Directed branch growth in aligned nanowire arrays.

Branch growth is directed along two, three, or four in-plane directions in vertically aligned nanowire arrays using vapor-liquid-solid glancing angle deposition (VLS-GLAD) flux engineering. In this work, a dynamically controlled collimated vapor flux guides branch placement during the self-catalyzed epitaxial growth of branched indium tin oxide nanowire arrays. The flux is positioned to grow branches on select nanowire facets, enabling fabrication of aligned nanotree arrays with L-, T-, or X-branching.

Ultrathin-layer chromatography on SiO(2), Al(2)O(3), TiO(2), and ZrO(2) nanostructured thin films.

We explored four different inorganic oxides and determined their merits in miniaturized planar chromatography. Despite progression of chromatographic techniques over several decades, such alternatives to traditional planar silica gel stationary phases have not been fully evaluated. Glancing angle deposition(GLAD) provided an excellent platform for engineering nanostructured thin films in these materials for ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC).

Inkjet application, chromatography, and mass spectrometry of sugars on nanostructured thin films.

Ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC) potentially offers faster analysis, reduced solvent and sample volumes, and lower costs. One novel technique for producing UTLC plates has been glancing angle deposition (GLAD), a physical vapor deposition technique capable of aligning macropores to produce interesting separation properties. To date, however, GLAD-UTLC plates have been restricted to model dye systems, rather than realistic analytes.

Disassembling glancing angle deposited films for high-throughput, single-post growth scaling measurements.

With growing interest in nanostructured thin films produced by glancing angle deposition (GLAD), it becomes increasingly important to understand their overall growth mechanics and nanocolumn structure. We present a new method of isolating the individual nanocolumns of GLAD films, facilitating automated measurement of their broadening profiles. Data collected for α = 81° TiO2 vertical nanocolumns deposited across a range of substrate rotation rates demonstrates that these rates influence growth scaling parameters.

C60 fullerene nanocolumns--polythiophene heterojunctions for inverted organic photovoltaic cells.

Inverted organic photovoltaic cells have been fabricated based on vertical C(60) nanocolumns filled with spin-coated poly[3-(4-carboxybutyl)thiophene-2,5-diyl] (P3CBT). These C(60) nanocolumns were prepared via glancing angle deposition (GLAD), an efficient synthetic approach that controls the morphology of the resulting film, including intercolumn spacing, nanostructure shapes, and overall film thickness, among others. Intercolumn spacing was tuned to better match the expected P3CBT exciton diffusion length while simultaneously increasing heterointerface area.

Surface area characterization of obliquely deposited metal oxide nanostructured thin films.

The glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique is used to fabricate nanostructured thin films with high surface area. Quantifying this property is important for optimizing GLAD-based device performance. Our group has used high-sensitivity krypton gas adsorption and the complementary technique of cyclic voltammetry to measure surface area as a function of deposition angle, thickness, and morphological characteristics for several metal oxide thin films.

Photoluminescence emission profiles of Y(2)O(3) : Eu films composed of high-low density stacks produced by glancing angle deposition.

Periodic high-/low-index film stacks composed of Y(2)O(3) : Eu were grown by glancing angle deposition on silicon and fused silica substrates. Postdeposition annealing at temperatures from 600 to 1000 degrees C for 1 h in air was performed to activate photoluminescence. Absolute photoluminescence spectra were obtained as a function of observation angle.

Detection of lead in water using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser-induced fluorescence.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a well-known technique for fast, stand-off, and nondestructive analysis of the elemental composition of a sample. We have been investigating micro-LIBS for the past few years and demonstrating its application to microanalysis of surfaces. Recently, we have integrated micro-LIBS with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), and this combination, laser ablation laser-induced fluorescence (LA-LIF), allows one to achieve much higher sensitivity than traditional LIBS.