Hybrid Cd‐free CIGS solar cell/TEG device with ZnO nanowires

A green energy device with a CuInGaSe₂ (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) cell covered with a passive light‐trapping structure (ZnO nanowires (NWs)) and connected to an active energy‐harvesting device (thermoelectric generator (TEG)) is presented. The efficiency of the ZnO NWs/CIGS PV device obtained using a deposition temperature of 550 °C and Cd‐free processes reaches 16.5%. The series‐connected CIGS PV cell with a TEG had a record‐high efficiency of 22% at a cool‐side temperature (T_c) below 5 °C. The open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) of the hybrid CIGS PV/TEG device was increased from 0.64 to 0.85 V. This technology has potential for high‐efficiency energy‐harvesting applications. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Knittable and Washable Multifunctional MXene‐Coated Cellulose Yarns

Textile‐based electronics enable the next generation of wearable devices, which have the potential to transform the architecture of consumer electronics. Highly conductive yarns that can be manufactured using industrial‐scale processing and be washed like everyday yarns are needed to fulfill the promise and rapid growth of the smart textile industry. By coating cellulose yarns with Ti₃C₂T_x MXene, highly conductive and electroactive yarns are produced, which can be knitted into textiles using an industrial knitting machine. It is shown that yarns with MXene loading of ≈77 wt% (≈2.2 mg cm^?1) have conductivity of up to 440 S cm^?1. After washing for 45 cycles at temperatures ranging from 30 to 80 °C, MXene‐coated cotton yarns exhibit a minimal increase in resistance while maintaining constant MXene loading. The MXene‐coated cotton yarn electrode offers a specific capacitance of 759.5 mF cm^?1 at 2 mV s^?1. A fully knitted textile‐based capacitive pressure sensor is also prepared, which offers high sensitivity (gauge factor of ≈6.02), wide sensing range of up to ≈20% compression, and excellent cycling stability (2000 cycles at ≈14% compression strain). This work provides new and practical insights toward the development of platform technology that can integrate MXene in cellulose‐based yarns for textile‐based devices.     

Electrochromic Effect in Titanium Carbide MXene Thin Films Produced by Dip‐Coating

MXenes, a large family of 2D transition metal carbides and nitrides, have shown potential in energy storage and optoelectronic applications. Here, the optoelectronic and pseudocapacitive properties of titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂T_x) are combined to create a MXene electrochromic device, with a visible absorption peak shift from 770 to 670 nm and a 12% reversible change in transmittance with a switching rate of <1 s when cycled in an acidic electrolyte under applied potentials of less than 1 V. By probing the electrochromic effect in different electrolytes, it is shown that acidic electrolytes (H₃PO₄ and H₂SO₄) lead to larger absorption peak shifts and a higher change of transmittance than the neutral electrolyte (MgSO₄) (Δλ is 100 nm vs 35 nm and ΔT_{770 nm} is ≈12% vs ≈3%, respectively), hinting at the surface redox mechanism involved. Further investigation of the mechanism by in situ X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy reveals that the reversible shift of the absorption peak is attributed to protonation/deprotonation of oxide‐like surface functionalities. As a proof of concept, it is shown that Ti₃C₂T_x MXene, dip‐coated on a glass substrate, functions as both transparent conductive coating and active material in an electrochromic device, opening avenues for further research into optoelectronic and photonic applications of MXenes.     

Concentric Sub‐micrometer‐Sized Cables Composed of Ni Nanowires and Sub‐micrometer‐Sized Fullerene Tubes

Highly ordered arrays of submicrometer‐sized coaxial cables composed of submicrometer‐sized C₆₀ and C₇₀ tubes filled with Ni nanowires are successfully prepared by combining a sol–gel method with an electrodeposition process. The wall thickness of the submicrometer‐sized tubes can be adjusted by the concentration of fullerenes and the immersion time. The thermal stability of the submicrometer‐sized C₆₀ tubes is studied by Raman spectroscopy and it is found that these structures can be easily decomposed to form carbon nanotubes at relatively low temperatures (above 573 K) in an alumina template. These novel coaxial cable structures have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high‐resolution TEM (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field‐emission SEM (FESEM), Raman spectroscopy, elemental mapping, energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) experiments, and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements. Magnetic measurements show that these submicrometer‐sized cables exhibit enhanced ferromagnetic behavior as compared to bulk nickel. Moreover, submicrometer‐sized C₇₀/Ni cables show uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with the easy magnetic axis being parallel to the long axis of the Ni nanowires. C₇₀/Ni cables also exhibit a new magnetic transition at ca. 10 K in the magnetization–temperature (M–T) curve, which is not observed for the analogous C₆₀/Ni structures. The origin of this transition is not yet clear, but might be related to interactions between the Ni nanowires and C₇₀ molecules. There is no preferred magnetization axis in submicrometer‐sized C₆₀/Ni cables, which implies that the Ni nanocrystals have different packing modes in the two composites. These different crystalline packing modes lead to different magnetic anisotropy in the two composites, although the Ni nanocrystals have the same face‐centered cubic (fcc) structure in both cases.     

Ultrahigh Energy‐Storage Density in NaNbO3‐Based Lead‐Free Relaxor Antiferroelectric Ceramics with Nanoscale Domains

Dielectric energy‐storage capacitors have received increasing attention in recent years due to the advantages of high voltage, high power density, and fast charge/discharge rates. Here, a new environment‐friendly 0.76NaNbO₃–0.24(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO₃ relaxor antiferroelectric (AFE) bulk ceramic is studied, where local orthorhombic Pnma symmetry (R phase) and nanodomains are observed based on high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and in/ex situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction. The orthorhombic AFE R phase and relaxor characteristics synergistically contribute to the record‐high energy‐storage density W_rec of ≈12.2 J cm^?3 and acceptable energy efficiency η ≈ 69% at 68 kV mm^?1, showing great advantages over currently reported bulk dielectric ceramics. In comparison with normal AFEs, the existence of large random fields in the relaxor AFE matrix and intrinsically high breakdown strength of NaNbO₃‐based compositions are thought to be responsible for the observed energy‐storage performances. Together with the good thermal stability of W_rec (>7.4 J cm^?3) and η (>73%) values at 45 kV mm^?1 up to temperature of 200 °C, it is demonstrated that NaNbO₃‐based relaxor AFE ceramics will be potential lead‐free dielectric materials for next‐generation pulsed power capacitor applications.     

High‐Strain Shape‐Memory Polymers

Shape‐memory polymers (SMPs) are self‐adjusting, smart materials in which shape changes can be accurately controlled at specific, tailored temperatures. In this study, the glass transition temperature (T_g) is adjusted between 28 and 55 °C through synthesis of copolymers of methyl acrylate (MA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and isobornyl acrylate (IBoA). Acrylate compositions with both crosslinker densities and photoinitiator concentrations optimized at fractions of a mole percent demonstrate fully recoverable strains at 807% for a T_g of 28 °C, at 663% for a T_g of 37 °C, and at 553% for a T_g of 55 °C. A new compound, 4,4′‐di(acryloyloxy)benzil (referred to hereafter as Xini) in which both polymerizable and initiating functionalities are incorporated in the same molecule, was synthesized and polymerized into acrylate shape‐memory polymers, which were thermomechanically characterized yielding fully recoverable strains above 500%. The materials synthesized in this work were compared to an industry standard thermoplastic SMP, Mitsubishi's MM5510, which showed failure strains of similar magnitude, but without full shape recovery: residual strain after a single shape‐memory cycle caused large‐scale disfiguration. The materials in this study are intended to enable future applications where both recoverable high‐strain capacity and the ability to accurately and independently position T_g are required.     

Scalable Production of Graphene Inks via Wet‐Jet Milling Exfoliation for Screen‐Printed Micro‐Supercapacitors

The miniaturization of energy storage units is pivotal for the development of next‐generation portable electronic devices. Micro‐supercapacitors (MSCs) hold great potential to work as on‐chip micro‐power sources and energy storage units complementing batteries and energy harvester systems. Scalable production of supercapacitor materials with cost‐effective and high‐throughput processing methods is crucial for the widespread application of MSCs. Here, wet‐jet milling exfoliation of graphite is reported to scale up the production of graphene as a supercapacitor material. The formulation of aqueous/alcohol‐based graphene inks allows metal‐free, flexible MSCs to be screen‐printed. These MSCs exhibit areal capacitance (C_areal) values up to 1.324 mF cm^?2 (5.296 mF cm^?2 for a single electrode), corresponding to an outstanding volumetric capacitance (C_vol) of 0.490 F cm^?3 (1.961 F cm^?3 for a single electrode). The screen‐printed MSCs can operate up to a power density above 20 mW cm^?2 at an energy density of 0.064 µWh cm^?2. The devices exhibit excellent cycling stability over charge–discharge cycling (10 000 cycles), bending cycling (100 cycles at a bending radius of 1 cm) and folding (up to angles of 180°). Moreover, ethylene vinyl acetate‐encapsulated MSCs retain their electrochemical properties after a home‐laundry cycle, providing waterproof and washable properties for prospective application in wearable electronics.     

High—Performance Solar‐Blind Deep Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on Individual Single‐Crystalline Zn2GeO4 Nanowire

Solar‐blind deep ultraviolet (DUV) photodetectors have been a hot topic in recent years because of their wide commercial and military applications. A wide bandgap (4.68 eV) of ternary oxide Zn₂GeO₄ makes it an ideal material for the solar‐blind DUV detection. Unfortunately, the sensing performance of previously reported photodetectors based on Zn₂GeO₄ nanowires has been unsatisfactory for practical applications, because they suffer from long response and decay times, low responsivity, and quantum efficiency. Here, high‐performance solar‐blind DUV photodetectors are developed based on individual single‐crystalline Zn₂GeO₄ nanowires. The transport mechanism is discussed in the frame of the small polaron theory. In situ electrical characterization of individual Zn₂GeO₄ nanowires reveals a high gain under high energy electron beam. The devices demonstrate outstanding solar‐blind light sensing performances: a responsivity of 5.11 × 10³ A W^?1, external quantum efficiency of 2.45 × 10⁶%, detectivity of ≈2.91 × 10¹¹ Jones, τ_rise ≈ 10 ms, and τ_decay ≈ 13 ms, which are superior to all reported Zn₂GeO₄ and other ternary oxide nanowire photodetectors. These results render the Zn₂GeO₄ nanowires particularly valuable for optoelectronic devices.     

Stamping of Flexible,Coplanar Micro‐Supercapacitors Using MXene Inks

The fast growth of portable smart electronics and internet of things have greatly stimulated the demand for miniaturized energy storage devices. Micro‐supercapacitors (MSCs), which can provide high power density and a long lifetime, are ideal stand‐alone power sources for smart microelectronics. However, relatively few MSCs exhibit both high areal and volumetric capacitance. Here rapid production of flexible MSCs is demonstrated through a scalable, low‐cost stamping strategy. Combining 3D‐printed stamps with arbitrary shapes and 2D titanium carbide or carbonitride inks (Ti₃C₂T_x and Ti₃CNT_x, respectively, known as MXenes), flexible all‐MXene MSCs with controlled architectures are produced. The interdigitated Ti₃C₂T_x MSC exhibits high areal capacitance: 61 mF cm^?2 at 25 µA cm^?2 and 50 mF cm^?2 as the current density increases by 32 fold. The Ti₃C₂T_x MSCs also showcase capacitive charge storage properties, good cycling lifetime, high energy and power densities, etc. The production of such high‐performance Ti₃C₂T_x MSCs can be easily scaled up by designing pad or cylindrical stamps, followed by a cold rolling process. Collectively, the rapid, efficient production of flexible all‐MXene MSCs with state‐of‐the‐art performance opens new exciting opportunities for future applications in wearable and portable electronics.     

3D Metal Carbide@Mesoporous Carbon Hybrid Architecture as a New Polysulfide Reservoir for Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

3D metal carbide@mesoporous carbon hybrid architecture (Ti₃C₂T_x@Meso‐C, T_X ≈ F_xO_y) is synthesised and applied as cathode material hosts for lithium‐sulfur batteries. Exfoliated‐metal carbide (Ti₃C₂T_x) nanosheets have high electronic conductivity and contain rich functional groups for effective trapping of polysulfides. Mesoporous carbon with a robust porous structure provides sufficient spaces for loading sulfur and effectively cushion the volumetric expansion of sulfur cathodes. Theoretical calculations have confirmed that metal carbide can absorb sulfur and polysulfides, therefore extending the cycling performance. The Ti₃C₂T_x@Meso‐C/S cathodes have achieved a high capacity of 1225.8 mAh g^?1 and more than 300 cycles at the C/2 current rate. The Ti₃C₂T_x@Meso‐C hybrid architecture is a promising cathode host material for lithium‐sulfur batteries.     

FAPbI3‐Based Perovskite Solar Cells Employing Hexyl‐Based Ionic Liquid with an Efficiency Over 20% and Excellent Long‐Term Stability

Formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI₃)‐based perovskite materials are of interest for photovoltaics in view of their close‐to‐ideal bandgap, allowing absorption of photons over a broad solar spectrum. However, FAPbI₃‐based materials suffer from a notorious phase transition from the photoactive black phase (α‐FAPbI₃) to nonperovskite yellow phase (δ‐FAPbI₃) under ambient conditions. This transition dramatically reduces light absorbtion, thus, degrading the photovoltaic performance and stability of ensuring solar cells. In this study, 1‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium iodide (HMII) ionic liquid (IL) is employed as an additive for the first time in FAPbI₃ perovskite to overcome the above‐mentioned issues. HMII incorporation facilitates the grain coarsening of FAPbI₃ crystal owing to its high‐polarity and high‐boiling point, which yields liquid domains between neighboring grains to reduce the activation energy of the grain‐boundary migration. As a result, the FAPbI₃ active layer exhibits micron‐sized grains with substantially suppressed parasitic traps with an Urbach energy reduced by 2 meV. Hence, the resulting perovskite solar cell achieves an efficiency of 20.6% with notable increase in open circuit voltage (V_OC) of 80 mV compared with HMII‐free cells (17.1%). More importantly, the HMII‐doped FAPbI₃‐based cells show a striking enhancement in shelf‐stability under high humidity and thermal stress, retaining >80% of their initial efficiencies at 60 ± 10% relative humidity and ≈95% at 65 °C.     

Highly Efficient Rapid Annealing of Thin Polar Polymer Film Ferroelectric Devices at Sub‐Glass Transition Temperature

An unexpected rapid anneal of electrically active defects in an ultrathin (15.5 nm) polar polyimide film at and below glass transition temperature (T_g) is reported. The polar polymer is the gate dielectric of a thin‐film‐transistor. Gate leakage current density (J_g) through the polymer initially increases with temperature, as expected, but decreases rapidly at T_g ? 60 °C. After ≈2 min at T_g, the leakage is reduced by nearly three orders of magnitude. A concomitant observation is that the drain current (I_d)–gate voltage (V_g) hysteresis decreases with temperature, reaching zero at nearly the same temperature at which J_g collapses. As J_g drops further, the drain current hysteresis increases again but in the opposite direction. This combination strongly supports the interpretation of rapid defect annealing.     

Giant Piezoelectricity of Ternary Perovskite Ceramics at High Temperatures

Here, novel ferroelectric ceramics of (0.95 ? x)BiScO₃‐xPbTiO₃‐0.05Pb(Sn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (BS‐xPT‐PSN) of complex perovskite structure are reported with compositions near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), and which exhibit a piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ = 555 pC N^?1, a large‐signal coefficient $d_{33}^{?}$ ≈ 1200 pm V^?1 at room temperature, and a high Curie temperature T_C of 408 °C. More interestingly, this ternary system exhibits a giant and stable piezoelectric response at 200 °C with a large‐signal $d_{33}^{?}$ ≈ 2500 pm V^?1, matching that of the costly relaxor‐based piezoelectric single crystals at room temperature. The mechanisms of such giant piezoelectricity and its characteristic temperature dependence are attributed to the spontaneous polarization rotation and extension under an electric field and the MPB‐related phase transition. The findings reveal that the BS‐xPT‐PSN ceramics constitute a new family of high‐performance piezoelectric materials suitable for electromechanical transducers that can be operated at high temperatures (at 200 °C, or higher).     

Human HSP70 Promoter‐Based Prussian Blue Nanotheranostics for Thermo‐Controlled Gene Therapy and Synergistic Photothermal Ablation

Realizing precise control of the therapeutic process is crucial for maximizing efficacy and minimizing side effects, especially for strategies involving gene therapy (GT). Herein, a multifunctional Prussian blue (PB) nanotheranostic platform is first designed and then loaded with therapeutic plasmid DNA (HSP70‐p53‐GFP) for near‐infrared (NIR) light‐triggered thermo‐controlled synergistic GT/photothermal therapy (PTT). Due to the unique structure of the PB nanocubes, the resulting PB@PEI/HSP70‐p53‐GFP nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit excellent photothermal properties and pronounced tumor‐contrast performance in T₁/T₂‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that mild NIR‐laser irradiation (≈41 °C) activates the HSP70 promoter for tumor suppressor p53‐dependent apoptosis, while strong NIR‐laser irradiation (≈50 °C) induces photothermal ablation for cellular dysregulation and necrosis. Significant synergistic efficacy can be achieved by adjusting the NIR‐laser irradiation (from ≈41 to ≈50 °C), compared to using GT or PTT alone. In addition, in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies demonstrate that PB@PEI/HSP70‐p53‐GFP NPs have good biocompatibility. Therefore, this work provides a promising theranostic approach for controlling combined GT and PTT via the heat‐shock response.     

Low temperature‐coefficient for solar cells processed from solar‐grade silicon purified by metallurgical route

This study is dedicated to the temperature (T)‐variation of the photovoltaic performances of solar cells made from solar‐grade silicon directly purified by metallurgical route (SoG_M‐Si). Experimental results were systematically compared with those for standard electronic‐grade silicon (EG‐Si) solar cells. We showed that the conversion efficiency (η) of SoG_M‐Si cells decreases much less when T increases than the η of EG‐Si cells. This major difference is due to a strong increase with T of the short‐circuit current density (J_sc) of the SoG_M‐Si solar cells. We showed that this a priori unexpected result could be described and explained by numerical simulations, by taking into account the main particularities of SoG_M‐Si: dopant compensation, moderate minority carrier diffusion length and larger amount of boron–oxygen complexes. These results are significant since T of a solar module under illumination being generally higher than 25°C, modules made from low‐cost SoG_M‐Si cells should have performances closer to those of standard EG‐Si solar panels. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of Arylene Diimide Thin Film Growth Conditions on n‐Channel OFET Performance

A series of eight perylene diimide (PDI)‐ and naphthalene diimide (NDI)‐based organic semiconductors was used to fabricate organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) on bare SiO₂ substrates, with the substrate temperature during film deposition (T_d) varied from 70–130 °C. For the N,N′‐n‐octyl materials that form highly ordered films, the mobility (µ) and current on‐off ratio (I_on/I_off) increase slightly from 70 to 90 °C, and remain relatively constant between 90 and 130 °C. I_on/I_off and µ of dibromo‐PDI‐based OFETs decrease with increasing T_d, while films of N,N′‐1H,1H‐perfluorobutyl dicyanoperylenediimide (PDI‐FCN₂) exhibit dramatic I_on/I_off and µ enhancements with increasing T_d. Increased OFET mobility can be correlated with higher levels of molecular ordering and minimization of film morphology surface irregularities. Additionally, the effects of SiO₂ surface modification with trimethylsilyl and octadecyltrichlorosilyl monolayers, as well as with polystyrene, are investigated for N,N′‐n‐octyl dicyanoperylenediimide (PDI‐8CN₂) and PDI‐FCN₂ films deposited at T_d = 130 °C. The SiO₂ surface treatments have modest effects on PDI‐8CN₂ OFET mobilities, but modulate the mobility and morphology of PDI‐FCN₂ films substantially. Most importantly, the surface treatments result in substantially increased V_th and decreased I_off values for the dicyanoperylenediimide films relative to those grown on SiO₂, resulting in V_th > 0.0 V and I_on/I_off ratios as high as 10⁸. Enhancements in current modulation for these high‐mobility, air‐stable, and solution‐processable n‐type semiconductors, should prove useful in noise‐margin enhancement and further improvements in organic electronics.     

Ionoskins: Nonvolatile,Highly Transparent,Ultrastretchable Ionic Sensory Platforms for Wearable Electronics

The primary technology of next‐generation wearable electronics pursues the development of highly deformable and stable systems. Here, nonvolatile, highly transparent, and ultrastretchable ionic conductors based on polymeric gelators [poly(methyl methacrylate‐ran‐butyl acrylate), PMMA‐r‐PBA] and ionic liquids (IL) are proposed. A crucial strategy in the molecular design of polymer gelators is copolymerization of PMMA and IL‐insoluble low glass transition temperature (T_g) polymers that can be deformed and effectively dissipate applied strains. Highly stretchable (elongation limit ≈850%), mechanically robust (elastic modulus ≈3.1 × 10⁵ Pa), and deformation durable (recovery ratio ≈96.1% after 500 stretching/releasing cycles) gels are obtained by judiciously adjusting the molecular characteristics of polymer gelators and gel composition. An extremely simple “ionic” strain sensory platform is fabricated by directly connecting the stretchable gel and a digital multimeter, exhibiting high sensitivity (gauge factor ≈2.73), stable operation (>13 000 cycles), and nonvolatility (>10 d in air). Moreover, the skin‐type strain sensor, referred to as ionoskin, is demonstrated. The gels are attached to a part of the body (e.g., finger, elbow, knee, or ankle) and various human movements are successfully monitored. The ionoskin renders the opportunity to achieve wearable ubiquitous electronics such as healthcare devices and smart textile systems.     

Ultrahigh Responsivity of Ternary Sb–Bi–Se Nanowire Photodetectors

High‐quality single‐crystalline ternary (Sb_1‐xBi_x)₂Se₃ nanowires (NWs) (x = 0–0.88) are synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. Nanowires with x from 0 to 0.75 are indexed as an orthorhombic structure. With increasing Bi incorporation ratio, (Sb_1‐xBi_x)₂Se₃ NWs exhibit remarkable photoresponsivities, which originate from growing surface Se vacancies and augmented oxygen chemisorptions. Notably, spectra responsivity and external quantum efficiency of an (Sb_0.44Bi_0.56)₂Se₃ NW photodetector reach as high as ≈8261.4 A/W and ≈1.6 × 10⁶ %, respectively. Those excellent performances unambiguously demonstrate that Sb–Bi–Se NWs are promising for the utilizations of high‐sensitivity and high‐speed photodetectors and photoelectronic switches.     

A Nonmetallic Stretchable Nylon‐Modified High Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Energy Harvesting

As a new energy harvesting strategy, triboelectric nanogenerators which have a broad application prospect in collecting environmental energy, human body mechanical energy, and supplying power for low‐power electronic devices, have attracted extensive attention. However, technology challenges still exist in the stretchability for the preparation of some high‐performance triboelectric materials. In this work, a new strategy for nonmetallic nylon‐modified triboelectric nanogenerators (NM‐TENGs) is reported. Nylon is introduced as a high performance friction material to enhance the output performance of the stretchable TENG. The uniform matrix reduces the difficulty of heterogeneous integration and enhances the structural strength. The open‐circuit voltage (V_OC) and short‐circuit current (I_SC) of NM‐TENG can reach up to 1.17 kV and 138 µA, respectively. The instantaneous power density reaches 11.2 W m^?2 and the rectified output can directly light ≈480 LEDs. The transferred charge density is ≈100 µC m^?2 in one cycle when charging the capacitor. In addition, a low‐power electronic clock can be driven directly by the rectified signal without additional circuits. NM‐TENG also has high enough strain rate and can be attached to the human body for energy harvesting effectively. This work provides a new idea for fabrication of stretchable TENGs and demonstrates their potential application.     

From Mesostructured Wurtzite ZnS‐Nanowire/Amine Nanocomposites to ZnS Nanowires Exhibiting Quantum Size Effects: A Mild‐Solution Chemistry Approach

Mesostructured wurtzite ZnS‐nanowire‐bundle/amine nanocomposites displaying remarkable quantum size effects are synthesized by using a mild‐solution reaction using different amines, such as n‐butylamine, ethylamine, and tetraethylenepentamine, Zn(NO₃)₂·6 H₂O, and CS(NH₂)₂ or Na₂S·9 H₂O as the precursors at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 180 °C. A possible mechanism for the shape‐controlled growth of ZnS nanowires and nanocomposites is proposed. Increasing the reaction temperature or dispersing the composite in acetic acid or NaOH solution leads to the destruction of the periodic structure and the formation of individual wurtzite nanowires and their aggregates. The nanowire/amine composites and individual wurtzite nanowires both display obvious quantum size effects. Strong band‐edge emission is observed for the wurtzite ZnS nanowires after removal of the amine. The optical properties of these nanocomposites and nanowires are strongly related to the preparation conditions and can be finely tuned. This technique provides a unique approach for fabricating highly oriented wurtzite ZnS semiconductor nanowires, and can potentially be extended to other semiconducting systems.