7 research outputs found
Stable and Fluid Multilayer PhospholipidâSilica Thin Films: Mimicking Active Multi-lamellar Biological Assemblies
Phospholipid-based nanomaterials are of interest in several applications including drug delivery, sensing, energy harvesting, and as model systems in basic research. However, a general challenge in creating functional hybrid biomaterials from phospholipid assemblies is their fragility, instability in air, insolubility in water, and the difficulty of integrating them into useful composites that retain or enhance the properties of interest, therefore limiting there use in integrated devices. We document the synthesis and characterization of highly ordered and stable phospholipidâsilica thin films that resemble multilamellar architectures present in nature such as the myelin sheath. We have used a near room temperature chemical vapor deposition method to synthesize these robust functional materials. Highly ordered lipid films are exposed to vapors of silica precursor resulting in the formation of nanostructured hybrid assemblies. This process is simple, scalable, and offers advantages such as exclusion of ethanol and no (or minimal) need for exposure to mineral acids, which are generally required in conventional solâgel synthesis strategies. The structure of the phospholipidâsilica assemblies can be tuned to either lamellar or hexagonal organization depending on the synthesis conditions. The phospholipidâsilica films exhibit long-term structural stability in air as well as when placed in aqueous solutions and maintain their fluidity under aqueous or humid conditions. This platform provides a model for robust implementation of phospholipid multilayers and a means toward future applications of functional phospholipid supramolecular assemblies in device integration
Optimizing Composition and Morphology for Large-Grain Perovskite Solar Cells via Chemical Control
We report solid iodine as a precursor
additive for achieving purified
organometallic perovskite crystals. By adding iodine, we found that
the reaction can be pushed toward pure iodine phase rather than the
kinetically favored chlorine phase. This approach can be applied in
large crystalline perovskite solar cells and improved the average
efficiency from 9.83% to 15.58%
Fluid and Resistive Tethered Lipid Membranes on Nanoporous Substrates
Cell
membranes perform important biological roles including compartmentalization,
signaling, and transport of nutrients. Supported lipid membranes mimic
the behavior of cell membranes and are an important model tool for
studying membrane properties in a controlled laboratory environment.
Lipid membranes may be supported on solid substrates; however, protein
and lipid interactions with the substrate typically result in their
denaturation. In this report, we demonstrate the formation of intact
lipid membranes tethered on nanoporous metal thin films obtained via
a dealloying process. Uniform lipid membranes were formed when the
surface defect density of the nanoporous metal film was significantly
reduced through a two-step dealloying process reported here. We show
that the tethered lipid membranes on nanoporous metal substrates maintain
both fluidity and electrical resistivity, which are key attributes
to naturally occurring lipid membranes. The lipid assemblies supported
on nanoporous metals provide a new platform for investigating lipid
membrane properties, and potentially membrane proteins, for numerous
applications including next generation biosensor platforms, targeted
drug-delivery, and energy harvesting devices
Experimental Determination of the Ionization Energies of MoSe<sub>2</sub>, WS<sub>2</sub>, and MoS<sub>2</sub> on SiO<sub>2</sub> Using Photoemission Electron Microscopy
The
values of the ionization energies of transition metal dichalcogenides
(TMDs) are needed to assess their potential usefulness in semiconductor
heterojunctions for high-performance optoelectronics. Here, we report
on the systematic determination of ionization energies for three prototypical
TMD monolayers (MoSe<sub>2</sub>, WS<sub>2</sub>, and MoS<sub>2</sub>) on SiO<sub>2</sub> using photoemission electron microscopy with
deep ultraviolet illumination. The ionization energy displays a progressive
decrease from MoS<sub>2</sub>, to WS<sub>2</sub>, to MoSe<sub>2</sub>, in agreement with predictions of density functional theory calculations.
Combined with the measured energy positions of the valence band edge
at the Brillouin zone center, we deduce that, in the absence of interlayer
coupling, a vertical heterojunction comprising any of the three TMD
monolayers would form a staggered (type-II) band alignment. This band
alignment could give rise to long-lived interlayer excitons that are
potentially useful for valleytronics or efficient electronâhole
separation in photovoltaics
Catalytic Activity in Lithium-Treated CoreâShell MoO<sub><i>x</i></sub>/MoS<sub>2</sub> Nanowires
Significant interest has grown in
the development of earth-abundant
and efficient catalytic materials for hydrogen generation. Layered
transition metal dichalcogenides present opportunities for efficient
electrocatalytic systems. Here, we report the modification of 1D MoO<sub><i>x</i></sub>/MoS<sub>2</sub> coreâshell nanostructures
by lithium intercalation and the corresponding changes in morphology,
structure, and mechanism of H<sub>2</sub> evolution. The 1D nanowires
exhibit significant improvement in H<sub>2</sub> evolution properties
after lithiation, reducing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) onset
potential by âź50 mV and increasing the generated current density
by âź600%. The high electrochemical activity in the nanowires
results from disruption of MoS<sub>2</sub> layers in the outer shell,
leading to increased activity and concentration of defect sites. This
is in contrast to the typical mechanism of improved catalysis following
lithium exfoliation, i.e., crystal phase transformation. These structural
changes are verified by a combination of Raman and X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (XPS)
Spatially Resolved Photoexcited Charge-Carrier Dynamics in Phase-Engineered Monolayer MoS<sub>2</sub>
A fundamental understanding of the intrinsic optoelectronic properties of atomically thin transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is crucial for its integration into high performance semiconductor devices. Here, we investigate the transport properties of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS<sub>2</sub>) under photoexcitation using correlated scanning photocurrent microscopy and photoluminescence imaging. We examined the effect of local phase transformation underneath the metal electrodes on the generation of photocurrent across the channel length with diffraction-limited spatial resolution. While maximum photocurrent generation occurs at the Schottky contacts of semiconducting (2H-phase) MoS<sub>2</sub>, after the metallic phase transformation (1T-phase), the photocurrent peak is observed toward the center of the device channel, suggesting a strong reduction of native Schottky barriers. Analysis using the bias and position dependence of the photocurrent indicates that the Schottky barrier heights are a few millielectron volts for 1T- and âź200 meV for 2H-contacted devices. We also demonstrate that a reduction of native Schottky barriers in a 1T device enhances the photoresponsivity by more than 1 order of magnitude, a crucial parameter in achieving high-performance optoelectronic devices. The obtained results pave a way for the fundamental understanding of intrinsic optoelectronic properties of atomically thin TMDs where ohmic contacts are necessary for achieving high-efficiency devices with low power consumption
Structural Design of Benzo[1,2â<i>b</i>:4,5â<i>b</i>â˛]dithiophene-Based 2D Conjugated Polymers with Bithienyl and Terthienyl Substituents toward Photovoltaic Applications
In this contribution, six conjugated
polymers consisting of benzoÂ[1,2-<i>b</i>:4,5-<i>b</i>â˛]Âdithiopheneâbithiophene
(BDT-BT) and benzoÂ[1,2-<i>b</i>:4,5-<i>b</i>â˛]Âdithiopheneâbenzothiadiazle
(BDT-BTD) as building blocks in the main chain were synthesized by
coupling polymerization and utilized for photovoltaic applications.
By directly attaching three kinds of alkylthienyl side chains to the
conjugated main chain, the resulted two-dimensional configuration
revealed a broader absorption range due to the ground state electron
transition of their corresponding alkylthienyl units and polymer backbone.
Temperature-dependent absorbance, emission spectra, and thermal annealing
further verify that the shoulder band(s) were originated from the
aggregated (crystalline) species of polymers. The photovoltaic properties
of the donorâacceptor polymers revealed well-defined side chain
geometries, physical, and electronic structures and showed the highest
power conversion efficiency of 4.25% among polymer solar cells based
on two-dimensional (2-D) bithienyl- or terthienyl-substituted benzodithiophene