ABSTRACT
Research on synthesizing micro- and nanosized materials directly from metals has attracted considerable attention because of its simplicity, ability to synthesize in large quantities, and high uniformity. This study proposes a simple method to synthesize high-uniformity or high-density V2O5 microurchins and nanowalls directly from vanadium powder. Remarkably, the synthesis condition of 60 °C for 1 h is considered to be an optimal condition to convert metals into micro- or nano-oxides. The as-synthesized V2O5 nanowalls can adsorb nearly 90% of methylene blue in the dark in 3 min. The adsorption selectivity of these samples with several pigments is investigated.
ABSTRACT
Biaxial p-SnO/n-ZnO heterostructured nanowires (average length of 10 µm) were grown onto a glass substrate by thermal evaporation in vacuum. These nanowires had spherical ball tips, and the size of the SnO part increased gradually from the top to the bottom of the nanowire, but the corresponding size of ZnO varied slightly. The Sn-Zn alloy formed in the tips resulted in determined as the catalyst of the growth of the ZnO nanowires. The growth process of the p-SnO/n-ZnO biaxial nanowires is discussed based on vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) based on the subsequent growth process: the VLS catalytic growth of the ZnO nanowire and subsequent epitaxial SnO growth on the sidewall of the pregrown ZnO nanowire. An epitaxial relationship, (001)SnO//(110)ZnO and [110]SnO//[002]ZnO, was observed in the biaxial p-SnO/n-ZnO heterostructured nanowires. The gas-sensing properties of the as-synthesized p-SnO/n-ZnO nanowires were investigated. The results show that the device exhibit a good performance to the ppb-level NO2 at room temperature (25 °C) without light illumination. The detection limit of the p-SnO/n-ZnO sensor to NO2 is 50 ppb. Moreover, the NO2-sensing properties of the p-SnO/n-ZnO device were investigated under various relative humidity. Finally, the NO2-sensing mechanism of the p-SnO/n-ZnO nanowires was proposed and discussed.
ABSTRACT
We introduce a simple process for the fabrication of SiO2 films embedded with ß-Sn-rich nano/microspheres. Sn spheres with maximum and minimum sizes of 10 µm (near the SiO2 surface) and 5 nm (at the Si/SiO2 interface) were grown within a 0.7-5.7 µm-thick SiO2 layer by evaporating SnO powders onto an Si (100) substrate for 1-600 min at 600-900 °C and 0.001-5.0 Torr. A possible growth mechanism of these materials is discussed. The current-voltage characteristics of the as-fabricated samples were investigated to identify potential applications. During these tests, small flashes of light and the presence of damaged areas were observed at the oxide surfaces of the samples using an optical camera and a field emission scanning electron microscope, respectively. The electrical breakdown and shutdown of the devices observed in the current-voltage curves were attributed to the destruction of the SiO2 surface. In addition, the current-time responses show that the size of the damaged regions can be controlled by the voltage and duration of the applied stress, and are independent of the size and shape of the electrodes. The present materials thus possess great potential for applications in self-destructing devices.