Naoki Fukata

Mechanical Properties of Si Nanowires as Revealed by in Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Deformation and fracture mechanisms of ultrathin Si nanowires (NWs), with diameters of down to ~9 nm, under uniaxial tension and bending were investigated by using in situ transmission electron microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. It was revealed that the mechanical behavior of Si NWs had been closely related to the wire diameter, loading conditions, and stress states. Under tension, Si NWs deformed elastically until abrupt brittle fracture. The tensile strength showed a clear size dependence, and the greatest strength was up to 11.3 GPa. In contrast, under bending, the Si NWs demonstrated considerable plasticity. Under a bending strain of <14%, they could repeatedly be bent without cracking along with a crystalline-to-amorphous phase transition. Under a larger strain of >20%, the cracks nucleated on the tensed side and propagated from the wire surface, whereas on the compressed side a plastic deformation took place because of dislocation activities and an amorphous transition.

Phonon confinement effect of silicon nanowires synthesized by laser ablation

A gradual downshift and asymmetric broadening of the Si optical phonon peak were observed by Raman scattering measurements of continuously thermally oxidized silicon nanowires (SiNWs) synthesized by laser ablation. This downshift and broadening can be interpreted by the phonon confinement effect. Further thermal oxidation produced a reverse change; namely, an upshift of the optical phonon peak. This is considered to be due to compressive stress since this stress was relieved by removing the oxide layers formed around the SiNW cores, resulting in a downshift of the optical phonon peak.

Low-temperature (180 °C) formation of large-grained Ge (111) thin film on insulator using accelerated metal-induced crystallization

The Al-induced crystallization (AIC) yields a large-grained (111)-oriented Ge thin film on an insulator at temperatures as low as 180 °C. We accelerated the AIC of an amorphous Ge layer (50-nm thickness) by initially doping Ge in Al and by facilitating Ge diffusion into Al. The electron backscatter diffraction measurement demonstrated the simultaneous achievement of large grains over 10 μm and a high (111) orientation fraction of 90% in the polycrystalline Ge layer formed at 180 °C. This result opens up the possibility for developing Ge-based electronic and optical devices fabricated on inexpensive flexible substrates.

Doping and Raman Characterization of Boron and Phosphorus Atoms in Germanium Nanowires

Impurity doping is the most important technique to functionalize semiconductor nanowires. The crucial point is how the states of impurity atoms can be detected. The chemical bonding states and electrical activity of boron (B) and phosphorus (P) atoms in germanium nanowires (GeNWs) are clarified by micro-Raman scattering measurements. The observation of B and P local vibrational peaks and the Fano effect clearly demonstrate that the B and P atoms are doped into the crystalline Ge region of GeNWs and electrically activated in the substitutional sites, resulting in the formation of p-type and n-type GeNWs. This method can be a useful technique for the characterization of semiconductor nanowire devices. The B-doped GeNWs showed an increasingly tapered structure with increasing B concentration. To avoid tapering and gain a uniform diameter along the growth direction of the GeNWs, a three step process was found to be useful, namely growth of GeNWs followed by the deposition of an amorphous Ge layer with high B concentration and then annealing.

Enhanced photodegradation of methyl orange with TiO2 nanoparticles using a triboelectric nanogenerator

Methyl orange (MO) can be degraded by a photocatalytic process using TiO₂ under UV irradiation. The photo-generated holes and electrons can migrate to the surface of TiO₂ particles and serve as redox sources that react with adsorbed reactants, leading to the formation of superoxide radical anions, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals involved in the oxidation of dye pollution. Here, we fabricated a polytetrafluoroethylene-Al based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) whose electric power output can be used for enhancing the photodegradation of MO with the presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles, because the TENG generated electric field can effectively boost the separation and restrain the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes. Due to the photoelectrical coupling, the degradation percentages of MO for 120 min with and without TENG assistance are 76% and 27%, respectively. The fabricated TENGs have potential applications in wastewater treatment, water splitting, and pollution degradation.

Segregation behaviors and radial distribution of dopant atoms in silicon nanowires.

Gaining an understanding the dynamic behaviors of dopant atoms in silicon nanowires (SiNWs) is the key to achieving low-power and high-speed transistor devices using SiNWs. The segregation behavior of boron (B) and phosphorus (P) atoms in B- and P-doped SiNWs during thermal oxidation was closely observed using B local vibrational peaks and Fano broadening in optical phonon peaks of B-doped SiNWs by micro-Raman scattering. Electron spin resonance (ESR) signals from conduction electrons were used for P-doped SiNWs. Our results showed that B atoms preferentially segregate in the surface oxide layer, whereas P atoms tend to accumulate in the Si region around the interface of SiNWs. The radial distribution of P atoms in SiNWs was also investigated to prove the difference segregation behaviors between of P and B atoms.

Phonon confinement and self-limiting oxidation effect of silicon nanowires synthesized by laser ablation

The phonon confinement and self-limiting oxidation effects of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) synthesized by laser ablation were investigated. The size of SiNWs was controlled by the synthesis parameters during laser ablation and the subsequent thermal oxidation. Thermal oxidation increases the thickness of the SiNWs’ surface oxide layer, resulting in a decrease in their crystalline Si core diameter. This effect causes a downshift and asymmetric broadening of the Si optical phonon peak due to phonon confinement, while excess oxidation causes an upshift due to compressive stress. The compressive stress retarded the oxidation of the SiNWs by self-limiting oxidation effect. This result shows that the Si core diameter can be controlled by compressive stress.

Size-Tunable Silicon/Iron Oxide Hybrid Nanoparticles with Fluorescence, Superparamagnetism, and Biocompatibility

Magnetic/fluorescent composite materials have become one of the most important tools in the imaging modality in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) monitoring and fluorescence optical imaging. We report herein on a simplified procedure to synthesize hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) that combine silicon and magnetic iron oxides consisting of magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) and maghemite (γ-Fe(2)O(3)). Intriguingly, our unique synthetic approach can control magnetic and optical behaviors by reducing the particle size, demonstrating that the HNPs with the mean diameter of 3.0 nm exhibit superparamagnetic behavior and green fluorescence in an aqueous solution, ambient air, and a cellular environment, whereas the HNPs with the mean diameter more than 5.0 nm indicate ferromagnetic behavior without fluorescence. Additionally, both HNPs with different diameters possess excellent magnetic responsivity for external applied magnetic field and good biocompatibility due to the low cytotoxicity. Our biocompatible HNPs with the superparamagnetism can provide an attractive approach for diagnostic imaging system in vivo.

High Efficiency Hybrid Solar Cells Using Nanocrystalline Si Quantum Dots and Si Nanowires.

We report on an efficient hybrid Si nanocrystal quantum dot modified radial p-n junction thinner Si solar cell that utilizes the advantages of effective exciton collection by energy transfer from nanocrystal-Si (nc-Si) quantum dots to underlying radial p-n junction Si nanowire arrays with excellent carrier separation and propagation via the built-in electric fields of radial p-n junctions. Minimization of recombination, optical, and spectrum losses in this hybrid structure led to a high cell efficiency of 12.9%.

Rapid synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoflowers with tailored surface textures with the assistance of amino acid molecules

Au particles with several unique morphologies (e.g., flower-shaped and confieto-shaped) are successfully synthesized through a chemical reduction with the assistance of amino acid molecules (gum Arabic). The highly branched nanostructures of the obtained Au particles show an enhanced SERS effect. Furthermore, the Au nanoflowers exhibit excellent biocompatibility to human bladder cancer cells T-24, which shows their potential in biomedical applications.