Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Investigation of a 3D Plasmonic Architecture Utilizing Ag Nanoparticles-Embedded Functionalized Carbon Nanowall.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a highly sensitive technique for detecting DNA, proteins, and single molecules. The design of SERS substrates plays a crucial role, with the density of hotspots being a key factor in enhancing Raman spectra. In this study, we employed carbon nanowall (CNW) as the nanostructure and embedded plasmonic nanoparticles (PNPs) to increase hotspot density, resulting in robust Raman signals. To enhance the CNW's performance, we functionalized it via oxygen plasma and embedded silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The authors evaluated the substrate using rhodamine 6G (R6G) as a model target molecule, ranging in concentration from 10-6 M to 10-10 M for a 4 min exposure. Our analysis confirmed a proportional increase in Raman signal intensity with an increase in concentration. The CNW's large specific surface area and graphene domains provide dense hotspots and high charge mobility, respectively, contributing to both the electromagnetic mechanism (EM) and the chemical mechanism (CM) of SERS.

Innovative Variation in the Morphological Characteristics of Carbon Nanowalls Grown on a Molybdenum Disulfide Interlayer.

Carbon is a material with interesting properties which exists in large quantities on Earth, so many studies involving carbon have been conducted. In particular, nano-sized carbon allotropes, referred to as carbon nanomaterials, comprise the subject of various studies currently underway. The electrical, chemical, physical properties of carbon nanowalls (CNWs) are modified by parameters such as surface density, height and thickness. These characteristics have significant effects on CNWs and can be adjusted as a growth interlayer. It was confirmed that the molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) interlayer synthesized in this paper by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering altered the morphological characteristics of the CNWs, including its shaped edge, pores diameter and density. We provide interesting results through FE-SEM, EDS and Raman analysis in this paper. Based on the Raman analysis, both the D-peak of carbon and the ID/IG ratio decreased. Through this study, the effect of MoS2 on the morphological characteristics of CNWs was confirmed.

Design of High-Power and High-Density Photovoltaic Modules Based on a Shingled Cell String.

Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) arrays, which are installed on the roofs of buildings as part of urban solar power generation, have created a demand for high-power and high-density photovoltaic (PV) modules to produce high-output power in a limited area. In this paper, a high-power PV module using a shingles technology is designed. When the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the module were 201.78 cm × 96.75 cm in the same area as that of the conventional PV module, the number of cell strips reached 390. When six 65-interconnection shingled strings were connected in series, the output power of 367.8 W was achieved. Compared with a conventional PV module of the same area, the output power was 8% greater.

Hybrid gold/DNA nanowire circuit with sub-10 nm nanostructure arrays.

We report on a simple and efficient method for the selective positioning of Au/DNA hybrid nanocircuits using a sequential combination of electron-beam lithography (EBL), plasma ashing, and a molecular patterning process. The nanostructures produced by the EBL and ashing process could be uniformly formed over a 12.6 in2 substrate with sub-10 nm patterning with good pattern fidelity. In addition, DNA molecules were immobilized on the selectively nanopatterned regions by alternating surface coating procedures of 3-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APS) and diamond like carbon (DLC), followed by deposition of DNA molecules into a well-defined single DNA nanowire. These single DNA nanowires were used not only for fabricating Au/DNA hybrid nanowires by the conjugation of Au nanoparticles with DNA, but also for the formation of Au/DNA hybrid nanocircuits. These nanocircuits prepared from Au/DNA hybrid nanowires demonstrate conductivities of up to 4.3 × 105 S/m in stable electrical performance. This selective and precise positioning method capable of controlling the size of nanostructures may find application in making sub-10 nm DNA wires and metal/DNA hybrid nanocircuits.

Structural, Electrical, and Optical Properties of ZnO Film Used as Buffer Layer for CIGS Thin-Film Solar Cell.

The CuIn(x)Ga(1-x)Se2 (CIGS) using the solution-based fabrication method is attractive for thin film solar cells because of its possibilities for large-area and low-cost production. ZnO films between transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and the CdS films can improve the performances of CIGS thin-film solar cells. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of ZnO film between TCO and CIGS layers in a solar cell (AZO/ZnO/CdS/CIGS/Mo), which were deposited at various thicknesses to investigate the role of the films in CIGS solar cells. It was confirmed that the conversion efficiency of a CIGS solar cell depends on the ZnO film. For a ZnO film thickness of 80 nm, the highest power conversion efficiency that a solar cell achieved was J(sc) of 18.73 mA/cm2.

Electrical and Optical Properties of Si-Incorporated a-C:H Films via the Radio Frequency Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Method.

The optical and electrical properties of silicon-incorporated hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H:Si) films deposited via the radio frequency (RF) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method using a mixture of CH4, H2, and SiH4 were observed. The silane gas whose ranged from 0 to 25 vol.% [SiH4/(SiH4 + CH4) was fed into the reactor while the other deposition parameters were kept constant. The basic properties of these films were investigated via Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible spectrometry, I-V measurement, and surface profiling. The experiment results showed that the film thickness increased from 300 nm to 800 nm for the same deposition time as the silane gas increased. The Raman spectrum obtained from the silicon-incorporated a-C:H films suggested that the film property changed from graphitic-like to more diamond-like. As the silane gas increased, the optical gap, E04, slightly increased from 1.98 eV to 2.62 eV. It was shown that the Si atoms incorporated into the a-C:H films reduced the size of the sp2 clusters. As for the I-V characteristics, the Si-incorporated a-C:H films had a lower leakage current than the a-C:H films without Si.

A Study on the Efficiency Improvement of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) by Repeated Dye Coating.

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is being extensively investigated as the next generation energy source. Despite of the attractive features like simple fabrication process and its economic efficiency, there are some problems such as low efficiency, long fabrication time and low long-term stability. Conventionally, the dye adsorption on TiO2 photo-electrode film needs long time in the solvent with low concentration of dye to get the high efficiency. In this work, the dye coating process was considerably shortened, albeit plenty of dye was used comparing with the conventional way. Our needs were met for the best result in our working environment and the relevant conditions to our work were obtained, which were the coating temperature of 70 °C, the dye concentration of 10 mM and the coating time of 3 min. And this coating process was successively repeated several times to maximize the dye adsorption and to improve the cell efficiency. Therefore, the efficiency increased by 13% in the proper condition.

Synthesis and Application of ZnO Nanorods Using the Ultra-Thin Porous AAO Template Fabricated by New Method.

Electron transport in DSSCs with the TiO2 nanoparticles photoanode become more difficult by the tremendous grain boundaries and disordered pore structures. So, one-dimensional nanostructures have great attractions due to the increased carrier diffusion length by a structural property such as direct pathways for electron transport. In this study, we investigated DSSCs using ZnO nanorod arrays and ZnO nanoparticle/nanorod composite layer as a photoanode. To prevent aggregation of ZnO nanorods, ZnO nanorods were synthesized on the nano-patterned seed dots using ultra-thin porous AAO template fabricated by new method. We confirmed that ZnO naonrods were sparsely grown as the nano-patterned seed dots were used.

Fabrication of metal-coated carbon nanowalls synthesized by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

In this study, the coating of synthesized carbon nanowalls (CNWs) with various metal layers (Ni, Cu, and W) was investigated. CNWs were synthesized by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with a methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H2) gas mixture on a p-type Si wafer, and then coated with metal films (Ni, Cu, and W) using an RF magnetron sputtering system with four-inch targets. Different sputtering times (5, 10, 20, and 30 min) were established to obtain different thicknesses of the metal layers with which the CNWs were coated. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was used to examine the cross-sectional and planar conditions of the CNWs, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to analyze the CNW elements. The FE-SEM analysis of the cross-sectional and planar images confirmed that the metal layers were synthesized to a depth of 0.5 µm from the surfaces of the CNWs, and to a greater depth at the ends of the CNWs, irrespective of the deposition time and the metal species. The resistivity of the as-deposited CNWs appeared as 4.18 x 10(-3) Ω cm; that of the metal-coated CNWs was slightly lower; and that of the Ni-coated CNWs was the lowest (1.74 x 10(-3) Ω cm). The mobility of the metal-coated CNWs was almost unchanged, and that of the as-deposited CNWs was 1.23 x 10(3) cm2 V(-1) s(-1).

Synthesis and characteristics of NH2-functionalized polymer films to align and immobilize DNA molecules.

We developed a method to use NH2-functionalized polymer films to align and immobilize DNA molecules on a Si substrate. The plasma-polymerized cyclohexane film was deposited on the Si substrate according to the radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method using a single molecular precursor, and it was then treated by the dielectric barrier discharge method in a nitrogen environment under atmospheric pressure. Changes in the chemistry of the surface functional groups were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The wettability of the surfaces was examined using dynamic contact angle measurements, and the surface morphology was evaluated using atomic force microscopy.We utilized a tilting method to align λ-DNA molecules that were immobilized by the electrostatic interaction between the amine groups in NH2-functionalized polymer films and the phosphate groups in the DNA. The DNA was treated with positively charged gold nanoparticles to make a conductive nanowire that uses the DNA as a template. We observed that the NH2-functionalized polymer film was useful for aligning and immobilizing the DNA, and thus the DNA-templated nanowires.

Growth of metal-free carbon nanotubes on glass substrate with an amorphous carbon catalyst layer.

We have investigated the direct growth of metal-free carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on glass substrates with microwave-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD). Amorphous carbon (a-C) films were used as a catalyst layer to grow metal-free CNTs. The a-C films were deposited on Corning glass substrates using RF magnetron sputtering with the use of a carbon target (99.99%) at room temperature. They were pretreated with hydrogen plasma using a microwave PECVD at 600 degrees C. Then, CNTs were prepared using microwave PECVD with a mixture of methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H2) gases. The CNTs were grown at different substrate temperatures (400 degrees C, 500 degrees C, and 600 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Other conditions were fixed. The growth trends of CNTs against substrate temperature were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The structure of a-C catalyst layer and grown CNTs were measured by Raman spectroscopy. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) images showed that the CNTs had bamboo-like multi-walled structures. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) measurements confirmed that the CNTs consisted of only carbon.

Selective formation of a latticed nanostructure with the precise alignment of DNA-templated gold nanowires.

A very efficient method is introduced to selectively align and uniformly separate λ-DNA molecules and thus DNA-templated gold nanowires (AuNW's) using a combination of molecular combing and surface-patterning techniques. By the method presented in this work, it is possible to obtain parallel and latticed nanostructures consisting of DNA molecules and thus DNA-templated AuNW's aligned at 400 nm intervals. DNA-templated AuNW's are uniformly formed with an average height of 2.5 nm. This method is expected to hold potential for the integration of nanosized building blocks applicable to nanodevice construction.

Characterization of nanocrystalline conductive a-C as the electrode used in the bottom-gated structure of a pentacene-based organic thin film transistor.

Nanocrystalline amorphous carbon (nc a-C) films recently prepared in our laboratory exhibited very low resistivity (< 1 momega x cm) and good conductivity without any dopant. They also showed properties such as good adhesion to glass and plastic substrates, smooth surface, low friction coefficient, thermal stability, and high transparency. We applied nc a-C films to the bottom-gated electrodes of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). In this work, we describe the characterization of conductive nc a-C films synthesized by closed-field unbalanced magnetron (CFUBM) sputtering and fabricate OTFTs of a bottom gate structure using pentacene as the active layer and polyvinylphenol (PVP) as the gate dielectric on the nc a-C gate electrode. We investigated the surface and electrical properties of each layer using an AFM method and estimated the device properties of OTFTs including I(D)-V(D), I(D)-V(G), threshold voltage V(T), on/off ratio, and field effect mobility.

The variation of surface contact angles according to the diameter of carbon nanotubes.

The shape of CNTs is affected by various growth parameters such as reaction time, temperature, working power, and pressure as well as the type of catalytic layer and synthesis method. In this work, the thickness of Ni catalyst layer was varied to control the diameter of synthesized CNT. Ni catalyst layer was prepared using a DC magnetron sputtering method and the layer thickness was varied from 40 nm to 100 nm with the increment of 20 nm. And CNTs were grown on Ni catalyst layer using the hot-filament plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HF-PECVD) with ammonia (NH3) gas for pretreatment and acetylene (C2H2) gas for the synthesis. The shape of the resulting CNTs was analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The surface contact angle of well-aligned CNTs was correlated with the diameter of CNT. As determined by contact angle measurement, the surface of CNT forests became more hydrophilic as the diameter of CNT increased.

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on diamond-like carbon by the hot filament plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted considerable attention as possible routes to device miniaturization due to their excellent mechanical, thermal, and electronic properties. These properties show great potential for devices such as field emission displays, transistors, and sensors. The growth of CNTs can be explained by interaction between small carbon patches and the metal catalyst. The metals such as nickel, cobalt, gold, iron, platinum, and palladium are used as the catalysts for the CNT growth. In this study, diamond-like carbon (DLC) was used for CNT growth as a nonmetallic catalyst layer. DLC films were deposited by a radio frequency (RF) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) method with a mixture of methane and hydrogen gases. CNTs were synthesized by a hot filament plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HF-PECVD) method with ammonia (NH3) as a pretreatment gas and acetylene (C2H2) as a carbon source gas. The grown CNTs and the pretreated DLC films were observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) measurement, and the structure of the grown CNTs was analyzed by high resolution transmission scanning electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Also, using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) measurement, we confirmed that only the carbon component remained on the substrate.

Formation of lambda-DNA's in parallel- and crossed-line arrays by molecular combing and scanning-probe lithography.

With the combination of a molecular combing technique and scanning-probe lithographic patterning, lambda-DNA's were stretched and aligned to form line array structures on patterned organic monolayer surfaces. The pattern was generated by anodizing a silicon surface using scanning-probe lithography to implant a polar organic layer in the middle of a nonpolar layer. The molecule in the polar layer, (aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APS), has a -NH(3)(+) terminal group, which interacts strongly with phosphate backbone of DNA and provides a site for selective attachment of DNA. When parallel lines of APS were patterned, followed by combing along the lines, a single DNA was attached from the very top of each line and stretched along the line all the way to the bottom. The DNA-APS interaction was strong enough to withstand the second combing applied perpendicular to the first one. Thereby, the crossed-line array of DNA's was formed on the crossed-line array pattern of APS on a silicon substrate.