Visible Light Driven Ultrasensitive and Selective NO2 Detection in Tin Oxide Nanoparticles with Sulfur Doping Assisted by l-Cysteine.

In the pandemic era, the development of high-performance indoor air quality monitoring sensors has become more critical than ever. NO2 is one of the most toxic gases in daily life, which induces severe respiratory diseases. Thus, the real-time monitoring of low concentrations of NO2 is highly required. Herein, a visible light-driven ultrasensitive and selective chemoresistive NO2 sensor is presented based on sulfur-doped SnO2 nanoparticles. Sulfur-doped SnO2 nanoparticles are synthesized by incorporating l-cysteine as a sulfur doping agent, which also increases the surface area. The cationic and anionic doping of sulfur induces the formation of intermediate states in the band gap, highly contributing to the substantial enhancement of gas sensing performance under visible light illumination. Extraordinary gas sensing performances such as the gas response of 418 to 5 ppm of NO2 and a detection limit of 0.9 ppt are achieved under blue light illumination. Even under red light illumination, sulfur-doped SnO2 nanoparticles exhibit stable gas sensing. The endurance to humidity and long-term stability of the sensor are outstanding, which amplify the capability as an indoor air quality monitoring sensor. Overall, this study suggests an innovative strategy for developing the next generation of electronic noses.

SPATC1L maintains the integrity of the sperm head-tail junction.

Spermatogenesis is a tightly regulated process involving germ cell-specific and germ cell-predominant genes. Here we investigate a novel germ cell-specific gene, Spatc1l (spermatogenesis and centriole associated 1 like). Expression analyses show that SPATC1L is expressed in mouse and human testes. We find that mouse SPATC1L localizes to the neck region in testicular sperm. Moreover, SPATC1L associates with the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (PKA). Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering, we generate mice lacking SPATC1L. Disruption of Spatc1l in mice leads to male sterility owing to separation of sperm heads from tails. The lack of SPATC1L is associated with a reduction in PKA activity in testicular sperm, and we identify capping protein muscle Z-line beta as a candidate target of phosphorylation by PKA in testis. Taken together, our results implicate the SPATC1L-PKA complex in maintaining the stability of the sperm head-tail junction, thereby revealing a new molecular basis for sperm head-tail integrity.

CuBi2O4 Prepared by the Polymerized Complex Method for Gas-Sensing Applications.

Multicomponent oxides can be extensively explored as alternative gas-sensing materials to binary oxides with their structural and compositional versatilities. In this work, the gas-sensing properties of CuBi2O4 have been investigated toward various reducing gases (C2H5OH, NH3, H2, CO, and H2S) and oxidizing gas (NO2) for the first time. For this, the powder synthesis has been developed using the polymerized complex method (Pechini method) to obtain a single-phase polycrystalline CuBi2O4. The defect, optical, and electronic properties in the prepared CuBi2O4 powder were modulated by varying the calcination temperature from 500 to 700 °C. Noticeably, a high concentration of Cu+-oxygen vacancy ([Formula: see text]) defect complexes and isolated Cu2+ ion clusters was found in the 500 °C-calcined CuBi2O4, where they were removed through air calcination at higher temperatures (up to 700 °C) while making the compound more stoichiometric. The change in the intrinsic defect concentration with the calcination temperature led to the variation of the electronic band gap energy and hole concentration in CuBi2O4 with the polaronic hopping conduction (activation energy = 0.43 eV). The CuBi2O4 sensor with 500 °C-calcined powder showed the highest gas responses (specifically, 10.4 toward 1000 ppm C2H5OH at the operating temperature of 400 °C) with the highest defect concentration. As a result, the gas-sensing characteristics of CuBi2O4 are found to be dominantly affected by the intrinsic defect concentration, which is controlled by the calcination temperature. Toward reducing H2S and oxidizing NO2 gases, the multiple reactions arising simultaneously on the surface of the CuBi2O4 sensor govern its response behavior, depending on the gas concentration and the operating temperature. We believe that this work can be a cornerstone for understanding the effect of chemical defect on the gas-sensing characteristics in multicomponent oxides.

Nonvolatile resistance switching on two-dimensional electron gas.

Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the complex oxide interfaces have brought about considerable interest for the application of the next-generation multifunctional oxide electronics due to the exotic properties that do not exist in the bulk. In this study, we report the integration of 2DEG into the nonvolatile resistance switching cell as a bottom electrode, where the metal-insulator transition of 2DEG by an external field serves to significantly reduce the OFF-state leakage current while enhancing the on/off ratio. Using the Pt/Ta2O5-y/Ta2O5-x/SrTiO3 heterostructure as a model system, we demonstrate the nonvolatile resistance switching memory cell with a large on/off ratio (>10(6)) and a low leakage current at the OFF state (∼10(-13) A). Beyond exploring nonvolatile memory, our work also provides an excellent framework for exploring the fundamental understanding of novel physics in which electronic and ionic processes are coupled in the complex heterostructures.

Direct printing synthesis of self-organized copper oxide hollow spheres on a substrate using copper(II) complex ink: gas sensing and photoelectrochemical properties.

The direct printing synthesis of metal oxide hollow spheres in the form of film on a substrate is reported for the first time. This method offers facile, scalable, high-throughput production and device fabrication processes. The printing was carried out via a doctor-blade method using Cu(II) complex ink with controllable high viscosity based on formate-amine coupling. Following only thermal heating in air, well-defined polycrystalline copper oxide hollow spheres with a submicrometer diameter (≤1 µm) were formed spontaneously while being assembled in the form of a film with good adhesion on the substrate. This spontaneous hollowing mechanism was found to result from the Kirkendall effect during oxidation at elevated temperature. The CuO films with hollow spheres, prepared via direct printing synthesis at 500 °C, led to the creation of a superior p-type gas sensor and photocathode for photoelectrochemical water splitting with completely hollow cores, a rough/porous shell structure, a single phase, high crystallinity, and no organic/polymer residue. As a result, the CuO hollow-sphere films showed high gas responses and permissible response speeds to reducing gases and high photocurrent density compared to conventional CuO powder films and the values previously reported. These results exemplify the successful realization of a high-throughput printing fabrication method for the creation of superior nanostructured devices.

Integrating metal-oxide-decorated CNT networks with a CMOS readout in a gas sensor.

We have implemented a tin-oxide-decorated carbon nanotube (CNT) network gas sensor system on a single die. We have also demonstrated the deposition of metallic tin on the CNT network, its subsequent oxidation in air, and the improvement of the lifetime of the sensors. The fabricated array of CNT sensors contains 128 sensor cells for added redundancy and increased accuracy. The read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) was combined with coarse and fine time-to-digital converters to extend its resolution in a power-efficient way. The ROIC is fabricated using a 0.35 µm CMOS process, and the whole sensor system consumes 30 mA at 5 V. The sensor system was successfully tested in the detection of ammonia gas at elevated temperatures.

SnO(2) nanotubes fabricated using electrospinning and atomic layer deposition and their gas sensing performance.

A novel method is developed to fabricate a SnO(2) nanotube network by utilizing electrospinning and atomic layer deposition (ALD), and the network sensor is proven to exhibit excellent sensitivity to ethanol owing to its hollow, nanostructured character. The electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers of 100-200 nm diameter are used as a template after stabilization at 250 degrees C. An uniform and conformal SnO(2) coating on the nanofiber template is achieved by ALD using dibutyltindiacetate (DBTDA) as the Sn source at 100 degrees C and the wall thickness is precisely controlled by adjusting the number of ALD cycles. The calcination at 700 degrees C transforms the amorphous nanofibers into SnO(2) nanotubes composed of several nanometer-sized crystallites. The SnO(2) nanotube network sensor responds to ethanol, H(2), CO, NH(3) and NO(2) gases, but it exhibited an extremely high gas response to ethanol with a short response time (<5 s). The results demonstrate that the combination of electrospinning and ALD is a very effective and promising technique to fabricate long and uniform metal oxide nanotubes with the precise control of wall thickness, which can be applied to various applications such as gas sensors and lithium ion batteries.

Antibacterial properties of Ag (or Pt)-containing calcium phosphate coatings formed by micro-arc oxidation.

Silver (or platinum)-containing calcium phosphate (hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (alpha-TCP)) coatings on titanium substrates were formed by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) and their in vitro antibacterial activity and in vitro cytotoxicity were evaluated. MAO was performed in an electrolytic solution containing beta-glycerophosphate disodium salt pentahydrate (beta-GP) and calcium acetate monohydrate (CA), and Ag and Pt were introduced in the form of AgNO(3) (or CH(3)COOAg) and H(2)PtCl(6), respectively. The MG63 and human osteosarcoma (HOS) cell lines were used to investigate the proliferation and differentiation behavior of the cells, respectively, whereas two strains of bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the coatings. The phase, morphology, and Ag content of the coatings were strongly dependent on the applied voltage and Ag precursor concentration. HA and alpha-TCP phases were detected in the coatings oxidized above 400 V and the presence of Ag was confirmed by EDS. While the coatings with a high content of Ag were cytotoxic and those obtained in the Pt-containing electrolyte had no apparent antibacterial activity, the calcium phosphate coatings obtained in the low Ag concentration electrolyte exhibited in vitro antibacterial activity but no cytotoxicity. Thus, biocompatible calcium phosphate coatings on Ti implants with antibacterial activity can be achieved by one-step MAO.