Effect of a three-dimensional nanotube array substrate on photocatalytic conversion performance of CO gas to methanol by amine-loaded CuO/ZnO catalysts.

The photocatalytic conversion of CO gas into energy-dense hydrocarbons holds the potential to address both environmental and energy problems. Catalysts consisting of CuO clusters/nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods on a metallic nanotube array (MeNTA) silicon substrate were utilized for CO reduction. The surface of the catalysts was modified with 3-amino-propyltriethoxysilane (APTES), the amine terminal of which can selectively bind CO gas.

Electrochemical nonenzymatic glucose sensors catalyzed by Au nanoclusters on metallic nanotube arrays and polypyrrole nanowires.

Monitoring blood glucose level is critical, since its abnormality leads to diabetes and causes death, even though glucose is essential for human living. Herein, the sensing study was performed on electrochemical nonenzymatic glucose sensors, which are composed of an Au nanocluster (AuNC) catalyst deposited on a metallic nanotube array (MeNTA) and polypyrrole nanowire (PPyNW). The AuNC was produced by irradiating a femtosecond pulse laser to the Au precursor solution, and it is a simple and facile method.

Oxidation-induced superelasticity in metallic glass nanotubes.

Although metallic nanostructures have been attracting tremendous research interest in nanoscience and nanotechnologies, it is known that environmental attacks, such as surface oxidation, can easily initiate cracking on the surface of metals, thus deteriorating their overall functional/structural properties. In sharp contrast, here we report that severely oxidized metallic glass nanotubes can attain an ultrahigh recoverable elastic strain of up to ~14% at room temperature, which outperform bulk metallic glasses, metallic glass nanowires and many other superelastic metals hitherto reported. Through in situ experiments and atomistic simulations, we reveal that the physical mechanisms underpinning the observed superelasticity can be attributed to the formation of a percolating oxide network in metallic glass nanotubes, which not only restricts atomic-scale plastic events during loading but also leads to the recovery of elastic rigidity on unloading.

Negative Effects of Annealed Seed Layer on the Performance of ZnO-Nanorods Based Nitric Oxide Gas Sensor.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a toxic gas, which is dangerous for human health and causes many respiratory infections, poisoning, and lung damage. In this work, we have successfully grown ZnO nanorod film on annealed ZnO seed layer in different ambient temperatures, and the morphology of the nanorods sensing layer that affects the gas sensing response to nitric oxide (NO) gas were investigated. To acknowledge the effect of annealing treatment, the devices were fabricated with annealed seed layers in air and argon ambient at 300 °C and 500 °C for 1 h.

Cost-effective large-area Ag nanotube arrays for SERS detections: effects of nanotube geometry.

This study demonstrated highly-ordered metallic nanotube arrays (MeNTAs) with a precisely controlled geometric shape to promote surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Using both simulation and experimental methods, we designed and fabricated MeNTAs with nanotube geometries that possess a large surface area to absorb probe molecules as well as geometric features capable of inducing hot spots for SERS enhancement. The proposed top-down wafer-scale lithographic and sputter-deposition process is a simple and cost-effective approach to the fabrication of 1 mm × 1 mm MeNTA at room temperature.

Metallic glass coating for improved needle tattooing performance in reducing trauma: analysis on porcine and pig skins.

The dissemination of tattooing into mainstream culture has raised concerns pertaining to the medical implications of these practices. This paper reports on the coating of tattoo needles with metallic-glass (MG) to reduce trauma to the skin. Extensive experimentation using pork samples and live pigs demonstrated the beneficial effects of non-stick MG coatings.

Metallic glass coating for improving diamond dicing performance.

This is the first report on the coating of diamond dicing blades with metallic glass (MG) coating to reduce chipping when used to cut Si, SiC, sapphire, and patterned sapphire substrates (PSS). The low coefficient-of-friction (CoF) of Zr-based MG-coated dicing blades was shown to reduce the number and size of chips, regardless of the target substrate. Overall, SiC, sapphire and PSS were most affected by chipping, due to the fact that higher cutting forces were needed for the higher hardness of SiC, sapphire and PSS.

Coating Cutting Blades with Thin-Film Metallic Glass to Enhance Sharpness.

In this study, we sought to enhance the cutting properties of the various blades by coating them with Zr- and Fe-based thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs) to a thickness of 234-255 nm via sputter deposition. In oil-repellency/sliding tests on kitchen blades, the sliding angle and friction forces were as follows: bare blades (31.6°) and (35 µN), Ti-coated blades (20.

High-Performance Sensor Based on Thin-Film Metallic Glass/Ultra-nanocrystalline Diamond/ZnO Nanorod Heterostructures for Detection of Hydrogen Gas at Room Temperature.

This article outlines a novel material to enable the detection of hydrogen gas. The material combines thin-film metallic glass (TFMG), ultra-nanocrystalline diamond (UNCD), and ZnO nanorods (ZNRs) and can be used as a device for effective hydrogen gas sensing. Three sensors were fabricated by using combinations of pure ZNRs (Z), UNCD/ZNRs (DZ), and TFMG/UNCD/ZNRs (MDZ).

Fabrication of an artificial nanosucker device with a large area nanotube array of metallic glass.

The concurrent attachment and detachment movements of geckos on virtually any type of surface via their foot pads have inspired us to develop a thermal device with numerous arrangements of a multi-layer thin film together with electrodes that can help modify the temperature of the surface via application of a voltage. A sequential fabrication process was employed on a large-scale integration to generate well-defined contact hole arrays of photoresist for use as templates on the electrode-based device. The photoresist templates were then subjected to sputter deposition of the metallic glass ZrCuAlNi.

Fabrication of ordered metallic glass nanotube arrays for label-free biosensing with diffractive reflectance.

In this study, a photoresist template with well-defined contact hole array was fabricated, to which radio frequency magnetron sputtering process was then applied to deposit an alloyed ZrCuAlNi target, and finally resulted in ordered metallic glass nanotube (MGNT) arrays after removal of the photoresist template. The thickness of the MGNT walls increased from 98 to 126nm upon increasing the deposition time from 225 to 675s. The wall thickness of the MGNT arrays also increased while the dimensions of MGNT reduced under the same deposition condition.

Few-Layer Thin-Film Metallic Glass-Enhanced Optical Properties of ZnO Nanostructures.

A few layers of Cu-based (CuZrAlTi) thin-film metallic glasses (TFMGs) were sputtered on hydrothermally synthesized ZnO nanowires/glass and ZnO nanotubes/glass to fabricate UV photodetectors. The few layers of Cu-based TFMG are ultrathin at ∼0.98 nm and have a noncrystalline metal structure according to X-ray diffraction, Raman, photoluminescence, and high-temperature transmission electron microscopy verification.

Thin-film metallic glass: an effective diffusion barrier for Se-doped AgSbTe thermoelectric modules.

The thermal stability of joints in thermoelectric (TE) modules, which are degraded during interdiffusion between the TE material and the contacting metal, needs to be addressed in order to utilize TE technology for competitive, sustainable energy applications. Herein, we deposit a 200 nm-thick Zr-based thin-film metallic glass (TFMG), which acts as an effective diffusion barrier layer with low electrical contact resistivity, on a high-zT Se-doped AgSbTe substrate. The reaction couples structured with TFMG/TE are annealed at 673 K for 8-360 hours and analyzed by electron microscopy.

Non-stick syringe needles: Beneficial effects of thin film metallic glass coating.

This paper reports on the use of Zr-based (Zr53Cu33Al9Ta5) thin film metallic glass (TFMG) for the coating of syringe needles and compares the results with those obtained using titanium nitride and pure titanium coatings. TFMG coatings were shown to reduce insertion forces by ∼66% and retraction forces by ∼72%, when tested using polyurethane rubber block. The benefits of TFMG-coated needles were also observed when tested using muscle tissue from pigs.