How high is a MoSe2 monolayer?

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted significant attention for optoelectronic, photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical applications. The properties of TMDCs are highly dependent on the number of stacked atomic layers, which is usually counted post-fabrication, using a combination of optical methods and atomic force microscopy height measurements. Here, we use photoluminescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and three different AFM methods to demonstrate significant discrepancies in height measurements of exfoliated MoSe2 flakes on SiO2 depending on the method used. We also highlight the often overlooked effect that electrostatic forces can be misleading when measuring the height of a MoSe2 flake using AFM.

Dependence of field-effect biosensor sensitivity on photo-induced processes in Si and its conductivity type

The effect of photoelectron processes in n-Si and p-Si on the glucose sensitivity of a capacitive field-effect biosensor based on electrolyte/oxide/semiconductor structure was investigated. We obtained that illumination of n-Si/SiO2/PEI structure during the GOx adsorption increases the glucose sensitivity by three times compare to GOx adsorption in the dark. In contrast, p-Si illumination during the GOx adsorption led to a decrease in sensor sensitivity from 2.9 mV/mM to 2.2 mV/mM. The result is explained by a change in the density of immobilized GOx molecules due to a change in the electrostatic forces of attraction under illumination and stabilization of the photo-generated charge on the surface electronic states of the Si/SiO2 and SiO2/PEI interfaces after illumination.

Drop race: How electrostatic forces influence drop motion

Water drops sliding down inclined planes are an everyday phenomenon and are important in many technical applications. Previous understanding is that the motion is mainly dictated by viscous and capillary forces. Here we demonstrate that, in addition to these forces, drops on hydrophobic surfaces are affected by self-generated electrostatic forces. In a novel approach to determine forces on moving drops we imaged their trajectory when sliding down a tilted surface and apply the equation of motion. We found that drop motion on low-permittivity substrates is significantly influenced by electrostatic forces. Sliding drops deposit a negative charge on the surface, which interact with the positively charged drops. We derive an analytical model to describe the force and validate it by numerical computations. The results indicate how to describe and facilitate drop motion in applications, such as in microfluidics, water management on car surfaces, and the creation of sliding drop electrical generators.