Article
Electrochemistry
Xixia Zhu, Zhongchen Xu, Xiaobing Li, Cunlan Guo
Summary: Understanding the charge migration across peptide chains is crucial for both biology and biomolecular electronics. This study investigated the relation between charge migration in wet electrochemistry and on the solid state by studying ferrocene-labeled peptide self-assembled monolayers on Au substrates. The results showed that the ability of peptides to transmit charge was more influenced by peptide length on the solid state compared to wet electrochemistry. Additionally, altering peptide compositions had different consequences for charge migration in wet electrochemistry and on the solid state.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhipeng Zhang, Bingzhe Wang, Hai-Bing Zhao, Jin-Feng Liao, Zi-Chun Zhou, Tanghao Liu, Bingchen He, Qi Wei, Shi Chen, Hong-Yan Chen, Dai-Bin Kuang, Ying Li, Guichuan Xing
Summary: Lead-free double perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 nanocrystals (NCs) were assembled on the surface of MXene nanosheets through mutual electrostatic attraction. The presence of MXene nanosheets promoted the formation of free charge carriers in Cs2AgBiBr6 NCs and extended their lifetime through ultrafast photo-generated electron transfer. The heterostructures exhibited a high photoelectron consumption yield for photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Le Zeng, Ling Huang, Zhonghe Wang, Jianwei Wei, Kai Huang, Wenhai Lin, Chunying Duan, Gang Han
Summary: This study presents the first biological application of aqueous dispersible self-assembled organic co-crystals stabilized by metal-organic framework (MOF). By constructing a unique MOF structure, high-density ordered arrangement and close intermolecular distance were achieved, leading to superior charge transfer interaction and high photothermal conversion efficiency in aqueous solution. The platform demonstrated potential for highly effective long-wavelength light photothermal therapy in biological applications.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fatima Zahra Janani, Habiba Khiar, Nawal Taoufik, Alaaeddine Elhalil, M'hamed Sadiq, Said Mansouri, Noureddine Barka
Summary: In this study, ZnO-Zn2TiO4 (ZTM) material was synthesized using a novel method and its physical features were analyzed. The results showed that ZTM-600, synthesized through calcination at 600 degrees C, exhibited the highest degradation efficiency (99%). This study demonstrates a promising photocatalyst and provides new insights for enhancing photocatalytic performance and effective wastewater treatment.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
S. M. Sattari-Esfahlan, Eun-Cheol Lee, Chang-Hyun Kim
Summary: This study delves into the synergistic effects of electrode and dielectric SAMs on the behavior of solution-processed organic field-effect transistors, providing fundamental insights into chemically modified OFETs. By utilizing a self-consistent device model to robustly treat the measured electrical characteristics of the OFETs, reliable material, interface, morphology, and transport parameters are obtained and correlated to build a comprehensive understanding on trap energy and injection-transport relationship.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaowen Ruan, Chengxiang Huang, Hui Cheng, Zhiquan Zhang, Yi Cui, Zhiyun Li, Tengfeng Xie, Kaikai Ba, Haiyan Zhang, Lei Zhang, Xiao Zhao, Jing Leng, Shengye Jin, Wei Zhang, Weitao Zheng, Sai Kishore Ravi, Zhifeng Jiang, Xiaoqiang Cui, Jiaguo Yu
Summary: Designing S-Scheme heterojunctions can effectively improve the photocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution by avoiding futile charge transport routes. In this study, a twin S-Scheme heterojunction consisting of graphitic C3N4 nanosheets, hydrogen-doped rutile TiO2 nanorods, and anatase TiO2 nanoparticles was proposed. The catalyst exhibited a high hydrogen evolution rate of 62.37 mmol g(-1) h(-1) and an apparent quantum efficiency of 45.9% at 365 nm. The significant enhancement of photocatalytic performance was attributed to the efficient charge separation and transfer facilitated by the unique twin S-Scheme structure. In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping tests, and other characterizations confirmed the charge transfer route in the twin S-Scheme.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Qingyou Liang, Xiangjun Gong, Jinchao Liu, Changming Ke, Jie Dong, Guosheng Song, Pu Feng, Huakang Yu, Xianfeng Yang, Jie Cui, Chunlin Deng, Zhiyuan Li, Shi Liu, Guangzhao Zhang
Summary: This study presents a noninvasive approach called ionic-wind enhanced Raman spectroscopy (IWERS) incorporated with photobleaching (PB) for detecting fluorescent and vulnerable samples. The use of ionic wind and photobleaching enhances Raman signals and suppresses fluorescence, improving the signal-to-noise ratio. IWERS avoids sample pollution and destruction without substrates and high laser power, making it a promising tool for characterizations in various fields.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mang Zheng, Qi Li, Mingyang Liu, Jianan Liu, Chen Zhao, Xudong Xiao, Hongli Wang, Jing Zhou, Liping Zhang, Baojiang Jiang
Summary: In this study, Mo-doped In2O3 was synthesized with a porous rod-shaped structure, achieving high conversion rate and selectivity under visible-light irradiation. Mo doping introduced defect states and enhanced the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, while Mo atoms on the surface enhanced reaction rate by forming extra adsorption and reaction centers. This work provides insights into transition metal-doped semiconductor photocatalysts for amino acid production.
SCIENCE CHINA-MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jin Yang, Mingyong Zhou, Jiezhen Liu, Hao Wang, Can Weng
Summary: It was found that using alkanethiols SAMs to modify the Ni substrate could significantly reduce the surface adhesion of Ni substrate and lower the friction coefficient. Mixed alkanethiols SAMs exhibited better lubricity and wear resistance compared to SAMs of single component.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jing Tang, Xiaoyun Ma, Jiaxing He, Xiangyue Liu, Mingde Li
Summary: CdS/Pt/UiO-67 composites, synthesized by using hierarchically structured Zr-based UiO-67 as support to disperse CdS and Pt NPs, exhibit higher activity of hydrogen evolution than pure CdS under visible light irradiation. Femtosecond transient absorption spectra reveal the charge separation kinetics in CdS/Pt/UiO-67. This work provides a deeper understanding of the charge transfer between semiconductor and MOF materials.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shao-Shuai Zhao, Jun Liang, Duan-Hui Si, Min-Jie Mao, Yuan-Biao Huang, Rong Cao
Summary: This study reports a series of 2D COFs based on thienothiophenes-porphyrin, which exhibit enhanced charge separation and migration for efficient photocatalytic conversion of CO2 under visible light irradiation. The π-π stacking interactions play an important role in COFs for CO2 conversion and provide insights into the mechanism of photocatalysis.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yujie Zhao, Zhichao Shao, Yang Cui, Kangshuai Geng, Xiangru Meng, Jie Wu, Hongwei Hou
Summary: Encapsulating photogenerated charge-hopping nodes and space transport bridges within metal-organic frameworks is a promising method of boosting the photocatalytic performance. This work embeds electron transfer media in MOF cavities to build multi-level electron transfer paths and investigates their significance in the process of CO2 photoreduction. The prepared BPAN-Co-2 demonstrates efficient visible-light-driven CO2 conversion properties.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Peng Yang, Haifeng Yang, Zhengyuan Wu, Fuyou Liao, Xiaojiao Guo, Jianan Deng, Qiang Xu, Haomin Wang, Junjie Sun, Fei Chen, Wenzhong Bao, Laigui Hu, Zhongkai Liu, Yulin Chen, Zhi-Jun Qiu, Zhilai Fang, Ran Liu, Chunxiao Cong
Summary: This study demonstrates the direct growth of large-area monolayer MoS2 single-crystal nanosheets on 3D GaN substrates using a novel seed-assisted chemical vapor deposition method, resulting in samples with sizes two orders of magnitude larger than previously reported epitaxially grown MoS2 samples. The crystal quality of the synthesized single-crystal MoS2 nanosheets is comparable to that of MoS2 grown epitaxially on GaN substrates using traditional methods.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fengliang Wang, Ruiqi Fang, Xin Zhao, Xiang-Peng Kong, Tingting Hou, Kui Shen, Yingwei Li
Summary: This work presents an in situ topological transformation strategy to enhance the efficiency of CO2 photocatalytic conversion by integrating uniform Co-based species into multishelled superstructures. The study finds that the ultrathin nanosheet assembled ZnCo bimetallic hydroxide exhibits high photocatalytic efficiency for CO2 reduction.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Thomas Auzelle, Florian Ullrich, Sebastian Hietzschold, Chiara Sinito, Stefan Brackmann, Wolfgang Kowalsky, Eric Mankel, Oliver Brandt, Robert Lovrincic, Sergio Fernandez-Garrido
Summary: The optoelectronic properties of GaN surfaces were studied after functionalization with phosphonic acid derivatives, showing significant changes in GaN work function and impacting surface band bending. The internal quantum efficiency of GaN layers and nanowires was significantly affected by the covalent bonding of phosphonic acids, with modifications to internal electric fields and surface states. Phosphonate chemistry shows potential for selective sensing applications in surface functionalization of GaN.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lukas E. Lehner, Stepan Demchyshyn, Kilian Frank, Alexey Minenkov, Dominik J. Kubicki, He Sun, Bekele Hailegnaw, Christoph Putz, Felix Mayr, Munise Cobet, Gunter Hesser, Wolfgang Schoefberger, Niyazi Serdar Sariciftci, Markus Clark Scharber, Bert Nickel, Martin Kaltenbrunner
Summary: Incorporating large organic cations enhances the stability of perovskite solar cells, but aligning the organic sheets for efficient charge transport is crucial for high performance. Methylammonium chloride (MACl) can enable preferential orientation, but the mechanism behind this is not fully understood. This study investigates the nucleation process and identifies the origins of favorable alignment, providing insights for designing future additives to improve the stability of perovskite photovoltaics.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Saswati Santra, Verena Streibel, Ian D. Sharp
Summary: The transition from a global economy dependent on fossil fuels to one based on sustainable energy conversion technologies is the primary challenge of the day. Earth-abundant bifunctional transition metal catalysts, especially those based on molybdenum (Mo), show great promise in reducing cost, simplifying systems, and providing prospects for accelerated scaling and sustainable material reuse. This comprehensive review focuses on recent progress in Mo-based multifunctional catalysts, discussing various formations and structures, as well as emerging trends and opportunities in this promising materials space.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Florian Pantle, Simon Woerle, Monika Karlinger, Felix Rauh, Max Kraut, Martin Stutzmann
Summary: Nanostructures, such as GaN nanofins, are sensitive to their ambient conditions due to their large surface-to-volume ratio. This article presents a systematic study on the environmental sensitivity of the electrical conductivity of GaN nanofins and identifies oxygen and water as responsible for reducing the electrical current through GaN nanofins. The results also reveal the complexity of water adsorption on GaN surfaces and the importance of reproducible pre-treatment and surface passivation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Min Wang, Anna Loiudice, Valery Okatenko, Ian D. D. Sharp, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: The coupling of CO-generating molecular catalysts with copper electrodes in tandem schemes is a promising strategy to boost the formation of multi-carbon products in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2. The spatial distribution of the two components in molecular-based tandem systems has not been well explored. This study examines the importance of the relative spatial distribution of Co-phthalocyanine (CoPc) and Cu nanocubes (Cu-cub) on the performance of tandem catalysts. It is found that a direct contact between the CO-generating molecular catalyst and the Cu is crucial for promoting C-C coupling, indicating a surface transport mechanism between the two components of the tandem catalyst.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alex Henning, Johannes D. Bartl, Lukas Wolz, Maximilian Christis, Felix Rauh, Michele Bissolo, Theresa Grunleitner, Johanna Eichhorn, Patrick Zeller, Matteo Amati, Luca Gregoratti, Jonathan J. Finley, Bernhard Rieger, Martin Stutzmann, Ian D. Sharp
Summary: Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a crucial technique for scaling semiconductor devices, but achieving atomically-defined coatings and surface modifications is challenging. This study presents a method for depositing sub-nanometer thin and continuous aluminum oxide (AlOx) coatings on silicon substrates, allowing spatial control of surface charge density and interface energetics. Using trimethylaluminum and remote hydrogen plasma, silicon dioxide (SiO2) is transformed into alumina. The resulting patterned surfaces possess lateral AlOx/SiO2 interfaces with precise step heights and surface potential steps, enabling modulation of surface band bending.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Andrii Shcherbakov, Kevin Synnatschke, Stanislav Bodnar, Jonathan Zerhoch, Lissa Eyre, Felix Rauh, Markus W. Heindl, Shangpu Liu, Jan Konecny, Ian D. Sharp, Zdenek Sofer, Claudia Backes, Felix Deschler
Summary: Layered van der Waals (vdW) antiferromagnets with low-dimensional excitonic properties and complex spin-structure are promising materials for future opto-spintronic applications. In this study, we successfully fabricated centimeter-scale thin films of the 2D antiferromagnetic material NiPS3 using liquid phase exfoliation. The films showed antiferromagnetic spin arrangement, spin-entangled Zhang-Rice multiplet excitons, and ultranarrow emission line widths, despite their disordered nature. These results demonstrate the scalable thin-film fabrication of high-quality NiPS3, which is crucial for utilizing this material in spintronic and nanoscale memory devices and exploring its complex spin-light coupled states.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fiona Treber, Kilian Frank, Bert Nickel, Carola Lampe, Alexander S. Urban
Summary: Heterovalently substituting toxic lead is an increasingly popular design strategy to obtain environmentally sustainable variants of halide perovskites. A novel synthesis routine for lead-free double perovskite nanocrystals using a low-temperature and ambient atmosphere-based method is presented. The incorporation of Mn is critical for achieving emissive properties, with a specific precursor ratio maximizing the bright orange photoluminescence and quantum yield.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Pan Ding, Hongyu An, Philipp Zellner, Tianfu Guan, Jianyong Gao, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Bert M. Weckhuysen, Ward van der Stam, Ian D. Sharp
Summary: This study investigates the impact of catalyst ink formulation on CO2 electrolysis and finds that Nafion is essential for achieving stable product distributions. The content of Nafion and the solvent composition regulate the internal structure of Nafion coatings and the catalyst morphology, thus significantly impacting CO2 electrolysis performance.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin Tilmann, Tahiyat Huq, Thomas Possmayer, Jakub Dranczewski, Bert Nickel, Haizhong Zhang, Leonid Krivitsky, Arseniy I. Kuznetsov, Leonardo de S. Menezes, Stefano Vezzoli, Riccardo Sapienza, Stefan A. Maier
Summary: The second harmonic generation from epitaxially grown GaP thin films is studied, and the absolute conversion efficiencies are found to be comparable to bulk material. The second order nonlinear susceptibility shows a similar dispersion and magnitude to that of the bulk material. The third order nonlinear susceptibility of amorphous GaP thin films is extracted to be more than one order of magnitude larger than that of the crystalline material, and generation of up to the fifth harmonic is reported.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alex Henning, Sergej Levashov, Chenjiang Qian, Theresa Gruenleitner, Julian Primbs, Jonathan J. Finley, Ian D. Sharp
Summary: It is demonstrated that in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) is a powerful method for optimizing film growth and opto(electronic) characteristics of 2D materials during atomic layer deposition (ALD). By utilizing in situ SE during ALD on monolayer MoS2, a low temperature process for encapsulating the 2D material with a nanometer-thin alumina (AlOx) layer is investigated, which results in a 2D/3D interface controlled by van der Waals interactions. The charge transfer doping of MoS2 by AlOx is found to be an interfacial phenomenon that initiates from the earliest stages of film formation.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
F. Rauh, O. Bienek, I. D. Sharp, M. Stutzmann
Summary: The necessity for higher sample throughput has led to an increase in the use of robotic systems and automation in sample preparation processes. This study presents a low-cost alternative to commercial dip coaters by using a readily available 3D printer and compares the resulting films to those obtained from a commercial device. The 3D printer-based device allows for automated dip coating processes using multiple dipping solutions for a batch of samples, potentially saving time and cost compared to commercial systems. The film quality achieved by the home-built system is comparable, and sometimes even better in terms of uniformity and roughness, making it a viable alternative to commercial dip coating devices.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Stefan Martin, Nina A. Henke, Carola Lampe, Markus Doeblinger, Kilian Frank, Patrick Ganswindt, Bert Nickel, Alexander S. Urban
Summary: Anisotropic blue-green emitting CsPbBr3 nanocrystals with precise tunability of emission wavelength in the range of 475-500 nm have been synthesized using a spontaneous crystallization method. The growth process can be controlled by injecting an enhancement solution, allowing for excellent control over nanocrystal size. This study is of great importance for enhancing the functionality of these nanocrystals.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Oliver Bienek, Benedikt Fuchs, Matthias Kuhl, Tim Rieth, Julius Kuhne, Laura I. Wagner, Lina M. Todenhagen, Lukas Wolz, Alex Henning, Ian D. Sharp
Summary: III-V compound semiconductors have optoelectronic properties suitable for solar energy conversion. This study investigates the impact of defects in atomic layer deposition of titanium oxide (TiOx) on junction formation, interfacial charge transport, and photocarrier recombination. The results show that defect concentrations in TiOx can be controlled to modulate optical constants, electrical conductivity, and interface chemistry, allowing for tuning of junction formation and achieving high photovoltage photocathodes.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Melina Armer, Patrick Doerflinger, Andreas Weis, Carsten Buechner, Andreas Gottscholl, Julian Hoecker, Kilian Frank, Lukas Nusser, Maximilian T. Sirtl, Bert Nickel, Thomas Bein, Vladimir Dyakonov
Summary: This study successfully grew high-quality Cs2NaFeCl6 single crystals and investigated their structural and optical properties. By utilizing electron paramagnetic resonance, crystal structure analysis, and density functional theory, a cubic crystal structure with a spin of 5/2 for this material was determined, demonstrating strong spin polarized character. Additionally, photoluminescence and optical absorption measurements revealed a bandgap of approximately 2.1 eV at room temperature and the presence of excitonic states. Extracting the temperature-dependent behavior of the bandgap and estimating an exciton binding energy of only 20 meV at 80 K was achieved using Elliot's formula.
ADVANCED PHOTONICS RESEARCH
(2023)
Correction
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Florian Pantle, Fabian Becker, Max Kraut, Simon Woerle, Theresa Hoffmann, Sabrina Artmeier, Martin Stutzmann
Summary: The study demonstrates the selective area growth of GaN nanowires and nanofins on heteroepitaxial diamond (001) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. By optimizing the growth conditions and using locally produced substrates, high-quality nanostructures were successfully grown, providing new possibilities for optoelectronic device applications.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2023)
