Gold Nanowires Research Articles

Wearable electrochemical glucose sensor of high flexibility and sensitivity using novel mushroom-like gold nanowires decorated bendable stainless steel wire sieve

Long-term high blood glucose levels brings extremely detrimental effect on diabetic patients, such as blindness, renal failure, and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop highly flexible and sensitive sensors for precisely non-invasive and continuous monitoring glucose levels. Herein, we present a highly flexible and sensitive wearable sensor for non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose analysis with vertically aligned mushroom-like gold nanowires (v-AuNWs) chemically grown on stainless steel wire sieve (SSWS) as integrated electrode. Owing to the unique nanostructures and excellent catalysis of the v-AuNWs, the as-fabricated glucose sensors exhibit superior flexibility and excellent electro-catalytic capability. In detail, these sensors display rapid response towards glucose within 5 s, and the sensor constructed with v-AuNWs for growth time of 15 min shows the highest sensitivity of 180.1 μA mM−1 cm−2 within a wide linear range of 6.5 × 10−4 mM-12.0 mM and the lowest detection limit of 0.65 μM (S/N = 3). It is noteworthy that due to the good ductility of the v-AuNWs and their strong contact with the SSWS substrate, these glucose sensors exhibit no obvious response variation after repeated bending for 100 times at bending angle of 180°. Additionally, the glucose sensors display superior anti-interfering capability as well as desirable repeatability. More importantly, these glucose sensors can be attached on human skin to determine sweat glucose reliably and analyze glucose concentration in human serum in vitro.

Reversible chiral structure transformation of ultra-thin gold nanowire under tensile strain conditions

Behaviors of ultrathin metallic nanowires under strain conditions have attracted plenty of interest due to their unique properties and structures. Here, for the first time, we provide direct atomic-scale observations of the reversible chiral structure transformation of the gold nanowire under tensile strain conditions in transmission electron microscopy. The formation and disappearance of a 〈111〉 projection in the 〈110〉 projected nanowire were observed during the structural transformation. We reveal that the chiral structure transformation is induced by the nanowire twisting behavior, which is achieved via atomic plane rotation and nanowire bending. Our results provide direct evidence for an expressive and deterministic reversible transformation from a symmetrical face-centered-cubic structure to the chiral structure of gold nanowires, which enables an atomic-scale understanding of the behavior of ultra-thin nanostructure and provides guidance in the design of nano-devices.

Polarization control and enhanced magnetic field sensitivity utilizing surface plasmon polaritons-assisted dual-V-type four-level system

We propose a kind of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs)-assisted dual-V-type four-level composite system used for high-sensitivity weak magnetic field measurement. The SPPs are excited by a D-shaped photonic crystal fiber (PCF) deposited with gold nanowires, and are interacted with the above quantum emitter from the rubidium atomic vapor. In the presence of the external magnetic field, Faraday rotation symmetry is broken due to Zeeman effect, resulting in the polarization plane rotation when a linearly polarized probe field goes through the above quantum emitter. With the help of the coupled field and SPPs, Faraday magneto-optical rotation (MOR) are effectively regulated. The Rabi frequency of the coupled field (Ω c ), quantum interference degree (q), and phase difference (φ) between the applied fields show strong dependence on the MOR angle and magnetic field measurement sensitivity. The simulated results reveal that the maximum MOR angle and magnetic field sensitivity both damp with Ω c expanding and q reducing. The maximum dichroism-independent MOR angle of 89.97° is realized for φ = 0° (180°), and the magnetic field sensitivity of 10.88°/Oe is obtained in the sweeping range of −8.88–8.88 Oe for q = 0.99, being 2.66°/Oe higher than that in the absence of SPPs (q = 0). Most importantly, the output probe field with different polarization forms can be realized by adjusting the φ value. Hence, the proposed device exhibits the potential in the fields of weak magnetic field measurement and polarization control.

Regulating the Conformational and Macroscopic Properties of Inorganic Nanowires by Polymer Grafts

AbstractUltrathin inorganic nanowires are an emerging class of building blocks for creating functional materials and devices, but there remains challenging to fine‐tune the structure and property of the nanowires at the molecular level. Here, this work shows that ultrathin polymer‐grafted gold nanowires (PG‐AuNWs) can exhibit bottlebrush polymer‐like physical behaviors and macroscopic properties. The hybrid PG‐AuNWs in solutions show polymer‐like viscoelasticity which can be finely regulated by controlling the structural parameters (e.g., length of the AuNWs, molecular weight of grafted polymers) of the PG‐AuNWs, the environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, solvent compositions), and the aging time. Furthermore, this work unravels at the molecular level that the conformational properties (e.g., contour length, persistence length, and mean‐squared radius of gyration) of the PG‐AuNWs can be correlated to their structural parameters following similar power‐law relations as molecular bottlebrush polymers. This work bridges the fundamental gap between polymer‐like inorganic nanowires and bottlebrush polymers, thus accelerating the development of new nanowire‐based functional hybrid materials and devices.

Multifunctional Intelligent Wearable Devices Using Logical Circuits of Monolithic Gold Nanowires.

Although multifunctional wearable devices have been widely investigated for healthcare systems, augmented/virtual realities, and telemedicines, there are few reports on multiple signal monitoring and logical signal processing by using one single nanomaterial without additional algorithms or rigid application-specific integrated circuit chips. Here, multifunctional intelligent wearable devices are developed using monolithically patterned gold nanowires for both signal monitoring and processing. Gold bulkand hollow nanowiresshow distinctive electrical properties with high chemical stability and high stretchability. In accordance, the monolithically patterned gold nanowires can be used to fabricate the robust interfaces, programmable sensors, on-demand heating systems, and strain-gated logical circuits. The stretchable sensors show high sensitivity for strain and temperature changes on the skin. Furthermore, the micro-wrinkle structures of gold nanowires exhibit the negative gauge factor, which can be used for strain-gated logical circuits. Taken together, this multifunctional intelligent wearable device would be harnessed as a promising platform for futuristic electronic and biomedical applications.

Gold nanowire mesh electrode for electromechanical device

Ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators were prepared with Nafion film as the ionic polymer and gold nanowire (Au-NW) mesh film as the metal electrodes by hot-pressing, which shortened preparation time within 1 h. As a reference, IPMC actuator consisting of Nafion film and gold foil (Au-foil) was also prepared. Au-NW mesh film can be an electrode with thinner (about 150 nm) and lower surface resistivity (about 0.5 Ω sq−1) than the conventional electrode prepared by electroless plating. Larger contact area of the Au-NW mesh electrode than the Au-foil electrode resulted in better actuation performance (60% larger peak-to-peak displacement in actuation). It was confirmed that the transformation behavior of Au-NWs differed depending on the external stimuli condition. Namely Au-NWs transformed to Au nanoparticles in the case of the heat stimulus only. Meanwhile, Au-NWs transformed to plates in the case of the heat and pressure stimuli. While higher temperature improved the adhesion of Au-NW mesh electrode to the Nafion surface, it induced the transformation of nanowire to plates. The IPMC actuator that the Au-NW mesh electrodes were hot-pressed at 90 ºC exhibited the highest capacitance and the largest peak-to-peak displacement in actuation. This research expanded the application field of gold nanowires to the electromechanical devices.

ZIF-8 labelled a new electrochemical aptasensor based on PEI-PrGO/AuNWs for DON detection

In this work, a novel ultrasensitive aptasensor for deoxynivalenol (DON) detection based on the polyethyleneimine-functionalised porous reduced graphene oxide loaded gold nanowires (PEI-PrGO/AuNWs) and methylene blue (MB)-labelled zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) signal amplification strategy was proposed. PEI-PrGO/AuNWs with large surface area and excellent conductivity were used as modification materials on bare gold electrodes, which could increase the combining of complementary strand (cDNA) on the electrode substrate and accelerate the electron transfer efficiency. Furthermore, a novel electrochemical signal probe was synthesized using streptavidin-modified zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8/SA) as a carrier loaded with MB and reverse complementary chain (sDNA). In the presence of DON, the signal probe was introduced to the electrode surface by Watson-Crick base pairing after specific binding of DON to the aptamer (Apt). As expected, under the optimal conditions, the DON concentration was linearly related to the peak current generated by the prepared aptasensor, and the measured data were combined with theoretical calculations to obtain a detection limit of 2.23 × 10−9 mg/mL.

Wide refractive index detection range sensors based on D-shape photonic crystal fiber with a nanoscale gold wire

Optical sensing based on photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is attracting interests. Currently, PCF sensing suffered from the insensitivity with the changes of environmental surroundings with low refractive index. A D-shape PCF supporting plasmonic resonances based on gold nanowires is designed to demonstrated the sensitivity optical sensing in the refractive index range from 1.00 to 1.30. The finite element method is performed to optimize the device parameters, including the diameter of the large and tiny air holes, the size of the gold nanowire, and the space between the air holes. Utilizing plasmon-induced confined electrical around gold nanowires, the predicted device performance in spectral and amplitude sensitivities are up to 19,400 nm/RIU and 5.15 × 10−6 RIU, respectively. It is believed that the designed sensor can promote the development of applications in biological and pharmaceutical.

SERS-active immunoassay kit for SARS-CoV‑2 mediated by the cooperative chemical and electromagnetic effects of MXene modified with gold nanowires

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique with high sensitivity, reliable specificity, and rapid recognition ability exhibits attractive promise for the effective fast-monitoring of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Herein, a novel SERS-active immunoassay kit for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein was prepared by in-situ growing gold (Au) nanowire forests (NFs) onto Ti3C2Tx, which was then modified onto polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrix and encapsulated into kit. It was noted that the Au nanowires with fibrous structures which vertically anchored on Ti3C2Tx served as perfect channels to promote photo-induced charge transfer. The synergistic action of electromagnetic and chemical effects resulted in an enhancement factor (EF) of 1.27 × 107. Furthermore, the unreliable fluctuation of the enhanced signal was eliminated by using the intrinsic Raman signal of the flexible PMMA platform, achieving an improved correlation coefficient (R2) value from 0.950 to 0.990. Moreover, the as-designed immunoassay kit with both high sensitivity and remedied quantitative ability rendered by the Ti3C2Tx@Au NFs-PMMA composite exhibited a powerful performance in the practical detection of N-protein with concentration low to 5.0 × 10−8 mg/mL.

Gating and photogalvanic effect tuning the spin transport in single chromium porphyrin from first principles

Magnetic molecules are of crucial importance for miniaturizing future spintronic devices. In this work, we investigated the possibility of modulating spin transport in a single chromium porphyrin molecule using the gate voltage and the photogalvanic effect. It was found that, under a certain bias voltage, the gate voltage can effectively regulate the spin filtering effect. Moreover, when the molecule is asymmetrically connected to two gold nanowire electrodes, fully polarized and even pure spin currents can be generated under the irradiation of linearly polarized light. Our findings offer potential pathways for designing single-molecule spintronics and optoelectronic devices.

A dual-cycle amplification-based electrochemical platform for sensitive detection of tobramycin

BackgroundTobramycin (TOB), an essential aminoglycoside antibiotic in human life, poses potential threats due to its residues in the environment. The primary concern is the adverse impact of excessive TOB on human kidneys, hearing, and other organs, significantly affecting human health. Constructing a sensitive electrochemical platform for simple and rapid trace detection is crucial. Herein, to enhance the sensitivity of TOB detection in the environment and mitigate the risks associated with residual antibiotics, an ultrasensitive electrochemical aptasensor was developed. ResultsThe sensor employs a dual-cycle amplification strategy involving catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) and exonuclease III (Exo III) for efficient signal amplification. Simultaneously, the electrode performance was optimized by incorporating gold nanowires (AuNWs) onto the surface of reduced graphene oxide (PDA-rGO). Specifically, in the presence of TOB, which binds to the aptamer (Apt), dsDNA dissociates, releasing cDNA to open hairpin 1 (HP1) and initiate the CHA cycle with the participation of hairpin 2 (HP2). Exo III shears HP1 in the HP1/HP2 complex, freeing HP2 to participate in the CHA cycle again. Ultimately, a significant amount of signal label is retained on the electrode by hybridizing with sheared HP1, generating a robust electrical signal. SignificanceThrough the signal amplification strategy, the aptasensor design provides a broad linear range of 0.005–500 nM, with a low detection limit of 0.112 pM for TOB. It is worth mentioning that the aptasensor displayed favorable stability, specificity, and reproducibility, and has been successfully applied to practical samples, demonstrating its utility in practical applications.

In Vitro and Ex Planta Gold-Bonded and Gold-Mineralized Tobacco Mosaic Virus.

Biotemplated mineralization is a promising and ecofriendly approach to manufacture metal nanoparticles and composites with precise size control. Plant viruses are suitable templates for biomineralization because they are chemically robust and highly scalable through molecular farming. Here, we report a gold-nanoparticle-coated tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) synthesized in a test tube or in plant extracts making use of a TMV displaying a gold-binding peptide (GBP). The methods developed are a step toward engineered living materials, where gold nanowires could be formed in plant tissues for sensing or energy harvest applications.

Chiral Excitation of Exchange Spin Waves Using Gold Nanowire Grating

We propose an experimental method for the unidirectional excitation of spin waves. By structuring Au nanowire arrays within a coplanar waveguide onto a thin yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film, we observe a chiral coupling between the excitation field geometry of the nanowire grating and several well-resolved propagating magnon modes. We report a propagating spin wave spectroscopy study with unprecedented spectral definition, wavelengths down to 130 nm and attenuation lengths well above 100 μm over the 20 GHz frequency band. The proposed experiment paves the way for future non-reciprocal magnonic devices.

Gold Nanowires Based on Photonic Crystal Fiber by Laser Ablation in Liquid to Improve Colon Biosensor

Gold Nanowires Based on Photonic Crystal Fiber by Laser Ablation in Liquid to Improve Colon Biosensor

Nanometer-Thick Gold Nanowire Films with Spider-Web-Like Morphology as Transparent Conductors for Wearable Devices

Nanometer-Thick Gold Nanowire Films with Spider-Web-Like Morphology as Transparent Conductors for Wearable Devices

Palladium atomic layers coated on ultrafine gold nanowires boost oxygen reduction reaction

Palladium-based nanocatalysts play an important role in catalyzing the cathode oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cells working under alkaline conditions, but the performance still needs to be improved to meet the requirements for large-scale applications. Herein, Au@Pd core–shell nanowires have been developed by coating Pd atomic layers on ultrafine gold nanowires and display outstanding electrocatalytic performance towards alkaline ORR. It is found that Pd overlayers with atomic thickness can be coated on 3 nm Au nanowires under CO atmosphere and completely cover the surfaces. The obtained ultrafine Au@Pd nanowires exhibit an electrochemical active area (ECSA) of 68.5 m2/g and a mass activity of 0.91 A/mg (at 0.9 V vs. RHE), which is around 3.1 and 15.2 times higher than that of commercial Pd/C. The activity loss of the ultrafine Au@Pd nanowire after 10,000 cycles of accelerated degradation tests is only ∼20 %, demonstrating its much better stability compared to commercial Pd/C. Further characterizations combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the electronic interactions between Pd atomic layers and underlying Au can increase the electronic density of Pd and promote the efficient activation of oxygen, thus leading to the improved ORR performance.

Ring-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber Sensor Based on SPR for Extra-Wide Refractive Index Detection

Spurred by the rapid development of fiber optic sensing technology, photonic crystal fiber (PCF) sensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) have received widespread attention. However, they can only detect a narrow range, and the coating process is complex. Herein, a wide-range SPR sensor is designed. It consists of a ring-core PCF filled with plasmonic materials. Compared to the process of depositing a coating inside the air hole, the analyte and gold nanowires fill our PCF, thus simplifying the manufacturing complexity. The ring-core structure enhances the directional power transmission between the guided mode and the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode. The sensor is numerically analyzed using the finite element method (FEM). The results show that the PCF-SPR sensor has a wavelength sensitivity and amplitude sensitivity of 40,000 nm/RIU and 2141 RIU−1, and the resolution is 2.5 × 10−6 RIU−1 for the detection range of 1.13–1.45. The high-sensitivity sensor boasting a wide refractive index detection range performs better than conventional solid-core PCF-SPR sensors, boding well for biochemical sensing.

Ionoelastomer electrolytes for stretchable ionic thermoelectric supercapacitors

Ionic thermoelectric supercapacitors (ITESCs) produce orders of magnitude higher voltages than those of conventional thermoelectrics (TEs) based on the thermo-diffusion of electrons/holes and are therefore attractive for converting low-grade heat into electricity. The stretchability and stability of the whole ITESC are important for wearable heat harvesting applications. Recent studies on ITESC have focused on stretchable ionic TE electrolytes with a giant Seebeck coefficient, but there are no reports of fully stretchable ITESCs for wearable heat harvesting devices due to the lack of stretchable electrodes and stretchable ionic TE electrolytes with stability. Herein, we present a fully stretchable ITESC composed of stable high-performance ionic thermoelectric elastomer (ITE) electrolyte and stretchable gold nanowire (AuNW) electrodes. The ITE shows excellent air stability (> 60 d) in comparison to hydrogel-based electrolytes that are susceptible to dehydration in ambient conditions. Furthermore, the ITE exhibits an apparent thermopower up to 38.9 mV K–1 and ionic conductivity of 3.76 × 10–1 mS cm–1, which both are maintained up to a tensile strain of 250%. Finally, a fully stretchable ITESC with AuNW electrodes is developed which can harvest energy from thermal gradients during deformations.

A D-Shaped SPR-Based PCF Sensor with an Extremely High-Amplitude Sensitivity for Measuring the Refractive Index.

In this work, a new D-shaped photonic crystal fibre sensor structure based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is purposed for measurement of analyte refractive index (RI). In this design, a silica cylinder is polished into a D-shaped silica material structure with a flattened surface where two Au nanowires are coated. Some air holes are omitted to form the core mode region. With the implementation of gold nanowires and a core region for the exciting SPR effect with variate physical values, analyte RI can be measured with a wavelength coverage from 850 to 1350nm. The numerical simulation shows the maximum wavelength sensitivity of the purposed design achieves 19,600nm/RIU with an RI coverage from 1.37 to 1.42. Moreover, the sensor has a tremendous amplitude sensitivity and the maximum absolute value is about 2300RIU-1. Benefiting from these outstanding performance, the purposed structure can be given priority when it is applied in biomedical detecting and environmental assessment science.

Electrochemical interfaces between Au(100) and deep eutectic solvents: An in situ scanning tunneling microscopy study

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are promising electrolytes for electrochemical fields due to their excellent properties. Electrochemical behaviors of Au(100) electrode in two choline chloride-based DESs ethaline and reline with different hydrogen bond donor molecules have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Cyclic voltammograms present three pairs of current peaks for Au(100) electrodes in the two DESs. On the basis of the results of in situ STM, the three pairs of current peaks are assigned to the formation and lifting of Au(100) surface reconstruction, adsorption and desorption of chloride ions, and phase transition of chloride ion adlayer. Compared with Au(111), one extra current peak and the corresponding (√5 × √5)R26.6° ordered adlayer of chloride ions were observed for Au(100) electrode. An order-order phase transition of chloride ion adlayer was observed in ethaline, while an order-disorder phase transition was observed in reline. Furthermore, no Au islands was observed on Au(100) surface in ethaline after the lifting of reconstruction when the potential is moved positively and gradually. However, gold nanowires could form and stably exist on Au(100) surface, which are different from that formed on Au(111) surface in reline. Our results provide detailed insights into the interfacial structures between Au(100) electrode and DESs on the atomic scale that hydrogen bond donor molecules and the surface crystallography of the electrode interface could significantly affect the arrangement of gold atoms of the electrode surface and chloride ions in the innermost Stern plane.