Self-powered deep ultraviolet photodetector based on p-CuI/n-ZnGa2O4 heterojunction with high sensitivity and fast speed.

Self-powered deep ultraviolet photodetectors (DUV PDs) are essential in environmental monitoring, flame detection, missile guidance, aerospace, and other fields. A heterojunction photodetector based on p-CuI/n-ZnGa2O4 has been fabricated by pulsed laser deposition combined with vacuum thermal evaporation. Under 260 nm DUV light irradiation, the photodetector exhibits apparent self-powered performance with a maximum responsivity and specific detectivity of 2.75 mA/W and 1.10 × 1011 Jones at 0 V. The photodetector exhibits high repeatability and stability under 260 nm periodic illumination. The response and recovery time are 205 ms and 133 ms, respectively. This work provides an effective strategy for fabricating high-performance self-powered DUV photodetectors.

Highly stable mixed-phase Cs-Cu-I films with tunable optoelectronic properties for UVB photodetector applications.

Ultraviolet (UV) photodetector plays an important role in military, civilian and people's daily life, and is an indispensable part of spectral detection. However, photodetectors target at the UVB region (280-320 nm) are rarely reported, and the devices detected by medium-wave UV light generally have problems such as low detection rate, low sensitivity, and poor stability, which are difficult to meet the market application needs. Herein, Cs-Cu-I films with mixed-phase have been prepared by vacuum thermal evaporation. By adjusting the proportion of evaporation sources (CsI and CuI), the optical bandgaps of mixed-phase Cs-Cu-I films can be tuned between 3.7 eV and 4.1 eV. This absorption cut-off edge is exactly at both ends of the UVB band, which indicating its potential application in the field of UVB detection. Finally, the photodetectors based on Cs-Cu-I/n-Si heterojunction are fabricated. The photodetector shows good spectral selectivity for UVB band, and has a photoresponsivity of 22 mA/W, a specific detectivity of 1.83*1011 Jones, an EQE over 8.7% and an on/off ratio above 20.

Deep-ultraviolet n-ZnGa2O4/p-GaN heterojunction photodetector fabricated by pulsed laser deposition.

Zinc gallium oxide (ZnGa2O4) has attracted considerable interest in deep-ultraviolet photodetectors, due to the ultrawide bandgap, high transmittance in the ultraviolet (UV) region, and excellent environmental stability. In this study, ZnGa2O4 thin films were deposited on p-GaN epi-layers using pulsed laser deposition, resulting in improved crystalline quality. The ZnGa2O4 film exhibited a bandgap of 4.93 eV, calculated through absorption spectra. A heterojunction photodetector (PD) was constructed, demonstrating a rectification effect, an on/off ratio of 12,697 at -5.87 V, a peak responsivity of 14.5 mA/W, and a peak detectivity of 1.14 × 1012 Jones (262 nm, -6 V). The PD exhibited a fast response time (39 ms) and recovery time (30 ms) under 262 nm illumination. The band diagram based on the Anderson model elucidates the photoresponse and carrier transport mechanism. This work paves the way for advancing next-generation optoelectronics.

Self-powered p-CuI/n-GaN heterojunction UV photodetector based on thermal evaporated high quality CuI thin film.

With vacuum thermal evaporation, the CuI film was deposited on quartz and n-GaN substrates, and the morphology, crystalline structure and optical properties of the CuI films were investigated. According to the XRD results, the CuI film preferentially grew along [111] crystal orientation on the GaN epilayer. With Au and Ni/Au ohmic contact electrodes fabricated on CuI and n-GaN, a prototype p-CuI/n-GaN heterojunction UV photodetector strong UV spectral selectivity was created. At 0 V and 360 nm front illumination (0.32 mW/cm2), the heterojunction photodetector displayed outstanding self-powered detection performance with the responsivity (R), specific detectivity (D*), and on/off ratio up to 75.5 mA/W, 1.27×1012 Jones, and ∼2320, respectively. Meanwhile, the p-CuI/n-GaN heterojunction photodetector had excellent atmosphere stability.

Deep-ultraviolet photodetector based on pulsed-laser-deposited Cs3Cu2I5 films/n-Si heterojunction.

All-inorganic lead-free perovskite Cs3Cu2I5 thin films were prepared using pulsed laser deposition. Effects of the substrate temperature, laser energy, and laser frequency on the film structure and optoelectronic properties were studied. A heterojunction photodetector based on Cs3Cu2I5/n-Si was constructed, and the deep-ultraviolet photoresponse was obtained. A high Ilight/Idark ratio of 130 was achieved at -1.3V, and the peak response of the heterojunction photodetector was 70.8 mA/W (280 nm), with the corresponding specific detectivity of 9.44×1011cm⋅Hz1/2⋅W-1. Moreover, the device showed good stability after being exposed to air for 30 days.

Growth and optoelectronic application of CsPbBr3 thin films deposited by pulsed-laser deposition.

All-inorganic perovskite CsPbBr3 thin films have been prepared on Si (100) substrate by a pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) technique, and the morphology, structure, absorbance, and photoluminescence properties of CsPbBr3 thin films are investigated. A photodetector based on CsPbBr3/n-Si heterojunction has been fabricated, and the performances of the device are characterized. The heterojunction photodetector exhibits diode-like rectifying behavior, and the photocurrent-to-dark-current ratio and peak responsivity of the heterojunction are approximately 168.5 and 0.6 A/W (-5 V, 520 nm), respectively. Furthermore, the CsPbBr3/n-Si heterojunction photodetector exhibits fast response and recovery times. With good optoelectronic properties, CsPbBr3 thin films prepared by PLD should be widely applicable to high-performance photodetectors and other optoelectronic devices.

Genome-wide identification, classification and expression analysis in fungal-plant interactions of cutinase gene family and functional analysis of a putative ClCUT7 in Curvularia lunata.

Cutinase is described as playing various roles in fungal-plant pathogen interactions, such as eliciting host-derived signals, fungal spore attachment and carbon acquisition during saprophytic growth. However, the characteristics of the cutinase genes, their expression in compatible interactions and their roles in pathogenesis have not been reported in Curvularia lunata, an important leaf spot pathogen of maize in China. Therefore, a cutinase gene family analysis could have profound significance. In this study, we identified 13 cutinase genes (ClCUT1 to ClCUT13) in the C. lunata genome. Multiple sequence alignment showed that most fungal cutinase proteins had one highly conserved GYSQG motif and a similar DxVCxG[ST]-[LIVMF](3)-x(3)H motif. Gene structure analyses of the cutinases revealed a complex intron-exon pattern with differences in the position and number of introns and exons. Based on phylogenetic relationship analysis, C. lunata cutinases and 78 known cutinase proteins from other fungi were classified into four groups with subgroups, but the C. lunata cutinases clustered in only three of the four groups. Motif analyses showed that each group of cutinases from C. lunata had a common motif. Real-time PCR indicated that transcript levels of the cutinase genes in a compatible interaction between pathogen and host had varied expression patterns. Interestingly, the transcript levels of ClCUT7 gradually increased during early pathogenesis with the most significant up-regulation at 3 h post-inoculation. When ClCUT7 was deleted, pathogenicity of the mutant decreased on unwounded maize (Zea mays) leaves. On wounded maize leaves, however, the mutant caused symptoms similar to the wild-type strain. Moreover, the ClCUT7 mutant had an approximately 10 % reduction in growth rate when cutin was the sole carbon source. In conclusion, we identified and characterized the cutinase family genes of C. lunata, analyzed their expression patterns in a compatible host-pathogen interaction, and explored the role of ClCUT7 in pathogenicity. This work will increase our understanding of cutinase genes in other fungal-plant pathogens.

Identification of melatonin in Trichoderma spp. and detection of melatonin content under controlled-stress growth conditions from T. asperellum.

T. koningii, T. harzianum, T. asperellum, T. longibrachiatum, and T. viride were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine whether melatonin is present. Results showed that there were abundant amounts of endogenous melatonin in five Trichoderma species, but no melatonin was found in any of the culture filtrates. T. asperellum had the highest amount of melatonin (27.588 ± 0.326 µg g(-1) dry mass), followed by T. koningii, T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum, and T. viride. The endogenous melatonin content of T. asperellum in controlled-stress growth conditions was also detected. The data showed that chemical stressors (CdCl2 , CuSO4 , and H2 O2 ) provoked an increase in endogenous melatonin levels. CdCl2 had the highest stimulatory effect on melatonin production, as the product reached reaching up to three times the melatonin content of the control. NaCl stimulated a decrease of melatonin. Acidic conditions (pH 3 and pH 5) as well as slightly alkaline conditions (pH 9) resulted in an increase in the melatonin content, whereas pH11 resulted in a significant decrease in the melatonin content, only 12.276 ± 0.205 µg g(-1) dry mass. The current study is first to report melatonin content and the change of melatonin content under different stress situations in Trichoderma spp.

Improvement of UV electroluminescence of n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction LED by ZnS interlayer.

n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction light emitting diodes with different interfacial layers were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. The electroluminescence (EL) spectra of the n-ZnO/p-GaN diodes display a broad blue-violet emission centered at 430 nm, whereas the n-ZnO/ZnS/p-GaN and n-ZnO/AlN/p-GaN devices exhibit ultraviolet (UV) emission. Compared with the AlN interlayer, which is blocking both electron and hole at hetero-interface, the utilization of ZnS as intermediate layer can lower the barrier height for holes and keep an effective blocking for electron. Thus, an improved UV EL intensity and a low turn-on voltage (~5V) were obtained. The results were studied by peak-deconvolution with Gaussian functions and were discussed using the band diagram of heterojunctions.

Tunable morphology and highly stable α-CsPbI3 Nano-bricks for photoelectric devices.

CsPbI3 with suitable bandgap (∼1.73 eV) and excellent photoelectric performance are considered promising candidates for new-generation photovoltaic and photoelectric devices. However, the phase instability of CsPbI3 hinders its application in photoelectric devices. In this study, cubic phase CsPbI3 nano-bricks with high stability are prepared on Si substrates by catalyst-freehigh-pressure pulsedlaser deposition.Theeffectsofthetarget-substrate distance on the morphological, structural and photoluminescence propertiesofCsPbI3 nano-bricks are investigated. CsPbI3 nano-bricks exhibits excellent long-term stability for 12 months, which can be attributed to the smaller lattice mismatch between Si (100) and CsPbI3 (100). Furthermore, the photodetector based on CsPbI3/n-Si heterojunction exhibited obvious spectral response in the red band of 710 nm. This work provides a novel idea for the preparation of photoelectric devices with cubic CsPbI3.

Fabrication of Multiple Parallel Microchannels in a Single Microgroove via the Heating Assisted MIMIC Technique.

For the first time, multiple parallel microchannels in a single microgroove have been fabricated by the heating-assisted micromolding in capillaries technique (HAMIMIC). Microchannel development, cross-sectional shape, and length were all explored in depth. The factors affecting the cross-sectional shape and length of the double-microchannel were also discussed. Finally, a special-shaped PDMS guiding mold was designed to control the cross-sectional shape and length of multiple parallel microchannels for controlled growth. The HAMIMIC technique provides a low-cost, straightforward, and repeatable way to create multiple parallel microchannels in a single microgroove, and will promote the progress of bifurcated vessels and thrombus vessels preparation technology.

One-Pot Aqueous Synthesis of Icosahedral Au as Bifunctional Candidates for Enhanced Glucose Electrooxidation and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

Bifunctional candidates, which could provide catalytic and plasmonic properties simultaneously, could activate a promising development for biomedicine. Here, we kinetically controlled and synthesized a penta-twinned icosahedral Au (Ih Au) by a facile wet-chemical protocol without assistance of stabilizers. Benefiting from icosahedral morphology and kinetic synthesis process, the Ih Au nanoparticles (NPs) incorporate three key advantages: (i) ample active sites/"hot spots" and surface strain, (ii) good stability/chemical inertness and easy functionalization, and (iii) biological compatibility and a clean surface, which could promote their electrocatalysis and photonic capacity. Ih Au NPs, as bifunctional nanomaterials, exert excellent electrocatalytic and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performances. Ih Au delivers the highest glucose electrooxidation (GEO) peak current density with 6.87 mA cm-2, which is 14 times larger than that of Turkevich Au (0.49 mA cm-2) under the same condition. Moreover, the SERS signals of rhodamine 6G (R6G) on Ih Au are much stronger than that on the other corresponding Au counterparts. Particularly, the SERS intensity of R6G on Ih Au increases by about four times compared to that on Au NPs. This study motivates the great prospect for combining Ih Au's bifunctionalities and indicates the potential of bifunctional nanomaterials in biologically implanted devices.

Luminescence Properties and Mechanisms of CuI Thin Films Fabricated by Vapor Iodization of Copper Films.

Copper iodide (CuI) thin films were grown on Si(100) substrates using a copper film iodination reaction method. It was found that γ-CuI films have a uniform and dense microstructure with (111)-orientation. Transmission spectra indicated that CuI thin films have an average transmittance of about 60% in the visible range and the optical band gap is 3.01 eV. By checking the effect of the thickness of the Cu films and annealing condition on the photoluminescence (PL) character of CuI films, the luminescence mechanisms of CuI have been comprehensively analyzed, and the origin of different PL emissions are proposed with Cu vacancy and iodine vacancy as defect levels.