Nanoparticle films have become a promising low-cost, highsurface-area electrodematerial for solar cells and solar fuel production1,2. Compared to sintered nanoparticle films, oriented polycrystalline titania nanotubes offer the advantageof directed electron transport, and are expected to have higher electron mobility3–7. However, macroscopic measurements have revealed their electron mobility to...

We use atomic force microscopy to measure electron addition spectra of individual Au nanoparticles that exhibit Coulomb blockade at room temperature. The cantilever tip charges individual nanoparticles supported on an ultra-thin NaCl film via single-electron tunneling from the metal back electrode. The tunneling is detected by measuring frequency shift and damping of the oscillating cantilever....

Introducing hollow structures into metallic nanoparticles has become a promising route to improve their catalytic performances. A fundamental understanding of thermal stability of these novel nanostructures is of significance for their syntheses and applications. In this article, molecular dynamics simulations have been employed to offer insights into the thermodynamic evolution of hollow bimet...

TiO2 nanoparticle (NP)/ITO nanowire (NW) nanocomposites for use as photoelectrode materials were fabricated to improve the charge collection efficiency in solid state dye sensitized solar cells (ss-DSSCs). The average current density for ss-DSSCs containing TiO2 NP/ITO NW arrays was 7.2 mA cm(-2) that was 98% higher than that for the conventional TiO2 NP ss-DSSCs. The intensity modulated photoc...

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of periodic triangular Au nanoparticle arrays were investigated. We compared the optical nonlinearity of periodic Au nanoparticle arrays with that of the ultra-thin gold film consisting of randomly distributed spheroidal clusters. A pronounced enhancement of the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ((3)) in Au arrays was observed, and the figure ...