The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 04, 2012
Filed:
Apr. 29, 2008
Prahalad Parthangal, Galthersburg, MD (US);
Michael R. Zachariah, Potomac, MD (US);
Richard E. Cavicchi, Washington Grove, MD (US);
Prahalad Parthangal, Galthersburg, MD (US);
Michael R. Zachariah, Potomac, MD (US);
Richard E. Cavicchi, Washington Grove, MD (US);
University of Maryland, College Park, MD (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
An in situ approach toward connecting and electrically contacting vertically aligned nanowire arrays using conductive nanoparticles is provided. The utility of the approach is demonstrated by development of a gas sensing device employing the nanowire assembly. Well-aligned, single-crystalline zinc oxide nanowires were grown through a direct thermal evaporation process at 550° C. on gold catalyst layers. Electrical contact to the top of the nanowire array was established by creating a contiguous nanoparticle film through electrostatic attachment of conductive gold nanoparticles exclusively onto the tips of nanowires. A gas sensing device was constructed using such an arrangement and the nanowire assembly was found to be sensitive to both reducing (methanol) and oxidizing (nitrous oxides) gases. This assembly approach is amenable to any nanowire array for which a top contact electrode is needed.