This new nano-diode is not afraid of being flooded

Whether or not scientists are trying to solve the problem of flexibility after implanting sensors in artificial skin, the electronic circuits must all be tested by our sweat, and silicon chips obviously cannot get along well with sweat. . Today, an international research team has developed a logic circuit and sensor that are perfectly suited for water. Even more surprising is that the system does not require the participation of semiconductors at all. The researchers chose to coat organic molecules as "coats" to encapsulate the gold nanoparticles inside. They named this circuit system the "chemoelectronic" circuit.

The team is composed of scientists from the Beijing National Nanoscience Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NuMat Technologies Inc., USA, and UNIST Korea, and publishes an article on chemoelectronic in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

They encapsulated gold nanoparticles with a large number of "ligands" randomly composed of four organic molecules, creating a unique chemoelectronic. Each ligand produces a different charge-related effect in either water or humid environments. For example, when a ligand dissolves, it releases positive ions and leaves behind nanoparticles that enclose negative ions. In contrast, there is also a ligand that causes nanoparticles to wrap positive ions and release negative ions.

The latter combines two types of metal nanoparticles with oppositely charged ligands to create a chemical model that simulates a PN junction.

They are able to polymerize the positively charged nanocomposites to one side and the negatively charged complexes to the other side. The ions will be able to move freely between them. The positive and negative ions will attract each other to the other side and start again and again.

This will lead to uneven distribution of charge in the device, forming the interface voltage. Interfacial voltages, on the other hand, can form a kind of "preference" that deviates from the device - it shifts to the other direction during the transfer of electrons, just like a diode.

"The ligands are surrounded by freely moving counter ions. The key is to make these moving counter ions available in the electric field and use them to establish an ion gradient that eventually causes electrons to flow through the nanoparticles." —Unist Bartosz Grzybowski

This system may become one of the most ideal application technologies in the field of wearable sensors. The change of the rate of change of the polymer electrons in the Chemoelectroinc circuit can be detected directly by the calculation of changes in the chemical level per minute, and these changes require only a small amount of energy can be converted into electronic signals, and the flexibility of the logic operation.

However, the most attractive of this technology is the strong adaptability of the chemoelectronic circuit in a wet and salty environment.

Researchers can create different sensors for measurement of humidity, gases, and metal ions by using four different ligand nanoparticles as the jacket.

In order to make these sensors and circuits widely available, they also need to further increase the conversion rate and durability. At present, dehydration cracking occurs when such a sensor enters a dry environment from a humid environment.

“These circuits are actually very simple. What people need to do is liberate them from water or alcohol. However, if they really want to use it in the real world, they will still need some better inkjet equipment and more specialized electrical engineers. Finished, we're just a group of chemists." - Grzybowski

Despite numerous challenges, this magical circuit still looks like a very promising solution. Not only is its logic circuit capable of being used in a wet environment, it is also a new breakthrough for how to build nano-diodes and transistors.

"Because the counter-ion gradient exists in any single nanoparticle, it is only necessary to form a diode or a transistor based on a single nanoparticle. In addition, since nanoparticles also have the characteristic of photoreaction, we are investigating the light control circuit. The feasibility of joining this system." - Grzybowski