Sharif Digital Repository

Vertically aligned ZnO nanowires (NWs) hybridized with reduced graphene oxide sheets (rGO) were applied in efficient visible light photoinactivation of bacteria. To incorporate graphene oxide (GO) sheets within the NWs two different methods of drop-casting and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) were utilized. The EPD method yielded effective penetration of the positively charged GO sheets into the NWs to form a spider net-like structure, whereas the drop-casting method resulted in only a surface coverage of the GO sheets on top of the NWs. The electrical connection between the EPD-incorporated sheets and the NWs was checked by monitoring the electron transfer from UV-assisted photoexcited ZnO... 

We present fabrication, characterization, and experimental results describing electrical actuation and readout of the mechanical vibratory response of electrospun ZnO nanofibers. For a fiber with an approximate radius of 200 nm and a length of 70 ìm, a resonance frequency around 3.62 MHz with a quality factor (Q) of about 235 in air at ambient conditions is observed. It is shown that the measured frequency of the resonance is consistent with results from finite element simulations. Also, the measurements were performed in an enclosed chamber with controlled levels of ethanol vapor. The adsorption of ethanol causes a shift in the resonance frequency of the fibers, which can be related to the... 

Vertically aligned ZnO@CdS nanorod heterostructure films with various loadings of CdS nanoparticle shell were synthesized and applied in photoinactivation of Escherichia coli bacteria under visible light irradiation. While neither the bare ZnO nanorods (with band-gap energy (Eg) of ∼3.28 eV) under visible light irradiation nor the nanorod heterostructures in dark exhibited any significant antibacterial activity, the ZnO@CdS nanorod heterostructures (with Eg ∼2.5-2.6 eV) could successfully inactivate the bacteria under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, it was found that an optimum loading of the CdS shell (corresponding to the effective thickness less than ∼15 nm) is required to achieve... 

The fabrication of strong photocatalysts applied to the degradation of organic pollutants is necessary in environmental applications. In a single-stage method, acetate precursor and poly vinyl pyrolydine are used to produce ZnO nanostructures with various morphologies in annealing temperatures ranging from 300 °C to 900 oC. The physical properties of the prepared nanostructures were characterized by SEM, XRD and PL spectroscopy. The SEM images exhibit a variety of the as-prepared hexagonal zinc oxides including wires, rods, particles and porous network of welded particles of ZnO nanoparticles. The results of the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue as an organic dye in aqueous... 

Core/shell structure of ZnO nanowires coated with a monolayer of TiO 2 is investigated using Density Functional Theory (DFT). The electronic states of the semiconductor is calculated and compared before and after coating of the TiO2 monolayer on a ZnO [101 0] surface. The effect of TiO2 coating induce surface states changes and shifts the conduction and valence band edges to higher energies. Our results, in qualitative agreement with the experimental work of Matt Law et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B, 110, 22652), show an increase in open circuit voltage and a decrease in short circuit current in ZnO/TiO2 core shell dye sensitized solar cells. Regarding the semiconductor density of states (DOS), TiO2... 

A novel nanocomposite of ZnO-PbO with flower-like nanostructure was fabricated from zinc acetate and lead nitrate as principle raw materials via an in situ process. The novelty of this study consists in the use of a common approach for fabricating of ZnO and PbO nanoparticles simultaneously. From these experiments the conclusion might be drawn that Zn(NH4) 2 4+ ions and Pb(OH)2 act as precursors for the nucleation and growth of ZnO and PbO respectively under microwave irradiation. The precursors formation were carried at two stages: reaction between zinc ions and lead nitrate with ammonium ion and hydroxide sodium respectively. The average crystalline size of Zno and PbO has been analysed by... 

Herein, a solution-processed, bottom-up-fabricated, nanowire network electrode is developed. This electrode features a ZnO template which is converted into locally connected, infiltratable, TiO2 nanowires. This new electrode is used to build a depleted bulk heterojunction solar cell employing hybrid-passivated colloidal quantum dots. The new electrode allows the application of a thicker, and thus more light-absorbing, colloidal quantum dot active layer, from which charge extraction of an efficiency comparable to that obtained from a thinner, planar device could be obtained  

An eco-friendly, simple, and effective protocol is developed for the synthesis of various multisubstituted 2-aminothiophenes. In the presence of a catalytic amount of ZnO (5 mol), ketones or aldehydes, malononitrile and elemental sulfur were converted to the corresponding 2-aminothiophene derivatives in moderate to high yields (27%-70%) under solvent-free conditions at 100 °C. Zinc oxide as an efficient, readily available, and reusable catalyst, showed very good catalytic activity for the synthesis of 2-aminothiophene derivatives. Thus far, little research has been reported on the Gewald reaction under solvent-free conditions; to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that it has... 

Undoped and copper doped nanostructured zinc oxides were synthesized by using a series of synthetic layered material, undoped and copper doped zinc hydroxide nitrates at various molar percentages of copper (2-10) within the layers as precursors. The layered materials were heat-treated at 500 °C to produce zinc oxide nanostructures with crystallite sizes in the range of 23-35 nm. Optical studies of the nanostructured copper doped zinc oxides showed the decrease in band gap with increasing content of the doping agent, copper  

In this research, effects of two-step sintering parameters, such as first and second step sintering temperatures (T1 and T2, respectively) and soaking time in the second step, on microstructure and electrical properties of ZnO varistors have been studied. In addition, slow rate of grain growth in the second step of sintering has also been investigated. Near fully dense (higher than 99%) and sub-micron grain size (1-0.75 μm) ZnO varistors have been fabricated by different two-step sintering cycles. Decreasing T1 and T2 result in longer necessary time in the second step to reach near full density with smaller final grain size. The superior electrical properties of varistors (VB: 2050-1022 V/mm... 

In this study, modification of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ultrafiltration membranes with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle addition was taken into consideration. The ZnO at five different weights was added to the polymeric solution, and the membranes were fabricated by the phase inversion method using water as a nonsolvent and PEG 6 kDa as a pore former additive. The results showed that the pure water flux of the modified membranes increased up to 3 wt% ZnO addition, which was the optimized amount of the nanoparticle addition in this study. Also, at 3 wt% ZnO addition, flux recovery ratio reached from 69% to above 90%, indicated that the nanocomposite membranes were less susceptible to be fouled.... 

Rather vertically aligned ZnO rods with flower-like structures were grown on quartz substrates through vapor phase transport method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and photoluminescence (PL) measurement were performed to determine crystalline structure and defects, respectively. H2S gas sensing properties of the grown structure were investigated at both room temperature and 250 °C for comparison. A remarkable increase in response and selectivity at room temperature compared to 250 °C was observed. High response and selectivity to low concentrations of H2S at room temperature as well as good stability make the sensor a promising candidate for practical applications  

Pursuing a sensing structure with a large effective surface area, partial ordered arrays of ZnO nanorods with flower-like structures are introduced for gas sensing applications. Room temperature H2S response of the grown structure shows significant enhancement after modification with Au nanoparticles. High response (about 1270 at 6 ppm H2S gas) and selectivity were achieved by depositing an Au layer with nominal thickness ∼6 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was utilized to describe the H2S sensing mechanism