Suchergebnisse

The development of fully-inorganic thin flexible materials is important for flexible thermoelectric applications in a wide temperature range, such as harvesting power from hot curved surfaces (e.g. hot pipes). Here, we investigate the thermoelectric properties of a series of ZnO:Ga,Al thin films with varying dopant concentration deposited on flexible mica substrate by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The films are bendable, while sustaining the high power factor, above 1 x 10(-4)Wm(-1)K(-2) for singly doped Zn0.99Ga0.01O film in a wide temperature range, from room temperature to 400 degrees C. IMPACT STATEMENTFor the first time we demonstrate here that ZnO-film-on-mica can be a promising n-type candidate for fully-inorganic flexible thermoelectrics, especially, for applications at elevated temperatures [GRAPHICS] ; Funding Agencies|European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community [335383]; Swedish Research Council (VR) [2016-03365]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [SFO-Mat-LiU 2009 00971]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation through the Academy Fellow program; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) through the Future Research Leaders 5 program; Swedish Research Council (VR) Marie Sklodowska Curie International Career Grant [2015-00679]; AForsk [14-517]

We report on the application of a single layer graphene substrates for the growth of polycrystalline ZnO films with advanced light emission properties. Unusually high ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) photoluminesce was observed from the ZnO/Gr/SiC structures in comparison to identical samples without graphene. The photoluminescence intensity depends non-monotonically on the films thickness, reaching its maximum for 150 nm thick films. The phenomena observed is explained as due to the dual graphene role: i) the dangling bond free substrate, providing growth of relaxed thin ZnO layers ii) a back reflector active mirror of the Fabry-Perot cavity that is formed. The reported results demonstrate the potential of two-dimensional carbon materials integration with light emitting wide band gap semiconductors and can be of practical importance for the design of future optoelectronic devices. ; Funding agencies: Linkoping Linnaeus Initiative for Novel Functional Materials (LiLi-NFM); Angpanneforeningens Forskningsstiftelse [14-517]; European Union [604391]

The promise of graphene and its derivatives as next generation sensors for real-time detection of toxic heavy metals (HM) requires a clear understanding of behavior of these metals on the graphene surface and response of the graphene to adsorption events. Our calculations herein were focused on the investigation of the interaction between three HMs, namely Cd, Hg and Pb, with graphene quantum dots (GQDs). We determine binding energies and heights of both neutral and charged HM ions on these GQDs. The results show that the adsorption energy of donor-like physisorbed neutral Pb atoms is larger than that of either Cd or Hg. In contrast to the donor-like behavior of elemental HMs, the chemisorbed charged HM species act as typical acceptors. The energy barriers to migration of the neutral adatoms on GQDs are also estimated. In addition, we show how the substitution of a carbon atom by a HM adatom changes the geometric structure of GQDs and hence their electronic and vibrational properties. UV-visible absorption spectra of HM-adsorbed GQDs vary with the size and shape of the GQD. Based on our results, we suggest a route towards the development of a graphene-based sensing platform for the optical detection of toxic HMs. ; Funding Agencies|European Union [696656]; Swedish Research Council (VR) [621-2014-5805]; Angpanneforeningens Forskningsstiftelse [16-541]; Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) under its Starter Investigator Research Grant (SIRG) Programme [15/SIRG/3314]; Swedish Research Council (VR) Marie Sklodowska Curie International Career Grant [2015-00679]; AForsk [14-517]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Areas in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [2009-00971]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation through the Strong Field Physics and New States of Matter Grant; Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation [14.Y26.31.0005]

A vertical diode structure comprising homogeneous monolayer epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide is fabricated by thermal decomposition of a Si-face 4H-SiC wafer in argon atmosphere. Current-voltage characteristics of the graphene/SiC Schottky junction were analyzed by applying the thermionic-emission theory. Extracted values of the Schottky barrier height and the ideality factor are found to be 0.4879 +/- 0.013 eV and 1.01803 +/- 0.0049, respectively. Deviations of these parameters from average values are smaller than those of previously observed literature data, thereby implying uniformity of the Schottky barrier height over the whole diode area, a stable rectifying behaviour and a good quality of ohmic palladium-graphene contacts. Keeping in mind the strong sensitivity of graphene to analytes we propose the possibility to use the graphene/SiC Schottky diode as a sensing platform for the recognition of toxic heavy metals. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations we gain insight into the nature of the interaction of cadmium, mercury and lead with graphene as well as estimate the work function and the Schottky barrier height of the graphene/SiC structure before and after applying heavy metals to the sensing material. A shift of the I-V characteristics of the graphene/SiC-based sensor has been proposed as an indicator of presence of the heavy metals. Since the calculations suggested the strongest charge transfer between Pb and graphene, the proposed sensing platform was characterized by good selectivity towards lead atoms and slight interferences from cadmium and mercury. The dependence of the sensitivity parameters on the concentration of Cd, Hg and Pb is studied and discussed. ; Funding Agencies|Graphene Flagship EU project GrapheneCore 1 [696656]; VR grant [621-2014-5805]; KAW foundation and Angpanneforeningens Forskningsstiftelse [14-517, 16-541]; Swedish Research Council (VR) Marie Sklodowska Curie International Career Grant [2015-00679]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009-00971]

Deep understanding of binding of toxic Lead (Pb) species on the surface of two-dimensional materials is a required prerequisite for the development of next-generation sensors that can provide fast and real-time detection of critically low concentrations. Here we report atomistic insights into the Lead behavior on epitaxial graphene (Gr) on silicon carbide substrates by thorough complementary study of voltammetry, electrical characterization, Raman spectroscopy, and Density Functional Theory (DFT). It is verified that the epitaxial graphene exhibits quasi-reversible anode reactions in aqueous solutions, providing a well-defined redox peak for Pb species and good linearity over a concentration range from 1 nM to 1 mu M. The conductometric approach offers another way to investigate Lead adsorption, which is based on the formations of stable charge-transfer complexes affecting the p-type conductivity of epitaxial graphene. Our results suggest the adsorption ability of the epitaxial graphene towards divalent Lead ions is concentration-dependent and tends to saturate at higher concentrations. To elucidate the mechanisms responsible for Pb adsorption, we performed DFT calculations and estimated the solvent-mediated interaction between Lead species in different oxidative forms and graphene. Our results provide central information regarding the energetics and structure of Pb-graphene interacting complexes that underlay the adsorption mechanisms of neutral and divalent Lead species. Such a holistic understanding favors design and synthesis of new sensitive materials for water quality monitoring. ; Funding Agencies|VR grants [VR 621-2014-5805, VR 2016-05362]; SSF [SSF GMT14-0077, SSF RMA15-0024]; Angpanneforeningens Forskningsstiftelse [16-541]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [2009-00971]

We demonstrate scalable, low-cost and low-temperature (<100 °C) aqueous chemical growth of bismuth–zinc vanadate (BiZn2VO6) nanocompounds by BiVO4 growth on ZnO nanobelts (NBs). The nanocompounds were further doped with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to tune the electronic structure of the materials, as a means to lower the charge carrier recombination rate. The chemical composition, morphology, and detailed nanostructure of the BiZn2VO6 nanocompounds were characterized. They exhibit rice-like morphology, are highly dense on the substrate and possess a good crystalline quality. Photoelectrochemical characterization in 0.1 M lithium perchlorate in carbonate propylene shows that BiZn2VO6 nanocompounds are highly suitable as anodes for solar-driven photoelectrochemical applications, providing significantly better performance than with only ZnO NBs. This performance could be attributed to the heterogeneous catalysis effect at nanocompound and ZnO NB interfaces, which have enhanced the electron transfer process on the electrode surface. Furthermore, the charge collection efficiency could be significantly improved through PEG doping of nanocompounds. The photocurrent density of PEG-doped BiZn2VO6 nanocompounds reached values of 2 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), over 60% larger than that of undoped BiZn2VO6 nanocompounds. Photoluminescence emission experiments confirmed that PEG plays a crucial role in lowering the charge carrier recombination rate. The presented BiZn2VO6 nanocompounds are shown to provide highly competitive performance compared with other state-of-the art photoelectrodes. ; Funding agencies: Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Khartoum-Sudan [700]; Wenner-Gren Foundations; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Material at Linkoping University [2009 00971]; Swedish Foundation for Strate

The discovery of graphene and its unique properties has inspired researchers to try to invent other two-dimensional (2D) materials. After considerable research effort, a distinct "beyond graphene" domain has been established, comprising the library of non-graphene 2D materials. It is significant that some 2D non-graphene materials possess solid advantages over their predecessor, such as having a direct band gap, and therefore are highly promising for a number of applications. These applications are not limited to nano- and opto-electronics, but have a strong potential in biosensing technologies, as one example. However, since most of the 2D non-graphene materials have been newly discovered, most of the research efforts are concentrated on material synthesis and the investigation of the properties of the material. Applications of 2D non-graphene materials are still at the embryonic stage, and the integration of 2D non-graphene materials into devices is scarcely reported. However, in recent years, numerous reports have blossomed about 2D material-based biosensors, evidencing the growing potential of 2D non-graphene materials for biosensing applications. This review highlights the recent progress in research on the potential of using 2D non-graphene materials and similar oxide nanostructures for different types of biosensors (optical and electrochemical). A wide range of biological targets, such as glucose, dopamine, cortisol, DNA, IgG, bisphenol, ascorbic acid, cytochrome and estradiol, has been reported to be successfully detected by biosensors with transducers made of 2D non-graphene materials. ; Funding Agencies|EC FP-7 International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) Grant [318520]; Linkoping Linnaeus Initiative for Novel Functional Materials (LiLi-NFM); European Union [604391]; Swedish Research Council (VR) Marie Sklodowska Curie International Career Grant [2015-00679]