Preparation of ractopamine-tetraphenylborate complexed nanoparticles used as sensors to rapidly determine ractopamine residues in pork

In this work, we reported a simple, fast, and sensitive determination of ractopamine (RAC) residues in pork by using novel ractopamine-tetraphenylborate complexed nanoparticles (RT NPs) as sensors. The prepared RT NPs exhibited a fast response time of 10 s, a wide linear range from 0.1 to 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol/L, and a very low detection limit of 7.4 × 10⁻⁸ mol/L. The prepared sensor also presents a high selectivity for ractopamine under different pH conditions ranged from 2.85 to 7.18. These results reveal that the fabricated RT NPs can be used as efficient electrochemical sensors to determine ractopamine in animal productions.     

Guiding properties of asymmetric hybrid plasmonic waveguides on dielectric substrates

We proposed an asymmetric hybrid plasmonic waveguide which is placed on a substrate for practical applications by introducing an asymmetry into a symmetric hybrid plasmonic waveguide. The guiding properties of the asymmetric hybrid plasmonic waveguide are investigated using finite element method. The results show that, with proper waveguide sizes, the proposed waveguide can eliminate the influence of the substrate on its guiding properties and restore its broken symmetric mode. We obtained the maximum propagation length of 2.49 × 10³ μm. It is approximately equal to that of the symmetric hybrid plasmonic waveguide embedded in air cladding with comparable nanoscale confinement.     

External quantum efficiency response of thin silicon solar cell based on plasmonic scattering of indium and silver nanoparticles

This study characterized the plasmonic scattering effects of indium nanoparticles (In NPs) on the front surface and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the rear surface of a thin silicon solar cell according to external quantum efficiency (EQE) and photovoltaic current–voltage. The EQE response indicates that, at wavelengths of 300 to 800 nm, the ratio of the number of photo-carriers collected to the number of incident photons shining on a thin Si solar cell was enhanced by the In NPs, and at wavelengths of 1,000 to 1,200 nm, by the Ag NPs. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining the broadband plasmonic scattering of two metals in enhancing the overall photovoltaic performance of a thin silicon solar cell. Short-circuit current was increased by 31.88% (from 2.98 to 3.93 mA) and conversion efficiency was increased by 32.72% (from 9.81% to 13.02%), compared to bare thin Si solar cells.     

Transparent conductive oxide films mixed with gallium oxide nanoparticle/single-walled carbon nanotube layer for deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

We propose a transparent conductive oxide electrode scheme of gallium oxide nanoparticle mixed with a single-walled carbon nanotube (Ga₂O₃ NP/SWNT) layer for deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes using spin and dipping methods. We investigated the electrical, optical and morphological properties of the Ga₂O₃ NP/SWNT layers by increasing the thickness of SWNTs via multiple dipping processes. Compared with the undoped Ga₂O₃ films (current level 9.9 × 10^-9 A @ 1 V, transmittance 68% @ 280 nm), the current level flowing in the Ga₂O₃ NP/SWNT increased by approximately 4 × 10⁵ times and the transmittance improved by 9% after 15 times dip-coating (current level 4 × 10^-4 A at 1 V; transmittance 77.0% at 280 nm). These improvements result from both native high transparency of Ga₂O₃ NPs and high conductivity and effective current spreading of SWNTs.     

Ferromagnetism and optical properties of La1???x Al x FeO3 nanopowders

La_{1 − x} Al _x FeO₃ (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5) nanopowders were prepared by polymerization complex method. All prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV-vis spectrophotometry (UV-vis). The magnetic properties were investigated using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The X-ray results of all samples show the formation of an orthorhombic phase with the second phase of α-Fe₂O₃ in doped samples. The crystallite sizes of nanoparticles decreased with increasing Al content, and they are found to be in the range of 58.45 ± 5.90 to 15.58 ± 4.64 nm. SEM and TEM images show the agglomeration of nanoparticles with average particle size in the range of 60 to 75 nm. The FT-IR spectra confirm the presence of metal oxygen bonds of O-Fe-O and Fe-O in the FeO₆ octahedra. The UV-vis spectra show strong absorption peaks at approximately 285 nm, and the calculated optical band gaps are found to be in the range of 2.05 to 2.09 eV with increasing Al content. The M-H loop of the pure sample is antiferromagnetic, whereas those of the doped samples tend to be ferromagnetic with increasing Al content. The magnetization, remanent magnetization, and coercive field of the Al-doped sample with x = 0.5 are enhanced to 1.665 emu/g, 0.623 emu/g, and 4,087.0 Oe, respectively.     

Pillar[5]arene-stabilized Plasmonic Nanoparticles as Selective SERS Sensors

We present here a simple procedure for the surface modification of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) with a cationic water-soluble ammonium pillar[5]arene (AP[5]A) in order to create selective surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy based sensors. The strategy is based on a ligand exchange reaction between the AP[5]A and the stabilizing agent of the as-prepared plasmonic NPs. The approach could be applied to plasmonic nanoparticles either negatively charged, stabilized by citrate ions (Au spheres) or positively charged, stabilized by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (Au and Au@Ag nanorods). The SERS performance of all systems was studied as a function of NP size and excitation laser line by using an analyte with no affinity towards the metal surface such as pyrene. The analytical enhancement factor (AEF) for the different systems was estimated between 0.55×10⁴ and 1.49×10⁵. Finally the synergistic effect of combining supramolecular chemistry and plasmonic NPs is demonstrated through SERS-based detection, in aqueous media, of molecules with no affinity towards a bare plasmonic substrate such as the contaminant pyrene or the biomolecule pyocyanin with nanomolar limit of detection.     

Homogeneous crystalline FeSi2 films of c (4?×?8) phase grown on Si (111) by reactive deposition epitaxy

The growth of iron silicides on Si (111) using reactive deposition epitaxy method was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Instead of the mixture of different silicide phases, a homogeneous crystalline film of c (4 × 8) phase was formed on the Si (111) surface at approximately 750°C. Scanning tunneling spectra show that the film exhibits a semiconducting character with a band gap of approximately 0.85 eV. Compared with elemental Fe, the Fe 2p peaks of the film exhibit a lower spin-orbit splitting (−0.3 eV) and the Fe 2p_3/2 level has a smaller full-width at half maximum (−0.6 eV) and a higher binding energy (+0.3 eV). Quantitative XPS analysis shows that the c (4 × 8) phase is in the FeSi₂ stoichiometry regime. The c (4 × 8) pattern could result from the ordered arrangement of defects of Fe vacancies in the buried Fe layers.     

Bimetallic non-alloyed NPs for improving the broadband optical absorption of thin amorphous silicon substrates

We propose the use of bimetallic non-alloyed nanoparticles (BNNPs) to improve the broadband optical absorption of thin amorphous silicon substrates. Isolated bimetallic NPs with uniform size distribution on glass and silicon are obtained by depositing a 10-nm Au film and annealing it at 600°C; this is followed by an 8-nm Ag film annealed at 400°C. We experimentally demonstrate that the deposition of gold (Au)-silver (Ag) bimetallic non-alloyed NPs (BNNPs) on a thin amorphous silicon (a-Si) film increases the film''s average absorption and forward scattering over a broad spectrum, thus significantly reducing its total reflection performance. Experimental results show that Au-Ag BNNPs fabricated on a glass substrate exhibit resonant peaks at 437 and 540 nm and a 14-fold increase in average forward scattering over the wavelength range of 300 to 1,100 nm in comparison with bare glass. When deposited on a 100-nm-thin a-Si film, Au-Ag BNNPs increase the average absorption and forward scattering by 19.6% and 95.9% compared to those values for Au NPs on thin a-Si and plain a-Si without MNPs, respectively, over the 300- to 1,100-nm range.     

Fabrication of self-assembled Au droplets by the systematic variation of the deposition amount on various type-B GaAs surfaces

The fabrication of self-assembled Au droplets is successfully demonstrated on various GaAs (n11)B, where n is 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9, by the systematic variation of the Au deposition amount (DA) from 2 to 12 nm with subsequent annealing at 550°C. Under an identical growth condition, the self-assembled Au droplets of mini to supersizes are successfully synthesized via the Volmer-Weber growth mode. Depending on the DA, an apparent evolution is clearly observed in terms of the average height (AH), lateral diameter (LD), and average density (AD). For example, compared with the mini Au droplets with a DA of 2 nm, AH of 22.5 nm, and LD of 86.5 nm, the super Au droplets with 12-nm DA show significantly increased AH of 316% and LD of 320%, reaching an AH of 71.1 nm and LD of 276.8 nm on GaAs (211)B. In addition, accompanied with the dimensional expansion, the AD of Au droplets drastically swings on 2 orders of magnitudes from 3.2 × 10¹⁰ to 4.2 × 10⁸ cm^-2. The results are systematically analyzed with respect to the atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) spectra, cross-sectional line profiles, Fourier filter transform (FFT) power spectra, and root-mean-square (RMS) roughness as well as the droplet dimension and density summary, respectively.     

Effect of Polymeric Nanoparticles with Entrapped Fish Oil or Mupirocin on Skin Wound Healing Using a Porcine Model

The utilization of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) with entrapped fish oil (FO) loaded in collagen-based scaffolds for cutaneous wound healing using a porcine model is unique for the present study. Full-depth cutaneous excisions (5 × 5 cm) on the pig dorsa were treated with pure collagen scaffold (control, C), empty PLGA NPs (NP), FO, mupirocin (MUP), PLGA NPs with entrapped FO (NP/FO) and PLGA NPs with entrapped MUP (NP/MUP). The following markers were evaluated on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21 post-excision: collagen, hydroxyproline (HP), angiogenesis and expressions of the COX2, EGF, COL1A1, COL1A3, TGFB1, VEGFA, CCL5 and CCR5 genes. The hypothesis that NP/FO treatment is superior to FO alone and that it is comparable to NP/MUP was tested. NP/FO treatment increased HP in comparison with both FO alone and NP/MUP (day 14) but decreased (p < 0.05) angiogenesis in comparison with FO alone (day 3). NP/FO increased (p < 0.05) the expression of the CCR5 gene (day 3) and tended (p > 0.05) to increase the expressions of the EGF (day 7, day 14), TGFB1 (day 21) and CCL5 (day 7, day 21) genes as compared with NP/MUP. NP/FO can be suggested as a suitable alternative to NP/MUP in cutaneous wound treatment.     

Validation of a Janus role of methotrexate-based PEGylated chitosan nanoparticles in vitro

Recently, methotrexate (MTX) has been used to target to folate (FA) receptor-overexpressing cancer cells for targeted drug delivery. However, the systematic evaluation of MTX as a Janus-like agent has not been reported before. Here, we explored the validity of using MTX playing an early-phase cancer-specific targeting ligand cooperated with a late-phase therapeutic anticancer agent based on the PEGylated chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (NPs) as drug carriers. Some advantages of these nanoscaled drug delivery systems are as follows: (1) the NPs can ensure minimal premature release of MTX at off-target site to reduce the side effects to normal tissue; (2) MTX can function as a targeting ligand at target site prior to cellular uptake; and (3) once internalized by the target cell, the NPs can function as a prodrug formulation, releasing biologically active MTX inside the cells. The (MTX + PEG)-CS-NPs presented a sustained/proteases-mediated drug release. More importantly, compared with the PEG-CS-NPs and (FA + PEG)-CS-NPs, the (MTX + PEG)-CS-NPs showed a greater cellular uptake. Furthermore, the (MTX + PEG)-CS-NPs demonstrated a superior cytotoxicity compare to the free MTX. Our findings therefore validated that the MTX-loaded PEGylated CS-NPs can simultaneously target and treat FA receptor-overexpressing cancer cells.     

DNA stretching on the wall surfaces in curved microchannels with different radii

DNA molecule conformation dynamics and stretching were made on semi-circular surfaces with different radii (500 to 5,000 μm) in microchannels measuring 200 μm × 200 μm in cross section. Five different buffer solutions - 1× Tris-acetate-EDTA (TAE), 1× Tris-borate-EDTA (TBE), 1× Tris-EDTA (TE), 1× Tris-phosphate-EDTA (TPE), and 1× Tris-buffered saline (TBS) solutions - were used with a variety of viscosity such as 40, 60, and 80 cP, with resultant 10⁻⁴ ≤ Re ≤ 10⁻³ and the corresponding 5 ≤ Wi ≤ 12. The test fluids were seeded with JOJO-1 tracer particles for flow visualization and driven through the test channels via a piezoelectric (PZT) micropump. Micro particle image velocimetry (μPIV) measuring technique was applied for the centered-plane velocity distribution measurements. It is found that the radius effect on the stretch ratio of DNA dependence is significant. The stretch ratio becomes larger as the radius becomes small due to the larger centrifugal force. Consequently, the maximum stretch was found at the center of the channel with a radius of 500 μm.     

Toxicity evaluation of zinc aluminium levodopa nanocomposite via oral route in repeated dose study

Nanotechnology, through nanomedicine, allowed drugs to be manipulated into nanoscale sizes for delivery to the different parts of the body, at the same time, retaining the valuable pharmacological properties of the drugs. However, efficient drug delivery and excellent release potential of these delivery systems may be hindered by possible untoward side effects. In this study, the sub-acute toxicity of oral zinc aluminium nanocomposite with and without levodopa was assessed using the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines. No sign or symptom of toxicity was observed in orally treated rats with the nanocomposite at 5 and 500 mg/kg concentrations. Body weight gain, feeding, water intake, general survival and organosomatic index were not significantly different between control and treatment groups. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in 500 mg/kg levodopa nanocomposite (169 ± 30 U/L), 5 mg/kg levodopa nanocomposite (172 ± 49 U/L), and 500 mg/kg layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanocomposite (175 ± 25 U/L) were notably elevated compared to controls (143 ± 05 U/L); but the difference were not significant (p > 0.05). However, the differences in aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio of 500 mg/kg levodopa nanocomposite (0.32 ± 0.12) and 500 mg/kg LDH nanocomposite (0.34 ± 0.12) were statistically significant (p < 0.05) compared to the control (0.51 ± 0.07). Histology of the liver, spleen and brain was found to be of similar morphology in both control and experimental groups. The kidneys of 500-mg/kg-treated rats with levodopa nanocomposite and LDH nanocomposite were found to have slight inflammatory changes, notably leukocyte infiltration around the glomeruli. The ultra-structure of the neurons from the substantia nigra of nanocomposite-exposed group was similar to those receiving only normal saline. The observed result has suggested possible liver and renal toxicity in orally administered levodopa intercalated nanocomposite; it is also dose-dependent that needs further assessment.     

Role of vanadium ions,oxygen vacancies,and interstitial zinc in room temperature ferromagnetism on ZnO-V2O5 nanoparticles

In this work, we present the role of vanadium ions (V⁺⁵ and V⁺³), oxygen vacancies (V_O), and interstitial zinc (Zn_i) to the contribution of specific magnetization for a mixture of ZnO-V₂O₅ nanoparticles (NPs). Samples were obtained by mechanical milling of dry powders and ethanol-assisted milling for 1 h with a fixed atomic ratio V/Zn?=?5% at. For comparison, pure ZnO samples were also prepared. All samples exhibit a room temperature magnetization ranging from 1.18?×?10⁻³ to 3.5?×?10⁻³ emu/gr. Pure ZnO powders (1.34?×?10⁻³ emu/gr) milled with ethanol exhibit slight increase in magnetization attributed to formation of Zn_i, while dry milled ZnO powders exhibit a decrease of magnetization due to a reduction of V_O concentration. For the ZnO-V₂O₅ system, dry milled and thermally treated samples under reducing atmosphere exhibit a large paramagnetic component associated to the formation of V₂O₃ and secondary phases containing V⁺³ ions; at the same time, an increase of V_O is observed with an abrupt fall of magnetization to σ?~?0.7?×?10⁻³ emu/gr due to segregation of V oxides and formation of secondary phases. As mechanical milling is an aggressive synthesis method, high disorder is induced at the surface of the ZnO NPs, including V_O and Zn_i depending on the chemical environment. Thermal treatment restores partially structural order at the surface of the NPs, thus reducing the amount of Zn_i at the same time that V₂O₅ NPs segregate reducing the direct contact with the surface of ZnO NPs. Additional samples were milled for longer time up to 24 h to study the effect of milling on the magnetization; 1-h milled samples have the highest magnetizations. Structural characterization was carried out using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Identification of V_O and Zn_i was carried out with Raman spectra, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to verify that V did not diffuse into ZnO NPs as well to quantify O/Zn ratios.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectra of medicines with large-scale self-assembled silver nanoparticle films based on the modified coffee ring effect

We report here a simple and innovative method to prepare large-scale silver nanoparticle films based on the controlled coffee ring effect. It is demonstrated that the films can be used as surface-enhanced Raman scattering probes to detect low-concentration medicines. Silver nanoparticles with the average size about 70 nm were prepared by reduction of silver nitride. In our experiment, the coffee ring effect was controlled by tilting the substrates during the deposition of silver nanoparticle films. Silver nanoparticle films were spontaneously formed on the surface of silicon substrates at the temperatures about 50°C based on the solvent evaporation and the coffee ring effect. The microstructure of the films was investigated using the scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. The surface roughness of the films is found as small as 20 nm. Then, the films were exposed to aqueous solutions of medicine at different concentrations. A comparison with a Raman spectra measured with a conventional Raman spectrometer showed that the Raman signal can be detected in the solution with concentrations as low as 1 × 10⁻⁵ M, and the enhancement factor achieved by the silver nanoparticle film can at least reach to 1.08 × 10⁴. Our experimental results indicate that this technique is promising in the production of large-scale silver nanoparticle films for the surface-enhanced Raman scattering. These may be utilized in biochemical and trace analytical applications.     

Tuning of structural,optical, and magnetic properties of ultrathin and thin ZnO nanowire arrays for nano device applications

One-dimensional (1-D) ultrathin (15 nm) and thin (100 nm) aligned 1-D (0001) and (0001¯) oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire (NW) arrays were fabricated on copper substrates by one-step electrochemical deposition inside the pores of polycarbonate membranes. The aspect ratio dependence of the compressive stress because of the lattice mismatch between NW array/substrate interface and crystallite size variations is investigated. X-ray diffraction results show that the polycrystalline ZnO NWs have a wurtzite structure with a = 3.24 Å, c = 5.20 Å, and [002] elongation. HRTEM and SAED pattern confirmed the polycrystalline nature of ultrathin ZnO NWs and lattice spacing of 0.58 nm. The crystallite size and compressive stress in as-grown 15- and 100-nm wires are 12.8 nm and 0.2248 GPa and 22.8 nm and 0.1359 GPa, which changed to 16.1 nm and 1.0307 GPa and 47.5 nm and 1.1677 GPa after annealing at 873 K in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), respectively. Micro-Raman spectroscopy showed that the increase in E₂ (high) phonon frequency corresponds to much higher compressive stresses in ultrathin NW arrays. The minimum-maximum magnetization magnitude for the as-grown ultrathin and thin NW arrays are approximately 8.45 × 10⁻³ to 8.10 × 10⁻³ emu/g and approximately 2.22 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.190 × 10⁻⁷ emu/g, respectively. The magnetization in 15-nm NW arrays is about 4 orders of magnitude higher than that in the 100 nm arrays but can be reduced greatly by the UHV annealing. The origin of ultrathin and thin NW array ferromagnetism may be the exchange interactions between localized electron spin moments resulting from oxygen vacancies at the surfaces of ZnO NWs. The n-type conductivity of 15-nm NW array is higher by about a factor of 2 compared to that of the 100-nm ZnO NWs, and both can be greatly enhanced by UHV annealing. The ability to tune the stresses and the structural and relative occupancies of ZnO NWs in a wide range by annealing has important implications for the design of advanced photonic, electronic, and magneto-optic nano devices.     

Self-assembly of large-scale gold nanoparticle arrays and their application in SERS

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering is an effective analytical method that has been intensively applied in the field of identification of organic molecules from Raman spectra at very low concentrations. The Raman signal enhancement that makes this method attractive is usually ascribed to the noble metal nanoparticle (NMNP) arrays which can extremely amplify the electromagnetic field near NMNP surface when localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) mode is excited. In this work, we report a simple, facile, and room-temperature method to fabricate large-scale, uniform gold nanoparticle (GNP) arrays on ITO/glass as SERS substrates using a promoted self-assembly deposition technique. The results show that the deposition density of GNPs on ITO/glass surface increases with prolonging deposition time, and nanochain-like aggregates appear for a relatively longer deposition time. It is also shown that these films with relatively higher deposition density have tremendous potential for wideband absorption in the visible range and exhibit two LSPR peaks in the extinction spectra because the electrons simultaneously oscillate along the nanochain at the transverse and the longitudinal directions. The SERS enhancement activity of these GNP arrays was determined using 10^-6 M Rhodamine 6G as the Raman probe molecules. A SERS enhancement factor as large as approximately 6.76 × 10⁶ can be obtained at 1,363 cm^-1 Raman shift for the highest deposition density film due to the strong plasmon coupling effect between neighboring particles.     

Self-organizing nanodot structures on InP surfaces evolving under low-energy ion irradiation: analysis of morphology and composition

Surfaces of InP were bombarded by 1.9 keV Ar⁺ ions under normal incidence. The total accumulated ion fluence Φ the samples were exposed to was varied from 1 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻² to 3 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻², and ion fluxes f of (0.4 − 2) × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² s⁻¹ were used. The surface morphology resulting from these ion irradiations was examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Generally, nanodot structures are formed on the surface; their dimensions (diameter, height and separation), however, were found to depend critically on the specific bombardment conditions. As a function of ion fluence, the mean radius r, height h, and spacing l of the dots can be fitted by power-law dependences: r ∝ Φ^0.40, h ∝ Φ^0.48, and l ∝ Φ^0.19. In terms of ion flux, there appears to exist a distinct threshold: below f ~ (1.3 ± 0.2) × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² s⁻¹, no ordering of the dots exists and their size is comparatively small; above that value of f, the height and radius of the dots becomes substantially larger (h ~ 40 nm and r ~ 50 nm). This finding possibly indicates that surface diffusion processes could be important. In order to determine possible local compositional changes in these nanostructures induced by ion impact, selected samples were prepared for atom probe tomography (APT). The results indicate that APT can provide analytical information on the composition of individual InP nanodots. By means of 3D APT data, the surface region of such nanodots evolving under ion bombardment could be examined with atomic spatial resolution. At the InP surface, the values of the In/P concentration ratio are distinctly higher over a distance of approximately 1 nm and amount to 1.3 to 1.7.     

One-dimensional CuO nanowire: synthesis,electrical, and optoelectronic devices application

In this work, we presented a surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT)-assisted approach to the synthesis of one-dimensional copper oxide nanowires (CuO NWs) for nanodevices applications. The as-prepared CuO NWs have diameter and the length of 50 ~ 200 nm and 5 ~ 20 μm, respectively, with a preferential growth orientation along [1 1¯ 0] direction. Interestingly, nanofield-effect transistor (nanoFET) based on individual CuO NW exhibited typical p-type electrical conduction, with a hole mobility of 0.129 cm²V^-1 s^-1 and hole concentration of 1.34 × 10¹⁸ cm^-3, respectively. According to first-principle calculations, such a p-type electrical conduction behavior was related to the oxygen vacancies in CuO NWs. What is more, the CuO NW device was sensitive to visible light illumination with peak sensitivity at 600 nm. The responsitivity, conductive gain, and detectivity are estimated to be 2.0 × 10² A W^-1, 3.95 × 10² and 6.38 × 10¹¹ cm Hz^1/2 W^-1, respectively, which are better than the devices composed of other materials. Further study showed that nanophotodetectors assembled on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate can work under different bending conditions with good reproducibility. The totality of the above results suggests that the present CuO NWs are potential building blocks for assembling high-performance optoelectronic devices.     

Engineering Efficient Self-Assembled Plasmonic Nanostructures by Configuring Metallic Nanoparticle’s Morphology

We reveal the significance of plasmonic nanoparticle’s (NP) shape and its surface morphology en route to an efficient self-assembled plasmonic nanoparticle cluster. A simplified model is simulated in the form of free-space dimer and trimer nanostructures (NPs in the shape of a sphere, cube, and disk). A ~200% to ~125% rise in near-field strength (gap mode enhancement) is observed for spherical NPs in comparison with cubical NPs (from 2 nm to 8 nm gap sizes). Full-width three-quarter maximum reveals better broad-spectral optical performance in a range of ~100 nm (dimer) and ~170 nm (trimer) from spherical NPs as compared to a cube (~60 nm for dimer and trimer). These excellent properties for sphere-based nanostructures are merited from its dipole mode characteristics.