Polymer nanocomposites incorporating inorganic nanofillers have emerged as highly promising electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials, combining mechanical compliance with robust conductive percolation networks. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are particularly attractive as conductive fillers because their high aspect ratio facilitates percolation at low loadings. Also, CNTs offer superior mechanical durability under deformation compared to rigid, fracture-prone metal nanowires. For EMI shielding, high electrical conductivity is critical as it enhances both reflection and absorption through efficient charge dissipation and conduction losses. However, achieving highly aligned conductive pathways without degrading the intrinsic electrical properties of CNTs remains a significant challenge. Here, we demonstrate a non-destructive magnetic surface-functionalization and alignment strategy. Using a polydopamine (PDA)-mediated route, pristine multiwalled CNTs are uniformly decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles (FMWCNTs). This enables highly effective magnetic field-driven alignment at fields as low as 10 mT, promoting the strategic formation of percolation networks. By optimizing the Fe₃O₄/MWCNT ratio for high saturation magnetization and uniform coverage, the aligned FMWCNTs exhibit significant electrical anisotropy, delivering a 10.7-fold higher electrical conductivity in the parallel configuration compared to the vertical configuration. These findings present a scalable, room-temperature platform for engineering directionally enhanced conductivity in polymer nanocomposites, with broad applicability in advanced EMI shielding, flexible electronics, and advanced packaging technologies.
Iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have gained significant attention for their broad applicability in biomedical imaging, soft robotics, and catalysis owing to their exceptional magnetic properties and biocompatibility. A key challenge in maximizing their functionality lies in achieving a uniform size distribution and dispersity, alongside strong interfacial affinity with the surrounding medium that are essential for optimizing magnetic behavior and processibility. In this study, we present a facile solvothermal synthesis of monodisperse iron oxide NPs with tunable size and controllable surface hydrophobicity by varying precursors, capping agents, and solvents. By varying these synthesis parameters, we demonstrate a clear correlation between NP size, dispersity, and key magnetic properties, including saturation magnetization (MS) and coercivity (HC). This advancement in synthesis methodology offers a reliable, efficient approach for producing high-quality iron oxide NPs, which makes possible for practical use of them across a range of technological and biomedical applications.
This paper presents the development and market trends of nano biosensors. These biosensors must possess high sensitivity and selectivity to effectively detect diseases. Presently, many research groups are focusing on the field-effect transistor aspect of nano biosensors, which can identify diseases such as Down syndrome, bladder cancer, breast cancer, and numerous other cancers, utilizing graphene and transition metal dichalcogenide materials. In the case of in-vitro diagnostics, the use of nano biosensors has been rapidly growing since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper also discusses market trends and the outlook for both national and international enterprises engaged in the nano biosensor field. Nano biosensors are expected to play a beneficial and significant role soon, contributing to the early diagnosis of diseases and subsequently improving patient outcomes.
Laser-induced plasmonic sintering of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is a promising technology to fabricate flexible conducting electrodes, since it provides instantaneous, simple, and scalable manufacturing strategies without requiring costly facilities and complex processes. However, the metal NPs are quite expensive because complicated synthesis procedures are needed to achieve long-term reliability with regard to chemical deterioration and NP aggregation. Herein, we report laser-induced Ag NP self-generation and sequential sintering process based on low-cost Ag organometallic material for demonstrating highquality microelectrodes. Upon the irradiation of laser with 532 nm wavelength, pre-baked Ag organometallic film coated on a transparent polyimide substrate was transformed into a high-performance Ag conductor (resistivity of 2.2 × 10-4 Ω·cm). To verify the practical usefulness of the technology, we successfully demonstrated a wearable transparent heater by using Ag-mesh transparent electrodes, which exhibited a high transmittance of 80% and low sheet resistance of 7 Ω/square.
This study reports the fabrication and application of semitransparent Cu nanoparticle layers. Spin coating and subsequent drying of a Cu colloid solution were performed to deposit Cu nanoparticle layers onto Si and glass substrates. As the spin speed of the spin coating increases, the density of the nanoparticles on the substrate decreases, and the agglomeration of nanoparticles is suppressed. This microstructural variation affects the optical properties of the nanoparticle layers. The transmittance and reflectance of the Cu nanoparticle layers increase with increasing spin speed, which results from the trade-off between the exposed substrate area and surface coverage of the Cu nanoparticles. Since the glass substrates coated with Cu nanoparticle layers are semitransparent and colored, it is anticipated that the application of a Cu nanoparticle-dielectric bilayer structure to transparent solar cells will improve the cell efficiency as well as aesthetic appearance.
Controlling the shape of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) is very difficult. In the present work, urchin Ag NPs with different sizes and pod length control have been synthesized successfully in high yield by the concentration of a reducing agent. Unique Ag NPs were observed by TEM and SEM. These nanocrystals exhibit tunable surface plasmon resonance properties from the visible to near-infrared regions. They were applied to surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates using rhodamine 6G (R6G), benzenethiol (BT), and 4-amino benznethiol (4-ABT) molecules. The enhanced local field effect due to the sharp pod length, size, and surface plasmon of the urchin Ag NPs resulted in enhanced SERS properties and can serve as high-sensitivity substrates for SERS measurements.
The facile synthesis of shape-controlled Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) with ascorbic acid as a reducing agent and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a capping agent is presented in this study. The synthesized PdNPs were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman Spectroscopy. The prepared PdNPs show efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties. SERS studies on the adsorption characteristics of 1,4-phenylene diisocyanide (1,4-PDI) on colloidal PdNPs have revealed that the relative peak intensity of the (NC)free and (NC)bound modes distinctly depends on the 1,4-PDI concentration as well as the shape of the PdNPs. Furthermore, we found that the PdNPs are also efficient photoelectron emitters such that the SERS spectrum of 4-nitrobenzenethiol (4-NBT) on PdNPs is readily converted to that of 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) under 632.8 nm radiation.
Nanoscale gold particles have been intensively researched due to their potential applications in catalysis, electronics, plasmonics, and biological assays. In our study, we fabricated gold nanoparticles (NPs) that were synthesized in an aqueous environment via the reduction of HAuCl4 by ascorbic acid (AC) with a sodium citrate (SC) surfactant. Highly monodispersed gold particles with sizes ranging from 123 to 184 nm were prepared in high-yield by a surfactant concentration. The structural and optical properties of the synthesized gold nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The prepared nanoparticles exhibited efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties that were dependent on their on size.
SiOx nanoparticles were granulated, and their microstructures and effects on electrochemical behaviors were investigated. In spite of the promising electrochemical performance of SiOx, nanoparticles have limitations such as high surface area, low density, and difficulty in handling during slurry processing. Granulation can be one solution. In this study, pelletizing and annealing were conducted to create particles with sizes of several decades of micron. Decrease in surface area directly influences the initial charge and discharge process when granules are applied as anode materials for Li-ion batteries. Lower surface area is key to decreasing the amount of irreversible phase-formation, such as Li2Si2O5, Li2SiO3 and LuSiO4, as well as forming the solid electrolyte interface. Additionally, aggregation of nanoparticles is required to obtain further enhancement of the electrochemical behavior due to restrictions that there be no Li4SiO4-related reaction during the first discharge process.
In this paper, the ZnS nanoparticles were synthesized according to the process conditions of hydrothermal synthesis. When the molar ratio of Zn to S was 1:1.2, it was confirmed that it had a cubic single phase and a high crystal phase. After the molar ratio is fixed, hydrothermal synthesis was conducted at 180℃ for 24, 36, 72 and 96 h in order to confirm the structural change with the change of hydrothermal synthesis times. As the hydrothermal synthesis times increased, the particle size increased. The hydrothermal synthesized particle size for 72 h was considered to be suitable for sintering. The ZnS ceramic had a density of 99.7% and an excellent transmittance of ~70% in the long-wavelength region.
Transition metal oxide materials have attracted widespread attention as Li-ion battery electrode materials owing to their high theoretical capacity and good Li storage capability, in addition to various nanostructured materials. Here, we fabricated a CoO Li-ion battery in which Co nanoparticles (NPs) are deposited into a current collector through electrophoretic deposition (EPD) without binding and conductive agents, enabling us to focus on the intrinsic electrochemical properties of CoO during the conversion reaction. Through optimized Co NP synthesis and electrophoretic deposition (EPD), CoO Li-ion battery with 630 mAh/g was fabricated with high cycle stability, which can potentially be used as a test platform for a fundamental understanding of conversion reaction.
In this study, e-beam equipment was used to form silver nanoparticles on thin films of TiO2 to increase the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells and improve the annealing process. TiO2 thin films with nanoparticle photoelectrodes were fabricated in individual units for use in dye-sensitized solar cells. The characteristics of dye-sensitized solar cells were compared to those of the prepared TiO2 photoelectrode with and without nanoparticles. The dye-sensitized solar cells with silver nanoparticles showed a significant increase in the electric current density compared with the pure TiO2 dye-sensitized solar cell and improved the solar conversion efficiency to 27.89%. The increased density of electric current increased the extent of light absorption of the dye owing to the plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles at the local surfaces. This phenomenon led to increased light scattering, which in turn increased the current density of the dye-sensitized solar cells and improved the solar conversion efficiency.
Zinc sulphide (ZnS) nanoparticles were fabricated by hydrothermal synthesis at 180℃ for 12 h. Two kinds of ZnS powder (hydrothermal synthesized ZnS and commercial ZnS) were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for phase and microstructure, respectively. The XRD patterns showed that all ZnS nanoparticles have a sphalerite (cubic) structure. The nanoparticles of two different ZnS powders were sintered by spark plasma sintering. The sintered ZnS were analyzed by XRD, SEM, and FT-IR. We found that the transmittance of the infrared region is highly dependent on the density and crystal structure of sintered ZnS and the purity of the starting ZnS powder.
Effects of SiOx or C shells on electrochemical properties of Si nanoparticles were investigated. SiOx shells with thickness of 10~15 nm were formed on homogeneously crystalline Si nanoparticles. Incase of Si-C nanoparticles, there were 30~40 layers of C with a number of defects. Li-ion batteries were fabricated with the above-mentioned nanoparticles, and their electrochemical properties were measured. Pristine Si shows a high IRC (initial reversible capacity) of 2,517 mAh/g and ICE (initial columbic efficiency) of 87%, but low capacity retention of 22%, respectively. SiOx shells decreased IRC (1,534 mAh/g) and ICE (54%), while the retention increased up to 65%, which can be explained by irreversible phases such as LiO2 and Li2SiO3. C shells exhibited no differences in IRC and ICE compared to the pristine Si but an enhanced retention of 54%, which might be from proper defect structures.
In this study, we fabricated a thermoelectric module made of nanoparticles (NPs) and glass fibers investigated its thermoelectric characteristics. P-type HgTe and n-type HgSe NPs synthesized by colloidal method were used as thermoelectric materials and glass fibers were used as spacers between the hot and cold electrodes of the thermoelectric module. In the module, the average Seebeck coefficients of the HgTe and HgSe NPs were 1260 and -628 μV/K, respectively. The p-n module generated about a voltage of 11.9 mV and showed a power density of 1.6×10-5 μW/cm2 at a temperature difference of 7.5 K.
B-doped Si nanoparticles were synthesized by using inductive coupled plasma and speciallydesigned double tube reactor, and their microstructures were investigated. 0∼10 sccm of B2H6 gas wasinjected during the synthesis of Si nanoparticles from SiH4 gas. Highly crystalline Si nanoparticles weresynthesized, and their crystallinity did not change with increase of B2H6 flow rates. From SEMmeasurement, their particle sizes were approximately 30 nm regardless of B2H6 flow rates. From SIMSanalysis, almost saturation of B in Si nanoparticles was detected only when 1 sccm of B2H6 was injected. When B2H6 flow rate exceeded 5 sccm, higher concentration of B than solubility limit was detected evenif any secondary phase was not detected in XRD or HR-TEM results. Due to their high electronicconductivity, those heavily B-doped Si nanoparticles can be a potential candidate for an active material inLi-ion battery anode.
In this research, nanocomposite layers consisting of poly (3,4,-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) and CuO nanoparticles were investigated as hole transport layers in organic solar cells based on poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the electron donor and (6.6) phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the electron acceptor. The addition of CuO nanoparticles to PEDOT:PSS layer improved the solar cell performance with 0.5% CuO nanoparticle concentration. At optimized concentration, CuO mixed PEDOT:PSS films had good electrical (4.131 Ω?cm) and optical (transmittance > 90%) properties for using hole transporting layer. We investigated that improved solar cell performance with CuO nanoparticles mixed PEDOT:PSS films.
SnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by flame spray pyrolysis, which were directly deposited on Pt interdigitated substrates. Gas sensing performance was evaluated for various gases such as H2, CO, H2S, and NH3, and it was compared with that of commercial SnO2 nanopowder. The synthesis of SnO2 nanoparticles was also conducted in various solvents. As a result, the primary particle size was changed with the solvent of precursor solution, and their H2 sensing properties were significantly affected.
In this paper, nonvolatile nano-floating gate memory devices are fabricated with ZnO nanowires and Al nanoparticles on a SiO2/Si substrate. Al nanoparticles used as floating gate nodes are formed by the sputtering method. The fabricated device exhibits a threshold voltage shift of -1.5 V. In addition, we investigate the endurance and retention characteristics of the nano-floating gate memory device.