Chisung Ahn

Low‐Temperature Synthesis of Large‐Scale Molybdenum Disulfide Thin Films Directly on a Plastic Substrate Using Plasma‐Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

By plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, a molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) thin film is synthesized directly on a wafer-scale plastic substrate at below 300 °C. The carrier mobility of the films is 3.74 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) . Also, humidity is successfully detected with MoS2 -based sensors fabricated on the flexible substrate, which reveals its potential for flexible sensing devices.

The label free DNA sensor using a silicon nanowire array

Biosensors based on silicon nanowire (Si-NW) promise highly sensitive dynamic label free electrical detection of various biological molecules. Here we report Si-NW array electronic devices that function as sensitive and selective detectors of as synthesized 2D DNA lattices with biotins. The Si-NW array was fabricated using top-down approach consists of 250 nanowires of 20 μm in length, equally spaced with an interval of 3.2 μm. Measurements of photoresistivity of the Si-NW array device with streptavidin (SA) attached on biotinylated DNA lattices at different concentration were observed and analyzed.. The conductivity in the DNA lattices with protein SA shows significant change in the photoresistivity of Si-NW array device. This Si-NW based DNA sensor would be one of very efficient devices for direct, label free DNA detection and could provide a pathway to immunological assays, DNA forensics and toxin detection in modern biotechnology.

A sensitive electrochemical sensor for in vitro detection of parathyroid hormone based on a MoS2-graphene composite

This paper reports a biosensor based on a MoS2-graphene (MG) composite that can measure the parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration in serum samples from patients. The interaction between PTH and MG was analysed via an electrochemical sensing technique. The MG was functionalized using l-cysteine. Following this, PTH could be covalently immobilized on the MG sensing electrode. The properties of MG were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. Following optimization of immobilized materials—such as MG, PTH, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)—the performance of the MG sensor was investigated via cyclic voltammetry, to assess its linearity, repeatability, and reproducibility. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was performed on graphene oxide (GO) and MG-modified electrodes to confirm the capture of a monoclonal antibody (MAb) targeting PTH. Furthermore, the ALP-PTH-MG sensor exhibits a linear response towards PTH from artificial serum over a range of 1–50 pg mL−1. Moreover, patient sera (n = 30) were evaluated using the ALP-PTH-MG sensor and compared using standard equipment (Roche E 170). The P-value is less than 0.01 when evaluated with a t-test using Welch’s correction. This implies that the fabricated sensor can be deployed for medical diagnosis.

In situ synthesis of MoS2 on a polymer based gold electrode platform and its application in electrochemical biosensing

Bulk layers of MoS2 were synthesized in situ on a polymer substrate at low temperature. The negative charges carried by the layered MoS2 are used to immobilize horseradish peroxidase conjugated IgG via the electrostatic attraction, forming an Au–MoS2/HRP hybrid. Trace H2O2 released from IgG-horseradish peroxidase was successfully evaluated in the linear range of 0–20 ng mL−1.

A Conductive Copolymer Based on Graphene Oxide and Poly (amidoxime-pyrrole) for Adsorption of Uranium (VI)

A novel conducting copolymer based on amidoxime groups, polypyrrole and graphene oxide was synthesized by in situ copolymerization by usin g two monomers. The monomer, amidoxime-pyrrole, was synthesized by amidoximation of 1-(2-cyanoethyl) pyrrole. The other monomer, GO-pyrrole, was prepared via esterification between –COOH of GO and –NH2 of 1-(3-aminopropyl) pyrrole. The conductive ability of the copolymer was based on conductive π-conjugated system of polypyrrole backbone. The copolymer was able to be used as an effective sorption material for the preconcentration and recovery of uranium. The maximum of adsorption capacity for uranyl ion is as high as 149.57mg/g.

MoS2-Graphene-Mycosporine-Like Amino Acid Nanocomposite as Photocatalyst

In the quest of extending isostructural hybridization approach to organic–inorganic nanocomposite-based photocatalytic systems, a unique strategy of replacing the traditional inorganic semiconductors with naturally produced mycosporine-like amino acids (MAA) is proposed. The main motivation of incorporating MAA in symbiotically configured nanocomposites is with regard to MAA green, nontoxic nature, UV absorption and photostability. Our facile one-pot solvothermal method is to facilitate the amalgamation of MAA and molybdenum disulfide-graphene (MG) composite at the molecular/nanoscale level to endow better photocatalytic functionality. It is observed that the rate of photocatalytic dye degradation of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) becomes consistently enhanced with an incremental increase in the concentration of MAA in MG. The combination of MG-MAA leads up to 81.2% quenching of the PL emission, as compared with MG. Noticeable decrease in PL lifetime from 280 ps (MG) to 77ps (MG-MAA) explicitly implies fast charge extraction and transport of the charge carriers.

Controlled Synthesis of Horizontal Silicon Nanowires for Biosensor Application

Top-down silicon nanowire (SiNW) fabrication mechanisms for connecting electrodes are widely utilized because they provide good control of the diameter to length ratio. The representative mechanism for the synthesis of SiNWs, a top-down approach, has limitations on the control of their diameter following lithography technologies, requires a long manufacturing process and is not cost-effective. In this study, we have implemented the bottom-up growth of horizontal SiNWs(H-SiNWs) on Si/SiO2 substrates directly by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) under about 400°C. The HAuCl4 solution as a catalyst and SiH4 gas as a precursor are used for the synthesis of H-SiNWs. After optimization of synthesis conditions, we evaluated the photoelectric properties of the H-SiNWs under illumination with different light intensities. Further, we demonstrated the feasibility of H-SiNW devices for the detection of biotinylated DNA nanostructures and streptavidin interaction.

Highly uniform wafer-scale synthesis of α-MoO3 by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Molybdenum oxide (MoO3) has gained immense attention because of its high electron mobility, wide band gap, and excellent optical and catalytic properties. However, the synthesis of uniform and large-area MoO3 is challenging. Here, we report the synthesis of wafer-scale α-MoO3 by plasma oxidation of Mo deposited on Si/SiO2. Mo was oxidized by O2 plasma in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system at 150 °C. It was found that the synthesized α-MoO3 had a highly uniform crystalline structure. For the as-synthesized α-MoO3 sensor, we observed a current change when the relative humidity was increased from 11% to 95%. The sensor was exposed to different humidity levels with fast recovery time of about 8 s. Hence this feasibility study shows that MoO3 synthesized at low temperature can be utilized for gas sensing applications by adopting flexible device technology.

Electrochemical biosensor based on MoS2/Graphene for highly sensitive detection of human parathyroid hormone

A self-assembled novel nanocomposite composed of MoS2-Graphene nanosheets (MoS2-GNS) composites were electrostatically formed on top of gold (Au) electrode and their biochemical amplification responses were reported. The properties of the MoS2-GNS were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). Cyclic voltammetry was performed in the presence of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) and its linearity was obtained by measuring the anodic current signals coming from interactions between MoS2-GNS-Ab and different concentrations of PTH with the aid of substrate and enzyme conjugated secondary antibodies.

Nanoetching process on silicon solar cell wafers during mass production for surface texture improvement.

Major challenge in nanotechnology is to improve the solar cells efficiency. This can be achieved by controlling the silicon solar cell wafer surface structure. Herein, we report a KOH wet etching process along with an ultrasonic cleaning process to improve the surface texture of silicon solar cell wafers. We evaluated the KOH temperature, concentration, and ultra-sonication time. It was observed that the surface texture of the silicon solar wafer changed from a pyramid shape to a rectangular shape under edge cutting as the concentration of the KOH solution was increased. We controlled the etching time to avoid pattern damage and any further increase of the reflectance. The present study will be helpful for the mass processing of silicon solar cell wafers with improved reflectance.