We present a new approach for real-time monitoring of PCR amplification of a specific sequence from the human c-MYC proto-oncogene using a Ta 2O 5 electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensor. The response of the fabricated EIS sensor to cycle DNA amplification was evaluated and compared to standard SYBR-green fluorescence incorporation, showing it was possible to detect DNA concentration variations with 30mV/μM sensitivity. The sensor's response was then optimized to follow in real-time the PCR amplification of c-MYC sequence from a genomic DNA sample attaining an amplification profile comparable to that of a standard real-time PCR. Owing to the small size, ease of fabrication and low-cost, the developed Ta 2O 5 sensor may be incorporated onto a microfluidic device and then used for real-time PCR. Our approach may circumvent the practical and economical obstacles posed by current platforms that require an external fluorescence detector difficult to miniaturize and incorporate into a lab-on-chip system. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Transition wavelengths and probabilities for several 2 p 4 3 p -2 p 4 3 s and 2 p 4 3 d -2 p 4 3 p lines in fluorine-like neon ion (NeII) have been calculated within the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) method with quantum electrodynamics (QED) corrections. The results are compared with all existing experimental and theoretical data.

Transition wavelengths and probabilities for several 2 p 4 3 p -2 p 4 3 s and 2 p 4 3 d -2 p 4 3 p lines in fluorine-like neon ion (NeII) have been calculated within the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) method with quantum electrodynamics (QED) corrections. The results are compared with all existing experimental and theoretical data.

Doped zinc oxide with aluminium are attractive alternative material as transparent conducting electrode because they are nontoxic and inexpensive compared with indium tin oxide (ITO) for diffrent applications: solar cells, tft. Transparent aluminumdoped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature and 100W from ceramic target ZnO-Al2O3 (98:2 weight percent). The structural, electrical and optical properties of these films were characterized as a function of deposition pressure. AZO films with low resistivity 2.02×10-3 Ωcm and high transmittance (over 80% in vizible range) were thus prepared with a deposition pressure of 3 mTorr.

In this work we present a study aiming to determine the role of Ga2O3-In2O3-ZnO (GIZO) channel layer composition on the electrical performance and stability exhibited by thin-film transistors (TFTs). The GIZO films were obtained by magnetron sputtering using ceramic targets of different compositions (Ga:In:Zn = 2:2:1, 2:2:2, 2:4:1 and 2:4:2 at.). Structural analysis corroborates the fully amorphous character of the GIZO deposited layers. For the target compositional range used we observe a Zn deficiency on the produced films, which affects the In/Ga atomic concentration ratios. Resistivity and mobility are found to show a general trend against the measured In/Ga ratio that reveals the role played by In and Ga cations on the transport mechanisms. Targets with increased In concentrations (2:4:1 and 2:4:2) allow to obtain the best TFT performances with field effect mobilities reaching values of 53.0 and 51.7cm2 V-1 s-1, respectively. In addition, the In-richer GIZO compositions result in considerably more stable TFTs, especially under positive gate bias stress conditions. Finally, it is verified that by using a target with a slightly lower In atomic composition (2:4:2 in comparison to 2:4:1), good stability and mobility can be achieved with potentially lower material costs.© 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The core of this paper concerns the use of an amorphous transparent conductive oxide (a-TCO), whose performance is on par with the classical indium tin oxide (ITO) films as a transparent contact in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The main advantage of indium zinc oxide (IZO) films relies on their amorphous structure and high mobility that turns them likely to be used with high conductivity and high transmittance even at the infrared region. The mobility of IZO films (47.8 cm2 · V-1 · s-1) surpasses the one exhibited by ITO films (26.4 cm2 · V-1 · s-1), which along with its smoother surface and better current distribution plays an important role on OLEDs performance. Besides their similar turn-on voltage, the devices using IZO anodes exhibit higher power efficiency than the ITO ones, which is 66, 18, and 62% for orange, green, and blue OLEDs, respectively. These results suggest that IZO can potentially be applied as an anode in full color displays based on OLEDs. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanostructured silicon single junction thin film solar cells were deposited on commercial red clay roof tiles with engobe surfaces and earthenware wall tiles with glazed surfaces, with a test area of 24 mm 2. We studied the influence of the type of substrate tile, back contact, buffer layer and SiO x passivation layer on the optoelectronic performance of the solar cells. Despite the fact that typical micrometre-sized defects on the surfaces of the tiles and the porous nature of the ceramic substrates make deposition of homogeneous thin films on them quite challenging, we have been able to achieve a cell efficiency of 5% and a quantum efficiency of 80% on non-fully optimized cells on commercial tiles. The method is industrially employable utilizing pre-existing plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition technologies. The cost-effectiveness and industrial feasibility of the technique are discussed. Our study shows that photovoltaic tiles can combine energy generation with architectural aesthetics leading to significant implications for advancement in building integrated photovoltaics. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

A commercial sheet of paper based on natural cellulose fibers acting as permeable membrane with thin film metal cathode (Cu) and anode (Al) layers in each face was used to produce paper batteries that could be interconnected in series and rechargeable using water as electrolyte. Their electrical characteristics and the set of electrochemical reactions that support the experimental behavior observed are described in this paper. A series of integrated batteries able to supply a voltage of about 3 V and a current ranging from 0.7 μA to 25 μA in cells with sizes of 1.2 cm × 3.0 cm for a relative humidity in the range of 50-65% were produced in a single sheet of paper, and successfully applied to control the ON/OFF gate state of paper transistors. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.