Indium Tin Oxide Nanoparticles Research Articles

N-acetylcysteine regulates NF-κB signaling pathway alleviates the pulmonary toxicity induced by indium-tin oxide nanoparticles in rats

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the possible protective effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) against Indum-tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticle (Nano-ITO) -induced pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) in rats, especially via modulation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling. Methods: In October 2019, 50 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into five groups (10 rats each) as follows: blank control group, saline control group, NAC control group (200 mg/kg), Nano-ITO group (receiving a repeated intratracheal dose of 6 mg/kg Nano-ITO) and NAC intervention group (pre-treated intraperitoneally with 200 mg/kg NAC 1.5 h before the administration of an intratracheal dose of 6 mg/kg Nano-ITO). The rats were exposed twice a week for 12 weeks. Rats were then euthanized under anesthesia, and their lungs were removed for histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis. The comparison of indicators reflecting oxidative stress and pulmonary inflammation among groups was conducted using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni's test. The effect of NAC on Nano-ITO induced NF-κB signaling pathway in rats was analyzed. Results: Histopathological examination of Nano-ITO exposed rats revealed diffuse alveolar damage, including PAP, cholesterol crystals, alveolar fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and alveolar emphysema. Immunohistochemical results of Nano-ITO exposed rats showed strong positive for nuclear factor κB p65 (NF-κB p65) and nuclear factor Kappa B inhibitory factor kinase (IKK-β) and weak positive for nuclear factor κB inhibitory protein α (IκB-α) in the nuclei of bronchiolar and alveolar epithelial cells. Compared with blank control group, saline control group and NAC control group, the level of total protein (TP) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of rats in Nano-ITO group was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) content and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were significantly increased (P<0.05), the levels of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the levels of NF-κB p65, IKK-β, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in lung tissue were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with Nano-ITO group, the levels of TP, T-AOC, MDA and TNF-α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of rats in NAC intervention group were significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the levels of NF-κB p65 and ROS in lung tissue were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Western blot results showed that compared with the control groups, the protein expressions of NF-κB p65 and IKK-β in the lung tissue of Nano-ITO group were increased, while the protein expression of IκB-α was decreased (P<0.05). Compared with Nano-ITO group, the protein expressions of NF-κB p65 and IKK-β in lung tissue of rats in NAC intervention group were decreased, while the protein expression of IκB-α was increased (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The study demonstrated that Nano-ITO might induce pulmonary toxicity through the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway, and NAC could antagonize the pulmonary toxicity of Nano-ITO by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

The Effect of Indium Tin Oxide Nanoparticles (ITO NPs) Incorporated with ZnO NPs based on Structural, Optical and Flexible Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (FDSSCs) Application.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) doped with indium tin oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs) on polymer-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The ZnO NPs and ITO NPs were synthesized using the sol-gel and co-precipitation methods, respectively. They were then characterized and applied for dye-sensitized solar cells of a polymer-based substrate. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis revealed the presence of hexagonal structures and small spherical nanoparticles. The mean diameter of the ZnO NPs was found to be 15.22 ± 0.11 nm, while the ZnO NPs doped with ITO NPs (ZnO NPs/ITO NPs) had a mean diameter of 14.54 ± 0.16 nm. The effects of the ITO NPs on the ZnO NPs were evaluated, and it was found that these ITO NPs enhanced the performance of the flexible electrode DSSCs. After the addition of ITO NPs, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the ZnO NPs was boosted to be three times higher than that of the ZnO NPs DSSCs without ITO NPs. Similarly, the ultraviolet (UV) band exhibited a red shift, resulting in a lower band gap and reduced charge transfer resistance, which can enhance the PCE of the DSSCs. The polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/indium tin oxide (ITO) (PET/ITO) substrate conductive polymer showed positive outcomes for DSSCs. The PCE value for ZnO NPs was 2.198 ± 0.14%, while for ZnO NPs/ITO NPs, it was 6.680 ± 0.12%. This work achieved remarkable and competitive performance when compared to a solid (indium tin oxides/glass)-based substrate.

Optimization of optical properties of nanocomposite films incorporating CWO and ITO nanoparticles for energy-saving window applications

Cesium tungsten oxide (CWO) and indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles are potential candidates for application in energy-saving windows. However, most optical studies on these nanocomposite films lack systematic evaluation and design methods. In this work, the optical properties of spherical and cylindrical CWO and ITO nanoparticles under different geometric parameters based on the Lorenz–Mie and T-matrix theories are investigated, and spectral responses of CWO-PDMS and ITO-PDMS windows are calculated by solving the radiative transfer equation (RTE) using the Monte Carlo method. By evaluating and optimizing the geometric parameters of the nanocomposite films, energy-saving windows exhibit excellent optical performance, with a visible light transmittance that meets the indoor needs of the human eye (Tlum is about 0.6), and can shield most near-infrared light, especially CWO-PDMS windows (TNIR=0.04). Finally, a building energy consumption simulation analysis based on Energy Plus is conducted in three different cities: Jinan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The results indicate that by adjusting the geometric parameters of nanoparticles, energy-saving windows can effectively reduce energy consumption in tropical and subtropical regions. This work provides guidance for the subsequent commercialization and experimental analysis of spectral selective composite films.

Fabrication of Nano-Carbon-Based Sustainable Perovskite Solar Cells

The rising need for sustainable energy solutions has fuelled considerable research into novel technologies that harness solar energy for efficient and scalable energy storage. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as feasible candidates for these applications due to their unique properties, such as high surface area, better electrical conductivity, and chemical stability.This report focuses on the design and fabrication of cost-effective nano-carbon-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and discusses their potential for clean energy generation and storage. This experimental study shows a novel technique to increase the sustainability the conventional fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate with an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) derived from electronic waste and incorporating nanocarbon based-graphene with solution-based techniques. This addition serves as a good basis for the ITO coating, aids charge transport in the perovskite solar cell, and promotes uniform covering maximum electrical conductivity, and transparency. Being the transparent conducting electrode, the CNTs is infused with the upcycled ITO coated glass and was included in the perovskite solar cell architecture, which replaces the traditional ITO electrode, lowering material costs, and improving the circular economy for energy storage devices, and a cleaner energy future.The ITO extraction process entails recovering indium and tin from mobile phones using an environmentally friendly and economical chemical etching process using hydrochloric acid (HCl) to remove the ITO layer. To ensure the purity and structural integrity of the ITO nanoparticles, they were rigorously characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. After depositing a perovskite- CNTs precursor solution on the ITO layer glass substrate, the light-absorbing layer was annealed. Electron transport and hole-blocking layers were then deposited utilizing solution processing techniques using the PEDOT: PSS and metal electrodes were deposited to complete the device manufacturing. The current-voltage (J-V) relationship was used to compute the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a solar cell. Electrical characterization allow for the calculation of solar cell performance metrics such as short-circuit current (Isc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and open-circuit voltage (Voc). These findings imply that employing e-waste-derived ITO on graphene substrates to create high-efficiency perovskite solar cells is a realistic option. This research provides a sustainable and cost-effective method for producing high-performance perovskite solar cells by eco-friendly upcycling e-waste for ITO extraction, addressing the critical issue of e-trash management. Keywords Perovskite solar cells, CNTs, sustainable energy, energy conversion.

Inverse-designed multi-diameter InAs nanowire array ultra-broadband photodetectors enhanced by localized surface plasmon resonances

Multi-diameter InAs nanowire array ultra-broadband photodetectors are inversely designed and further enhanced by localized surface plasmon resonances. The nanowire diameters are carefully selected by the particle swarm optimization algorithm within the range of 100-800 nm. The multi-diameter nanowire array exhibits high absorption over 80% within a broadband wavelength range of 0.5-3.42 µm, much wider and flatter than that of the single-diameter counterpart, which is attibuted to the superposition of multiple absorption peaks as well as the extension of absorption to longer wavelengths. By introducing indium tin oxide nanoparticles onto the nanowire surface, the lowest absorption is further raised to 87% within a broad wavelength range of 0.55-3.5 µm due to the localized surface plasmon resonances, and the dark current density is substantially reduced from 214 mA/cm2 to 83 mA/cm2 due to the large depletion region. This work may pave the way for the development of ultra-broadband high-responsivity infrared photodetectors.

Highly sensitive and stretchable fiber strain sensors based on ITO NPs/CNTs composite

Flexible and multifunctional sensors are in demand in various fields, but achieving excellent sensitivity and an extensive operational range poses a challenge. Here, we developed a flexible strain sensor using a cost-effective dip-coating method, incorporating microcracked synergistic indium tin oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a conductive layer. Utilizing an elastic rubber core string as the stretchable substrate and Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as an interfacial modifier, we established connectivity between the substrate and conductive layer. After encapsulation with polydimethylsiloxane, the ITO NPs/CNTs/rubber fiber (ICRF) strain sensor was fabricated. This sensor demonstrates a broad sensing range (0 ∼ 300 %), remarkable sensitivity (GF=1033.57), swift response/recovery times (174.55 ms/180.27 ms), and exceptional durability and stability (>2000 cycles). Moreover, it proves effective for human motion detection, underscoring its potential in flexible and wearable devices. Finally, precise responses of the mechanical claw’s posture and grasping demonstrate its potential applications across multiple fields.

Enhancing structural and optical properties of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) incorporating with indium tin oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs): effects of annealing temperature

TiO2 NPs and ITO NPs embedded systems are vital for surface modification in various applications. Enhancing the characterization of TiO2 NPs/ITO NPs nanoparticles to improve application efficiency is a key research direction. This study focuses on characterizing nanocomposites using TEM, SEM, XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, EDS, and PL spectroscopy. TiO2 NPs and ITO NPs were separately prepared using the sol-gel method, and their hybridization was achieved through an appropriate method. TEM images reveal the nano size of TiO2 NPs and TiO2 NPs/ITO NPs, with mean diameters of 12.25 ± 13 nm and 11.43 ± 11 nm, respectively. Hexagonal structures like nanoparticles are observed in the TEM analysis. SEM images demonstrate the uniform dispersion and smooth surface morphology of TiO2 NPs/ITO NPs. XRD analysis confirms the crystalline nature of TiO2 NPs, corresponding to specific crystallographic planes in the hexagonal structure. The addition of ITO NPs induces a redshift in the UV-Vis spectra, suggesting an influence on the bandgap of TiO2 NPs and potential applications in photocatalytic degradation and solar energy utilization. Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals optical characteristics of the TiO2 NPs/ITO NPs hybrid nanostructures, with a visible emission peak redshift nm at room temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 600 °C. These findings contribute to understanding the optical behavior and interaction between ITO NPs and TiO2 NPs in the hybrid nanostructures. Overall, these characterization techniques provide valuable information on size, shape, crystallinity, optical properties, and interactions within the nanocomposites, benefiting further research and potential applications.

Interface Reactive Sputtering of Transparent Electrode for High-Performance Monolithic and Stacked Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells.

Sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) fulfills the requirements of top transparent electrodes (TTEs) in semitransparent perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and stacked tandem solar cells (TSCs), as well as of the recombination layers in monolithic TSCs. However, the high-energy ITO particles will cause damage to the devices. Herein, the interface reactive sputtering strategy is proposed to construct cost-effective TTEs with high transmittance and excellent carrier transporting ability. Polyethylenimine (PEI) is chosen as the interface reactant that can react with sputtered ITO nanoparticles,so that, coordination compounds can be formed during the deposition process, facilitating the carrier transport at the interface of C60/PEI/ITO. Besides, the impact force of energetic ITO particles is greatly alleviated, and the intactness of the underlying C60 layer and perovskite layer is guaranteed. Thus, the prepared semitransparent subcells achieve a significantly enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.17%, surpassing those based on C60/ITO (11.64%). Moreover, the PEI-based devices demonstrate excellent storage stability, which maintains 98% of their original PCEs after 2000 h. On the strength of the interface reactive sputtering ITO electrode, a stacked all-perovskite TSC with a PCE of 26.89% and a monolithic perovskite-organic TSC with a PCE of 24.33% are successfully fabricated.

Subchronic toxicity study of indium-tin oxide nanoparticles following intratracheal administration into the lungs of rats.

We aimed to analyze the subchronic toxicity and tissue distribution of indium after the intratracheal administration of indium-tin oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs) to the lungs of rats. Male Wistar rats were administered a single intratracheal dose of 10 or 20mg In/kg body weight (BW) of ITO NPs. The control rats received only an intratracheal dose of distilled water. A subset of rats was periodically euthanized throughout the study from 1 to 20weeks after administration. Indium concentrations in the serum, lungs, mediastinal lymph nodes, kidneys, liver, and spleen as well as pathological changes in the lungs and kidneys were determined. Additionally, the distribution of ionic indium and indium NPs in the kidneys was analyzed using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Indium concentrations in the lungs of the 2 ITO NP groups gradually decreased over the 20-week observation period. Conversely, the indium concentrations in the mediastinal lymph nodes of the 2 ITO groups increased and were several hundred times higher than those in the kidneys, spleen, and liver. Pulmonary and renal toxicities were observed histopathologically in both the ITO groups. Both indium NPs and ionic indium were detected in the kidneys, and their distributions were similar to the strong indium signals detected at the sites of inflammatory cell infiltration and tubular epithelial cells. Our results demonstrate that intratracheal administration of 10 or 20mg In/kg BW of ITO NPs in male rats produces pulmonary and renal toxicities.

Rapid laser fabrication of indium tin oxide and polymer-derived ceramic composite thin films for high-temperature sensors

Thin-film sensors are essential for real-time monitoring of components in high-temperature environments. Traditional fabrication methods often involve complicated fabrication steps or require prolonged high-temperature annealing, limiting their practical applicability. Here, we present an approach using direct ink writing and laser scanning (DIW-LS) to fabricate high-temperature functional thin films. An indium tin oxide (ITO)/preceramic polymer (PP) ink suitable for DIW was developed. Under LS, the ITO/PP thin film shrank in volume. Meanwhile, the rapid pyrolysis of PP into amorphous precursor-derived ceramic (PDC) facilitated the faster sintering of ITO nanoparticles and improved the densification of the thin film. This process realized the formation of a conductive network of interconnected ITO nanoparticles. The results show that the ITO/PDC thin film exhibits excellent stability, with a drift rate of 4.7 % at 1000 °C for 25 h, and withstands temperatures up to 1250 °C in the ambient atmosphere. It is also sensitive to strain, with a maximum gauge factor of −6.0. As a proof of concept, we have used DIW-LS technology to fabricate a thin-film heat flux sensor on the surface of the turbine blade, capable of measuring heat flux densities over 1 MW/m2. This DIW-LS process provides a viable approach for the integrated, rapid, and flexible fabrication of thin film sensors for harsh environments.

A Mediator-Free Multi-Ply Biofuel Cell Using an Interfacial Assembly between Hydrophilic Enzymes and Hydrophobic Conductive Oxide Nanoparticles with Pointed Apexes.

Biofuel cells (BFCs) based on enzymatic electrodes hold great promise as power sources for biomedical devices. However, their practical use is hindered by low electron transfer efficiency and poor operational stability of enzymatic electrodes. Here, a novel mediator-free multi-ply BFC that overcomes these limitations and exhibits both substantially high-power output and long-term operational stability is presented. The approach involves the utilization of interfacial interaction-induced assembly between hydrophilic glucose oxidase (GOx) and hydrophobic conductive indium tin oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs) with distinctive shapes, along with a multi-ply electrode system. For the preparation of the anode, GOx and oleylamine-stabilized ITO NPs with bipod/tripod type are covalently assembled onto the host fiber electrode composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and gold (Au)NPs. Remarkably, despite the contrasting hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, this interfacial assembly approach allows for the formation of nanoblended GOx/ITO NP film, enabling efficient electron transfer within the anode. Additionally, the cathode is prepared by sputtering Pt onto the host electrode. Furthermore, the multi-ply fiber electrode system exhibits unprecedented high-power output (≈10.4mW cm-2 ) and excellent operational stability (2.1mW cm-2 , ≈49% after 60 days of continuous operation). The approach can provide a basis for the development of high-performance BFCs.

Photothermal insulation mechanism of submicron ITO hollow particles in PVDF film

In this study, submicron Sn[Formula: see text]-doped In2O3 hollow particles (indium-tin oxide (ITO)) with a lyrium shell-like surface were synthesized via solvothermal method. The appropriate addition of these particles into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films exhibits high visible light transmission and effective UV/IR blocking properties, surpassing those of ITO nanoparticles. This can be attributed to the reduced absorption of UV/IR radiation by the hollow ITO particles, as well as their higher diffuse reflectivity and thermal insulation.

Nose-to-brain translocation and nervous system injury in response to indium tin oxide nanoparticles of long-term low-dose exposures

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a semiconductor nanomaterial with broad application in liquid crystal displays, solar cells, and electrochemical immune sensors. It is worth noting that, with the gradual increase in worker exposure opportunities, the exposure risk in occupational production cannot be ignored. At present, the toxicity of ITO mainly focuses on respiratory toxicity. ITO inhaled through the upper respiratory tract can cause pathological changes such as interstitial pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis. Still, extrapulmonary toxicity after nanoscale ITO nanoparticle (ITO NPs) exposure, such as long-term effects on the central nervous system, should also be of concern. Therefore, we set up exposure dose experiments (0 mg·kg−1, 3.6 mg·kg−1, and 36 mg·kg−1) based on occupational exposure limits to treat C57BL/6 mice via nasal drops for 15 weeks. Moreover, we conducted a preliminary assessment of the neurotoxicity of ITO NPs (20–30 nm) in vivo. The results indicated that ITO NPs can cause diffuse inflammatory infiltrates in brain tissue, increased glial cell responsiveness, abnormal neuronal cell lineage transition, neuronal migration disorders, and neuronal apoptosis related to the oxidative stress induced by ITO NPs exposure. Hence, our findings provide useful information for the fuller risk assessment of ITO NPs after occupational exposure.

In-situ construction of plasma-pretreated CNT networks endow the LPDS dual-layer coating with advanced thermal management and anti-static properties

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for temperature regulation have been proven to be promising for passive radiative heat dissipation. However, it remains a considerable challenge to assemble a CNTs layer in situ while simultaneously achieving horizontal electrical conductivity, vertical electrical insulation, and radiative heat dissipation. Herein, plasma pretreatment was employed to functionalize CNTs in an aqueous solution, thus improving their dispersion capability. Subsequently, a liquid-plasma-assisted particle deposition and sintering (LPDS) technology was proposed to prepare a dual-layer coating with an Al2O3-P2O5-SiO2-In2O3 glass system embedded with crystalline indium tin oxide (ITO) as the porous bottom layer and ITO-CNTs as the top layer on the aluminum alloy surface. The results show that plasma pretreatment significantly increases the deposition amount of ITO nanoparticles and functionalized CNTs on the coating surface, resulting in the transition from a single-layer composite coating to a dual-layer coating. The surface micro-/nano hierarchical structure favors strong absorptance/emittance, exhibiting a high infrared emittance of 0.94 (3-20 μm) and high solar absorptance of 0.92 (0.2-2.5 μm). Meanwhile, the surface balance temperature of the dual-layer coating is about 392 K, which is 146 K lower than that of aluminum alloy. Furthermore, the top conductive ITO-CNTs layer contributes to the low surface resistivity of 3.46×102 Ω, while the glass phase of the bottom layer ensures vertical electrical insulation with a volume resistance of 4.20×107 Ω. The process provides a new path for preparing thermal control coatings with anti-static function.

Indium tin oxide nanoparticles induced molecular rearrangement in nematic liquid crystal material

In the present article, we report the influence of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles (NPs) on the macroscopic molecular arrangement of a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) material namely 4 cyano-4ʹ-pentylbiphenyl (5CB). To achieve the objective, we have adopted various concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 1 wt%) of ITO NPs in 5CB and filled them in the homogeneously aligned sample cells to observe their influence on the dielectric and optical texture of the NLC under investigation. Firstly, polarizing optical micrographs under crossed polarizers were recorded to observe the uniform dispersion and miscibility of ITO NPs in the nematic phase of 5CB. These micrographs also infer the molecular rearrangement of 5CB material that is occurred under the simultaneous and cumulative anchoring effect induced by ITO NPs and aligning layers. Furthermore, the dielectric parameters (permittivity, loss and dielectric loss factor) of pristine and composites as the function of frequency, temperature and DC biasing have been studied. Surprisingly, dielectric permittivity and relaxation frequency of 0.25 wt% ITO NPs composite was found to be the maximum that is decreased with further increment in the concentration of ITO NPs. We have also confirmed the thermal stability of 0.25 wt% ITO NP-induced changes in 5CB. Apart from it, by virtue of temperature-dependent dielectric anisotropy and optical textures, we have reported a significant decrement (∼14 %) in clearing temperature of 5CB. These results will pave the way to devise a system with ITO NPs as the dopant in order to obtain desired phase transition temperature of liquid crystal materials.

Enhanced Photo-Electrochemical Responses through Photo-Responsive Ruthenium Complexes on ITO Nanoparticle Surface

The mononuclear ruthenium 1-Cl and dinuclear ruthenium 2-Cl complexes undergo a photo-induced ligand exchange in water, affording the corresponding 1-H2O and 2-H2O complexes. The use of indium tin oxide nanoparticles (nanoITOs) to explore the photo-electrochemistry of the in situ-generated 1-H2O and 2-H2O in solution revealed greater photocurrents produced by these two complexes when compared with an experiment using a buffer only. Interestingly, the high photocurrent shown by the dinuclear complex 2-H2O was accompanied by the deposition of its higher oxidation state (H2O)RuII–RuIII(OH), as evidenced with cyclic voltammetry, SEM and XPS. The IPCE and spectro-electrochemistry studies supported by TD-DFT calculations revealed the visible light harvesting ability of 1-H2O and 2-H2O in solution and the subsequent electron injection into the conduction band of the nanoITOs, enhanced in 2-H2O via a plausible chelating effect.

Surface Oxygen Vacancy Inducing Li‐Ion‐Conducting Percolation Network in Composite Solid Electrolytes for All‐Solid‐State Lithium‐Metal Batteries (Small 22/2023)

All-Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries In article number 2207223, Jeeyoung Yoo, Youn Sang Kim, and co-workers present an all-solid-state lithium-metal battery with composite solid electrolyte. Specifically, the oxygen vacancy-rich indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles (green-colored) induce the Li-ion conducting percolation network (red-colored) at the ITO-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) interface. The oxygen vacancy enables fast movement of Li-ions in the interface network. This phenomenon suggests that the vacancy engineering of filler holds strong promise for developing advanced all-solid-state batteries.

Ammonia sensing characteristics of an ITO-V2O5 based chemoresistive dual-type gas sensors (CDGS) decorated with platinum nanoparticles

A new chemoresistive dual-type gas sensors (CDGS) has been produced and reported. The studied CDGS contains an indium tin oxide (ITO) thin layer, a vanadium (V2O5) thin layer, and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NPs) on a chip. The n- and p-type ammonia (NH3) sensing behaviors of the studied Pt NP/ ITO-V2O5 CDGS were systematically investigated. Initially, a high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to investigate the intrinsic properties. In experiments, significantly different current-voltage (I-V) curves of Pt NP/ ITO (Sensor A) and Pt NP/ V2O5 (Sensor B) were obtained in NH3-contained ambiences. The sensing response SR values for Sensors A and B are 7.54 and 1.14, respectively, under 1000 ppm NH3/air gas at 275°C. The various transient current-time (I-t) curves, under 1, 10, 100, and 1000 ppm NH3 /air gas at 275°C, for Sensors A and B were clearly observed. Moreover, both Sensors A and B demonstrated good selectivity toward NH3 gas. Thus, the presented Pt NP/ ITO-V2O5 CDGS provides the prominent potentiality and flexibility for NH3 gas detecting application.

Conducting ITO Nanoparticle-Based Aerogels—Nonaqueous One-Pot Synthesis vs. Particle Assembly Routes

Indium tin oxide (ITO) aerogels offer a combination of high surface area, porosity and conductive properties and could therefore be a promising material for electrodes in the fields of batteries, solar cells and fuel cells, as well as for optoelectronic applications. In this study, ITO aerogels were synthesized via two different approaches, followed by critical point drying (CPD) with liquid CO2. During the nonaqueous one-pot sol-gel synthesis in benzylamine (BnNH2), the ITO nanoparticles arranged to form a gel, which could be directly processed into an aerogel via solvent exchange, followed by CPD. Alternatively, for the analogous nonaqueous sol-gel synthesis in benzyl alcohol (BnOH), ITO nanoparticles were obtained and assembled into macroscopic aerogels with centimeter dimensions by controlled destabilization of a concentrated dispersion and CPD. As-synthesized ITO aerogels showed low electrical conductivities, but an improvement of two to three orders of magnitude was achieved by annealing, resulting in an electrical resistivity of 64.5-1.6 kΩ·cm. Annealing in a N2 atmosphere led to an even lower resistivity of 0.2-0.6 kΩ·cm. Concurrently, the BET surface area decreased from 106.2 to 55.6 m2/g with increasing annealing temperature. In essence, both synthesis strategies resulted in aerogels with attractive properties, showing great potential for many applications in energy storage and for optoelectronic devices.

Plasmonic induced light trapping enhancement in silicon nanowires hybrid solar cell using indium tin oxide nanoparticles

In this study, silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with different lengths was fabricated using the metal-catalyzed electroless etching method and used as the base structure of an inorganic semiconductor hybrid solar cell. This technique is economically attractive and allows us to easily control the physical nanostructure of the nanowires to match the light trapping mechanism of the 3D-structured hybrid solar cell. The length of the nanowire linearly increases with etching times. For solar cell fabrication, poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was used as an organic semiconductor part. The plasmonic-induced light-trapping enhancement of indium tin oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) mixed with PEDOT:PSS was adapted to improve solar cell performance. It was found that the hybrid solar cell, fabricated from SiNWs with 5 min-etching time, yielded the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE). Furthermore, using ITO NPs and AuNPs in a hole-transport layer of the SiNWs hybrid solar cell can improve the PCE to 50% more than the reference hybrid solar cell. The hybrid solar cell using the concentration between PEDOT:PSS and ITO NPs of 1:1/5 shows the highest PCE of 8.33%.