ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by microemulsion route in W/S ratio of 5 at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveals wurtzite structure of ZnO nanoparticles. Rod shape of ZnO nanoparticles of average particle size 10.0 to 12.0 nm were observed by transmission electron microscopy. FT-IR spectra confirmed the adsorption of surfactant molecules at the surface of ZnO nanoparticles and presence of Zn-O bonding. Thermal studies were carried out by the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) techniques. In addition, UV-Visible spectra were employed to estimate the band gap energy of ZnO nanoparticles.

Many-body states like excitons, biexcitons, and trions play an important role in optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications in 2D materials. Herein, we studied carrier dynamics of excitons and trions in monolayer MoS2 deposited on a SiO2/Si substrate, before and after Au NP deposition, using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Luminescence measurements confirm the presence of both an exciton and trion in MoS2, which are drastically quenched after deposition of Au NPs, indicating electron transfer from photoexcited MoS2 to Au. Ultrafast study reveals that photogenerated free carriers form excitons with a time scale of ∼500 fs and eventually turn into trions within ∼1.2 ps. Dissociation of excitons and trions has been observed in the presence of Au, with time scales of ∼600 fs and ∼3.7 ps, respectively. Understanding the formation and dissociation dynamics of the exciton and trion in monolayer MoS2 is going to help immensely to design and develop many new 2D devices.

Hotspot engineering has the potential to transform the field of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) by enabling ultrasensitive and reproducible detection of analytes. However, the ability to controllably generate SERS hotspots, with desired location and geometry, over large-area substrates, has remained elusive. In this study, we sculpt artificial edges in monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) by low-power focused laser-cutting. We find that when gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are deposited on MoS2 by drop-casting, the AuNPs tend to accumulate predominantly along the artificial edges. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate strong binding of AuNPs with the artificial edges due to dangling bonds that are ubiquitous on the unpassivated (laser-cut) edges. The dense accumulation of AuNPs along the artificial edges intensifies plasmonic effects in these regions, creating hotspots exclusively along the artificial edges. DFT further indicates that adsorption of AuNPs along the artificial edges prompts a transition from semiconducting to metallic behavior, which can further intensify the plasmonic effect along the artificial edges. These effects are observed exclusively for the sculpted (i.e., cut) edges and not observed for the MoS2 surface (away from the cut edges) or along the natural (passivated) edges of the MoS2 sheet. To demonstrate the practical utility of this concept, we use our substrate to detect Rhodamine B (RhB) with a large SERS enhancement (∼104) at the hotspots for RhB concentrations as low as ∼10–10 M. The single-step laser-etching process reported here can be used to controllably generate arrays of SERS hotspots. As such, this concept offers several advantages over previously reported SERS substrates that rely on electrochemical deposition, e-beam lithography, nanoimprinting, or photolithography. Whereas we have focused our study on MoS2, this concept could, in principle, be extended to a variety of 2D material platforms.

The century-old controversy over two contradicting theories on radiation pressure of light proposed by Abraham and Minkowski can come to an end if there is a direct method to measure the surface deformation of the target material due to momentum transfer of photons. Here we have investigated the effect of radiation pressure on the surface morphology of Graphene Oxide (GO) film, experienced due to low power focused laser irradiation. In-depth investigation has been carried out to probe the bending of the GO surface due to radiation pressure by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and subsequently the uniaxial strain induced on the GO film has been probed by Raman Spectroscopy. Our results show GO film experience an inward pressure due to laser radiation resulting in inward bending of the surface, which is consistent with the Abraham theory. The bending diameter and depth of the irradiated spot show linear dependence with the laser power while an abrupt change in depth and diameter of the irradiated spot is observed at the breaking point. Such abrupt change in depth is attributed to the thinning of the GO film by laser irradiation.

ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by microemulsion route in W/S ratio of 5 at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveals wurtzite structure of ZnO nanoparticles. Rod shape of ZnO nanoparticles of average particle size 10.0 to 12.0 nm were observed by transmission electron microscopy. FT-IR spectra confirmed the adsorption of surfactant molecules at the surface of ZnO nanoparticles and presence of Zn-O bonding. Thermal studies were carried out by the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) techniques. In addition, UV-Visible spectra were employed to estimate the band gap energy of ZnO nanoparticles.

Nanostructured BP flake shows inherent capability of SERS response and can be considered as a replacement of metal nanoparticle based SERS substrate.

This review discusses current development in biosensors for the detection of biological warfare agents (BWAs). BWAs include bacteria, virus and toxins that are added deliberately into air water and food to spread terrorism and cause disease or death. The rapid and unambiguous detection and identification of BWAs with early warning signals for detecting possible biological attack is a major challenge for government agencies particularly military and health. The detection devices--biosensors--can be classified (according to their physicochemical transducers) into four types: electrochemical, nucleic acid, optical and piezoelectric. Advantages and limitations of biosensors are discussed in this review followed by an assessment of the current state of development of different types of biosensors. The research and development in biosensors for biological warfare agent detection is of great interest for the public as well as for governments.

MoS2 nanostructures, i.e., nanoribbons, nano-mesh, etc., may open different prospect of applications in nano-electronic and opto-electronic devices and sensors. However, the fabrication of these complicated nanostructures can be executed by using standard nano-patterning techniques such as lithography, printing, etc. Nevertheless, these standard techniques involve affluent multistep processes to optimize scalability, form factors and accuracy in the feature size. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of unique nano-structures on MoS2, such as nano-ribbons and nano-mesh, by a simple one-step process of direct laser writing using 532 nm low power focused laser. The minimum power required to etch a MoS2 layer for a 532 nm laser is found to be ∼6.95 mW and the minimum void size observed is ∼300 nm, which is very close to the diffraction limit of the laser used. Both the experimental and computational results have shown that the voids induced by laser etching always take a hexagonal or triangular shape, which can be used to define crystal orientation of the MoS2 flake. Investigation shows that the periphery of hexagonal voids lies on S atoms, whereas for triangular voids, it lies on Mo atoms of the MoS2 crystal. In-depth AFM and Raman analysis show that the etching rate is tunable by controlling the laser power and the exposure time.