Electro-oxidation of ascorbic acid by cobalt core-shell nanoparticles on a H-terminated Si(100) and by nanostructured cobalt-coated Si nanowire electrodes

Facile synthesis of microporous sulfur-doped carbon spheres as electrodes for ultrasensitive detection of ascorbic acid in food and pharmaceutical products

The active interfacial surface of S-doped microporous carbon spheres strongly binds with ascorbic acid in food and pharmaceutical products.

Silicon nanowire heterostructures for advanced energy and environmental applications: a review

Semiconductor nanowires (NWs), in particular Si NWs, have attracted much attention in the last decade for their unique electronic properties and potential applications in several emerging areas. With the introduction of heterostructures (HSs) on NWs, new functionalities are obtained and the device performance is improved significantly in many cases. Due to the easy fabrication techniques, excellent optoelectronic properties and compatibility of forming HSs with different inorganic/organic materials, Si NW HSs have been utilized in various configurations and device architectures. Herein, we review the recent developments in Si NW HS-based devices including the fabrication techniques, properties (e.g., light emitting, antireflective, photocatalytic, electrical, photovoltaic, sensing etc) and related emerging applications in energy generation, conversion, storage, and environmental cleaning and monitoring. In particular, recent advances in Si NW HS-based solar photovoltaics, light-emitting devices, thermoelectrics, Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen generation, artificial photosynthesis, photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in water treatment, chemical and gas sensors, biomolecular sensors for microbial monitoring etc have been addressed in detail. The problems and challenges in utilizing Si NW HSs in device applications and the key parameters to improve the device performance are pointed out. The recent trends in the commercial applications of Si NW HS-based devices and future outlook of the field are presented at the end.

Sacrificial Template Synthesis and Properties of 3D Hollow-Silicon Nano- and Microstructures

Novel three-dimensional (3D) hollow aero-silicon nano- and microstructures, namely, Si-tetrapods (Si-T) and Si-spheres (Si-S) were synthesized by a sacrificial template approach for the first time. The new Si-T and Si-S architectures were found as most temperature-stable hollow nanomaterials, up to 1000 °C, ever reported. The synthesized aero-silicon or aerogel was integrated into sensor structures based on 3D networks. A single microstructure Si-T was employed to investigate electrical and gas sensing properties. The elaborated hollow microstructures open new possibilities and a wide area of perspectives in the field of nano- and microstructure synthesis by sacrificial template approaches. The enormous flexibility and variety of the hollow Si structures are provided by the special geometry of the sacrificial template material, ZnO-tetrapods (ZnO-T). A Si layer was deposited onto the surface of ZnO-T networks by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. All samples demonstrated p-type conductivity; hence, the resistance of the sensor structure increased after introducing the reducing gases in the test chamber. These hollow structures and their unique and superior properties can be advantageous in different fields, such as NEMS/MEMS, batteries, dye-sensitized solar cells, gas sensing in harsh environment, and biomedical applications. This method can be extended for synthesis of other types of hollow nanostructures.

Stable and magnetically reusable nanoporous magnetite micro/nanospheres for rapid extraction of carcinogenic contaminants from water

Schematic shows the overall experimental details of hydrothermal process and formation of porous structures with magnetic separability test.

Highly stable and ultrasensitive chlorogenic acid sensor based on metal–organic frameworks/titanium dioxide nanocomposites

Metal–organic frameworks/titanium dioxide nanocomposites were utilized as novel electrode materials for ultrasensitive chlorogenic acid determination with improved stability.

Novel electroanalytical platform based on bimetallic oxide nanospheres for the sensitive determination of Rhodamine B

In this work, uniform cobalt and nickel bimetallic oxides were formed by calcining the carbon templates, which were then modified on a glassy carbon electrode (cobalt–nickel oxide/GCE) as a novel system for the preparation of an electrochemical sensing platform. The electrochemical oxidation behavior of Rhodamine B (RB) at the cobalt–nickel oxide/GCE was investigated using differential pulse voltammetry under optimal conditions; the high electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrode toward analysis of RB was indicated. In addition, a linear range of 0.03−1.0 μmol L–1 and a low detection limit of 5.3 nmol L–1 (S/N = 3) for RB detection were obtained. Finally, the developed method with good stability and sensitivity was successfully applied for RB determination in food samples extract.