Ternary Films Research Articles

Development of sustainable ternary bionanocomposite film reinforced with nanocellulose and nanoclay for microbial efficacy

Development of sustainable ternary bionanocomposite film reinforced with nanocellulose and nanoclay for microbial efficacy

Aluminum‐Based Chalcopyrite Thin Films and Solar Cells

AbstractAluminum‐based chalcopyrite materials have attracted attention because of the wide controllability range of their material properties and potential for use in energy‐conversion devices. Herein, CuAlSe2‐based thin‐film growth and solar cell device properties are discussed. Ternary CuAlSe2 thin films are relatively unstable and decompose weeks after film growth, even when preserved in a dry box. However, alloying with elemental In led to significant improvements in stability. Cu(In,Al)Se2 (CIAS) solar cells yield better photovoltaic performance than CuInSe2 cells, although the effective range of Al concentration that can improve device performance is narrower than that of elemental Ga in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS). A decrease in the alkali metal concentration in CIAS films with increasing Al concentration is observed, indicating that the formation energy of alkali‐metal substitutional defects on the Cu site is high, and/or Al‐related complex defects formed are kinetically stable and difficult to replace with alkali metals once they form. Although the direct observation of alkali metals in the bulk (grain interior) of chalcopyrite CuInSe2 and CIGS films has been difficult to date, this result can serve as indirect evidence of the presence of alkali metals in the bulk of CuInSe2 films.

Preparation and characterization of chitosan/PVA/egg white ternary composite film for food packaging application

Abstract Bio-derived materials could play a major role in future supportable green and health technologies. Nontraditional materials such as proteins and biopolymers are observed for their probable use in the fabrication of bioplastics for packaging. In the present work, novel ternary composite films of chitosan (CS), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), with different ratios of natural egg white (EW) and glycerol as a plasticizer, were fabricated by solution casting technique. The synthesized ternary composite films were characterized by UV–Vis absorption spectra, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The hydrophobicity of as-synthesized samples was confirmed by contact angle measurement. The microbiological screening analysis was established against bacteria viz. Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The attained results denoted that the film might be an appropriate applicant for food packaging applications.

High performance bilayer MoTe2 transistors with co-sputtered ternary HfAlO2 high-k dielectric

We demonstrated that ternary HfAlO2 amorphous film prepared with common co-sputtering technology can be a suitable gate dielectric for bilayer MoTe2 transistors. The film quality can be improved by optimizing the sputtering process and post-annealing treatment, which is superior to its binary Al2O3 and HfO2 components and satisfies gate dielectric criteria. The bilayer MoTe2 transistors with ∼29-nm-thick HfAlO2 gate dielectric exhibit an Ion/Ioff ratio of over 108 by a low operating voltage, together with a small subthreshold swing ≈ 71.22 mV/dec. These promising characteristics favor the development of high-performance and low-power ultrathin MoTe2-based beyond-silicon electronics.

Tuning low frequency dielectric properties of flexible ternary polymer blend film reinforced with bio- ionic liquid for the application in green electronics

Biofriendly conducting polymeric blends and composites exhibiting high dielectric constant and dielectric loss are promising for applications as sensors, actuators, microwave absorbing materials, fuel cells and biomedical applications. A great deal of work is reported on using fillers such as conductive nanomaterials, bio ceramics, carbon nanotubes, graphene etc in blends of Polyvinylchloride, Polyvinylpyrrolidone, Polymethylmethacrylate, Polyvinyl alcohol with conducting polymer Polypyrrole, Polyaniline for enhancing their conductivities, tailoring dielectric and electrical, thermal and surface properties of such polymeric materials. However, appropriate dispersion of such fillers in polymeric matrices remains technically challenging. In this regard, bio-ionic liquids have emerged as a novel class of materials and their combination with specific polymer blends opens the possibility to develop smart novel materials with different morphologies. Present work aims to explore the low frequency dielectric properties exhibited by free standing, flexible, biofriendly/biodegradable ternary polymer blend film of Polyvinylchloride-Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Polypyrrole reinforced with choline acetate. The detailed analysis of low frequency dielectric properties authenticates that addition of choline acetate result in modifying the dielectric properties of ternary polymer blend film.. The harmlessness of these films was confirmed from disk diffusion test indicating their benign nature towards (Escherichia coli) (CFT073) and (Bacillus subtilis). Therefore, the developed films can potentially be used for various scale multifunctional dielectric and electrical applications working in close contact with living matter, green electronics and various health monitoring systems.

Oyster Pearl-Shaped Ternary Iron Chalcogenide, FeSe0.5Te0.5, Films on FTO through Electrochemical Growth from the Exchange of Chalcogens Boosted the Enzyme-Free Urea-Sensing Ability toward Real Analytes.

Here, iron chalcogenide thin films were developed for the first time by using the less hazardous electrodeposition technique at optimized conditions on an FTO glass substrate. The chalcogenides have different surface, morphological, structural, and optical properties, as well as an enzyme-free sensing behavior toward urea. Numerous small crystallites of about ∼20 to 25 nm for FeSe, ∼18 to 25 nm for FeTe, and ∼18 to 22 nm in diameter for FeSeTe are observed with partial agglomeration under an electron microscope, having a mixed phase of tetragonal and orthorhombic structures of FeSe, FeTe, and, FeSeTe, respectively. Profilometry, XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XPS, EDX, UV-vis spectroscopy, and FT-IR spectroscopy were used for the analysis of binary and ternary composite semiconductors, FeSe, FeTe, and FeSeTe, respectively. Electrochemical experiments were conducted with the chalcogenide thin films and urea as the analyte in phosphate-buffered media at a pH of ∼ 7.4 in the concentration range of 3-413 μM. Cyclic voltammetry was performed to determine the sensitivity of the prepared electrode at an optimized scan rate of 50 mV s-1. The electrodeposited chalcogenide films appeared with a low detection limit and satisfactory sensitivity, of which the ternary chalcogenide film has the lowest LOD of 1.16 μM and the maximum sensitivity of 74.22 μA μM-1 cm-2. The transition metal electrode has a very wide range of detection limit of 1.25-2400 μM with a short response time of 4 s. This fabricated biosensor is capable of exhibiting almost 75% of its starting activity after 2 weeks of storage in the freezer at 4 °C. Simple methods of preparation, a cost-effective process, and adequate electrochemical sensing of urea confirm that the prepared sensor is suitable as an enzyme-free urea sensor and can be utilized for future studies.

Efficient and Stable All-Polymer Solar Cells Enabled by Dual Working Mechanism.

Ternary strategy with integration characteristics and adaptability is a simple and effective method for blooming of the performance of photovoltaic devices. Herein, a novel wideband gap polymer donor PBB2-Hs is synthesized as the guest component to optimize all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs). High-energy photon absorption and long exciton lifetime of PBB2-Hs constitute efficient energy transfer. Good miscibility and cascade energy levels promote the formation of alloy-like structure between PBB2-Hs and host system. The dual working mechanisms greatly improve photon capture and charge transfer in active layers. Additionally, the introduction of PBB2-Hs also optimizes the ordered molecular stacking of acceptors and suppresses molecular peristalsis. Upon adding 15 wt% PBB2-Hs, the ternary all-PSC achieved a champion efficiency of 17.66%, and can still maintain 82% photostability (24h) and 91% storage stability (1000h) of the original PCE. Moreover, the strong molecular stacking and entanglement between PBB2-Hs and the host material increased the elongation at break of ternary blend film by 1.6 times (16.2%), allowing the flexible device to maintain 83% of the original efficiency after 800 bends (R = 5mm). This work highlights the effectiveness of guest polymer on simultaneously improving photovoltaic performance, photostability and mechanical stability in all-PSCs.

Effects of Mo target power on the structure and tribological properties of AlB2 Ta1-xMoxB films by magnetron sputtering

In this paper, magnetron sputtering from TaB2 and Mo stoichiometric targets is used to prepare AlB2 ternary Ta1-xMoxB films. The films with various Mo contents were obtained by adjusting the Mo target powers. It was discovered that the contents of Mo have an obvious impact on the crystallinity and phase structure stability of Ta1-xMoxB films. When x = 0.43, the (001) and (002) orientation is improved, while stabler AlB2 structure is maintained simultaneously. While increasing x to 0.59, the films show amorphous structure. Meanwhile, as Mo contents rise, the hardness of films first decreases and then increases, eventually drops a lot. The Ta1-xMoxB films with x = 0.44 exhibit the superhardness (H = 49.9 ± 1.5 GPa) and elastic modulus (E = 520 ± 4.7 GPa), which benefit from the structure of Transition-metal diboride (TMB2) and solid solution strengthening effect. Alloying Mo can increase the Valence electron concentration (VEC) of films and therefore enhanced films toughness, higher fracture toughness (KIC = 1.13 MPa·m1/2) and elasticity (85.805%) were achieved when x = 0.44, the films showed better ability to resist plastic deformation even in 500 gf load. In addition, the Ta0.56Mo0.44B films obtain higher wear resistance (4.5 × 10−7 mm3/Nm) in air, but excess Mo atoms lead to deterioration of mechanical properties (H = 25.0 GPa、E = 240.0 Gpa for Mo90). Ta1-xMoxB ternary films with appropriate Mo content show a good potential as a hard protective coating.

Self-powered solar blind ultraviolet photodetector based on amorphous (In0.23Ga0.77)2O3/bixbyite (In0.67Ga0.33)2O3 heterojunction

Self-powered solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors are considered for potential applications in secure communication and space detection. However, high-quality p-type wide bandgap semiconductors are nonexistent due to the self-compensation effect, which makes the design of p-n homojunction photodetectors a challenging proposition to date. In this work, a self-powered solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector is fabricated and discussed, based on a novel heterojunction of (InxGa1−x)2O3 ternary alloy films with two different compositions, which has a flexible design and can be easily fabricated for different applications. The heterojunction consists of an amorphous (In0.23Ga0.77)2O3 on the top of a bixbyite (In0.67Ga0.33)2O3 film prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The amorphous (In0.23Ga0.77)2O3/bixbyite (In0.67Ga0.33)2O3 heterojunction photodetector exhibits a responsivity of 5.78 mA/W, a detectivity of 1.69 × 1011 cm Hz1/2 W−1, and a high solar-blind UV (248 nm)/visible light (450 nm) rejection ratio of 1.39 × 103 at zero bias, suggesting decent spectral selectivity and high performance. The responsivity and peak wavelength of this photodetector can be tuned by the film thickness of the amorphous (In0.23Ga0.77)2O3. This work provides a new design for self-powered solar-blind UV detectors based on ternary alloy heterojunctions.

Unleashing the potential: Multifunctionality of PVDF-HFP based ternary nanocomposite films - magnetoelectric, energy harvesting and impact sensing performance

Multifunctional materials are proving to be highly promising for advancing various technologies, including magneto-mechano-electric energy harvesting devices and flexible sensors. This study focused on synthesizing a polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene-metal-oxide-layered silicate nanocomposite system using a cost-effective solution casting technique. The performance of the system was evaluated in terms of magnetoelectric behaviour, energy harvesting capabilities, and impact sensing. The nanocomposite films demonstrated a peak-to-peak voltage of 12.2 V with a filler loading of 15 wt% and an applied force of 9 N, along with a magnetoelectric coupling coefficient of 20.6 mVcm−1Oe−1. The device's ability to scavenge biomechanical energy during body movements like foot stamping, arm bending, finger flexing, and wrist bending was successfully verified. Furthermore, rigorous durability testing was conducted through repeated energy harvesting studies, proving the device's practicality and resilience. Notably, the developed device powered up six LEDs and a digital clock, while the impact sensor exhibited a linear relationship between output voltage and impact force. These findings highlight the remarkable potential of the polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene-metal-oxide-layered silicate nanocomposite system for multifunctional applications in various technological fields.

Unveiling the Strain‐induced Microstructural Evolution and Morphology‐Stretchability Correlations of Intrinsically Stretchable Organic Photovoltaic Films

AbstractThe progress of stretchable and wearable photovoltaics relies heavily on intrinsically stretchable active layer films. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research clarifying the connections between their microstructure, performance, and their adaptation to large strain in polymer electronic films. The current study utilizes multiple synchrotron X‐ray scattering methods to collectively examine the correlations between morphology and stretchability, as well as the microstructural evolution induced by stretching in three sample cases of highly stretchable ternary blend films. These blends contain over 30% by weight of a polymer elastomer, such as styrene‐ethylene‐butylene‐styrene block copolymer, integrated into the high‐performance polymer:nonfullerene small molecule mixture. Specifically, the real‐time microstructural changes of these durable organic photovoltaic films with elastomers are monitored when subjected to tensile stretching through in situ synchrotron X‐ray scattering. The experiments demonstrate that polymeric elastomers can effectively lower the degree of crystallinity in films and deform the crystallites of semiconductor molecules. The elastomeric component aids in stress dispersion during stretching, thereby improving the microstructural durability of blend films. This study provides new recommendations for advancing stretchable organic optoelectronic devices.

ZnO nanofiller concentrations modified P(VDF-HFP)/PEO polymer matrix-based nanocomposites of enhanced optical and dielectric properties for emerging optoelectronic and energy storage devices

Wide bandgap metal oxide nanoparticles incorporated polymer blend matrix-based polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are established as innovative multifunctional and properties tunable materials in the dimensional design and fabrication of promising performance extensive flexible type advanced devices. For further progress in these materials, herein, the detailed structural and promising properties of solution-cast prepared ternary PNC films, composed of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) P(VDF-HFP)/ poly(ethylene oxide) PEO (50/50 wt%) host matrix and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofiller (0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 wt%), are characterized. A sequence of employed experimental techniques, namely SEM, XRD, FTIR, and DSC, confirm that the surface morphology, polymorphic crystallographic character, polymer-polymer interactions, polymer-nanoparticle interfaces, crystalline phase thermal transitions, and degree of crystallinity of these PNCs largely affected with varying nanofiller concentrations. The optical study conducted with a UV–Vis spectrophotometer revealed high photo sensing and UV shielding characteristics with an energy bandgap of about 3.0 eV, demonstrating widespread applications of these semiconducting PNC materials in emerging optoelectronic device technologies. The broadband dielectric spectroscopic (BDS) characterization over the 20 Hz–1 GHz range explained harmonic field frequency and nanofiller concentration tunable dielectric permittivity (about 3 to 13) with low losses and multiple relaxation processes, predominantly ruled by microstructural interfaces and interactions developed in these ternary hybrid complex materials. The meaningful broadband dielectric characteristics of P(VDF-HFP)/PEO/ZnO materials demonstrated that they could be used as innovative nanodielectrics for energy storage purposes in capacitive devices, and flexible dielectric substrate and insulators for the fabrication of frequency-adjustable discrete and integrated microelectronic devices.

Strengthening and toughing design of graphene oxide based artificial nacre composites regulated by dimensional hierarchy of ternary structure

The strength and toughness of materials are predominantly attributed to the structure-related stress distribution and energy dissipation in the deformation and damage process. Inspired by the hierarchical structure of nacre, the ternary structure artificial nacre composite films composed of homophonous dimensional hierarchy graphene oxide (GO) sheets and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were designed and prepared via the dry-spinning process. It demonstrates that there is a mechanical synergistic effect of the dimensional hierarchy GO sheets that can improve the stress distribution (suppress and disperse the local stress concentration regions) and increase the energy dissipation (trigger more crack deflection), thus improving the toughness on the premise of ensuring excellent strength of the films. Based on the dry-spinning and lamination assembly process, large-size bulk composites with excellent mechanical properties constructed by these films can be obtained and are expected to achieve mass production, which has great potential applications in aerospace, automobile, biomedical, and energyindustries.

Tuning ultrafast demagnetization dynamics in FePdPt ternary alloy films: the role of spin–orbit coupling

The influence of spin–orbit coupling (SOC) on ultrafast demagnetization dynamics is still an obscure issue. Ferromagnetic ternary alloy film containing Platinum element has the advantage that SOC strength can be regulated flexibly by varying the component ratio, thus is an excellent platform for investigating the dynamical effect of SOC. Here the fluence and component dependences of ultrafast demagnetization dynamics in ternary alloy L10-Fe0.5(Pd1-xPtx)0.5 films are studied by using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr spectroscopy. An excitation-fluence dependent transition of demagnetization dynamics shows the Elliott-Yafet (EY) spin-flip scattering as the dominant mechanism of ultrafast demagnetization. We analyze the dynamics by a compatible fitting model and extract multiple characteristic time constants. It is clearly demonstrated that the gradual enhancement of SOC in fact decreases the spin-flip scattering and slow down the demagnetization process. We further show that the demagnetization time τm scales with the SOC strength ξ approximately under a dependence of τm∝ξ1/3, while a linear dependence exists between the spin–lattice relaxation time τs-l and ξ-6. These findings clarify the role of SOC in EY-dominated demagnetization dynamics and demonstrate an approach for tuning the speeds and duration of ultrafast demagnetization by regulating SOC strength.

Improved thermoelectric performance of PEDOT:PSS/Bi2Te3/reduced graphene oxide ternary composite films for energy harvesting applications.

We report a significant enhancement in the thermoelectric power of PEDOT by fabricating a novel ternary composite film by incorporating Bi2Te3 and rGO. A series of five samples of PEDOT:PSS/Bi2Te3/rGO ternary composite films were synthesized using a spin coating method and having different weight% (0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 wt%) of rGO in PEDOT:PSS/0.4 wt% Bi2Te3 mixture along with pure PEDOT:PSS sample. The Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and power factor increased in composite films compared to pure PEDOT:PSS films. Incorporating rGO enhanced charge carrier mobility because of its highly conductive network, whereas Bi2Te3 provided higher Seebeck coefficients owing to its inherent thermoelectric properties. PEDOT:PSS offered mechanical flexibility and a conductive matrix, facilitating effective phonon scattering and inherently lower thermal conductivity. The sample (PEDOT:PSS/0.4 wt% Bi2Te3/0.1 rGO wt%) demonstrated the highest electrical conductivity of 1522.4 S cm-1, a Seebeck coefficient of (+) 24.7 μV K-1, and a power factor of 93.16 μW m-1 K-2 at room temperature. These values represent a twelve-fold increase compared to pristine PEDOT films. A flexible, printable thermoelectric generator (TEG) was also demonstrated on polyimide substrate using inks prepared from p-type PEDOT:PSS/Bi2Te3/rGO and n-type PVDF/Ni NWs. The paper TEG achieved a maximum power output of 242.1 nW, with an output voltage of 9.84 mV and an output current of 49.21 μA at a temperature difference (ΔT) of 35 K. XRD, Raman spectroscopy SEM, and XPS techniques were used to understand the underlying mechanism. This novel PEDOT:PSS/Bi2Te3/rGO ternary composite film significantly outperforms previously reported organic thermoelectric materials. The results indicate that the combined effect of PEDOT:PSS, Bi2Te3, and rGO greatly enhances thermoelectric performance, offering a promising and efficient route for the application of PEDOT in advanced thermoelectric conversion processes.

Industrial-scale efficient alkaline water electrolysis achieved with sputtered NiFeV-oxide thin film electrodes for green hydrogen production

To mitigate electrocatalyst peel-off under high current conditions, sputtering technology is employed to craft bifunctional electrocatalyst films, specifically ternary NiFeV-oxide films with varied V compositions for enabling comprehensive alkaline water splitting in industrial applications.

Wafer-scale synthesis of two-dimensional ultrathin films.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, consisting of atomically thin layered crystals, have attracted tremendous interest due to their outstanding intrinsic properties and diverse applications in electronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis. The large-scale growth of high-quality ultrathin 2D films and their utilization in the facile fabrication of devices, easily adoptable in industrial applications, have been extensively sought after during the last decade; however, it remains a challenge to achieve these goals. Herein, we introduce three key concepts: (i) the microwave assisted quick (∼1 min) synthesis of wafer-scale (6-inch) anisotropic conducting ultrathin (∼1 nm) amorphous carbon and 2D semiconducting metal chalcogenide atomically thin films, (ii) a polymer-assisted deposition process for the synthesis of wafer-scale (6-inch) 2D metal chalcogenide and pyrolyzed carbon thin films, and (iii) the surface diffusion and epitaxial self-planarization induced synthesis of wafer-scale (2-inch) single crystal 2D binary and large-grain 2D ferromagnetic ternary metal chalcogenide thin films. The proposed synthesis concepts can pave a new way for the manufacture of wafer-scale high quality 2D ultrathin films and their utilization in the facile fabrication of devices.

Bi-axially Oriented Ternary Polypropylene Composite Film with Enhanced Energy Storage Property at Elevated Temperature

The enhancement of energy storage property of capacitor film at elevated temperature has been considered as a focus issue, due to the essential requirement of capacitor applications. In the present...

Fabrication of a ternary biocomposite film based on polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose nanocrystals, and silver nanoparticles for food packaging.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were loaded on deprotonated cellulose nanocrystals (CNCd) and incorporated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to develop novel active food packaging films. The AgNPs were fabricated using the liquid phase chemical reduction method using the sodium borohydride reductant of AgNO3. The analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) showed that the CNCd surface had a homogeneous distribution of AgNPs with a diameter of about 100 nm. Additionally, CNCd/Ag was successfully incorporated into the PVA film. The developed PVA/CNCd/Ag film showed significantly improved mechanical properties, thermal stability, and UV barrier properties compared to a neat PVA film. The PVA/CNCd/Ag composite film could significantly preserve bananas for 14 days, preventing deterioration and allowing extended storage periods. This composite film generally shows promise in food packaging and prolongs food's shelf life.

Use of Compression Molding for the Production of Ternary Films Based on Poly (Lactic Acid), Montmorillonite, and Oregano Essential Oil

Poly (Lactic Acid) (PLA) is considered one of the most promising polymers. However, neat PLA films have limitations. An effective strategy to overcome these problems is incorporating clay or essential oils. Cloisite 30B (C30B) is an organoclay widely used to improve the properties of polymers. Notably, the development of films incorporating Oregano Essential Oil (OEO) has attracted significant attention. Compression molding manufactured neat PLA, PLA/C30B, and PLA/C30B/OEO films in this manuscript. The visual evaluation indicated that the films had a good surface finish, and the films thickness varied between 0.15–0.19 mm. The moisture content increased with the incorporation of C30B and OEO. Optical microscopy showed a good distribution of clay particles. The transparency of the films increased with OEO, while with C30B, it presented greater opacity. Incorporating C30B/OEO in the PLA matrix is a promising film proposal that can be directed to the packaging sector. However, other analyses must be done better to understand the films performance for such an application.