Transfer Printing Technology as a Straightforward Method to Fabricate Chemical Sensors Based on Tin Dioxide Nanowires.

Metal oxide multi-nanowire-based chemical gas sensors were manufactured by a fast and simple transfer printing technology. A two-step method employing spray pyrolysis deposition and a thermal annealing process was used for SnO 2 nanowires fabrication. A polydimethylsiloxane stamp was used to transfer the SnO 2 nanowires on two different gas sensing devices-Si-based substrates and microhotplate-based platform chips. Both contained a metallic inter-digital electrode structure (IDES), on which the SnO 2 nanowires were transferred for realization of multi-NW gas sensor devices. The gas sensor devices show a very high response towards H 2 S down to the 10 ppb range. Furthermore, a good response towards CO has been achieved, where in particular the microhotplate-based devices exhibit almost no cross sensitivity to humidity.

Study of CuO Nanowire Growth on Different Copper Surfaces.

Cupric oxide (CuO) nanowires were produced by thermal oxidation of copper surfaces at temperatures up to 450 °C. Three different surfaces, namely a copper foil as well as evaporation deposited copper and an application relevant sputtered copper film on Si(100) substrates were characterized ex-situ before and after the experiment. The development of oxide layers and nanowires were monitored in-situ using grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering. The number density of nanowires is highest for the sputtered surface and lowest for the surface prepared by evaporation deposition. This can be linked to different oxide grain sizes and copper grain boundary diffusions on the different surfaces. Small grains of the copper substrate and high surface roughness thereby lead to promoted growth of the nanowires.

A new device for high-temperature in situ GISAXS measurements.

A heating stage originally designed for diffraction experiments is implemented into a Bruker NANOSTAR instrument for in situ grazing incidence small-angle x-ray scattering experiments. A controlled atmosphere is provided by a dome separating the sample environment from the evacuated scattering instrument. This dome is double shelled in order to enable cooling water to flow through it. A mesoporous silica film templated by a self-assembled block copolymer system is investigated in situ during step-wise heating in air. The GISAXS pattern shows the structural development of the ordered lattice of parallel cylindrical pores. The deformation of the elliptical pore-cross section perpendicular to the film surface was studied with increasing temperature. Moreover, the performance of the setup was tested by controlled in situ heating of a copper surface under controlled oxygen containing atmosphere.