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This article reported about the ultraviolet (UV) radiation effect on the resonance frequency response of a AT-cut piezoelectric quartz crystal. A large resonance frequency upshift was observed when the quartz crystal was irradiated by UV light of 355-nm wavelength using a Q-switched pulsed Nd:YVO4 UV laser. The dynamic frequency response behavior was systematically investigated by illuminating the quartz crystal with UV light in which the UV intensity was varied with time in staircase- and linear pulse-shaped patterns. From the experimental analysis, we measured the limit of detection and the sensitivity of the quartz crystal, which are about 0.5 mW/cm2 and 0.706 Hz/(mW/cm2), respectively. For a constant UV irradiation, a moderate response (<10 s) and recovery (<10 s) times were achieved during the on and off cycles of the UV light. The short-term repeatability and maximum operating limit of AT-cut quartz crystal were also further studied upon exposure to UV light with different intensities. In this work, we not only demonstrate the impact of UV irradiation on quartz crystal but also discuss the mechanism of upshift in resonance frequency upon exposure to UV light. This study shows the applicability of quartz crystal for the detection of UV light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past several decades, metal oxide based gas sensors are widely used for hydrogen gas sensing applications. However, their poor sensitivity and very high value of operating temperature (> 300 °C) pose a severe threat over hydrogen detection due to its highly flammable nature. In recent years, a few strategies have been explored by the researchers to address these formidable challenges faced by the sensing technology. Here, we present MoS2/ZnO hybrid exhibiting higher molecular detection at low operating temperature. The ZnO film was grown using the magnetron sputtering technique, while MoS2-PVP nanocomposites (MoS2-PVP NCs) were synthesized through organic polymer assisted liquid exfoliation process. We examined the sensing performance of various MoS2/ZnO hybrids prepared by the decoration of different concentration MoS2-PVP NCs over the ZnO surface. The decoration of ZnO film through MoS2-PVP NCs increases the effective surface area and the number of active sites for the hydrogen molecules to get adsorbed, hence improved the surface reactivity to gas molecules. Interestingly, a 5 mg/mL MoS2-PVP NCs decorated ZnO sensor showed an improvement of $\sim 8$ times in sensing response as compared to the pristine ZnO based sensor upon 50 ppm hydrogen exposure. The improvement in sensing ability is primarily ascribed to electronic sensitization and spillover effects. Our results establish that the MoS2/ZnO hybrid exhibit superior hydrogen sensing behavior indicating the prominent role of MoS2-PVP NCs in hydrogen detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we report the synthesis techniques of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) in open air atmosphere by pulse laser ablation (PLA) method using solid ZnO polycrystalline palette followed by fabrication of formaldehyde (HCHO) sensor. The crystalline phase and morphology of the obtained ZnO NPs were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. The XRD patterns showed that the NPs were polycrystalline structure with good crystallinity. The FESEM images revealed that the NPs were spherical in shape and loosely agglomerated. The average diameter of the NPs was in the range of 30–43 nm. Moreover, the ZnO NPs-based sensor exhibited excellent formaldehyde sensing performance at a temperature of 350 °C. The sensor exhibited a gas response of about 5.2 toward 300 ppm formaldehyde with 25 s response and 12 s recovery time. Furthermore, the ZnO NPs-based sensor exhibited excellent reliability and reproducibility to formaldehyde. On the other hand, the sensor showed high sensitivity of about 0.2% ppm −1 to formaldehyde with a 50 ppm lower detection limit. In addition, the sensor showed an excellent linear relationship (R2 = 0.7948) between the response and the concentration of formaldehyde in the range of 50–400 ppm. This work demonstrates that PLA in open air is a rapid and cost-effective method for synthesizing metal oxide NPs for gas-sensing applications without the need for wet chemical routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pristine ZnO based hydrogen sensors pose low sensitivity (~ 43%) at the operating temperature of 150°. Herein, we explore the decoration of Phosphorene oxide quantum dots (POQDs) on RF sputtered grown ZnO nanostructures for hydrogen gas sensing application. A simplistic approach such as drop cast method is employed to decorate electrosynthesized POQDs (2- $8~\mu \text{L}$) onto interdigitated electrodes over ZnO nanostructures. The suggested hydrogen sensor based on POQDs ($6~\mu \text{L}$)/ZnO nanostructures exhibits an outstanding sensing response (~70.6%) as compared to all the sensors for 100 ppm at 150°C. Enhanced sensing response from the POQDs($6~\mu \text{L}$)/ZnO nanostructure might be due to the enormous active surface area of POQDs (provides more active sites for hydrogen gas) and modulation of depletion region at the interface of POQDs and ZnO. The proposed sensor can be operated at mild temperature and consume low power which is the need of the hour for the hydrogen sensors for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility to synergise two-dimensional (2D) materials with 0D nanoparticles has sparked a surge in high performance futuristic electronic devices. Here, we decorated plasmonic Au nanoparticles on surface of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown 2D MoS2 nanosheet and demonstrated bifunctional sensing behaviour within a single device. The plasmonic Au nanoparticles functionalized MoS2 device showed about ~5 times higher sensitivity to NO2 than that of pristine MoS2 at room temperature. The enhanced gas sensing performance was attributed to a combination of Schottky barriers modulation at Au/MoS2 nanointerfaces and catalytic effects upon exposing the gas analyte. In addition, the device also exhibited enhanced photoresponse with a high photo-responsivity of ~17.6 A/W and a moderate detectivity of ~ ${6.6} \times {10}^{11}$ Jones due to enhanced local plasmonic effects. Finally, photons and gas molecules are detected in sequence, which proved that only a single Au-MoS2 device exhibited remarkable bifunctional sensing characteristics. Such excellent bifunctional sensing ability of a single Au-MoS2 device paves the way to integrate the 2D material with plasmonic nanostructures for developing an advanced multifunctional sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, an ultrafast direct laser patterning technique to fabricate a low-cost microsensor and its application for formaldehyde detection are reported. The patterns of microheater and interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) were realized using laser micromachining techniques by ablation of gold thin film on alumina substrate. The thin film of gold microheater showed good stability up to 300 °C with a fast response time of 80 s and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) was calculated as 1.37 × 10−3/°C. Moreover, gold microheater exhibited long-term reliability under self-heating mode with a negligible resistance drift < 0.5% over a period of 330 h at 250 °C through consuming low power with a heating efficiency of 0.23 °C/mW. Thermal imaging camera revealed the uniform temperature distribution with negligible heat gradient profile over the whole microsensor platform. To state-of-the-art gas sensing application of this coplanar sensing platform, a nanostructured SnO2 was deposited on IDE, which exhibited high sensitivity (13.96% ppm−1) to formaldehyde even to detect sub-ppm concentrations with fast response (32 s) and recovery kinetics (72 s). Moreover, the microsensor was also used on-site rapid screening for the detection and quantification of formaldehyde concentration in formalin-treated fish sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the MoS2 functionalized AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) was utilized for the first time to detect toxic mercury (Hg2+) ions under ultraviolet (UV) illumination. The AlGaN/GaN HEMT was fabricated on the sapphire substrate, and corresponding structural and electrical properties were investigated. Subsequently, the optimization of MoS2 concentration for device functionalization was carried out by performing sensing analysis of Hg2+ ions on three devices, and it was observed that the 20 mg/mL concentration of MoS2 is optimum for the detection of Hg2+ ions. Furthermore, the detection of Hg2+ ions was performed under UV exposure, where the developed sensor showed much-improved sensitivity of 548.07~μ A/ppb compared with normal light. The comparative analysis indicates the increase of three orders of magnitude in sensitivity under UV irradiation, and it is the highest sensitivity ever observed by the AlGaN/GaN HEMT sensor for Hg2+ ion detection. Moreover, the sensor also exhibits the limit of detection (LoD) of 6.14 parts per trillion (ppt) that is much lower than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard limit for Hg2+ ions in drinking water. Due to the photoexcitation process, the generation of electron–hole pairs provides more binding sites on the MoS2 surface, which results in the ultrasensitive detection of the Hg2+ ions at trace and ultratrace levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation induced changes in the electrical properties of PbZrTiO3 (PZT) thin films have been studied for dosimetry application. The radiation detection was based on radiation induced changes in the electrical properties under the influence of gamma radiation. Epitaxial heterostructure of ferroelectric PbZr0.52 Ti0.48O3 (001)/SrRuO3 (SRO) were grown on single crystal SrTiO3 (001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition and platinum (Pt) electrode was deposited on top of the PZT film. The maximum capacitance of the heteroepitaxial capacitor devices was $\approx ~25$ pF with a corresponding small leakage current. The effect of gamma ($\gamma $ -ray) irradiation on the intrinsic electrical behavior of the Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) capacitor devices were explored in form of the current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) properties. The PZT devices were exposed to a 60Co Gamma source with 2.8 kGy/h dose rate from 0 kGy to 400 kGy doses. Gamma radiation induced broadening was observed in full width half maxima (FWHM) of the x-ray diffraction (00l) peak with the increasing gamma doses. All devices showed a consistence changes in conductance and capacitance with increasing gamma doses. The results demonstrated linear relationship in electrical response of PZT thin-film capacitors as a function of gamma doses. The device showed significant changes in the values of current and capacitance with the increase in dose up to 400 kGy and are therefore suitable for high-dose dosimetry applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a highly tunable film bulk acoustic wave resonator (TFBAR) using magnetostrictive (MS) Fe65Co35 thin films in acoustic layer stack. The resonator acoustic layer stack consists of Pt/ZnO/Fe65Co35 layers to tune the devices. Due to $\Delta {E}$ effect, TFBAR resonance frequency was up-shifted ~106.9 MHz (4.91%) in the presence of 2-kOe magnetic field. From experimental measurement, $\Delta {E}$ enhancement was estimated to be ~35 GPa. Further, it is observed that return loss (${S}_{{11}}$), phase response, and quality factor were improved in the presence of magnetic field. This improvement is due to the field-induced stiffness in the magnetic layer. Equivalent-modified Butterworth–Van Dyke (mBVD) circuit model was developed and fit with the experimental data, and circuit parameters were extracted. The proposed resonator is compact, low loss, power efficient, and highly tunable. This method also facilitates a new method of tuning FBAR devices using MS thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report sensitive and selective AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT)-based sensor for Lead ion (Pb2+) detection. The gate region of the HEMT was functionalized by 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMTD). The response of the sensor is observed by monitoring drain to source current ($\text{I}_{\textsf {DS}}$) for different concentrations of Pb2+ ions at a fixed drain to source voltage ($\text{V}_{\textsf {DS}}$). Our sensor reaches the lower detection limit of 0.018 ppb, which is much lower than the standard detection limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water. Furthermore, the sensor exhibited a rapid response time of ~4 seconds and high sensitivity of $0.607~\mu \text{A}$ /ppb. Moreover, the selectivity analysis was performed and found that the sensor was highly selective towards Pb2+ ions. The change in electron concentration at 2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) upon the capture of Pb2+ ions at gate region by DMTD, causes a change in the $\text{I}_{\textsf {DS}}$ , which showed excellent sensing response towards Pb2+ ions. The highly sensitive, selective, and rapid detection of Pb2+ ions paves the way for stable sensing performance based on DMTD functionalized AlGaN/GaN HEMT sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When exploring the charge transport in the MoS2/Si heterojunction, it is imperative to understand the contribution of different carrier interactions and scattering mechanisms in the conduction process. Here, we have demonstrated an ultrasensitive photodetector based on MoS2/Si (for both p-type and n-type Si) van der Walls (vdW) heterojunction, which provides a high photoresponsivity of greater than 103 A/W along with a large detectivity of ≈ 1012 Jones (Jones = $\text{cm} \cdot \text{Hz}^{ {1/2}} \cdot \text{W}^{-1}$). This high photoresponsivity is attributed to the high absorption rate of incident photons and large current carrying capacity of a few layer MoS2. The tuning of barrier height at the MoS2/n-Si interface with photoexcitation of different wavelengths was interpreted by using Bardeen’s model. The increase in carrier density due to the photon energy results in a reduction of barrier height at the heterojunction. Because of increase in carrier density with wavelength, it was observed that the inverse Auger process prevails at higher wavelength for the relaxation of photoinduced charge carriers at the MoS2/Si interface over other scattering mechanisms. Our obtained results unveil the great potential of the MoS2/Si vdW heterojunction that may pave the way for new generation photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium oxide nanocrystals encapsulated in Al2O3 film on a Si substrate have been synthesized by using ion implantation followed by thermal annealing at 800 °C or 900 °C. Formation of $\beta $ -Ga2O3 nanocrystals is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The photoresponse of a photodetector fabricated on the implanted layer by the deposition of interdigitated electrode pattern is estimated by analyzing the current–voltage characteristics. The ratio of photocurrent at the wavelength of 250 nm and a voltage of 4 V to dark current around ~15 is found for the sample annealed at 900 °C. The spectral dependence of photoresponse for this sample demonstrates excellent solar-blind ultraviolet characteristics in the wavelength range of 250–270 nm with a rejection ratio 42 at the bias of 1 V. At the bias of 4 V, the responsivity of 50 mA/ $\mu \text{W}$ upon illumination at 250 nm and a cutoff at 280 nm are observed for the 900 °C annealing. The sample annealed at 800 °C shows lower ultraviolet responsivity due to the high density of defects. The data are analyzed in relation to the generation of carriers in Ga2O3 nanocrystals and their transport in the damaged Al2O3 matrix. The reported results pave the way toward the fabrication of next generation high sensitive solar-blind photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen gas sensing response of RF sputtered nano-crystalline ZnO thin film is improved by \sim 34.73 % using swift heavy ion irradiation technique. X-ray diffraction reveals single crystalline wurtzite structure of ZnO thin films. Full width half maximum (FWHM) of (0002) diffraction peak is decreased with increase in ion fluences. However, at very high fluence 1\times 10^{13} ions/cm2, crystallinity is degraded while FWHM of diffraction peak increases. The ZnO films were grown under highly compressive stress, which was relaxed with incremental ion fluences up to 1\times 10^{13}$ ions/cm2. Cathodoluminenscence spectroscopy shows intense predominant peak around \sim 3.23$ eV, which indicates good optical quality of the films. As ion fluence increases, a blue shift appears in near band emission peak from 3.23 to 3.33 eV, which indicates that in-plane stress is decreased. Surface morphology shows generation of self-affine nanostructure and grain fragments as ion fluences were increased. Grain fragmentations had enhanced the surface reaction, and as a result, gas sensor’s relative response has improved. It was observed that the gas sensor’s sensitivity is strongly dependent on ion fluences and operating temperature. The sensitivity was enhanced from 66.68% to 89.84% with fluence variations from pristine to 1\times 10^{12} ions/cm2 at 175 °C operating temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]