Energy Harvesting of Deionized Water Droplet Flow over an Epitaxial Graphene Film on a SiC Substrate.

This study investigates energy harvesting by a deionized (DI) water droplet flow on an epitaxial graphene film on a SiC substrate. We obtain an epitaxial single-crystal graphene film by annealing a 4H-SiC substrate. Energy harvesting of the solution droplet flow on the graphene surface has been investigated by using NaCl or HCl solutions. This study validates the voltage generated from the DI water flow on the epitaxial graphene film. The maximum generated voltage was as high as 100 mV, which was a quite large value compared with the previous reports. Furthermore, we measure the dependence of flow direction on electrode configuration. The generated voltages are independent of the electrode configuration, indicating that the DI water flow direction is not influenced by the voltage generation for the single-crystal epitaxial graphene film. Based on these results, the origin of the voltage generation on the epitaxial graphene film is not only an outcome of the fluctuation of the electrical-double layer, resulting in the breaking of the uniform balance of the surface charges, but also other factors such as the charges in the DI water or frictional electrification. In addition, the buffer layer has no effect on the epitaxial graphene film on the SiC substrate.

Peptide aptamer-modified single-walled carbon nanotube-based transistors for high-performance biosensors.

Biosensors employing single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (SWCNT FETs) offer ultimate sensitivity. However, besides the sensitivity, a high selectivity is critically important to distinguish the true signal from interference signals in a non-controlled environment. This work presents the first demonstration of the successful integration of a novel peptide aptamer with a liquid-gated SWCNT FET to achieve highly sensitive and specific detection of Cathepsin E (CatE), a useful prognostic biomarker for cancer diagnosis. Novel peptide aptamers that specifically recognize CatE are engineered by systemic in vitro evolution. The SWCNTs were firstly grown using the thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and then were employed as a channel to fabricate a SWCNT FET device. Next, the SWCNTs were functionalized by noncovalent immobilization of the peptide aptamer using 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succinimidyl ester (PBASE) linker. The resulting FET sensors exhibited a high selectivity (no response to bovine serum albumin and cathepsin K) and label-free detection of CatE at unprecedentedly low concentrations in both phosphate-buffered saline (2.3 pM) and human serum (0.23 nM). Our results highlight the use of peptide aptamer-modified SWCNT FET sensors as a promising platform for near-patient testing and point-of-care testing applications.

Dual-gated topological insulator thin-film device for efficient Fermi-level tuning.

Observations of novel quantum phenomena expected for three-dimensional topological insulators (TIs) often require fabrications of thin-film devices and tuning of the Fermi level across the Dirac point. Since thin films have both top and bottom surfaces, an effective control of the surface chemical potential requires dual gating. However, a reliable dual-gating technique for TI thin films has not yet been developed. Here we report a comprehensive method to fabricate a dual-gated TI device and demonstrate tuning of the chemical potential of both surfaces across the Dirac points. The most important part of our method is the recipe for safely detaching high-quality, bulk-insulating (Bi(1-x)Sb(x))2Te3 thin films from sapphire substrates and transferring them to Si/SiO2 wafers that allow back gating. Fabrication of an efficient top gate by low-temperature deposition of a SiN(x) dielectric complements the procedure. Our dual-gated devices are shown to be effective in tuning the chemical potential in a wide range encompassing the Dirac points on both surfaces.

Fabrication of new single-walled carbon nanotubes microelectrode for electrochemical sensors application.

In this paper, we describe two simple different ways to fabricate an array of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) microelectrodes from SWCNT network, grown on Si substrate, through micro-fabrication process. Two kinds of material, photoresist - organic compound and sputtered SiO(2), were used as an insulator layer for these arrays of SWCNT microelectrodes. The SWCNT microelectrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements. The SWCNT microelectrodes with sputtered SiO(2) as an insulator exhibit some prior advances to these used photoresist layer as insulator such as much stable in harsh condition (high active organic solvents) and high current density (24.94 µA mm(-2) compared to 2.69 µA mm(-2), respectively). In addition, the well-defined geometry of SWCNT microelectrodes is not only useful for investigating kinetics of electron transfer, but also promising candidate in electrochemical sensors application.

Label-free biosensors based on aptamer-modified graphene field-effect transistors.

A label-free immunosensor based on an aptamer-modified graphene field-effect transistor (G-FET) is demonstrated. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) aptamers with an approximate height of 3 nm were successfully immobilized on a graphene surface, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The aptamer-modified G-FET showed selective electrical detection of IgE protein. From the dependence of the drain current variation on the IgE concentration, the dissociation constant was estimated to be 47 nM, indicating good affinity and the potential for G-FETs to be used in biological sensors.

Chemical and biological sensing applications based on graphene field-effect transistors.

Chemical and biological sensors based on graphene field-effect transistors (G-FETs) were investigated. A single-layer of graphene was prepared by mechanical cleavage of natural graphite. The G-FETs were driven by a reference-gate operating in buffer solution, and exhibited very good transport characteristics. The G-FETs detected the pH value of the solution with high precision. The Dirac point shifted in the positive direction with increasing pH of the solution. The detection limit (signal/noise=3) for measuring changes in the pH of the solution was estimated to be 0.025, indicating the high sensitivity of the G-FETs. Moreover, the devices electrically detected proteins with different charge types. The drain current decreased (increased) when positively (negatively) charged proteins were added to the solution. These results indicate that the G-FETs are among the most suitable candidates for FET-based chemical and biological sensors.

Electrolyte-gated graphene field-effect transistors for detecting pH and protein adsorption.

We investigated electrolyte-gated graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) for electrical detecting pH and protein adsorptions. Nonfunctionalized single-layer graphene was used as a channel. GFETs immersed in an electrolyte showed transconductances 30 times higher than those in a vacuum and their conductances exhibited a direct linear increase with electrolyte pH, indicating their potential for use in pH sensor applications. We also attempted to direct surface-protein adsorption and showed that the conductance of GFETs increased with exposure to a protein at several hundred picomolar. The GFETs thus acted as highly sensitive electrical sensors for detecting pH and biomolecule concentrations.

Application of a focused ion beam mill to the characterisation of a microstructure in tin plating on a Fe 42wt% Ni substrate.

The application of a focused ion beam (FIB) mill equipped with a microsampling unit to a tin-plated specimen was reported briefly. Tin-plating has a serious problem: Whiskers are liable to grow on the surface of tinplates. In order to clarify the mechanism of the whisker growth, detail characterisation is conducted using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, it is difficult to prepare specimens for TEM observation without the influences of mechanical damages. It was demonstrated that FIB etching was successfully used to observe a three-dimensional microstructure by scanning ion microscopy (FIB-imaging) and to prepare thin films for TEM observation. The observation has revealed the formation of precipitates of Ni(3)Sn(4) that is considered to be strongly related to the whisker growth.