Simultaneous imaging of the topography and electrochemical activity of a 2D carbon nanotube network using a dual functional L-shaped nanoprobe.

The application of nanomaterials for biosensors and fuel cells is becoming more common, but it requires an understanding of the relationship between the structure and electrochemical characteristics of the materials at the nanoscale. Herein, we report the development of scanning electrochemical microscopy-atomic force microscopy (SECM-AFM) nanoprobes for collecting spatially resolved data regarding the electrochemical activity of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotube (CNT) networks. The fabrication of the nanoprobe begins with the integration of a CNT-bundle wire into a conventional AFM probe followed by the deposition of an insulating layer and cutting of the probe end.

Superhydrophobic nanostructured silicon surfaces with controllable broadband reflectance.

Nanostructured superhydrophobic silicon surfaces with tunable reflectance are fabricated via a simple maskless deep reactive-ion etching process. By controlling the scale of the high-aspect-ratio nanostructures on a wafer-scale surface, surface reflectance is maximized or minimized over the UV-vis-IR range while maintaining superhydrophobic properties.