator which does not use nanostructure but generates much higher output power by a small mechanical force and integrates piezoelectric generator into triboelectric generator, derived from the simultaneous use of piezoelectric and triboelectric mechanisms in one press-and-release cycle. This hybrid generator combines high piezoelectric output current and triboelectric output voltage, which produces peak output voltage of ~370 V, current density of ~12 μA·cm−2, and average power density of ~4.44 mW·cm−2. The output power successfully lit up 600 LED bulbs by the application of a 0.2 N mechanical force and it charged a 10 μF capacitor to 10 V in 25 s. Beyond energy harvesting, this work will provide new opportunities for developing a small, built-in power source in self-powered electronics such as mobile electronics. PMID:25791299

Advanced Magnetic Nanostructures

CERN Document Server

Sellmyer, David

2006-01-01

Advanced Magnetic Nanostructures is devoted to the fabrication, characterization, experimental investigation, theoretical understanding, and utilization of advanced magnetic nanostructures. Focus is on various types of 'bottom-up' and 'top-down' artificial nanostructures, as contrasted to naturally occurring magnetic nanostructures, such as iron-oxide inclusions in magnetic rocks, and to structures such as perfect thin films. Chapter 1 is an introduction into some basic concepts, such as the definitions of basic magnetic quantities. Chapters 2-4 are devoted to the theory of magnetic nanostructures, Chapter 5 deals with the characterization of the structures, and Chapters 6-10 are devoted to specific systems. Applications of advanced magnetic nanostructures are discussed in Chapters11-15 and, finally, the appendix lists and briefly discusses magnetic properties of typical starting materials. Industrial and academic researchers in magnetism and related areas such as nanotechnology, materials science, and theore...

Nanostructured gold microelectrodes for SERS and EIS measurements by incorporating ZnO nanorod growth with electroplating

Science.gov (United States)

Zong, Xianli; Zhu, Rong; Guo, Xiaoliang

2015-01-01

In this paper, a fine gold nanostructure synthesized on selective planar microelectrodes in micro-chip is realized by using an advanced hybrid fabrication approach incorporating growth of nanorods (NRs) with gold electroplating. By this developed nanostructure, integration of in-situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement for label-free, nondestructive, real-time and rapid monitoring on a single cell has been achieved. Moreover, parameters of Au nanostructures such as size of nanoholes/nanogaps can be controllably adjusted in the fabrication. We have demonstrated a SERS enhancement factor of up to ~2.24 × 106 and double-layer impedance decrease ratio of 90% ~ 95% at low frequency range below 200 kHz by using nanostructured microelectrodes. SERS detection and in-situ EIS measurement of a trapped single cell by using planar microelectrodes are realized to demonstrate the compatibility, multi-functions, high-sensitivity and simplicity of the micro-chip system. This dual function platform integrating SERS and EIS is of great significance in biological, biochemical and biomedical applications. PMID:26558325

Long-range hybrid ridge and trench plasmonic waveguides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bian, Yusheng [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Gong, Qihuang, E-mail: qhgong@pku.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871 (China)

2014-06-23

We report a class of long-range hybrid plasmon polariton waveguides capable of simultaneously achieving low propagation loss and tight field localization at telecommunication wavelength. The symmetric (quasi-symmetric) hybrid configurations featuring high-refractive-index-contrast near the non-uniform metallic nanostructures enable significantly improved optical performance over conventional hybrid waveguides, exhibiting considerably longer propagation distances and dramatically enhanced figure of merits for similar degrees of confinement. Compared to their traditional long-range plasmonic counterparts, the proposed hybrid waveguides put much less stringent requirements on index-matching conditions, demonstrating nice performance under a wide range of physical dimensions and robust characteristics against certain fabrication imperfections. Studies concerning crosstalk between adjacent identical waveguides further reveal their potential for photonic integrations. In addition, alternative configurations with comparable guiding properties to the structures in our case studies are also proposed, which can potentially serve as attractive prototypes for numerous high-performance nanophotonic components.

ZnO and copper indium chalcogenide heterojunctions prepared by inexpensive methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berruet, M.; Di Iorio, Y.; Troviano, M.; Vázquez, M.

2014-01-01

Solution-based techniques were used to prepare ZnO/CuIn(Se, S) 2 heterojunctions that serve as solar cell prototypes. A duplex layer of ZnO (compact + porous) was electrodeposited. Chalcogenide thin films were deposited using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method (SILAR). By subsequent thermal treatments in two different atmospheres, CuInSe 2 (CISe) and CuInSe 2−x S x (CISeS) were obtained. The composition and morphology of the annealed films were characterized by GXRD, micro-Raman spectroscopy and SEM. Devices prepared with CISe and CISeS show a clear photo-response. The introduction of a buffer layer of TiO 2 into the ZnO/chalcogenide interface was necessary to detect photocurrent. The presence of CISeS improves the response of the cell, with higher values of short circuit current density, open circuit potential and fill factor. These promising results show that it is possible to prepare photovoltaic heterojunctions by depositing chalcogenides onto porous ZnO substrates using low-cost solution-based techniques. - Highlights: • Heterojunctions that serve as solar cell prototypes were prepared using solution-based techniques. • The devices comprised a double layer of ZnO and CuInSe 2 or CuInSe 0.4 S 1.6 . • A TiO 2 buffer layer in the ZnO/chalcogenide interface is necessary to detect photocurrent. • The incorporation of S improved the response of the photovoltaic heterojunction

Si/SiGe heterointerfaces in one-, two-, and three-dimensional nanostructures: their impact on SiGe light emission

Science.gov (United States)

Lockwood, David; Wu, Xiaohua; Baribeau, Jean-Marc; Mala, Selina; Wang, Xialou; Tsybeskov, Leonid

2016-03-01

Fast optical interconnects together with an associated light emitter that are both compatible with conventional Si-based complementary metal-oxide- semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit technology is an unavoidable requirement for the next-generation microprocessors and computers. Self-assembled Si/Si1-xGex nanostructures, which can emit light at wavelengths within the important optical communication wavelength range of 1.3 - 1.55 μm, are already compatible with standard CMOS practices. However, the expected long carrier radiative lifetimes observed to date in Si and Si/Si1-xGex nanostructures have prevented the attainment of efficient light-emitting devices including the desired lasers. Thus, the engineering of Si/Si1-xGex heterostructures having a controlled composition and sharp interfaces is crucial for producing the requisite fast and efficient photoluminescence (PL) at energies in the range 0.8-0.9 eV. In this paper we assess how the nature of the interfaces between SiGe nanostructures and Si in heterostructures strongly affects carrier mobility and recombination for physical confinement in three dimensions (corresponding to the case of quantum dots), two dimensions (corresponding to quantum wires), and one dimension (corresponding to quantum wells). The interface sharpness is influenced by many factors such as growth conditions, strain, and thermal processing, which in practice can make it difficult to attain the ideal structures required. This is certainly the case for nanostructure confinement in one dimension. However, we demonstrate that axial Si/Ge nanowire (NW) heterojunctions (HJs) with a Si/Ge NW diameter in the range 50 - 120 nm produce a clear PL signal associated with band-to-band electron-hole recombination at the NW HJ that is attributed to a specific interfacial SiGe alloy composition. For three-dimensional confinement, the experiments outlined here show that two quite different Si1-xGex nanostructures incorporated into a Si0.6Ge0.4 wavy

Reversible electrical-field control of magnetization and anomalous Hall effect in Co/PMN-PT hybrid heterostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J.; Huang, Q. K.; Lu, S. Y.; Tian, Y. F.; Chen, Y. X.; Bai, L. H.; Dai, Y.; Yan, S. S.

2018-04-01

Room-temperature reversible electrical-field control of the magnetization and the anomalous Hall effect was reported in hybrid multiferroic heterojunctions based on Co/Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.7Ti0.3O3 (PMN-PT). We demonstrate herein that electrical-field-induced strain and oxygen-ion migration in ZnO/Co/PMN-PT junctions exert opposing effects on the magnetic properties of the Co sublayer, and the competition between these effects determines the final magnitude of magnetization. This proof-of-concept investigation opens an alternative way to optimize and enhance the electrical-field effect on magnetism through the combination of multiple electrical manipulation mechanisms in hybrid multiferroic devices.

Nanostructured Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Capacitor Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hojin; Yoon, Hyeonseok

2015-06-02

The advent of novel organic and inorganic nanomaterials in recent years, particularly nanostructured carbons, conducting polymers, and metal oxides, has enabled the fabrication of various energy devices with enhanced performance. In this paper, we review in detail different nanomaterials used in the fabrication of electrochemical capacitor electrodes and also give a brief overview of electric double-layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors, and hybrid capacitors. From a materials point of view, the latest trends in electrochemical capacitor research are also discussed through extensive analysis of the literature and by highlighting notable research examples (published mostly since 2013). Finally, a perspective on next-generation capacitor technology is also given, including the challenges that lie ahead.

The effect of Gd doping on the electrical and photoelectrical properties of Gd:ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baturay, Silan [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakir (Turkey); Ocak, Yusuf Selim, E-mail: yusufselim@gmail.com [Department of Science, Faculty of Education, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakir (Turkey); Science and Technology Application and Research Center, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakir (Turkey); Kaya, Derya [Department of Physics, Institute of Natural Applied Sciences, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakir (Turkey)

2015-10-05

Highlights: • Undoped and Gd doped ZnO thin films were deposited onto p-Si semiconductor. • The Gd:ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions were compared with undoped ZnO/p-Si heterojunction. • A strong effect of Gd doping on the performance of the devices were reported. - Abstract: Undoped ZnO thin films, as well as 1%, 3% and 5% Gd-doped ZnO films, were deposited on p-type Si using spin coating. The structural properties of these thin films were analysed using X-ray diffraction, and the current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics of the Gd:ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions were compared with those of the undoped ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions. We found that Gd doping had a strong effect on the performance of the devices, and that the Gd:ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions formed with 1% Gd-doped ZnO were the most strongly rectifying, and had the highest barrier height and the lowest series resistance. Furthermore, the I–V measurements of the 1% Gd-doped ZnO/p-Si heterojunction exhibited the strongest response to light.

An InP/Si heterojunction photodiode fabricated by self-aligned corrugated epitaxial lateral overgrowth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Y. T.; Omanakuttan, G.; Lourdudoss, S.

2015-01-01

An n-InP/p-Si heterojunction photodiode fabricated by corrugated epitaxial lateral overgrowth (CELOG) method is presented. N-InP/p-Si heterojunction has been achieved from a suitable pattern containing circular shaped openings in a triangular lattice on the InP seed layer on p-Si substrate and subsequent CELOG of completely coalesced n-InP. To avoid current path through the seed layer in the final photodiode, semi-insulating InP:Fe was grown with adequate thickness prior to n-InP growth in a low pressure hydride vapor phase epitaxy reactor. The n-InP/p-Si heterointerface was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Room temperature cross-sectional photoluminescence (PL) mapping illustrates the defect reduction effect in InP grown on Si by CELOG method. The InP PL intensity measured above the InP/Si heterojunction is comparable to that of InP grown on a native planar substrate indicating low interface defect density of CELOG InP despite of 8% lattice mismatch with Si. The processed n-InP/p-Si heterojunction photodiodes show diode characteristics from the current-voltage (I-V) measurements with a dark current density of 0.324 mA/cm 2 at a reverse voltage of −1 V. Under the illumination of AM1.5 conditions, the InP/Si heterojunction photodiode exhibited photovoltaic effect with an open circuit voltage of 180 mV, a short circuit current density of 1.89 mA/cm 2 , an external quantum efficiency of 4.3%, and an internal quantum efficiency of 6.4%. This demonstration of epitaxially grown InP/Si heterojunction photodiode will open the door for low cost and high efficiency solar cells and photonic integration of III-Vs on silicon

Molecular dynamics and density functional simulations of tungsten nanostructure formation by helium plasma irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, A.M.; Takayama, A.; Oda, Y.

2014-10-01

For the purposes of long-term use of tungsten diverter walls, it is necessary to suppress the surface deterioration due to the helium ash which induces the formations of helium bubbles and tungsten fuzzy nanostructures. In the present paper, the formation mechanisms of helium bubbles and tungsten fuzzy nanostructures were explained by the four-step process which is composed of the penetration process, the diffusion and agglomeration process, the helium bubble growth process and the tungsten fuzzy nanostructure formation process. The first to third step processes of the four-step process were investigated by using binary collision approximation, density functional theory and molecular dynamics, respectively. Furthermore, newly developed molecular dynamics and Monte-Carlo hybrid simulation has successfully reproduced the early formation process of tungsten fuzzy nanostructure. From these simulations, we here suggest the following key mechanisms of the formations of helium bubbles and tungsten fuzzy nanostructures: (1) By comparison between helium, neon, argon and hydrogen, the noble gas atoms can agglomerate limitlessly not only at a vacancy but also at an interstitial site. In particular, at the low incident energy, only helium atoms bring about the nucleation for helium bubble. (2) In the helium bubble growth process, the strain of the tungsten material around a helium atom is released as a dislocation loop, which is regarded as the loop punching phenomenon. (3) In the tungsten nanostructure formation process, the bursting of a helium bubble forms cavity and convexity in the surface. The helium bubbles tend to be grown and to burst at the cavity region, and then the difference of height between the cavity and convexity on the surface are enhanced. Consequently, the tungsten fuzzy nanostructure is formed. (author)

Resonance induced spin-selective transport behavior in carbon nanoribbon/nanotube/nanoribbon heterojunctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xiang-Hua [School of Physics and Microelectronics Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan 411101 (China); Wang, Ling-Ling, E-mail: llwang@hnu.edu.cn [School of Physics and Microelectronics Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Li, Xiao-Fei, E-mail: xf.li@uestc.edu.cn [School of Physics and Microelectronics Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054 (China); Chen, Tong; Li, Quan [School of Physics and Microelectronics Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)

2015-09-04

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are attractive in spintronics. Here, we propose GNR/CNT/GNR heterojunctions constructed by attaching zigzag-GNRs at the side-wall of CNT for spintronic devices. The thermal stability and electronic transport properties were explored using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and nonequilibrium Green's function methods, respectively. Results demonstrate that the sp{sup 3}-hybridized contacts formed at the interface assure a good thermal stability of the system and make the CNT to be regarded as resonator. Only the electron of one spin-orientation and resonant energy is allowed to transport, resulting in the remarkable spin-selective transport behavior at the ferromagnetic state. - Highlights: • The new mechanism for spin-selective transport in molecular junction is proposed. • The two sp{sup 3} contacts formed between CNT and GNR can be regarded as electronic isolators. • The two isolators make the CNT act as a resonator. • Only the electron of one spin-orientation and resonant energy can form standing wave and transport through the whole junction.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy on nanostructured carbon electrodes grown by supersonic cluster beam deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bettini, Luca Giacomo; Bardizza, Giorgio; Podestà, Alessandro; Milani, Paolo; Piseri, Paolo

2013-01-01

Nanostructured porous films of carbon with density of about 0.5 g/cm 3 and 200 nm thickness were deposited at room temperature by supersonic cluster beam deposition (SCBD) from carbon clusters formed in the gas phase. Carbon film surface topography, determined by atomic force microscopy, reveals a surface roughness of 16 nm and a granular morphology arising from the low kinetic energy ballistic deposition regime. The material is characterized by a highly disordered carbon structure with predominant sp2 hybridization as evidenced by Raman spectroscopy. The interface properties of nanostructured carbon electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy employing KOH 1 M solution as aqueous electrolyte. An increase of the double layer capacitance is observed when the electrodes are heat treated in air or when a nanostructured nickel layer deposited by SCBD on top of a sputter deposited film of the same metal is employed as a current collector instead of a plain metallic film. This enhancement is consistent with an improved charge injection in the active material and is ascribed to the modification of the electrical contact at the interface between the carbon and the metal current collector. Specific capacitance values up to 120 F/g have been measured for the electrodes with nanostructured metal/carbon interface.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy on nanostructured carbon electrodes grown by supersonic cluster beam deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bettini, Luca Giacomo; Bardizza, Giorgio; Podesta, Alessandro; Milani, Paolo; Piseri, Paolo, E-mail: piseri@mi.infn.it [Universita degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica and CIMaINa (Italy)

2013-02-15

Nanostructured porous films of carbon with density of about 0.5 g/cm{sup 3} and 200 nm thickness were deposited at room temperature by supersonic cluster beam deposition (SCBD) from carbon clusters formed in the gas phase. Carbon film surface topography, determined by atomic force microscopy, reveals a surface roughness of 16 nm and a granular morphology arising from the low kinetic energy ballistic deposition regime. The material is characterized by a highly disordered carbon structure with predominant sp2 hybridization as evidenced by Raman spectroscopy. The interface properties of nanostructured carbon electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy employing KOH 1 M solution as aqueous electrolyte. An increase of the double layer capacitance is observed when the electrodes are heat treated in air or when a nanostructured nickel layer deposited by SCBD on top of a sputter deposited film of the same metal is employed as a current collector instead of a plain metallic film. This enhancement is consistent with an improved charge injection in the active material and is ascribed to the modification of the electrical contact at the interface between the carbon and the metal current collector. Specific capacitance values up to 120 F/g have been measured for the electrodes with nanostructured metal/carbon interface.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy on nanostructured carbon electrodes grown by supersonic cluster beam deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Bettini, Luca Giacomo; Bardizza, Giorgio; Podestà, Alessandro; Milani, Paolo; Piseri, Paolo

2013-02-01

Nanostructured porous films of carbon with density of about 0.5 g/cm3 and 200 nm thickness were deposited at room temperature by supersonic cluster beam deposition (SCBD) from carbon clusters formed in the gas phase. Carbon film surface topography, determined by atomic force microscopy, reveals a surface roughness of 16 nm and a granular morphology arising from the low kinetic energy ballistic deposition regime. The material is characterized by a highly disordered carbon structure with predominant sp2 hybridization as evidenced by Raman spectroscopy. The interface properties of nanostructured carbon electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy employing KOH 1 M solution as aqueous electrolyte. An increase of the double layer capacitance is observed when the electrodes are heat treated in air or when a nanostructured nickel layer deposited by SCBD on top of a sputter deposited film of the same metal is employed as a current collector instead of a plain metallic film. This enhancement is consistent with an improved charge injection in the active material and is ascribed to the modification of the electrical contact at the interface between the carbon and the metal current collector. Specific capacitance values up to 120 F/g have been measured for the electrodes with nanostructured metal/carbon interface.

Growth and characterization of p-Cu2O/n-ZnO nanorod heterojunctions prepared by a two-step potentiostatic method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Yoon Suk; Kim, Hyunghoon; Lee, Ho Seong

2013-01-01

Highlights: •p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO heterostructures were grown by a two-step potentiostatic method. •The high-quality p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO nanorod heterojunctions were obtained only at relatively high temperatures of 90 and 100 °C. •p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO heterojunctions exhibited a well-defined p–n diode characteristic. -- Abstract: p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO nanorod heterojunctions were fabricated by a two-step process. The process was performed with potentiostatic deposition of n-ZnO nanorods on conductive indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glasses followed by potentiostatic deposition of p-Cu 2 O to form p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO nanorod heterojunctions. The deposition condition required to form the cuprous oxide layer affected significantly the formation and microstructure of the p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO nanorod heterojunctions. In particular, the high-quality p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO nanorod heterojunctions were obtained only at relatively high temperatures of 90 and 100 °C. The p-Cu 2 O/n-ZnO nanorod heterojunctions exhibited a well-defined p–n diode characteristic with an ideality factor of about 4.3

Surface Passivation for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deligiannis, D.

2017-01-01

Silicon heterojunction solar cells (SHJ) are currently one of the most promising solar cell technologies in the world. The SHJ solar cell is based on a crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer, passivated on both sides with a thin intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layer. Subsequently, p-type

Simulation of the tunnelling transport in ferromagnetic GaAs/ZnO heterojunctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Comesana, E; Aldegunde, M; Garcia-Loureiro, A J [Department de Electronica e Computacion, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Spain (Spain); Gehring, G A, E-mail: enrique.comesana@usc.e [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom)

2010-07-01

In this work we have implemented a numerical simulator and analytical model to study the dependence of the tunnelling current on the polarization ratio of the carrier spin for a degenerate and ferromagnetic heterojunction. We have applied these models to study the behaviour of a magnetically doped GaAs/ZnO PN junction and the current transport in a PN heterojunction where the polarization of the spin of the charge carriers is also a control variable.

Epitaxial Growth of an Organic p-n Heterojunction: C60 on Single-Crystal Pentacene.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakayama, Yasuo; Mizuno, Yuta; Hosokai, Takuya; Koganezawa, Tomoyuki; Tsuruta, Ryohei; Hinderhofer, Alexander; Gerlach, Alexander; Broch, Katharina; Belova, Valentina; Frank, Heiko; Yamamoto, Masayuki; Niederhausen, Jens; Glowatzki, Hendrik; Rabe, Jürgen P; Koch, Norbert; Ishii, Hisao; Schreiber, Frank; Ueno, Nobuo

2016-06-01

Designing molecular p-n heterojunction structures, i.e., electron donor-acceptor contacts, is one of the central challenges for further development of organic electronic devices. In the present study, a well-defined p-n heterojunction of two representative molecular semiconductors, pentacene and C60, formed on the single-crystal surface of pentacene is precisely investigated in terms of its growth behavior and crystallographic structure. C60 assembles into a (111)-oriented face-centered-cubic crystal structure with a specific epitaxial orientation on the (001) surface of the pentacene single crystal. The present experimental findings provide molecular scale insights into the formation mechanisms of the organic p-n heterojunction through an accurate structural analysis of the single-crystalline molecular contact.

Ultrafast Transient Absorption Spectroscopy Investigation of Photoinduced Dynamics in Novel Donor-Acceptor Core-Shell Nanostructures for Organic Photovoltaics