Indium Tin Oxide Conductive Glass Research Articles

Effect of substrate and oxygen-argon ratio on photocatalytic CO2 reduction in ITO films prepared by magnetron sputtering

The internal electron transport capacity of the semiconductor directly affects whether there is a sufficient number of photogenerated electrons involved in the catalytic reaction process, thus determining the photocatalytic efficiency. Indium tin oxide (ITO), as an excellent conductive material, has convenient internal electron transport and can be used as a good photocatalyst directly. In this paper, ITO films on three different conductive substrates were prepared by DC sputtering method, and the crystallization and appearance of each sample were compared. Different substrates affect the energy band position of catalyst. The performance of photocatalytic CO2 reduction was tested. We found that ITO films grown on carbon cloth (CC) substrate have good photocatalytic properties. The atmosphere ratio in the preparation process also has a certain influence on the performance of the sample. Compared with ITO conductive glass widely used in the market, our improved ITO film has better photocatalytic properties and practicability. This work provides a certain reference for the application of ITO in the field of photocatalysis.

Growth of Chlorine-Doped ZnO Nanorod Arrays on Different Substrates

In this study, zinc nitrate (Zn(NO3)2), hexamethylenetetramine (C6H12N4), and sodium chloride (NaCl) were employed as precursor materials to synthesize ZnO nanorod arrays on two distinct types of substrates using the hydrothermal method. We investigated how different substrates and varying chlorine concentrations influence the synthesis properties of chlorine-doped ZnO nanorod arrays. Specifically, this study aimed to explore the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the synthesized ZnO nanorod arrays. The substrates investigated were an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate with a ZnO seed layer and an ITO substrate with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of molecules. The formation of the SAM involved placing a clean ITO conductive glass substrate into a high-pressure reactor, along with a vial containing 0.2 mm of octadecyltrichlorosilane. Using this process, a uniform SAM was created on the ITO substrate. The molar ratio of Zn(NO3)2, C6H12N4, and NaCl was maintained at 1:1:x, where x varied as 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4. This corresponded to NaCl volumes of 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 mM, respectively. The crystallinity and orientation of the nanorods were assessed with their surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By systematically varying the chlorine concentration and substrate type, the role of these parameters was understood in tailoring the characteristics of ZnO nanorod arrays for potential applications in optoelectronic devices, sensors, and photocatalysts.

Preparation and Photoelectric Properties of Pr-Doped p-Cu2O Thin Films Photocatalyst Based on Energy Band Structure Regulation.

A Pr-doped p-Cu2O thin film was prepared on indium tin oxide conductive glass by electrochemical deposition; the effect of Pr doping on the structure, morphology, and physicochemical properties of p-Cu2O was investigated. The results show that with the increase in Pr doping amount, the particle size of p-Cu2O increases, the absorption boundary redshifts, and the band-gap width decreases. Pr doping increases the flat band potential and carrier concentration of p-Cu2O; when the doping amount is 1.2 mM, the carrier concentration reaches 1.14 × 1024 cm-3. Compared with pure p-Cu2O, the charge transfer resistance of Pr-doped p-Cu2O decreases and the photocurrent and open circuit voltage increase, indicating that the carrier transfer rate is accelerated, and the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes is effectively improved. The result of a norfloxacin photocatalytic degradation experiment showed that the degradation rate of norfloxacin increased from 52.3% to 76.2% and Pr doping effectively improved the photocatalytic performance of p-Cu2O. The main reasons for enhancing the photocatalytic performance are that the band gap of Pr-doped p-Cu2O decreases, the Fermi level of Cu2O is closer to the valence band position, the hole concentration near the valence band, and the oxidation capacity increases, and more h+ oxidize norfloxacin molecules. In addition, the Pr in Pr-Cu2O acts as a conductor to guide electrons on the guide band to the crystal surface, which increases the contact between photogenerated electrons and dissolved oxygen, which is conducive to the formation of the active species ·O2- and can effectively reduce the recombination of photogenerated carriers. In the process of photocatalytic degradation of norfloxacin, the main active species are ·O2-, ·OH, and h+, which play auxiliary roles. TOC tests show that the norfloxacin molecules can be effectively degraded into small molecule organic matter, CO2, and H2O in the presence of Pr-doped p-Cu2O.

Isocarbophos determination using a nanozyme-catalytic photoelectrochemical fuel cell-based aptasensor

In the present work, we developed a nanozyme-catalytic photoelectrochemical fuel cell (PNFC)-based aptasensor to determine isocarbophos in food samples, in which TNA/g-C3N4/ZIF-67 photoanode was prepared by in-situ assembly of ZIF-67 nanozyme with excellent glucose dehydrogenase-mimic performance on g-C3N4 modified TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNA/g-C3N4), ITO/Fe-N-C/cDNA/apt-SH cathode was prepared by successively assembling captured DNA (cDNA) and mercapto-modified anti-isocarbophos aptamer (apt-SH) onto the indium tin oxide conductive glass (ITO) coated with Fe-N-C nanozyme. Due to the specific recognition of isocarbophos by its aptamer and high output power of PNFC, the PNFC-based aptasensor could determine isocarbophos based on catalytic mercapto-inhibition effect and exonuclease I-assisted target recycling signal amplification, which had a quantitative range of 0.01–100 ng mL−1, low detection limit of 3.5 pg mL−1 and good selectivity for isocarbophos determination, being applied for real food sample analysis with good precision of the relative standard deviation less than 5.4% and good accuracy of the recoveries from 96.2% to 108.0%. What’s more, the portable PNFC-based aptasensor did not need additional energy supply and other targets could be selectively determined only by replacing cDNA and aptamer.

Surface photodynamic ion sterilization of ITO-Cu2O/ZnO preventing touch infection

• An ITO-Cu 2 O/ZnO heterojunction was constructed on ITO conductive glass by electrodeposition and atomic layer deposition. • The photocatalytic ability of ITO-Cu 2 O/ZnO was enhanced due to the formation of p-n junction. • The ITO-Cu 2 O/ZnO exhibited efficiently bacteria-killing under solar light irradiation for 3 min. • The coating of ZnO had a protective effect on the water corrosion of Cu 2 O and prolonged the service life of the hybrid film. Pathogenic microbial infections are threatening the people's health and even life. The most common channel of infections can be caused by skin contact, especially hand touching facilities such as touching screen. In this work, Cu 2 O covered with ZnO nanofilm was prepared on the surface of indium tin oxide conductive glass by electrodeposition and the followed atomic layer deposition process. This composite coating had a light transmittance of 71.5%, which met the light transmission needs of touch screen device. Electron spin resonance spectra showed that composite materials can generate more reactive oxygen species (ROS) than a single component under solar light irradiation. This was because a p-n junction with a built-in electric field was formed at the interface after Cu 2 O contacting with ZnO. In the process of photocatalysis, photogenerated electrons and holes migrated at the interface driven by the built-in electric field, which promoted the separation of carriers. The antibacterial rate against Staphylococcus aureus reached 92.5% after 3 min of light irradiation with simulated sunlight due to the synergy of ROS and Cu ions, Zn ions. Therefore, this work may provide a potential method for antibacterial application of preventing hand touch infections.

ZnO Nanorod Humidity Sensor and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells as a Self-Powered Device

In this paper, ZnO nanorod humidity sensors with dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) were prepared on indium tin oxide conductive glass. The average diameter and length of the ZnO nanorods were ~100 nm and $\sim 1.5~\mu \text{m}$ , respectively. After ZnO nanorods were grown, TiO2 film was coated by TiO2 with a nanoparticle size of approximately 26 nm through the doctor blade method. The sensitizer N3 was used for charge transfer on the DSCs. The solar photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the DSCs was approximately 4.7%. Humidity sensors were used for measurement under ultraviolet (UV) light at 365 nm. During UV illumination, the current increased under low humidity and gradually decreased under high humidity. The integrated device exhibited similar stable and sensitive performance as the traditional ZnO humidity sensor. Experimental results revealed that DSCs could be integrated with ZnO nanorod humidity sensors to create a self-powered integrated device that has potential Internet of Things applications.

Donor-Acceptor Supramolecular Organic Nanofibers as Visible-Light Photoelectrocatalysts for Hydrogen Production.

Perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI) derivatives have been extensively studied for one-dimensional (1D) self-assembled systems and for applications in photocatalysis. Herein, we constructed a PTCDI-based donor-acceptor (D-A) supramolecular system via in situ self-assembly on an indium tin oxide conductive glass surface. The self-assembled PTCDI nanostructures exhibit well-defined nanofibril morphologies and strong photocurrents. Interestingly, a strong and reversible electrochromic color change was observed during cyclic voltammetry. The color of the nanofibers changed from red to blue and then to violet as the reduction progressed to the radical anion and then to the dianion. This series of one-electron reductions was confirmed by UV absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and hydrazine reduction. Most importantly, these PTCDI nanofibers exhibit efficient photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen production with remarkable stability under xenon lamp illumination (λ ≥ 420 nm). Among the three nanofibers prepared, the fibers assembled from PTCDI molecule 2 were found to be the most effective catalyst with 30% Faradaic efficiency. In addition, the nanofibers produced hydrogen at a steady-state for more than 8 h and produced repeatable results in 3 consecutive testing cycles, giving them great potential for practical industrial applications. Under an applied bias voltage, the 1D intermolecular stacking along the long axis of the nanofibers affords efficient separation and migration of photogenerated charge carriers, which play a crucial role in the photoelectrocatalytic process. As a proof-of-concept, the D-A-structured PTCDI nanofibers presented herein may guide future research on photoelectrocatalysis based on self-assembled supramolecular systems by providing more options for material design of the catalysts to achieve greater efficiencies.

A novel electrocatalytic approach for effective degradation of Rh-B in water using carbon nanotubes and agarose.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/agarose (AG) membrane on the ITO (indium tin oxide) conductive glass, with high efficiency of electrocatalytic degradation for rhodamine B (Rh-B) in water, was prepared using an easy and green method. The prepared CNTs/AG membrane was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectra (EDS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results revealed that CNTs were dispersed in the AG membrane. Additionally, the electrocatalytic activities for Rh-B were conducted on the electrochemical workstation with a three-electrode system. Both initial pH and potential played an important role in the process of electrocatalytic degradation. At pH3 and potential reaching 4V, the removal rate of Rh-B (10mg/L) in water achieved 96% within 20min. The stability of the prepared CNTs/AG membrane was also investigated. Besides, the toxicities of the main intermediates from the electrocatalytic degradation for Rh-B were calculated using the ECOSAR program and EPIWIN software, and results indicated that the toxicities of some intermediates were higher than those of the parent pollutant (Rh-B). These findings provided a light-spot to simplify the preparation of efficient working electrode and emphasized the possible potential risks from intermediates at the same time.

Functional design of electrolytic biosensor

A novel amperometric biosensbased on conjugated polypyrrole (PPy) deposited on a Pt modified ITO (indium tin oxide) conductive glass substrate and their performances are described. We have presented a method of developing a highly sensitive and low-cost nano-biosensor for blood glucose measurements. The fabrication method proposed decreases the cost of production significantly as the amount of noble metals used is minimized. A nano-corrugated PPy substrate was developed through pulsed electrochemical deposition. The sensitivity achieved was 325 mA/(Mcm2) and the linear range of the developed sensor was 50-60 mmol/l. Then the application of the electrophoresis helps the glucose oxidase (GOx) on the PPy substrate. The main reason behind this high enzyme loading is the high electric field applied across the sensor surface (working electrode) and the counter electrode where that pushes the nano-scale enzyme particles floating in the phosphate buffer solution towards the substrate. The novel technique used has provided an extremely high sensitivities and very high linear ranges for enzyme (GOx) and therefore can be concluded that this is a very good technique to load enzyme onto the conducting polymer substrates.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry for the spatial location of feline oviductal proteins.

With the purpose of identifying factors involved in early stages of embryo development in the domestic cat, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) was used for the first time to describe the spatial localization of proteins in the oviducts of queens. Oviducts were obtained from two 2 and 4years old cross-bred queens, divided into three segments, snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and then stored at -80°C until use. Next, they were sectioned in a cryostat, fixed on ITO (indium tin oxide) conductive glass slides for MALDI-IMS and serial sections were collected on microscope slides for histology. As confirmed by histology, MALDI-IMS was able to show contrasting protein distributions in the oviductal infundibulum, ampulla and isthmus. Mass spectra were characterized by abundant ions of m/z 1,259, 4,939, 4,960 and 10,626, which have been tentatively attributed to keratin, thymosin β10, thymosin β4 and S100, respectively. Keratin and thymosins are involved in the biological response to tissue damage. S100 proteins are calcium-modulated proteins implicated in a variety of cellular activities, including cell differentiation and regulation of cell motility. These results suggest that protein composition differs between segments of the cat oviduct, which corresponds to morphological changes within these sections. Further functional studies could elucidate the effects of these proteins on feline reproductive physiology.

Water oxidation electrocatalysis with iron oxide nanoparticles prepared via laser ablation

Iron oxide nanoparticles (FeOx NPs, 5–30 nm size) prepared via laser ablation in liquid were supported onto Indium Tin Oxide conductive glass slides by magnetophoretic deposition (MD) technique. The resulting FeOx@ITO electrodes are characterized by a low amount of iron coverage of 16–50 nmol/cm2, and show electrocatalytic activity towards water oxidation in neutral phosphate buffer pH 7 with 0.58 V overpotential and quantitative Faradaic efficiency towards oxygen production. XPS analysis on the oxygen region of the FeOx films reveals a substantial hydration of the surface after catalysis, recognized as a crucial step to access reactivity.

Fabrication of Resistive Random Access Memory by Atomic Force Microscope Local Anodic Oxidation

The fabrication of gallium, zinc and nickel oxide nanodots for application of resistive random access memory (RRAM) was demonstrated using the atomic force microscopy (AFM) local anodic oxidation technique. Thin metal films were deposited on indium tin oxide conductive glass substrates. In the atmospheric environment, using AFM equipped with an Ag -coated probe can generate metal oxide nanodots locally on the metal films. These nanodots act as an insulator layer in a single unit cell of the RRAM. The voltage-biased method allows devices to reset from a low-resistance state (LRS) to a high-resistance state (HRS) at 0.9 V. These results show the ability of the AFM local anodic oxidation to produce 50 nm NiO nanodots on glass substrates for potentially high-density RRAMs. As we developed the characteristics of the structure, we found that a lateral NiO nanobelt RRAM performs very low power operation from such experimental manufacturing process. Using a current-biased method, the lateral device switches from a HRS to a LRS with a low writing voltage of 0.64 V.

Poly(pyrrole) films efficiently electrodeposited using new monomers derived from 3-bromopropyl-N-pyrrol and dihydroxyacetophenone—Electrocatalytic reduction ability towards bromocyclopentane

Three monomers 6-[3′-N-pyrrolpropoxy]-2-hydroxyacetophenone (1), 5-(3′-N-pyrrol propoxy)-2-hydroxyacetophenone (2) and 4-(3′-N-pyrrolpropoxy)-2-hydroxyacetophenone (3) were synthesized and their poly(pyrrole) films were electrodeposited on glassy carbon (GC) and Indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive electrodes by anodic oxidation in acetonitrile solutions containing n-Bu)4N+ClO4− (TBAP 0.1M). These films, currently called modified electrodes (noted ME), were obtained by the successive cycling at the appropriate potentials. These films contain chelating sites such as carbonyl group bearing the phenolic function which could play an important role in coordination chemistry. The electrodeposited poly(pyrrole) films on the ITO conductive glass electrodes offer some analytical advantages as the optical and electronic properties. Consequently, these new materials of electrodes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry while the morphology of these films was studied by FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dispersive energy X-ray spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM studies show that the morphology of polypyrrole (PPy) films, electrodeposited on ITO surface, depends on the specific structure of the compound deriving from the monoalkylated dihydroxyacetophenone 1, 2 and 3. The coordination of copper was performed by electroreduction reaction in presence of ligand (3) and copper acetate salt. The resulting electrode material was tested towards the electrocatalytic activity in the reduction of bromocyclopentane.

A green-light gain-assisted metamaterial fabricated by self-assembled electrochemical deposition

Based on the fabrication of nanospheres self-assembled and electrochemical deposition, the high-quality double-fishnet metamaterials consisting of Ag-polyvinyl alcohol-Ag nanostructures on an indium tin oxide conductive glass substrate have been prepared, with a resonant pass band in the vicinity of 545-nm green-light wavelength. The active medium Rhodamine B (Rh B) was incorporated into metamaterial structure to overcome the inherent losses, and the experiments demonstrate that the transmission intensity of the sample doped with Rh B is enhanced evidently versus that of the sample without Rh B; this may provide another way towards the fabrication of gain-assisted low-loss visible metamaterials.

Visible light photoelectrocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B using a dye-sensitised TiO2 electrode

AbstractTitanium dioxide is a promising catalyst for application in the photodegradation of organic pollutants in water due to its powerful oxidising property and long-term photostability. This study presents the production of titanium dioxide using the sol-gel process, dye sensitisation of the TiO2 electrode, and the performance of that cell. Sensitisation of titanium dioxide was performed using a dye, i.e., Fe(II)-polypyridyl complexes. The photoelectrocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RB) using ITO/TiO2/dye as electrode was investigated via a series of potentials, from +1.0 V to −1.0 V, and at various pH and NaCl concentration values (ITO is indium tin oxide conductive glass). The photoelectrocatalytic degradation of RB was performed with a visible light lamp. The change in the absorbance of RB with various potentials indicated that the absorbance of RB in solution systems with the sensitised TiO2 electrodes decreased with increasing anodic potential bias. The degradation cell exhibited better performance when the positive anodic bias was applied. The pH values of RB in solution systems also influence the photoelectrodegradation process because of the different RB species present. NaCl concentration also affects the activity of RB photoelectrocatalytic degradation due to changes in the ionic strength character of the electrolyte.

Rapid synthesis of gallium oxide resistive random access memory by atomic force microscopy local anodic oxidation

The fabrication of gallium oxide nanodots for the application of resistive random access memory (RRAM) using a process of atomic force microscopy (AFM) local anodic oxidation on an indium tin oxide conductive glass substrate is reported. In the atmospheric environment, an AFM probe tip contacts the gallium film locally. This gallium oxide nanodot acts as the insulator layer in a single unit of the RRAM. The structure describes the insulator layer (GaOx) sandwiched by the top (AFM tip) and bottom (Ga film) electrodes. Using current and voltage biased methods, the device switches from a high-resistance state (HRS) to a low-resistance state (LRS) and reset from LRS to HRS. Low read-voltage is used to distinguish the high/low resistance to present the digital data. Presented results show the ability of atomic force microscopy anodic oxidation to produce 300 nm diameter gallium oxide nanodots on glass substrates for potentially high density RRAMs.

Large phase-transition hysteresis for nanostructured VOx film prepared on ITO conductive glass by DC reactive magnetron sputtering

Nanostructured vanadium oxide (nano-VOx) films were prepared on indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate at low temperature by means of direct current (DC) reactive magnetron sputtering from pure vanadium target in Ar + O2 atmosphere. Field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) reveals that the VOx film is composed of spheroidal nanoparticles whose diameters are in the range of 20–40 nm. This nano-VOx film shows a broad hysteresis loop whose width is as large as 41.6 °C. Moreover, the metal-insulator transition (MIT) can also be triggered by Joule heat produced by electrical current through the ITO sublayer. Compared to traditional heating of the sample by heating plate, this Joule heating is more efficient and convenient, which enables potential applications of this nano-VOx film on ITO conductive glass in compact storage devices.

Evaluation of the Photochemical Stability of Zinc Sulfide as Protective Layer on Silver Indium Sulfide Photocatalyst Film

AbstractHydrogen production by water splitting with photoelectrochemical cell is one of novel ways to provide clean and renewable energy. Ag‐In‐S ternary semiconductor thin film prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) on the surface of indium tin oxide conductive glass represented a mixture phase of AgInS2/AgIn5S8. Under the visible light irradiation with intensity of 100 mW/cm2, the photocurrent density could be up to 12 mA/cm2. After long term irradiation, however, photocorrosion occurred on Ag‐In‐S film resulted in the photocurrent decay. Thus, zinc sulfide (ZnS) with a wide energy bandgap represented a superior stability and no absorption of visible light were prepared as protective layers on the surface of Ag‐In‐S film deposited by CBD method. After a long time photoelectrochemical measurement under visible light irradiation, the modified Ag‐In‐S photocatalyst with one ZnS protective layer deposited by CBD method showed an obvious enhancement in the durability without a serious decay in photocurrent.

Fabrication of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐polysaccharide composites

AbstractPoly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with a series of anionic polysaccharides such as carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium hyaluronate, xanthan gum, pectin, gellan gum were prepared by electropolymerization in aqueous solutions. Some other dopants of potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, sodium poly(styrenesulfonate), and sodium polyacrylate were used in comparison with the anionic polysaccharides. The electrochemical properties and stability of the obtained PEDOT films were also investigated. It was found that indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass could be used as the working electrode of the electropolymerization of EDOT and that the dopant had a great influence on polymerization potential and overoxidation potential. These charged biomolecules of anionic polysaccharides were found to facilitate electropolymerization of EDOT instead of common doping anions as counterion. The electroactive PEDOT films doped with anionic polysaccharides showed stable electrochemical properties, good texture, and adhesion properties to the ITO conductive glass. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Preparation and Characterization of CuInSe2 Thin Films Derived by Electrodeposition Process for Solar Cells

CuInSe2 thin films for solar cells are deposited on indium tin oxide conductive glass substrates by one step electrodeposition process in a three-electrode system. The structural, compositional, and morphological properties of the deposited CuInSe2 thin films are then characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Results indicate that the CuInSe2 thin films with smooth, homogeneous, and polycrystalline can be easily obtained. The atomic ratio of Cu, In, and Se of the CuInSe2 thin films is 1.00:1.14:2.45 after annealing in a vacuum tubular furnace, and the thickness of the CuInSe2 thin films is measured in a range between 1 μm and 1.6 μm, which meets the requirement for fabricating tandem solar cells.