Staff directory
Jinhai Liu
Visiting Doctoral Student
Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
jinhai.liu(ELIMINAR)@icn2.cat
Advanced Electron Nanoscopy
Publications
2016
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Film Quality and Electronic Properties of a Surface-Anchored Metal-Organic Framework Revealed by using a Multi-technique Approach
Liu J., Paradinas M., Heinke L., Buck M., Ocal C., Mugnaini V., Wöll C. ChemElectroChem; 3 (5): 713 - 718. 2016. 10.1002/celc.201500486. IF: 3.506
The virtually unlimited versatility and unparalleled level of control in the design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has recently been shown to also entail a potential for applications based on the electrical and electronic properties of this rich class of materials. At present, methods to provide reliable and reproducible contacts to MOF materials are scarce; therefore, we have carried out a detailed, multi-technique investigation of an empty and loaded prototype MOF, HKUST-1. Epitaxial thin films of this material grown on a substrate by using liquid-phase epitaxy have been studied by cyclic voltammetry, atomic force microscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance and their quality assessed. By using an ionic liquid as the electrolyte, it is shown that redox-active molecules like ferrocene can be embedded in the pores, enabling a change in the overall conductivity of the framework and the study of the redox chemistry of guest molecules inside the MOF. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
2015
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Cu
2 ZnSnS4 -Ag2 S Nanoscale p-n Heterostructures as Sensitizers for Photoelectrochemical Water SplittingYu X., Liu J., Genç A., Ibáñez M., Luo Z., Shavel A., Arbiol J., Zhang G., Zhang Y., Cabot A. Langmuir; 31 (38): 10555 - 10561. 2015. 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b02490. IF: 4.457
A cation exchange-based route was used to produce Cu
2 ZnSnS4 (CZTS)-Ag2 S nanoparticles with controlled composition. We report a detailed study of the formation of such CZTS-Ag2 S nanoheterostructures and of their photocatalytic properties. When compared to pure CZTS, the use of nanoscale p-n heterostructures as light absorbers for photocatalytic water splitting provides superior photocurrents. We associate this experimental fact to a higher separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. We believe this and other type-II nanoheterostructures will open the door to the use of CZTS, with excellent light absorption properties and made of abundant and environmental friendly elements, to the field of photocatalysis. © 2015 American Chemical Society.
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Giant reversible nanoscale piezoresistance at room temperature in Sr2IrO4 thin films
Domingo N., López-Mir L., Paradinas M., Holy V., Železný J., Yi D., Suresha S.J., Liu J., Rayan Serrao C., Ramesh R., Ocal C., Martí X., Catalan G. Nanoscale; 7 (8): 3453 - 3459. 2015. 10.1039/c4nr06954d. IF: 7.394
Layered iridates have been the subject of intense scrutiny on account of their unusually strong spin-orbit coupling, which opens up a narrow bandgap in a material that would otherwise be a metal. This insulating state is very sensitive to external perturbations. Here, we show that vertical compression at the nanoscale, delivered using the tip of a standard scanning probe microscope, is capable of inducing a five orders of magnitude change in the room temperature resistivity of Sr2IrO4. The extreme sensitivity of the electronic structure to anisotropic deformations opens up a new angle of interest on this material, with the giant and fully reversible perpendicular piezoresistance rendering iridates as promising materials for room temperature piezotronic devices. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.