Yusin Pak

Palladium-Decorated Hydrogen-Gas Sensors Using Periodically Aligned Graphene Nanoribbons

Polymer residue-free graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) of 200 nm width at 1 μm pitch were periodically generated in an area of 1 cm(2) via laser interference lithography using a chromium interlayer prior to photoresist coating. High-quality GNRs were evidenced by atomic force microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Palladium nanoparticles were then deposited on the GNRs as catalysts for sensing hydrogen gases, and the GNR array was utilized as an electrically conductive path with less electrical noise. The palladium-decorated GNR array exhibited a rectangular sensing curve with unprecedented rapid response and recovery properties: 90% response within 60 s at 1000 ppm and 80% recovery within 90 s in nitrogen ambient. In addition, reliable and repeatable sensing behaviors were revealed when the array was exposed to various gas concentrations even at 30 ppm.

Enhanced Light Absorption of Silicon Nanotube Arrays for Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Solar Cells

By combining nanoimprint lithography technique and a two-step lift-off process, a Si nanotube array is fabricated and applied as a light absorber for n-Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells. The light is effectively trapped within the nanotubes and the device reveals a Jsc of 29.9 mA · cm(-2) and a power conversion efficiency of 10.03%, which is an enhancement of 13.4% compared to the cell having the best-known Si architecture of nanocones as a light absorber to date.

All‐Solution‐Processed Transparent Thin Film Transistor and Its Application to Liquid Crystals Driving

All-solution-processed transparent thin film transistors (TTFTs) are demonstrated with silver grid source/drain electrodes, which are fabricated by printing and subsequent silver nanoparticles solution coating, which allows continuous processing without using high vacuum systems. The silver grid electrode shows a reasonable transmittance in visible range, moderate electrical conductance and mechanical strength. The TTFTs are employed to drive liquid crystal cells and demonstrate a successful switching operation.

Large‐Scale Nanoelectrode Arrays to Monitor the Dopaminergic Differentiation of Human Neural Stem Cells

A novel cell-based biosensing platform is developed using a combination of sequential laser interference lithography and electrochemical deposition methods. This enables the sensitive discrimination of dopaminergic cells from other types of neural cells in a completely nondestructive manner. This platform and detection strategy may become an effective noninvasive in situ monitoring tool that can be used to determine stem cell fate for various regenerative applications.

Large‐Area Fabrication of Periodic Sub‐15 nm‐Width Single‐Layer Graphene Nanorings

A periodically aligned array of graphene nanorings (GRNRs) with a sub-15 nm linewidth at a pitch of 450 nm is fabricated with a large area, 9 cm(2) , through conventional nanoimprint lithography coupled with sophisticated metal deposition and plasma-etching processes. The existence of the single-layer GRNRs is verified by various techniques.

Palladium Nanoribbon Array for Fast Hydrogen Gas Sensing with Ultrahigh Sensitivity

A lithographically aligned palladium nano-ribbon (Pd-NRB) array with gaps of less than 40 nm is fabricated on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate using the direct metal transfer method. The 200 μm Pd-NRB hydrogen gas sensor exhibits an unprecedented sensitivity of 10(9) % after bending treatment, along with fast sensing behavior (80% response time of 3.6 s and 80% recovery time of 8.7 s) at room temperature.

Highly Bendable In-Ga-ZnO Thin Film Transistors by Using a Thermally Stable Organic Dielectric Layer

Flexible In-Ga-ZnO (IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) on a polyimide substrate is produced by employing a thermally stable SA7 organic material as the multi-functional barrier and dielectric layers. The IGZO channel layer was sputtered at Ar:O2 gas flow rate of 100:1 sccm and the fabricated TFT exhibited excellent transistor performances with a mobility of 15.67 cm2/Vs, a threshold voltage of 6.4 V and an on/off current ratio of 4.5 × 105. Further, high mechanical stability was achieved by the use of organic/inorganic stacking of dielectric and channel layers. Thus, the IGZO transistor endured unprecedented bending strain up to 3.33% at a bending radius of 1.5 mm with no significant degradation in transistor performances along with a superior reliability up to 1000 cycles.

Simultaneous fabrication of line defects-embedded periodic lattice by topographically assisted holographic lithography

We have demonstrated simultaneous fabrication of designed defects within a periodic structure. For rapid fabrication of periodic structures incorporating nanoscale line-defects at large area, topographically assisted holographic lithography (TAHL) technique, combining the strength of hologram lithography and phase-shift interference, was proposed. Hot-embossing method generated the photoresist patterns with vertical side walls which enabled phase-shift mask effect at the edge of patterns. Embossing temperature and relief height were crucial parameters for the successful TAHL process. Periodic holes with a diameter of 600 nm at a 1 μm-pitch incorporating 250 nm wide line-defects were obtained simultaneously.

Charge transfer in graphene/polymer interfaces for CO2 detection

Understanding charge transfer processes between graphene and functional materials is crucial from the perspectives of fundamental sciences and potential applications, including electronic devices, photonic devices, and sensors. In this study, we present the charge transfer behavior of graphene and amine-rich polyethyleneimine (PEI) upon CO2 exposure, which was significantly improved after introduction of hygroscopic polyethylene glycol (PEG) in humid air. By blending PEI and PEG, the number of protonated amine groups in PEI was remarkably increased in the presence of water molecules, leading to a strong electron doping effect on graphene. The presence of CO2 gas resulted in a large change in the resistance of PEI/PEG-co-functionalized graphene because of the dramatic reduction of said doping effect, reaching a maximum sensitivity of 32% at 5,000 ppm CO2 and an applied bias of 0.1 V in air with 60% relative humidity at room temperature. This charge transfer correlation will facilitate the development of portable graphene-based sensors for real-time gas detection and the extension of the applications of graphene-based electronic and photonic devices.

Nanoelectrodes: Large‐Scale Nanoelectrode Arrays to Monitor the Dopaminergic Differentiation of Human Neural Stem Cells (Adv. Mater. 41/2015)

A large-scale homogeneous nanocup-electrode array (LHONA) capable of noninvasive real-time monitoring of dopamine generation from human neural-stem-cell-derived midbrain neurons is described by J.-W. Choi, K.-B. Lee, and co-workers on page 6356. LHONA, fabricated through sequential laser interference lithography (LIL), is a conductive cell-culture platform that is extremely important for electrochemically active biomolecule detection. LHONA is a reliable platform capable of detecting dopamine produced from cells in a quantitative manner.