TiN NPs Research Articles

Enhancement of Photothermal Conversion by TiN Nanoparticles-Embedded Black Paint and Applications in Solar Drying of Red Chilli.

This work explores a new application of titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) as efficient photothermal materials in enhancing the greenhouse effect. We demonstrate that a simple greenhouse using TiN NPs-embedded black paint boasts several advantages in solar drying technology, which are indicated by the drying of red chilli. In particular, the greenhouse using TiN NPs significantly improves the drying efficiency, which reduces the mass of red chilli by approximately four times and results in dried chilli with a moisture content of 10% within two days. In addition, by conducting long experiments in various environments, we found that the relative humidity can have a predominant role over the temperature in the solar drying of red chilli and observed that the re-adsorption of moisture can take place during the drying process, which prolongs the drying time and reduces the quality of the dried products.

Boosting external quantum efficiency of a WSe2 photodetector across visible and NIR spectra through harnessing plasmonic hot electrons

The layered two-dimensional material tungsten diselenide ( WSe2 ) has triggered tremendous interests in the field of optoelectronic devices due to its exceptional carrier transport property. Nevertheless, the limited absorption of WSe2 in the near infrared (NIR) band poses a challenge for the application of WSe2 photodetectors in night vision, telecommunication, etc. Herein, the enhanced performance of the WSe2 photodetector is demonstrated through the incorporation of titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs), complemented by an atomically-thick Al2O3 layer that aids in suppressing the dark current. It is demonstrated that TiN NPs can dramatically enhance the absorption of light in the proposed WSe2 photodetector in the NIR regime. This enhancement boosts photocurrent responses through the generation of plasmonic hot electrons, leading to external quantum efficiency (EQE) enhancement factors of 379.66% at 850 nm and 178.47% at 1550 nm. This work presents, for the first time, to our knowledge, that the WSe2 photodetector is capable of detecting broadband light spanning from ultraviolet to the telecommunication range, all achieved without the reliance on additional semiconductor materials. This achievement opens avenues for the advancement of cost-effective NIR photodetectors.

Superior conductive polypyrrole anti‐corrosion coating doped with titanium nitride for 304 stainless steel bipolar plates

AbstractThe conductivity and corrosion performance of metallic bipolar plates were crucial to the development of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this study, polypyrrole (PPy) coatings doped with titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) were deposited on 304 stainless steel (304SS) by constant potential polymerization. To improve dispersion and form a negative charge surface, TiN NPs were modified by anionic surfactants such as sodium dodecyl diphenyl ether disulfate (MADS). Through comparing potentiodynamic curves of the composite coatings in the simulated cathodic environment of PEMFC, the PPy‐0.1 TiN (0.1 g/L) coating presented a more positive corrosion potential (Ecorr = 293 mVAg/AgCl) and a lower corrosion current (Icorr = 0.841 μA cm−2). Furthermore, PPy‐0.1 TiN exhibited more stable corrosion resistance during long‐term immersion. Interfacial contact resistance (ICR) testing demonstrated that the addition of TiN NPs improved conductivity compared to a PPy coating. The results indicated that the PPy‐TiN‐coated 304SS could be used as a kind of promising bipolar plate material.

Effect of Titanium Nitrate Nanoparticles on Optical Properties of PVA/PEG Blend for Optoelectronics Detectors

In this work, casting method was used to fabricate the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/ poly ethylene glycol (PEG) nanocomposite with different content of titanium nitrate nanoparticle (TiN NPs). This nanocomposite was analyzed to use a Spectrophotometry with a spectral region of 200-800 nm. The absorption enhances when the added TiN NPs to the polymeric matrix which may be used for various applications such as optoelectronic detector. The optical energy gap for indirect transition (allowed and forbidden) decreased as TiN NPs content increases. Moreover, all optical constants have been determined.

Studying IR Photohyperthermia Sensitized by Titanium Nitride Nanoparticles Using Tissue-Equivalent Phantoms

Purpose: To use tissue-equivalent phantom for studies of thermal fields in biological tissues during IR photo hyperthermia with plasmonic titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs). Material and methods: Gel phantom based on polyacrylamide (PAA) with addition of naphtol green dye and intralipid 10% was created. Optical properties (reduced scattering coefficient) of phantom ingredients were determined using added absorber technique. Thermal field distribution was studied with IR thermal imaging technique. 50 nm plasmonic TiN NPs, synthetized by laser ablation in liquids, were used as sensitizers of photothermic action. Photothermal experiments were performed using two phantoms: a phantom with homogeneous optical parameters, which are relevant to biological tissues (absorption coefficient µa=0.35 сm-1, reduced scattering coefficient µ's=30 сm-1), and a phantom containing 0.02 mg/ml of TiN NPs, which increased absorption coefficient by Dµa=0.65 сm-1. The part of phantom with the NPs was located under 5 mm layer of NPs-free phantom. Photothermal effect was excited by CW laser irradiation of 830 nm wavelength and 16 W/cm2 intensity (900 mW, beam diameter: 1.3 mm) for 2 min. Thermal field distribution inside the phantom was measured by IR thermal camera. Results: A tissue-equivalent gel phantom with independently tunable absorption and scattering coefficients was designed. The phantom had cubic shape with 30 30 30 mm size. Results of photothermal experiments showed that the use of TiN NPs as sensitizers IR photohyperthermia leads to a significant increase in tissue temperature (up to 5 degrees Celsius) at distances up to 15 mm under the phantom surface. In addition, a simple experimental setup for measuring scattering coefficient of a liquid phantom ingredients was described. Conclusion: A simple method for preparation of PAA phantom for modelling photothermal heating of biological tissues and studying thermal fields distributions was described. The phantom is handy and allows one to quickly experimentally simulate the photothermal response of biological tissues, including tissues containing various spatial distributions of photosensitive NPs. TiN NPs experimentally confirmed to be an effective sensitizer of IR photothermal effect.

Plasma assists titanium nitride and surface modified titanium nitride nanoparticles from titanium scraps for magnetic properties and supercapacitor applications

Plasma methods are efficient processing for metal recovery from metal scrap, bearing minerals, electronic waste, etc. In this work, pure titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) were synthesized from titanium scraps by the thermal plasma arc discharge (TPAD) method. TPAD synthesized TiN NPs have a highly crystalline nature with cubic and spherical morphologies with average particle sizes of 30–100 nm. Further, prepared TiN NPs involving surface modification (SM) or etching processes were investigated by using the non-thermal DC glow discharge plasma technique with air atmosphere at different processing times. SM@TiN NPs have a comparatively low crystalline, which was confirmed from the powder X-ray diffraction technique. SM@TiN NPs have very interesting core shell morphologies, which are due to the surface interactions of ionized air molecules. TiN and SM@TiN NPs have room-temperature ferromagnetic properties with high saturation magnetization (Ms) up to 2.6 and 3.0 emu/g and very high coercivity (Hc) of 235.5 Oe, respectively. TiN and SM@TiN NPs have superior energy storage performance with an outstanding specific capacitance of 192.8 and 435.1 F/g at a current density of 2 A/g with pseudocapacitive behavior. These results reveal that TiN and SM@TiN NPs have highly promising electrodes for supercapacitor applications.

Enhanced fluorescence of CsPbBr3/ZnO heterojunction enabled by titanium nitride nanoparticles

We prepared CsPbBr3/ZnO heterojunctions by self-assembling colloidal CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) on the surface of the ZnO film. The fluorescence of CsPbBr3/ZnO heterojunctions was modulated by titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) to obtain highly photoluminescent CsPbBr3/TiN/ ZnO heterojunctions. The results showed that when the TiN thickness was 51 nm, the fluorescence of the CsPbBr3/TiN/ZnO heterojunction was enhanced by 3.2 times compared to that of the CsPbBr3/ZnO heterojunction. TiN NPs combined most of the photo-generated electrons with the holes on the surface of the TiN/CsPbBr3 heterojunction, which increased the electron transfer rate and reduced non-radiative recombination. This method of enhancing heterojunction fluorescence could provide a new pathway for photovoltaic, light-emitting diode (LED), photodetector, light sensor, and image sensor applications.

Photothermally activated self-healing protective coating based on the “close and seal” dual-action mechanisms

In this work, a dual-action self-healing coating with excellent photothermal response to both near-infrared (NIR) laser and sunlight irradiation was prepared. The coating was composed of a shape memory epoxy matrix embedded with poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) microspheres, the surface of which was covered by titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) to achieve the superior photothermal conversion ability. Upon light irradiation, the [email protected] composite microspheres could efficiently absorb light energy and generate sufficient heat to induce the shape memory recovery of coating defect as well as the melting of PCL to seal the scratch. Morphology observation and electrochemical measurements proved that the coating incorporated with 10 wt% of [email protected] microspheres presented an excellent self-healing performance under 30 s of NIR illumination to recover the barrier property. In addition, the photothermal conversion of [email protected] microspheres could accelerate the evaporation of water around the coating scratch, hence restraining the corrosion activity in the damaged region. The outdoor exposure test on the atmospheric corrosion monitor (ACM) covered by the coating confirmed that sunlight also benefited to achieve the prominent self-healing performance and shorten the water evaporation time, leading to much reduced corrosion current outputs hence improved corrosion protection property.

Comparison of pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of laser-synthesized plasmonic Au and TiN nanoparticles

Plasmonic nanostructures offer wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities for biomedical applications. Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) present one of the most explored nanomaterial in this field, while titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) is a new promising nanomaterial with superior plasmonic properties for biomedicine. However conventional chemical techniques for the synthesis of these nanomaterials cannot always match stringent requirements for toxicity levels and surface conditioning. Laser-synthesized Au and TiN NPs offer exceptional purity (no contamination by by-products or ligands) and unusual surface chemistry. Therefore, these NPs present a viable alternative to chemically synthesized counterparts. This work presents comparative analysis of pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of laser-synthesized 20 nm Au and TiN NPs under intravenous administration in mice model. Our data show that Au NPs and bare TiN NPs are rapidly eliminated from the blood circulation and accumulate preferentially in liver and spleen, while coating of TiN NPs by hydrophilic polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) significantly prolongates blood circulation time and improves delivery of the NPs to tumor. We finally discuss potential applications of laser synthesized Au NPs in SERS, SEIRA and electrocatalysis, while TiN nanoparticles are considered as promising agents for photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging.

Nonmetal plasmonic TiN nanoparticles significantly boost photoelectrochemical performance for hydrogen evolution of CdS nanoroad array photoanode

We report for the first time that nonmetal plasmonic TiN nanoparticles act as hot-electron booster to remarkably enhance photocurrent and hydrogen production of CdS nanoroad arrays (NRAs) via a photoelectrochemical cell. The optimized TiN–CdS NRAs produce a bias-free photocurrent of 2.9 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the highest photoconversion efficiency of the TiN–CdS nanorod array (NRA) photoanode with optimized loading of the TiN NPs is up to 2.2%, 1.6-fold that of the pristine CdS NRA photoanode (1.4%) at 0.22 V versus RHE. Most importantly, TiN–CdS NRAs achieve a hydrogen production rate of 101.5 μmol h−1 cm−2, about 2 times higher than that of the CdS NRAs. Experimental evidences of the photoluminescence emission apparently confirm that hot-electron injection from TiN to CdS plays a crucial role for enhancing photocurrent and hydrogen production. This work demonstrates that nonmetal plasmonic TiN can be integrated into new platforms for efficient solar energy conversion.

Nanoconfined Topochemical Conversion from MXene to Ultrathin Non-Layered TiN Nanomesh toward Superior Electrocatalysts for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

2D non-layered materials (2DNLMs) featuring massive undercoordinated surface atoms and obvious lattice distortion have shown great promise in catalytic/electrocatalytic applications, but their controllable synthesis remains challenging. Here, a new type of ultrathin carbon-wrapped titanium nitride nanomesh (TiN NM@C) is prepared using a rationally designed nano-confinement topochemical conversion strategy. The ultrathin 2D geometry with well-distributed pores offers TiN NM@C plentiful exposed active sites and rapid charge transfer, leading to outstanding electrocatalytic performance tackling the sluggish sulfur redox kinetics in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). LSBs employing TiN NM@C electrocatalyst deliver excellent rate capabilities (e.g., 304 mAh g-1 at 10 C), greatly outperforming that of using TiN nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanosheets (TiN NPs@C) as a benchmark. More impressively, a free-standing electrode for LSBs with a high sulfur loading of 7.3mg cm-2 is demonstrated, showing a high peak areal capacity of 5.6 mAh cm-2 at a high current density of 6.1mA cm-2 . This work provides a new avenue for the facile and controllable fabrication of 2DNLMs with impressive electrocatalysis for LSBs as well as other energy conversion and storage technologies.

Photothermally active borosilicate-based composite bone cement for near-infrared light controlled mineralisation

ABSTRACT The mineralisation and ion release behaviour of the bioactive glasses play a crucial role for their biomedical applications. It is, however, difficult to control these processes artificially in situ. Herein we utilised NIR radiation as an external stimuli to tailor these processes to match specific requirements. Therefore, the composite bone cements based on borosilicate glass incorporated with TiN NPs were fabricated. It is found that, under 1064 nm laser irradiation, the composite bone cements exhibited remarkable photothermal performance and the cumulative amount of silicon, boron and calcium ions of the composite bone cement increased by 4.74, 1.79, and 1.26 times within 10 days, respectively. Even at the later stage of mineralisation, the ions release rates could be accelerated. Additionally, 1064 nm laser irradiation accelerated the formation of HA. Therefore, this paper provided an effective way to regulate the mineralisation and ion release behaviour of bioactive glass after implantation.

Plasmonic Titanium Nitride Nano-enabled Membranes with High Structural Stability for Efficient Photothermal Desalination.

Herein, we demonstrate the desalination performance of a solar-driven membrane distillation (MD) process, where upon light illumination, a highly localized heating of plasmonic titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) immobilized on a hydrophobic membrane provides the thermal driving force for the MD operation. The engineered TiN photothermal membrane induces vapor generation directly at the feed-membrane interface upon solar irradiation, thereby eliminating the need to heat the entire bulk feed water. The results indicate that the average vapor flux through the TiN photothermal membrane without any auxiliary feed heating was recorded as 1.01 L m-2 h-1, which corresponds to the solar-thermal efficiency of 66.7% under 1 sun solar irradiance. The superior performance of the photothermal MD process is attributed to the broadband optical absorption and excellent light-to-heat conversion properties of the plasmonic TiN NP layer, which enabled efficient interfacial water heating at the membrane surface and increased the net driving force for vapor transport. Results also reveal the high mechanical stability of the TiN photothermal coating layer during long-term photothermal MD operations. We believe that the TiN photothermal membranes fabricated using a relatively inexpensive and nontoxic material via the simple technique with high stability and photothermal conversion efficiency will provide a path forward for developing the solar-driven MD applications.

Dual-action self-healing protective coatings with photothermal responsive corrosion inhibitor nanocontainers

This work introduces a novel nanocomposite coating with dual-action self-healing corrosion protection activated by the photothermal response of plasmonic titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs). TiN@mesoporous SiO2 core–shell nanocontainers were developed as reservoirs for benzotriazole (BTA) corrosion inhibitors and incorporated into the shape memory epoxy coating matrix. Under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, the thermogenesis effect of TiN could not only promote the release of corrosion inhibitors from nanocontainers into the crevice, but also trigger the shape memory effect of damaged epoxy to merge the coating scratch. As such, the dual-action self-healing mechanisms combining the formation of an inhibitor-based protective layer and the scratch closure efficiently suppressed the corrosion process at the exposed metal surface. Surface characterization and electrochemical measurement results proved that the nanocomposite coating incorporated with 2 wt% of TiN-BTA@SiO2 exhibited the optimal corrosion protection as well as an excellent self-healing performance that can be initiated within 30 s of NIR illumination. This photo-controlled self-healing approach is potentially useful in designing next-generation self-healing coatings with ultrafast response time and high healing efficiency.

High-efficiency solar-driven water desalination using a thermally isolated plasmonic membrane

This study presents an experimental demonstration of a highly efficient solar-driven interfacial evaporation system for potable water production. The engineered evaporation system consist of a photothermal structure (plasmonic titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) coated on a hydrophilic porous membrane), and a thermally insulating nano silica aerogel. During the solar-driven vapor generation test, a hydrophilic membrane functioned as a porous support and drew underlying water to the surface through its microporous channels; the TiN NPs coated on a membrane surface functioned as a photothermal layer and generated localized heat at the water–vapor interface upon light irradiation; and an aerogel mat positioned between the photothermal membrane and the underlying bulk water served as a thermally insulating barrier, to suppress parasitic heat dissipation. The results reveal that the optimized TiN photothermal membrane when tested in a thermally-insulated system, efficiently produced clean water at a rate of 1.34 kgm−2h−1 that corresponds to a solar-thermal conversion efficiency of 84.5% under 1 sun. A superior efficiency of the system was primarily attributed to the broadband light absorption and superior light to heat conversion properties of plasmonic TiN NPs, as well as to the suppressed heat loss from the heated surface to the underlying water. It is believed that the application of TiN-membranes fabricated via a simple and scalable method presents a concrete step for solar-assisted off-grid desalination, particularly at remote locations with limited or no access to electricity.

An investigation on sunlight-induced shape memory behaviors of PCL/TiN composites film

Plasmonic materials possess good optical properties in effectively converting solar energy into heat, here a series of sunlight responsive shape memory composites films based on acrylate-terminated Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) are prepared via base-catalyzed Michael addition. Compared with conventional free radical polymerization or physical blending, this paper constructs a network architecture from view of structural controllability, favoring a subsequent flexible and elastic materials as well as fine dispersion of TiN NPs in the cross-linked networks, the resultant materials show an outstanding mechanical and the incorporated TiN NPs enable rapid temperature increase over the melting temperature of PCL and trigger the shape change of the composite with good shape recovery rate. The effect of light density and TiN NPs concentration on composite film are elucidated and investigated systematically, it is found that the amount of TiN NPs content virtually has a negligible effect on the surface temperature of the films when subjected to a specific illumination, however, light intensity has a remarkable influence on it. Furthermore, an electronics device switch actuated by 160 mw cm−2 simulated sunlight irradiation is demonstrated and envisioned for flexible electronic applications.

Laser- synthesized TiN nanoparticles as promising plasmonic alternative for biomedical applications

Exhibiting a red-shifted absorption/scattering feature compared to conventional plasmonic metals, titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) look as very promising candidates for biomedical applications, but these applications are still underexplored despite the presence of extensive data for conventional plasmonic counterparts. Here, we report the fabrication of ultrapure, size-tunable TiN NPs by methods of femtosecond laser ablation in liquids and their biological testing. We show that TiN NPs demonstrate strong and broad plasmonic peak around 640–700 nm with a significant tail over 800 nm even for small NPs sizes (<7 nm). In vitro tests of laser-synthesized TiN NPs on cellular models evidence their low cytotoxicity and excellent cell uptake. We finally demonstrate a strong photothermal therapy effect on U87–MG cancer cell cultures using TiN NPs as sensitizers of local hyperthermia under near-infrared laser excitation. Based on absorption band in the region of relative tissue transparency and acceptable biocompatibility, laser-synthesized TiN NPs promise the advancement of biomedical modalities employing plasmonic effects, including absorption/scattering contrast imaging, photothermal therapy, photoacoustic imaging and SERS.

Study of the Effect Laser Ablation on Structural, Morphological and Optical Characterization of Tin NPs Sn Nanoparticles Thin Films in Methanol

Study of the Effect Laser Ablation on Structural, Morphological and Optical Characterization of Tin NPs Sn Nanoparticles Thin Films in Methanol

All‐Ceramic Solar‐Driven Water Purifier Based on Anodized Aluminum Oxide and Plasmonic Titanium Nitride

AbstractAn efficient method of water purification and desalination using anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) loaded with titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) is demonstrated. While the ceramic TiN NPs convert the incident sunlight into thermal energy and generate a hot forefront region at the water–vapor interface, the AAO serves as an efficient transporter of water to this evaporating region through its nanochannels. It has been shown that photothermal performance of TiN–AAO can be optimized by adjusting the pore diameter and nominal TiN thickness. Additionally, thermal insulation by a simple technique is effective in improving the water evaporation speed. Overall, the steam generation efficiency reaches 92% under solar irradiation of 100 mW cm−2. Low cost and concise design make the structure portable for solar steam generation.

All-Ceramic Microfibrous Solar Steam Generator: TiN Plasmonic Nanoparticle-Loaded Transparent Microfibers

A portable and reusable solar water distillation structure based on low cost ceramic materials is developed. The structure is made of ceramic fiber wool (CW) and titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) that are chemically immobilized to the CW. When sunlight illuminates the structure, the TiN NPs absorb sunlight while unnecessary heating of the remaining water is suppressed by the CW. The CW effectively supply water by capillary force such that the TiN NPs are always kept close to the water surface. It yields a solar thermal conversion efficiency of more than 80% at 100 mW cm–2 that is much more efficient than the conventional systems. Our structures can be used as eco-friendly and efficient solar water distillator.