Room temperature hydrogen sensing of multiple networked ZnO/WO3 core–shell nanowire sensors under UV illumination

ZnO/WO₃ core–shell nanowires were synthesized by thermal evaporation of a mixture of ZnO and graphite powders (ZnO:C = 1:1) followed by sputter-deposition of WO₃. The sensing properties of multiple networked ZnO-core/WO₃-shell nanorod sensors toward H₂ gas was examined. The responses of pristine ZnO and ZnO-core/WO₃-shell nanorods to 1000 ppm H₂ at room temperature under UV illumination were ∼236% and ∼645%, respectively. The responses of the core–shell nanowires increased from ∼118 to ∼645% with increasing the UV illumination intensity from 0 mW/cm² to 1.2 mW/cm². The enhanced sensing performance of the ZnO-core/WO₃-shell nanowires induced by encapsulation with WO₃ was explained based on a combination of surface depletion and potential barrier-controlled carrier transport models. The origin of the enhanced sensing properties of ZnO-core/WO₃-shell nanorods toward H₂ under UV illumination was also discussed.     

Enhanced ethanol sensing properties of TiO2/ZnO core–shell nanorod sensors

TiO₂-core/ZnO-shell nanorods were synthesized using a two-step process: the synthesis of TiO₂ nanorods using a hydrothermal method followed by atomic layer deposition of ZnO. The mean diameter and length of the nanorods were ～300 nm and ～2.3 μm, respectively. The cores and shells of the nanorods were monoclinic-structured single-crystal TiO₂ and wurtzite-structured single-crystal ZnO, respectively. The multiple networked TiO₂-core/ZnO-shell nanorod sensors showed responses of 132–1054 % at ethanol (C₂H₅OH) concentrations ranging from 5 to 25 ppm at 150 ^°C. These responses were 1–5 times higher than those of the pristine TiO₂ nanorod sensors at the same C₂H₅OH concentration range. The substantial improvement in the response of the pristine TiO₂ nanorods to C₂H₅OH gas by their encapsulation with ZnO may be attributed to the enhanced absorption and dehydrogenation of ethanol. In addition, the enhanced sensor response of the core–shell nanorods can be attributed partly to changes in resistance due to both the surface depletion layer of each core–shell nanorod and the potential barriers built in the junctions caused by a combination of homointerfaces and heterointerfaces.     

Characterization and ammonia sensing properties of pure and?modified ZnO films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) films have been prepared by thermal oxidation of pre-deposited zinc films on the glass substrate kept at room temperature. These films were surface modified by dipping them into an aqueous solution (0.1 M) of lithium chloride (LiCl) and aluminium chloride (AlCl₃) followed by firing at 500°C. Based on X-ray diffraction results it is observed that modification of pure ZnO by lithium and aluminium precursor results a change in the lattice parameters. Li and Al ions appear to enhance the a-axis orientation and c-axis orientation of pure ZnO films, respectively. Field emission scanning electron micrographs of lithium-modified ZnO film indicate the presence of nanoneedles, while nanorods are observed in case of aluminium-modified ZnO film. The electrical resistance measurements of modified ZnO films also show variation in resistance as compared to pure ZnO film. Pure and Al-modified films of ZnO are sensitive to ammonia at room temperature, while Al-modified ZnO film is found to be more sensitive with 99% of response at 250 ppm.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and gas sensing properties of?single-crystalline ultralong ZnO nanowires

Ultralong ZnO nanowires were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction of Zn foil and aqueous Na₂C₂O₄ solution at 140°C. The as-synthesized ZnO nanowires are single crystalline with the wurtzite structure and grow in the [0001] direction. The role of Na₂C₂O₄ in the formation of ultralong ZnO nanowires was investigated, and a possible mechanism was also proposed to account for the formation of the ultralong ZnO nanowires. The gas sensor fabricated on the basis of the ultralong ZnO nanowires showed excellent response characteristics towards NH₃ and N(C₂H₅)₃ vapors with low concentration, and its detection limits for NH₃ and N(C₂H₅)₃ are about 0.2 and 0.15 ppm at the working temperature of 180°C, respectively. This result suggests potential applications of the ultralong ZnO nanowires in monitoring flammable, toxic and corrosive gases.     

A UV–Visible–NIR fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope for laser-based biological sensing with picosecond resolution

This article describes the design and characterization of a wide-field, time-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) system developed for picosecond time-resolved biological imaging. The system consists of a nitrogen-pumped dye laser for UV–visible–NIR excitation (337.1–960 nm), an epi-illuminated microscope with UV compatible optics, and a time-gated intensified CCD camera with an adjustable gate width (200 ps-10^-3 s) for temporally resolved, single-photon detection of fluorescence decays with 9.6-bit intensity resolution and 1.4-μm spatial resolution. Intensity measurements used for fluorescence decay calculations are reproducible to within 2%, achieved by synchronizing the ICCD gate delay to the excitation laser pulse via a constant fraction optical discriminator and picosecond delay card. A self-consistent FLIM system response model is presented, allowing for fluorescence lifetimes (0.6 ns) significantly smaller than the FLIM system response (1.14 ns) to be determined to 3% of independently determined values. The FLIM system was able to discriminate fluorescence lifetime differences of at least 50 ps. The spectral tunability and large temporal dynamic range of the system are demonstrated by imaging in living human cells: UV-excited endogenous fluorescence from metabolic cofactors (lifetime ∼1.4 ns); and 460-nm excited fluorescence from an exogenous oxygen-quenched ruthenium dye (lifetime ∼400 ns). Received: 23 February 2003 / Published online: 22 May 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +1-734/9361-905, E-mail: mycek@umich.edu     

Improvement of ammonia sensing properties of poly(pyrrole)–poly (n-methylpyrrole) composite by ion irradiation

In the present investigation we have electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole–poly (n-methylpyrrole) composite film with optimized process parameters (viz. concentration of monomers and dopant, applied current density, deposition time, pH of electrolyte etc.) on platinum substrate. The composite film of polypyrrole–poly (n-methylpyrrole) was subjected to electrical, spectral and morphological characterizations and its sensing response to various concentration of ammonia was also studied. Later, the synthesized composite films were irradiated under high vacuum (∼5×10⁻⁶ Torr) at room temperature with 85 MeV O⁷⁺ ion beam at various fluences from 1×10⁵ to 1×10⁷ ions/cm². We have observed remarkable improvements in electrical and morphological properties suitable for gas-sensing applications. The irradiated composite film was evaluated for the sensing of various concentrations of ammonia and excellent improvement in terms of sensitivity, lower detection limit and response time was observed.     

Optical and Photoluminescent Properties of Thin-Film ZnO–PLZT Structure in the UV and Visible Spectral Regions

Optics and Spectroscopy - The structural, optical, and photoluminescent properties of the thin-film structure ZnO–PLZT ferroelectric ceramics are studied. The results of X-ray diffraction...     

Coherent X-ray diffraction investigation of twinned microcrystals

Coherent X-ray diffraction has been used to study pseudo-merohedrally twinned manganite microcrystals. The analyzed compositions were Pr(5/8)Ca(3/8)MnO(3) and La(0.275)Pr(0.35)Ca(3/8)MnO(3). The prepared loose powder was thermally attached to glass (and quartz) capillary walls by gentle heating to ensure positional stability during data collection. Many diffraction data sets were recorded and some of them were split as expected from the main observed twin law: 180° rotation around [101]. The peak splitting was measured with very high precision owing to the high-resolution nature of the diffraction data, with a resolution (Δd/d) better than 2.0 × 10(-4). Furthermore, when these microcrystals are illuminated coherently, the different crystallographic phases of the structure factors induce interference in the form of a speckle pattern. The three-dimensional speckled Bragg peak intensity distribution has been measured providing information about the twin domains within the microcrystals. Research is ongoing to invert the measured patterns. Successful phase retrieval will allow mapping out the twin domains and twin boundaries which play a key role in the physical properties.     

ZnO–SnO2 branch–stem nanowires based on a two-step process: Synthesis and sensing capability

ZnO–SnO₂ branch–stem nanostructures were realized on a basis of a two-step process. In step 1, SnO₂-stem nanowires were synthesized. In step 2, ZnO-branch nanowires were successfully grown on the SnO₂-stem nanowires through a simple evaporation technique. We have pre-deposited thin Au layers on the surface of SnO₂ nanowire stems and subsequently evaporated Zn powders on the nanowires. The ZnO branches, which sprouted from the SnO₂ stems, had diameters in a range of 30–35 nm. As-synthesized branches were of single crystalline hexagonal ZnO structures. Since the branch tips were comprised of Au-containing nanoparticles, the Au-catalyzed vapor–liquid–solid growth mechanism was more likely to control the growth process of the ZnO branches. To test a potential use of ZnO–SnO₂ branch–stem nanostructures in chemical gas sensors, their sensing performances with respect to NO₂ gas were investigated, showing the promising potential in chemical gas sensors.     

Application of aluminum foil for “strain sensing” at fatigue damage evaluation of carbon fiber composite

Surface layer of a loaded solid is an individual structural level of deformation that was shown numerously within concept of physical mesomechanics.This gives rise to advance in its deformation development under loading as well as allows using this phenomenon to sense the strain induced structure changes.It is of specific importance for composite materials since they are highly heterogeneous while estimating their mechanical state is a topical applied problem.Fatigue tests of carbon fiber composite specimens were carried out for cyclic deformation estimation with the use of strain sensors made of thin(80μm)aluminum foil glued to the specimen’s surface.The surface images were captured by DSLR camera mounted onto an optical microscope.Strain relief to form during cyclic loading was numerically estimated using different parameters:dispersion,mean square error,universal image quality index,fractal dimension and energy of Fourier spectrum.The results are discussed in view of deformation mismatch in thin foil and bulk specimen and are offered to be applied for the development of Structural Health Monitoring(SHM)approach.     

Laser-assisted one-step fabrication of homogeneous glass–silver composite

Glass doped with silver ions was fabricated using a dry technique and then irradiated at the scanning speed of 14 mm?s^?1 using a nanosecond pulsed Nd:YVO₄ laser operating at 355?nm. This led to the spatially selective, one-step precipitation of silver particles and fabrication of a homogeneously structured optical composite material: glass?Csilver composite. The optical and structural properties of such composite material can be designed at will, which could have potential impact on light/plasmon wave and sensing technologies, optoelectronics, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.     

Physicochemical studies of PVdF–HFP-based polymer–ionic liquid composite electrolytes

Polymer–ionic liquid composite electrolytes based on poly (vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF–HFP) and room temperature ionic liquid: 2,3-dimethyl-1-octylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (DMOImPF₆) have been synthesized and studied. The addition of dimethylacetamide (DMA) and propylene carbonate (PC), both with high dielectric constant and low viscosity, to polymer electrolytes has been found to result in an enhancement of conductivity by one order of magnitude. Composite polymer electrolytes containing ionic liquid have been found to be thermally stable upto 300°C. Motional narrowing observed in the variation of line width of ¹H and ¹⁹F NMR peaks with temperature suggests that both cations and anions are mobile in these electrolytes.     

The Ag+ induced solution–liquid–solid growth, photoluminescence and photocatalytic activity of twinned ZnSe nanowires

Cubic ZnSe nanowires with periodically alternating twins along the wire growth direction are synthesized in the ZnCl₂–Na₂SeO₃–AgNO₃–ethylenediamine (EN)-ethylene glycol (EG)-polyvinyl–pyrrolidone (PVP) solvothermal system at 180°C for 12 h. The twinned ZnSe nanowires have diameters of 75±10 nm and lengths of >10 micrometers, and grow along 〈111〉 direction. The role of AgNO₃ in the formation of ZnSe nanowires was investigated, and an Ag⁺ induced solution–liquid–solid growth mechanism is also proposed to account for the conversion of microspheres assembled from ZnSe nanocrystallites into ZnSe nanowires. Compared with ZnSe microspheres, the as-prepared twinned ZnSe nanowires exhibit stronger band edge emissions of the wurtzite- and zinc-blende-structured ZnSe and lower deep defect related emission, and their photocatalytic ability is weaker than that of ZnSe microspheres. The results suggest that this simple, mild, one-step solution approach to fabricate ZnSe nanowires may be employed for the synthesis of other selenium compounds with one dimensional nanostructures, and provides opportunities for both fundamental research and technological applications.     

Sol–gel derived ZnO nanoparticulate films for ultraviolet photodetector (UV) applications

Zinc oxide nanoparticles based UV detector was fabricated on thermally oxidized silicon substrate. ZnO nanoparticle films were deposited using sol–gel route. The seed solution was prepared using two different solvents (methanol and isopropyl alcohol (IPA)). The surface morphology of the prepared films was characterized by FESEM. Structural characterization along with optical measurements was carried out using XRD and UV–vis spectroscopy. For the UV photo-detector, ZnO thin film prepared in IPA is selected based on their structural and optical analysis. The changes in photo-response of ZnO thin film with respect to time was studied under the dark and variable UV intensities. It was observed that the photocurrent increased with a factor of 4.82 under 1.16 mW of UV intensity. It is believe that the synthesized ZnO thin films have potential to use in the ultraviolet photo-detector applications.     

Electrical properties of a solid polymeric electrolyte of PVC–ZnO–LiClO4

The ZnO filler has been introduced into a solid polymeric electrolyte of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)–ZnO–LiClO₄, replacing costly organic filler for conductivity improvement. Ionic conductivity of PVC–ZnO–LiClO₄ as a function of ZnO concentration and temperature has been studied. The electrolyte samples were prepared by solution casting technique. The ionic conductivity was measured using impedance spectroscopy technique. It was observed that the conductivity of the electrolyte varies with ZnO concentration and temperature. The temperature dependence on the conductivity of electrolyte was modelled by Arrhenius and Vogel–Tammann–Fulcher equations, respectively. The temperature dependence on the conductivity does not fit in both models. The highest room temperature conductivity of the electrolyte of 3.7 × 10⁻⁷ Scm⁻¹ was obtained at 20% by weight of ZnO and that without ZnO filler was found to be 8.8 × 10⁻¹⁰ Scm⁻¹. The conductivity has been improved by 420 times when the ZnO filler was introduced into the PVC–LiClO₄ electrolyte system. It was also found that the glass transition temperature of the electrolyte PVC–ZnO–LiClO₄ is about the same as PVC–LiClO₄. The increase in conductivity of the electrolyte with the ZnO filler was explained in terms of its surface morphology.     

Preparation and characterization of polyindole–ZnO composite polymer electrolyte with LiClO<Subscript>4</Subscript>

This paper describes the preparation and conductivity studies of polyindole–ZnO composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) with LiClO₄. Polyindole–ZnO-based polymer nanocomposites were prepared by chemical method and characterized by XRD, infrared (IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The IR spectrum confirms the intermolecular interaction between polyindole and ZnO. The significant spectral changes of polyindole and ZnO nancomposites reveal the strong interaction between polyindole and ZnO nanoparticles. The structural morphologies of the ZnO, polyindole, and polyindole–ZnO are obtained from SEM. The TEM image of polyindole nanocomposite shows that ZnO is embedded in polyindole matrix. An enhanced conductivity of 4.405 × 10⁻⁷ S cm⁻¹ at 50 °C for the CPE was determined from impedance studies.     

Control of the shell structure of ZnO–ZnS core-shell structure

Nanostructured ZnO–ZnS core-shell powders were synthesized through a solution method using a thioacetamide (TAA) solution in deionized water. ZnO powder and TAA solution were employed to supply zinc and sulfur ions to form the ZnO–ZnS core-shell structures. The structure of the ZnS shell was strongly affected by the mole concentration of the TAA, and the structural properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties of the nanostructured powders were also compared with those of pure ZnO powder. The ultraviolet (UV) emission was greatly enhanced compared to when pure ZnO powder was used in the nanostructured powder synthesized using the 0.5 M TAA solution, while the UV emission of that with the 0.05 M TAA solution was reduced. The green emission of the nanostructured powders was reduced compared to when the pure ZnO powder was used. The mechanism of the structural changes in the core-shell structures is proposed here and its effect on the luminescent properties is discussed.     

Fabrication and electrochemical performance of graphene–ZnO nanocomposites

Graphene–ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized successfully through a one-step solvothermal approach. The morphology, structure, and composition of the prepared nanocomposites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscope(TEM), laser micro Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy(FT-IR). The outcomes confirmed that this approach is comparatively steady, practicable, and operable compared with other reported methods. The electrochemical performance of the graphene-ZnO electrodes was analyzed through cyclic voltammetry, altering-current(AC) impedance, and chronopotentiometry tests. The graphene–ZnO electrodes exhibited an improved electrode performance with higher specific capacitance(115 F·g-1), higher electrochemical stability, and higher energy density than the graphene electrodes and most reported graphene–ZnO electrodes. Graphene–ZnO nanocomposites have a steady reversible charge/discharge behavior, which makes them promising candidates for electrochemical capacitors(ECs).     

Investigation of hydrogen storage in MWCNT–TiO2 composite

The hydrogen storage capacity of MWCNT–TiO₂ composite has been evaluated in the present work. The composite has been prepared by means of ultrasonication followed by drop casting on substrates. Morphology, structural and functional group studies of the prepared samples are carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Then, the samples are hydrogenated in the hydrogenation chamber as a function of time. Hydrogen storage capacity of the composite sample is found to be 0.9 wt% at 100 °C. Hydrogen uptake of the composite is accounted for the spillover mechanism in CNTs–metal oxide composite. Desorption temperature range, activation energy of desorption, binding energy of hydrogen are determined from thermogravimetric (TG) analysis.     

Dynamics of a new composite four–Scroll chaotic system

A new three-dimensional autonomous chaotic system is proposed. This new system can generate single-scroll, double-scroll, three-scroll and four-scroll attractors under different system parameters. Particularly, it can generate a four-scroll chaotic attractor composed of a large Chua-like attractor and a small Lorenz-like attractor. And the system can also generate a nested three-scroll attractor and the multi-double-scroll chaotic attractor. In addition, the system possesses the chaotic state transition, and the number of scrolls will change in the state transition process. The formation mechanism of the composite four-scroll chaotic attractor is analyzed in detail. The dynamic analysis methods include time series, 0–1 test chart, phase diagram, bifurcation diagram and Lyapunov exponents are used to describe some basic dynamics behaviors of the proposed system.