Textured Substrates Research Articles

Simple Self-Assembly Strategy of Nanospheres on 3D Substrate and Its Application for Enhanced Textured Silicon Solar Cell.

Nanomaterials and nanostructures provide new opportunities to achieve high-performance optical and optoelectronic devices. Three-dimensional (3D) surfaces commonly exist in those devices (such as light-trapping structures or intrinsic grains), and here, we propose requests for nanoscale control over nanostructures on 3D substrates. In this paper, a simple self-assembly strategy of nanospheres for 3D substrates is demonstrated, featuring controllable density (from sparse to close-packed) and controllable layer (from a monolayer to multi-layers). Taking the assembly of wavelength-scale SiO2 nanospheres as an example, it has been found that textured 3D substrate promotes close-packed SiO2 spheres compared to the planar substrate. Distribution density and layers of SiO2 coating can be well controlled by tuning the assembly time and repeating the assembly process. With such a versatile strategy, the enhancement effects of SiO2 coating on textured silicon solar cells were systematically examined by varying assembly conditions. It was found that the close-packed SiO2 monolayer yielded a maximum relative efficiency enhancement of 9.35%. Combining simulation and macro/micro optical measurements, we attributed the enhancement to the nanosphere-induced concentration and anti-reflection of incident light. The proposed self-assembly strategy provides a facile and cost-effective approach for engineering nanomaterials at 3D interfaces.

Structural and Optical Properties of Textured Silicon Substrates by Three-Step Chemical Etching.

We implemented the fabrication of hybrid structures, including pyramids, etching holes, and inverted pyramidal cavities on silicon substrates, by three-step chemical etching. To achieve this, we utilized anisotropic wet etching as the first-step etching to form pyramids of various sizes. Subsequently, metal-assisted chemical etching was performed to develop aligned etching holes on the pyramidal structure. Ultimately, anisotropic wet etching was used again as the third-step etching for the etchant to penetrate holes to form inverted pyramidal cavities. Optimizing the three-step etching treatments, large-scale textured structures with low reflectance could be obtained, and they show potential for applications in sensors, solar cells, photovoltaics, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Examples of using the textured silicon substrates for SERS applications were given.

Microbubble dynamics and heat transfer in boiling droplets

Dissipating large heat fluxes from a surface is critically important in numerous industrial and natural applications. Boiling based spray cooling and surface texturing are two of the most promising methods being investigated to address this problem. Although our understanding on these topics has significantly improved over past decades, critical gaps remain in the knowledgebase stymieing the realization of their full potential. As an example, while bubble growth in pool boiling have been investigated in detail, comparatively little is known about how the bubbles evolve inside boiling drops. In the present work, we have investigated for the first time, the microbubble dynamics inside water droplets boiling on superhydrophilic textured substrates using high-speed X-ray phase contrast imaging (XRPCI). Our observations show that the transient bubble density variation follows similar characteristics irrespective of the texture spacing at a given surface temperature. For an example microstructure, we found that the number of discrete bubbles on the surface decreases as temperature is increased although their growth rate increases. We observe that bubble growth is highly non-uniform during the lifetime of a drop on the surface. Initially, bubbles grow under diffusion-limited regime, but at later times they grow as ~t1.45 due to combined effects of coalescence and evaporation. In some conditions, we found that bubbles shrink dramatically after the initial growth spurt presumably due to severe quenching of the surface, and migration of bubbles on the surface. Using the bubble sizes, for the first time we analyzed the heat flux removed by a single bubble and also by all the bubbles at a given time. We find that the highest dissipation through latent-heat component (~600 W/cm2) occurs just in the beginning and thereafter it decreases. We expect that our findings and the analysis would guide further work on the topic and will aid in the overarching goal of engineering surfaces that are more efficient in boiling heat transfer.

Broadband angular color stability of dielectric thin film-coated pyramidal textured Si for photovoltaics

In this work we demonstrate the angular color stability of textured c-Si substrates colored by single layer thin film coatings of SiNx. These coatings show higher angular color stability on substrates with a random upright pyramidal surface texture compared to identical coatings on planar silicon substrates. Angle dependent reflectance measurements, supported by a modeling framework, display that the reflectance peaks originating from thin film interference of coated textured substrates only shift about 15 nm with an increasing angle of incidence from 10° to 80°, while the reflectance peaks of planar substrates with identical coatings shift about 120 nm at these angles. More specifically, reflectance peaks of planar substrates shift to shorter wavelengths, leading to a blue shift of the color appearance. The stable peak position of the textured samples is explained by a 2D representation of their surface texture and the primarily double interference interaction on it. While it is well known that a wide range of colors can be realized exhibiting low optical losses with thin film coatings, angular color stability was often not taken into account. However, for building integrated photovoltaics applications, a high angular color stability is desired, underlining the importance of using these textures. In most installed c-Si photovoltaics, similar substrate surface textures and dielectric thin film layers are already used. Therefore, this work envisions a route to facilitate large scale production of colored solar cells on textured c-Si substrates, colored by thin film SiNx layers, with minimized optical losses and improved angular color stability.

Improved Load-Bearing Capacity and Tribological Properties of PTFE Coatings Induced by Surface Texturing and the Addition of GO

The PTFE coatings with excellent corrosion-resistance and lubrication properties often stop functioning under high load conditions. In this study, a composite coating of PTFE filled with silane coupling agent modified graphene oxide (mGO/PTFE) was prepared by a simple spin-coating process on textured stainless steel (SS) substrate to protect the substrate from failure under high load rubbing. The grafting reaction between GO and silane coupling agent was analyzed by FTIR, Raman, XRD, TGA, and XPS. The morphologies and tribological properties of the mGO/PTFE coatings on the untextured and textured SS substrates were characterized by SEM and UMT tribometer. The results showed that GO surfaces were successfully grafted by silane coupling agent, resulting in that the composite coating of mGO/PTFE was denser than the pure PTFE coating. The tribo-test results confirmed that the groove texture processed by laser surface texture technology greatly improved the load-bearing capacity and anti-wear life of the PTFE coatings. The PTFE coating on the untextured SS surface fails within half an hour of rubbing at the applied load of 10 N, while the one on the groove-textured surface can maintain low and stable friction coefficient for a long time even under the load of 50 N. In addition, the results showed that the loading of mGO further improve the friction reduction and wear resistance of the PTFE coating on the textured SS surface. The wear scar width and the friction coefficient are significantly reduced by 70% and 30%, respectively, as the PTFE coating was filled by 1.0 wt% mGO. Finally, the mechanisms for achieving outstanding properties of the composite coating of mGO/PTFE on the textured SS surface were illustrated by analyzing the wear surfaces of the coating and the counterpart balls by SEM and EDS.

Effect of 3D printer enabled surface morphology and composition on coral growth in artificial reefs

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to prove and qualify the influence of textured surface substrates morphology and chemical composition on the growth and propagation of transplanted corals. Use additive manufacturing and silicone moulds for converting three-dimensional samples into limestone mortar with white Portland cement substrates for coral growth.Design/methodology/approachTiles samples were designed and printed with different geometries and textures inspired by nature marine environment. Commercial coral frag tiles were analysed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify the main chemical elements. Raw materials and coral species were selected. New base substrates were manufactured and deployed into a closed-circuit aquarium to monitor the coral weekly evolution process and analyse the results obtained.FindingsExperimental results provided positive statistical parameters for future implementation tests, concluding that the intensity of textured surface, interfered favourably in the coralline algae biofilm growth. The chemical composition and design of the substrates were determinant factors for successful coral propagation. Recesses and cavities mimic the natural rocks aspect and promoted the presence and interaction of other species that favour the richness of the ecosystem.Originality/valueAdditive manufacturing provided an innovative method of production for ecology restoration areas, allowing rapid prototyping of substrates with high complexity morphologies, a critical and fundamental attribute to guarantee coral growth and Crustose Coralline Algae. The result of this study showed the feasibility of this approach using three-dimensional printing technologies.

The process of pore formation on a textured silicon substrate during electrochemical etching: 3D model

The paper presents the results of modeling the mechanism for producing porous silicon on a textured surface. For various technological tasks, it is important to learn how to control the parameters of electrolytic etching to obtain the desired result. On 3D maps of the distribution of potential and etching currents, you can see that the vectors go around the pyramids and pointly etch certain sections of the surface. Confirmations of this can be seen in photographs of a scanning electron microscope and a scanning probe microscope. A detailed description of pore formation on textured porous silicon substrates has not yet been found in other works.

Supramolecular hydrogel-infiltrated ceramics composite coating with combined antibacterial and self-lubricating performance.

Inspired by the structure and dynamic weeping lubricating mechanism of articular cartilage, a novel composite coating composed of a textured Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) ceramics reservoir and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) hybrid supramolecular hydrogel was developed on the basis of a soft/hard combination strategy. The precursor solution including the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified AgNPs and α-cyclodextrins (α-CDs) could be infiltrated deep into (50-60 μm) the pores of a textured YSZ ceramics substrate by a vacuum infiltration method, in situ forming a supramolecular hydrogel within the pores through host-guest inclusion between α-CDs and PEG chains distributed onto the surface of AgNPs. The AgNPs hybrid hydrogel showed thixotropic and thermoresponsive gel-sol transition behavior, low cytotoxicity, and excellent drug-loading capacity, as well as significant antibacterial properties. The textured YSZ ceramics not only provided a hard supporting skeleton and stable reservoir to protect the supramolecular hydrogel from destruction under load-bearing or shear condition, but also allowed retaining the stimuli-responsive gel-sol transition property and drug-release capability of the infiltrated hydrogel, endowing the composite coating with excellent antibacterial properties, and self-lubrication and wear-resistance performance. The composite coating in this work brings a new insight into the design of antibacterial and self-lubricating ceramic coatings for artificial joint applications.

Predicting Hemiwicking Dynamics on Textured Substrates.

The ability to predict liquid transport rates on textured surfaces is key to the design and optimization of devices and processes such as oil recovery, coatings, reaction-separation, high-throughput screening, and thermal management. In this work we develop a fully analytical model to predict the propagation coefficients for liquids hemiwicking through micropillar arrays. This is carried out by balancing the capillary driving force and a viscous resistive force and solving the Navier-Stokes equation for representative channels. The model is validated against a large data set of experimental hemiwicking coefficients harvested from the literature and measured in-house using high-speed imaging. The theoretical predictions show excellent agreement with the measured values and improved accuracy compared to previously proposed models. Furthermore, using lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulations, we demonstrate that the present model is applicable over a broad range of geometries. The scaling of velocity with texture geometry, implicit in our model, is compared against experimental data, where good agreement is observed for most practical systems. The analytical expression presented here offers a tool for developing design guidelines for surface chemistry and microstructure selection for liquid propagation on textured surfaces.

Surface textures suppress viscoelastic braking on soft substrates

A gravity-driven droplet will rapidly flow down an inclined substrate, resisted only by stresses inside the liquid. If the substrate is compliant, with an elastic modulus G < 100 kPa, the droplet will markedly slow as a consequence of viscoelastic braking. This phenomenon arises due to deformations of the solid at the moving contact line, enhancing dissipation in the solid phase. Here, we pattern compliant surfaces with textures and probe their interaction with droplets. We show that the superhydrophobic Cassie state, where a droplet is supported atop air-immersed textures, is preserved on soft textured substrates. Confocal microscopy reveals that every texture in contact with the liquid is deformed by capillary stresses. This deformation is coupled to liquid pinning induced by the orientation of contact lines atop soft textures. Thus, compared to flat substrates, greater forcing is required for the onset of drop motion when the soft solid is textured. Surprisingly, droplet velocities down inclined soft or hard textured substrates are indistinguishable; the textures thus suppress viscoelastic braking despite substantial fluid-solid contact. High-speed microscopy shows that contact line velocities atop the pillars vastly exceed those associated with viscoelastic braking. This velocity regime involves less deformation, thus less dissipation, in the solid phase. Such rapid motions are only possible because the textures introduce a new scale and contact-line geometry. The contact-line orientation atop soft pillars induces significant deflections of the pillars on the receding edge of the droplet; calculations confirm that this does not slow down the droplet.

Inter-facet composition modulation of III-nitride nanowires over pyramid textured Si substrates by stationary molecular beam epitaxy

InGaN nanowires (NWs) are grown on pyramid textured Si substrates by stationary plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE). The incidence angles of the highly directional source beams vary for different pyramid facets, inducing a distinct inter-facet modulation of the In content of the InGaN NWs, which is verified by spatial element distribution analysis. The resulting multi-wavelength emission is confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL). Pure GaN phase formation dominates on certain facets, which is attributed to extreme local growth conditions, such as low active N flux. On the same facets, InGaN NWs exhibit a morphology change close to the pyramid ridge, indicating inter-facet atom migration. This cross-talk effect due to inter-facet atom migration is verified by a decrease of the inter-facet In content modulation amplitude with shrinking pyramid size. A detailed analysis of the In content variation across individual pyramid facets and element distribution line profiles reveals that the cross-talk effect originates mainly from the inter-facet atom migration over the convex pyramid ridge facet boundaries rather than the concave base line facet boundaries. This is understood by first-principles calculations showing that the pyramid baseline facet boundary acts as an energy barrier for atom migration, which is much higher than that of the ridge facet boundary. The influence of the growth temperature on the inter-facet In content modulation is also presented. This work gives deep insight into the composition modulation for the realization of multi-color light-emitting devices based on the monolithic growth of InGaN NWs on pyramid textured Si substrates.

Effects of pretexturization chemical processing on the optical and morphological properties of solar-grade monocrystalline silicon wafers

Surface texturization is a route to improving the efficiency of silicon solar cells by enhancing their light trapping ability. In this paper, solar-grade, monocrystalline, unpolished, silicon wafers were chemically processed via different routes before texturization. The effect of this pre-texturization processing on the morphological evolution with corresponding changes in optical properties has been systematically studied with a scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. It has been found that the uniformity and size distribution of pyramid structures, as well as the reflectance of the textured surfaces, depend on the pre-textured chemical processing. Moreover, it has also been found that etching the oxide layer with HF prior to texturization does not affect the optical properties of textured silicon substrates.

Numerical study of a highly efficient light trapping nanostructure of perovskite solar cell on a textured silicon substrate

In this paper, a nanostructured perovskite solar cell (PSC) on a textured silicon substrate is examined, and its performance is analyzed. First, its configuration and the simulated unit cell are discussed, and its fabrication method is explained. In this proposed structure, poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used instead of glass. It is shown that the use of PDMS dramatically reduces the reflection from the cell surface. Furthermore, the light absorption is found to be greatly increased due to the light trapping and plasmonic enhancement of the electric field in the active layer. Then, three different structures, are compared with the main proposed structure in terms of absorption, considering the imperfect fabrication conditions and the characteristics of the built PSC. The findings show that in the worst fabrication conditions considered structure (FCCS), short-circuit current density (Jsc) is 22.28 mA/cm2, which is 27% higher than that of the planar structure with a value of 17.51 mA/cm2. As a result, the efficiencies of these FCCSs are significant as well. In the main proposed structure, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is observed to be improved by 32%, from 13.86% for the planar structure to 18.29%.

Effects of surface texturing on nanotribological properties and subsurface damage of monocrystalline GaN subjected to scratching investigated using molecular dynamics simulation

Surface nanotribological properties and subsurface damage of flat and textured gallium nitride (GaN) substrates during both linear and circular nanoscratching processes are investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. Results show that the surface texture can remarkably reduce not only the surface friction and wear but also the scratching-induced subsurface damage regardless of the tip radius and penetration depth. Tangential force and friction coefficient decreased with an increase in groove width or depth primarily due to the reduced contact area. The effect of texturing on stress distribution can affect the development of dislocation to alleviate the nanoscale material deformation and removal and thereby reduce surface wear and subsurface damage. Increasing tip radius can reduce the friction coefficient and surface wear, but it promotes subsurface damage. By contrast, increasing tip penetration depth can increase the friction, wear, and subsurface damage for flat and textured GaN substrates. Compared with the c-plane, the m-plane GaN substrate exhibits higher friction but lower material wear, and it has a considerably thicker subsurface damage layer due to the difference in their dislocation networks. This work can provide useful insights into the design of GaN-based material with antifriction and wear properties through the surface texturing treatments.

Effect of laser­textured groove wall interface on molybdenum coating diffusion and metallurgical bonding

The bonding mechanism of atmospheric plasma-sprayed Mo coatings on stainless steel laser-textured groove pattern substrates was investigated using experimental and simulation methods. The phase compositions of the interface layers were investigated using X-ray diffraction, while scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to analyze the bonding state and elemental distribution of the interface, respectively. PosiTest AT-A measured the bonding strength of the grit-blasted and laser-textured grooved substrate coatings. We developed a three-dimensional numerical model to describe the alteration in the wall temperature during droplet filling using a commercial simulation software. The results showed that the diffusion depths of the groove wall in the crater, middle, and bottom were 2.94, 2.7, and 1.89 μm, while those of the metallurgical layers were 1.44, 0.8, and 0.52 μm thick, respectively. Compared with the grit­blasted substrate coating, the bonding strength and minimum diffusion thickness of the textured substrate increased by 49.7 and 32.2%, respectively. Therefore, the groove wall interface formed a mixed metallurgy, diffusion, and mechanical bonding with the non-mechanical bonding decreasing from top to bottom. The thickness of the interface of the metallurgical and diffusion layer of the groove wall gradually decreased from the crater to the bottom. Nonetheless, the thickness and area of the textured substrate were higher than that of the grit-blasted substrate. A shallow groove was formed between the adjacent groove craters, which increased the bonding strength of the coating. Finally, we developed a mathematical model for predicting the bonding layer. This study contributes to the literature by providing significant findings of the Mo coating, thereby offering theoretical support for the interfacial bonding of the plasma-sprayed Mo coating by the laser surface texture substrate.

Fabrication of WS2/C composite coatings via electrohydrodynamic atomization and their tribology behaviours

WS2 coatings were prepared by electrohydrodynamic atomization method, and graphite was introduced in order to improve their mechanical properties and oxidation resistance. The influence of graphite on the microstructure, anti-oxidation capability, mechanical performances and tribological properties of the composite coatings were systematically analysed. The sharkskin-like biomimetic textures were fabricated on the substrates by laser machining. The results showed that the sharkskin-like biomimetic textures increased the compressive stresses and surface energies of substrates, resulting in improved adhesion strength between deposited coatings and substrates. The improved adhesion strength and oxidation resistance of the WS2/C coatings as well as the antifriction capability of micro/nano-textures aided in keeping a low stabilized friction coefficient down to 0.05 for a long sliding time. The WS2/C (4:1) composite coatings deposited on the sharkskin-like biomimetic textured substrates presented the longest wear life of ~2800 s, which was ~2.3 times longer than that of the pure WS2 coatings on the polished substrates. The wear rate of WS2/C (4: 1) coating deposited on the textured substrate was ~3.1 × 10−7 mm3/N mm, which was about three-fifths of that of the pure WS2 coating deposited on the polished substrate. The micro/nano-grooves, which acted as reservoirs for WS2 lubricating material, could support the formation of the low-friction tribo-films.

Polydispersity‐Driven Printing of Conformal Solid Metal Traces on Non‐Adhering Biological Surfaces

AbstractMetals and organics possess two very dissimilar surface energies, hence, do not naturally adhere to each other. This incompatibility is exacerbated by surface roughness yet advances in wearables and bioelectronics call for their integration. Mesoscale mechanical bonds, however, transcend the necessities of surface energy matching while taking advantage of surface texture. Herein, transient carrier fluids, particle size polydispersity, and capillary‐driven autonomous size‐sorting are exploited to conformally jam undercooled liquid metal particles on textured soft substrate. The well packed undercooled metal particles are then chemically activated to induce phase change, leading to a solid electrically conductive metal trace. Static and dynamic deposition of the particles is amenable to this surface‐templated printing of conductive traces. This process allows for printing across surfaces with varying surface features like on the brain, on paper (asymmetric porosity), or across smooth and rough brain sections. By tuning particle size and slurry concentration, good particle packing is demonstrated on a multi‐scale rough surface like a rose flower. This printing method is therefore compatible with delicate (low modulus), heat sensitive, and textured substrates hence compatible with biological tissues and organic substrates.

Chromaticity-tunable remote LuYAG: Ce phosphor-in-glass film on regular textured glass substrate for white light emitting diodes

All inorganic remote phosphor-in-glass film exhibits excellent properties in high power white light-emitting-diodes (WLEDs) thanks to their easy fabrication and thermal stability. Herein, fabrication of (Lu, Y)3Al5O12: Ce3+ (LuYAG: Ce)phosphors embedded in borosilicate glass film by the conventional solid state reaction and spin coating technology has been reported. The introduction of Y3+ ions reduces the difference of relative growth rate along some directions in growth of LuYAG microparticles, yielding a finer grain with smooth edges. By adjusting the molar concentration of Y3+ ions in LuAG phosphor, a series of tunable broadband emission from green to yellow region is observed and maintains excellent thermal stability. Meanwhile, the decay curves of samples with different Y3+ are almost same. SEM images show that phosphor particles are homogenously distributed within the glass matrix and keep their original morphology, suggesting the phosphor-in-glass films were synthesized as expected. Finally, a simple WLEDs based on the films was constructed using the commercial blue chip. The correlated color temperature ranging from 4853K to 4627K and high color rendering index from 81.4–79.7 were obtained. Upon the different driving current, the chromaticity coordinates of as-fabricated film exhibit good light color stability. These results bring an inspiring insight to tune the luminescent performance for remote WLEDs.

Exploring the attachment of the Mediterranean medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana) to porous substrates.

Haematophagous ectoparasites must ensure a reliable hold to their host during blood meals and, therefore, have evolved a broad spectrum of versatile and effective attachment mechanisms. The Mediterranean medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana), for example, uses suction on both smooth and textured air-tight substrates. However, preliminary studies showed that H. verbana is also capable of attaching itself to air-permeable substrates, where suction does not work. Using high-speed videography and mechanical tests, we comparatively investigated the attachment of H. verbana on both smooth and textured air-tight as well as on porous artificial substrates, also considering the influence of mucus on sucker surfaces. In general, the leech-specific locomotion cycle did not differ between the tested surfaces, and the leeches were able to reliably attach to both air-tight and porous substrates. From our results, we conclude that suction is presumably the primary attachment mechanism of H. verbana. However, secondary mechanisms such as mechanical interlocking with surface asperities and pores or capillary forces occurring at the interface between the mucus-covered suckers and the substratum are also employed. In any case, the rich repertoire of applicable attachment principles renders the organs of H. verbana functionally highly resilient.

Direct Femtosecond Laser Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Aluminum Alloy Surfaces with Anti-icing Properties

Ice formation is a serious issue in many fields, from energy to aerospace, compromising the devices’ efficiency and security. Superhydrophobicity has been demonstrated to be correlated to the anti-icing properties of surfaces. However, fabricating surfaces with robust water repellence properties also at subzero temperature is still a great challenge. In this work, femtosecond laser (fs-laser) texturing is exploited to produce superhydrophobic surfaces with anti-icing properties on Al2024, an aluminum alloy of great interest in cold environments, in particular for aircraft production. Our textured substrates present self-cleaning properties and robust water repellency at subzero temperatures. Moreover, outstanding anti-icing properties are achieved on the textured surfaces at −20 °C, with water droplets bouncing off the surface before freezing.