Nanocomposite Interlayer Research Articles

A novel TFNi pervaporation membrane with g-C3N4 quantum dots for high-efficiency IPA dehydration

Pervaporation (PV) shows significant potential for the highly selective isopropanol (IPA). The pursuit of developing PV membranes with outstanding separation effect and enduring high purity permeation is an indispensable goal. Based on polyamide (PA) separation layers, a polydopamine (PDA) mixed g-C3N4 quantum dots (gCNQDs) coating as the interlayer was deposited onto a porous ceramic hollow fiber substrate to fabricate thin-film nanocomposite membranes with an interlayer (TFNi). The nanocomposite interlayer enabled the formation of a smoother and highly separated selective polyamide layer. The separation factor exhibited a 31-fold enhancement with the augmentation of the blending fraction of gCNQDs during the PDA coating process. The resulting TFNi membrane attained an exceedingly high separation factor of 10270 ± 90 with a permeate water concentration of 99.9% and demonstrated a satisfactory flux of 1.40 ± 0.08 kg⋅m-2⋅h-1 during the PV process of 90 wt% IPA dehydration at 60 °C. This study presents a fresh perspective on the implementation of nanocomposite interlayers, which is expected to expand the application of high-performance TFNi membranes in PV dehydration processes.

A strategy to predict the current conduction mechanisms into Al/PVP:Gr-BaTiO3/p-Si Schottky structure using Artificial Neural Network

In this work, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm is used to predict the current conduction mechanisms into the metal-semiconductor (MS) and metal-nanocomposite-semiconductor (MPS) structures along with their primary electronic parameters, such as the leak current (I0), potential barrier height (ΦB0), ideality factor (n), series/shunt resistance (Rs/Rsh), rectifying ratio (RR), and interface states density (Nss) by analyzing the I–V characteristics. The polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), barium titanate (BaTiO3) and graphene (Gr) nanoparticles are mixed together to create the interfacial nanocomposite layer. Training data for ANN algorithm is gathered using the thermionic emission hypothesis. In order to study the efficacy of the ANN model, the predictive power of the ANN technique for predicting the current conduction mechanisms and electronic properties of SDs has been assessed by comparing the predicted and experimental results. The ANN predictions of the current conduction mechanisms at the forward/reverse bias and the fundamental electronic specifications of the MS and MPS structures are a high level of agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, the results show that the RR and Rsh rise whereas the n, Rs, and Nss for MS structure decrease when the PVP:Gr-BaTiO3 nanocomposite interlayer is employed.

Design and application of supramolecular based solid-contact ion-selective electrode for selective green determination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

This work describes the fabrication of solid-contact potentiometric sensor to determine the antiviral drug; tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Screen-printed carbon electrodes have been selected as being a disposable substrate material. Ion sensing membrane is based on Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer that was impregnated with calix [6] arene as being an ionophore for facilitating transferring the drug of interest from the sample phase into the membrane phase through decreasing Gibbs free energy of transfer. We applied a graphene nanocomposite interlayer between the carbon substrate and the polymeric membrane for overcoming potential drift, which is commonly encountered in solid-contact potentiometric sensors. As a result, the graphene nanocomposite layer enhanced the sensor performance and stabilized the potential signal as compared to the control sensor. The sensor performance characteristics were studied according to International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) recommendations, and linear range has been 0.01 M - 10 μM with limit of detection (LOD) 7.3 μM. We utilized the sensor for inline determination of the release of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate from its tablet pharmaceutical formulation without any separation or sample pre-treatment steps. In an attempt to be eco-friendly through evaluating the suggested method regarding its greenness, the method has been found to be excellent green according to the eco scale method.

Interface Design for High‐Performance All‐Solid‐State Lithium Batteries

AbstractAll‐solid‐state batteries suffer from high interface resistance and lithium dendrite growth leading to low Li plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency (CE) of <90% and low critical current density at high capacity. Here, simultaneously addresses both challenges are simultaneously addressed and the Li plating/stripping CE is significantly increased to 99.6% at 0.2 mA cm−2/0.2 mAh cm−2, and critical current density (CCD) of > 3.0 mA cm−2/3.0 mAh cm−2 by inserting a mixed ionic‐electronic conductive (MIEC) and lithiophobic LiF‐C‐Li3N‐Bi nanocomposite interlayer between Li6PS5Cl electrolyte and Li anode. The highly lithiophobic LiF‐C‐Li3N‐Bi interlayer with high ionic conductivity (10−5 S cm−1) and low electronic conductivity (3.4×10−7 S cm−1) enables Li to plate on the current collector (CC) surface rather than on Li6PS5Cl surface avoiding Li6PS5Cl electrolyte reduction. During initial Li plating on CC, Li penetrates into porous LiF‐C‐Li3N‐Bi interlayer and lithiates Bi nanoparticles into Li3Bi. The lithiophilic Li3Bi and Li3N nanoparticles in LiF‐C‐Li3N‐Li3Bi sub‐interlayer will move to CC along with plated Li, forming LiF‐C/Li3N‐Li3Bi lithiophobic/lithiophilic sublayer during the following Li stripping. This interlayer enables Co0.1Fe0.9S2/Li6PS5Cl/Li cell with an areal capacity of 1.4 mAh cm−2 to achieve a cycle life of >850 cycles at 150 mA g−1. The lithiophobic/lithiophilic interlayer enables solid‐state metal batteries to simultaneously achieve high energy and long cycle life.

Growth of Gd0.3Ca2.7Co3.82Cu0.18O9-δ-BaCe0.6Zr0.2Y0.2O3-δ bulk heterojunction cathode interlayer by pulsed laser deposition for enhancing protonic solid oxide fuel cell performance

The triple-conducting (e−/H+/O2−) oxides have been extensively studied as the most promising cathode materials for protonic solid oxide fuel cells (P-SOFCs) because of their excellent catalytic activity at lower operating temperatures of <600 °C. However, direct application of these cathode materials by brush-painting or screen-printing provides limited contact area with the underlying electrolyte layer, resulting in high cathode ohmic and polarization resistances. In this study, it is demonstrated that a bulk heterojunction Gd0.3Ca2.7Co3.82Cu0.18O9-δ (GCCCO)-BaCe0.6Zr0.2Y0.2O3-δ (BCZY) layer with a domain width of ∼5 nm can be grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) via spontaneous phase separation. Such a nanocomposite interlayer between spin-coated BCZY electrolyte and brush-painted GCCCO cathode can effectively increases the interfacial area between the two distinct phases and facilitates proton transport across the interface. This electrode design reduces the ohmic resistance by 0.35 Ω cm2 and the polarization resistance by a factor of three, thus significantly boosting the cell performance.

The effect of ZnO:Si3N4 nanocomposite interlayer on electrical properties and interface-states between metal-semiconductor in Al/p-Si (MS) structures

In the study, the fabrication processes of the Al/p-Si (MS), Al/ZnO/p-Si (MIS1), and Al/(ZnO:Si3N4)/p-Si (MIS2) structures were described and the effect of the ZnO:Si3N4 interface layer in MS was investigated in detail. The ZnO and (ZnO:Si3N4) thin films were coated on p-Si substrates and annealed at 500 °C for 1 h. Si3N4 and ZnO phases were identified via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra. FESEM images demonstrated that ZnO nanorods grew on Si3N4 particles with a heterogeneous nucleation mechanism. The I–V characterization was performed in the dark (±4 V). The basic diode parameters (barrier height (BH), series/shunt (Rs/Rsh) resistances, rectifying rate (RR=If/Ir), and ideality factor (n)) were calculated from various methods. The RR, and Rsh values increased, but n, Rs and BH decreased by insulating layer in the MIS2 The energy-dependent profiles of interface-states (Nss) were also extracted from the I–V plots according to voltage-dependent n and BH. The MIS2 provided the best passivation effect with decreasing interface traps.

Polyvinyl alcohol/attapulgite interlayer modulated interfacial polymerization on a highly porous PAN support for efficient desalination

Interlayered thin film nanocomposite nanofiltration (TFNi-NF) membranes have the potential to overcome the permeability and selectivity limitations of conventional NF membranes. This work is the first attempt to construct the polyvinyl alcohol/attapulgite (PVA/ATP) nanocomposite interlayer by chemical cross-linking between PVA and glutaraldehyde (GA) in which the nanomaterial ATP was connected with covalent bonds. Meanwhile, the support layer of the NF membranes was chosen to be a microporous membrane with high porosity and a three-dimensional (3D) network porous structure prepared by the innovative atomization-assisted non-solvent induced phase separation (AA-NIPS) method, greatly enhancing the water transport channels. The ATP acted as a multifunctional regulator to tune the porous structure of the PVA/ATP nanocomposite interlayer through physicochemical interactions. By manipulating monomer diffusion behavior, a dense polyamide (PA) layer with only 12 nm in thickness was prepared, leading to enhanced permeability and rejection for divalent ions. In addition, the structure and performance of the TFNi-NF membranes are highly tunable by changing the ATP loading. The prepared TFNi-NF membranes have shown great potential for seawater desalination and the separation and purification of aqueous electrolytes.

Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of Cu-Sn intermetallic compound interconnects formed by TLPB with Cu-Sn nanocomposite

Transient liquid phase bonding (TLPB) is a promising technology for three-dimensional integration of circuits (3D IC), but it can be slow and less productive. A novel Cu-Sn nanocomposite interlayer (Cu-Sn NI) composed of Sn matrix with an embedded Cu nanowire array prepared by electrodeposition can significantly accelerate the bonding process, approximately by 20 times. Bonding time with a Cu-Sn NI can be as short as ~2 min to achieve a full Cu-Sn intermetallic compound (IMC) joints, whereas it can take ~60 min with a pure Sn interlayer of the same thickness under the same bonding conditions (250 °C). Unlike the columnar Cu 6 Sn 5 grains commonly formed with Sn interlayer, refined equiaxed Cu 6 Sn 5 grains with an average size of ~1.6 µm are found to be formed with Cu-Sn NI. Such grain refinement has significantly contributed to the improvement of shear strength of IMC joints formed with Cu-Sn NI (23.1 ± 3.3 MPa), higher than those bonded with pure Sn interlayer (17.9 ± 2.1 MPa). The underlying mechanisms of the new TLPB process and the formation of finer microstructure when bonding with Cu-Sn NIs are also illuminated and validated based on the experimental observation. • A unique Cu-Sn nanocomposite interlayer with Cu nanowire array embedded in Sn. • TLPB with this layer is >20 times faster than conventional Cu-Sn TLPB. • IMC joint bonded with this layer possesses refined equiaxed Cu 6 Sn 5 grains. • Strength of IMC joint bonded with this layer is higher than pure Sn layer. • Clarified the growth mechanisms of IMC in the joints bonded with this layer.

Defect formation and mitigation in Cu/Cu joints formed through transient liquid phase bonding with Cu-Sn nanocomposite interlayer

Joining based on transient liquid phase bonding (TLPB) has a great prospect in microelectronic packaging. However, this process is plagued with its low throughput. In this work, we designed and utilised a preformed Cu-Sn nanocomposite interlayer (Cu-Sn NI) to speed up the TLPB process. Comparing with the uses of a Sn interlayer only, the preformed Cu-Sn NI enabled the bonding process to be accelerated by >20 times. Furthermore, instead of columnar Cu6Sn5 grains, Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds joints formed with Cu-Sn NIs were mostly filled by refined equiaxed Cu6Sn5 grains with an average size of ~1.6 μm. As a result, the shear strength of IMC joints achieved with Cu-Sn NI was found to be higher than those bonded with Sn interlayer. However, various kinds of defects, one of the main drawbacks in TLPB, were still found from this unique bonding process, which is likely to deteriorate the performances and long-term reliability of resultant TLPB joints. This study aims to observe and analyse various defects formed during TLPB with Cu-Sn NI, hence propose possible mitigation solutions to prevent their occurrence and consequently improve the reliability of the joints obtained by TLPB with Cu-Sn NIs.

Enhanced high-salinity brines treatment using polyamide nanofiltration membrane with tunable interlayered MXene channel

The introduce of a nanomaterial interlayer between the substrate and polyamide is identified as a promising strategy to construct highly performed membranes. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are potential candidates as interlayer for advanced thin-film nanocomposite interlayer (TFNi) membranes. Nevertheless, low permeability, selectivity and long-term stability are still critical issues in TFNi membrane manufacture. Herein, a scalable approach for constructing TFNi membranes was implemented using stacked MXene nanosheets as interlayer, wherein the Fe3O4 nanoparticles worked as the sacrificial template to regulate the interlayer spacing of the 2D channels. SEM, XPS, water contact angle, and zeta potential were used to characterize the physical and chemical properties of prepared TFNi membranes, and the results shows that the presence of MXene interlayer increased the hydrophilicity, thinness and roughness of polyamide layer compared to that of pure TFC membranes. Besides, the enlarged interlayer channel after the sacrifice of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles greatly boosted the transport of the water molecules. The resultant membranes exhibited nearly double fold of water flux (66.4 ± 3.45 L·m−2·h−1) and higher selective separation factor (48.4) compared with those prepared without interlayer, while the outstanding salt rejection (>97 %) was maintained. This work achieves an innovative strategy for multifunctional polyamide nanofiltration membrane construction.

Effect of a Halloysite-polyurethane nanocomposite interlayer on the ballistic performance of laminate transparent armour

Polyurethanes are commonly used in transparent armour systems to increase the survivability, blast resistance, multi-hit resistance, and fragment containment of multi-layered systems. The high tensile-ductility, fracture toughness, and self-healing ability are key factors that determine the performance of polyurethanes under high-strain-rate conditions. Here, we have investigated the potential of transparent nanocomposites interlayers based in Halloysite (HNT)-reinforced polyurethane within transparent armour systems. The polyurethane prepolymer is partially silane end-capped and filled with only 0.8 wt% acid-treated HNTs. Ballistic testing results showed an increase on the ballistic limit, from 457 to 491 m/s, with the change from a neat polyurethane interlayer to the nanocomposite. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to further investigate the effect of HNTs in the immiscibility and mobility of the segmented structure of the polyurethane. Our results demonstrate that the significant improvement in the ballistic performance of the nanocomposite interlayers were not due to the small concentration of HNTs acting as simple reinforcing phase, but rather their influence in the formation of the microstructure of the matrix polymer.

Layer-by-layer assembly of nanocomposite interlayers on a kaolin substrate for enhancing membrane performance of Pb(II) and Cd(II) removal

Developing an ultra-thin polyamide selective layer with sufficient mechanical robustness on a highly porous ceramic substrate is challenging for removing heavy metal ions from wastewater. We synthesized a reliable ceramic-polyamide membrane by assembling nanocomposite interlayers of alumina and carbon black on the kaolin substrate. The surface morphology, pore size distribution, and roughness of ceramic substrates were improved by introducing the nanocomposite interlayer. The corresponding optimized water flux, Pb(II), and Cd(II) removal efficiency are 2.75 L m−2 h−1, 98.44%, and 97.51%, respectively, which are better than those of the polyamide films constructed directly on the ceramic substrate. This facile structure provides more active sites for forming ultrathin polyamide layers with satisfactory mechanical robustness. This paper provides a new perspective for fabricating efficient heavy metal ions filters.

Rapid formation of intermetallic joint using Cu-Sn nanocomposite interlayer based on patterned copper nanowire array

This paper presents a novel strategy for transient liquid phase bonding (TLPB) in three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) integration that utilizes a preformed Cu-Sn nanocomposite interlayer based on patterned copper nanowire array. This unique interlayer significantly accelerates the bonding process by ∼10 times compared with traditional TLPB using monolithic Sn layer, thanks to the Cu nanowire array grown through template-assisted electrodeposition. It only takes ∼ 2 min to achieve intermetallic joints with refined microstructures through TLPB at 250 °C with the preformed Cu-Sn nanocomposite interlayers.

Effect of NiP-SiC nanocomposite interlayer on corrosion behavior of diamond-like carbon/Steel

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are among attractive options to increase wear and corrosion resistance. However, nano-cracks in the DLC films as well as insufficient adhesion to the steel substrates limit their use as a protective layer. In this work, the electroless Nickel-phosphorus (NiP) and NiP-SiC nanocomposite interlayers were used as a bond coat between steel substrate and DLC film, which can also act as corrosion-resistant barrier layer. The DLC film was deposited by the radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method using acetylene as a precursor. The carbon atomic bonds of the coating have been analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. The corrosion behavior of the samples was investigated by potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods and the surface of the specimens was examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy after the corrosion tests. The results show that applying NiP and NiP-SiC nanocomposite interlayer increased the corrosion resistance of the bilayer specimens.

Nano-scratch and nano-indentation study of diamond-like carbon/NiP-SiC nanocomposite bilayer

To overcome the poor adhesion of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films to the steel substrate, an interlayer can be used. In this study, the effect of the addition of NiP-SiC nanocomposite coating as an interlayer in comparison to the NiP coating has been investigated on tribological properties of the DLC layer. Using nano-scratch and nano-indentation tests, the mechanical and nanotribological behaviour of the DLC layers, such as scratch resistance, coefficient of friction, interfacial adhesion between DLC layer and substrate, and hardness were characterised. DLC/NiP-SiC samples showed higher adhesion, hardness, elastic modulus, and lower friction coefficient. These results reveal the improved tribological properties of DLC film by applying the NiP-SiC nanocomposite interlayer in comparison to using the pure NiP interlayer.

Design of Solid‐contact Ion‐selective Electrode with Graphene Transducer Layer for the Determination of Flavoxate Hydrochloride in Dosage Form and in Spiked Human Plasma

AbstractEco‐friendly solid‐contact ion selective electrode was fabricated and optimized for the determination of flavoxate hydrochloride in presence of its main metabolite. The process is based on carbon screen printed electrode and polyvinyl chloride polymeric sensing membrane. The first optimization step involved the ionophore selection through screening various ionophores, where calix[4]arene showed the highest affinity towards flavoxate. The second step, a graphene nanocomposite interlayer was employed as the ion‐to‐electron transducer between the carbon electrode and the polymeric ion sensing membrane. The graphene layer decreased the potential drift down to &lt;500 μV/h and improved the electrode stability.

Polyamide‐based membranes consisting of nanocomposite interlayers for high performance nanofiltration

AbstractIt is still a task to synthesize polyamide‐based membranes with selective layers down to 10–20 nm for high performance desalination. Herein, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were used as one‐dimensional (1D) nanorods and graphene oxides (GO) as two‐dimensional (2D) nanosheets, respectively, to construct nanocomposite interlayers for synthesizing polyamide layers thinner than 15 nm. The 2D nanosheets are homogeneously mixed with the 1D nanorods and effectively reduce the surface roughness of the nanocomposite interlayers with decreasing the mass ratio of CNC/GO. Polyamide layers with a thickness of 10–15 nm have been synthesized at an ultralow monomer concentration of 0.025 wt% on these CNC/GO nanocomposite interlayers. The polyamide‐based membranes exhibit extremely high water permeation (45.9 L/m2·h·bar) without losing their salt rejection ability. The nanofiltration performances of these polyamide‐based membranes are higher than most of the reported nanofiltration membranes in recent years.

The role of nanomaterials in diffusive processes: The case of transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding

The effect of replacing a single foil interlayer in processes of transient liquid phase bonding with a partitioned substitute made of either a number of separate layers or a nanocomposite interlayer is studied from an analytical and a numerical perspective. The notion of variance of a spatial distribution of concentration is proposed as a measure of the presence of a diffused front. This measure is then used to compare the relative time lag between various diffusive processes. Simulations with two-dimensional lattices of regularly spaced diffusant discs show that the distance between these units has a decisive influence on the efficacy of the diffusive process.

Engineering a Nanocomposite Interlayer for a Novel Ceramic-Based Forward Osmosis Membrane with Enhanced Performance.

Rational design of a high-performance defect-free polyamide (PA) layer on a robust ceramic substrate is challenging for forward osmosis (FO) water treatment applications. In this study, we first demonstrated a robust ceramic-based thin-film composite (TFC) FO membrane by engineering a novel nanocomposite interlayer of titanium dioxide and carbon nanotube (TiO2/CNT). The structural morphologies and properties were systematically characterized for different substrates (without interlayer, with TiO2 interlayer, or with TiO2/CNT interlayer) and the corresponding ceramic-based TFC-FO membranes. Introduction of low roughness nanocomposite interlayers with decreased pore size created an interface with improved surface characteristics, favoring the formation of a defect-free nanovoid-containing PA layer with high cross-linking degree. The resulting ceramic-based FO membrane had a water permeability of approximately 2 L/(m2 h bar) and a NaCl rejection of 98%, showing simultaneous enhancements in both compared to the control membrane without an interlayer. Mechanism analysis indicates that such a special nanocomposite interlayer not only provided more active sites for the formation of a thinner defect-free nanovoid-containing PA layer without penetration into substrate but also acted as a highly porous three-dimensional network structure for rapid water transport. This work provides a novel protocol for rational design and fabrication of a high-performance multilayered inorganic FO membrane as well as extended applications in water treatment with enhanced performance.

Let It Catch: A Short‐Branched Protein for Efficiently Capturing Polysulfides in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

AbstractUncovering the key contributions of molecular details to capture polysulfides is important for applying suitable materials that can effectively restrain the shuttle effect in advanced lithium–sulfur batteries. This is particularly true for natural biomolecules with substantial structural and compositional diversities strongly impacting their functions. Here, natural gelatin and zein proteins are first denatured and then adopted for fabrication of nanocomposite interlayers via functionalization of carbon nanofibers. From the results of experiment and molecular dynamic simulations, it is found that the lengths of the sidechains on the two proteins play critical roles. The short‐branched gelatin shows significantly stronger adsorption of polysulfides, as compared with zein comprising many long‐chain residues. The gelatin‐based interlayer, along with its good porous structures/electrical conductivity, greatly suppresses the shuttle effect and yields exceptional electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the implementation of proteins as functional binder additives further supports the finding that gelatin enables stronger polysulfide‐trapping. As a result, high‐loading sulfur cathodes (9.4 mg cm−2) are realized, which deliver a high average areal capacity of 8.2 mAh cm−2 over 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. This work demonstrates the importance of sidechain length in capturing polysulfides and provides a new insight in selecting and design of desired polysulfide‐binding molecules.