Nanostructure Engineering by Oblique Angle Deposition for Photodetectors and Other Applications.

Oblique angle deposition (OAD) holds significant potential for diverse applications, including energy harvesting devices, optoelectronic sensors, and electronic devices, owing to the creation of unique nanostructures. These nanostructures are characterized by their porosity and nanoscale columns, which can exist in numerous forms depending on deposition conditions. As a result, the engineering of nanostructures using OAD achieves the successful modulation of optical properties such as absorption, reflection, and transmission.

Green Light-Driven Ultraselective Trimethylamine Detection Using InS Nanoflakes at Room Temperature for Fish Quality Monitoring.

Visible light-activated chemoresistive gas sensors offer low power consumption, room-temperature operation, minimal material degradation, and human safety. While extensive research has focused on NO detection due to its high electron affinity, detecting volatile organic compounds or amine gases by light activation remains challenging because of the high activation energy required for interactions with sensing materials. Here, we report the first demonstration of green-light-activated trimethylamine (TMA) detection using β-InS nanoflakes (NFs) corresponding to the bandgap energy of green wavelength.

Color-Tunable Glass for Adaptable Thermal Management Based on Silver Phase Change.

In recent years, passive thermal management systems have emerged as an essential energy-saving strategy to mitigate carbon emissions. However, traditional heat management approaches, such as photothermal devices and radiative coolers, often face application limitations due to their complex construction, aesthetic constraints, and inability to adapt to diverse architectural requirements. This study proposes a colored thermal engineering glass fabricated through a simple annealing process, where Ag nanoparticles are formed on a TiO film and an Ag layer.

Generating Solar Steam Using Waste Cellulose Fabric: Harnessing Synthetic Yet Plentiful and Cost-Effective Resources.

Numerous studies have been conducted into the reuse of such waste fabric; however, diversity in fiber type and the dyes used limits their potential applications. Therefore, innovative methods for recycling waste fiber need to be developed. This study explores the use of waste fabric as the primary raw material for the development of solar steam generators (SSGs) by harnessing abundant and affordable artificial 3D structures to deliver an efficient and cost-effective steam-generation solution.

Dual-Function Ceramic Pigments for Energy-Efficient and Secure Autonomous Vehicles.

The global automobile market continues to demonstrate robust growth and innovation potential. Vehicles have evolved into complex, technology-intensive platforms, and autonomous vehicles are anticipated to become commonplace in the near future. However, key challenges persist, such as managing excessive energy consumption and ensuring precise object detection.

Ambient Stable CsCuI Flexible Gas Sensors for Reliable NO Detection at Room Temperature.

The advancement of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence has increased the demand for air quality monitoring to protect human health. Nitrogen dioxide (NO), a hazardous pollutant, causes inflammatory responses, even at low concentrations, necessitating sensitive gas sensors. Although metal oxide semiconductor sensors are commonly used, their high-operating temperature and reliance on additional heaters limit miniaturization and increase power consumption.

Rolling the Dice with Light Competition: Introducing a True Random Number Generator Powered by Photo-Induced Polarity Current.

The pursuit of hardware-based security solutions has highlighted the true random number generator (TRNG). Various physical phenomena, from noise generation to quantum physics complexities, have been explored for random number generation. The arc discharge light-induced TRNG (ALTRNG) is introduced, featuring wavelength-dependent photocurrent generation and arc discharge irradiation.

Phase Engineering of SnSe (X = 1,2) Microstructures for High-Performance NO Chemiresistive Room-Temperature Sensor Systems: Toward Highly Reliable and Robust Detection Properties under Humidity and Interfering Gas Conditions.

Two-dimensional SnSe (X = 1, 2) has emerged as a promising candidate for a NO chemiresistive sensor due to a remarkable affinity to NO gas adsorption. Although their gas sensing mechanism primarily relies on direct charge transfer, the underlying mechanisms of SnSe and SnSe remain unclear, despite various reported successes in phase engineering of SnSe. Here, we investigate phase engineering of SnSe in a hydrothermal route via 1-dodecanethiol (1-DDT), which served as a phase stabilizer, and comprehensively demonstrate phase-dependent NO detection properties.

Angular selective broadband radiative cooling based on Berreman mode.

Conventional radiative coolers (RCs) exhibit excellent cooling performance in horizontally-installed scenarios but are mainly limited to roofing materials due to their emitting direction. To increase the availability of RC application on the area of a building facade, this article proposes an oblique radiation-angled photonic structure (ORAPS). ORAPS can facilitate thermal emission toward the outer space, evade the adjacent building, and reflect incoming radiative heat in a direction perpendicular to the panel.

Stabilization of Tetragonal Phase in Hafnium Zirconium Oxide by Cation Doping for High-K Dielectric Insulators.

As electronic circuit integration intensifies, there is a rising demand for dielectric insulators that provide both superior insulation and high dielectric constants. This study focuses on developing high-k dielectric insulators by controlling the phase of the HfZrO (HZO) film with additional doping, utilizing yttrium (Y), tantalum (Ta), gallium (Ga), silicon (Si), and aluminum (Al) as dopants. Doping changes the ratio of tetragonal to monoclinic phases in doped HZO films, and Y-doped HZO (Y:HZO) films specifically exhibit a high tetragonal phase ratio and a dielectric constant of 40.

Near-Ideal Copper Oxide Heterostructure Design for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

In recent years, photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen generation through water splitting has gained significant attention as a carbon-free solar-to-energy conversion strategy. Among various materials, copper oxides, specifically cupric oxide (CuO) and cuprous oxide (CuO), have been extensively investigated for their suitable band positions and prominent performance, particularly in heterostructures. However, previously reported heterostructures, such as CuO layers on CuO, are not ideal configurations in terms of photoelectrical properties.

Real-Time Tunable Gas Sensing Platform Based on SnO Nanoparticles Activated by Blue Micro-Light-Emitting Diodes.

Micro-light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) have gained significant interest as an activation source for gas sensors owing to their advantages, including room temperature operation and low power consumption. However, despite these benefits, challenges still exist such as a limited range of detectable gases and slow response. In this study, we present a blue μLED-integrated light-activated gas sensor array based on SnO nanoparticles (NPs) that exhibit excellent sensitivity, tunable selectivity, and rapid detection with micro-watt level power consumption.

Versatile Papertronics: Photo-Induced Synapse and Security Applications on Papers.

Paper is a readily available material in nature. Its recyclability, eco-friendliness, portability, flexibility, and affordability make it a favored substrate for researchers seeking cost-effective solutions. Electronic devices based on solution process are fabricated on paper and banknotes using PVK and SnO nanoparticles.

Light-Triggerable and Gate-Tunable Negative Differential Resistance in Small Molecules Heterojunction.

Negative differential resistance (NDR), a phenomenon in which the current decreases when the applied voltage is increased, is attracting attention as a unique electrical property. Here, we propose a broad spectral photo/gate cotunable channel switching NDR (CS-NDR) device. The proposed CS-NDR device has superior linear gate-tunable NDR behavior and highly reproducible properties compared to the previously reported NDR devices, as the fundamental mechanism of the CS-NDR device is directly related to a charge transport channel switching by the linear increase of the applied drain voltage.

Split-Gate: Harnessing Gate Modulation Power in Thin-Film Electronics.

With the increase in electronic devices across various applications, there is rising demand for selective carrier control. The split-gate consists of a gate electrode divided into multiple parts, allowing for the independent biasing of electric fields within the device. This configuration enables the potential formation of both p- and n-channels by injecting holes and electrons owing to the presence of the two gate electrodes.

Scalable, Patternable Glass-Infiltrated Ceramic Radiative Coolers for Energy-Saving Architectural Applications.

A huge concern on global climate/energy crises has triggered intense development of radiative coolers (RCs), which are promising green-cooling technologies. The continuous efforts on RCs have fast-tracked notable energy-savings by minimizing solar absorption and maximizing thermal emission. Recently, in addition to spectral optimization, ceramic-based thermally insulative RCs are reported to improve thermoregulation by suppressing heat gain from the surroundings.

Zero Bias Operation: Photodetection Behaviors Obtained by Emerging Materials and Device Structures.

Zero-biased photodetectors have desirable characteristics for potentially next-generation devices, including high efficiency, rapid response, and low power operation. In particular, the detector efficiency can be improved simply by changing the electrode contact geometry or morphological structure of materials, which give unique properties such as energy band bending, photo absorbance and electric field distribution. In addition, several combinations of materials enable or disable the operation of selective wavelengths of light detection.

Deep Learning-Based NMPC for Local Motion Planning of Last-Mile Delivery Robot.

Feasible local motion planning for autonomous mobile robots in dynamic environments requires predicting how the scene evolves. Conventional navigation stakes rely on a local map to represent how a dynamic scene changes over time. However, these navigation stakes depend highly on the accuracy of the environmental map and the number of obstacles.

Facile Fabrication of α-Alumina Hollow Fiber-Supported ZIF-8 Membrane Module and Impurity Effects on Propylene Separation Performance.

The separation of C olefin and paraffin, which is essential for the production of propylene, can be facilitated by the ZIF-8 membrane. However, the commercial application of the membrane has not yet been achieved because the fabrication process does not meet industrial regulatory criteria. In this work, we provide a straightforward and cost-effective membrane fabrication technique that permits the rapid synthesis of ZIF-8 hollow fiber membranes.

Graphene Nanoribbon Hybridization of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Membranes for Intrinsic Molecular Separation.

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are promising for gas separation membrane, but their molecular cut-off differs from that expected from its intrinsic aperture structure because of their flexibility. Herein, we introduced graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) to rigidify the ZIF framework. Because the sp edge of the GNRs induces strong anchoring effects, the modified layer can be rigidified.

Lithography-Free, Large-Area Spatially Segmented Disordered Structure for Light Harvesting in Photovoltaic Modules.

Optical losses in photovoltaic (PV) systems cause nonradiative recombination or incomplete absorption of incident light, hindering the attainment of high energy conversion efficiency. The surface of the PV cells is encapsulated to not only protect the cell but also control the transmission properties of the incident light to promote maximum conversion. Despite many advances in elaborately designed photonic structures for light harvesting, the complicated process and sophisticated patterning highly diminish the cost-effectiveness and further limit the mass production on a large scale.

Perovskite microcells fabricated using swelling-induced crack propagation for colored solar windows.

Perovskite microcells have a great potential to be applied to diverse types of optoelectronic devices including light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells. Although several perovskite fabrication methods have been researched, perovskite microcells without a significant efficiency drop during the patterning and fabrication process could not be developed yet. We herein report the fabrication of high-efficiency perovskite microcells using swelling-induced crack propagation and the application of the microcells to colored solar windows.