High refractive index sensitivity sensing in gold nanoslit arrays

The extraordinary optical transmission(EOT) phenomenon of nano-periodic aperture array in metallic film has been widely investigated and used in biosensors. The surface plasmon resonance and cavity mode in some periodic nanostructures, such as nanohole and nanoslit, cause EOTs at certain wavelengths. This resonance wavelength is sensitive to the refractive index on the surface of periodic nanostructures. Therefore, the metallic nanostructures are expected to be good sensing elements. The sensing performances of gold nanoslit arrays are experimentally and theoretically investigated.Three-dimensional finite difference time domain(FDTD) simulations are utilized to explore their transmission spectra and steady-state field intensity distributions. The electron beam evaporation, electron beam lithography, and ion milling are applied to the gold nanoslit arrays with different widths and periods. The sensing performances of the gold nanoslit array are characterized via transmission spectra in four kinds of refractive index samples. The highest sensitivity reaches726 nm/RIU when the width of the gold nanoslit array is 38.5 nm.     

Growth mechanism and photoluminescence of the SnO2 nanotwists on thin film and the SnO2 short nanowires on nanorods

SnO2 nanotwists on thin film and SnO2 short nanowires on nanorods have been grown on single silicon substrates by using Au-Ag alloying catalyst assisted carbothermal evaporation of SnO2 and active carbon powders.The morphology and the structure of the prepared nanostructures are determined on the basis of field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),selected area electronic diffraction(SAED),high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM),x-ray diffraction(XRD),Raman and photoluminescence(PL) spectra analysis.The new peaks at 356,450,and 489 nm in the measured PL spectra of two kinds of SnO2 nanostructures are observed,implying that more luminescence centres exist in these SnO2 nanostructures due to nanocrystals and defects.The growth mechanism of these nanostructures belongs to the vapour-liquid-solid(VLS) mechanism.     

Controlling the orientation of ZnO nanorod arrays using TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> thin film templates dip-coated by sol–gel

The oriented ZnO nanorod arrays have been synthesized on a silicon wafer that coated with TiO₂ films by aqueous chemical method. The morphologies, phase structure and the photoluminescence (PL) properties of the as-obtained product were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and PL spectrum. The nanorods were about 100 nm in diameter and more than 1 μm in length, which possessed wurtzite structure with a c axis growth direction. The room-temperature PL measurement of the nanorod arrays showed strong ultraviolet emission. The effect of the crystal structure and the thickness of TiO₂ films on the morphologies of ZnO nanostructures were investigated. It was found that the rutile TiO₂ films were appropriate to the oriented growth of ZnO nanorod arrays in comparison with anatase TiO₂ films. Moreover, flakelike ZnO nanostructures were obtained with increasing the thickness of anatase TiO₂ films.     

Morphology of Platinum Nanowire Array Electrodepostied Within Anodic Aluminium Oxide Template Characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy

Unifrom platinum nanowires were synthesized by electrodepositing the platinum under a very low altering current frequency(20Hz) and increasing voltage(5-15V）in the proes of anodic aluminium oxide(AAO) template. Atomic force microscopy observation indicates that the template membranes we obtained have hexagonally clse-packed nanochannels.The platinum nanowires have highly ordered arrays after partially dissolving the aluminium oxide membrane.With the increasing dissolvoing time,the platinum nanowire array collapsed.A concave topography of the aluminium substrate was observed after the aluminium oxide membrane was dissolved completely and the platinum nanowires were released from the template.Platinum nanowires were also characterized by transmission electron microscopy and the phase structure of the Al/AAO/Pt composite was proven by x-ray diffraction.     

ON THE STUDY OF SILICON NANO-WIRES SELF-ASSEMBLED AS PARTICLES

Two different types of Silicon nano-wires (SiNWs) have been observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. One are of free standing SiNWs deposited uniformly on the surface of silicon substrates, and the other are self-assembled into special shaped particles. These SiNWs were synthesized by thermal evaporation of SiO amorphous powders without any metal catalysts in the temperature range of 900-1250℃. Growth history reveals that the self-assembled SiNWs are formed by original nucleation from the surface of amorphous SiO_{x particle matrices through phase separation and silicon precipitation followed by further growth through oxide-assisted vapor-solid reactions. The above results provide a solid experimental support for the oxide-assisted growth model of SiNWs.}     

Structure and photoluminescence properties of Er3+-doped TiO2-SiO2 powders prepared by sol-gel method

Er 3+-doped TiO 2-SiO 2 powders are prepared by the sol-gel method,and they are characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM),X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra,and Raman spectra of the samples.It is shown that the TiO 2 nanocrystals are surrounded by an SiO 2 glass matrix.The photoluminescence (PL) spectra are recorded at room temperature.A strong green luminescence and less intense red emission are observed in the samples when they are excited at 325 nm.The intensity of the emission,which is related to the defect states,is strongest at the annealing temperature of 800 C.The PL intensity of Er 3+ ions increases with increasing Ti/Si ratio due to energy transfer between nano-TiO 2 particles and Er 3+ ions.     

Growth Mechanism and Optimized Parameters to Synthesize Nafion-115 Nanowire Arrays with Anodic Aluminium Oxide Membranes as Templates

Nation-115 nanowire arrays are synthesized with an extrusion method using AAO membranes as templates. It is indicated that the vacuum treating of AAO templates before surface decoration plays an important role in obtaining high filling rate of the Nation-115 nanowires in the AAO templates, vchile the concentration of Nafion-115 DMSO solutions does not affect the flling rate greatly. The optimized parameters to synthesize the Nation-115 nanowire arrays are studied. The filling rate of the Nadion-115 nanowires in the AAO templates synthesized with the optimized parameters is about 95% discussed to qualitatively explain the experimental results The growth mechanism of Nafion-115 nanowires is     

Abnormal Photoluminescence Properties of Polycrystalline ZnO Nanowire Arrays Synthesized by Electrodeposition

Large-scale ZnO nanowire arrays are synthesized by electrodeposition with subsequent heat treatment in atmosphere ambient at 450-650℃. Photoluminescence （PL） is investigated at 295K. Abnormal PL properties of an unusual sharp emission at 485 nm and a broad ultraviolet emission which are different from the other works of ZnO PL before are observed. Field emission scanning electronic microscopy and transmission electron microscopy results show that the length of Zn 0 nanowires is nearly 5μm and their diameter is about 70 nm. X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction results reveal that the ZnO nanowires are a polycrystalline structure.     

Microstructural and electromagnetic properties of MnO2 coated nickel particles with submicron size

Nickel particles with submicron size are prepared by using the solvothermal method. These spheres are then coated with a layer of MnO2 using the soft chemical method. The microstructure is characterized by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Energy x-ray dispersive spectrometry and high-resolution images show that the granular composites have a classical core/shell structure with an MnO2 superficial layer,no more than 10 nm in thickness. The hysteresis measurements indicate that these submicron-size Ni composite powders have small remanence and moderate coercivity. The electromagnetic properties of the powders measured by a vector network analyzer in a frequency range of 2-18 GHz are also reported in detail.     

ZnO nanorod arrays with tunable size and field emission properties on an ITO substrate achieved by an electrodeposition method

In the present work,vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays with tunable size are successfully synthesized on nonseeded ITO glass substrates by a simple electrodeposition method.The effect of growth conditions on the phase,morphology,and orientation of the products are studied in detail by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).It is observed that the as-prepared nanostructures exhibit a preferred orientation along c axis,and the size and density of the ZnO nanorod can be controlled by changing the concentration of ZnCl2.Field emission properties of the as-synthesized samples with different diameters are also studied,and the results show that the nanorod arrays with a smaller diameter and appropriate rod density exhibit better emission properties.The ZnO nanorod arrays show a potential application in field emitters.