Structure Of Nanowires Research Articles

3D Shape Reconstruction of Ge Nanowires during Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth under Modulating Electric Field.

Bottom-up growth offers precise control over the structure and geometry of semiconductor nanowires (NWs), enabling a wide range of possible shapes and seamless heterostructures for applications in nanophotonics and electronics. The most common vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth method features a complex interaction between the liquid metal catalyst droplet and the anisotropic structure of the crystalline NW, and the growth is mainly orchestrated by the triple-phase line (TPL). Despite the intrinsic mismatch between the droplet and the NW symmetries, its discussion has been largely avoided because of its complexity, which has led to the situation when multiple observed phenomena such as NW axial asymmetry or the oscillating truncation at the TPL still lack detailed explanation. The introduction of an electric field control of the droplet has opened even more questions, which cannot be answered without properly addressing three-dimensional (3D) structure and morphology of the NW and the droplet. This work describes the details of electric-field-controlled VLS growth of germanium (Ge) NWs using environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM). We perform TEM tomography of the droplet-NW system during an unperturbed growth, then track its evolution while modulating the bias potential. Using 3D finite element method (FEM) modeling and crystallographic considerations, we provide a detailed and consistent mechanism for VLS growth, which naturally explains the observed asymmetries and features of a growing NW based on its crystal structure. Our findings provide a solid framework for the fabrication of complex 3D semiconductor nanostructures with ultimate control over their morphology.

(Invited) Ultrahigh Efficiency Excitonic Micro-LEDs

To date, it has remained challenging to achieve high efficiency micro-LEDs, which are desired for next generation displays and virtual/augmented reality. The performance degradation with reducing dimensions for conventional LEDs has been largely attributed to the plasma damage induced on the mesa sidewalls. Here, we show such a fundamental challenge can be overcome by developing nanowire excitonic LEDs. In this study, InGaN/GaN nanowire LED heterostructures were grown on N-polar GaN-on-sapphire substrates utilizing selective area epitaxy. Studies have shown that the exciton binding energy in strain-relaxed InGaN nanostructures can be dramatically enhanced. Due to the strong Coulombic interaction between electrons and holes, the impact of nonradiative SRH recombination on the performance of an excitonic LED is significantly reduced. By exploiting the large exciton oscillator strength of quantum-confined nanostructures, we have achieved an external quantum efficiency (EQE) exceeding 25% for a green-emitting device with lateral dimensions less than 1 micrometer, which is the highest value reported for any LEDs of this size to the best of our knowledge. It is further observed that the EQE and output power of the excitonic LED show a significantly faster rising trend with current injection, compared to conventional devices. We have identified several important factors for achieving high efficiency excitonic LEDs, including the epitaxy of nanostructures to achieve strain relaxation and reduced dislocation densities and the formation of three-dimensional quantum-confinement to enhance electron-hole wavefunction overlap. We have further investigated the effect of Mg incorporation in p-GaN layer on the device performance. We found out that an optimized Mg dopant incorporation in nanowire structures can contribute significantly to the efficiency of micro-LEDs. We have measured significantly enhanced performance by optimizing Mg dopant incorporation, which leads to reduced leakage current and improved EQE. For example, for a red-emitting micro-LED, a peak external quantum efficiency of >8% was measured for a device with a lateral dimension less than one micrometer by optimizing Mg-dopant incorporation. Through these studies, we show that by harnessing the exciton oscillator strength of nearly dislocation-free nanostructures, together with a careful optimization of p-doping in the contact layer, the efficiency bottleneck of micro-LEDs can be addressed.Conflict of interest: Some IP related to this work has been licensed to NS Nanotech, Inc., which was co-founded by Z. Mi. The University of Michigan and Mi have a financial interest in the company.

Preparation and Assembly of Carbon Nanotube/Silica Core-Shell Nanowires to Realize High-Density and Well-Aligned Nanotube Arrays with Uniform and Tunable Pitch

This study introduces a novel method to fabricate high-density, well-aligned arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with tunable pitch, utilizing a core-shell nanowire structure of CNTs and silica. The approach involves a modified Stober process to achieve controlled deposition of silicon dioxide around individual CNTs, forming robust core-shell nanowires. By optimizing the Stober process, the shell size can be precisely controlled down to sub 10nm scale while maintaining the individualized nature of the CNTs. Densely packed and precisely aligned CNT arrays are created using Langmuir-Schaefer process. After assembly, the silica shell, acting as a physical spacer, can be easily removed by HF etching, exposing the CNTs while maintaining their alignment. The developed high-density, well-aligned CNT arrays with tunable pitch show significant promise for applications in nanoelectronics, sensors, and other emerging technologies. This methodology offers a robust and scalable approach for CNT array fabrication, opening avenues for tailoring array properties to meet specific application requirements.

Discerning the magnetization reversal mechanism and magnetic interactions in arrays of FeNi nanowires

FeNi nanowires (NWs), 40 nm in diameter, were grown by electrodeposition. Compositional analysis showed Fe anomalous co-deposition, with different trends across the different potentials and electrolytes used. Those trends were explained within a modified Bocris-Drazic-Despic chemical reactions model, highlighting the importance of the electrochemical theory in understanding Fe-Ni electrodeposited systems. Structural characterization showed a change from a body-centred cubic structure for Fe-rich NWs to face-centred cubic at mid and low Fe content. Magnetic hysteresis measurements showed a range of coercivities from 20 mT for Fe-rich to 100 mT for Ni-rich NWs. Angular measurements allowed to determine that the magnetization reversal mechanism was dominated by transverse domain wall reversal. The analysis also hinted at the non-shape anisotropy acting as a demagnetizing force. First-order reversal curves (FORCs) showed that arrays with a high absolute value for the non-shape anisotropy had higher magnetic interactions, and vice versa. The non-shape anisotropy is dominated by the magnetostatic interactions between NWs, causing a weakening of the magnetic hardness. In combination with the coercivity angular measurements, the FORC analysis explained the shift in easy axis preference depending on NW chemical composition observed in the hysteresis loops of the samples.

Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalytic Properties of Novel Nanowire Structures from FeCo‐MOFs/GO via Low‐Temperature Annealing

Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) often suffer from poor stability, making them suitable precursors for metal oxides/porous carbon catalysts in the oxygen evolution reaction via pyrolysis. High‐temperature treatment, however, leads to significant loss of active sites. To address this, Fe‐MOFs, FeCo‐MOFs, and FeCo‐MOFs/graphene oxide (GO) composites using a one‐pot hydrothermal method are synthesized and annealed at a low temperature of 300 °C. Characterization reveals that FeCo‐MOFs/GO composites possess unique nanowire structures mixed with a small amount of nanoflakes. It is believed that introducing graphene oxide plays a critical role in forming this structure, because the defects in GO provide numerous nucleation sites for nanowire growth. With high specific surface area and good stability, these nanostructures show a low overpotential of 261.5 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 20.47 mV dec−1 in 1 mol L−1 KOH alkaline water electrolysis. Density functional theory calculations further indicate that the synergistic effect of Fe and Co atoms enhances the catalytic activity.

Stable and Tunable Quantum Conductance in Spider-Silk-like Synaptic Device for Neurocomputing.

The quantum conductance (QC) behaviors in synaptic devices with stable and tunable conductance states are essential for high-density storage and brain-like neurocomputing (NC). In this work, inspired by the discontinuous transport of fluid in spider silk, a synaptic device composed of a silicon oxide nanowire network embedded with silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs@SiOx) is designed. The tunable QC behaviors are achieved in both the SET and RESET processes, and the QC states exhibit stable retention time exceeding 104 s in the synaptic device and show stable reproducibility after an interval of two months. The synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation/depression and Pavlovian conditioning function, is simulated based on the tunable conductance. The mechanism of stable and tunable QC behaviors is analyzed and clarified by beading effect of spider silk in Si-QDs@SiOx nanowires structure. The digit recognition capability of the device is evaluated by simulation using an artificial neural network consisting of the Si-QDs@SiOx-based synaptic device. These results provide insights into the development of neurocomputing systems with high classification accuracy.

Synthesis and morphology of Ag nanowires by fiber template method

The synthesis of traditional silver nanowires often uses a polyol method. There are many factors that affect the structure of silver nanowires, such as silver ion concentration, type and amount of reducing agent, oxygen concentration, stirring speed, temperature, and time. The synthesis conditions are harsh and difficult to replicate. In this paper, natural fibers and synthetic fibers were used as templates to assist the polyol reduction method to obtain silver nanowires with uniform structure. The effect of fiber types on the structure of silver nanowires were studied, including hemp fibers, wheat straw fibers, tobacco stem fibers, and polycarbonate fibers. Polycarbonate fibers induced the synthesis of silver nanowires with the highest aspect ratio, highest yield, and most uniform diameter distribution. The effect of polycarbonate fibers concentrations on the morphology and conductivity of silver nanowires were also studied. When the polycarbonate mass concentration was 8.5 × 10−4 g/mL, the aspect ratio of silver nanowires was the highest. The effect of polycarbonate fibers length (2 mm\\5 mm\\7 mm) on the morphology of silver nanowires were also studied. When the length of the template polycarbonate fibers was 7 mm, the length to diameter ratio and conductivity of the nanowires obtained are the best. Furthermore, the reaction kinetics of the reaction were studied via multiple sampling of silver nanowire reaction solutions and characterized by using UV–visible spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The synthesis method of silver nanowires using fiber template is simple and fast, and can be used to synthesize silver nanowires with uniform diameter distribution on a large scale, thus solving the bottleneck problem of harsh synthesis conditions for silver nanowires. The resulting silver nanowires were blended with carboxymethyl cellulose to prepare conductive inks, which were coated on paper and cured at 180 °C for 30 min to achieve good conductivity.

Insights into the formation and growth of high entropy PdPtSnPbNi nanowires to obtain catalysts with high alcohol electrocatalytic oxidation activity

High-entropy alloys have raised great interest in recent years because of their potential applications for multi-electron reactions owing to their diverse active sites and multielement tunability. However, the difficulty of synthesis is an obstacle to their development due to phase separation often exists. In addition, it’s a challenge to precisely control morphology in harsh conditions, thus leading to nanoparticles in many cases. We report a facile method to obtain PdPtPbSnNi HEA NWs by solvothermal synthesis method that no existing phase separation. PdPb nucleation plays a role in the formation of the high-entropy structure that serves as a PdPb nucleus for Sn, Ni, and Pt reduction subsequently, thus forming a single phase and an orderly-arranged nanowire structure. Significantly, the optimized PdPtPbSnNi NWs exhibit excellent catalytic activity and stability for both EOR and MOR which is 4.36 A mgPd+Pt-1 and 4.34 A mgPd+Pt-1, respectively. This study highlights a novel strategy for morphology tuning, providing a prospect for designing superior high-entropy nano-catalysts for multi-step reactions.

SYNTHESIS AND STUDY OF OPTICAL, ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF TIN DIOXIDE NANOWIRES IN A SiO<sub>2</sub>/Si TRACK TEMPLATE

This work presents a study of the structural, optical and electrical characteristics of tin dioxide (SnO2) nanowires obtained by chemical deposition (CD) into a SiO2/Si track template (template synthesis). Latent tracks in the SiO2 layer were created by irradiation with swift heavy ions (SHI) of Xe at an energy of 200 MeV with a fluence of Ф = 108 cm−2 and subsequent etching in a 4% aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid (HF). The chosen CD method is widely used for the deposition of semiconductor oxide nanowires in SiO2 nanopores. The CD method is cost-effective because it does not require special equipment for deposition of nanowires. To carry out deposition, a solution of a coordination compound of a metal and a reducing agent is used. To analyze the filling of pores after the CD process, the surface morphology of the samples was studied using a Zeiss Crossbeam 540 scanning microscope. The crystallographic structure of SnO2/SiO2/Si nanostructures with SnO2 nanopore filling was studied by X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) is carried out on a Rigaku SmartLab X-ray diffractometer. As a result, a SnO2-NW/SiO2/Si nanoheterostructure with an orthorhombic crystal structure of SnO2 nanowires was obtained. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra were measured upon excitation with light at a wavelength of 240 nm using a CM2203 spectrofluorimeter (Solar). Gaussian decomposition of the photoluminescence spectrum of SnO2-NW/SiO2/Si structures showed that they have low intensity, which is mainly due to the presence of defects such as oxygen vacancies, interstitial tin or tin with damaged bonds. Electrical characterization studies were performed using a VersaStat 3 potentiostat (Ametek). Measurement of the current-voltage characteristic showed that the resulting SnO2-NW/SiO2/Si nanoheterostructure contains arrays of p-n junctions.

Study on the Performance of Aniline Electrodeposited on MnO2 Nanowire as an Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Manganese dioxide is an ideal anode for sodium-ion batteries due to its rich crystal shapes. However, its low conductivity, low reversible discharge capacity, slow diffusion kinetics, and poor cyclic stability limit its potential for industrial application. The design of manganese dioxide (MnO2) with various morphologies, such as nanowires, nanorods, and nanoflowers, has proven effective in enhancing its electrochemical performance. Stacking nanowire structures is of interest as they increase the open space by forming an interconnected network, thus facilitating favorable diffusion pathways for sodium ions. Concurrently, the substantial increase in the electrolyte contact area efficiently mitigates the strain induced by the volume expansion associated with the repetitive migration and insertion of sodium ions. Based on previous research, this work presents the structural design of flexible MnO2/polyaniline (MnO2/PANI) nanowires assembled on carbon cloth (CC), an innovation in MnO2 modification. Compared to conventional MnO2 nanowires, the MnO2/PANI nanowires exhibit enhanced structural stability and improved dynamic performance, thereby marking a significant advancement in their material properties. This MnO2/PANI composite exhibits a rate capacity of approximately 200 mA h g-1 after 60 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g-1, and maintains a rate capacity of 182 mA h g-1 even after 200 cycles under the same current density. This study not only provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms governing energy storage in MnO2/PANI nanowires but also paves the way for their further development and optimization as anodes for sodium-ion batteries, thereby opening up fresh avenues for research and application.

Ultrahigh Bipolar Photoresponse in a Self-Powered Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on GaN and In/Sn-Doped Ga2O3 Nanowires pn junction.

Self-powered ultraviolet photodetectors with bipolar photoresponse have great potential in the fields of ultraviolet optical communication, all-optical controlled artificial synapses, high-resolution ultraviolet imaging equipment, and multiband photoelectric detection. However, the current low optoelectronic performance limits the development of such polar switching devices. Here, we construct a self-powered ultraviolet photodetector based on GaN and In/Sn-doped Ga2O3 (IGTO) nanowires (NWs) pn junction structure. This unique nanowire/thin film structure allows GaN and IGTO to dominate the absorption of light at different wavelengths, resulting in a highly bipolar photoresponse. The device has a responsivity of 2.04 A/W and a normalized detectivity of 7.18 × 1013 Jones at 254 nm and a responsivity of -2.09 A/W and a normalized detectivity of -7 × 1013 Jones at 365 nm, both at zero bias. In addition, it has an extremely high Ilight/Idark ratio of 1.05 × 105 and ultrafast response times of 2.4/1.9 ms (at 254 nm) and 5.7/5.2 ms (at 365 nm). These excellent properties are attributed to the high specific surface area of the one-dimensional nanowire structure and the abundant voids generated by the nanowire network to enhance the absorption of light, and the p-n junction structure enables the rapid separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Our findings provide a feasible strategy for high-performance wavelength-controlled polarity switching devices.

Impact of annealing temperature on structural, optical and photovoltaic properties of bismuth oxysulfate thin films

The nanostructure of inorganic Bi2S3 semiconductor materials has been studied in recent years due to the wide range of features in optoelectronics and nanotechnology. The fundamental properties like low band gap (1.3–1.7 eV), high absorption coefficient, and nontoxic nature have captivated the attention of researchers in the solar cell sector. There are numerous factors to enhance the performance of the solar cell, likewise, annealing temperature is one of the important factors in thin film fabrication to change the morphology, optical, electrical, and structure of the material. In this work, the effects of annealing temperature on Bi2S3 thin films were studied and coincidently it was transformed into the new bismuth oxysulfate material of high band gap and transparent nature in high annealing temperatures. Both open circuit voltage (Voc = 0.75 V) and short circuit current (Isc = 0.06 mA/cm2) have been improved in bismuth oxysulfate thin film than the Bi2S3 phase. We have studied the photovoltaic properties of bismuth sulfide and bismuth oxysulfate materials along with their structure, optical, and surface morphology by using spin coating. The thin films of Bi2S3 material were formed up to 300 °C and above this temperature material was changed to bismuth oxysulfate material supported by XRD, band gap, and EDS results. The band gap of Bi2S3 thin film slightly increases from 1.6 eV to 1.8 eV and is almost constant at 3.7 eV in bismuth oxysulfate structure in increasing the annealing temperature. The nanowire structure of Bi2S3 was changed to the nanowire of bismuth oxysulfate at 420 °C and above this temperature, nanowires changed to spherical nanoparticles at 450 °C.

Room temperature hydrogen gas sensor based on Pd decorated bridging GaN nanowires

A highly sensitive and low-power consumption hydrogen (H2) gas sensor based on palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) decorated bridging GaN nanowires (NWs) has been fabricated, which can be used for H2 detection at room temperature (RT). The bridging GaN NWs growth across the deep trench of GaN coated sapphire substrate were prepared by Metal-organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD), and Pd NPs were deposited on the surface of GaN NWs using magnetron sputtering. The characterizations of the structure and morphology of Pd-GaN NWs indicated that the Pd NPs were successfully loaded on the surface of GaN NWs. The sensors with different Pd thickness (2 nm, 5 nm, 10 nm, and 15 nm) were measured at RT (∼ 25 ℃), with H2 concentrations varying from 1 to 10,000 ppm. When the Pd thickness is 10 nm, the H2 response reaches its maximum, has a fast response time (∼3 s toward 10,000 ppm H2) and a low detection limit (LOD) of 42.2 ppb H2. Moreover, the sensor has excellent repeatability, superior H2 selectivity, relatively good humidity-tolerant and long-term stability. In addition, H2 sensing characteristics at different self-heating power (1.9 mW, 6.6 mW, 18.4 mW, and 36.1 mW) were also measured, and found that the H2 response increased with the increase of self-heating power. The fabricated H2 sensor with low-power consumption (without heater or illumination) have a wide application in portable device or Internet of Things (IoT) system.

Fabrication and electrochemical performance of Ni[sbnd]Cu carbonate/hydroxide-based electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors

The increasing usage of high-performance equipment necessitates the exploration of new energy storage solutions. Supercapacitors offer significant advantages over secondary batteries, including longer lifespan, faster charge/discharge rates, higher power density, and greater reliability. Three-dimensional porous NiCu(CO3)(OH)2 nanowires were directly synthesized on Ni foam using a binder-free hydrothermal method as positive electrodes in high-performance supercapacitors. The unique nanowire structure of NiCu(CO3)(OH)2 plays a pivotal role in enhancing electrical performance by providing substantial surface area, improving electrode/electrolyte contact, and shortening ion diffusion paths. The use of Ni- and Cu-based binary transition metal electrodes contributes to high specific capacitance, rapid charge-discharge rates, and excellent cycling stability, collectively resulting in the development of high-capacity supercapacitors. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations were employed to elucidate the electrode formation energy based on the Ni/Cu ratio, assessing the structural stability of electrodes and offering insights for future energy storage device development. The optimized NiCu(CO3)(OH)2 nanowire compound exhibited an outstanding maximum specific capacity of 211.1 mAh g−1 at 3 A g−1. Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor was constructed using the NiCu(CO3)(OH)2 composite as the positive electrode and graphene as the negative electrode. The resulting asymmetric supercapacitors demonstrate a remarkable energy density of 26.7 W h kg−1 at a power density of 2534 W kg−1, along with exceptional cycling stability, retaining 91.3% of its capacity after 5000 cycles. Consequently, the asymmetric supercapacitors incorporating NiCu(CO3)(OH)2 exhibit superior electrical properties compared to most previously reported Ni- and Cu-based asymmetric supercapacitors.

Site-selective core/shell deposition of tin on multi-segment nanowires for magnetic assembly and soldered interconnection

The field of nanotechnology continues to grow with the ongoing discovery and characterization of novel nanomaterials with unconventional size-dependent properties; however, the ability to apply modern manufacturing strategies for practical device design of these nanoscale structures is significantly limited by their small size. Although interconnection has been previously demonstrated between nanoscale components, such approaches often require the use of expensive oxidation-resistant noble metal materials and time-consuming or untargeted strategies for welded interconnection such as laser ablation or plasmonic resonance across randomly oriented component networks. In this work, a three-segment gold–nickel–gold nanowire structure is synthesized using templated electrodeposition and modified via monolayer-directed aqueous chemical reduction of tin solder selectively on the gold segments. This core/shell nanowire structure is capable of directed magnetic assembly tip-to-tip and along substrate pads in network orientation. Upon infrared heating in a flux vapor atmosphere, the solder payload melts and establishes robust and highly conductive wire–wire joints. The targeted solder deposition strategy has been applied to various other multi-segment gold/nickel nanowire configurations and other metallic systems to demonstrate the capability of the approach. This core/shell technique of pre-loading magnetically active nanowires with solder material simplifies the associated challenges of size-dependent component orientation in the manufacture of nanoscale electronic devices.

Tilted Perpendicular Anisotropy-Induced Spin-Orbit Ratchet Effects

Abstract Using micromagnetic simulations, in this study we demonstrate the tilted perpendicular anisotropy -induced spin-orbit ratchet effect. During spin-orbit torque (SOT)-induced magnetization switching, the critical currents required to switch between the two magnetization states (upward and downward magnetization) are asymmetric. In addition, in the nanowire structure, tilted anisotropy induces formation of tilted domain walls (DWs). The tilted DWs exhibit a ratchet behavior during motion. The ratchet effect during switching and DW motions can be tuned by changing the current direction with respect to the tilting direction of anisotropy. The ratchet motion of the DWs can be used to mimic the Leaky–Integrate–Fire function of a biological neuron, especially the asymmetric property of the “potential” and “reset” processes. Our results provide a full understanding of the influence of tilted perpendicular anisotropy on SOT-induced magnetization switching and DW motion, and are beneficial for design of further SOT-based devices.

Electrochemical characteristics of flexible open-cell supercapacitors employing different electrolyte types: KOH and ionic liquid

A carbonate hydroxide compound with substantial wettability was deposited on a porous Ni foam substrate, employing the Ni-based chemical precursor by a facile hydrothermal method. The resulting Ni2(CO3)(OH)2 electrode exhibits a nanowire structure characterized by a significant surface area. These electrodes represent highly promising materials for faradaic capacitors. They demonstrate high wettability on the electrode surface, facilitating charge and discharge processes on the electrode surface through redox reactions. A flexible hybrid open-cell supercapacitor, designed to operate at 1.5 V, was constructed with the Ni2(CO3)(OH)2 electrode as the positive terminal and graphene as the negative terminal, employing two distinct electrolytes (KOH and ionic liquid named MPPyFSI with 1-Methyl-1-propylpyrrolidinium Bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide structure). The open-cell devices, fabricated with 6 M KOH and MPPyFSI electrolyte, exhibit high energy densities of 39.6 and 24.8 Wh kg−1 and power densities of 1752.1 and 2908.5 W kg−1 at current densities of 2 A g−1, respectively. Furthermore, the energy storage devices utilizing aqueous KOH and MPPyFSI demonstrate excellent stability, maintaining 73.4 and 87.1% of their specific capacity after 5,000 charge/discharge cycles. The mechanical properties of the flexible open-cell device were characterized, and the electrochemical values corresponding to the banding angle of the device were measured.

Transformation of Bi4Cl2S5 into sub-10 nm Bi2O2CO3 nanowires for electrochemical reduction of CO2

The development of highly efficient catalysts for the selective electrochemical reduction reaction of CO2 (eCO2RR) to high-valued formate remains a challenge in achieving carbon neutrality and renewable energy conversion. In this study, ultrathin Bi4Cl2S5 nanowires, synthesized using different branched-chain thiols as sulfur sources, were reported for the first time as precatalysts for eCO2RR to formate. Systematic material characterization demonstrated that Bi4Cl2S5 can undergo in-situ evolution into Bi2O2CO3 nanowires, serving as the genuine electrocatalyst for eCO2RR. Through the fine-tuning of ligands during the synthesis of Bi4Cl2S5 nanowires, the optimized Bi4Cl2S5-derived Bi2O2CO3 nanowires exhibited a maximum formate Faradaic efficiency (FEformate) of 95.3 % in eCO2RR using a traditional H-cell, surpassing other prepared samples. Furthermore, an FEformate of over 92.9 % was achieved in a wide potential window of 500 mV, and high performance was maintained over 20 h. This outstanding performance is attributed to the high intrinsic activity, accelerated charge transfer, and the large electrochemical active surface area associated with the characteristic sub-10 nm diameter nanowire structure. Moreover, density function theory calculations further revealed that Bi2O2CO3 can reduce the energy barriers for the formation of *OCHO intermediate and bolster formate production. Our work provides a novel synthesis strategy for excellent Bi-based catalysts in electrocatalysis.

Facile fabrication of mesoporous Ag-doped γ-MnO2 nanowires with rich oxygen defects for boosting performance of aqueous Zn-ion batteries

In recent years, the aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted a remarkable attention due to their low cost, abundance, low toxicity and high safety. MnO2 is considered a potential electrode for AZIBs owing to its high theoretical capacity and abundance. However, MnO2 suffers a challenging issue of poor cyclability. Herein, mesoporous Ag-doped γ-MnO2 nanowires were fabricated for the first time by a facile room temperature co-precipitation method under the assistance of Ag+ and investigated electrochemically as cathode for AZIBs. The as-obtained sample electrode delivers a remarkable discharge specific capacity of 978 mAh g-1 at the 65th cycle at a current rate of 0.1 C to be steady at 804 mAh g-1 after 150 cycles and exhibits an excellent rate capability at high C-rate due to the surface-controlled capacitive process of the electrochemical reaction, which is attributed to the unique structure of Ag-doped γ-MnO2 nanowires with rich oxygen defects and crystal water for more active sites and stable structure. This work offers aspiration for the future cathode material engineering as AZIBs.

Mimicking the retinal neuron functions by a photoresponsive single transistor with a double gate

To realize a low-cost neuromorphic visual system, employing an artificial neuron capable of mimicking the retinal neuron functions is essential. A photoresponsive single transistor neuron composed of a vertical silicon nanowire is proposed. Similar to retinal neurons, various photoresponsive characteristics of the single transistor neuron can be modulated by light intensity as well as wavelength and have a high responsivity to green light like the human eye. The device is designed with a cylindrical surrounding double-gate structure, enclosed by an independently controlled outer gate and inner gate. The outer gate has the function of selectively inhibiting neuron activity, which can mimic lateral inhibition of amacrine cells to ganglion cells, and the inner gate can be utilized for the adjustment of the firing threshold voltage, which can be used to mimic the regulation of photoresponsivity by horizontal cells for adaptive visual perception. Furthermore, a myelination function that controls the speed of information transmission is obtained according to the inherent asymmetric source/drain structure of a vertical silicon nanowire. This work can enable photoresponsive neuronal function using only a single transistor, providing a promising hardware implementation for building miniaturized neuromorphic vision systems at low cost.