Synthesis of mesoporous sulfur-doped Ta2O5 nanocomposites and their photocatalytic activities.

Mesoporous sulfur (S)-doped Ta2O5 nanocomposites have been synthesized for the first time through the sol-gel reaction of tantalum chloride and thiourea in the presence of a F127 triblock copolymer as structure directing agent. The as-formed mesophase S-doped Ta2O5 hybrid gels were calcined at 700°C for 4h to obtain mesoporous S-Ta2O5 nanocomposites. The experimental results indicated that the surface area of the S-doped Ta2O5 was up to 50m(2)g(-1) and the pore diameter was controllable in the range of 3-7.7nm. The S-doped Ta2O5 nanocomposites behave as superior visible light-sensitive photocatalysts and the 1.5at.% S-doped Ta2O5 (S1.5) photocatalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity of ∼92% for the photodegradation of methylene blue, identical to 80% TOC removal after three hours illumination under visible light. The photodegradation rate of S1.5 photocatalyst showed 3.4 times higher than the undoped Ta2O5 due to their narrow bandgap, large surface area, mesostructure and well crystalline state. The S1.5 photocatalyst could be recycled at least five times without an apparent decrease in its photocatalytic efficiency, indicating its high stability for practical applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates one-step synthesis of mesoporous S-doped Ta2O5 nanocomposites as an efficient photocatalysts under visible light illumination.

Fabrication and Characterization of Field Effect Transistor Based on High-Aspect Ratio Sulfur-Doped ZnO Nanowires.

Well-crystalline sulfur (S) doped ZnO nanowires have been grown via a simple thermal evaporation process on Si substrate using high purity zinc and sulfur powders in presence of oxygen. The as-grown S:ZnO nanowires were characterized in terms of their morphological structural, compositional and optical properties using several techniques such as FESEM, TEM, XRD, EDS and PL. The morphological characterizations revealed that the as-grown nanowires had diameters in the range of 60-100 nm with lengths 5-15 µm. The details structural properties confirmed the well-crystallinity and wurtzite hexagonal phase for the prepared nanowires. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum showed a strong green band with a suppressed UV emission. The electrical properties of single S:ZnO nanowire was examined by fabricating single nanowire based field effect transistors (FETs). The detailed electrical transport results showed that S:ZnO nanowires possess n-type semiconducting behavior and exhibited an electron mobility of -67.7 cm2 V(-1) s(-1) and a carrier concentration of 2 x 10(17) cm(-3), respectively.

Fabrication and Characterization of n-ZnO Hexagonal Nanorods/p-Si Heterojunction Diodes: Temperature-Dependant Electrical Characteristics.

This paper reports the temperature-dependant electrical characteristics of n-ZnO hexagonal nanorods/p-Si heterojunction diodes. The n-ZnO hexagonal nanorods were grown on p-Si substrate by a simple thermal evaporation process using metallic zinc powder in the presence of oxygen. The spectroscopic characterization revealed well-crystalline nanorods, quasi-aligned to the substrate and possessing hexagonal shape. The as-grown nanorods exhibited a strong near-band-edge emis- sion with very weak deep-level emission in the room-temperature photoluminescence spectrum, confirming good optical properties. Furthermore, the electrical properties of as-grown ZnO nanorods were examined by fabricating n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction assembly and the I-V characteristics of the fabricated heterojunction assembly were investigated at different temperatures. The fabricated n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diodes exhibited a turn-on voltage of ~5 V at different temperatures with a mean built-in-potential barrier of 1.12 eV. Moreover, the high values of quality factor obtained from I-V analysis suggested a non-ideal behavior of Schottky junction.

Quantum chemical investigations of AlN-doped C60 for use as a nano-biosensor in detection of mispairing between DNA bases.

Quantum chemical calculations were carried out to study the electronic structure and stability of adenine-thymine and the rare tautomer of adenine-thymine base pairs along with their Cu 2+ complexes and their interactions with AlN-modified fullerene (C58AlN) using Density Functional Theory (B3LYP method). Since, these two forms of base pairs and their Cu 2+ complexes have almost similar electronic structures, their chemical differentiation is an extremely difficult task. In this investigation, we have observed that AlN-doped C 60 could be used as a potentially viable nanoscale sensor to detect these two base pairs as well as their Cu2+ complexes.

Low-temperature growth of aligned ZnO nanorods: effect of annealing gases on the structural and optical properties.

Aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on ZnO/Si substrate via simple aqueous solution process at low-temperature of - 65 degrees C by using zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA). The detailed morphological and structural properties measured by FESEM, XRD, EDS and TEM confirmed that the as-grown nanorods are vertically aligned, well-crystalline possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase and grown along the [0001] direction. The room-temperature photoluminescence spectrum of the grown nanorods exhibited a strong and broad green emission and small ultraviolet emission. The as-prepared ZnO nanorods were post-annealed in nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) environments and further characterized in terms of their morphological, structural and optical properties. After annealing the nanorods exhibit well-crystallinity and wurtzite hexagonal phase. Moreover, by annealing the PL spectra show the enhancement in the UV emission and suppression in the green emission. The presented results demonstrate that simply by post-annealing process, the optical properties of ZnO nanostructures can be controlled.

Applications of ZnO nanoflowers as antimicrobial agents for Escherichia coli and enzyme-free glucose sensor.

Well-crystalline ZnO nanoflowers were prepared by a facile solution process and their applications as an antimicrobial agent against Escherichia coli and enzyme-free glucose sensor have been studied. The morphological, structural, compositional, and optical properties of ZnO nanoflowers were characterized by various techniques, which confirmed the well-crystalline wurtzite hexagonal phase. The minimum inhibitory concentration of ZnO nanoflowers for inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli was found to be 25 microg/ml. ZnO nanoflowers were also tested as an efficient electron mediator for the fabrication of highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor, which exhibited a high sensitivity of -411 microA M(-1) cm(-2) and detection limit of -1.25 mM with a quick response time of -10.0 s. The presented studies showed that ZnO nanomaterials can be efficiently used as an antimicrobial agent and a highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor.

Visible-light-driven photocatalytic and chemical sensing properties of SnS2 nanoflakes.

This work demonstrated the successful and facile large-scale synthesis and characterizations of SnS2 nanoflakes. The detailed morphological studies revealed that the synthesized products were nanoflakes and were grown in large quantity. The XRD pattern and detailed compositional studies confirmed that the synthesized SnS2 nanoflakes were well-crystalline and possessing hexagonal SnS2 phase. The synthesized SnS2 nanoflakes were used as efficient photocatalysts for photocatalytic degradation and effective electron mediators for the fabrication of chemical sensor. The photocatalytic properties of SnS2 nanoflakes towards the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye under visible light irradiation showed reasonably good degradation of ~61%. Moreover, the as-synthesized SnS2 nanoflakes were used as efficient electron mediators for the fabrication of nitroaniline chemical sensor by simple I-V technique. Very high-sensitivity of ~ 505.82±0.02 mAcm(-2).(mole/L)(-1) and experimental detection limit of ~15×10(-6) (mole/L) in a short response time of ~10.0 s with LDR in the range of 15.6×10(-6)-0.5×10(-3) mole L(-1) were observed for the fabricated nitroaniline chemical sensor. The observed results indicated that the SnS2 nanoflakes can efficiently be used as visible-light-driven photocatalysts and the fabrication of ultra-high sensitive chemical sensors.

Temperature dependant structural and electrical properties of ZnO nanowire networks.

In this paper, we report a successful growth of zinc oxide nanowire networks by simple thermal evaporation process using metallic zinc powder in the presence of oxygen. The morphological investigations of the synthesized nanowire networks are conducted by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) which reveals that the grown products are in high-density over the whole substrate surface and possessing nanowire networks like structures. The structural and compositional properties of the grown nanowire networks are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively which confirm that the synthesized products are well-crystalline, with wurtzite hexagonal phase ZnO. The as-grown ZnO nanowire networks grown on silicon substrate are utilized to fabricate n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diode and presented in this paper. The I-V characteristics of the fabricated heterojunction diode at different temperatures (77 K-477 K) are also investigated. High values of quality factor, which are obtained from this study, indicate a non-ideal behavior of the fabricated device. The mean barrier height of -0.84 eV is also estimated and presented in this paper.

Ultra-high sensitive ammonia chemical sensor based on ZnO nanopencils.

This paper reports a very simple, reliable and facile methodology to fabricate ultra-high sensitive liquid ammonia chemical sensor using well-crystalline hexagonal-shaped ZnO nanopencils as an efficient electron mediator. A low-temperature facile hydrothermal technique was used to synthesize ZnO nanopencils. The synthesized nanopencils were characterized in detail in terms of their morphological, structural and optical properties which confirmed that the synthesized nanomaterial is well-crystalline, possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase and possess very good optical properties. A very high sensitivity of ≈ 26.58µAcm(-2)mM(-1) and detection limit of ≈ 5nM with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9965 and a response time of less than 10s were observed for the fabricated liquid ammonia by I-V technique. To the best of our knowledge, by comparing the literature, it is confirmed that the fabricated sensor based on ZnO nanopencils exhibits highest sensitivity and lowest detection limit for liquid ammonia. This research opens a way that simply synthesized nanomaterials could be used as efficient electron mediators for the fabrication of efficient liquid ammonia chemical sensors.

Understanding the effect of flower extracts on the photoconducting properties of nanostructured TiO2.

Here we report an easy method to improve the optoelectronic properties of commercially available TiO2 nanopowder using extracts of various flowers viz. Calendula Orange (CO), Calendula Yellow (CY), Dahlia Violet (DV), Dahlia Yellow (DY), Rabbit flower (RF), Sweet Poppy (SP), Sweet Williams (SW) and their Mixed Extracts (ME). Various analysis techniques such as UV-Vis, FTIR, FESEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize for elemental, structural and morphological properties of the unmixed/mixed TiO2 nanopowder. TiO2 nanopowder was also calcined at 550 degrees C. Thick films of the these unmixed/mixed powder were printed, using conventional screen printing method, on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate with organic binders and dried at 45 degrees C. The photoconducting properties are investigated as a function of wavelength from ultra-violet (UV) to infra-red (IR) region at a constant illumination intensity. Photocurrent gradually decreases when irradiated from UV to IR region. In case of unmixed and uncalcined TiO2, conductance decreased continuously whereas when extracts are added, a flat region of conductance is observed. The overall effect of extracts (colour pigments) is seen as an increase in the photoconductance. Highest photoconductance is observed in case of DY flower extract. Anthocyanins, present in flowers are known to have antioxidative properties and hence can contribute in photoconduction by reducing the surface adsorbed oxygen. This investigation indicates the potential use of flower extracts for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC).

Large-scale synthesis of ZnO balls made of fluffy thin nanosheets by simple solution process: structural, optical and photocatalytic properties.

This paper reports a large-scale synthesis of ZnO balls made of fluffy thin ZnO nanosheets by simple solution process at low-temperature of 65±2°C. The synthesized ZnO structures were characterized in detail in terms of their morphological, structural, optical and photocatalytic properties. The detailed morphological characterizations, done by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confirmed that the synthesized products are ZnO balls which are made by accumulation of hundreds of thin ZnO nanosheets. Interestingly, it is seen that the nanosheets are arranged in such a special fashion that they made ball-like morphologies. Detailed structural examinations revealed that of as-synthesized ZnO products are well-crystalline and possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase. The optical property, measured by UV-Visible spectroscopy, substantiated good optical properties for as-synthesized ZnO balls. The as-synthesized ZnO balls were utilized as an efficient photocatalysts for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. Almost complete degradation of MB was observed in presence of ZnO balls composed of nanosheets within 70 min under UV-light irradiation. By comparing the photocatalytic performance with commercially available TiO(2)-UV-100, it was observed that the synthesized ZnO balls exhibited superior photocatalytic performance as compared to TiO(2)-UV-100 photocatalyst.

Well-crystalline ZnO nanowire based field effect transistors (FETs).

Well-crystalline ZnO nanowires were grown on Si(100) via non-catalytic thermal evaporation process using metallic zinc powder in presence of oxygen. The detailed morphological characterizations by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the synthesized products are nanowires with the typical diameter and lengths of approximately 55 +/- 5 nm and several micrometers, respectively and are grown in high density over the silicon substrate. The detailed structural characterizations by high-resolution TEM and X-ray diffraction confirmed that the synthesized nanowires are well-crystalline and possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase. The presence of Raman-active optical-phonon E2(high) mode at 437 cm(-1) in the Raman-scattering spectrum confirms good crystal quality for the as-grown ZnO nanowires. The electrical transport properties of the as-grown nanowires were explored by fabricating single nanowire based field effect transistors (FETs). The fabricated single ZnO nanowire based FET exhibits carrier concentration and electron mobility of approximately 7.49 x 10(17) cm(-3) and approximately 8.42 cm2V(-1)s(-1), respectively.

Utilization of ZnO nanocones for the photocatalytic degradation of acridine orange.

A facile aqueous solution process was used to synthesize well-crystalline ZnO nanocones at 60 degrees C by using zinc nitrate hexahydrate and sodium hydroxide. The morphological, structural and optical properties of the synthesized ZnO nanocones were investigated by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) attached with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with high-resolution (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and UV-Vis. spectroscopy measurements. The structural and optical properties of the as-synthesized nanocones confirmed a pure and well crystalline product possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase. The as-synthesized ZnO nanocones were used as photocatalyst for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of acridine orange. The acridine orange was almost completely degraded within 105 minutes. This research demonstrates that the simply synthesized ZnO nanostructures could be efficient photocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of various organic dyes and chemicals.

Growth and properties of ultra-violet emitting aligned zinc oxide nanocones with hexagonal caps.

Ultraviolet-emitting, single-crystalline aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocones with hexagonal caps were grown on silicon substrate via simple non-catalytic thermal evaporation process. High-purity metallic zinc powder and oxygen were used as source materials for zinc and oxygen, respectively. The detailed structural characterizations confirmed that the formed products are single-crystalline, possess a wurtzite hexagonal phase and grown along the c-axis direction. Raman-active optical-phonon E2(high) mode at 437 cm(-1) with sharp and strong UV emission at 385 nm in room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum demonstrated that the as-grown ZnO nanocones with hexagonal caps possess good-crystal quality with the excellent optical properties. Finally, a plausible growth mechanism for the formation of as-grown ZnO nanocones with hexagonal caps was also proposed.

A novel method for preparing stoichiometric SnO(2) thin films at low temperature.

Tin oxide is a well known nonstoichiometric material with dual valency. The invariance of stoichiometry is very intriguing. As of today no report is available for preparing perfect stoichiometric tin oxide. Here we report a novel method to prepare stoichiometric tin oxide by modifying the known plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique using SnCl(4)-xH(2)O as precursor and O(2) as reactant gas at various temperatures from 300 to 800 degrees C. Tetragonal rutile structure of SnO(2) was found, grown along the [110] direction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurement showed constant Sn/O ratio. Sn 3d and O 1s were found composed of only Sn(4+) (487.2 eV) and O-Sn(4+) (531.2 eV) with equal peak widths. Raman band intensity ( approximately 633 cm(-1)) was found increasing with temperature, indicating the morphological changes. Sheet resistance of approximately 0.5 kOmega/at 300 degrees C was measured that reduces to approximately 0.1 kOmega/at 600 degrees C. It is found that film stoichiometry remains unaltered, while the structural morphology changes significantly.

Highly-sensitive cholesterol biosensor based on well-crystallized flower-shaped ZnO nanostructures.

This paper reports the fabrication of highly-sensitive cholesterol biosensor based on cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) immobilization on well-crystallized flower-shaped ZnO structures composed of perfectly hexagonal-shaped ZnO nanorods grown by low-temperature simple solution process. The fabricated cholesterol biosensors reported a very high and reproducible sensitivity of 61.7 microA microM(-1)cm(-2) with a response time less than 5s and detection limit (based on S/N ratio) of 0.012 microM. The biosensor exhibited a linear dynamic range from 1.0-15.0 microM and correlation coefficient of R=0.9979. A lower value of apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)(app)), of 2.57 mM, exhibited a high affinity between the cholesterol and ChOx immobilized on flower-shaped ZnO structures. Moreover, the effect of pH on ChOx activity on the ZnO modified electrode has also been studied in the range of 5.0-9.0 which exhibited a best enzymatic activity at the pH range of 6.8-7.6. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which such a very high-sensitivity and low detection limit has been achieved for the cholesterol biosensor by using ZnO nanostructures modified electrodes.

Hierarchical ZnO nanostructures: growth and optical properties.

Growth of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures composed of ZnO nanoneedles have been achieved via simple thermal evaporation process by using metallic zinc powder in the presence of oxygen at low temperature of 460 degrees C on silicon substrate without the use of any kind of metal catalysts or additives. It is confirmed by detailed structural studies that the as-grown hierarchical nanostructures are single crystalline with a wurtzite hexagonal phase and nanoneedles of these structures are grown along the c-axis in the [0001] direction. The Raman-scattering analysis substantiates a wurtzite hexagonal phase with a good crystal quality for the as-grown products. Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) exhibits a strong UV emission at 380 nm confirming the excellent optical properties of as-synthesized hierarchical structures. A plausible growth mechanism is also proposed to clearly understand the growth process of the synthesized structures.