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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2022) | Viewed by 16295

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qitao Zhou

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Guest Editor

Engineering Research Center of Nano-Geomaterials of the Ministry of Education, Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: microfluidic sensors; triboelectric nanogenerators; self-powered system

Prof. Dr. Liang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Interests: optical properties of 2D materials; 2D materials for optoelectronic (especially in-plane anisotropic 2D materials for polarization-sensitive photodetection and mid-infrared photodetectors

Dr. Wei Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: CVD growth of 2D materials for electronic devices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite submissionts to a Special Issue of the open access journal Sustainability in the area of advanced semiconductor materials. With the development of the Internet of Things and electronic products, the number of sensors is growing explosively. At the same time, solving the energy problem caused by the growth of the number of these sensors has become one of the keys to sustainable development. In recent years, the development of advanced semiconductor materials is expected to solve related problems. For example, the development of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials promotes the development of high-performance devices with low power consumption. On the other hand, since the semiconductor ZnO nanowires-based piezoelectric nanogenerator was proposed in 2006, the piezoelectric energy harvesting technologies have attracted remarkable attention due to their ability to directly convert small-scale mechanical vibrations into electricity. Then the development of the triboelectric nanogenerator and self-powered system is expected to become an effective means to solve the problem of power supplies in the Internet of Things. At the same time, semiconductor materials are also widely used in the field of new energy, such as photocatalysis, fuel cells and other fields.

This Special Issue is focused on semiconductor materials for energy, electronics and sensors. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

Preparation of semiconductor materials and device construction
Two-dimensional semiconductor materials
Triboelectric nanogenerators
Piezoelectric nanogenerators
Self-powered system
Solar cells and thermoelectric devices, etc.
Energy storage
Photocatalytic activity

Prof. Dr. Qitao Zhou
Prof. Dr. Liang Li
Dr. Wei Han
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

2D materials
transistors
photodetectors
triboelectric nanogenerators
piezoelectric nanogenerators
photocatalysis
self-powered system
energy conversion

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2526 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanogenerator-Based Wireless Intelligent Motion Correction System for Storing Mechanical Energy of Human Motion

by Yupeng Mao, Fengxin Sun, Yongsheng Zhu, Changjun Jia, Tianming Zhao, Chaorui Huang, Caixia Li, Ning Ba, Tongtong Che and Song Chen

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6944; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14116944 - 06 Jun 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2032

Abstract

As it is urgently needed to address the energy consumption and health care problems caused by population growth, the field of sustainable energy collection and storage equipment as well as intelligent health care for monitoring human motion behavior has received wide attention and achieved rapid development. However, the portable intelligent systems that integrate them have not been widely discussed. In this work, we propose a design of a nanogenerator-based wireless intelligent motion correction system, combining triboelectric nanogenerator technology with wireless intelligent host computer signal processing and visualization systems. Under the condition of no external power supply, a noninvasive triboelectric nanogenerator (FL-TENG) sensor integrated system stores the mechanical energy due to human movement behavior and drives wireless micro-electronic devices to realize the human–computer interaction application of the intelligent system. In the conducted test, the reported instantaneous output of an ordinary clap action was around 241V. For a variety of physical exercise types being monitored, it can accurately determine human movement behavior and perform error correction and scoring for movement techniques. Additionally, using hydrogel as an electrode improves the service life and stability of the device. Therefore, this flexible and convenient design concept is beneficial to the development and utilization of sustainable energy and sports activities. In addition, it extends the application prospects of FL-TENG in self-powered sensing systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Materials for Energy, Electronics and Sensors)

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9 pages, 2302 KiB

Open AccessArticle

AAO Template-Assisted Fabrication of Ordered Ag Nanoparticles-Decorated Au Nanotubes Array for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection

by Kexi Sun, Quan Deng and Haibin Tang

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1305; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14031305 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3021

Abstract

Highly sensitive and reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates are the main challenge for practical applications. In this work, an ordered and hierarchical Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs)-decorated Au nanotubes (Au-NTs) array was achieved based on a funnel-shaped pore anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template-assisted strategy. First, funnel-pore-AAO templates were fabricated by further oxidation of conical-pore-AAO templates achieved by multistep anodization and etching. Then physical sputtering was used to assemble the Au-NTs and Ag-NPs using the as-prepared funnel-pore-AAO as sacrificial templates. SEM revealed abundant sub-10 nm neighboring gaps and sub-10 nm nanocavities at the bottom of the nanotubes because of the special shape of the AAO template, which resulted in abundant strong “hot spots” contributing to the sensitive SERS detection. The resultant hierarchical substrates manifested a SERS enhancement factor of 1.8 × 10⁷ and reproducible response to 10⁻¹¹ M rhodamine 6G and 10⁻⁸ M methyl parathion, showing potential in SERS-based rapid detection of trace pollutants in the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Materials for Energy, Electronics and Sensors)

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Graphical abstract

11 pages, 2466 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication of Au-Nanoparticle-Decorated Cu Mesh/Cu(OH)₂@HKUST-1 Nanorod Arrays and Their Applications in Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

by Xiaoqiao Huang, Li Cai, Tingting Fan, Kexi Sun, Le Yao, Lijun Zhang and Zhongbo Li

Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 228; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14010228 - 27 Dec 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3128

Abstract

Here we report a simple fabrication method for large-scale hybrid surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active substrates composed of Au-nanoparticle-decorated three-dimensional (3D) Cu(OH)₂@HKUST-1 (Cu₃(btc)₂, H₃btc = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid) nanorod arrays on a woven Cu mesh (Cu mesh/Cu(OH)₂@HKUST-1@Au). Cu(OH)₂ nanorods were first obtained from a simple in situ chemical engraving Cu mesh and then utilized as self-sacrificing templates to achieve HKUST-1 nanocube-assembled nanorods; finally, Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) were sputtered onto the Cu(OH)₂@HKUST-1 nanorods. Due to the large surface area, the three-dimensional Cu mesh/Cu(OH)₂@HKUST-1 nanorods could load high-density Au NPs and capture target detection molecules, which is beneficial to the formation of a strong electromagnetic field coupling between Au NPs, and provides abundant “hot spots” for a sensitive and uniform SERS effect. Using the Cu mesh/Cu(OH)₂@HKUST-1@Au nanorod arrays as the SERS substrate, 10⁻⁹ M Rhodamine 6G and 10⁻⁸ M 4-aminothiophenolcan were identified. To verify their practical application, the fabricated arrays were employed as SERS substrates for the detection of thiram, and 10⁻⁸ M thiram could be recognized. The hybrid SERS substrates show potential applications in the field of environmental pollutant detection and this is of great significance to the sustainable development of the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Materials for Energy, Electronics and Sensors)

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7 pages, 2439 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Powered Photodetector Based on Two-Dimensional InS_0.3Se_0.7/WS₂ Heterostructure

by Kaiting Zhang, Jie Chang, Chaoyang Tan and Hui Han

Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6883; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13126883 - 18 Jun 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1959

Abstract

Photodetectors based on two-dimensional (2D) materials have great potential applications in the field of new energy, such as fuel cells, solar cells, and other fields. Van der Waals (vdW) heterojunction photodiodes are expected to be one of the promising applications of two-dimensional materials due to the photoelectric properties without consideration of lattice mismatch. High-efficiency photoelectric sensors based on two-dimensional materials have great significance to reducing the energy consumption of devices. Here, we build a complex vdW heterostructure by combining InS_0.3Se_0.7 with another suitable 2D material WS₂. Few-layer graphite was used as electrodes to enhance the optoelectronic performance of indium monochalcogenides. Evident photocurrent is observed in the InS_0.3Se_0.7/WS₂ vdW heterostructure device arising from the formed p–n junction at the interface. The uniformity and photoresponse of the InS_0.3Se_0.7/WS₂ vdW heterostructure has been further investigated by the photocurrent mapping. It shows that the entire photovoltaic current was originated from the InS_0.3Se_0.7/WS₂ vdW heterojunction by scanning photocurrent microscope images. Furthermore, the response speed is enhanced at small bias voltage. The transient photoresponse can be well reproduced in almost 100 cycles, indicating the good repeatable optoelectronic performance. Our study indicates that the as-prepared InS_0.3Se_0.7/WS₂ vdW heterostructures are attractive building blocks for photodetectors application. Our findings will open up a new way to further develop high-performance, low-power, and energy-efficient photodetectors based on indium monochalcogenides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Materials for Energy, Electronics and Sensors)

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10 pages, 7016 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In-Plane Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity of Low-Symmetry PdSe₂

by Lijie Chen, Weitao Zhang, Hanlin Zhang, Jiawang Chen, Chaoyang Tan, Shiqi Yin, Gang Li, Yu Zhang, Penglai Gong and Liang Li

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4155; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084155 - 08 Apr 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3120

Abstract

Low-symmetry two-dimensional (2D) materials have exhibited novel anisotropic properties in optics, electronics, and mechanics. Such characteristics have opened up new avenues for fundamental research on nano-electronic devices. In-plane thermal conductivity plays a pivotal role in the electronic performance of devices. This article reports a systematic study of the in-plane anisotropic thermal conductivity of PdSe₂ with a pentagonal, low-symmetry structure. An in-plane anisotropic ratio up to 1.42 was observed by the micro-Raman thermometry method. In the Raman scattering spectrum, we extracted a frequency shift from the

A_{g}^{3}

mode with the most sensitivity to temperature. The anisotropic thermal conductivity was deduced by analyzing the heat diffusion equations of suspended PdSe₂ films. With the increase in thickness, the anisotropy ratio decreased gradually because the thermal conductivity in the x-direction increased faster than in the y-direction. The anisotropic thermal conductivity provides thermal management strategies for the next generation of nano-electronic devices based on PdSe₂. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Materials for Energy, Electronics and Sensors)

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Review

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12 pages, 5587 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Developments on Rare-Earth Hexaboride Nanowires

by Zhen Wang and Wei Han

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13970; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413970 - 17 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2005

Abstract

With the rise of topological insulator samarium hexaboride (SmB₆), rare-earth hexaboride (RB₆) nanowires are the focus of the second wave of a research boom. Recent research has focused on new preparation methods, novel electronic properties, and extensive applications. Here, we review the recent developments in RB₆ nanowires in the past five years. Two main synthesis methods (chemical vapor deposition and high-pressure solid-state) of RB₆ nanowires are introduced and compared. Moreover, their electronic transport, magnetic properties, and superconducting properties are revealed. Furthermore, the applications of RB₆ nanowires are presented, including as field emitters, photodetectors, and in energy storage. Finally, we detail further research directions for RB₆ nanowires. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Materials for Energy, Electronics and Sensors)

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