Semiconductor metal oxide films of copper-doped tin oxide (Cu-SnO(2)), tungsten oxide (WO(3)) and indium oxide (In(2)O(3)) were deposited on a platinum coated alumina substrate employing the electrostatic spray deposition technique (ESD). The morphology studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows porous homogeneous films comprising uniformly distribut...

Nanocrystalline thin film of Na0.1V2O5.nH2O xerogel obtained by sol gel synthesis was used as gas sensor. Gas sensing properties of different gases such as hydrogen, petroleum and humidity were investigated. Applying XRD and TEM the size of the nanocrystals is found to be 7.5 nm. SEM shows a highly porous structure with submicron meter-sized voids present throughout the sample. FTIR measurement...

Porous TiO2 films were prepared by the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) of Ti plates, and their CO sensing properties at low concentrations (5–100 ppm) were investigated as an application for an air quality control sensor. The obtained rutile films exhibited the maximum CO gas response at 350 ◦C, which is typical for semiconductor-type gas sensors, and the Ra/Rg was ∼1.6 for 10 ppm CO (Ra: resistance ...

The next generation of sensors built upon nanotechnology is rapidly coming to the forefront of scientific applications, with particular application to contemporary global concerns including counterterrorism and device miniaturization. The challenge of incorporating these materials as a stable sensor package is discussed, with special emphasis on condensed phase media, particularly sol-gels, por...

Nanostructured porous silicon (nanoPS) basically consists in a network of silicon nanocrystals with high specific surface. Its intrinsic high surface reactivity makes nanoPS a very suitable material for the development of biosensors. In this work, the surface of nanoPS was functionalized by the use of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane solutions in toluene. Escherichia coli (E. coli) antibodies wer...

A simplified solar cell fabrication procedure is presented that uses natural anthocyanin or chlorophyll dyes extracted from plants. This procedure illustrates how interdisciplinary science can be taught at lower division university and upper division high school levels for an understanding of renewable energy as well as basic science concepts. Electron transfer occurs on the Earth in the mitoch...

Consecutive two-dimensional frameworks comprised of molecular or cluster building blocks in large area represent ideal candidates for membranes sieving molecules and nano-objects, but challenges still remain in methodology and practical preparation. Here we exploit a new strategy to build soft single-layer ionic organic-inorganic frameworks via electrostatic interaction without preferential bin...

In this study, we investigate the keys to obtain a sensitive ammonia sensor with high air stability by using a low-cost polythiophene diode with a vertical channel and a porous top electrode. Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and air-stable poly(5,5'-bis(3-dodecyl-2-thienyl)-2,2'-bithiophene) (PQT-12) are both evaluated as the active sensing layer. Two-dimensional current simulation reveals that th...

Thermal strains and electromigration can cause voids to grow in conductor lines on semiconductor chips. This long-standing failure mode is exacerbated by the recent introduction of low-permittivity dielectrics. We describe a method to calculate the volume of a saturated void VSV , attained in a steady state when each point in a conductor line is in a state of hydrostatic pressure, and the gradi...

Lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia was covalently immobilized on crystalline silicon, porous silicon and silicon nitride surfaces. The various stages of immobilization were characterized using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy. The surface topography of the enzyme immobilized surfaces was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The quantity of the immobilized active enz...