Self-Organized Freestanding One-Dimensional Au Nanoparticle Arrays.

One-dimensional Au nanoparticle arrays encapsulated within freestanding SiO2 nanowires are fabricated by thermal oxidation of Au-coated Si nanowires with controlled diameter and surface modulation. The nanoparticle diameter is determined by the Si nanowire diameter and Au film thickness, while the interparticle spacing is independently controlled by the Si nanowire modulation. The optical absorption of randomly oriented Au nanoparticle arrays exhibits a strong plasmonic response at 550 nm. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM)-electron energy loss spectrum (EELS) of nanoparticle arrays confirmed the same plasmonic response and demonstrated uniform optical properties of the Au nanoparticles. The plasmonic response in the STEM-EELS maps is primarily confined around the vicinity of the nanoparticles. On the other hand, examination of the same nanowires by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy also revealed significant enhancement in the plasmonic excitation in the regions in between the nanoparticles. This versatile route to synthesize one-dimensional Au nanoparticle arrays with independently tailorable nanoparticle diameter and interparticle spacing opens up opportunities to exploit enhanced design flexibility and cost-effectiveness for future plasmonic devices.

Quantitative analysis of interfacial strain in InAs/GaSb superlattices by aberration-corrected HRTEM and HAADF-STEM.

The strain distribution across interfaces in InAs/GaSb superlattices grown on (100)-GaSb substrates is investigated by aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy. Atomic resolution images of interfaces were obtained by conventional high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), using the negative spherical-aberration imaging mode, and by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), using the high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging mode. The local atomic displacements across interfaces were determined from these images using the peak pair algorithm, from which strain maps were calculated with respect to a reference lattice extracted from the GaSb substrate region. Both techniques yield consistent results, which reveal that the InAs-on-GaSb interface is nearly strain balanced, whereas the GaSb-on-InAs interface is in tensile strain, indicating that the prevalent bond type at this interface is Ga-As. In addition, the GaSb layers in the superlattice are compressively strained indicating the incorporation of In into these layers. Further analysis of the HAADF-STEM images indicates an estimated 4% In content in the GaSb layers and that the GaSb-on-InAs interface contributes to about 27% of the overall superlattice strain. The strain measurements in the InAs layers are in good agreement with the theoretical values determined from elastic constants. Furthermore, the overall superlattice strain determined from this analysis is also in good agreement with the measurements determined by high-resolution X-ray diffraction.

Epitaxial graphene growth by carbon molecular beam epitaxy (CMBE).

A novel growth method (carbon molecular beam epitaxy (CMBE)) has been developed to produce high-quality and large-area epitaxial graphene. This method demonstrates significantly improved controllability of the graphene growth. CMBE with C(60) produces AB stacked graphene, while growth with the graphite filament results in non-Bernal stacked graphene layers with a Dirac-like electronic structure, which is similar to graphene grown by thermal decomposition on SiC (000-1).

Influence of alumina type on the evolution and activity of alumina-supported Fe catalysts in single-walled carbon nanotube carpet growth.

We have studied the lifetime, activity, and evolution of Fe catalysts supported on different types of alumina: (a) sputter deposited alumina films (sputtered/Fe), (b) electron-beam deposited alumina films (e-beam/Fe), (c) annealed e-beam deposited alumina films (annealed e-beam/Fe), (d) alumina films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD/Fe), and (e) c-cut sapphire (sapphire/Fe). We show that the catalytic behavior, Ostwald ripening, and subsurface diffusion rates of Fe catalyst supported on alumina during water-assisted growth or "supergrowth" of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) carpets are strongly influenced by the porosity of the alumina support. The catalytic activity increases in the following order: sapphire/Fe < annealed e-beam/Fe < ALD/Fe < e-beam/Fe < sputtered/Fe. With a combination of microscopic and spectroscopic characterization, we further show that the Ostwald ripening rates of the catalysts and the porosity of the alumina support correlate with the lifetime and activity of the catalysts. Specifically, our results reveal that SWNT carpet growth is maximized by very low Ostwald ripening rates, mild subsurface diffusion rates, and high porosity, which is best achieved in the sputtered/Fe catalyst. These results not only emphasize the connection between catalytic activity and particle stability during growth, but guide current efforts aimed at rational design of catalysts for enhanced and controlled SWNT carpet growth.