Search

The single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNCT) quantum dots on the GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) wafer are fabricated and the single electron transport at low temperatures are measured with the 2DEG used as a gate. An increase in the gate capacitance is observed due to a larger permittivity of AlGaAs, and the usefulness of the quantum point contact (QPC) that switches on and off the effectiveness of the 2DEG gate is demonstrated.

We report the elongation of embedded Au nanoparticles (NPs) in three different matrices, i.e. amorphous carbon (a-C), crystalline indium tin oxide (InxSn1-xOz; ITO) and crystalline calcium fluoride (CaF2), under irradiations of 4 MeV C60+ cluster ions and 200 MeV Xe14+ ions. Under 4 MeV C60 cluster irradiation, strong sputtering is induced in CaF2 layer so that the whole the layer was completely lost at a fluence of 5 × 1013 ions cm−2. Au NPs were partly observed in the SiO2, probably due to the recoil implantation. Amorphous carbon (a-C) layer exhibits low sputtering loss even under 4 MeV C60 irradiation. However, the elongation in a-C layer was low. While the ITO layer showed a certain decrease in thickness under 4 MeV C60 irradiation, large elongation of Au NPs was observed under both 4 MeV C60 and 200 MeV Xe irradiation. The ITO layer preserved the crystallinity even after large elongation was induced. This is the first report of the elongation of metal NPs in a crystalline matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) quantum dots have been fabricated on a GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) substrate, and the single electron transport measurements have been carried out at 2.8 K and 22 mK with the 2DEG used as a gate. It was demonstrated that the gating by the 2DEG could be switched on and off by controlling a quantum point contact fabricated between the dot and the Ohmic contact to the 2DEG gate. The unique combination of the SWCNT dot and the 2DEG may open a door to realize flexible hybrid devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports that high fluence fullerene ion (C60+) irradiation of 1–6 MeV, which was made possible by a new-type of high-flux ion source, elongates metal nanoparticles (NPs) in amorphous SiO2 as efficiently as swift heavy ions (SHIs) of 200 MeV Xe14+, i.e., two orders of the magnitude higher energy ions. Comparing the irradiation effects induced by both the beams, the stopping processes of C60 ions in SiO2 are discussed in this paper. Despite of having almost the same elongation efficiency, the C60+ irradiation induced ~10 times more efficient sputtering due to the clustering enhancement and/or the synergy effect. Ion tracks of ~10.4 nm in diameter and 60–80 nm in length were observed in crystalline SiO2 under 4 MeV C60 irradiation. While the track diameter was comparable to those by SHIs of the same electronic stopping, much shorter track lengths than those predicted by a rigid C60 molecule model indicates that the fragmentation occurred due to nuclear collisions. The elongation of the metal NPs was induced only down to the depth where the tracks were observed but not beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodisperse V2O3 nanocrystals with diameters of 10.4 ± 1.8 nm have been synthesized by organic-phase synthesis. Systematic studies of their lattice parameters, electronic structure, and magnetism have shown the disappearance of the metal-insulator transition. The V2O3 nanocrystals show such a contraction along the c axis that the aIg band is broadened, and mixing of the aIg and eπg bands is enhanced. We conclude that this spontaneous uniaxial strain is unique for nanocrystals with a large surface area to volume ratio, and it stabilizes the metallic phase by gaining the free energy of electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a rational electrode design concept for affinity biosensors based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to substantially suppress unexpected device-to-device variations. On the basis that the uniformity of the current distribution affects the variation, a novel micro-gap parallel plate electrode (PPE) was developed, where two planar electrodes with edges covered with a SiO 2 layer were placed face to face. The structure provides a uniform current distribution over the planar electrode surface and maximizes the contribution of the planar electrode surface to sensing. For a comparative study, we also fabricated a micro-structured interdigitated electrode (IDE) that has been widely adopted for high-sensitivity measurement, although its current is highly concentrated on the electrode edge corner. Protein G (PrG) molecules were immobilized on both electrodes to prepare an immunoglobulin G (IgG) biosensor on which the specific binding of PrG-IgG can occur. We demonstrated that the IgG sensor with the PPE has small device-to-device variations, in strong contrast to the sensor with the IDE having large device-to-device variations. The results indicate that the current distribution on the electrode surface is important to fabricating electrochemical impedance spectroscopy biosensors with small device-to-device variations. Furthermore, it was found that the PPE allows ultrasensitive detection, that is, the sensor exhibited a linear range from 1 × 10 -13 to 1 × 10 -7 mol/L with a detection limit of 1 × 10 -14 mol/L, which is a record sensitivity at low concentrations for EIS-based IgG sensors., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

A solid-state potentiometric biosensor based on the organic and inorganic mixed phase modification of a silver surface is proposed. Stabilization of the electromotive force and functionalization with biomolecules on the sensing surface were simultaneously achieved using silver chloride chemically deposited with 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid ferric ammonium salt monohydrate and a self-assembled monolayer with oligonucleotide probes, respectively. The formation of silver chloride and adsorption of alkanethiol on the silver surface were confirmed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The resulting modified surface reduced the nonspecific binding of interfering biomolecules and achieved a high signal to noise ratio. The electromotive forces of the modified silver thin film electrodes were stable under constant chloride ion concentrations. Hybridization assays were performed to detect microRNA 146. The lower limit of detection was 0.1 pM because of the small standard deviation. The proposed biosensor could be useful as a disposable single-use sensor in medical fields such as liquid biopsies., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Bubbles at the interface of two-dimensional layered materials in van der Waals heterostructures cause deterioration in the quality of materials, thereby limiting the size and design of devices. In this paper, we report a simple all-dry transfer technique, with which the bubble formation can be avoided. As a key factor in the technique, a contact angle between a picked-up flake on a viscoelastic polymer stamp and another flake on a substrate was introduced by protrusion at the stamp surface. Using this technique, we demonstrated the fabrication of high-quality devices on the basis of graphene/hexagonal boron nitride heterostructures with a large bubble-free region. Additionally, the technique can be used to remove unnecessary flakes on a substrate under an optical microscopic scale. Most importantly, it improves the yield and throughput for the fabrication process of high-quality van der Waals heterostructure-based devices.