Transparent electrodes are essential components for optoelectronic devices such as displays and thin-film solar cells. Traditionally, the deposition of transparent conducting layers and the sealing of the device are separate steps. Here we report on a highly transparent, conductive, and flexible “tape”, which can be obtained by transferring silver nanowire networks to conventional transparent tape. We utilized the viscidity of the tape to reduce the junction resistance between silver nanowires and further protect the nanowires from corrosion, oxidation and mechanical damage. By this simple method, we obtained a flexible tape with high transparency (~90% at 550 nm wavelength) and low sheet resistance (approaching 22 Ω·sq–1). The transparent tape can be attached and stuck firmly on complex surfaces, making the surface highly conductive. We demonstrated the use of the tape as both a conducting layer and a sealing layer for flexible electronics applications including in-situ temperature monitoring and electrochromic devices.
We report the investigation of the thermoelectric properties of large-scale solution-synthesized Bi2Te3 nanocomposites prepared from nanowires hotpressed into bulk pellets. A third element, Se, is introduced to tune the carrier concentration of the nanocomposites. Due to the Se doping, the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of the nanocomposites is significantly enhanced due to the increased power factor and reduced thermal conductivity. We also find that thermal transport in our hot-pressed pellets is anisotropic, which results in different thermal conductivities along the in-plane and cross-plane directions. Theoretical calculations for both electronic and thermal transport are carried out to establish fundamental understanding of the material system and provide directions for further ZT optimization with adjustments to carrier concentration and mobility.
Since opening sizable bandgaps in bilayer graphene (BLG) was proven possible, BLG has attracted considerable attention as a promising high-mobility candidate material for many electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, the bandgaps observed in the transport experiments reported in the literature are far smaller than both the theoretical predictions and the bandgaps extracted from optical measurements. In this study, we investigate the factors preventing the formation of large bandgaps and demonstrate that a ~200-meV transport bandgap can be opened in BLG by scaling the gate dielectric and employing a ribbon channel to suppress the percolative transport. This is the largest transport bandgap that has been achieved in BLG to date.
Electronic properties of stanene, the Sn counterpart of graphene are theoretically studied using first-principles simulations. The topological to trivial insulating phase transition induced by an out-of-plane electric field or by quantum confinement effects is predicted. The results highlight the potential to use stanene nanoribbons in gate-voltage controlled dissipationless spin-based devices and are used to set the minimal nanoribbon width for such devices, which is typically approximately 5 nm.
Nanoporous (NP) Si/Cu composites are fabricated by means of alloy refining followed by facile electroless dealloying in mild conditions. NP-Si/Cu composites with a three-dimensional porous network nanoarchitecture with different Cu contents are obtained by changing the feeding ratio of alloy precursors. Owing to the rich porosity and integration of conductive Cu into a nanoporous Si backbone, the NP-Si85Cu15 composite exhibits modified conductivity and reduced volumetric expansion/fracture during repeated charging-discharging processes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), thus exhibiting much higher cycling reversibility than NP-Si92Cu8 and pure NP-Si. With the advantages of unique performance and easy preparation, NP-Si/Cu composite has potential for application as an advanced anode material for LIBs.
Sandwich structured graphene-wrapped FeS-graphene nanoribbons (G@FeS-GNRs) were developed. In this composite, FeS nanoparticles were sandwiched between graphene and graphene nanoribbons. When used as anodes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the G@FeS-GNR composite demonstrated an outstanding electrochemical performance. This composite showed high reversible capacity, good rate performance, and enhanced cycling stability owing to the synergy between the electrically conductive graphene, graphene nanoribbons, and FeS. The design concept developed here opens up a new avenue for constructing anodes with improved electrochemical stability for LIBs.
A facile approach for the heterogenization of transition metal catalysts using non-covalent interactions in hollow click-based porous organic polymers (H-CPPs) is presented. A catalytically active cationic species, [Ru(bpy)3]2+ (bpy = 2,2’-bipyridyl), was immobilized in H-CPPs via electrostatic interactions. The intrinsic properties of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ were well retained. The resulting Rucontaining hollow polymers exhibited excellent catalytic activity, enhanced stability, and good recyclability when used for the oxidative hydroxylation of 4-methoxyphenylboronic acid to 4-methoxyphenol under visible-light irradiation. The attractive catalytic performance mainly resulted from efficient mass transfer and the maintenance of the chemical properties of the cationic Ru complex in the H-CPPs.
Hexagonal ultrathin WO3 nano-ribbons (HUWNRs) of subnanometer thicknesses, 2–5 nm widths, and lengths of up to several micrometers were prepared by a solvothermal method. The as-prepared HUWNRs grow along the [001] direction, and the main exposed facet is the (120) crystal plane. The HUWNRs exhibit good electrochemical performance as an anode material in lithium ion batteries because of their unique structure. It is believed that these unique materials may be applied in many fields.
We report a voltage generator based on a graphene network (GN). In response to the movement of a droplet of ionic solution over a GN strip, a voltage of several hundred millivolts is observed under ambient conditions. In the voltage-generation process, the unique structure of GN plays an important role in improving the rate of electron transfer. Given their excellent mechanical properties, GNs may find applications for harvesting vibrational energy in various places such as raincoats, umbrellas, windows, and other surfaces that are exposed to rain.
Finding inexpensive electrodes with high activity and stability is key to realize the practical application of fuel cells. Here, we report the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) porous nickel nanoflower (3D-PNNF) electrodes via an in situ reduction method. The 3D-PNNF electrodes have a high surface area, show tight binding to the electroconductive substrate, and most importantly, have superaerophobic (bubble repellent) surfaces. Therefore, the electrocatalytic hydrazine oxidation performance of the 3D-PNNF electrodes was much higher than that of commercial Pt/C catalysts because of its ultra-weak gas-bubble adhesion and ultra-fast gas-bubble release. Furthermore, the 3D-PNNF electrodes showed ultra-high stability even under a high current density (260 mA/cm2), which makes it promising for practical applications. In addition, the construction of superaerophobic nanostructures could also be beneficial for other gas evolution processes (e.g., hydrogen evolution reaction).
Rapid developments in both fundamental science and modern technology that target water-related problems, including the physical nature of our planet and environment, the origin of life, energy production via water splitting, and water purification, all call for a molecular-level understanding of water. This invokes relentless efforts to further our understanding of the basic science of water. Current challenges to achieve a molecular picture of the peculiar properties and behavior of water are discussed herein, with a particular focus on the structure and dynamics of bulk and surface water, the molecular mechanisms of water wetting and splitting, application-oriented research on water decontamination and desalination, and the development of complementary techniques for probing water at the nanoscale.
The single crystalline nanostructure of organic semiconductors provides a very promising class of materials for applications in modern optoelectronic devices. However, morphology control and optoelectronic property modulation of high quality single crystalline samples remain a challenge. Here, we report the morphology-controlled growth of single crystalline nanorod arrays of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA). We demonstrate that, unlike PTCDA film, PTCDA nanorods exhibits optical waveguide features, enhanced absorption, and Frenkel excitation emission in the visible region. Additionally, we measured the electrical properties of PTCDA nanorods, including the conductivity along the growth direction of the nanorod, which is roughly 0.61 S·m–1 (much higher than that of pure crystalline PTCDA films).
The wall shear stress (WSS) that a moving fluid exerts on a surface affects many processes including those relating to vascular function. WSS plays an important role in normal physiology (e.g. angiogenesis) and affects the microvasculature’s primary function of molecular transport. Points of fluctuating WSS show abnormalities in a number of diseases; however, there is no established technique for measuring WSS directly in physiological systems. All current methods rely on estimates obtained from measured velocity gradients in bulk flow data. In this work, we report a nanosensor that can directly measure WSS in microfluidic chambers with sub-micron spatial resolution by using a specific type of virus, the bacteriophage M13, which has been fluorescently labeled and anchored to a surface. It is demonstrated that the nanosensor can be calibrated and adapted for biological tissue, revealing WSS in micro-domains of cells that cannot be calculated accurately from bulk flow measurements. This method lends itself to a platform applicable to many applications in biology and microfluidics.
Densely packed and ordered “suprastructures” are new types of nanomaterials exhibiting broad applications. The direct self-assembly of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-capped gold nanotriangles to form “suprastructures” was systematically investigated by varying the temperature and tilt angle of the silicon wafer used in the assembly process. Under optimal conditions, nanotriangles form into regular patterns, maintain their integrity, and form edge-to-edge, point-to-point, and face-to-face connections to form ordered “suprastructures” within an area of hundreds of square microns, achieving a high level of regularity. The formation of the “suprastructures” under optimal conditions could be mainly attributed to the complex balance between multiple temperature-dependent factors, including the atom diffusion rate, solvent evaporation rate, self-assembly rate, and the time for which the nanoparticle stays in the wet medium.
Because of the coupling between semiconducting and piezoelectric properties in wurtzite materials, strain-induced piezo-charges can tune the charge transport across the interface or junction, which is referred to as the piezotronic effect. For devices whose dimension is much smaller than the mean free path of carriers (such as a single atomic layer of MoS2), ballistic transport occurs. In this study, transport in the monolayer MoS2 piezotronic transistor is studied by presenting analytical solutions for two-dimensional (2D) MoS2. Furthermore, a numerical simulation for guiding future 2D piezotronic nanodevice design is presented.
Methylammonium bismuth (III) iodide single crystals and films have been developed and investigated. We have further presented the first demonstration of using this organic–inorganic bismuth-based material to replace lead/tin-based perovskite materials in solution-processable solar cells. The organic–inorganic bismuth-based material has advantages of non-toxicity, ambient stability, and low-temperature solution-processability, which provides a promising solution to address the toxicity and stability challenges in organolead- and organotin-based perovskite solar cells. We also demonstrated that trivalent metal cation-based organic–inorganic hybrid materials can exhibit photovoltaic effect, which may inspire more research work on developing and applying organic-inorganic hybrid materials beyond divalent metal cations (Pb (II) and Sn (II)) for solar energy applications.
Multiferroic charge-transfer crystals have drawn significant interest due to their simultaneous dipolar and spin ordering. Numerous theoretical and experimental studies have shown that the molecular stacking between donor and acceptor complexes plays an important role in tuning charge-transfer enabled multifunctionality. Herein, we show that the charge-transfer interactions can be controlled by the segregated stack, consisting of polythiophene donor- and fullerene acceptor-based all-conjugated block copolymers. Room temperature magnetic field effects, ferroelectricity, and anisotropic magnetism are observed in charge-transfer crystals, which can be further controlled by photoexcitation and charge doping. Furthermore, the charge-transfer segregated stack crystals demonstrate external stimuli controlled polarization and magnetization, which opens up their multifunctional applications for all-organic multiferroics.
The wetting properties of an electrode surface are of significant importance to the performance of electrochemical devices because electron transfer occurs at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Described in this paper is a low-cost metal oxide electrocatalyst (CuO)-based high-performance sensing device using an enzyme electrode with a solid/liquid/air triphase interface in which the oxygen level is constant and sufficiently high. We apply the sensing device to detect glucose, a model test analyte, and demonstrate a linear dynamic range up to 50 mM, which is about 25 times higher than that obtained using a traditional enzyme electrode with a solid/liquid diphase interface. Moreover, we show that sensing devices based on a triphase assaying interface are insensitive to the significant oxygen level fluctuation in the analyte solution.
Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate the confinement packing characteristics of small hydrophilic (N-acetyl-glycine-methylamide, Nagma) and hydrophobic (N-acetyl-leucine-methylamide, Nalma) biomolecules in large diameter single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). We find that hydrophilic biomolecules easily fill the nanotube and self organize into a geometrical configuration which reminds the water structural organization under SWCNT confinement. The packing of hydrophilic biomolecules inside the cylinder confines all water molecules in its core, which enhances their mobility. Conversely, hydrophobic biomolecules accommodate into the nanotubes with a trend for homogeneous filling, which generate unstable small pockets of water and drive toward a state of dehydration. These results shed light on key parameters important for the encapsulation of biomolecules with direct relevance for long-term storage and prevention of degradation.
Planar micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) have drawn extensive research attention owing to their unique structural design and size compatibility for microelectronic devices. Graphene has been widely used to improve the performance of microscale electrochemical capacitors. However, investigations of an intrinsic electrochemical mechanism for graphene-based microscale devices are still not sufficient. Here, micro-supercapacitors with various typical architectures are fabricated as models to study the graphene effect, and their electrochemical performance is also evaluated. The results show that ionic accessibility and adsorption are greatly improved after the introduction of the holey graphene intermediate layer. This study provides a new route to understand intrinsic electrochemical behaviors and possesses exciting potential for highly efficient on-chip micro-energy storage.
