Ti O2 nanowire(NW) is one of the potential scattering layer materials in dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs) owing to its fast electron conductivity and excellent light scattering property resulting from its one-dimensional(1D) morphology. However, Ti O2 NWs used as scattering layers in previous work were either aggregated or shortened into shuttles that cannot use their unique 1D properties. In this paper, we present the preparation of a well-dispersed long NW paste(exceeding 1 ?m) by a mild method and used as a scattering layer in DSSC. The paste achieved a photoconversion efficiency of 5.73% and an efficiency enhancement of 12% compared with commercial scattering layer(P200 paste). Compared with the DSSC without a scattering layer, an efficiency enhancement of 54.9% was achieved. Also, the largest efficiency of 6.89% was obtained after optimization of photoanode thickness. The photoanodes were investigated through dye desorbed experiments and transmission spectra, which suggested that P25 nanoparticles with the as-prepared NW scattering layer loaded more dye than those with P200 paste. These results indicate that well-dispersed long NW paste has a potential application in scattering layers.
Graphene is considered as a promising material to construct field-effect transistors (FETs) for high frequency electronic applications due to its unique structure and properties,mainly including extremely high carrier mobility and saturation velocity,the ultimate thinnest body and stability.Through continuously scaling down the gate length and optimizing the structure,the cut-off frequency of graphene FET (GFET) was rapidly increased and up to about 300 GHz,and further improvements are also expected.Because of the lack of an intrinsic band gap,the GFETs present typical ambipolar transfer characteristic without off state,which means GFETs are suitable for analog electronics rather than digital applications.Taking advantage of the ambipolar characteristic,GFET is demonstrated as an excellent building block for ambipolar electronic circuits,and has been used in applications such as highperformance frequency doublers,radio frequency mixers,digital modulators,and phase detectors.
The speed of frequency response of all published carbon nanotube （CNT） integrated circuits （ICs） is far from that predicted. The transient response of CNT ICs is explored systematically through the combination of experimental and simulation methods. Complementary field-effect-transistor （FET） based inverters were fabricated on a single semiconducting CNT, and the dynamic response measurement indicates that it can only work at an unexpectedly low speed, i.e. with a large propagation delay of 30 }_ts. Owing to the larger output resistance of CNT FETs, the existence of parasitic capacitances should induce much larger resistive-capacitive （RC） delay than that in Si ICs. Through detailed analysis combining simulation and experimental measurements, several kinds of parasitic capacitances dragging down the actual speed of CNT FET ICs are identified one by one, and each of them limits the speed at different levels through RC delay. It is found that the parasitic capacitance from the measurement system is the dominant one, and the large RC delay lowers the speed of CNT FETs logic circuits to only several kHz which is similar to the experimental results. Various optimized schemes are suggested and demonstrated to minimize the effect of parasitic capacitances, and thus improve the speed of CNT ICs.
Panpan Zhang Yingjun Yang Tian Pei Chenguang Qiu Li Ding Shibo Liang Zhiyong Zhang Lianmao Peng
采用高纯半导体碳纳米管薄膜和石墨烯构建复合结构光探测器,研究其光电响应特性。结果表明,在光照下,顶层石墨烯中的光生载流子通过碳纳米管与石墨烯之间薄的非晶硅层,隧穿至底层的碳纳米管薄膜中,在非晶硅层两侧分别富集电子和空穴,形成光致栅压(Photogating),有效地改变了碳纳米管薄膜晶体管的电流。器件在可见光(633 nm)条件下得到响应度为83 m A/W,并在近红外波段范围内仍保持好的光响应特性。由于石墨烯具有宽谱光吸收特性,半导体碳纳米管薄膜晶体管具有小的暗电流,碳纳米管–石墨烯复合光探测器发挥了两种材料的优势,为今后高性能宽谱光电探测器的制备奠定了基础。
Ballistic n-type carbon nanotube(CNT)-based field-effect transistors(FETs) have been fabricated by contacting semiconducting single-walled CNTs(SWCNTs) using Sc or Y.The n-type CNT FETs were pushed to their performance limits through further optimizing their gate structure and insulator.The CNT FETs outperformed n-type Si metal-oxide-semiconductor(MOS) FETs with the same gate length and displayed better downscaling behavior than the Si MOS FETs.Together with the demonstration of ballistic p-type CNT FETs using Pd contacts,this technological advance is a step toward the doping-free fabrication of CNT-based ballistic complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor(CMOS) devices and integrated circuits.Taking full advantage of the perfectly symmetric band structure of the semiconductor SWCNT,a perfect SWCNT-based CMOS inverter was demonstrated,which had a voltage gain of over 160.Two adjacent n-and p-type FETs fabricated on the same SWCNT with a self-aligned top-gate realized high field mobility simultaneously for electrons(3000 cm2 V-1 s-1) and holes(3300 cm2 V-1 s-1).The CNT FETs also had excellent potential for high-frequency applications,such as a high-performance frequency doubler.
Semiconducting carbon nanotubes(CNTs) possess outstanding electrical and optical properties because of their special one-dimen-sional(1D) structure.CNTs are direct bandgap materials,which makes them ideal for use in optoelectronic devices,e.g.light emitters and light detectors.Excitons determine their light absorption and light emission processes due to the strong Coulomb interactions between electrons and holes in CNTs.In this paper,we review recent progress in CNT photodetectors,photovoltaic devices and light emitters.In particular,we focus on the doping-free CNT optoelectronic devices developed by our group in recent years.
