Zinc Oxide Gives Green Shine to New Photoconductors
Northwestern University, News Center
by Megan Fellman
March 19, 2009

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Photodetectors -- devices found in cell phones, digital cameras and other consumer gadgets that utilize photoconducting materials -- are a green technology in performance (converting light into electricity), but the manufacture of very powerful photodetectors needs to be improved before they can qualify for solid green status.

Northwestern University researchers have designed a high-performing photoconducting material that uses zinc oxide -- an environmentally friendly inorganic compound found in baby powder and suntan lotion -- instead of lead sulfide. (Currently, the best performing photoconductor is based on lead sulfide nanoparticles.)

Features of the new hybrid material and its synthesis are detailed in a study published by the journal Nature Materials.

"A Synergistic Assembly of Nanoscale Lamellar Photoconductor Hybrids"

Sofos, M.
Goldberger, J.
Stone, D. A.
Allen, J. E.
Ma, Q.
Herman, D. J.
Tsai, W-W.
Lauhon, L. J.
Stupp, S. I.

Nature Materials 8(1)
(2009) 68-75.

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Samuel I. Stupp
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Director, Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine

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Assistant to Professor Stupp
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Assistant to Professor Stupp
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“Tunable Mechanics of Peptide Nanofiber Gels”
Greenfield, M. A.; Hoffman, J. R.; de la Cruz, M. O.; Stupp, S. I. Langmuir (2009) DOI: 10.1021/la9030969

“Modulation of Prostate Cancer Cell Gene Expression by Cell-to-Cell Contact with Bone Marrow Stromal Cells or Osteoblasts”
Zhang, S.; Wang, J.; Bilen, M. A.; Lin, S-H.; Stupp, S. I.; Satcher, R. L.; Clin. Exp. Metastasis (2009) DOI: 10.1007/s10585-009-9289-0

“Dynamic In Vivo Biocompatibility of Angiogenic Peptide Amphiphile Nanofibers”
Ghanaati, S.; Webber, M. J.; Unger, R. E.; Orth, C.; Hulvat, J.; Kiehna, S. E.; Barbeek, M.; Rasic, A.; Stupp, S. I.; Kirkpatrick, C. J. Biomaterials, 30(31), (2009) 6202-6212.

“Buckled Membranes in Mixed-Valence Ionic Amphiphile Vesicles”
Greenfield, M. A.; Palmer, L. C.; Vernizzi, G.; de la Cruz, M. O.; Stupp, S. I. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 131(34), (2009) 12030-12031.

“Development of Bioactive Peptide Amphiphiles for Therapeutic Cell Delivery”
Webber, M. J.; Tongers, J.; Renault, M-A.; Roncalli, J. G.; Losordo, D. W.; Stupp, S. I. Acta Biomaterialia, (2009) DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2009.07.031

“Light-Triggered Bioactivity in Three Dimensions”
Muraoka, T.; Koh, C-Y.; Cui, H.; Stupp, S. I.; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 48(32), (2009) 5946-5949.

"Assembling P-Type Molecules on Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes for Photovoltaic Devices"
Klare, J. E.; Murray, I. P.; Goldberger, J.; Stupp, S. I.; Chemical Communications 25, (2009) 3705-3707.

"Understanding Factors Affecting Alignment of Self-Assembling Nanofibers Patterned by Sonication-Assisted Solution Embossing"
Hung, A. M.; Stupp, S. I.; Langmuir 25(12), (2009) 7084-7089.

"Self-Assembling Quinquethiophene-Oligopeptide Hydrogelators"
Stone, D. A.; Hsu, L.; Stupp, S. I.; Soft Matter 5, (2009) 1990-1993.

"Extracellular Matrix in Pancreatic Islets: Relevance to Scaffold Design and Transplantation"
Stendahl, J. C.; Kaufman, D. B.; Stupp, S. I.; Cell Transplantation 18(1), (2009) 1-12.

"Enzyme Directed Templating of Artificial Bone Mineral"
Spoerke, E. D.; Anthony, S. G.; Stupp, S. I.; Advanced Materials 21(4), (2009) 425-430.

"A Synergistic Assembly of Nanoscale Lamellar Photoconductor Hybrids"
Sofos, M.; Goldberger, J.; Stone, D. A.; Allen, J. E.; Ma, Q.; Herman, D. J.; Tsai, W-W.; Lauhon, L. J.; Stupp, S. I.; Nature Materials 8(1), (2009) 68-75.

“Micro-Patterning of Bioactive Self-Assembling Gels”
Mata, A.; Hsu, L.; Capito, R.; Aparicio, C.; Henrikson, K.; Stupp, S. I.; Soft Matter 5(6), (2009) 1228-1236.

“Self-Assembly of Giant Peptide Nanobelts”
Cui, H.; Muroaka,T.; Cheetham, A.; Stupp, S. I.; Nanoletters 9(3), (2009) 945-951.