Liquid Phase Chemical Deposition Research Articles

Effective Unidirectional Wetting of Liquids on Multi-Gradient, Bio-Inspired Surfaces Fabricated by 3D Printing and Surface Modification.

The movement of liquid droplets on the energy gradient surface has attracted extensive attention inspired by biological features in nature, such as the periodic spindle-shaped nodes in spider silks and conical-like barbs of cacti, and the structure-property-function relationship of multifunctional gradient surfaces. In this study, a series of specific patterns are fabricated with 3D printing technology, followed by modification via the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment and liquid phase chemical deposition, resulting in enhancing the ability of water droplets of 5 μL to travel 18.47 mm on a horizontal plane and 22.75 mm against gravity at up to a 20° tilting angle. Additionally, analysis techniques have been employed, including a contact angle analyzer, ESCA, and a laser confocal microscope to evaluate the sample performance. This work could further be applied to many applications related to microfluidic devices, drug delivery and water/fog collection.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering in Silver-Coated Suspended-Core Fiber.

In this paper, the silver-coated large-core suspended-core fiber (LSCF) probe was fabricated by the dynamic chemical liquid phase deposition method for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing. The 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA) monolayer was assembled in the LSCF as the recognition monolayer. Taking advantage of the appropriate core size of the LSCF, a custom-made Y-type optical fiber patch cable was utilized to connect the semiconductor laser, Raman spectrometer, and the proposed fiber SERS probe. The SERS signal is propagated in the silver-coated air channels, which can effectively reduce the Raman and fluorescence background of the silica core. Experiments were performed to measure the Raman scattering spectra of the 4-MPBA in the silver-coated LSCF in a non-enhanced and enhanced case. The experiment results showed that the Raman signal strength was enhanced more than 6 times by the surface plasmon resonance compared with the non-enhanced case. The proposed LSCF for SERS sensing technology provides huge research value for the fiber SERS probes in biomedicine and environmental science. The combination of SERS and microstructured optical fibers offers a potential approach for SERS detection.

The Correlation between the Structures of Bimetallic Tartrate Complexes in Solutions for Laser-induced Synthesis and Sensor Characteristics of Microbiosensors Materials

Background: Determination of diagnostically significant components of biological ma-terials using enzyme-free microscopic sensors is an urgent scientific task, which is being worked on by a significant number of scientific groups in the world. This is due to the fact that microscop-ic sensor-active tracks on inert surfaces can be obtained without preliminary manufacturing of precision templates. Methods: Laser Induced Chemical Liquid Phase Deposition (LCLD) is a laser technology that al-lows the deposition of microsized conductive tracks from aqueous solutions of transition metal compounds at the focus of a laser beam. These tracks can be formed by one or two metals at the same time. The possibility of obtaining complexes in solution in which two different metals inter-act with one common coordination sphere of the ligand is of particular interest. The structure of such complexes is still insufficiently studied. Results: The present study supplements the missing information on tartaric acid complexes, which can simultaneously coordinate two metals, for example, copper, nickel, silver, iron, and cobalt. Heterophase LCLD demonstrates high sensory activity in the electrochemical oxidation/reduction of glucose and hydrogen peroxide. Bimetallic deposits can be obtained in two ways. The first method consists of successive precipitation from a solution containing an ion of one metal, then another on top of the first. The second way is to create a solution in which two metals and one lig-and are simultaneously present. Laser deposition is carried out in one stage. In practice, the possi-bility of the second method is not always realized. Conclusion: In the present work, the basic principles of the formation of heterophase bimetallic sensor-sensitive porous material with a highly developed surface under the action of laser radia-tion have been analyzed, and new reference data have been accumulated on the structure of tar-trate complexes containing two metals.

Formation of calcium-phosphate-based coatings on titanium by laser-induced deposition in liquid environment

Herein, a laser-induced chemical liquid-phase deposition (LCLD) technology was developed to synthesize a calcium phosphate (CaP)-based coating on Ti. Petal-like deposits were formed directly on the recast layer of Ti in a solution containing Ca and P under laser irradiation. The recast layer, containing elements in the deposit and Ti, acted as an interfacial layer between the coating and substrate. An increase in the laser power density increased the uniformity and size of the deposits. Zn ions can be incorporated into CaP deposits during LCLD, providing antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and improving the corrosion resistance of Ti. Both CaP and Zn-doped CaP coatings exhibited good bioactivity owing to the high surface area of the petal-like deposits.

Inorganic Chemistry in Dalian University of Technology: Fundamental Science and Solution for Renewable Energy, Environment, Health, and Materials

Inorganic Chemistry in Dalian University of Technology: Fundamental Science and Solution for Renewable Energy, Environment, Health, and Materials

Catalytic Performance of Amorphous Ti/SiO2 in the Gas‐Phase Epoxidation of Propylene with H2O2

AbstractThe epoxidation of propylene with dilute H2O2 aqueous solution over titanium silicalite‐1 (TS‐1) zeolite catalyst is a green chemical reaction for propylene oxide (PO) production. Carrying out the reaction in gas‐phase can get rid of problems caused by using methanol solvent. This paper reports an attempt of using non‐zeolite catalyst for the gas‐phase epoxidation. Amorphous Ti/SiO2, obtained by grafting amorphous SiO2 with TCl4 in ethanol solvent in a chemical liquid‐phase deposition (CLD) process, has been used as the catalyst. Results show that the CLD Ti/SiO2 with appropriate Si/Ti molar ratio is an active catalyst for gas‐phase epoxidation, achieving 9.8 % propylene conversion and 66.9 % PO selectivity with 40.3 % H2O2 utilization, which indicates that this amorphous Ti/SiO2 catalyst deserves extensive studies in the future.

One-Stage Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Deposition of Gold Micropatterns on Dielectric Substrate.

In this study, a simple one-stage laser-assisted metallization technique based on laser-induced backside wet etching and laser-induced chemical liquid-phase deposition is proposed. It allows for the fabrication of gold micropatterns inside the laser-written trace on a glass substrate. The reduction and deposition of gold inside and outside the laser-ablated channel were confirmed. The presence of Au nanoparticles on the surface of the laser-written micropattern is revealed by atomic force microscopy. The specific resistivity of the gold trace formed by ultrafast light-assisted metal micropatterning on a dielectric glass substrate is estimated as 0.04 ± 0.02 mΩ·cm. The obtained results empower the method of the selective laser-assisted deposition of metals on dielectrics and are of interest for the development of microelectronic components and catalysts, heaters, and sensors for lab-on-a-chip devices.

Experimental study of the copper-coated hollow fiber surface plasmon resonance sensor

A novel optical fiber surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on the copper-coated hollow fiber structure was proposed. The simple chemical liquid phase deposition method was developed to coat the thin copper film on the inner surface of the hollow fiber to fabricate the proposed sensor. The performance of the hollow fiber SPR sensors with different copper film thickness were investigated experimentally by measuring the transmission spectra of the sensors filled by sensed liquid media with different refractive indices. Theoretical analysis based on the ray transmission model was also carried out for comparison. The experimental and theoretical results agree well with each other. The factors which affect the sensor performance are discussed. The sensor achieves a maximum sensitivity of 7111 nm/RIU, which is relatively high in the copper film based optical fiber SPR sensors and comparable to the silver-coated hollow fiber sensors. Moreover, the fabrication process of the proposed sensor is much simpler than other copper based optical fiber SPR sensors, which make it more practical. The copper film deposition method presented in this paper is also applicable to the fabrication of some microstructured optical fiber or photonic crystal fiber based sensors with copper film.

Laser-Induced Chemical Liquid-Phase Deposition Plasmonic Gold Nanoparticles on Porous TiO2 Film with Great Photoelectrochemical Performance

This paper considers the photoelectrochemical characteristics of a composite porous TiO2 thin film with deposited plasmonic gold nanoparticles. The deposition of gold nanoparticles was carried out by the laser-induced chemical liquid-phase deposition (LCLD) method. The structural characteristics of the composite have been studied; it has been shown that the porous TiO2 film has a lattice related to the tetragonal system and is in the anatase phase. Gold nanoparticles form on the surface of a porous TiO2 film. A complex of photoelectrochemical measurements was carried out. It was shown that the deposition of plasmonic gold nanoparticles led to a significant increase in the photocurrent density by ~820%. The proposed concept is aimed at testing the method of forming a uniform layer of plasmonic gold nanoparticles on a porous TiO2 film, studying their photocatalytic properties for further scaling, and obtaining large area Au/TiO2/FTO photoelectrodes, including in the roll-to-roll process.

Structure of bimetallic tartrate complexes for the rapid formation of new non-enzymatic bimetallic sensors of glucose and hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solutions using laser synthesis

The use of laser methods for synthesizing new materials for non-enzymatic electrochemical microsensors for express analysis of biological fluids is a promising scientific question.Laser-induced chemical liquid phase deposition is the laser deposition of invisible miniature bimetallic deposits from aqueous solutions of salts and complexes of transition metals. Bimetallic complexes containing two transition metal cations in the shell of one ligand are of increased interest. There is an information gap in this area even for ligands such as tartrate. The studies carried out make it possible to obtain new information on the structure of bimetallic tartaric complexes in solutions containing simultaneously copper, nickel, silver, iron, and cobalt.

Fast Fabrication of Conductive Copper Structure on Glass Material Using Laser-Induced Chemical Liquid Phase Deposition

Glass is a very stable material at room temperature and has good resistance to gas, bacteria, and organisms. Due to the development of the electronic industry, the industrial demand for creating a conductive pattern on glass is increasing rapidly. To create conductive circuit patterns on the glass surface, non-contact methods based on high energy sources or chemical methods are generally used. However, these methods have disadvantages such as low conductivity, high cost, and size limitations. Processes such as LCLD (laser-induced chemical liquid phase deposition) have been widely studied to solve this problem. However, it has a fatal disadvantage of being slow. Therefore, in this study, various process changes were attempted to improve productivity and conductivity. In particular, sufficient thermal energy was supplied with high laser power for a stable chemical reduction, and the scanning path was changed in various shapes to minimize the ablation that occurs at this time. Through this, it was possible to disperse the overlapped laser energy of high power to widen the activation area of the reduction reaction. With this proposed LCLD process, it is possible to achieve good productivity and fabricate conductive circuit patterns faster than in previous studies.

Fiber polarizer based on selectively silver-coated large-core suspended-core fiber.

A tunable fiber polarizer based on the selectively silver-coated large-core suspended-core fiber (LSCF) was proposed. A thin silver layer was coated on the inner surface of two opposite air holes of the LSCF by the chemical liquid-phase deposition method. The $y$-polarized light (parallel to the two silver-coated air holes) will excite surface plasmon resonance and experience large transmission loss, while the $x$-polarized light does not, resulting in a fiber polarizer. By varying the liquid filled in the microchannels of the LSCF, the operating wavelength can be tuned in the visible and near infrared region along with the surface plasmon resonance wavelength. The dependence of the polarization characteristics on the fiber length was experimentally investigated. The maximum polarization extinction ratio (PER) of 20.1 dB, 19.6 dB, and 18.3 dB and insertion loss (IL) of 2.24 dB, 2.56 dB, and 2.08 dB are achieved with the optimal fiber length of 16 cm at the operating wavelengths of 565.4 nm, 626.7 nm, and 739.7 nm, respectively. Compared with the multimode fiber-based polarizers reported previously, the proposed selectively silver-coated LSCF polarizer exhibits higher PER and lower IL.

The recycling of expired aminocaproic acid injection for mint-leaf-like zinc aminocaproate

In this work, a zinc (Zn) aminocaproate complex was extracted from expired aminocaproic acid injection by way of one-step facile chemical liquid-phase deposition for the first time, and the morphology, microstructure and electrochemical lithium (Li)-storage performances were also investigated. The results showed that the obtained zinc aminocaproate complex displayed a uniform mint-leaf-like flower morphology with a particle size of 300–500 nm. The reversible discharge specific capacities were 379.1 mAh/g at 100 mA/g and 100.6 mAh/g at 2000 mA/g, indicating high electrochemical lithium-storage performances. Conversion reaction and alloying/dealloying were confirmed to take part in the electrochemical lithium-storage mechanism. Seemingly, orderly hierarchical mint-leaf-like morphology may play an important role in improving the electrochemical lithium-storage capacity of the zinc aminocaproate complex anode. The satisfactory results may open a new path to develop the circular economy of expired waste aminocaproic acid injection which is very important for the environmental protection and sustainable development.

Deposition of Durable Micro Copper Patterns into Glass by Combining Laser-Induced Backside Wet Etching and Laser-Induced Chemical Liquid Phase Deposition Methods.

Glass is a well-known non-conductive material that has many useful properties, and considerable research has been conducted into making circuits on glass. Many deposition techniques have been studied, and laser-induced chemical liquid phase deposition (LCLD) is a well-known and cost-effective method for rapid prototyping of copper deposition on glass. However, the deposition results from the LCLD method on the surface of glass, which shows an issue in its detachment from the substrates because of the relatively low adhesion between deposited copper and the nontreated glass surface. This problem undermines the usability of deposited glass in industrial applications. In this study, the laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) method was performed as a preceding process to fabricate microchannels, which were filled with copper by LCLD. Additional durable copper wire was produced as a result of the enhanced adhesion between the glass and the deposited copper. The adhesion was enhanced by a rough surface and metal layer, which are characteristics of LIBWE machining. Furthermore, the proposed method is expected to broaden the use of deposited glass in industrial applications, such as in stacked or covered multilayer structures with built-in copper wires, because the inserted copper can be physically protected by the microstructures.

Application of iron/aluminum bimetallic nanoparticle system for chromium-contaminated groundwater remediation

When the nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) is used for the reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) to trivalent chromium (Cr3+) in groundwater, the reduction efficiency is decreased due to the passivation of reactive sites by precipitation. The bimetallic nanoparticle (BNP) can be created with the addition of the second metal to achieve a higher activity and reduce the occurrence of the ferrous/ferric hydroxide precipitation. In this study, the iron-coated aluminum (Fe/Al) BNP and aluminum-coated iron (Al/Fe) BNP systems were designed for remediating Cr6+-contaminated groundwater. The chemical liquid-phase deposition and co-reduction method was applied to produce BNPs. Cr6+ removal rate by Fe/Al BNPs was directly proportional to the saturation concentration and reactive sites, which caused a higher Cr6+ removal rate. The pseudo-first-order kinetic model could be used to describe the Cr6+ adsorption mechanism by Fe/Al BNPs. Results show that Fe/Al BNPs and Al/Fe BNPs could reduce Cr6+ to Cr3+, and the removal efficiencies for Cr6+ were 1.47 g/g BNP and 0.07 g/g BNP, respectively. Detection of Cr3+ in the aqueous phase was observed during the Cr6+ removal process. Results from X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that Cr(OH)3 was present on the surface of BNPs. Main mechanisms caused Cr6+ removal included reduction, precipitation, and adsorption. The reduction of Cr6+ produced OH−, which created alkaline environment and facilitated the formation of chromium hydroxide precipitates [Cr(OH)3]. Thus, the migration of Cr3+ was prevented and the environmental risk was reduced. BNP had a higher activity and stability, and it was applicable for Cr6+-contaminated site remediation.

Glass/Au Composite Membranes with Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized inside Pores for Selective Ion Transport.

Nanocomposite membranes have been actively developed in the last decade. The involvement of nanostructures can improve the permeability, selectivity, and anti-fouling properties of a membrane for improved filtration processes. In this work, we propose a novel type of ion-selective Glass/Au composite membrane based on porous glass (PG), which combines the advantages of porous media and promising selective properties. The latter are achieved by depositing gold nanoparticles into the membrane pores by the laser-induced liquid phase chemical deposition technique. Inside the pores, gold nanoparticles with an average diameter 25 nm were formed, which was confirmed by optical and microscopic studies. To study the transport and selective properties of the PG/Au composite membrane, the potentiometric method was applied. The uniform potential model was used to determine the surface charge from the experimental data. It was found that the formation of gold nanoparticles inside membrane pores leads to an increase in the surface charge from −2.75 mC/m2 to −5.42 mC/m2. The methods proposed in this work allow the creation of a whole family of composite materials based on porous glasses. In this case, conceptually, the synthesis of these materials will differ only in the selection of initial precursors.

Growth of 3D Nanoflower-Like FeCo2O4@Yb-Ni(OH)2 Composites on Ni Foam As Advanced Electrodes for High-Performance Supercapacitors

In this work, a 3D nanoflower-like Ni@FeCo2O4@Yb-Ni(OH)2 composite was prepared via a facile liquid phase chemical deposition and electrochemical deposition method. The as-synthesized Ni@FeCo2O4@Yb-Ni(OH)2 composites have a large specific surface area because of the developed nanoflower morphology, which creates good contact between the material and electrolyte. A high specific capacitance of 11.04 F·cm−2 is reached at a current density of 4 mA·cm−2. More importantly, the asymmetric supercapacitor assembled by using the as-synthesized Ni@FeCo2O4@Yb-Ni(OH)2 composites as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode exhibits a high energy density of 36.86 Wh·kg−1, a power density of 1.2 kW·kg−1 and excellent cycling stability (97.8% capacitance retention).

Laser-induced continuous generation of Ni nanoparticles for organic synthesis

The possibilities of laser-induced liquid phase chemical deposition (LCLD) of metal for continuous generation of nickel nanoparticles, the sizes of which allow their use as a catalyst for organic reactions are considered. The conditions for obtaining Ni nanoparticles by this method were optimized.

Fiber optic surface plasmon resonance sensor based on a silver-coated large-core suspended-core fiber.

A fiber optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a silver-coated large-core suspended-core fiber was proposed. A dynamic chemical liquid phase deposition method was adopted to fabricate a set of proposed sensors with different silver layer thicknesses. A stable fully spiced all-fiber sensing system was established to evaluate the performance of the fabricated sensors. The results show that the proposed sensor with a thicker silver layer exhibits higher sensitivity and figure of merit. The performance of the proposed sensor is comparable to those of the conventional solid-core fiber and hollow fiber SPR sensors and much higher than that of the metal nanoparticle functionalized suspended-core fiber sensors.

Performance of Toluene Removal in a Nonthermal Plasma Catalysis System over Flake-Like HZSM-5 Zeolite with Tunable Pore Size and Evaluation of Its Byproducts.

In this study, a series of HZSM-5 catalysts were prepared by the chemical liquid-phase deposition method, and low concentration toluene degradation was carried out in an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), SEM, TEM, and N2 adsorption analysis techniques. In addition, several organic contaminants were used to evaluate the adsorption performance of the prepared catalysts, and the effect of pore size on the removal efficiency of toluene and byproduct formation was also investigated. The unmodified HZSM-5 zeolite (Z0) exhibited good performance in toluene removal and CO2 selectivity due to the diffusion resistance of ozone and the amounts of active species (OH• and O•). Meanwhile, the time of flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) result showed that there were more byproducts of the benzene ring in the gas phase under the action of small micropore size catalysts. Moreover, the surface byproducts were detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS).