Nanoscale & Nanoscale Advances Blog

Dongsheng Guan and Ying Wang of Louisiana State University report a novel way to prepare multilayered TiO₂ nanotube arrays. In this study, TiO₂ nanotubes grow at a steady ready under stable pH and ion-diffusion conditions but, when the voltage is first reduced and then subsequently increased again, a second layer of nanotubes can be grown on top of the first.

The work casts light on the mechanism of TiO₂ nanotube growth and could see applications from batteries to solar cells.

Read this HOT Nanoscale article today:

Synthesis and growth mechanism of multilayer TiO₂ nanotube arrays
Dongsheng Guan and Ying Wang
Nanoscale, 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30315A

Self-disinfecting surfaces that reduce the activity of influenza A, hepatitis C and E. coli have been developed by scientists from the US.

The team from UCLA used zinc-copper-indium nanocrystals to make surfaces that allow oxygen species and other free radicals to form under visible light illumination. These active species reduce influenza A activity up to 94% and hepatitis C up to 85%.

Read this HOT communication today:

Visible light powered self-disinfecting coatings for influenza viruses
Ding Weng , Hangfei Qi , Ting-Ting Wu , Ming Yan , Ren Sun and Yunfeng Lu
Nanoscale, 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30388D

Scientists in Germany, the US and Finland have used graphene membranes as highly sensitive sensor devices for molecules on the nanoscale.

The molecules are adsorbed onto the graphene’s surface and then molecular dynamics are used to measure mass and other physical properties. The team showed that they can detect specific “fingerprints” left by the molecules on the graphene surface, which can be identified by IR or Raman spectroscopy. As the molecule moves on the surface, these dynamical movements can be detected by a graphene-based drum (a nanoscale “ear” that can hear “sounds” produced by other molecules).

The device could be used for nanoelectronics or to improve atomic force microscopy-based techniques.

Read the full details of this exciting work today:

Nanoscale ear drum: Graphene based nanoscale sensors
Stanislav Avdoshenko , Claudia Gomes Rochaa and Gionarelio Cuniberti
Nanoscale, 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30097D

Deli Wang and co-workers’ paper on tree-like Si/ZnO nanowires which can be used as photoelectrodes in photoelectrochemical cells has been highlighted in ScienceDaily. The nanostructures show improved current density and H₂ evolution kinetics compared to planar Si/ZnO structures.

Read this exciting article in full:

3D branched nanowire heterojunction photoelectrodes for high-efficiency solar water splitting and H₂ generation
Ke Sun, Yi Jing, Chun Li, Xiaofeng Zhang, Ryan Aguinaldo, Alireza Kargar, Kristian Madsen, Khaleda Banu, Yuchun Zhou, Yoshio Bando, Zhaowei Liu and Deli Wang
Nanoscale, 2012, 4, 1515-1521
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR11952H