Nanoscale, vanadia-based, quasi-liquid films of self-selecting (equilibrium) thickness were observed on TiO2 surfaces in six ternary oxide systems (Ti–V–X–O; X = P, Na, K, Nb, Mo or W). It is demonstrated that the film appearance and thickness could be tailored via co-doping or changing the equilibration temperature. Furthermore, the observed discontinuous changes in film thickness, hysteresis ...

This interdisciplinary project investigates the performance of nanoscale metalinsulator-semiconductor (MIS) contact structures that electrically couple optimized catalysts to high quality semiconductor absorbers in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells, while chemically protecting the absorbers from oxidation during solar-driven water splitting. In the 2013-14 funding period, we completed and publis...

Large normal-direction excitation and emission of dual-emitting quantum dots (QDs) are essential for practical application of QD sensors based on the ratiometric fluorescence response. We have numerically demonstrated an all-dielectric four-layer cascaded photonic crystal (CPC) structure (alternating TiO2 and SiO2/SU8 layers with two dimensional nanoscale patterns in each layer) which is capabl...

The quartz-crystal microbalance is a sensitive and versatile tool for measuring adsorption of a variety of compounds (e.g. small molecules, polymers, biomolecules, nanoparticles and cells) to surfaces. While the technique has traditionally been used for measuring adsorption to flat surfaces and thin ridged films, it can also be extended to study adsorption to nanoparticle surfaces when the nano...

Grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) is a standard tool for the analysis of surfaces and thin layers containing nanometer-sized structures. In order to obtain a two-dimensional map of their local morphology, we performed GISAXS microtomography on dried drops of colloidal suspensions. In particular, we investigated the self-organization of drying suspensions of TiO2 on polyeth...

We report on the systematic investigation of the role of surface nanoscale roughness and morphology on the charging behaviour of nanostructured titania (TiO2) surfaces in aqueous solutions. IsoElectric Points (IEPs) of surfaces have been characterized by direct measurement of the electrostatic double layer interactions between titania surfaces and the micrometer-sized spherical silica probe of ...

We have developed a new experimental platform for in situ scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) which allows real time, nanoscale, elemental and structural changes to be studied at elevated temperature (up to 1000 °C) and pressure (up to 1 atm). Here we demonstrate the first application of this approach to understand complex structural chang...

A micro- and nanoscale complex structure made of a high refractive index polymer (n = 2.08) was formed on the ITO electrode layer of an edge-emitting type GaN blue light-emitting diode (LED), in order to improve the photon extraction efficiency by suppressing total internal reflection of photons. The nanoimprint lithography process was used to form the micro- and nanoscale complex structures, u...

The carbon/TiO2 hybrid dots (C/TiO2-Dots) are structurally TiO2 nanoparticles (in the order of 25 nm in diameter from commercially available colloidal samples) surface-attached by nanoscale carbon domains with organic moieties, thus equivalent to hybrids individual each decorated many dots. These exposure visible light exhibit potent antibacterial properties, similar those found neat same activ...

Owing to its excellent semiconducting and photoelectronic properties, TiO2 has recently attracted a great deal of interest for a large variety of applications. Examples include the use of TiO2 nanoparticles/films as photocatalysts for environment protection, photoelectron mediators for sensors, photosensitizers in light-emitting devices, and solar cells. With the recent development in nanoscien...