Growth of pagoda-topped tetragonal copper nanopillar arrays

Surfactant-assisted galvanic synthesis and growth characteristics of copper nanowires

One-dimensional copper nanowires (CuNWs) are synthesized on a large-scale using a cetyltrimethylammonium chloride-assisted galvanic replacement reaction on aluminum substrates.

Wafer Scale Fabrication of Dense and High Aspect Ratio Sub-50 nm Nanopillars from Phase Separation of Cross-Linkable Polysiloxane/Polystyrene Blend

We demonstrated a simple and effective approach to fabricate dense and high aspect ratio sub-50 nm pillars based on phase separation of a polymer blend composed of a cross-linkable polysiloxane and polystyrene (PS). In order to obtain the phase-separated domains with nanoscale size, a liquid prepolymer of cross-linkable polysiloxane was employed as one moiety for increasing the miscibility of the polymer blend. After phase separation via spin-coating, the dispersed domains of liquid polysiloxane with sub-50 nm size could be solidified by UV exposure. The solidified polysiloxane domains took the role of etching mask for formation of high aspect ratio nanopillars by O₂ reactive ion etching (RIE). The aspect ratio of the nanopillars could be further amplified by introduction of a polymer transfer layer underneath the polymer blend film. The effects of spin speeds, the weight ratio of the polysiloxane/PS blend, and the concentration of polysiloxane/PS blend in toluene on the characters of the nanopillars were investigated. The gold-coated nanopillar arrays exhibited a high Raman scattering enhancement factor in the range of 10⁸-10⁹ with high uniformity across over the wafer scale sample. A superhydrophobic surface could be realized by coating a self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of fluoroalkyltrichlorosilane on the nanopillar arrays. Sub-50 nm silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with high aspect ratio of about 1000 were achieved by using the nanopillars as etching mask through a metal-assisted chemical etching process. They showed an ultralow reflectance of approximately 0.1% for wavelengths ranging from 200 to 800 nm.

Vertically-Aligned Single-Crystal Nanocone Arrays: Controlled Fabrication and Enhanced Field Emission

Metal nanostructures with conical shape, vertical alignment, large ratio of cone height and curvature radius at the apex, controlled cone angle, and single-crystal structure are ideal candidates for enhancing field electron-emission efficiency with additional merits, such as good mechanical and thermal stability. However, fabrication of such nanostructures possessing all these features is challenging. Here, we report on the controlled fabrication of large scale, vertically aligned, and mechanically self-supported single-crystal Cu nanocones with controlled cone angle and enhanced field emission. The Cu nanocones were fabricated by ion-track templates in combination with electrochemical deposition. Their cone angle is controlled in the range from 0.3° to 6.2° by asymmetrically selective etching of the ion tracks and the minimum tip curvature diameter reaches down to 6 nm. The field emission measurements show that the turn-on electric field of the Cu nanocone field emitters can be as low as 1.9 V/μm at current density of 10 μA/cm(2) (a record low value for Cu nanostructures, to the best of our knowledge). The maximum field enhancement factor we measured was as large as 6068, indicating that the Cu nanocones are promising candidates for field emission applications.

Rectangular copper nanotubes

A straightforward galvanic displacement reaction was adopted to synthesize structurally novel rectangular Cu nanotubes. This 1D nanomaterial displayed excellent field emission properties and a favorable catalytic effect in the degradation of methylene blue in H₂O₂ solutions.

K and Au bicatalyst assisted growth of carbon nanocoils from acetylene: effect of deposition parameters on field emission properties

We demonstrated the growth of carbon nanocoils (CNCs) via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Au and K metals as the catalysts to assist the thermal decomposition of C(2)H(2). Typical CNCs (wire diameter: 50-80 nm, coil diameter: 110-140 nm, pitch: 100-200 nm, tens of micrometers), identified as amorphous coiled carbon fibers by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), were grown at proper combinations of reaction parameters. Au nanoparticles (NPs), identified by energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron diffraction (ED), were located at the tips of the CNCs. The observations suggested that a tip-growth mechanism involving the Au NPs as the nucleation sites was in operation. In the reaction, the liquid-phase K metal assisted the decomposition of C(2)H(2) by lowering the reaction temperature. We propose that acetylide and hydride intermediates were formed in the reaction. Further decomposition of the acetylide intermediates generated solid-phase carbon to grow the CNCs. Effects of varying the reaction conditions on the CNC growth were investigated. On the basis of the results, a Au and K bicatalyst enhanced tip-growth vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism was proposed to rationalize the CNC formation process. Electron field emission (EFE) characteristics of the CNCs were studied. The best EFE result showed a turn-on field (E(to)) of 3.78 V/μm and a field enhancement factor (β) of 1852. In addition, the current density (J) was as high as 43 mA/cm(2) at 6.87 V/μm. The data suggest that the CNCs could be employed for field emission device applications.

Recent progress in the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles

Nanoparticles probably constitute the largest class of nanomaterials. Nanoparticles of several inorganic materials have been prepared by employing a variety of synthetic strategies. Besides synthesizing nanoparticles, there has been considerable effort to selectively prepare nanoparticles of different shapes. In view of the great interest in inorganic nanoparticles evinced in the last few years, we have prepared this perspective on the present status of the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles. This article includes a brief discussion of methods followed by reports on the synthesis of nanoparticles of various classes of inorganic materials such as metals, alloys, oxides chalcogenides and pnictides. A brief section on core-shell nanoparticles is also included.

(110)-exposed gold nanocoral electrode as low onset potential selective glucose sensor

A straightforward electrochemical deposition process was developed to grow gold nanostructures, including nanocoral, nanothorn, branched belt, and nanoparticle, on carbon electrodes by reducing HAuCl4 under constant potentials in mixtures containing CTAC and/or NaNO3. Among the nanostructures, the quasi-one-dimensional nanocoral electrode showed the highest surface area. Because of this, it provided excellent electrochemical performances in cyclic voltammetric (CV) studies for kinetic-controlled enzyme-free glucose oxidation reactions. In amperometric studies carried out at 0.200 V in PBS (pH 7.40, 0.100 M), the nanocoral electrode showed the highest anodic current response. It also offered the greatest sensitivity, 22.6 μAmM(-1)cm(-2), an extended linear range, 5.00×10(-2) mM to 3.00×10(1) mM, and a low detection limit, 1.00×10(1) μm among the electrodes investigated in this study. In addition, the glucose oxidation by the nanocoral electrode started at -0.280 V, more negative than the one of using a commercial Au electrode as the working electrode. This is attributed to the presence of exposed Au (110) surfaces on the electrode. The feature was applied to oxidize glucose selectively in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA), common interferences found in physiological analytes. With an applied voltage at -0.100 V, the AA oxidation (started at -0.080 V) can be avoided while the glucose oxidation still provides a significant response.