ZnO nanostructures have proven to be versatile functional materials with promising electronic, piezoelectric and optical properties. Here, we report on the application of (CdSe) ZnS Core Shell quantum dots decorated ZnO Nanowires (ZnONWs) and Nanobelts (NBs) in solar energy harvesting. Results indicate that both as grown and decorated ZnO Nanostructures are photoactive, have a fast response time and generate photocurrent under excitation in a photoelectrochemical cell setup. An order of magnitude enhancement in the photocurrent response of (CdSe) ZnS Core Shell quantum dots decorated ZnONBs is seen as compared to response from as grown ZnONBs. Generated photocurrent decreases with time but stabilizes at higher value for (CdSe) ZnS Core Shell quantum dots coated ZnONBs. Detailed performances of these devices are discussed.

ZnO nanostructures have attracted a great deal of interest because of their biocompatibility and outstanding optical and piezoelectric properties. Their uses are widely varying, including as the active element in sensors, solar cells, and nanogenerators. One of the major complications in device development is how to grow ZnO nanowires in well aligned and patterned films with predefined geometrical shape and aspect ratio. Controlled growth is required to achieve the optimal density of nanowires and to produce a defined geometric structure for incorporation in the device. In this work, we have presented a method by which vertically aligned ZnO nanowires could be grown in defined patterns on surfaces without the use of resists. We used a hydrothermal method to grow ZnO nanowires on a substrate through growth modifiers that was pre-patterned with a seeding solution by means of microcontact printing. This method produced vertically aligned ZnO nanowires of predefined size and shape with pattern resolution high enough for the production of rows of single nanowires. The nanowires were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) techniques.

Synthesis of InSb nanowires using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is technically challenging due to the tuning of III-V vapor pressures. Growth parameters such as the choice of the metal catalyst, growth temperature and vapor pressure of constituents affect the morphology and stoichiometry of InSb nanowires. By controlling the growth temperature, it was possible to grow either stoichiometric InSb nanowires or In nanowires that contained no Sb within detectable limits. We present a simple model to show that the occurrence of native point defects in InSb is influenced by the growth kinetics and by the thermodynamics of defect formation. Results from this model are in good agreement with our experimental findings of the evidence of point defects in these nanowires.

Creation of nanoscale building blocks with various sizes and shapes are critical for the progress of nanotechnology. The synthesis of GaN nanowires by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Ga and NH3 as source materials on SiO2/Si substrate was systematically studied. Various types of catalyst materials, including gold (film and nanoparticle), nickel (film and nanoparticle), silver, cobalt and iron, have been used. The growth runs have been carried out at temperatures between 800 and 1100oC under two different carrier gases; H2 and Ar. Initial growth runs using Ar as carrier gas resulted in microscale-faceted nanostructures and short nanorods regardless of the growth temperature or reactor pressure. We have successfully achieved ultra-dense interwoven long nanowires using hydrogen as carrier gas at 1100oC. In fact, the yield has been very high for both gold and nickel catalysts. It should be emphasized that combination of high-temperature and hydrogen has resulted in ultra-dense interwoven long GaN nanowires. These results suggest a radical change in growth kinetics at high temperatures in the presence of H2. The GaN nanowire diameters are in the range of 15 nm to 50 nm and lengths up to hundred microns. The grown nanowires have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM with EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

The surface of Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substrate was modified with a newly designed silane coupling molecule bearing azobenzene moiety. The silane coupling molecules formed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on pretreated ITO surface. The SAM growth and coverage were quantified by contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The silane coupling molecules improved the adhesion between the ITO surface and an amphiphilic block copolymer (BC) thin film, which consists of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(methacrylate) (PMA) with azobenzene mesogens, because the azobenzene moieties of the SAM anchor the liquid crystalline PMA azobenzene domains of BC.

We first fabricated a p-type single-crystalline SiNW array as the core by statistic electroless metal deposition (SEMD) method[1]. This structure exhibits per excellent absorption efficiency without increasing the diffusion path, indicating 1.75 times greater performance than Si-based planar solar cells under the same condition[2]. Next, we employed a method of spin-on dopant (SOD) to fabricate an n-type layer as an external thin shell, which benefits to decouple the absorption of light from charge transport by allowing lateral diffusion of minority carriers to the p-n junction rather than many microns away as in Si bulk solar cells, and is suitable for our SiNW array with a hydrophilic surface. Finally, our SiNW-based solar cell possesses strong broadband absorption and low reflection from visible light to near IR, in which the highly light trapping mechanism stems from the effective medium theory (EMT) to demonstrate only less than 3% of total reflectance in the range of 500-1100 nm. It also shows conversion efficiency improvement of 20% compared with the planar single-crystalline Si solar cell by the same fabrication processes. The proposed novel photovoltaic device by our core-shell SiNW array revolutionizes the current architecture of solar cells, promising niche points of (1) better absorption, (2) self-antireflection, and (3) low-cost process.

The performance of tunnel FETs is investigated and the impact of device structure and dimension as well as the impact of the transistor material will be studied. For instance, using nanowires with thin diameter providing one-dimensional transport together with a wrap-gate device structure strongly improves the tunnel FET performance. In addition, the use of III-V type II heterostructures is a further performance booster. However, the use of III-V semiconductors with low density of states can be problematic if the device is not designed properly. Here we will give design guidelines and performance predictions of nanowire tunnel FETs based on non-equilibrium Greens functions formalism simulations.

In this report, large-scale vertically aligned ZnO nanowires, with diameter around 75 nm and length around 2-5 μm, were synthesized on a-plane sapphire by a single step chemical vapor deposition method. The XRD pattern of the as-prepared sample showed a strong ZnO (0002) peak and a weak ZnO (0004) peak that indicate good orientation and high crystal quality of the ZnO nanowires. The sample was then treated by hydrogen plasma, without exhibiting obvious structural damage to the nanowires. The photoluminescence spectra of as-prepared and H2-plasma-treated samples were then examined. A strong green emission peak (centered at 520 nm) was observed in the PL spectrum of as-prepared sample. In sharp contrast, a significant increase of the near-band edge emission (centered at 380 nm) and a strong decrease of the green emission (centered at 520 nm) were found in the PL spectrum of H2-plasma-treated sample. We propose that an efficient passivation of oxygen vacancies by H atoms will cause a drastic decrease of the green emission. More important, it would lead to a significant reduction of surface depletion layer, leading to a great enlargement of total effect area for UV emission. Meanwhile, the significant enhancement of the intensity of UV emission might also attribute to the combined effects of structure-induced waveguide behavior and UV amplified spontaneous emission. It is expected that the enhanced UV emission of vertically aligned ZnO nanowires can be used to improve the performance of UV light emitting devices.

Well-aligned, 1D CdSe quantum dot (QD) fibers (0.3μm to 2.5μm) containing up to 20wt% fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) were prepared by near-field electrospinning (NFES) process. Electrospun solutions were prepared using PVAc as the matrix polymer, dimethyl formamide (DMF) solvent and colloidal QDs in chloroform (CHCl3). The diameter of the fibers decreased as the ratio of DMF/CHCl3 is varied. QDs showed good dispersion and a linear relationship between QD loading and fiber diameter, as determined by the morphology measurements taken using TEM and SEM, respectively. Fluorescence microscopy shows that there is light attenuation throughout the fibers. Results also show that the NFES process may be used as a method to create aligned, 1D fibers of QDs and potentially other nanofibers.

Antibody mimic proteins (AMPs) are poly-peptides that bind to their target analytes with high affinity and specificity, just like conventional antibodies, but are much smaller in size (2-5 nm, less than 10kDa). In this report, we describe the first application of AMP in the field of nanobiosensors. In2O3 nanowire based biosensors have been configured with an AMP (Fibronectin, Fn) to detect nucleocapsid (N) protein, a biomarker for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Using these devices, N protein was detected at sub-nanomolar concentration in the presence of 44 μM bovine serum albumin as a background. Furthermore, negative control experiment is carried out to confirm the role of AMPs in N protein detection.