No abstract

Copper nanowires (Cu NWs) hold promise as they possess equivalent intrinsic electrical conductivity and optical transparency to silver nanowires (Ag NWs) and cost substantially less. However, poor resistance to oxidation is the historical challenge that has prevented the large-scale industrial utilization of Cu NWs. Here, we use benzotriazole (BTA), an organic corrosion inhibitor, to passivate Cu NW networks. The stability of BTApassivated networks under various environmental conditions was monitored and compared to that of bare Cu NW control samples. BTA passivation greatly enhanced the stability of networks without deteriorating their optoelectronic performance. Moreover, to demonstrate their potential, BTA-passivated networks were successfully utilized in the fabrication of a flexible capacitive tactile sensor. This passivation strategy has a strong potential to pave the way for large-scale utilization of Cu NW networks in optoelectronic devices.

Silver nanowire (Ag NW) networks hold great potential to replace commercial transparent conducting oxides due to their superior properties in conjunction with their competitive cost, availability and mechanical flexibility. However,...

People with diabetes require regular blood sugar level monitoring, using commercial enzyme-based biosensors. There is a considerable need to develop biosensors with nonenzymatic electrodes to eliminate the drawbacks of enzymes. Nanostructured nickel oxide (NiO) thin films are highly promising materials for the development of nonenzymatic glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) biosensors. Although the biosensor performance can be easily attained with nonenzymatic electrodes, their commercialization still requires development of cost-effective and mass-production methods. In this work, we demonstrate the use of ultrasonic spray deposited, nanometer-thick, manganese and cobalt doped NiO (Mn:NiO and Co:NiO) films on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates for glucose sensing. Sensor characterization followed detailed materials characterization. Nanometer-thick Co:NiO film electrodes showed better glucose sensor performance than those of bare NiO and Mn:NiO electrodes. High sensitivity of 1.67 μA/μM•cm 2 , a low detection limit of 231 nM, and a fast response time of 5.4 s within the linear range of 16−308 μM were obtained from nanometer-thick Co:NiO film electrodes. Amperometric measurements showed significant electrode reproducibility and stability. Nanometer-thick Co:NiO film electrode was also used to demonstrate actual clinical glucose measurements using human blood serum as a glucose source. Moreover, all fabricated nanometer-thick film electrodes were also utilized as H 2 O 2 sensors. This work provides a novel approach for monitoring the biosensor performance using nanometer-thick doped NiO film electrodes. Obtained results demonstrated the potential of ultrasonic spray deposition method for the massproduction of high-performance nonenzymatic nanometer-thick film biosensors.