Fluorine Tin Oxide Research Articles

Enhanced ferroelectric photovoltaics by interfacial conductivity by stacking of bismuth ferrite and titanium dioxide thin films

Ferroelectric photovoltaic devices were assembled by direct stacking of bismuth ferrite (BFO) thin film with titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film deposited on fluorine tin oxide (FTO) substrates. An enhanced short-current density of 4.06 mA/cm2 was received. The conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) confirms one order of magnitude increase on the collecting currents after coating of TiO2 on BFO thin film, majorly contributing from the interfaces among TiO2 and BFO particles. The ferroelectric photovoltaics generate an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.66 V and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.18 %, benefiting from the enhanced conductivity of the thin film.

Effects of ALD Deposition Cycles of Al2O3 on the Morphology and Performance of FTO-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

In dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), materials classified as Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCOs) have the capacity to conduct electricity and transmit light at the same time. Their exceptional blend of optical transparency and electrical conductivity makes them popular choices for transparent electrodes in DSSCs. Fluorine Tin Oxide (FTO) was utilized in this experiment. The optical and electrical characteristics of TCOs may be negatively impacted by their frequent exposure to hostile environments and potential for deterioration. TCOs are coated with passivating layers to increase their performance, stability, and defense against environmental elements including oxygen, moisture, and chemical pollutants. Because of its superior dielectric qualities, strong chemical stability, and suitability with TCO materials, aluminum oxide (Al2O3) was utilized as a passivating layer for the FTO. In this research work, Al2O3 was deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) to form thin mesoporous layers as a passivator in the photoanode (working electrode). The work focuses on finding an appropriate thickness of Al2O3 for optimum performance of the dye-sensitized solar cells. The solar simulation and sheet resistance analysis clearly showed 200 cycles of Al2O3 to exhibit an efficiency of 4.31%, which was the most efficient performance. The surface morphology and topography of all samples were discussed and analyzed.

Gallium Nitride Electrodeposition at Indium Tin Oxide and Fluorine Tin Oxide Electrodes in Ammonium Nitrate and Gallium Nitrate Aqueous Solution

The potential of gallium nitride thin films in semiconductor technology and devices has garnered interest. This study aims to develop an effective GaN electrodeposition technique that will function on both Earth and microgravity situations and may be applied to any kind of needed application, such as in photovoltaic devices. To determine the optimal electrodeposition conditions, e.g. applied potential, cyclic voltammetry (CV) was done on a boron-doped diamond electrode at 0.01 mV/s potential scan rate and at 0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl (Saturated KCl) constant applied potential. In the CV study, a well-defined peak formed at -1.75 V vs. Ag/AgCl (Saturated KCl). To start examining all the features of the electrodeposition of a thin film on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) and Fluorine Tin Oxide (FTO) Electrodes, chronoamperometry (CA) measurements were done at different time scales, ranging from 3600s to 14400s and at a constant applied potential of -1.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl (Saturated KCl). The characterization methods used to examine the materials' topography, elemental contrast, crystal structure, and electrodeposition weight percentages included scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Longer electrodeposition times produced the best grain formation, promoting dendritic structure at the electrode surface. Furthermore, the optimal weight electrodeposition percentage of Ga and N was 10% and 35 % at 3600s, respectively, although the electrodeposited electrode surface was heterogeneous. The surface topographies at 3600s showed less grains definition and dendritic structures. At higher electrodeposition times, e.g. 14400s, more grain definitions and dendritic structures were found. For the 3600s electrodeposition time, XRD peaks were found at 33o, 37o and 46o, which are characteristics of GaN wurtzite structure according to literature.

Enhanced activity of electrodeposited WO3 thin films as bi-functional electrocatalysts for water splitting

The ultimate goal of the hydrogen economy is to develop an efficient and cost-effective electrocatalyst that can accelerate hydrogen synthesis from water without or with little additional energy. This study describes a unique surface modified electrodeposited nano-sized tungsten oxide (WO3) as an intriguing bi-functional electrocatalyst for OER in alkaline and HER in acidic conditions. The nano-WO3 was synthesized hydrothermally and electrodeposited on a fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) electrode. The highly uniform distribution of the WO3@FTO catalyst results in negligible charge transfer resistance, a large electroactive surface area, and increased water-splitting potential. During oxygen evolution reaction (OER), electrodeposited WO3@FTO initiates water splitting at an overpotential (η) of just 240 mV and represents a turnover frequency (TOF) of 0.59 sec−1. These results are comparable to previously reported electrocatalysts. Under an alkaline electrolyte, a current density of 15 mA/cm2 remained constant for several hours, indicating the high stability and durability of the electrodeposited WO3@FTO electrode. The electrode also performed well in hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). A Tafel slope of 46 mV/dec and −28 mV/dec was found for OER and HER, respectively, indicating an enhanced kinetics rate of reaction taking place at the electrode surface. Furthermore, in acidic conditions, the electrode represents a lower HER overpotential of 104 mV. The work provides a significant understanding of electrodeposited WO3@FTO electrodes and their role in electrochemical water splitting.

Chirality-Induced Memristor of Chiral Nanostructured Half-Metallic Fe3O4 Films.

Spintronic memristors, which combine the nonvolatile characteristics of memristors with the scalability of a spin-transfer torque device, are expected to play a crucial role in advancing quantitative information processing. This field commonly relies on magnetic tunnel junctions, domain wall motion, and spin waves. Here, the discovery of chirality-induced memristor behavior in chiral nanostructured Fe3O4 films (CNFFs) is reported. These CNFFs are grown on fluorine tin oxide (FTO) substrates using enantiomeric glutamic acid (Glu) as symmetry-breaking agents and consist of arrays of oriented twisted nanofibers. At 100 K, the L-CNFF exhibits memristor behavior as a pinched hysteresis loop in the I-V curve, while the D-CNFF exhibits semiconductor behavior with constant electrical resistance. The intrinsic spin polarization of half-metallic Fe3O4 and the chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) are speculated to contribute to the memristor in one handedness of the chiral structure. These findings present a novel spinristor that combines the functions of a memristor and a spin-filter based on chiral structures, which may promote the development of spintronic devices.

Electrochemical cDNA-sensing of miRNA-137 for detection of Alzheimer's disease using CuO and PEI deposited Au-Pd bimetallic nanoparticles

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the third most predominantly occurring disease worldwide that is characterized by progressive deterioration of brain cells and change in behaviour, personality, orientation of time and space, leading to functional disability which affects the daily life of patient. We report an electrochemical complementary DNA (cDNA)-sensor for detection of AD by using blood biomarker, micro-ribonucleic acid-137 (miRNA-137). In this context, the gold-palladium/polyethyleneimine@copperoxide nanocomposite-coated fluorine tin oxide (Au-Pd/PEI@CuO/FTO) electrode is used as an immobilization platform for complementary DNA (cDNA) against the target miRNA-137. The thiolated-cDNA (Thi-cDNA) and Au-Pd bimetallic particles interact through the stable electrostatic binding. The fabricated Au-Pd/PEI@CuO/FTO was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical Impendence Spectroscopy. The sensor showed response time of 20 min with the linear range of 1fM to 100 nM and limit of detection as 0.164pM. The recovery of the cDNA-sensor for spiked human serum sample ranged from 99.3 % to 103.28 % with RSD value of 0.62 % to 2.81 %. The easy-to-use procedure, cost effectiveness, compactness, long shelf life (28 days) and high selectivity of cDNA-sensor towards miRNA-137 over even the one-base pair mismatch recommends the sensor's portability and real-life usability for AD detection.

Enhancing the Performance of Titanium Dioxide Compact Layer on Epitaxial Graphene and Fluorine Tin Oxide Heterojunctions

Enhancing the Performance of Titanium Dioxide Compact Layer on Epitaxial Graphene and Fluorine Tin Oxide Heterojunctions

Enhanced OER performance by varying Al-WO3 electrocatalyst thickness: Process optimization

Oxygen evolution reactions (OER) are highly significant and play a critical role in the advancement of fuel cells, electrolyzers, chemicals, and solar energy conversion devices. The challenge in the quest is attributed to the absence of an efficient electrocatalyst assembly that functions optimally. A simple method of electrodeposition of Al:WO3 on a fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) electrode was used to investigate the OER in this study. The electrodepositions were achieved by employing a three-electrode cell at various scan rates ranging from 10 to 100 mV/s. During this investigation, the influence of the scan rate on electrocatalyst loadings and the impact of electrocatalyst layer thickness on the OER were examined. The electrodepositions of Al:WO3@FTO were analyzed using a range of optical, chemical, and physical techniques such as SEM, XRD, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, EDX, EDS mapping, and electrochemical tests. The FTIR and Raman analysis confirmed the synthesis of AL:WO3 while the peaks detected at angles 38.7° and 43° by XRD with planes (111) and (200), served as a distinctive characteristic for identifying aluminum (Al). The peaks observed at angles of 27.8°, 30.7°, 33°, 50.45°, and 58° correspond to WO3 material. The characterization techniques also confirmed that the synthesized material is highly crystalline in nature. The OER potential using Al:WO3@FTO electrodes with different electrocatalyst thicknesses, ranging from 8 nm to 31 nm was investigated by studying various electrochemical techniques such as CV, LSV, CPE, Tafel slope, HP2P splitting, EIS, TOF, short and long-term electrode stability, and double layer capacitance. The linear regression coefficient (R2) was also calculated to measure the relationship between the electrocatalyst's thickness and each electrochemical test. The findings indicated that increasing the scan rates resulted in thinner and denser electrodepositions on the FTO substrate as the thinnest film was formed at 100 mV/s. An inverse relationship between electrocatalyst layer thickness and OER activity was observed. The electrode with the thinnest and most compact electrocatalyst layer, specifically ED Al:WO3@FTO08, exhibited the lowest onset potential of 1.48 V and a maximum current of 84 mA/cm2 at 1.76 V. It also demonstrated superior reaction kinetics, as evidenced by its lower Tafel slope value of 49 mV/dec, which is the lowest among all the electrodes that were prepared. In particular, the electrode with a thin and compact electrocatalyst layer worked better in OER operations than the other five electrodes that had higher amounts of Al:WO3.

Gallium Nitride Electrodeposition at Indium Tin Oxide and Fluorine Tin Oxide Electrodes in Ammonium Nitrate and Gallium Nitrate Aqueous Solution

Gallium nitride thin films in semiconductor technology have garnered interest. This study aims to develop an effective GaN electrodeposition technique applicable where needed. To determine the optimal conditions, cyclic voltammetry (CV) was done on a boron-doped diamond electrode at 0.01 mV/s potential scan rate and at 0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl (Saturated KCl) constant applied potential. In the CV study, a well-defined peak formed at -1.75 V vs. Ag/Ag/Cl (Saturated KCl). To start examining thin film features on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) and Fluorine Tin Oxide (FTO) electrodes, chronoamperometry (CA) measurements were done at time scales ranging from 3600s to 14,000s and at a constant applied potential of -1.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl (Saturated KCl). The characterization methods used to examine the samples included SEM and EDS. The optimal weight electrodeposition percentages of Ga and N on ITO were 10.3% and 27.2% and 47.3% and 12.7% on FTO respectively.

Pulsed potential co-electrodeposition of Cu2CoSnS4 absorber layer on fluorinated tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass

Pulsed potential co-electrodeposition of Cu2CoSnS4 absorber layer on fluorinated tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass

Effect of fluorine tin oxide substrate on the deposited SnO2: Ni thin films properties for gas sensing

This study explores the deposition of Tin Oxide and Ni-doped SnO2 thin films (NSO) via spray pyrolysis from aqueous solutions. The deposition process was conducted under uniform conditions on two substrates, namely glass and fluorine tin oxide (FTO), with varying Ni percentages. The aim was to evaluate their potential for gas sensing applications. The as-deposited thin films exhibit diverse properties influenced by both Ni content and substrate type. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements reveal polycrystalline structures characterized by broad SnO2 diffraction lines, with the emergence of a NiO phase, particularly evident at higher Ni content. Notably, thin films deposited on FTO show the appearance of a secondary phase of SnO and enhanced crystallinity. Furthermore, lattice parameters and crystallite size decrease with increasing Ni percentage. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis highlights significant alterations in surface nanostructures based on nickel content and substrate type. Higher nickel concentrations result in the formation of cauliflower-like structures, varying in size and density. This structural divergence significantly impacts the sensitivity of NSO-based NO2 gas sensors. Particularly, thin films with 20 % Ni, especially those deposited on FTO, exhibit optimal configurations for gas sensor applications, display sensitivity of 501 % at 100 ppm for nanocrystalline NSO/FTO compared to 436 % for glass-deposited samples. Our findings highlight the crucial role of Ni content and substrate type in modifying the structural and sensing properties of NSO thin films, for enhanced gas sensing applications.

Scalability and Investigation of the Geometrical Features and Shapes of a Tandem Photo-Electrolysis Cell Based on Non-Critical Raw Materials

Tandem photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) are devices useful for water splitting (WS) with the production of oxygen at the photoanode (PA) and hydrogen at the photocathode (PC) by adsorbing more than 75% of the solar irradiation; a portion of the UV/Vis direct solar irradiation is captured by the PA and a diffused or transmitted IR/Vis portion by the PC. Herein, Ti-doped hematite (PA) and CuO (PC) were employed as abundant and non-critical raw semiconductors characterised by proper band gap and band edge banding for the photoelectrochemical WS and absorption of sunlight. The investigation of inexpensive PEC was focused on the scalability of an active area from 0.25 cm2 to 40 cm2 with a rectangular or square shape. For the first time, this study introduces the novel concept of a glass electrode membrane assembly (GEMA), which was developed with an ionomeric glue to improve the interfacial contact between the membrane and photoelectrodes. On a large scale, the electron–hole recombination and the non-optimal photoelectrodes/electrolyte interface were optimized by inserting a glass support at the photocathode and drilled fluorine tin oxide (FTO) at the photoanode to ensure the flow of reagents and products. Rectangular 40 cm2 PEC showed a larger maximum enthalpy efficiency of 0.6% compared to the square PEC, which had a value of 0.37% at a low bias-assisted voltage (−0.6 V). Furthermore, throughput efficiency reached a maximum value of 1.2% and 0.8%, demonstrating either an important effect of the PEC geometries or a non-significant variation of the photocurrent within the scalability.

Improved eco-friendly CsSn0.5Ge0.5I3 perovskite photovoltaic efficiency beyond 20% with SMe-TATPyr hole-transporting layer.

Perovskites composed of inorganic cesium (Cs) halide provide a route to thermally resistant solar cells. Nevertheless, the use of hole-transporting layers (HTLs) with hydrophobic additives is constrained by moisture-induced phase deterioration. Due to significant electrical loss, dopant-free HTLs are unable to produce practical solar cells. In this article, we designed a two-dimensional 1,3,6,8-tetrakis[5-(N,N-di(p-(methylthio)phenyl)amino-p-phenyl)-thiophen-2-yl]pyrene (termed SMe-TATPyr) molecule as a new HTL to regulate electrical loss in lead-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We optimized the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs based on mixed tin (Sn)/germanium (Ge) halide perovskite (CsSn0.5Ge0.5I3) by exploring different factors, such as the deep and shallow levels of defects, density of states at the valence band (NV), thickness of the perovskite film, p-type doping concentration (NA) of HTL, the series and shunt resistances, and so on. We carried out comparative research by employing the 1D-SCAPS (a solar cell capacitance simulator) analysis tool. Through optimization of the PSC, we obtained the highest parameters in the simulated solar cell structure of fluorine tin oxide (FTO)/titanium dioxide (TiO2)/CsSn0.5Ge0.5I3/SMe-TATPyr/gold (Au), and the PCE reached up to 20% with a fill factor (FF) of 81.89%.

Photo-electrocatalytic degradation of remdesivir from aqueous solutions using Ni-doped ZnO nanocomposite: Kinetic, degradation pathway, toxicity reduction and reusability

Currently, there has been increasing interest in developing active photocatalysts for the treatment of wastewaters. In this study, Nickel (Ni)-doped Zinc oxide on a fluorine tin oxide (ZnO/FTO) was synthesized and utilized as an electrocatalyst for efficient degradation and mineralization of remdesivir (REMD). Ni-ZnO/FTO electrode was characterized using XRD, SEM, EDX, LSV, and DRS analyses. The influence of operational parameters on the degradation efficiency procedure was explored in a batch photo-reactor and their optimum values were selected. At optimized conditions (e.g. initial REMD concentration = 1 mg/L, electrolyte concentration = 0.1 g/L, current intensity = 0.03 A, and pH = 7), within 2 h under UV-A, the removal efficiency of initial REMD concentration was 92 %, whereas TOC and COD removal efficiency were found as 80.1 % and 69.5 %, respectively. The assessment of the degradation rate within 2 h indicates that REMD degradation obeyed first order kinetic model. Additionally, in the comparison of degradation and mineralization efficiency of electrolysis, photolysis and photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalysis (PECP) processes for REMD removal, PECP gave the highest efficiency. The toxicity evaluations showed that the toxicity of solutions treated by the proposed PEC process significantly decreased in comparison with untreated controls. Based on reusability investigations, Ni-ZnO/FTO can be reused for at least five repetitive times with suitable efficiency. Moreover, by taking into account all results, it was concluded that the affordability, high potentiality, and well regenerability of Ni-ZnO/FTO make it an attractive electrocatalyst in terms of drug-containing wastewater treatment.

Investigation of suitable buffer layer for PbS-TBAI/PbS-EDT colloidal quantum dot solar cell using SCAPS-1D

Colloidal quantum dots (CQD) are emerging third-generation photovoltaic technologies because of their ability to link a wider range of the light spectrum compared to those of perovskite, crystalline, and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells. In this work, a Lead Sulphide (PbS) CQD solar cell architecture with Ag2S, CdS, ZnSe and ZnS buffer layer is presented. The device consisting of PbS-tetrabutyle ammonium iodide (PbS-TBAI) as an absorber layer, PbS-1,2-ethanedithiol (PbS-EDT) as a hole transport layer (HTL), TiO2 as an electron transport layer (ETL), and fluorine tin oxide (FTO) as an oxide layer. The electrical performances of the solar cells were simulated using SCAPS-1D while taking into account different buffer layers with increasing bandgap values. With ZnS acting as a buffer layer, the computational modelling and analysis of architectural PbS CQD solar cell result in an efficiency of 17.12%. Additionally, the parameters of the solar cell have been studied to be affected by the thickness and bandgap of the absorber and HTL layers, the effect of acceptor concentration with various buffer layers, the impact of temperature, the effect of HTL doping density, and the effect of absorber layer defect density. This study can serve as a guide for future PbS CQD solar cells.

Photochromic visual sensing chip for isothermal amplification detection of porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus

The outbreak of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) will cause huge economic losses to the whole pig industry. Hence, there is urgent need to develop a rapid and ultrasensitive method for detection of TGEV. As a nucleic acid detection technique, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) can achieve quantitative detection of targeted nucleic acids with high sensitivity and selectivity. Nevertheless, the signal outputs of LAMP method must be acquired by complicated instruments. In this work, we firstly developed a LAMP photochromic sensing chip for porcine TGEV detection by combination of the photochromic sensing chip and nucleic acid amplification. The detection signal was based on color change of electrochromic material rather than electrical signal, and thus the detection signal can be obtained by visualization without relying on complicated instrument. The entire test was performed with small fluorinated indium tin oxide electrodes modified with zinc oxide (ZnO) (a photocatalytic material) and Prussian blue (PB) (an electrochromic material). When photoinduced electrons produced by ZnO were injected into PB under light, the PB was reduced to Prussian white. The higher the concentration of TGEV, the more double-stranded DNA was produced after amplification. The amplified product produced greater impedance, and fewer electron was transferred, which affect the corresponding color change of PB. The sensing chip also showed highly sensitive response to TGEV, with the minimum limit of detection was determined to be 2.5 fg/μL. The sensing chip developed herein will provide a new avenue for DNA amplification detection by visualization.

A study on light sensitization behavior in (Mph)2CuCl4 low-dimensional hybrid material with tetrahedral units and extended absorption up to the NIR region

To develop toxic-free hybrids and hybrid perovskites with transition metals, copper is a potential candidate moreover, Cu settles to a layered structure with higher stability. Depending on the size of the organic cation, the organic inorganic copper halide hybrid settles into a lower dimensional perovskite structure or as a lower dimension hybrid material which lack the octahedral factor and form a regular array of tetrahedral units with organic cations affixing to them. Due to their unique optical properties, these hybrid structures have been comprehensively investigated for light emitting applications. According to the structural study, the synthesized morpholinum copper chloride ((Mph)2CuCl4) hybrid has inorganic tetrahedral units organized in layers, with organic bilayers between them. The band gap of the material was found to be 1.44 eV with good absorbance. This work examined the light sensitization properties of the organic inorganic hybrid semiconductor (Mph)2CuCl4. For that, a device of structure fluorinated tin oxide glass substrate/TiO2 compact layer/TiO2 mesoporous layer/(Mph)2CuCl4/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au was fabricated and encountered solar cell parameters and impedance.

Synthesis of TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanofiber as Photoanode of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC)

Recently, dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) are considered to replace the previous generation of solar cells. DSSC uses an organic dye to absorb light and convert it to electricity. One-dimensional morphological structure of photoanode that provides a straight pathway for electron transport can improve the efficiency of DSSC. TiO2 nanofibers is one-dimensional structure of oxide semiconductor material commonly used as photoanode in DSSC. A simple method to synthesis continuous nanofiber is electrospinning method that use the influence of electrostatic forces. The nanofiber’s diameter that produced by electrospinning method depends on several parameters, one of which is the applied voltage. This study reports the synthesis of TiO2 nanofibers with varying the applied voltages from 10 kV to 14 kV and their performance as photoanode in DSSC. TiO2 nanofibers were electrospun directly onto a TiO2-coated fluorine tin oxide (FTO) substrate from a mixture of titanium (IV) propoxide (TTIP), triton X-100, acetic acid, poly (vinyl) acetate (PVAc) that were dissolved in dimethyl formamide (DMF). TiO2 nanofiber photoanodes were then immersed in ruthenium (II) dye, stacked with a counter electrode, and finally the electrolyte was injected between them. Based on the SEM results, we found that the beads disappeared with increasing applied voltage. The XRD pattern of TiO2 nanofibers indicates the presence of the anatase phase. Based on the photocurrent-voltage characteristic, TiO2 nanofibers produced by applied voltage of 14 kV shows the highest efficiency of 1.11% with JSC 4.78 mA/cm2, VOC 0.74 Volt and fill factor (FF) of 31.37%.

Anionic Fluorine and Cationic Niobium Codoped Tin Oxide Thin Films as Transparent Conducting Electrodes for Optoelectronic Applications

Exploration of alternatives for supplementing indium tin oxide electrode is currently trending due to scarcity of indium, leading to a steep increase in the cost of related optoelectronic components. Codoping of niobium (Nb) and fluorine (F) into SnO2 lattice as cationic and anionic dopants, respectively, is explored by spray deposition technique. A fixed 10 wt% F and varying Nb concentration from 0 to 5 wt% is incorporated into the SnO2 lattice. X‐ray diffraction reveals substitution of Nb and F into the SnO2 lattice without altering the structure. Optical transmittance is found to increase with Nb content up to 4% of Nb (77.59%), and it decreases thereafter. Scanning electron microscope and optical profiler imply a relatively smooth surface with sharp‐tipped particles which vary with Nb concentration. Sheet resistance decreases up to 3 wt% of Nb doping and increases thereafter. Contact angle measurement indicates that upon doping with Nb, the films turn hydrophilic. Among the deposited films, 4 wt% of Nb‐doped film shows the highest figure of merit of 5.01 × 10−3 Ω−1. The surface work function of the 4 wt% Nb‐doped SnO2 film is 4,687.85 meV. The optimal films are tested as electrodes in dye‐sensitized solar cells and are discussed in detail.

Optically Transparent MIMO Antenna with Polarisation Diversity for Vehicular Communications

ABSTRACT A unique multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) adaptive intelligent antenna for vehicular communications is addressed in this article. It has a high degree of transparency that can be integrated with the windscreen for intelligent vehicular communications. The proposed diversity antenna has four monopole radiators oriented in orthogonal directions to obtain polarisation diversity. The optically transparent nature is realised using a soda-lime substratum of size 50 × 50 mm2 coated with Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCO). The Aluminium Zinc Oxide (AZO) is sputtered on top of a Fluorine Tin Oxide (FTO) to enhance the material’s conductivity with dual-conductive layer. The fabricated MIMO antenna has a bandwidth of 10 GHz and functions in the entire UWB range (2 to 12 GHz). By incorporating concentric circles into the ground, high confinement between nearly located antenna elements is achieved. The antenna has a peak gain of 2.9 dBi as measured. The Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) of the antenna in the entire Ultra-wideband (UWB) region attributed to the TCO material shows a very low correlation among the antenna elements. Because of diversity gain of the proposed vehicular antenna is ˃ 9.8 dB, it can also operate with low transmission power. The findings indicate that the antenna is pertinent for current intelligent vehicles that require multiple communications without aesthetic hindrance.