Visible light photocatalytic properties of one-step SnO2-templated grown SnO2/SnS2heterostructure and SnS2nanoflakes.

The nanoflakes of SnS2/SnO2heterostructure and SnS2were synthesized by a one-step SnO2-templated chemical vapor deposition method. The metal oxide-assisted growth mechanism of SnS2/SnO2heterostructure and SnS2nanoflakes were realized through investigating serial microstructures of products with varied growth time. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity for MB dyes degradation of varied growth time products was used to explore the effect of product microstructure under the visible light irradiation. The SnO2/SnS2heterostructure and the oxide vacancies of nanoflakes demonstrated an improved visible light photocatalytic performance for MB degradation, which was around twice of the pure SnS2nanoflakes and better than P25. The results of different scavengers on the degradation efficiency for MB indicate the·O2-, and ·OH are the main active species in the photodegradation reaction. The one-step growth mechanism of SnS2/SnO2could prove a facile process to grow metal oxide-metal sulfide heterostructure.

High-stability inorganic perovskite quantum dot-cellulose nanocrystal hybrid films.

Inorganic perovskite quantum dots (IPQDs) such as cesium lead halide (CsPbX3, X = Cl, Br and I) quantum dots have attracted much attention for developing cadmium-free quantum light-emitting displays (QLEDs) based on outstanding light emission properties including narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM), tunable bandgap and ultrahigh (>90%) photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Nevertheless, their poor stability under ambient conditions, at high temperature or under continuous light irradiation is the main problem for practical applications. In this study, a new method is proposed to effectively stabilize CsPbBr3 IPQDs by synthesizing them with sulfate-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) at room temperature without using traditional quantum dot stabilizers such as oleylamine (OLA) and oleic acid (OA). The as-prepared CsPbBr3 IPQD/CNC hybrid paper-like films are highly stable and the relative photoluminescence (PL) intensity can be maintained at 92% under continuous UV light (306 nm, 15 W) illumination for 130 h, >99% at high temperature (100 °C) for 130 h, and >99% in ambient conditions for 15 d. Additionally, the PLQY and FWHM of IPQD/CNC are 45.69% and 22 nm, respectively. The ultrahigh stability and narrow FWHM characteristics proposed here for IPQD/CNC hybrid films can provide new possibilities for practical applications in the future development of IPQD-related devices.

Tunable optical and magnetic properties of Ni-doped CuSe nanowires using an anodic aluminum oxide template assisted hydraulic method.

High uniformity of un-doped and Ni-doped CuSe nanowires have been fabricated by smelting the bulk and injecting the molten liquid into the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The Ni dopant concentration and morphology of CuSe nanowires can be well controlled via preparing the bulk materials and the channel size of the AAO template, respectively. The cathodoluminescence peaks of the un-doped, 0.5 at% and 1.0 at% Ni-doped CuSe nanowires showed a redshift of about 26 nm and 42 nm, respectively, from un-doped CuSe nanowires (579 nm). Furthermore, above room temperature ferromagnetism was observed in 1.0 at% Ni-doped CuSe nanowires at 300 K. The facile injection molding method fabricated nanowires with tunable optical and magnetic properties which could be applied to prepare various nanomaterials for spintronic devices in the future.

The fabrication and thermal properties of bismuth-aluminum oxide nanothermometers.

Bismuth (Bi) nanowires, well controlled in length and diameter, were prepared by using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template-assisted molding injection process with a high cooling rate. A high performance atomic layer deposition (ALD)-capped bismuth-aluminum oxide (Bi-Al2O3) nanothermometer is demonstrated that was fabricated via a facile, low-cost and low-temperature method, including AAO templated-assisted molding injection and low-temperature ALD-capped processes. The thermal behaviors of Bi nanowires and Bi-Al2O3 nanocables were studied by in situ heating transmission electron microscopy. Linear thermal expansion of liquid Bi within native bismuth oxide nanotubes and ALD-capped Bi-Al2O3 nanocables were evaluated from 275 °C to 700 °C and 300 °C to 1000 °C, respectively. The results showed that the ALD-capped Bi-Al2O3 nanocable possesses the highest working temperature, 1000 °C, and the broadest operation window, 300 °C-1000 °C, of a thermal-expanding type nanothermometer. Our innovative approach provides another way of fabricating core-shell nanocables and to further achieve sensing local temperature under an extreme high vacuum environment.

Fabrication of single Ga-doped ZnS nanowires as high-gain photosensors by focused ion beam deposition.

ZnS nanowires were synthesized via a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism and then fabricated into a single-nanowire field-effect transistor by focused ion beam (FIB) deposition. The field-effect electrical properties of the FIB-fabricated ZnS nanowire device, namely conductivity, mobility and hole concentration, were 9.13 Ω-1 cm-1, 13.14 cm2 V-1 s-1and 4.27 × 1018 cm-3, respectively. The photoresponse properties of the ZnS nanowires were studied and the current responsivity, current gain, response time and recovery time were 4.97 × 106 A W-1, 2.43 × 107, 9 s and 24 s, respectively. Temperature-dependent I-V measurements were used to analyze the interfacial barrier height between ZnS and the FIB-deposited Pt electrode. The results show that the interfacial barrier height is as low as 40 meV. The energy-dispersive spectrometer elemental line scan shows the influence of Ga ions on the ZnS nanowire surface on the FIB-deposited Pt contact electrodes. The results of temperature-dependent I-V measurements and the elemental line scan indicate that Ga ions were doped into the ZnS nanowire, reducing the barrier height between the FIB-deposited Pt electrodes and the single ZnS nanowire. The small barrier height results in the FIB-fabricated ZnS nanowire device acting as a high-gain photosensor.

Versatile Fabrication of Self-Aligned Nanoscale Hall Devices Using Nanowire Masks.

In this work, we present an ingenious method to fabricate self-aligned nanoscale Hall devices using chemically synthesized nanowires as both etching and deposition masks. This versatile method can be extensively used to make nanoribbons out of arbitrary thin films without the need for extremely high alignment accuracy to define the metal contacts. The fabricated nanoribbon width scales with the mask nanowire width (diameter), and it can be easily reduced down to tens of nanometers. The self-aligned metal contacts from the sidewall extend to the top surface of the nanoribbon, and the overlap can be controlled by tuning the deposition recipe. To demonstrate the feasibility, we have fabricated Ta/CoFeB/MgO nanoribbons sputtered on a SiO2/Si substrate with different metal contacts, using synthesized SnO2 nanowires as masks. Anomalous Hall effect measurements have been carried out on the fabricated nanoscale Hall device in order to study the current-induced magnetization switching in the nanoscale heavy metal/ferromagnet heterostructure, which has shown distinct switching behaviors from micron-scale devices. The developed method provides a useful fabrication platform to probe the charge and spin transport in the nanoscale regime.

Direct Mapping of Charge Distribution during Lithiation of Ge Nanowires Using Off-Axis Electron Holography.

The successful operation of rechargeable batteries relies on reliable insertion/extraction of ions into/from the electrodes. The battery performance and the response of the electrodes to such ion insertion and extraction are directly related to the spatial distribution of the charge and its dynamic evolution. However, it remains unclear how charge is distributed in the electrodes during normal battery operation. In this work, we have used off-axis electron holography to measure charge distribution during lithium ion insertion into a Ge nanowire (NW) under dynamic operating conditions. We discovered that the surface region of the Ge core is negatively charged during the core-shell lithiation of the Ge NW, which is counterbalanced by positive charge on the inner surface of the lithiated LixGe shell. The remainder of the lithiated LixGe shell is free from net charge, consistent with its metallic characteristics. The present work provides a vivid picture of charge distribution and dynamic evolution during Ge NW lithiation and should form the basis for tackling the response of these and related materials under real electrochemical conditions.

Electrical detection of spin transport in Si two-dimensional electron gas systems.

Spin transport in a semiconductor-based two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) system has been attractive in spintronics for more than ten years. The inherent advantages of high-mobility channel and enhanced spin-orbital interaction promise a long spin diffusion length and efficient spin manipulation, which are essential for the application of spintronics devices. However, the difficulty of making high-quality ferromagnetic (FM) contacts to the buried 2DEG channel in the heterostructure systems limits the potential developments in functional devices. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate electrical detection of spin transport in a high-mobility 2DEG system using FM Mn-germanosilicide (Mn(Si0.7Ge0.3)x) end contacts, which is the first report of spin injection and detection in a 2DEG confined in a Si/SiGe modulation doped quantum well structure (MODQW). The extracted spin diffusion length and lifetime are l sf = 4.5 µm and [Formula: see text] at 1.9 K respectively. Our results provide a promising approach for spin injection into 2DEG system in the Si-based MODQW, which may lead to innovative spintronic applications such as spin-based transistor, logic, and memory devices.

Electric-field control of ferromagnetism in Mn-doped ZnO nanowires.

In this Letter, the electric-field control of ferromagnetism was demonstrated in a back-gated Mn-doped ZnO (Mn-ZnO) nanowire (NW) field-effect transistor (FET). The ZnO NWs were synthesized by a thermal evaporation method, and the Mn doping of 1 atom % was subsequently carried out in a MBE system using a gas-phase surface diffusion process. Detailed structural analysis confirmed the single crystallinity of Mn-ZnO NWs and excluded the presence of any precipitates or secondary phases. For the transistor, the field-effect mobility and n-type carrier concentration were estimated to be 0.65 cm(2)/V·s and 6.82 × 10(18) cm(-3), respectively. The magnetic hysteresis curves measured under different temperatures (T = 10-350 K) clearly demonstrate the presence of ferromagnetism above room temperature. It suggests that the effect of quantum confinements in NWs improves Tc, and meanwhile minimizes crystalline defects. The magnetoresistace (MR) of a single Mn-ZnO NW was observed up to 50 K. Most importantly, the gate modulation of the MR ratio was up to 2.5 % at 1.9 K, which implies the electric-field control of ferromagnetism in a single Mn-ZnO NW.

Electrical spin injection and detection in Mn5Ge3/Ge/Mn5Ge3 nanowire transistors.

In this Letter, we report the electrical spin injection and detection in Ge nanowire transistors with single-crystalline ferromagnetic Mn5Ge3 as source/drain contacts formed by thermal reactions. Degenerate indium dopants were successfully incorporated into as-grown Ge nanowires as p-type doping to alleviate the conductivity mismatch between Ge and Mn5Ge3. The magnetoresistance (MR) of the Mn5Ge3/Ge/Mn5Ge3 nanowire transistor was found to be largely affected by the applied bias. Specifically, negative and hysteretic MR curves were observed under a large current bias in the temperature range from T = 2 K up to T = 50 K, which clearly indicated the electrical spin injection from ferromagnetic Mn5Ge3 contacts into Ge nanowires. In addition to the bias effect, the MR amplitude was found to exponentially decay with the Ge nanowire channel length; this fact was explained by the dominated Elliot-Yafet spin-relaxation mechanism. The fitting of MR further revealed a spin diffusion length of lsf = 480 ± 13 nm and a spin lifetime exceeding 244 ps at T = 10 K in p-type Ge nanowires, and they showed a weak temperature dependence between 2 and 50 K. Ge nanowires showed a significant enhancement in the measured spin diffusion length and spin lifetime compared with those reported for bulk p-type Ge. Our study of the spin transport in the Mn5Ge3/Ge/Mn5Ge3 nanowire transistor points to a possible realization of spin-based transistors; it may also open up new opportunities to create novel Ge nanowire-based spintronic devices. Furthermore, the simple fabrication process promises a compatible integration into standard Si technology in the future.

Influence of catalyst choices on transport behaviors of InAs NWs for high-performance nanoscale transistors.

The influence of the catalyst materials on the electron transport behaviors of InAs nanowires (NWs) grown by a conventional vapor transport technique is investigated. Utilizing the NW field-effect transistor (FET) device structure, ~20% and ~80% of Au-catalyzed InAs NWs exhibit strong and weak gate dependence characteristics, respectively. In contrast, ~98% of Ni-catalyzed InAs NWs demonstrate a uniform n-type behavior with strong gate dependence, resulting in an average OFF current of ~10(-10) A and a high I(ON)/I(OFF) ratio of >10(4). The non-uniform device performance of Au-catalyzed NWs is mainly attributed to the non-stoichiometric composition of the NWs grown from a different segregation behavior as compared to the Ni case, which is further supported by the in situ TEM studies. These distinct electrical characteristics associated with different catalysts were further investigated by the first principles calculation. Moreover, top-gated and large-scale parallel-array FETs were fabricated with Ni-catalyzed NWs by contact printing and channel metallization techniques, which yield excellent electrical performance. The results shed light on the direct correlation of the device performance with the catalyst choice.

Coaxial metal-silicide Ni2Si/C54-TiSi2 nanowires.

One-dimensional metal silicide nanowires are excellent candidates for interconnect and contact materials in future integrated circuits devices. Novel core-shell Ni(2)Si/C54-TiSi(2) nanowires, 2 µm in length, were grown controllably via a solid-liquid-solid growth mechanism. Their interesting ferromagnetic behaviors and excellent electrical properties have been studied in detail. The coercivities (Hcs) of the core-shell Ni(2)Si/C54-TiSi(2) nanowires was determined to be 200 and 50 Oe at 4 and 300 K, respectively, and the resistivity was measured to be as low as 31 µΩ-cm. The shift of the hysteresis loop with the temperature in zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) studies was found. ZFC and FC curves converge near room temperature at 314 K. The favorable ferromagnetic and electrical properties indicate that the unique core-shell nanowires can be used in penetrative ferromagnetic devices at room temperature simultaneously as a future interconnection in integrated circuits.

Electrical probing of magnetic phase transition and domain wall motion in single-crystalline Mn5Ge3 nanowire.

In this Letter, the magnetic phase transition and domain wall motion in a single-crystalline Mn(5)Ge(3) nanowire were investigated by temperature-dependent magneto-transport measurements. The ferromagnetic Mn(5)Ge(3) nanowire was fabricated by fully germaniding a single-crystalline Ge nanowire through the solid-state reaction with Mn contacts upon thermal annealing at 450 °C. Temperature-dependent four-probe resistance measurements on the Mn(5)Ge(3) nanowire showed a clear slope change near 300 K accompanied by a magnetic phase transition from ferromagnetism to paramagnetism. The transition temperature was able to be controlled by both axial and radial magnetic fields as the external magnetic field helped maintain the magnetization aligned in the Mn(5)Ge(3) nanowire. Near the magnetic phase transition, the critical behavior in the 1D system was characterized by a power-law relation with a critical exponent of α = 0.07 ± 0.01. Besides, another interesting feature was revealed as a cusp at about 67 K in the first-order derivative of the nanowire resistance, which was attributed to a possible magnetic transition between two noncollinear and collinear ferromagnetic states in the Mn(5)Ge(3) lattice. Furthermore, temperature-dependent magneto-transport measurements demonstrated a hysteretic, symmetric, and stepwise axial magnetoresistance of the Mn(5)Ge(3) nanowire. The interesting features of abrupt jumps indicated the presence of multiple domain walls in the Mn(5)Ge(3) nanowire and the annihilation of domain walls driven by the magnetic field. The Kurkijärvi model was used to describe the domain wall depinning as thermally assisted escape from a single energy barrier, and the fitting on the temperature-dependent depinning magnetic fields yielded an energy barrier of 0.166 eV.

Quantitative characterization of nanoparticles in blood by transmission electron microscopy with a window-type microchip nanopipet.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a unique and powerful tool for observation of nanoparticles. However, due to the uneven spatial distribution of particles conventionally dried on copper grids, TEM is rarely employed to evaluate the spatial distribution of nanoparticles in aqueous solutions. Here, we present a microchip nanopipet with a narrow chamber width for sorting nanoparticles from blood and preventing the aggregation of the particles during the drying process, enabling quantitative analysis of their aggregation/agglomeration states and the particle concentration in aqueous solutions. This microchip is adaptable to all commercial TEM holders. Such a nanopipet proves to be a simple and convenient sampling device for TEM image-based quantitative characterization.

Single-crystalline Ni2Ge/Ge/Ni2Ge nanowire heterostructure transistors.

In this study, we report on the formation of a single-crystalline Ni(2)Ge/Ge/Ni(2)Ge nanowire heterostructure and its field effect characteristics by controlled reaction between a supercritical fluid-liquid-solid (SFLS) synthesized Ge nanowire and Ni metal contacts. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies reveal a wide temperature range to convert the Ge nanowire to single-crystalline Ni(2)Ge by a thermal diffusion process. The maximum current density of the fully germanide Ni(2)Ge nanowires exceeds 3.5 × 10(7) A cm(-2), and the resistivity is about 88 µΩ cm. The in situ reaction examined by TEM shows atomically sharp interfaces for the Ni(2)Ge/Ge/Ni(2)Ge heterostructure. The interface epitaxial relationships are determined to be [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Back-gate field effect transistors (FETs) were also fabricated using this low resistivity Ni(2)Ge as source/drain contacts. Electrical measurements show a good p-type FET behavior with an on/off ratio over 10(3) and a one order of magnitude improvement in hole mobility from that of SFLS-synthesized Ge nanowire.

The size effect on solidification in eutectic bismuth-tin (Bi-Sn) nanowires by in-situ annealing processes.

The size effects on solidification and the formation mechanism of the segmented eutectic Bi-43Sn nanowires during in situ annealing have been investigated. A directional solidification along the wire axis limits the segmented eutectic nanowire to arrange axially during the in situ annealing processes due to directional solidification. In 70 nm nanowires, the small size confines the convection in liquid, which results in differences in the microstructure and composition profiles between 70 and 200 nm nanowires. In the vacuum hydraulic pressure injection process, the directional cooling helps the formation of single crystal, and the isotropic solidification leads to polycrystalline microstructure.

Single-crystalline zinc oxide nanowires as photoanode material for dye-sensitized solar cells.

This study reports the use of single-crystalline and well-aligned ZnO nanowires as photoanode material for dye-sensitized solar cells. The ZnO nanowires are grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass substrates without catalysts by thermal evaporation. In spite of low roughness factors of around 25 for the nanowire photoanodes, the fabricated solar cells yield power conversion efficiencies of around 1.3% under AM 1.5G (100 mW cm-2) illumination. Moreover, fill factors of around 0.5 have been achieved and are relatively high when compared with reported values from ZnO nanowire photoanodes. The results reveal the advantage of using single-crystalline nanowires as photoanode material and provide clues for the advancement of nanowire based dye-sensitized solar cells.

Controlling Growth High Uniformity Indium Selenide (In2Se3) Nanowires via the Rapid Thermal Annealing Process at Low Temperature.

High uniformity Au-catalyzed indium selenide (In2Se3) nanowires are grown with the rapid thermal annealing (RTA) treatment via the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. The diameters of Au-catalyzed In2Se3 nanowires could be controlled with varied thicknesses of Au films, and the uniformity of nanowires is improved via a fast pre-annealing rate, 100 °C/s. Comparing with the slower heating rate, 0.1 °C/s, the average diameters and distributions (standard deviation, SD) of In2Se3 nanowires with and without the RTA process are 97.14 ± 22.95 nm (23.63%) and 119.06 ± 48.75 nm (40.95%), respectively. The in situ annealing TEM is used to study the effect of heating rate on the formation of Au nanoparticles from the as-deposited Au film. The results demonstrate that the average diameters and distributions of Au nanoparticles with and without the RTA process are 19.84 ± 5.96 nm (30.00%) and about 22.06 ± 9.00 nm (40.80%), respectively. It proves that the diameter size, distribution, and uniformity of Au-catalyzed In2Se3 nanowires are reduced and improved via the RTA pre-treated. The systemic study could help to control the size distribution of other nanomaterials through tuning the annealing rate, temperatures of precursor, and growth substrate to control the size distribution of other nanomaterials. Graphical Abstract Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process proved that it can uniform the size distribution of Au nanoparticles, and then it can be used to grow the high uniformity Au-catalyzed In2Se3 nanowires via the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. Comparing with the general growth condition, the heating rate is slow, 0.1 °C/s, and the growth temperature is a relatively high growth temperature, > 650 °C. RTA pre-treated growth substrate can form smaller and uniform Au nanoparticles to react with the In2Se3 vapor and produce the high uniformity In2Se3 nanowires. The in situ annealing TEM is used to realize the effect of heating rate on Au nanoparticle formation from the as-deposited Au film. The byproduct of self-catalyzed In2Se3 nanoplates can be inhibited by lowering the precursors and growth temperatures.

Electrical and Optical Properties of Au-Catalyzed GaAs Nanowires Grown on Si (111) Substrate by Molecular Beam Epitaxy.

In this study, defect-free zinc blende GaAs nanowires on Si (111) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth are systematically studied through Au-assisted vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method. The morphology, density, and crystal structure of GaAs nanowires were investigated as a function of substrate temperature, growth time, and As/Ga flux ratio during MBE growth, as well as the thickness, annealing time, and annealing temperature of Au film using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), cathodoluminescence (CL), and Raman spectroscopy. When the As/Ga flux ratio is fixed at 25 and the growth temperature at 540 °C, the GaAs nanowires exhibit a defect-free zinc blende structure with uniform and straight morphology. According to the characteristics of GaAs nanowires grown under varied conditions, a growth mechanism for defect-free zinc blende GaAs nanowires via Au-assisted vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method is proposed. Finally, doping by Si and Be of nanowires is investigated. The results of doping lead to GaAs nanowires processing n-type and p-type semiconductor properties and reduced electrical resistivity. This study of defect-free zinc blende GaAs nanowire growth should be of assistance in further growth and applications studies of complex III-V group nanostructures.

Phosphorus-Rich Copper Phosphide Nanowires for Field-Effect Transistors and Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Phosphorus-rich transition metal phosphide CuP2 nanowires were synthesized with high quality and high yield (∼60%) via the supercritical fluid-liquid-solid (SFLS) growth at 410 °C and 10.2 MPa. The obtained CuP2 nanowires have a high aspect ratio and exhibit a single crystal structure of monoclinic CuP2 without any impurity phase. CuP2 nanowires have progressive improvement for semiconductors and energy storages compared with bulk CuP2. Being utilized for back-gate field effect transistor (FET) measurement, CuP2 nanowires possess a p-type behavior intrinsically with an on/off ratio larger than 10(4) and its single nanowire electrical transport property exhibits a hole mobility of 147 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), representing the example of a CuP2 transistor. In addition, CuP2 nanowires can serve as an appealing anode material for a lithium-ion battery electrode. The discharge capacity remained at 945 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles, showing a good capacity retention of 88% based on the first discharge capacity. Even at a high rate of 6 C, the electrode still exhibited an outstanding result with a capacity of ∼600 mA h g(-1). Ex-situ transmission electron microscopy and CV tests demonstrate that the stability of capacity retention and remarkable rate capability of the CuP2 nanowires electrode are attributed to the role of the metal phosphide conversion-type lithium storage mechanism. Finally, CuP2 nanowire anodes and LiFePO4 cathodes were assembled into pouch-type lithium batteries offering a capacity over 60 mA h. The full cell shows high capacity and stable capacity retention and can be used as an energy supply to operate electronic devices such as mobile phones and mini 4WD cars.