Jungkil Kim

Fluoxetine enhances cell proliferation and prevents apoptosis in dentate gyrus of maternally separated rats

The mother-infant relationship is an instinctive phenomenon, and loss of maternal care in early life influences neonatal development, behavior and physiologic responses.1,2 Furthermore, the early loss may affect the vulnerability of the infant to neuropsychiatric disorders, such as childhood anxiety disorders, personality disorders and depression, over its lifespan.3,4 Fluoxetine is prescribed worldwide for depression and is often used in the treatment of childhood mental problems related to maternal separation or loss of maternal care.5,6 In the present study, fluoxetine was administrated to rats with maternal separation to determine its effects on neuronal development, in particular with respect to cell proliferation and apoptosis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Rat pups were separated from their mothers and socially isolated on postnatal day 14 and were treated with fluoxetine (5 mg kg−1) and 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) (50 mg kg−1) for 7 days, after which immunohistochemistry and a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining were carried out. In the pups with maternal separation treated with fluoxetine, the number of BrdU-positive cells was significantly increased and that of TUNEL-positive cells was significantly decreased in the dentate gyrus compared to pups with maternal separation that did not receive fluoxetine treatment. These findings indicate that fluoxetine affects new cell proliferation and apoptosis, and we propose that fluoxetine may be useful in the treatment of maternal separation-related diseases.

Au/Ag Bilayered Metal Mesh as a Si Etching Catalyst for Controlled Fabrication of Si Nanowires

Au/Ag bilayered metal mesh with arrays of nanoholes were devised as a catalyst for metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon. The present metal catalyst allows us not only to overcome drawbacks involved in conventional Ag-based etching processes, but also to fabricate extended arrays of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with controlled dimension and density. We demonstrate that SiNWs with different morphologies and axial orientations can be prepared from silicon wafers of a given orientation by controlling the etching conditions. We explored a phenomenological model that explains the evolution of the morphology and axial crystal orientation of SiNWs within the framework of the reaction kinetics.

Near-ultraviolet-sensitive graphene/porous silicon photodetectors.

Porous silicon (PSi) is recognized as an attractive building block for photonic devices because of its novel properties including high ratio of surface to volume and high light absorption. We first report near-ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive graphene/PSi photodetectors (PDs) fabricated by utilizing graphene and PSi as a carrier collector and a photoexcitation layer, respectively. Thanks to high light absorption and enlarged energy-band gap of PSi, the responsivity (Ri) and quantum efficiency (QE) of the PDs are markedly enhanced in the near-UV range. The performances of PDs are systemically studied for various porosities of PSi, controlled by varying the electroless-deposition time (td) of Ag nanoparticles for the use of Si etching. Largest gain is obtained at td = 3 s, consistent with the maximal enhancement of Ri and QE in the near UV range, which originates from the well-defined interface at the graphene/PSi junction, as proved by atomic- and electrostatic-force microscopies. Optimized response speed is ∼10 times faster compared to graphene/single-crystalline Si PDs. These and other unique PD characteristics prove to be governed by typical Schottky diode-like transport of charge carriers at the graphene/PSi junctions, based on bias-dependent variations of the band profiles, resulting in novel dark- and photocurrent behaviors.

Graphene/Si-nanowire heterostructure molecular sensors

Wafer-scale graphene/Si-nanowire (Si-NW) array heterostructures for molecular sensing have been fabricated by vertically contacting single-layer graphene with high-density Si NWs. Graphene is grown in large scale by chemical vapour deposition and Si NWs are vertically aligned by metal-assisted chemical etching of Si wafer. Graphene plays a key role in preventing tips of vertical Si NWs from being bundled, thereby making Si NWs stand on Si wafer separately from each other under graphene, a critical structural feature for the uniform Schottky-type junction between Si NWs and graphene. The molecular sensors respond very sensitively to gas molecules by showing 37 and 1280% resistance changes within 3.5/0.15 and 12/0.15 s response/recovery times under O2 and H2 exposures in air, respectively, highest performances ever reported. These results together with the sensor responses in vacuum are discussed based on the surface-transfer doping mechanism.

Graphene/Si‐Quantum‐Dot Heterojunction Diodes Showing High Photosensitivity Compatible with Quantum Confinement Effect

Graphene/Si quantum dot (QD) heterojunction diodes are reported for the first time. The photoresponse, very sensitive to variations in the size of the QDs as well as in the doping concentration of graphene and consistent with the quantum-confinement effect, is remarkably enhanced in the near-ultraviolet range compared to commercially available bulk-Si photodetectors. The photoresponse proves to be dominated by the carriertunneling mechanism.

Formation of Triboelectric Series via Atomic-Level Surface Functionalization for Triboelectric Energy Harvesting

Triboelectric charging involves frictional contact of two different materials, and their contact electrification usually relies on polarity difference in the triboelectric series. This limits the choices of materials for triboelectric contact pairs, hindering research and development of energy harvest devices utilizing triboelectric effect. A progressive approach to resolve this issue involves modification of chemical structures of materials for effectively engineering their triboelectric properties. Here, we describe a facile method to change triboelectric property of a polymeric surface via atomic-level chemical functionalizations using a series of halogens and amines, which allows a wide spectrum of triboelectric series over single material. Using this method, tunable triboelectric output power density is demonstrated in triboelectric generators. Furthermore, molecular-scale calculation using density functional theory unveils that electrons transferred through electrification are occupying the PET group rather than the surface functional group. The work introduced here would open the ability to tune triboelectric property of materials by chemical modification of surface and facilitate the development of energy harvesting devices and sensors exploiting triboelectric effect.

Energy transfer from an individual silica nanoparticle to graphene quantum dots and resulting enhancement of photodetector responsivity

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), referred to as the transfer of the photon energy absorbed in donor to acceptor, has received much attention as an important physical phenomenon for its potential applications in optoelectronic devices as well as for the understanding of some biological systems. If one-atom-thick graphene is used for donor or acceptor, it can minimize the separation between donor and acceptor, thereby maximizing the FRET efficiency (EFRET). Here, we report first fabrication of a FRET system composed of silica nanoparticles (SNPs) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as donors and acceptors, respectively. The FRET from SNPs to GQDs with an EFRET of ∼78% is demonstrated from excitation-dependent photoluminescence spectra and decay curves. The photodetector (PD) responsivity (R) of the FRET system at 532 nm is enhanced by 100∼101/102∼103 times under forward/reverse biases, respectively, compared to the PD containing solely GQDs. This remarkable enhancement is understood by network-like current paths formed by the GQDs on the SNPs and easy transfer of the carriers generated from the SNPs into the GQDs due to their close attachment. The R is 2∼3 times further enhanced at 325 nm by the FRET effect.

Structural and optical characteristics of graphene quantum dots size-controlled and well-aligned on a large scale by polystyrene-nanosphere lithography

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are one of the most attractive graphene nanostructures due to their potential optoelectronic device applications, but it is a challenge to accurately control the size and arrangement of GQDs. In this report, we fabricate well-aligned GQDs on a large area by polystyrene (PS)-nanosphere (NS) lithography and study their structural and optical properties. Single-layer graphene grown on a Cu foil by chemical vapour deposition is patterned by reactive ion etching employing aligned PS-NS arrays as an etching mask. The size (d) of the GQDs is controlled from 75 to 23 nm by varying the etching time, as proved by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. This method is well valid for both rigid/flexible target substrates and even for multilayer graphene formed by piling up single layers. The absorption peak of the GQDs is blue-shifted with respect to that of a graphene sheet, and is sequentially shifted to higher energies by reducing d, consistent with the quantum confinement effect (QCE). The Raman D-to-G band intensity ratio shows an almost monotonic increase with decreasing d, resulting from the dominant contribution of the edge states at the periphery of smaller GQDs. The G-band frequency shows a three-step size-dependence: initial increase, interim saturation, and final decrease with decreasing d, thought to be caused by the competition between the QCE and edge-induced strain effect.

Graphene-Assisted Chemical Etching of Silicon Using Anodic Aluminum Oxides as Patterning Templates.

We first report graphene-assisted chemical etching (GaCE) of silicon by using patterned graphene as an etching catalyst. Chemical-vapor-deposition-grown graphene transferred on a silicon substrate is patterned to a mesh with nanohole arrays by oxygen plasma etching using an anodic- aluminum-oxide etching mask. The prepared graphene mesh/silicon is immersed in a mixture solution of hydrofluoric acid and hydro peroxide with various molecular fractions at optimized temperatures. The silicon underneath graphene mesh is then selectively etched to form aligned nanopillar arrays. The morphology of the nanostructured silicon can be controlled to be smooth or porous depending on the etching conditions. The experimental results are systematically discussed based on possible mechanisms for GaCE of Si.

Association between a promoter polymorphism (rs2192752, –1028A/C) of interleukin 1 receptor, type I (IL1R1) and location of papillary thyroid carcinoma in a Korean population

The interleukin 1 receptor, type I (IL1R1) is important in the pathogenesis of cancer. We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL1R1 contribute to the development of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), in addition to the clinicopathological features such as the size, number, location, extrathyroidal invasion and metastasis of PTC. Three promoter SNPs (rs949963 −615G/A, rs2192752 −1028A/C and rs3917225 −1099A/G) in IL1R1 were genotyped using direct sequencing in 118 patients with PTC and 347 controls. The odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) and P value were analysed using SNPStats and SNPAnalyzer Pro. For the exact results, Fisher’s exact test and Bonferroni correction (Pc) were performed. The three promoter SNPs of IL1R1 were not associated with PTC development. For the clinicopathological features of PTC, rs2192752 was associated with location (one lobe versus both lobes): dominant model, OR = 3.11, 95% CI = 1.39–6.96, Pc = 0.015; log‐additive model, OR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.38–5.66, Pc = 0.0087. The C allele frequency of rs2192752 was higher in the both lobes group (28.0%) than the one lobe group (12.3%) (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 1.40–5.48, Pc = 0.009). However, rs949963 and rs3917225 were not correlated with clinicopathological features including location of PTC. The IL1R1 promoter SNP rs2192752 may contribute to the location of PTC, and the C allele of rs2192752 may be a risk factor for the development of PTC in both lobes.