Number Of Deposition Cycles Research Articles

Room Temperature Synthesis of Tellurium by Solution Atomic Layer Deposition.

This study demonstrates the deposition of tellurium (Te) on silicon/silicon nitride substrates using solution atomic layer deposition (sALD) at ambient temperature. The process employs tellurium tetrachloride (TeCl4) and bis(triethylsilyl)-telluride ((TES)2Te) as precursors, with toluene as the solvent. Growth parameters were optimized through systematic variation of the pulse and purge times. Morphological characterization via scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed needle-like crystallites, while X-ray diffractometry confirmed the crystalline nature of the deposited Te. Increasing the number of deposition cycles resulted in larger Te crystallites and enhanced substrate surface coverage. A thin amorphous carbon shell surrounding the crystallites and carbon inclusions was observed, likely originating from the organic solvent. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy analysis indicated high-purity Te films with minimal surface oxidation. The small chlorine signal suggested a near-complete precursor reaction and the efficient purging of byproducts. This novel sALD approach presents a promising method for depositing Te on various surfaces under mild conditions.

The effect of seed layer cycles on the structural, optical, and morphological properties of ZnO nanorods.

In this study, ZnO seed layers with different cycles were formed on glass substrates by the sol-gel technique, and ZnO nanorods were grown on them by the hydrothermal method. Morphology and the structural characterization of the seed films and the ZnO nanorods are carried out by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and x-ray diffraction techniques. In addition, to investigate the effect of seed layer deposition cycles on the optical properties of the ZnO nanorod arrays, UV/visible spectrophotometer and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were performed. The changes in structural and optical parameters such as dislocation density, strain, crystallite size, and optical band gap values on each seed layer deposition cycle were examined. The highest optical band gap and crystallite size were obtained for ZnO nanorods with 4 cycles seed layer as 3.22 eV and 63.6 nm, respectively. Also, in the PL spectrum, the largest ratio of UV-emission region to weak-visible emission region was obtained in ZnO nanorods having 4 cycles. In addition, the glucose detection properties of ZnO nanorods having 4 cycles were investigated using the PL measurements and it was found that UV-emission peak intensity of ZnO nanorods decreased as the glucose concentration increased from 8 to 40 mM. The results show that the number of deposition cycles of the seed layer has a strong influence on the orientation, crystal quality, and optical band gap of the growing ZnO nanorods, as well as significantly affecting their morphological properties. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: High quality ZnO nanorods were grown on glass substrates by hydrothermal method. The effect of ZnO seed layer cycles on the structural, optical, and morphological characteristics of ZnO nanorods grown on were examined. It was found that the number of cycles of the seed layer is a critical parameter for growing quality and well-aligned ZnO nanorods.

Effects of heating rate and deposition cycle on the structural, optical, and photoelectrocatalytic properties of electrodeposited hematite films

In this research, electrodeposited hematite films were prepared at voltammetry deposition cycles of 60 and calcined at 550 °C in a furnace after ramping the temperature at the rates of 2 °C/min, 10 °C/min, 35 °C/min, and rapid heating of about 100 °C/min. Additional samples were fabricated at deposition cycles of 15, 30, and 80, and also calcined at 550⁰C at a heating rate of 10⁰C/min. The impact of heating rate and deposition cycle number variations on the structural, optical, and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) properties of the hematite films were assessed. All the films' X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed strong peaks at the lattice planes (104) and (110), verifying hematite's rhombohedral crystal structure. The films prepared at the heating rate of 10⁰C/min boosted the crystallization of the films by 47.2 % relative to the ones prepared at 2⁰C/min. An increase in the deposition cycle number resulted in increasing film thickness and the sample’s crystallization. An indirect bandgap of 1.94–2.1 eV was estimated for the samples, with the least value obtained for the films treated at the heating rate of 10⁰/min and deposition cycles of 60. The same samples also yielded the largest photocurrent density of 26.2 μA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), while the photoanodes fabricated at 2 °C/min exhibited the lowest photo-activity. The enhanced photocurrent observed for the films has been associated with high crystallinity, improved photon absorption, reduced flatband potential, and increased charge separation at the film’s surface. This research underscores the importance of optimizing both the heating rate and deposition cycle numbers in the fabrication of electrodeposited photoelectrodes for PEC applications.

Lightweight titanium dioxide/carbon nanotube composites prepared by atomic layer deposition for broad-band microwave absorption

The microwave absorbing material with appropriate impedance matching and excellent attenuation ability can be applied to resist electromagnetic radiation. In this work, carbon nanotubes were modified by titanium dioxide via the atomic layer deposition method, to prepare lightweight composites with high microwave absorption performance. The impedance matching and attenuation ability of titanium dioxide/carbon nanotube (TiO2/CNT) composites could be precisely controlled by adjusting the number of titanium dioxide deposition cycles. The relationship between the microstructure and microwave absorption performance of the composite was analyzed in detail. When the number of TiO2 deposition cycles was 100, the composite displayed outstanding microwave absorption performance, due to appropriate impedance matching and strong attenuation ability. The maximum effective absorption bandwidth of the composite reached 5.19 GHz (1.6 mm), which almost covered the Ku band. The microwave attenuation mechanism of the composite has also been investigated. This work provided a new idea for fabricating lightweight microwave absorption materials.

Development of electrode by using gold-platinum alloy nanopar¬ticles for electrochemical detection of serum amyloid A protein

Gold-platinum alloy nanoparticles (AuPtNP) were electrochemically deposited on the surface of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) modified with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), after optimizing deposition conditions for the electroplating solution and number of deposition cycles. Different part ratios of Au/Pt used were 4/0, 3/1, 2/2, 1/3 and 0/4 (AuNP, Au3Pt1, Au2Pt2, Au1Pt3 and PtNP, respectively) in preparation of 1 mM solutions. FE-SEM, EDAX and XRD surface characterization techniques were used to confirm the presence of deposited AuPt alloy nanoparticles on the modified ITO surface. Electrochemical methods (CV, DPV and EIS) were used to investigate the electrochemical properties of prepared electrodes in the presence of ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple, which indicated the following increasing order of electrocatalytic peak current: Au < Au2Pt2 < Pt < Au1Pt3 < Au3Pt1. The most active electrode, Au3Pt1NP/APTES/ITO (with Au/Pt part ratio 3:1), was further used to fabricate the immunoelectrode SAA-Ab/Au3Pt1NP/APTES/ITO. The prepared immunoelec­trode was tested for detection of serum amyloid A protein biomarker (APO-SAA) by immobilising SAA-specific antibodies (SAA ½ Ab) on its surface. Sensing studies on this immunoelectrode, performed by DPV technique, revealed the SAA biomarker detection in the linear range of 10 to 106 fg ml-1. The limit of detection was calculated as 7.0 fg ml-1.

Effect of the number and distribution of Al2O3 atomic layer deposition cycles within HfO2 layer on ferroelectric characteristics

We comprehensively analyze the effects of the number and distribution of Al2O3 atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycles into a 10-nm-thick HfO2 matrix on the ferroelectric switching behavior. An ALD cycle containing one pulse for Hf (or Al) precursor and one pulse of water as reactant is repeated 150 times for the given thickness of 10 nm. Spontaneous remnant polarization (Pr) is enabled through the formation of crystalline Al-doped HfO2 (Al:HfO2) by incorporating at least two Al2O3 ALD cycles evenly into the HfO2 film under annealing at 600 °C for 3 min following W top electrode (TE) deposition. When more than four Al2O3 cycles are used, the Al elements function as leakage sources rather than stressors, resulting in an open hysteresis loop and a weak endurance of 105 cycles. Notably, an improved 2 Pr of ∼9 μC/cm2 is achieved when the Al2O3 layers are concentrated near the lower region of the HfO2. On the other hand, as the Al2O3 layers are intensively located in the upper region of the HfO2, a dielectric response is observed in the polarization–voltage and current–voltage measurements. Our results indicate that the two mechanical stresses induced by the Al dopant with a size smaller than Hf and the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between TE and Al:HfO2 effectively activate both the lower and upper sites. Therefore, many dipoles are observed to participate in the polarization owing to the stresses that are applied evenly throughout the Al:HfO2 layer to form the orthorhombic phase.

Enhancement of corrosion resistance and superparamagnetic property by structural modulation in (Co-DLC)/DLC multilayered nanocomposite films

A structure of {[(Co-DLC)/DLC]X}n Multilayered Nanocomposite Films (MNF) is designed by inserting pure DLC high-resistance layers into Co-DLC nanocomposite film, which consists of alternating Co-DLC and DLC layers were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The electrochemical behavior and magnetic property of the films are modulated by varying the number of deposition cycles (n) and the thickness of one single-cycle (X). The electrochemical results show that this MNF structure significantly improves the corrosion resistance of the films owing to the clear interfaces, which block the micropores penetrating the films. Compared to the co-sputtering film, as the number of cycles n increases to 7, the corrosion resistance is enhanced by one order of magnitude from 2.3 × 104 to 2.2 × 105 Ω·cm2. However, the interfaces between the Co-DLC and DLC layer become blurred when the thickness of one single-cycle X is lower than 30 nm, and the corrosion resistance decreases to 3.7 × 104 Ω·cm2. In terms of magnetism, the multilayer structure helps to regulate the homogeneity of Co particle size. As X increases from 30 to 100 nm, the Co particle size increases from 2.7 to 4.7 nm, and the saturation magnetization intensity (Ms) of superparamagnetic property in the films increases from 2.8 to 8.2 mT. As X increases, the remanent magnetization ratio (Mr/Ms) decreases and reaches 0.011 at X = 100 nm, which is about one order of magnitude smaller than that of the co-sputtering film. This result indicates that the MNF have better superparamagnetic property. It is noteworthy that {[(Co-DLC)/DLC]X}n MNF with X ranging from 100 to 40 nm and n ranging from 3 to 7 can achieve high corrosion resistance and superparamagnetic property, simultaneously.

Synthesis of PEDOT/CNTs Thermoelectric Thin Films with a High Power Factor.

In this study, we have improved the power factor of conductive polymer nanocomposites by combining layer-by-layer assembly with electrochemical deposition to produce flexible thermoelectric materials based on PEDOT/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-films. To produce films based on CNTs and PEDOT, a dual approach has been employed: (i) the layer-by-layer method has been utilized for constructing the CNTs layer and (ii) electrochemical polymerization has been used in the synthesis of the conducting polymer. Moreover, the thermoelectric properties were optimized by controlling the experimental conditions including the number of deposition cycles and electropolymerizing time. The electrical characterization of the samples was carried out by measuring the Seebeck voltage produced under a small temperature difference and by measuring the electrical conductivity using the four-point probe method. The resulting values of the Seebeck coefficient S and σ were used to determine the power factor. The structural and morphological analyses of CNTs/PEDOT samples were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The best power factor achieved was 131.1 (μWm-1K-2), a competitive value comparable to some inorganic thermoelectric materials. Since the synthesis of the CNT/PEDOT layers is rather simple and the ingredients used are relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly, the proposed nanocomposites are a very interesting approach as an application for recycling heat waste.

Facile Synthesis and Characterization of TiO2/SnS Nanocomposites by Eco-Friendly Methods

The acid etching mechanism of FTO film using zinc powders has been explored, and sulfuric and hydrochloric acid solutions of different concentrations were tested as etching agents. Compact and mesoporous films of titanium dioxide were prepared by spin-coating and doctor blade techniques on FTO glass. Tin sulfide films were formed through a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process using different numbers of deposition cycles, and TiO2/SnS nanocomposites were synthesized. The thin films and the prepared composites were characterized using X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses. In this study, the principal characteristics of deposited tin sulfide films on two different types of TiO2 films are shown.

Pt nanoparticles anchored by oxygen vacancies in MXenes for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction.

The improvement of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of nanomaterials is associated with the interfacial synergistic interaction and their hydrogen adsorption kinetics. Nevertheless, it is still a challenge to accelerate the proton transfer and optimize the HER kinetics by constructing Pt-supported heterostructures based on the hydrogen spillover phenomenon. Herein, oxygen vacancies on the surface of MXene nanosheets were constructed via a high-temperature annealing method, which was employed to anchor/stabilize Pt nanoparticles and fabricate a Pt/MXene heterostructure. EPR and XPS analyses verified the presence of oxygen vacancies, which could enhance the intrinsic HER activity of the MXene. The HER catalytic performance was investigated by taking into account the surface structure of the MXene affected by the annealing temperature, the concentration of Pt and the number of deposition cycles. Electrochemical results showed that Pt/MXene with higher utilization of Pt was obtained at 900 °C and 0.05 mgPt mL-1. The 0.05-Pt/MXene-900 obtained at deposition of 60 cycles in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution exhibited the optimized HER activity. The overpotential was 22 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and the Tafel slope was 42.41 mV dec-1. Furthermore, the accelerated HER kinetics was mainly due to the electron trapping ability of the MXene, small particles of Pt, as well as the enhanced charge transfer between the oxygen vacancies of the MXene and Pt. This strategy for constructing Pt-supported heterostructures based on the vacancy anchoring effects provides new ideas for the design of well-defined electrocatalysts toward the HER.

Formation of the Heterojunction Based on Titania Modified with Ni and Ag Sulfide Via SILAR Method - Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Activity

The great interest of TiO2 nanotubes (TiNT) is justified by large surface area, high degree of ordering, facilitated charge transport along the nanotube, mechanical strength, strong UV absorption and light scattering due to the pore specific arrangement well as wide range of potential applications in solar cells, photocatalysis and sensors [1]. However, due to the wide energy band gap of TiO2 (3.2 eV) its photoactivity is limited and therefore titania based heterojunction are formed with the photoabsorber being active in the visible range [2]. In line with this strategy, we present electrochemical and photoelectrochemical activity of TiNT modified by NiS and AgS.The electrode is fabricated via electrochemical anodization of Ti foil, thermal annealing providing anatase phase and finally Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) was carried out using silver, nickel and sulfur ions precursor and with different number of deposition cycles. The characteristic Ag-S, Ag-O and S-O peaks appearing on Raman spectra indicating successful SILAR modification. The cyclic voltammetry curves for TiNT, NiS/TiNT, AgS/TiNT and AgS/NiS/TiNT electrode were registered in 0.5 M Na2SO4 (Fig.1a). Peaks found on the anodic branch of the AgS/NiS/TiNT electrode at 0 V and +0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl/0.1 M KCl are assigned to oxidation of Ag0 to Ag1+ and Ag1+ to Ag2+, respectively. When the scan went towards cathodic direction, peak located at +0.1 V and -0.1 V indicates reduction of Ag2+ to Ag1+ and Ag1+ to Ag0, respectively [3]. Furthermore, the linear voltammetry measurements performed under visible light illumination in 0.5 M Na2SO4 is presented in Fig.1b. The best photoactivity was reached for the AgS/NiS/TiNT electrode when only 5 deposition cycles for each metal precursor was applied. The photocurrent registered at +0.5 V reaches ca. 40 µA/cm2 which is 20 times higher than for pure TiNT.Summing up, modification of titania nanotubes by nickel and silver sulfides significantly enhanced material photoelectrochemical response under visible light. Moreover, it has been proved that this synergetic effect originated from the titania/metal sulphide heterojunction that can be achieved using SILAR method.Research is financed by National Science Centre (Poland): Grant no. 2020/39/I/ST5/01781[1] K. Siuzdak et al. RSC Advances, 5 (2015) 50379, DOI:10.1039/c5ra08407e[2] S. Chandrasekaran et al. Chemical Society Reviews, 48 (2019) 4178, DOI:10.1039/c8cs00664d[3] J.R.N. Santos et al. Electrocatalysis, 13 (2022) 713, DOI: 10.1007/s12678-022-00754-2 Figure 1

Scaling a Gas Phase Residual Lithium Conversion Process on Ni-Rich NMC Cathode Materials in Commercial Fluidized Bed Reactors

‘Residual lithium’, the LiOH and Li2CO3 surface contamination that is ubiquitous to Ni-rich NMC manufacturing, is a significant obstacle in the large-scale production and handling of high-nickel layered oxides. These hydroxide and carbonate surface phases influence reproducibility and shelf stability of the NMC powder and cause gelation and particle aggregation during electrode casting. There is ample evidence in the literature that atomic layer deposition (ALD) possesses a two-fold solution to this problem.1-3 First, reactive organometallic species such as trimethylaluminum (TMA) can convert insulating residual lithium to a Li-rich LixAlyO conducting layer. Customizable ALD layers can then be added to inhibit the re-formation of the carbonate layer and to deter negative side reactions of the CAM surface with the liquid electrolyte. While highly impactful, these studies have mostly been relegated to small, lab-scale demonstrations of <50 g. As such, there remains a need to enable this ALD-assisted-technology for high-throughput commercial applications.In this talk, we will explore the progression of a residual lithium conversion process from lab (10 – 1000 mL) to industrial-scale (10 L – 100 L) fluidized bed equipment and how scale and material-dependent parameters can impact performance. Using a commercial NMC 811 cathode as a case study, we first applied aluminum phosphate ALD coatings on a lab-scale fluidized bed reactor to examine the interfacial and electrochemical changes of the CAM material under various process conditions. ICP-OES measurements confirmed linear and reproducible deposition versus ALD cycle number between 200- 300°C. XPS analysis showed the ALD coated NMC 811 powder had an 80% reduction in Li2CO3 versus the pristine material and that a reduction persisted even after 10 days of storage in atmospheric conditions. At standard (0.5C/1C) cycling to 4.4V, AlPO4 coatings increased cycle life by 44% versus the uncoated powder. Under optimized conditions, the process was scaled first to 1 kg and finally to 10 kg in a pilot-scale reactor. In-situ mass spectrometry indicated that residual lithium conversion byproducts such as CO2 could be used to monitor reaction progress and optimize chemical usage efficiency. Fluidization aids including vibration and mechanical stirring were used to inhibit and break up powder agglomerates. ICP-OES and electrochemical cycling data confirmed reproducible deposition and cycle life benefits versus the small scale runs and pristine materials, demonstrating a pathway for these ALD-enhanced materials to transition from lab-scale demonstration to viable product. We will discuss strategies for continuing the scaling process to 100 kg batches for commercial applications.[1] M. Young et al., The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2019 123 (39), 23783-23790[2] P. Darapaneni et al., ACS Applied Energy Materials 2022, 5, 8, 9870–9876[3] J. Li et al., Coatings 2022, 12(1), 84

Cu Distribution Pattern Controlled Active Species Generation and Sulfamethoxazole Degradation Routes in a Peroxymonosulfate System

The distribution pattern of metals as active centers on a substrate can influence the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and contaminants degradation. Herein, atomic layer deposition is applied to prepare Cu single atom (SA-Cu), cluster (C-Cu), and film (F-Cu) decorated MXene catalysts by regulating the number of deposition cycles. In comparison with SA-Cu-MXene (adsorption energy (Eads) = −4.236 eV) and F-Cu-MXene (Eads = −3.548 eV), PMS is shown to adsorb preferably on the C-Cu-MXene surface for activation (Eads = −5.435 eV), realizing higher utilization efficiency. More SO4− are generated in C-Cu-MXene/PMS system with steady-state concentration and 1–3 orders of magnitude higher than those in the SA-Cu-MXene and F-Cu-MXene activated PMS systems. Particularly, the contribution of SO4− oxidation to sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation followed the order, C-Cu-MXene (97.3%) > SA-Cu-MXene (90.4%) > F-Cu-MXene (71.9%), realizing the larger SMX degradation rate in the C-Cu-MXene/PMS system with the degradation rate constants (k) at 0.0485 min−1. Additionally, SMX degradation routes in C-Cu-MXene/PMS system are found with fewer toxic intermediates. Through this work, we highlighted the importance of guided design of heterogeneous catalysts in the PMS system. Appropriate metal distribution patterns need to be selected according to the actual water treatment demand. Metal sites could be then fully utilized to produce specific active species to improve the utilization efficiency of the oxidants.

Selective passivation of 2D TMD surface defects by atomic layer deposited Al2O3 to enhance recovery properties of gas sensor

The incomplete recovery of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMD) based gas sensors hinders their reliability and scalability. The leading cause of incomplete recovery is the strong chemisorption of gas analytes, such as defects or grain boundaries on the active surface of 2D TMDs. Herein, we demonstrate an improvement in the recovery rate of TMD gas sensors by selectively passivating the TMD surface defects or vacancies with Al2O3 via atomic layer deposition. Scanning electron microscopy analysis confirms that the nucleation and growth of atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 occur along the grain boundaries and defects of the 2D MoS2 and WS2, not covering the inert basal plane. In addition, the Raman, photoluminescence, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data show lower surface defect densities and a slight n-doping effect of Al2O3. This unique selectively defect-passivated TMD gas sensor shows a 400 % response toward 10 ppm of NO2, along with an increase in the recovery rate from 74 to 96 %, even at room temperature, as the number of atomic layer deposition cycles increases. Also, the recovery rate of NH3, a reducing gas, shows an increase of more than 30 %. Thus, the method proposed here is a promising strategy for improving the recovery rate of 2D TMD gas sensors.

Highly Porous Polymer Beads Coated with Nanometer-Thick Metal Oxide Films for Photocatalytic Oxidation of Bisphenol A.

Highly porous metal oxide-polymer nanocomposites are attracting considerable interest due to their unique structural and functional features. A porous polymer matrix brings properties such as high porosity and permeability, while the metal oxide phase adds functionality. For the metal oxide phase to perform its function, it must be fully accessible, and this is possible only at the pore surface, but functioning surfaces require controlled engineering, which remains a challenge. Here, highly porous nanocomposite beads based on thin metal oxide nanocoatings and polymerized high internal phase emulsions (polyHIPEs) are demonstrated. By leveraging the unique properties of polyHIPEs, i.e., a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network of macropores, and high-precision of the atomic-layer-deposition technique (ALD), we were able to homogeneously coat the entire surface of the pores in polyHIPE beads with TiO2-, ZnO-, and Al2O3-based nanocoatings. Parameters such as nanocoating thickness, growth per cycle (GPC), and metal oxide (MO) composition were systematically controlled by varying the number of deposition cycles and dosing time under specific process conditions. The combination of polyHIPE structure and ALD technique proved advantageous, as MO-nanocoatings with thicknesses between 11 ± 3 and 40 ± 9 nm for TiO2 or 31 ± 6 and 74 ± 28 nm for ZnO and Al2O3, respectively, were successfully fabricated. It has been shown that the number of ALD cycles affects both the thickness and crystallinity of the MO nanocoatings. Finally, the potential of ALD-derived TiO2-polyHIPE beads in photocatalytic oxidation of an aqueous bisphenol A (BPA) solution was demonstrated. The beads exhibited about five times higher activity than nanocomposite beads prepared by the conventional (Pickering) method. Such ALD-derived polyHIPE nanocomposites could find wide application in nanotechnology, sensor development, or catalysis.

Physicochemically tailored Ag2S QDs deposition on ZnO for improved photocatalytic and antibacterial performance

Considering the optoelectronic contrast and compatible band structure between Ag2S (band gap ∼ 1.4 eV) and ZnO (band gap ∼ 3.2 eV), we developed Ag2S quantum-dot (QD) sensitized ZnO nanoflowers (ZnO-Ag2S) using a simplistic and efficient p-SILAR method. Aiming the variation in size dependent performance of Ag2S QDs, we carried out different number of p-SILAR deposition cycles so that we can improve the performance of ZnO-Ag2S as a consequence of the physicochemical tailoring of visible light absorbance which originally depends upon the size of Ag2S QDs. Intensive SEM and TEM were performed to establish the development of Ag2S QDs on ZnO surface. The developed materials were utilized for photocatalytic and antibacterial applications. Interestingly, increasing Ag2S deposition cycles on ZnO nanoflowers (NFs) directly decreases their band gap. Owing to the improved optoelectronic character of ZnO-Ag2S revealed by UV-Visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence, the photocatalytic degradation rate of Rhodamine B dye increased to 0.01 min−1 compared to 0.004 min−1 for pristine ZnO. In addition, antibacterial assay and atomic force microscopy was involved to reveal the effectiveness of ZnO-Ag2S for inhibition of Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli bacteria. Anti-bacterial response for ZnO-Ag2S (2 C) was the highest while all samples exhibited nominal (<10%) hemolytic activity, endorsing the effectiveness of p-SILAR process for the development of biocompatible, photocatalytic, and antimicrobial ZnO-Ag2S.

ALD prepared silver nanowire/ZnO thin film for ultraviolet detectors

Ultraviolet (UV) detectors have played an important role in military communication, natural disaster warning, biomedical detection and other fields. In the ultraviolet region, ZnO has the advantages of a wide band gap, high exciton binding energy and intrinsic response band, which is an excellent semiconductor material for ultraviolet detectors. However, to improve the performance of ZnO-based UV detectors, it requires the control of their oxygen vacancy defects by keeping the free carrier concentration at a low level, which can be depleted to achieve the cutoff state of the detector. Therefore, it is necessary to modify the ZnO thin film material to reduce defects and improve crystallinity. In this paper, ZnO films with optical advantages nonpolar structure, AgNW/ZnO enhanced UV detectors and silver nanowires/ZnO (AgNW/ZnO) electrodes were prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and heat treatment. The XPS analysis shows that the crystallinity and oxygen vacancy of ZnO films are improved after heat treatment at 600 ℃. The surface resistance of ZnO films reaches the level of MΩ per centimetre. In the comparison of the properties of the detectors after heat treatment at 500–800 ℃, the detector obtained the best comprehensive performance after heat treatment at 600 ℃. The light responsiveness (5 V, 365 nm) can reach 120.4 A/W, with a light-to-dark current ratio of 6686 times, and a light detection value of 3.4 × 1011 Jones. It is found that the number of deposition cycles has little effect on the transmittance of AgNW/ZnO electrodes in the visible range (380–780 nm), and AgNW/ZnO electrodes for 500 times have excellent thermal stability, which the square resistance is only increased by 1.9 times when heated at 400 ℃ for 180 min.

Porphyrin-Based MOF Thin Film on Transparent Conducting Oxide: Investigation of Growth, Porosity and Photoelectrochemical Properties.

Synthesizing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) composites with a controlled morphology is an important requirement to access materials of desired patterning and composition. Since the last decade, MOF growth from sacrificial metal oxide layer is increasingly developed as it represents an efficient pathway to functionalize a large number of substrates. In this study, porphyrin-based Al-PMOF thin films were grown on conductive transparent oxide substrates from sacrificial layers of ALD-deposited alumina oxide. The control of the solvent composition and the number of atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycles allow us to tune the crystallinity, morphology and thickness of the produced thin films. Photophysical studies evidence that Al-PMOF thin films present light absorption and emission properties governed by the porphyrinic linker, without any quenching upon increasing the film thickness. Al-PMOF thin films obtained through this methodology present a remarkably high optical quality both in terms of transparency and coverage. The porosity of the samples is demonstrated by ellipsometry and used for Zn(II) insertion inside the MOF thin film. The multifunctional transparent, porous and luminescent thin film grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) is used as an electrode capable of photoinduced charge separation upon simulated sunlight irradiation.

Two-Step Electrochemical Au Nanoparticle Formation in Polyaniline.

In this work, we use a two-step cyclic electrochemical process to insert Au into polyaniline (PANI). It was suggested previously that this method would lead to the formation of atomic Au clusters with controlleds number of Au atoms without providing morphological proof. In each cycle, tetrachloroaurate anions (AuCl4-) are attached on the protonated imine sites of PANI, followed by a controlled reduction using cyclic voltammetry (CV). In contrast to previous work, we demonstrate that the reduction leads to the nucleation and growth of an Au nanoparticle (NP) whose density and size dispersion depend on the Au loading in PANI. Adding more deposition cycles increases the Au NP density and size. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and corresponding energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) indicate a homogeneous distribution of Au elements in the PANI matrix before CV reduction, while Au elements are aggregated and clearly localized in the NPs positions after CV reduction. We further use Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) to quantify the Au uptake in PANI. The Au distribution is verified to be initially homogeneous across the PANI layer whereas the increasing number of deposition cycles leads to a surface segregation of Au. We propose a two-step growth model based on our experimental results. Finally, we discuss the results with respect to the formation of atomic Au clusters reported previously using the same deposition method.

Heterodimensional Structure Switching Multispectral Stealth and Multimedia Interaction Devices.

Lightweight and flexible electronic materials with high energy attenuation hold an unassailable position in electromagnetic stealth and intelligent devices. Among them, emerging heterodimensional structure draws intensive attention in the frontiers of materials, chemistry, and electronics, owing to the unique electronic, magnetic, thermal, and optical properties. Herein, an intrinsic heterodimensional structure consisting of alternating assembly of 0D magnetic clusters and 2D conductive layers is developed, and its macroscopic electromagnetic properties are flexibly designed by customizing the number of oxidative molecular layer deposition (oMLD) cycles. This unique heterodimensional structure features highly ordered spatial distribution, with an achievement of electron-dipole and magnetic-dielectric double synergies, which exhibits the high attenuation of electromagnetic energy (160) and substantial improvement of dielectric loss tangent (≈200%). It can respond to electromagnetic waves of different bands to achieve multispectral stealth, covering visible light, infrared radiation, and gigahertz wave. Importantly, two kinds of ingenious information interaction devices are constructed with heterodimensional structure. The hierarchical antennas allow precise targeting of operating bands (S- to Ku- bands) by oMLD cycles. The strain imaging device with high sensitivity opens a new horizon for visual interaction. This work provides a creative insight for developing advanced micro-nano materials and intelligent devices.