Interfacial Modification of NiO_(x)by Self-assembled Monolayer for Efficient and Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

NiO_(x)as a hole transport material for inverted perovskite solar cells has received great attention owing to its high transparency,low fabrication temperature,and superior stability.However,the mismatched energy levels and possible redox reactions at the NiO_(x)/perovskite interface severely limit the performance of NiO_(x) based inverted perovskite solar cells.Herein,we introduce a p-type self-assembled monolayer between NiO_(x)and perovskite layers to modify the interface and block the undesirable redox reaction between perovskite and NiO_(x)The selfassembled monolayer molecules all contain phosphoric acid function groups,which can be anchored onto the NiOr surface and passivate the surface defect.Moreover,the introduction of self-assembled monolayers can regulate the energy level structure of NiO_(x),reduce the interfacial band energy offset,and hence promote the hole transport from perovskite to NiO_(x)layer.Consequently,the device performance is significantly enhanced in terms of both power conversion efficiency and stability.

Factors resisting protein adsorption on hydrophilic/hydrophobic self-assembled monolayers terminated with hydrophilic hydroxyl groups

The hydroxyl-terminated self-assembled monolayer(OH-SAM),as a surface resistant to protein adsorption,exhibits substantial potential in applications such as ship navigation and medical implants,and the appropriate strategies for designing anti-fouling surfaces are crucial.Here,we employ molecular dynamics simulations and alchemical free energy calculations to systematically analyze the factors influencing resistance to protein adsorption on the SAMs terminated with single or double OH groups at three packing densities(∑=2.0 nm^(-2),4.5 nm^(-2),and 6.5 nm^(-2)),respectively.For the first time,we observed that the compactness and order of interfacial water enhance its physical barrier effect,subsequently enhancing the resistance of SAM to protein adsorption.Notably,the spatial hindrance effect of SAM leads to the embedding of protein into SAM,resulting in a lack of resistance of SAM towards protein.Furthermore,the number of hydroxyl groups per unit area of double OH-terminated SAM at ∑=6.5 nm^(-2) is approximately 2 to 3 times that of single OH-terminated SAM at ∑=6.5 nm^(-2) and 4.5 nm^(-2),consequently yielding a weaker resistance of double OH-terminated SAM towards protein.Meanwhile,due to the structure of SAM itself,i.e.,the formation of a nearly perfect ice-like hydrogen bond structure,the SAM exhibits the weakest resistance towards protein.This study will complement and improve the mechanism of OH-SAM resistance to protein adsorption,especially the traditional barrier effect of interfacial water.

Active macroscale visible plasmonic nanorod self-assembled monolayer

Although plasmonic nanostructure has attracted widespread research interest in recent years, it is still a major challenge to realize large-scale active plasmonic nanostructure operation in the visible optical frequency. Herein,we demonstrate a heterostructure geometry comprising a centimeter-scale Au nanoparticle monolayer and VO_2 films, in which the plasmonic peak is inversely tuned between 685 nm and 618 nm by a heating process since the refractive index will change when VO_2 films undergo the transition between the insulating phase and the metallic phase. Simultaneously, the phase transition of VO_2 films can be improved by plasmonic arrays due to plasmonic enhanced light absorption and the photothermal effect. The phase transition temperature for Au∕VO_2 films is lower than that for bare VO_2 films and can decrease to room temperature under the laser irradiation. For lightinduced phase transition of VO_2 films, the laser power of Au∕VO_2 film phase transition is ~28.6% lower than that of bare VO_2 films. Our work raises the feasibility to use active plasmonic arrays in the visible region.

Dielectric Properties of Self-assembled Monolayers of Dithiols

Dielectric properties of dithiol self-assemble monolayers （SAMs） under ac electric field were presented, Using a Hg-SAM/SAM-Ⅱg junction, the ac impedances of dithiol SAMs were measured using a sinusoidal perturbation of 30 mV （peak to-peak） with the frequency ranging from 1 Hz to 1 MHz at zero bias. The contributions from dithiol SAMs and solvent interlayers were separated due to their different behaviors at ac impedance. The peak position in the loss spectra （the plot; of tgδ vs. frequency） moves to low frequcney with the incrcase of chain length of dithiols. Using a correlation of peak position with the chain length, the active energies of 23-39 meV for dithiol SAMs of C6-C10 under an ac electric field were derived,

Au@Ag Core-shell Nanorods Self-assembled on Polyelectrolyte Multilayers for Ultra-High Sensitivity SERS Fiber Probes

We demonstrated a chemical process in the fabrication of a SERS fiber probe with an ultrahigh sensitivity.The synthesis was carried out by preparing Au@Ag core-shell nanorods (Au@Ag-NRs) selfassembled on polyelectrolyte (PE) multilayers,for which Au@Ag-NRs were controlled by adjusting the silver layer thickness.The effect of silver layer thickness of Au@Ag-NRs on the SERS performance of the fiber probe was investigated.The SERS fiber probe shows the best performance when the silver layer thickness is controlled at 8.57 nm.Under the condition of optimizing silver layer thickness,the fiber probe exhibits ultra-high sensitivity (i e,10^(-10) M crystalline violet,CV),good reproducibility (i e,RSD of 3.5%) and stability.Besides,electromagnetic field distribution of the SERS fiber probe was also investigated.The strongest enhancement is found within the core of fiber,whereas a weakened electromagnetic field exists in the fiber cladding layer.The SERS fiber probe can be a good candidate in ultra-trace detection for biomedical and environmental areas.

Tunneling Electron Induced Fluorescence from Single Porphyrin Molecules Decoupled by Striped-Phase Octanethiol Self-assembled Monolayer

We investigate tunneling electron induced luminescence from isolated single porphyrin molecules that are decoupled by striped-phase self-assembled monolayer of octanethiol from the underneath Au（111） substrate. Intrinsic single-molecule electroluminescence has been realized by such decoupling at both bias polarities. The photon emission intensity acquired from the molecular lobe is found stronger than that from the molecular center. These re- sults provide useful information on the understanding of electroluminescent behavior and mechanism in molecular tunnel junctions.

Attachment of tyrosinase on mixed self-assembled monolayers for the construction of electrochemical biosensor

A mixed self-assembled monolayers （SAMs） of thioctic acid （T-COOH） and thioctic acid amide （T-NH2） were used to immobilize tyrosinase for fabricating biosensor. The results showed that the mixed SAMs prepared from solution at the ratio of 1：4 provided an excellent microenvironment for enzymatic reaction between tyrosinase and substrate. The biosensor exhibited a fast response and high sensitivity for sensing substrate.

Enhanced Hole-Injection Property in an OLED with a Self-assembled Monolayer of Hole-Transporting TPD on Thin Au as the Anode

A thioester-functionalized triphenylamine hole-transporting molecule （TPD-SAc） was synthesized and self-assembled to form a monolayer on an ultra-thin Au film supported on indium-tin oxide glass. The modified surface was characterized by aqueous contact angle, ellipsometer, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet pho- toelectron spectrometer to substantiate the formation of compact and pinhole-free monolayers. The modified organic light emitting diode device [indium-tin oxide/Au （5 nm）/self-assembled monolayers （SAM）/TPD （50 nm）/Alq3 （40 nm）/TPBI （15 nm）/LiF （1 nm）/A1 （100 nm）] showed a luminance of 7303.90 cd/m^2 and a current efficiency of 8.49 cd/A with 1.78 and 2.29-fold increase, respectively, compared to the control device without SAM. The improvements were attributed to the enhanced compatibility of the organic-inorganic interface, matched energy level by introduction of an energy mediating step and superior hole-injection property of SAM molecules.

Electrochemical Behavior and Determination of Trifluoperazine at Decanethiol Self-Assembled Monolayer Modified Gold Electrodes

The electrochemical behavior of trifluoperazine at decanethiol self-assembledmonolayer (SAM) modified gold electrodes (i. e. C_(10) H_(21) SH/Au) has been studied,Trifluoperazine can effectively accumulate on C_(10) H_(21) SH/Au electrodes and generate asensitive anodic peak at about 0.63 V (vs. SCE) in 0.05 mol/L pH 9.4 Na_2 B_4 O_7 buffer solution.Under the selected conditions, the anodic peak current was linear to trifluoperazine concentrationin the range of 5.0 X 10^(-7)-3.O X 10^(-3) mol/Lwith correlation coefficient of 0.997, thedetection limit was 3.0 X 10^(-5) mol/L. This method was applied to the determination oftrifluoperazine in drug samples and the recovery was 97.3%-104.0% It was found that sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) could make the anodic peak current increase. In the presence of SDS, the peak at about0.63 V turned into two peaks, resulting from the change of the electrochemical mechanism.

The Molecular Recognition Characteristics of ω-MercaptoMethoxy Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Self-assembled Monolayer at Gold Electrode and the Detection of Dopamine in Serum

Self assembled monolayers (SAMs) of to-mercapto methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)(MPEG) on gold electrode were used as a means to detect dopamine. Dopamine (DA) had good response at the MPEG film electrode and ascorbic acid (AA) was repelled from the SAMs. TheMPEG film is a biocompatible film, there was no adsorption of biosample and no inactivation atelectrode surface when it was used to detect DA in biosamples.

Characterization of Self-assembled Monolayers on Gold Electrode Using Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance

The electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) is used to investigate the characteristics of the thiolated self-assembled monolayer(SAM) on gold surface.A 5MHz QCM element serves as both the mass-sensitive sensor and the working electrode of the electrochemical system.The 6-mecapto-1-hexanol and and the 16-mer oligonucleotide with a mercaptohexyl group at the 5'-phosphate end are utilized to form the SAM on the gold electrode.The frequency response of the QCM during cyclic voltammetry (CV) scanning and cbronoamperometry are recorded together with the electrochemical current.The experimental results indicates that the frequency response is more sensitive to the surface coverage.Therefore,the response of the EQCM reveals more details of the SAM on gold electrode.It is especially useful for analysing the immobilization quality,such as probe orientation and coverage,of the SAM.

Preparation and Characterization of SrTiO_3 Thin Film on Functional Organic Self-Assembled Monolayers

SrTiO3 thin film was successfully prepared on the functionalized organic self-assembled monolayers（SAMs） by the Liquid Phase Deposition（LPD） method.The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,atomic force microscope（AFM）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and metallographic microscope.Measurement of contact angle showed that the hydrophobe substrate was changed into hydrophile by UV irradiation.AFM photographs of octadecyl-trichloro-silane self-assembled monolayer（OTS-SAM） surface approved that UV irradiation did change the morphology of OTS monolayer and provided evidence for the conversion of hydrophilic characteristic.Photographs of Metallographic Microscope showed that OTS-SAM had an active effect on the deposition of SrTiO3 thin film.XRD and SEM indicated that the thin film was of pure cubic phase SrTiO3 and composed of nanosized grains with a size in the range of 100-500 nm.The formation mechanism of the SrTiO3 film was proposed.

Self-Assembled Monolayer of Lipoic Acid on Gold and Its Application to Rapid Determination of 2, 3, 7, 8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin

Lipoic acid (LA) has received great attention in the area of gold surface functionalization. In this study, LA was employed as a linker for the attachment of antibody to the gold surface of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) chip. By using this chip in a homemade SPR immunosensor, low molecular weight compound 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) can be detected at a low level of 0.01 ng/mL. There is a good linear relationship(R2 =0.943 1) between the results of SPR biosensor and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).

Simultaneous Determination of Dopamine and Uric Acid at 2-Amino-5-mercapto-[1, 3, 4]triazole Self-assembled Monolayers Gold Electrode

A newly synthesized reagent 2-amino-5-mercapto-[1, 3, 4]triazole (MATZ) has been usedto fabricate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold electrode for the first time. The SAMselectrode was characterized by electrochemical methods and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM),the SAMs electrode can be used to determinate dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) simultaneouslywith a detection limit of 8×10-7 mol/L for DA and 1×10-6 mol/L for UA respectively. The SAMscan also be used to detect the contents of DA and UA in synthetic urine sample with satisfactoryresults.

Immobilization of antibodies on the self-assembled monolayer by antigen-binding site protection and immobilization kinetic control

The orientation of the biological molecule immobi-lized on a solid surface has been critical in devel-opment of various applications. In this study, ori-entation of antibody was retained by protecting the antigen-binding site of the antibody prior to immo-bilization to -functionalized mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 12-mercaptododecanoic acid and 1-heptanethiol. More importantly, the number of immobilization bonds formed between each an-tigen-binding site protected antibody molecule and the solid surface was controlled by optimizing the mole fraction of the activated carboxyl group of the linker molecules in the mixed SAM. The amount of antibody used in this study was approximately equivalent to the amount for one monolayer surface coverage. The resulting activity of protected immo-bilized antibody was about 10 fold higher than that of random immobilized

The Electrochemistry of Cytochrome c at a Viologen-thiol Self-Assembled Monolayer

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Improvement of Performance of HfS_2 Transistors Using a Self-Assembled Monolayer as Gate Dielectric

This work details a study based on HfS_(2 )transistors utilizing an n-octadecylphosphonic acid-based self-assembled monolayer(SAM)as the gate dielectric.The fabrication of the SAM-based two-dimensional(2D)material transistor is simple and can be used to improve the quality of the interface of air-sensitive 2D materials.In comparison to HfS_(2) transistors utilizing a conventional Al_2O_(3) gate insulator by atomic layer deposition,HfS_(2) transistors utilizing an SAM as the gate dielectric can reduce the operation region from 4 V to 2 V,enhance the field-effect mobility from 0.03 cm^2/Vs to 0.75 cm^2/Vs,improve the sub-threshold swing from 404 m V/dec to 156 m V/dec,and optimize the hysteresis to 0.03 V,thus demonstrating improved quality of the semiconductor/insulator interface.

A New Self-Assembled Monolayer of Fullerene Derivative and ItsPhotoelectric Conversion Property

A new self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of fullerene derivative has been fabricated and their photoelectric conversion property has been observed. The SAM was fabricated on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and quartz by amide bonding. It was characterized bq contact angle, UV spectrum. and cyclic voltammetry. The mild fabrication conditions and the stability of the SAM provides a way to build three-dimensional structure more easily.

Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of horseradish peroxidase immobilized on L-glutathione self-assembled monolayers

A novel hydrogen peroxide biosensor has been fabricated based on covalently linked horseradish peroxidase （HRP） onto L- glutathione self-assembled monolayers （SAMs）. The SAMs-based electrode was characterized by electrochemical methods, and direct electrochemistry of HRP can be achieved with formal potential of-0.242 V （vs. saturated Ag/AgCl） in pH 7 phosphate buffer solution （PBS）, the redox peak current is linear to scan rate and rate constant can be calculated to be 0.042 s^-1. The HRP-SAMs- based biosensors show its better electrocatalysis to hydrogen peroxide in the concentration range of 1 × 10^-6 mol/L to 1.2 × 10^-3 mol/L with a detection limit of 4 × 10^-7 mol/L. The apparent Michealis-Menten constant is 3.12 mmol/L. The biosensor can effectively eliminate the interferences of dopamine, ascorbic acid, uric acid, catechol and p-acetaminophen.

Studies of Self-assembled Monolayers Formed by Imidazofine on Iron Surface by SEM and SECM

The self-assembled monolayers （SAMs） of imidazoline （IM） on the iron surface were characterized by scanning electron microscope （SEM） and scanning electrochemical microscopy （SECM）. The results showed that SAMs were an effective inhibition film for iron.