Vertical Conductivity and Topography in Electrostrictive Germanium Sulfide Microribbon via Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy.

Layered group IV monochalcogenides are two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials with unique crystal structures and novel physical properties. Here, we report the growth of single crystalline GeS microribbons using the chemical vapor transport process. By using conductive atomic force microscopy, we demonstrated that the conductive behavior in the vertical direction was mainly affected by the Schottky barriers between GeS and both electrodes. Furthermore, we found that the topographic and current heterogeneities were significantly different with and without illumination. The topographic deformation and current enhancement were also predicted by our density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations. Their local spatial correlation between the topographic height and current was established. By virtue of 2D fast Fourier transform power spectra, we constructed the holistic spatial correlation between the topographic and current heterogeneity that indicated the diminished correlation with illumination. These findings on layered GeS microribbons provide insights into the conductive and topographic behaviors in 2D materials.

A stable biosensor for organophosphorus pesticide detection based on chitosan modified graphene.

An acetylcholinesterase (AChE) biosensor was successfully fabricated with a stable structure and high detection accuracy. Graphene (Gra) nanofragments modified with chitosan (CS) and AChE were successively drip coated on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode via a layer-by-layer assembly method. The concentration range of the sensor to detect dichlorvos was 0.1-100,000 nM, and the limit of detection was 54 pM. CS was used to modify Gra for the first time, which enhanced the mechanical flexibility of these Gra nanostructures, significantly improving the stability and detection accuracy of this sensor.

Stability of SiNx Prepared by Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition at Low Temperature.

In this paper, the environmental stability of silicon nitride (SiNx) films deposited at 80 °C by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition was studied systematically. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared reflection were used to analyze the element content and atomic bond structure of the amorphous SiNx films. Variation of mechanical and optical properties were also evaluated. It is found that SiNx deposited at low temperature is easily oxidized, especially at elevated temperature and moisture. The hardness and elastic modulus did not change significantly with the increase of oxidation. The changes of the surface morphology, transmittance, and fracture extensibility are negligible. Finally, it is determined that SiNx films deposited at low-temperature with proper processing parameters are suitable for thin-film encapsulation of flexible devices.

Scalable Solution-Processed Fabrication Approach for High-Performance Silver Nanowire/MXene Hybrid Transparent Conductive Films.

The transparent conductive films (TCFs) based on silver nanowires are expected to be a next-generation electrode for flexible electronics. However, their defects such as easy oxidation and high junction resistance limit its wide application in practical situations. Herein, a method of coating Ti3C2Tx with different sizes was proposed to prepare silver nanowire/MXene composite films. The solution-processed silver nanowire (AgNW) networks were patched and welded by capillary force effect through the double-coatings of small and large MXene nanosheets. The sheet resistance of the optimized AgNW/MXene TCFs was 15.1 Ω/sq, the optical transmittance at 550 nm was 89.3%, and the figure of merit value was 214.4. Moreover, the AgNW/MXene TCF showed higher stability at 1600 mechanical bending, annealing at 100 °C for 50 h, and exposure to ambient air for 40 days. These results indicate that the novel AgNW/MXene TCFs have a great potential for high-performance flexible optoelectronic devices.

Development of enzymatic electrochemical biosensors for organophosphorus pesticide detection.

The enzymatic electrochemical biosensor has the advantages of simple operation, speed, and integration in the detection of organophosphorus pesticide (OPs) residues. It has the potential to become the best alternative to the traditional OP detection technology. This article introduces the OP identification principle of different enzymes, the OP detection mechanism of several common sensors, and the enzyme assembly method. In addition, the article discusses application of nanomaterials in sensor preparation and sensor performance parameters in the past decade. The related content of early sensors is outside the scope of this article.

Acetylcholinesterase electrochemical biosensors with graphene-transition metal carbides nanocomposites modified for detection of organophosphate pesticides.

An acetylcholinesterase biosensor modified with graphene and transition metal carbides was prepared to detect organophosphorus pesticides. Cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to characterize the electrochemical catalysis of the biosensor: acetylcholinesterase/chitosan-transition metal carbides/graphene/glassy carbon electrode. With the joint modification of graphene and transition metal carbides, the biosensor has a good performance in detecting dichlorvos with a linear relationship from 11.31 µM to 22.6 nM and the limit of detection was 14.45 nM. Under the premise of parameter optimization, the biosensor showed a good catalytic performance for acetylcholine. Compared to the biosensors without modification, it expressed a better catalytic performance due to the excellent electrical properties, biocompatibility and high specific surface area of graphene, transition metal carbides. Finally, the biosensor exhibits good stability, which can be stored at room temperature for one month without significant performance degradation, and has practical potential for sample testing.

High Brightness Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with Capillary-Welded Hybrid Diameter Silver Nanowire/Graphene Layers as Electrodes.

The development of silver nanowire electrodes is always limited due to some disadvantages, such as roughness, oxidative properties, and other disadvantages. In this research, a capillary-welded silver nanowire/graphene composite film was used as an electrode for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. As an encapsulation layer, graphene reduced the surface roughness and the oxidation probability of silver nanowires. The composite electrode showed an excellent transmittance of 91.5% with low sheet resistant of 26.4 ohm/sq. The devices with the silver nanowire/graphene composite electrode emitted green electroluminescence at 516 nm, and the turn-on voltage was about 3.8 V. The maximum brightness was 50810 cd/cm2, which is higher than the indium tin oxide-based (ITO-based) devices with the same configuration. Finally, it was proved that the silver nanowire/graphene composite electrodes possessed better heat dissipation than the ITO-based ones under energization. In summary, it means that this novel silver nanowires/graphene electrode has great potential in OLED device applications.

An acetylcholinesterase biosensor with high stability and sensitivity based on silver nanowire-graphene-TiO2 for the detection of organophosphate pesticides.

An electrochemical acetylcholinesterase biosensor based on silver nanowire, graphene, TiO2 sol-gel, chitosan and acetylcholinesterase has been fabricated successfully for the detection of organophosphate pesticides. The outstanding electrical properties of silver nanowires and graphene, and moreover the self-assembly of these two nanomaterials make the biosensor highly sensitive. Simultaneously, the immobilization efficiency of the enzyme is greatly improved by the action of the TiO2 fixed matrix. Under optimum conditions, the biosensor exhibited excellent performance for the detection of dichlorvos with a linearity in the range of 0.036 µM to 22.63 µM and the detection limit was found to be 7.4 nM. The biosensor was highly reproducible and stable during detection and storage.