Large-area MoS(2) atomic layers are synthesized on SiO(2) substrates by chemical vapor deposition using MoO(3) and S powders as the reactants. Optical, microscopic and electrical measurements suggest that the synthetic process leads to the growth of MoS(2) monolayer. The TEM images verify that the synthesized MoS(2) sheets are highly crystalline.

Highly crystalline and large-area MoS 2 thin layers with good electrical performance can be obtained by the post-annealing of a thermally decomposed ammonium thiomolybdate layer in the presence of sulfur.

CuOx nanowires were synthesized by a low-cost and large-scale electrochemical process with AAO membranes at room temperature and its resistive switching has been demonstrated. The switching characteristic exhibits forming-free and low electric-field switching operation due to coexistence of significant amount of defects and Cu nanocrystals in the partially oxidized nanowires. The detailed resistive switching characteristics of CuOx nanowire systems have been investigated and possible switching mechanisms are systematically proposed based on the microstructural and chemical analysis via transmission electron microscopy.

Functional 1D metal oxides have attracted much attention because of their unique applications in electronic, optoelectronic, and spintronic devices.[1] For semiconducting oxide nanowires (NWs) (e.g., ZnO, In 2 O 3 , and SnO 2 NWs), field-effect transistors and light-emitting diodes have been demonstrated. [2] Metallic oxide nanoscale materials, such as nanoscale RuO 2 , can be good candidates as interconnects in electronic applications.[3] RuO 2 nanomaterials have been produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and through chemical reaction. [3b,4] Recently, RuO 2 NWs have been synthesized using pure Ru as metal target under different flux ratios of O 2 /Ar in a reactive sputtering system.[5]For core/shell structures, extensive research has been carried out on systems such as Ge/Si, [6] GaN/AlN/AlGaN, [7] Ta 2 O 5 /SiO 2 , [8] and Fe 3 O 4 /MgO. [9] The Ge/Si core/shell NW, for example, is a high-performance field-effect transistor because of the reduced carrier scattering. GaN/AlN/AlGaN core/shell NWs exhibit a high electron mobility. For the SiO 2 / Ta 2 O 5 core/shell structure, the axial confinement of light propagation can effectively reduce the energy loss owing to the difference in refractive index between Ta 2 O 5 and SiO 2 . Following the successful synthesis of a RuO 2 /TiO 2 core/ shell structure by reactive sputtering, [10] we mainly focus on the investigation of the physical properties of the RuO 2 NWs in the present study. The detailed epitaxial relationship and electronic structures of the RuO 2 /TiO 2 core/shell structure synthesized by reactive sputtering are investigated. The mechanical, optical, and electrical properties and photocatalyst response to UV irradiation are characterized. Our results suggest the potential application of the NWs as interconnects and optoelectronic devices. Figure 1a shows a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of RuO 2 NWs synthesized by the reactive sputtering approach at a synthesis temperature of 450°C for 3 h, and indicates a high density of uniform RuO 2 NWs more than several micrometers long. In addition, most of the RuO 2 NWs have a square cross section, as shown in the inset of Figure 1a. The corresponding X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum, shown in Figure 1b, confirms that the phase of the NWs is rutile-structured RuO 2 with lattice-constant values of a = 0.45 nm and c = 0.31 nm. After deposition of a thin TiO 2 layer via reactive sputtering deposition, the morphology of these NWs remains unchanged, but the sizes increase, as shown in Figure 1c. The corresponding XRD spectrum of the NWs is shown in Figure

We demonstrate a new and simple process to fabricate tungsten tips with good control of the tip profile. In this process, we use a commercial function generator without any electronic cutoff circuit or complex mechanical setup. The tip length can be varied from 160 μm to 10 mm, corresponding to an aspect ratio of 1.6-100. The radius of curvature of the tip apex can be controlled to a size <10 nm. Surface roughness and the taper angle can be controlled independently. Through control of the etching parameters, the tip length, the radius of curvature, surface roughness, and the taper angle can be controlled to suit different requirements of various applications. The possible etching mechanisms are also discussed.