Sharif Digital Repository

Tungsten trioxide has been prepared by using P-PTA as a precursor on alumina substrates by spin coating method. Palladium introduced on WO 3 film via electrolysis deposition by using palladium chloride as catalytic precursor. The catalytic precursor was introduced on the series of films with different morphologies. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and XPS were applied to analyze structure and morphology of the fabricated thin films. Then we measured variation of samples' electrical conductivity of pure and Pd added films in air and diluted hydrogen. Addition of Pd resulted in a remarkable improvement of the hydrogen sensing properties of WO 3 by detection of... 

A novel approach for particles size separation based on dielectrophoresis (DEP) method is introduced and analyzed both computationally and experimentally. The proposed technique has been utilized for the separation of polystyrene (PS) particles with 8, 6 and 2 μm diameters passing through microchannels with planar electrodes. The performance of the technique has been computationally analyzed using the finite element method (FEM). Considering the structure of the planar electrodes, we propose an approach based on applying an electric potential between one of the global electrodes, and a needle touched the top of the cell suspension. Results of both simulation and experiment show that by... 

The sol gel method was employed to prepare peroxopolytungstic acid (P-PTA). Palladium chloride salt was dissolved in the sol with different Pd:W molar ratios and coated on Al2O3 substrates by spin coating method. XRD and XPS techniques were used to analyze the crystal structure and chemical composition of the films before and after heat treatment at 500 °C. We observed that Pd can modify the growth kinetic of tungsten trioxide nanoparticles by reducing the crystallite size and as a result can improve hydrogen sensitivity. Resistance-sensing measurements indicated sensitivity of about 2.5 × 104 at room temperature in hydrogen concentration of 0.1% in air. Considering all sensing parameters,... 

In the present work we report an approach to resistive hydrogen sensing based on graphene quantum dots(GQDs)/WO3 thin films that work reproducibly at low temperatures. GQDs were chemically synthesized and evenly dispersed in WO3 solution with 1:1 molar ratio. The structural evaluation and crystallization of the prepared films was studied by X-ray diffraction, Raman and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The SEM images showed uniform distribution of the GQDs in WO3 films with sizes around 50 nm. Raman experiment showed the GQDs are partially reduced with high edge defects as hydroxyl and carboxyl groups which involve both in bridging between WO3 grains via bindings as well as... 

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  

This paper reports on hydrogen sensing based graphene oxide hybrid with Co-based metal organic frameworks (Co-MOFs@GO) prepared by the hydrothermal process. The texture and morphology of the hybrid were characterized by powder x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. Porous flower like structures assembled from Co-MOFs and GO flakes with sufficient specific surface area are obtained, which are ideal for gas molecules diffusion and interactions. Sensing performance of Co-MOFs@GO were tested and also improved by sputtering platinum (Pt) as a catalyst. The Pt-sputtered Co-MOFs@GO show outstanding hydrogen resistive-sensing with response and recovery... 

A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) electrode sensitive to the adsorption of water molecules has been introduced to create a self-powered humidity sensor. Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and graphene oxide nanoribbon (GONR) possessing oxygenated functional groups, as well as high dielectric constants, have been proposed as appropriate candidates for this purpose. GO papers have been fabricated in three forms, i.e. pure GO paper, uniform composites of GONR and GO, and double-layer structures of GONR on top of GO. Results showed that all of the prepared paper-based TENGs revealed excellent performances by maximum output voltage above 300 V. As active humidity sensors, the maximum voltage... 

A new triple-component sensor for detection of H2 was developed based on porous silicon and CNTs. An increase in deposition of CVD catalysis was shown to promote a high and fast response. Also, it was shown that the composite system exhibited good selectivity  

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... 

Titanium trisulfide (TiS3), a transition metal chalcogenide, bears the potential to replace silicon, when taking the form of nanoflakes, due to its favorable band gap and optical response. In this paper, we investigate the response of TiS3 nanoflakes to gas detection through a careful quantum computational approach and a few succinct measurements. The computations are benchmarked and compared with a relevant experiment at each step, where their results/conclusions are discussed. The most stable surface of TiS3 particles is determined as (001), in agreement with the literature. The adsorption of 5 gas molecules is characterized through formulating and estimating their adsorption intensity... 

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) offer an emerging market of self-sufficient power sources, converting the mechanical energy of the environment to electricity. Recently reported high power densities for the TENGs provide new applications opportunities, such as self-powered sensors. Here in this research, a flexible graphene oxide (GO) paper was fabricated through a straightforward method and utilized as the electrode of TENGs. Outstanding power density as high as 1.3 W.m−2, an open-circuit voltage up to 870 V, and a current density of 1.4 µA.cm−2 has been extracted in vertical contact-separation mode. The all-flexible TENG has been employed as a self-powered humidity sensor to... 

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), the development of self-powered sensors has received much attention. Introducing triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) as a power source that converts mechanical movement into electrical signals has been admired recently. Moreover, the monitoring of humidity has become enormously essential in several technological contexts from environment monitoring to biomedical applications, thus joining these two subjects provides a huge benefit in achieving self-powered humidity sensors. Here, in this research, facile, low-priced and self-powered humidity sensors are fabricated utilizing transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMD) nanosheets. Semi-vertical SnS2... 

Highly sensitive flexible humidity sensors based on graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were developed. The GQDs were prepared using a facile hydrothermal method and characterized considering morphological, structural, and compositional experiments. Then, their humidity sensing properties in correlation with flexibility characteristics were investigated. Good selectivity and response (∼390 for a RH change of 99%), broad detection range (1-100% RH), rather short response and recovery times (12 and 43 s, respectively) as well as flexibility were obtained, demonstrating that the GQD sensors have potential for application in wearable electronics and RH monitoring. Detection of hydrogen (H2) gas by the... 

Solution processed graphene variants including graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) are promising materials for potential optoelectronic applications. To date, efficiency of the excitation energy transfer into GO and RGO thin layers has not been investigated in terms of donor-acceptor separation distance. In the present work, we study nonradiative energy transfer (NRET) from CdSe/CdS quantum dots into single and/or double layer GO or RGO using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We observe shorter lifetimes as the separation distance between the QDs and GO or RGO decreases. In accordance with these lifetimes, the rates reveal the presence of two different mechanisms... 

In this paper we present experimental results describing electrical readout of the mechanical vibratory response of graphene-doped fibers by employing electrical actuation. For a fiber resonator with an approximate radius of 850 nm and length of 100 m, we observed a resonance frequency around 580 kHz with a quality factor (Q) of about 2511 in air at ambient conditions. Through the use of finite element simulations, we show that the reported frequency of resonance is relevant. We also show that the resonance frequency of the fiber resonators decreases as the bias potential is increased due to the electrostatic spring-softening effect  

In this paper we present flexible strain sensors made of graphene flakes fabricated, characterized, and analyzed for the electrical actuation and readout of their mechanical vibratory response in strain-sensing applications. For a typical suspended graphene membrane fabricated with an approximate length of 10 μm, a mechanical resonance frequency around 136 MHz with a quality factor (Q) of ∼60 in air under ambient conditions was observed. The applied strain can shift the resonance frequency substantially, which is found to be related to the alteration of physical dimension and the built-in strain in the graphene flake. Strain sensing was performed using both planar and nonplanar surfaces...