We report the electronic structure and optical properties of the recently synthesized stable two-dimensional carbon allotrope-graphdiyne based on first-principles calculations and experimental optical spectrum. Due to the enhanced Coulomb interaction in reduced dimensionality, the band gap of graphdiyne increases to 1.10 eV within the GW many-body theory from a 0.44 eV within the density functional theory. The optical absorption is dominated by excitonic effects with remarkable electron-hole binding energy of over 0.55 eV within the GW-Bethe Salpeter equation calculation. Experimental optical absorption of graphdiyne films is performed and comparison with the theoretical calculations is analyzed in detail.

Graphdiyne nanotube (GDNT) arrays were prepared through an anodic aluminum oxide template catalyzed by Cu foil. The as-grown nanotubes have a smooth surface with a wall thickness of about 40 nm; after annealing, the GDNTs are about 15 nm. The morphology-dependent field emission properties of graphdiyne arrays were measured and display high performance field emission properties. The turn-on field and threshold field of GDNTs annealed decreased to 4.20 and 8.83 V/μm, respectively.

GDNWs (graphdiyne nanowires) have successfully been constructed which exhibit a very high quality defect-free surface using the VLS growth process. Measurement of electrical properties showed that the GDNWs produced are excellent semiconductors with a conductivity of 1.9 × 10(3) S m(-1) and a mobility of 7.1 × 10(2) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) at room temperature. The results have confirmed that GDNW is indeed a promising and key novel material in electronic and photoelectric fields for both fundamental and potentially practical applications.

The graphdiyne (GD), a carbon allotrope with a 2D structure comprising benzene rings and carbon–carbon triple bonds, can be synthesized through cross-coupling on the surface of copper foil. The key problem is in understanding the dependence of layers number and properties, however, the controlled growth of the layers numbers of GD film have not been demonstrated, its controlled growth into large-area and high ordered films with different numbers of layers is still an important challenge. Here, we show that a new strategy for synthesizing GD films with 2D nanostructures on ZnO nanorod arrays through a combination of reduction and a self-catalyzed vapor–liquid–solid growth process, using GD powder as the vapor source and ZnO nanorod arrays as the substrate. HRTEM shows the distance between pairs of streaks being approximately 0.365 nm by different thicknesses of GD films. The approach enables us to construct large-area ordered semiconductive films with high-quality surfaces showing high conductivity (up to 2800 S cm−1). FETs were fabricated based on the well ordered films; we prepared and measured over 100 devices. Devices incorporating these well-ordered and highly conductive GD films exhibited field-effect mobility as high as 100 cm2 V−1 s−1.

We described a new structure photodetector, which is constructed by p-n heterojunction nanowire arrays of PANI (polyaniline)/CdS. The nanowire arrays exhibit excellent rectifying features and a diode nature and show a sensitive spectral response to blue light under 420 nm. The rectification ratio plots of different illumination intensities show straight line behavior, implying that the quantitative detection of illumination intensity can be achieved. The p-n heterojunction nanowire array is a great candidate for applications in high-sensitivity and high-speed blue light photodetectors.

Large-area and ordered arrays (16 cm(2)) of an inorganic-organic p-n heterojunction nanotree (NT) were successfully fabricated. The nanotree arrays consist of ZnO nanorods (NRs) as backbones and CuTCNQ (TCNQ = 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane) NRs as branches. The sizes of CuTCNQ NRs can be tuned by the thickness of the Cu layer deposited on the surface of ZnO NR. The CuTCNQ/ZnO NT arrays displayed excellent diode nature and obvious size-dependent rectification ratios were observed. Moreover, the CuTCNQ/ZnO NT arrays were first applied for the fabrication of a diode-type humidity sensor, which displayed ultrahigh sensitivity and quick response/recovery properties at room temperature. The detection limitation of this new diode-type humidity sensor lowers to 5% relative humidity (RH).

Tobacco smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the liver and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but the causal agents responsible for these cancers are uncertain. 2-Amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (AαC) is an abundant heterocyclic aromatic amine present in tobacco smoke. AαC is a liver carcinogen and both a transgene mutagen and inducer of aberrant crypt foci in the colon of mice. We hypothesize that AαC may contribute to DNA damage and tumorigenesis in these organs of smokers. The potential of AαC to induce DNA adduct formation in liver, organs of the GI tract, lung, and urinary bladder, which are target organs of cancer in smokers, was examined using the C57BL/6 mouse as an animal model. AαC (400 or 800 ppm) and 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ) (300 ppm), a liver and colon carcinogen in C57BL/6 mice, were given in the diet for up to 12 weeks. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry was employed to measure DNA adducts. The major DNA adducts of both carcinogens were identified as deoxyguanosine-C8 adducts. The levels of formation of AαC- and MeIQ-DNA adducts were similar in liver and extrahepatic tissues when adjusted for dose. The highest levels of adducts occurred in liver, followed by urinary bladder, and then in cecum and colon; lower DNA adduct levels were formed in the lung and pancreas following 12 weeks of feeding. The high levels of AαC adduct formed in liver, GI tract, and bladder of C57BL/6 mice reinforce the notion that AαC may contribute to DNA damage and cancer of these organs in smokers.

Large-area single crystalline CuTCNQ nanotube arrays (ca. 24 cm2) have been fabricated using an in situ organic vapor solid phase reaction by instantaneous heating (TCNQ = 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane). The size of CuTCNQ nanotubes can tuned by controlling the reaction temperature. The facile approach provides an important finding for large-area synthesis of vertically aligned array organic nanotubes on conductive substrate, which is crucial to the direct fabricating of electronic and optoelectronic devices for a wide variety of potential applications. The CuTCNQ nanotube arrays exhibited excellent field emission (FE) properties and size-dependent FE properties were observed. The devices based on these highly ordered CuTCNQ nanotube arrays have been demonstrated and have exhibited excellent electrical switching effects. The maximal ON/OFF ratio of CuTCNQ nanotube arrays is about 1100. The morphology-dependent electrical-switching properties of the CuTCNQ nanotube arrays were investigated. These results suggest that the CuTCNQ nanotube array can be expected to find promising applications as field emitters and nanoelectronic devices.