This letter reports on the implementation of multilayer graphene (MLG) as a current spreading electrode in GaN-based blue light-emitting diodes. We demonstrate two facile strategies to maneuver the electrical coupling between p-GaN layer and MLG. Using a work-function-tuned MLG and a thin gold (Au) metal interlayer, the current spreading and thus the device forward voltage are considerably improved. We attribute these improvements to the diminution in work function difference between p-GaN and MLG, the decrease of specific contact resistance, and the enhancement in the conductivity of MLG film as a result of doping. In addition, rapid thermal annealing at elevated temperature is found to provide additional pathway for enhanced carrier injection.

The various surface texturing effects of InGaN light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been investigated by comparison of experimented data and simulated data. The single-layer and double-layer texturing were performed with the help of ITO nanospheres using wet etching, where the ITO ohmic contact layer and the p-GaN layer are textured using ITO nanospheres as an etch mask. In case of single-layer texturing, p-type GaN layer texturing was more effective than ITO ohmic contact layer texturing. The maximum enhancement of wall-plug efficiency of double-layered textured LEDs is 40% more than conventional LEDs, after packaging at an injected current of 20 mA. The increase of light scattering at the textured GaN surfaces is a major reason for increasing the light extraction efficiency of LEDs.

This Letter reports on the fabrication of hybrid white-light-emitting diodes made of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) integrated on InGaN/GaN LEDs. Using core type and core/shell type CdSe NCs, the white light properties are systematically engineered for white light generation with high color rendering index (CRI). Unlike CdSe/ZnS core/shell NCs, which exhibited a unique narrowband edge emission, core type CdSe NCs offered extended broad emission toward orange/red wavelengths associated with deep trap states. Consequently, the light-emitting properties of the devices showed strong dependence on the type of NCs used, and devices with CdSe NCs offered admirable characteristics, such as Commission Internationale d’Eclairage coordinates of (0.356, 0.330) and a CRI as high as 87.4.

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is widely cultivated and studied for its psychoactive and medicinal properties. As the major cannabinoids are present in acidic forms in Cannabis plants, non-enzymatic processes, such as decarboxylation, are crucial for their conversion to neutral active cannabinoid forms. Herein, we detected the levels of cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabichromene (CBC), and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) in the leaves and vegetative shoots of five commercial Cannabis cultivars using a combination of relatively simple extraction, decarboxylation, and high-performance liquid chromatography analyses. The CBDV, CBC, and Δ9-THC levels were 6.3–114.9, 34.4–187.2, and 57.6–407.4 μg/g, respectively, and the CBD levels were the highest, ranging between 1.2–8.9 μg/g in leaf and vegetative shoot tissues of Cannabis cultivars. Additionally, correlations were observed between cannabinoid accumulation and transcription levels of genes encoding key enzymes for cannabinoid biosynthesis, including CsCBGAS, CsCBDAS, CsCBCAS, and CsTHCAS. These data suggest that the high accumulation of cannabinoids, such as CBC, Δ9-THC, and CBD, might be derived from the transcriptional regulation of CsCBGAS and CsCBDAS in Cannabis plants.

We report on a solution-based method to fabricate a multidimensional heterojunction composed of one-dimensional zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) decorated with zero-dimensional cupric oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). The ZnO NRs were vertically grown on a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) thin film, and the sensing properties of the synthesized heterojunction were investigated under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation at room temperature to assess their practical application. The CuO NPs decorated on the ZnO NRs play an essential role in creating numerous p-n heterojunctions at the interface and remediating oxygen-related defects in the ZnO NRs. Relative to the ZnO NR structures without CuO NPs, the CuO/ZnO multidimensional heterostructures show higher sensitivity and faster response, demonstrating their potential use as UV sensors.