Improving the quality of phase maps in phase object digital holographic interferometry by finding the right reconstruction distance

Improved quality of phase maps in pulsed digital holographic interferometry is demonstrated by finding the right reconstruction distance. The objective is to improve the optical phase information when the object under study is a phase object and when it is out of focus, leading to low contrast fringes in the phase map. A numerical refocusing is performed by introducing an ideal lens as a multiplication by a phase field in the Fourier domain, and then a region of maximum speckle correlation is found by comparing undisturbed and disturbed subimages in different refocused imaging planes. After finding the right reconstruction distance, a phase map of high visibility is constructed. By this technique a 30% reduction of the phase error for a flow of helium gas and a 50% reduction of the phase error for a weak thin lens were obtained, which resulted in a significant improvement of the visual appearance of the phase maps.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of rhodamine 6G on nanowire arrays decorated with gold nanoparticles

We investigate the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on Au nanoparticles attached to InP nanowires. We find that nanowire arrays act as frameworks for effective SERS substrates with a significantly higher Raman signal sensitivity than a planar framework of Au nanoparticles adsorbed two-dimensionally on a flat surface. The SERS signal displays a clear polarization-dependent effect when the nanowires are arranged in a row. We also find that the SERS signal increases with time during continuous laser illumination. The plasmon-enhanced optical forces between Au nanoparticles may either move pairs of nanoparticles closer together or attract adsorbed molecules by moving them to the junctions of Au nanoparticle aggregates. Such effects by plasmon optical forces may cause the observed increase of the SERS signal with continuous laser illumination.     

Direction sensitive bending sensors based on multi-wall carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposites

In the present work, a direction sensitive bending strain sensor consisting of a single block of epoxy/multi-wall carbon nanotube composite was developed. Moreover, the manufacturing could be realized in a straightforward single-step processing route. The directional sensitivity to bending deformations is related to the change in electrical resistance, which becomes positive or negative, depending on the direction of bending deflection. This effect is achieved by generating a gradient in electrical conductivity throughout the material. The resistance versus strain behaviour of these devices is investigated in detail and related to the microstructure of the nanocomposites.     

Axonal guidance on patterned free-standing nanowire surfaces

We demonstrate high-fidelity guidance of axons using rows of nanowires. The axons are prevented from crossing the rows, making it possible to guide and sort a large number of axons as opposed to when chemical patterns are used. Focal adhesion forms at the nanowires establishing a possible site of information transfer between the surface and the cells. Rows of gallium phosphide (GaP) nanowires were epitaxially grown on GaP(111) substrates in patterns defined by electron beam lithography.     

Electrical properties of self-assembled branched InAs nanowire junctions

We investigate electrical properties of self-assembled branched InAs nanowires. The branched nanowires are catalytically grown using chemical beam epitaxy, and three-terminal nanoelectronic devices are fabricated from the branched nanowires using electron-beam lithography. We demonstrate that, in difference from conventional macroscopic junctions, the fabricated self-assembled nanowire junction devices exhibit tunable nonlinear electrical characteristics and a signature of ballistic electron transport. As an example of applications, we demonstrate that the self-assembled three-terminal nanowire junctions can be used to implement the functions of frequency mixing, multiplication, and phase-difference detection of input electrical signals at room temperature. Our results suggest a wide range of potential applications of branched semiconductor nanostructures in nanoelectronics.     

Direct atomic scale imaging of III-V nanowire surfaces

We have succeeded in direct atomic scale imaging of the exterior surfaces of III-V nanowires by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). By using atomic hydrogen, we expose the crystalline surfaces of InAs nanowires with regular InP segments in vacuum while retaining the wire morphology. We show images with atomic resolution of the two major types of InAs wurtzite nanowire surface facets and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) data. Ab initio calculations of the lowest energy surface structures and simulated STM images, agree very well with experiments.     

Control of GaP and GaAs nanowire morphology through particle and substrate chemical modification

We demonstrate two very different morphologies for GaP and GaAs nanowires grown by Au-assisted MOVPE on Si(111) substrates: rodlike wires and tapered wires with sharp tips. We show that the morphology is related to the stability of the particles at the wire tips during growth, and we propose that the mechanism of this effect is diffusion of Au away from the tip. Diffusion occurs, leading to tapered wires, only if there is a clean Si surface to act as a reservoir for the Au. Furthermore, the presence of indium in the particles, even at background levels from previous growth runs, inhibits the migration of Au. These results demonstrate a dramatic example of the sensitivity of wire morphology to substrate and particle chemistry, which could provide an important tool to tune nanowire morphology through particle alloying or surface treatment.     

Recombination dynamics of surface-related excitonic states in single ZnO nanowires

With decreasing diameter the influence of surface-related effects becomes increasingly important for an understanding of the optical properties of semiconductor nanowires. We present time integrated and time resolved photoluminescence studies of single zincoxide nanowires with different diameters. We analyze the changes in the optical spectra for wires with different surface-to-volume ratios, present optical spectra of single wires at different excitation densities, and study the time-resolved dynamics of the surface related and donor-bound exciton related emission lines for a single nanowire at low temperatures.     

Structural densification of lithium phosphoaluminoborate glasses

Lithium aluminoborate glasses have recently been found to undergo dramatic changes in their short-range structures upon compression at moderate pressure (~1 GPa), most notably manifested in an increase in network forming cation coordination number (CN). This has important consequences for their mechanical behavior, and to further understand the structural densification mechanisms of this glass family, we here study the effect of P₂O₅ incorporation in a lithium aluminoborate glass (with fixed Li/Al/B ratio) on the pressure-induced changes in structure, density, and hardness. We find that P₂O₅ addition results in a more open and soft network, with P-O-Al and P-O-B bonding, a slightly smaller fraction of tetrahedral-to-trigonal boron, and an unchanged aluminum speciation. Upon compression, the cation-oxygen CNs of both boron and aluminum increase systemically, whereas the number of bridging oxygens around phosphorous (Qⁿ) decreases. The glasses with higher P₂O₅ content feature a larger decrease in Qⁿ (P) upon compression, which leads to more non-bridging oxygen that in turn fuel the larger increase in CN of B and Al for higher P₂O₅ content. We find that the CN changes of Al and B can account for a large fraction (around 50% at 2 GPa) of the total volume densification and that the extent of structural changes (so-called atomic self-adaptivity) scales well with the extent of volume densification and pressure-induced increase in hardness.