ITO Glass Research Articles

Doping Sodium Tungsten Bronze-Like (Na5W14O44) Near-Infrared Shielding Functional Units in Bulk Borosilicate Glasses for Energy-Saving Window Applications.

Tungsten bronze is an effective near-infrared (NIR) shielding material for fabricating energy-saving smart windows. While high-performing NIR-shielding glasses can be fabricated by coating a tungsten bronze film on window glasses, these glasses suffer a short lifespan due to the adhesion and degeneration of film. In this work, we show that tungsten bronze-like material Na5W14O44 can be distributed in the bulk glass matrix during the facile melt-quenching glass fabrication process under an air atmosphere, overcoming the limitations of film-based glasses. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of tungsten bronze-like Na5W14O44 functional units in the SiO2-B2O3-NaF glass matrix. The addition of a small amount of H2WO4 and Sb2O3 is critical for the formation of Na5W14O44 functional units because H2WO4 provides W for Na5W14O44, and Sb2O3 acts as a reducing agent that helps the formation of W5+ in Na5W14O44 under an air atmosphere. Furthermore, the NIR-shielding ability can be tuned by adjusting the concentration of Sb2O3 in the range of 0-1.5 mol % and of H2WO4 in the range of 4-6 mol %. The optimized composition containing 1.25 mol % of Sb2O3 and 5 mol % of H2WO4 exhibits excellent NIR-shielding ability (ΔT = 62.8%), high visible light transmittance (Tmax = 67.7%), and excellent thermal insulation. This performance is comparable to cesium tungsten bronze film-based glasses and much better than soda lime glass and ITO glass under sun irradiation. This study sheds light on fabricating energy-saving windows in a simple and cost-effective way with flexibility for fine tuning of NIR-shielding performance.

Thermal Annealing Effects of V2O5 Thin Film as an Ionic Storage Layer for Electrochromic Application.

A vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin film with thermal annealing as an ionic storage layer for electrochromic devices is presented in our study. The V2O5 thin film was deposited on an ITO glass substrate by an RF magnetron sputtering. The electrochromic properties of the film were evaluated after various thermal annealing temperatures. The structural analysis of the film was observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The structure of the V2O5 thin film transformed from an amorphous to polycrystalline structure with directions of (110) and (020) after 400 °C thermal annealing. The electrochromic properties of the film improved compared with the unannealed V2O5 thin film. We obtained a charge capacity of 97.9 mC/cm2 with a transparent difference ΔT value of 31% and coloration efficiency of 6.3 cm2/C after 400 °C thermal annealing. The improvement was due to the polycrystalline orthorhombic structure formation of V2O5 film by the rearrangement of atoms from thermal energy. Its laminate structure facilitates Li+ ion intercalation and increases charge capacity and transparent difference.

Spectroelectrochemistry with Ultrathin Ion-Selective Membranes: Three Distinct Ranges for Analytical Sensing.

We present spectroelectrochemical sensing of the potassium ion (K+) at three very distinct analytical ranges—nanomolar, micromolar, and millimolar—when using the same ion-selective electrode (ISE) but interrogated under various regimes. The ISE is conceived in the all-solid-state format: an ITO glass modified with the conducting polymer poly(3-octylethiophene) (POT) and an ultrathin potassium-selective membrane. The experimental setup is designed to apply a potential in a three-electrode electrochemical cell with the ISE as the working electrode, while dynamic spectral changes in the POT film are simultaneously registered. The POT film is gradually oxidized to POT+, and this process is ultimately linked to K+ transfer at the membrane-sample interface, attending to electroneutrality requirements. The spectroelectrochemistry experiment provides two signals: a voltammetric peak and a transient absorbance response, with the latter of special interest because of its correspondence with the generated charge in the POT and thus with the ionic charge expelled from the membrane. By modifying how the ion analyte (K+ but also others) is initially accumulated into the membrane, we found three ranges of response for the absorbance: 10–950 nM for an accumulation-stripping protocol, 0.5–10 μM in diffusion-controlled cyclic voltammetry, and 0.5–32 mM with thin-layer cyclic voltammetry. This wide response range is a unique feature, one that is rare to find for a sensor and indeed for any analytical technique. Accordingly, the developed sensor is highly appealing for many analytical applications, especially considering the versatility of samples and ion analytes that may be spotted.

Preparation of TiO2 Electrochromic Films by B3+ Doping and Its Properties

Using sol-gel method and dipping coating process, Tetrabutyl titanate and glacial acetic acid were added to the solvent absolute ethanol and boric acid, deionized water, nitric acid and other raw materials were added. B3+ doped TiO2 film was successfully prepared on ITO glass, The optical properties and electrochromic properties of B3+ doped TiO2 films were studied by means of TG-DTA, XRD, UV-Vis, SEM, and electrochemical workstation. The results show that the spectral control range of B3+ doped TiO2 film is significantly improved, The electrochemical cycling stability of the film is also improved. When the volume fraction of B3+ is 9%, the electrochromic effect is best.

Printable biflourene based ultra-violet (UV) organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (OLECs) with improved device performance

A series of printable UV emitting ionic bifluorene derivatives have been prepared incorporating pendent alkylimidazolium groups. Herein, we detail the synthesis of compounds and the methods used in device fabrication. We show how ink formulation is improved by increasing the solubility of the active bifluorene through extension of the alkyl chain length and switching the counter ion from PF 6 − to CF 3 SO 3 − . We also show how organic light emitting electrochemical cells (OLECs) can be fabricated by spray coating to achieve an active layer with a thickness of ∼150–200 nm, leading to working devices with a turn on voltage of around 6.5 V. This gives electroluminescent (EL) that peaks between 385 nm and 390 nm with a maximum EL emission intensity of 1.29 μW/cm 2 . Thus, EL emission within the UV range has been demonstrated successfully with the synthesised molecules via spray coating onto glass slides. UV light emitting ionic bifluorene small molecules have been synthesised and used to fabricate the OLECs on ITO glass slides. Spray coating technique has been utilized to deposit the functional layers in the OLECs. While the OLEC light emission layer is optimized to the thickness of ∼250 nm, the encapsulated devices demonstrated the turn on voltage of 6.5 V. This fabrication process can be adopted to achieve the light emitting textiles.

Novel photoelectrochemical sensor for cholesterol based on CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite /TiO2 inverse opal heterojunction coated with molecularly imprinted polymers

Developing cost-effective, ease-to-use and sensitive cholesterol sensors is of great importance. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor has exhibited their potential with low cost, simple instrumentation, easy miniaturization, and high sensitivity. Organometal lead halide perovskites (MAPbX3) with exceptional opto-electronic properties have been appealing materials for optoelectronic devices. Whereas the extreme sensitivity of MAPbX3 towards even moisture has always restricted their application in biological use. Here we report a novel MAPbX3 photoelectrochemical cholesterol sensor with water stability. The titanium dioxide inverse opal (TiO2 IOPCs) and CH3NH3PbBr3 quantum dot heterojunction on ITO glass exhibited a remarkably increased photoelectric current density of approximately 40 μA/cm2. The further encapsulation within the imprinted polymer presented high selectivity towards cholesterol and significantly improved the stability of perovskites as well. Linear detection of cholesterol in buffer was achieved with the detection limit of 2.51 × 10-10 mol/L, lower than that of the reported cholesterol PEC sensor in aqueous buffer. Recovery rates in serum were also obtained with the cholesterol concentration lower than the reported imprinted polymer based (photo)electrochemical sensor. Additionally, the photocurrent intensity under continuous emission was maintained at 80% after immersing this sensor in an aqueous solution for 500 s. The storage stability was more than 20 days. Here we present the first MAPbX3 perovskite-based sensor applicable in aqueous samples with super sensitivity and selectivity, which promote the perovskite nanomaterial-mediated sensing of biologically important species.

Leaching behavior of indium from waste liquid crystal display: Further study on the coupling effect of multi-factors for optimum leaching process

Recovering indium is vital for alleviating the indium resources shortage and eliminating environmental pollution while treating the hazardous liquid crystal display. However, effective recovery of indium has been affected by the multi-factors, which have a coupling effect. Therefore, an environmentally sound process focused on resource recovery was proposed to remove or separate toxic substances and efficiently recover the indium by acid leaching. The leaching kinetics and mechanism of indium were investigated, and the leaching process with the coupling effect of multi-factors was optimized by utilizing the Box-Behnken design (BBD) model. The experiment results suggested that the leaching kinetics were dominant by the chemical reaction control in the initial reaction stage, and the internal diffusion control was dominant in the later stage. The indium leaching process was conformed to the shrinking core model and a macroscopic kinetic equation was established. The BBD model expounded that the ITO glass particle size and leaching temperature had the most significant effect than other variables during the leaching process. However, the leaching efficiency decreases at a particle size less than 35 µm. The optimum leaching processing conditions were as follows: leaching time of 109 min, leaching temperature of 87 °C, the mean particle size of 35 µm, and sulfuric acid concentration of 5.3 mol L−1, obtaining an indium leaching efficiency of close to 99%. Furthermore, it was verified that the experimental result under the optimal condition was conformed to the predicted result of the BBD model.

Mixed-Dimensional MXene-Based Composite Electrodes Enable Mechanically Stable and Efficient Flexible Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

Significant advancements in perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) based on ITO glass substrates have been realized in recent years, yet the overall performance of flexible devices still lags far behind, mainly being ascribed to the high surface roughness and poor optoelectronic properties of flexible electrodes. Here, we report efficient and robust flexible PeLEDs based on a mixed-dimensional (0D-1D-2D-3D) composite electrode consisting of 0D Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs)/1D Ag nanowires (AgNWs)/2D MXene/3D poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Our designed MXene-based electrodes combine the advantages of facile formation of a film of low-dimensional materials and excellent optical and electrical properties of metal, inorganic, and organic semiconductors, which endow the electrodes with high electrical/thermal conductivity, flexibility, a smooth surface, and good transmittance. Consequently, the resulting flexible PeLEDs (without a light-coupling structure) demonstrate a record external quantum efficiency of 16.5%, a high luminance of close to 50000 cd/m2, a large emitting area of 8 cm2, and significantly enhanced mechanical stability.

ZnO-WS2Nano-heterojunction/ITO photodetector for detection of visible light

Recently, large-area photodetectors fabricated with low-cost techniques have gained tremendous attention. Herein, efforts have been made to study the photodetector parameters for different concentration variations of the ZnO-WS2 heterostructure. The device was fabricated using a drop-casting method on an ITO glass substrate with a large area channel width. It has higher electrical stability and stable photoresponse with Responsivity ∼10.6 mA/W, Detectivity ∼1011 Jones and EQE% ∼1.96% under 670 nm with an intensity of 110 μW/cm2illumination at bias 5 V, respectively. Present findings will advocate the huge development of simple, low-cost and large-area photodetectors with high performance in the nearest future.

Effects of doping ratios on the electrochromic features of WO3-VO2 nano-composite films

Tungsten oxide (WO3) doped vanadium oxide (VO2), WO3:VO2 nano-composite films were synthesized on ITO glasses by spin-coating method. The electrochromical, structural and optical properties of WO3:VO2 nano-composite films were determined by changing WO3:VO2 ratio. The doping ratio has an important role in controlling the electrochromic properties of the WO3 doped VO2 films. The optimum WO3:VO2 ratio was obtained to be 0.2 in terms of the best color efficiency 67.78 cm2/C. The highest diffusion coefficient value was evaluated for the WO3:VO2 ratio:0.2, to be 4.79 × 10−13 cm2/s. Transmission value of 79.4% at 600 nm is measured for this study.

Varifocal liquid microlens in scaffold microstructures under electrothermal actuation

Liquid microlens (LML) has attracted wide attention due to their miniaturization, uniformities and easy integration in adaptive optical systems. However, optical aberration and simple varifocal imaging are still critical challenges for the broader application of LML. Inspired by the easy deformation of droplets trapped by micropillars, LML in scaffold microstructures are proposed. In this paper, we present a simple, low-cost and effective approach to fabricate LML in scaffold microstructures. Our LML consists of glycerol droplets trapped in hydrophobic NOA71 scaffold microstructures, which are imprinted onto an ITO glass substrate to enable electrothermal control of the LML imaging characteristics. The electrothermal control allows changing the shape of the LML spherical surface, thus making it possible to tune their focus, decrease their imaging aberration, and improve their imaging definition. The electrothermal actuator is obtained by applying a DC power with a voltage of 8.4 V and a current of 0.39 A onto the ITO glass. It is found that the imaging aberration of LML reduced by 6 times of initial state and the imaging definition of LML increased by 2.8 times of initial state on the DC power for 2 min. Thus, the LML in scaffold microstructures demonstrates the potential of the adjustable imaging performance in the development of integrated dynamical tunable optical devices.

Thickness Dependent Electro-Optical Behaviour of Homeotropically Aligned Nematic Liquid Crystal

The homeotropically aligned liquid crystal (LC) display devices are of great interest in recent time. Thus, in the present work, the thickness dependent electro-optical behaviour of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) in homeotropic alignment (HA) has been studied. To achieve the HA of NLC, polyimide (PI) coated ITO glass substrates were used. Consequently, cleaned ITO glass substrates (with thickness of 0.7 mm) were used for the fabrication of the LC cells. The pure NLC material (LC-BYVA) was filled into PI coated cells by the capillary injection method. Subsequently, the filled cells were examined with the help of polarized optical microscope (POM), which show the good dark and bright orthoscopic textures of NLC in field ON and OFF states, respectively under cross-polarizers. The conoscopic study of the images also confirmed the perfect HA of NLC molecules. The dark states change to good bright state with the change in orientation of NLC director from homeotropic to planar at operating voltages as seen under cross-polarizers. The electro-optical (E-O) study also shows the good contrast ratio (CR) of display cells.

Fabrication of electrochromic TiO2:Nb films by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

In this work, Nb-doped TiO2 (NTO) films were fabricated on the ITO glass substrates by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) method. The effects of deposition temperature and film thickness on the microstructure and electrochromic property of NTO film were investigated. With the increase of deposition temperature, the crystallinity of NTO films is improved and the substitution rate from Ti4+ to Nb5+ is increased, leading to an enhancement of the film electrochromic properties. Additionally, the growth direction of NTO grains strongly depends on the film thickness. With increasing the film thickness, the grain growth changes from random to (004) plane orientation. Correspondingly, the surface morphology of NTO grains also have changed from “equiaxed structure” to “sheet structure”. The NTO films composed of sheet-structured grains are porous. The porous structure is good for Li+ ions insertion/extraction. In this case, the NTO films have a higher electrochromic property. When the film thickness is 300 nm, the NTO films with sheet-structured grains have the optimal properties, which exhibit the precise independent spectral control over material transmittance in the visible (vis) and near-infrared (NIR) regimes. The optical contrast (ΔT%) is 30.73% in vis region and 39.72% in NIR region. The coloring and bleaching time are 35s and 8s, respectively. Moreover, the electrochemical property is still stable after 1000 cycles.

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO@WO3 core/shell nanoparticles as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cell

Dye-sensitized solar cells are an impending new technology for addressing energy and environmental issues. Counter electrodes based on ZnO@WO3 core/shell nanoparticles are made by drop casting onto ITO glass to address the high cost of the preferred platinum counter electrode. These counter electrodes are employed in dye-sensitized solar cell applications. This work investigates the ZnO@WO3 core/shell nanoparticles synthesized by using the sol-gel method. In order to better understand the morphological, optical, and structural features of the produced nanoparticles, a variety of characterization methods were used in this work. The prepared sample was subjected to calcination/annealing at 100 °C, 300 °C and 500 °C; and the UV–Vis spectroscopy results revealed that the sample calcinated at 100 °C demonstrates better absorption as compared to others. Two samples of ZnO@WO3 core/shell nanoparticles i.e., as-synthesized (sample A) and the one annealed at 100 °C (sample B), were investigated as counter electrode in methyl orange-based dye-sensitized solar cell. Moreover, the results were compared to the conventional platinum counter electrode. When sample B of binary nanoparticles-based counter electrode was compared to sample A, it was seen that sample B exhibits much higher electrocatalytic activity toward I3− reduction. A power conversion efficiency of 5.73% is accomplished by the dye-sensitized solar cell utilizing sample B counter electrode, which is significantly greater than the 4.55% and 4.51% achieved by the sample A and platinum counter electrodes, respectively. The findings suggest that using the drop casting approach to manufacture durable counter electrodes based on ZnO@WO3 core/shell nanoparticles is a potential option for constructing dye-sensitized solar cells.

Preparation and electrochromic properties of polyamides based on 3,4‐dimethylthieno[2,3‐b]thiophene

AbstractBased on the performance of improving the stabilities and coloring efficiencies of triphenylamine polymers, this paper separately synthesized different diamines and 3,4‐dimethylthieno[2,3‐b]thiophene‐2,5‐dicarboxylic acid, and the electrochromic functions of the polymer films were studied on indium‐tin oxide glass (ITO) glass. The polymers had a thiophene group, which was rich in π‐electrons and conducive to molecular stability, and showed good stabilities. Ultraviolet spectrum showed that all the six polymers had a wide absorption band in the neutral range of 200–700 nm. Electrochromic analysis showed that the six kinds of polymer films all showed reasonable optical contrast, short response time and low band gap in the infrared spectrum range of 200–1000 nm. Among them, the film formed by PAD2 on ITO glass had better electrochromic properties, longer bleaching response time (tc = 1.3 s, tb = 4.1 s), PAD3 had better coloration efficiency (214 cm2 C−1).

Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Nanogenerators are a tiny device that can harvest small-scale ambient energies. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been integrated into the device to boost the performance and increasing the efficiency of harvested electrical energy. Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) have lower electrical properties compared to single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). However, single wall carbon nanotube is difficult to grow in mass scale and subject to higher production cost. This paper aims to use MWCNT as an active material in triboelectric nanogenerator. The samples were prepared by spin coating of MWCNT on ITO glass at various concentrations. XRD result shows that MWCNT mainly present at crystal planes of (0 0 2), (1 0 0) and (0 0 4). The device has produced maximum current density of 165 μAm-2, and power density of 1,289 μWm-2. Apparently, the concentration of MWCNT in the solution to fabricate the device plays critical roles on the current output of the device. The application of multiwall carbon nanotube based triboelectric nanogenerator is promising for low cost self-powered nanogenerators.

Graphene with Ni-Grid as Semitransparent Electrode for Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells (BHJ-SCs).

In this work, we present the fabrication and characterization of bulk-heterojunction solar cells on monolayer graphene (MLG) with nickel-grids (Ni-grid) as semitransparent conductive electrode. The electrodes showed a maximum transmittance of 90% (calculated in 300–800 nm range) and a sheet resistance down to 35 Ω/□. On these new anodes, we fabricated TCO free BHJ-SCs using PTB7 blended with PC70BM fullerene derivative as active layer. The best device exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.2% in direct configuration and 3.6% in inverted configuration. The reference solar cell, realized on the ITO glass substrate, achieved a PCE of 6.1% and 6.7% in direct and inverted configuration respectively; for comparison we also tested OSCs only with simple Ni-grid as semitransparent and conductive electrode, obtaining a low PCE of 0.7%. The proposed approach to realize graphene-based electrodes could be a possible route to reduce the overall impact of the sheet resistance of this type of electrodes allowing their use in several optoelectronic devices.

Conducting Polyaniline/Au Nanorods Composite Film for High-Performance Electrochromic Device

Conducting polymers are promising candidate materials in next-generation electrochromic applications due to their multicolour changes, flexible and large-scale production capability; however, poor cycling stability and relatively low optical modulation limit their widespread application. In this article, a simple electrochemical deposition method is used to create a polyaniline (PANI)/Au nanorods composite electrochromic film on ITO glass as an electrode. This PANI/Au nanorods composite film has better electrochromic properties than the straight PANI film. Moreover, the electrochromic device (ECD) was successfully fabricated by PANI/Au nanorods composite film as anode and poly(3,4-ethyloxylthiophene) as the cathode. This resultant device exhibits perfect electrochromic performance, including higher optical modulation (56%), a faster response time (0.6 s for bleaching and 0.9 s for colouring) and good cycling stability (sustained 85% after 6750 cycles). Notably, the geometric structure of the film is formed by the Au nanorods coated with PANI, which not only can provide transport channel and ion storage space but also improving the conductivity. In addition, the composite structure can provide larger surface area and benefit the electrolyte ions insertion and extraction from the composite electrode film. The rational design of stacking nanocomposites on electrodes may be a useful method for fabricating high-performance ECDs.

Preparation of CuI films by continuous ion layer adsorption reaction (SILAR)

Transparent conductive CuI films were prepared on ITO glass substrates using a low-temperature liquid-phase film preparation process, the continuous ion layer adsorption reaction (SILAR) method. The influence of process parameters on the film quality and film surface morphology was investigated, and the relationship between the growth rate of the films and the concentration of the reaction solution as well as the number of cycles was studied and analyzed. The experimental conditions for the preparation of CuI films with the highest transmittance were as follows: the concentration of the anion driving solution was 0.075 mol/L. The film thickness of the CuI films increased with the number of cycles, and films with a thickness of 1.73μm could be produced in 40 cycles. The films were tested by XRD and SEM and showed high purity, flat and dense surface.

By using Doctor Blade Method, Lithium and Magnesium Co-Doped with Nickel Oxide Thin Film as Charge Transport Layer for Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cell

The organic materials for hole transport layer HTL such as PEDOT: PSS and Spiro-OMeTAD are poor electron blockers, more expensive, unstable, and large charge recombination materials. The inorganic material such as nickel oxide and copper oxide thin film for hole transport layer HTL was used to enhance the fill factor FF, power conversion efficiency PCE and stability of the hole transport layer for inorganic perovskite solar cell. Lithium and Magnesium co-doped with nickel oxide nanoparticles deposited on indium doped tin oxide ITO glass then deposited the cesium lead iodide bromide layer by using doctor blade method then characterize this thin film for confirmed the properties of the materials.
 The crystal structure of nickel oxide was measured from XRD and all the peaks were matched with JCPDS cards. The average crystalline size was 24 nm has cubic in shape. For optical properties and bandgap measured, using UV visible and DRS confirmed the strong absorbance near to the visible range, and bandgap decreased from 3.7 to 3.4 eV by adding doping. After the deposition of the inorganic perovskite layer, the bandgap decreased from 3.09 eV to 2.56 eV. RBS confirmed the chemical composition, impurity, and thickness of the thin film. The IV curve measurement showed the 4.3 % efficiency of the pure nickel oxide thin film, by adding the doping of lithium and magnesium in nickel oxide thin film showed the 7.65 % efficiency with the 83 % fill factor FF.