Cesium ion-guided detection of trichloroethylene in air.

Whereas the close associations of cesium ion with organochlorine compounds have been previously documented, the present report is the first attempt to exploit these interactions to create a trichloroethylene (TCE)-selective sensor. Gold monolayer-protected clusters peripherally functionalized with Cs ions were used to prepare a chemiresistance film on MEMS-fabricated interdigitated electrodes. Vapor sensing properties of the cesium-rich chemiresistor were determined using a panel of chlorinated hydrocarbons including TCE as well as polar and non-polar VOCs for comparison.

High-pressure response of vibrational properties of b-AsP:Raman studies.

The structural evolution of black arsenic-phosphorous (b-AsP) alloys with varying arsenic concentrations was investigated under hydrostatic pressure usingRaman spectroscopy. High-pressure experiments were conducted using a diamond anvil cell, which revealed pressure-induced shifts in vibrational modes associated with P-P bonds (,,B2g), As-As bonds (,,B2g), and As-P bonds in b-AsPalloys. Two distinct pressure regimes were observed.

Ultra-Narrow Phosphorene Nanoribbons Produced by Facile Electrochemical Process.

Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) have inspired strong research interests to explore their exciting properties that are associated with the unique two-dimensional (2D) structure of phosphorene as well as the additional quantum confinement of the nanoribbon morphology, providing new materials strategy for electronic and optoelectronic applications. Despite several important properties of PNRs, the production of these structures with narrow widths is still a great challenge. Here, a facile and straightforward approach to synthesize PNRs via an electrochemical process that utilize the anisotropic Na diffusion barrier in black phosphorus (BP) along the [001] zigzag direction against the [100] armchair direction, is reported.

Strain-induced vibrational properties of few layer black phosphorus and MoTe via Raman spectroscopy.

We studied and compared the effect of tensile strain on the Raman spectra of black phosphorus (BP) and molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe) crystals by using a simple custom strain device. In-situ Raman spectroscopy on BP revealed clear red shifting of all three phonon modes, A , B and A , under tensile stress. From our theoretical analyses, we found that such red shifting strongly depends on the direction of the strain exerted on the system even within the elastic deformation limit (i.