Simultaneous detection of ammonia and humidity using transmission surface plasmon resonance technique

Abstract

Gas sensing by using the transmission surface plasmon resonance (T-SPR) technique was demonstrated. Polyacrylic acid (PAA)/5-nm-thick gold/40-nm-thick silver/polycarbonate grating substrate structure (Sensor A) responded to ammonia; however, it exhibited a strong humidity dependence. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/5-nm-thick gold/40-nm-thick silver/polycarbonate grating substrate structure (Sensor B) as the sensing material was also prepared and it mainly responded to humidity. The T-SPR properties of Sensors A and B were observed simultaneously by a stacking arrangement that enabled us to obtain the responses by using a single spectrophotometer. The ammonia concentration under various humidity conditions could be accurately obtained by simultaneous measurement of Sensors A and B.     

Colorimetric Determination Of Hydrogen Peroxide Based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance of Silver Nanoprisms Using a Microchannel Chip

Silver nanoprisms (AgNPrs) have unique optical phenomena due to their localized surface plasmon resonance that results in the extinction of light from the visible to the near-infrared spectral region. In this study, we propose the colorimetric determination of silver nanoprisms in microchannels using a smartphone camera. Image acquisition was performed by capturing an image of the colloidal solution of the silver nanoprisms in the microchannel using the transmitted light. Red, green, and blue chromaticity levels were extracted from the recorded images for further quantification of the silver nanoprisms. This technique was employed for the detection and colorimetric determination of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Good linearity between the change in the green chromaticity level and concentration of hydrogen peroxide was observed for values from 10 to 300?μM with an R² value of 0.9670. We anticipate that the developed methodology for the quantification of silver nanoprisms and hydrogen peroxide by monitoring the change in color in the images of transmitted light will enhance the development of simple, rapid, and reliable detection systems for quality control in the production of silver nanoprisms as well as in chemical sensor applications.     

Enhancement of organic thin-film solar cells by incorporating hybrid Au nanospheres and Au nanorods on a metallic grating surface

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrate the fabrication of hybrid plasmonic solar cells using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Two types of AuNPs, gold nanospheres (AuNSs) and gold nanorods (AuNRs), were incorporated in a hole transport layer (HTL) (PEDOT:PSS) on a metallic grating electrode. The organic solar cells (OSCs) structure comprised an indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate/PEDOT:PSS:AuNSs:AuNRs/P3HT:PCBM/Al grating electrode. Adding AuNPs induced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), while grating structured Al at the interface with a photoactive layer excited the propagating surface plasmons. Compared with a flat reference device, the proposed OSCs exhibited improved photovoltaic properties by increasing both the short-circuit current density (J_SC) and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) with large enhancements of 16.23% and 14.06%, respectively. The efficiency improvement was attributed to increased broadband absorption and improved electrical properties inside the thin-film devices.     

Investigation of Gold Quantum Dot Enhanced Organic Thin Film Solar Cells

Gold quantum dots (AuQDs) are employed as photosensitizers in organic thin‐film solar cells (OSCs) to improve their photoelectric conversion properties. Three types of AuQDs with different fluorescence emission wavelengths are used: blue (B‐AuQDs), green (G‐AuQDs), and red (R‐AuQDs). AuQDs are loaded into the poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) thin‐film layer of OSCs. UV–vis spectra, atomic force microscope images, current density–voltage characteristics, and impedance spectra of the fabricated devices are measured for the three aforementioned types of AuQDs. All types of AuQDs improve the photoelectric conversion properties, and the G‐AuQD‐loaded OSCs exhibit the best improvement, exhibiting an efficiency increase of 10% compared with OSCs without the AuQDs. The fluorescence/photosensitization of the AuQDs plays an important role in the enhancement of the OSCs. Finite‐difference time‐domain simulations indicate increased electric field intensity due to a small degree of AuQDs aggregation.