Effect of fluorine doping on highly transparent conductive spray deposited nanocrystalline tin oxide thin films

The undoped and fluorine doped thin films are synthesized by using cost-effective spray pyrolysis technique. The dependence of optical, structural and electrical properties of SnO₂ films, on the concentration of fluorine is reported. Optical absorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Hall effect studies have been performed on SnO₂:F (FTO) films coated on glass substrates. The film thickness varies from 800 to 1572 nm. X-ray diffraction pattern reveals the presence of cassiterite structure with (2 0 0) preferential orientation for FTO films. The crystallite size varies from 35 to 66 nm. SEM and AFM study reveals the surface of FTO to be made of nanocrystalline particles. The electrical study reveals that the films are degenerate and exhibit n-type electrical conductivity. The 20 wt% F doped film has a minimum resistivity of 3.8 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm, carrier density of 24.9 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ and mobility of 6.59 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. The sprayed FTO film having minimum resistance of 3.42 Ω/cm², highest figure of merit of 6.18 × 10⁻² Ω⁻¹ at 550 nm and 96% IR reflectivity suggest, these films are useful as conducting layers in electrochromic and photovoltaic devices and also as the passive counter electrode.     

表面In掺杂TiO2的N719/TiO2-Inx%/FTO薄膜电极的光电转换效率

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备出In 表面修饰的TiO₂ (TiO₂-Inx%)纳米粒子, x%代表在In 掺杂的TiO₂样品中In³⁺与In³⁺和Ti⁴⁺离子摩尔百分含量. 利用二(四丁基铵)顺式-双(异硫氰基)双(2,2''-联吡啶-4,4''-二羧酸)钌(II)(N719)作为敏化剂, 制备出N719/TiO₂/FTO (氟掺杂锡氧化物)和N719/TiO₂-Inx%/FTO染料敏化薄膜电极. 光电转换效率实验表明, 在薄膜电极+0.5 mol·L^-1 LiI+0.05 mol·L^-1 I₂的三甲氧基丙腈(MPN)溶液+Pt 光电池体系中,N719/TiO₂-Inx%/FTO薄膜电极的光电转换效率均高于N719/TiO₂/FTO, 其中N719/TiO₂-In0.1%/FTO的光电转换效率比N719/TiO₂/FTO提高了20%. 利用X 射线衍射(XRD)、X 射线光电子能谱(XPS)、漫反射吸收光谱(DRS)、荧光(PL)光谱和表面光电流作用谱确定了TiO₂-Inx%样品中In3+离子的存在方式和能带结构; 利用表面光电流作用谱研究了N719/TiO₂-Inx%/FTO薄膜电极的光致界面电荷转移过程. 结果表明, In3+离子在TiO₂表面形成O-In-Cl_n (n=1, 2)物种, 该物种的表面态能级位于导带下0.3 eV处; 在光电流产生过程中, O-In-Cl_n (n=1, 2)表面态能级有效地抑制了光生载流子在TiO₂-Inx%层的复合, 促进了阳极光电流的增加, 从而导致N719/TiO₂-Inx%/FTO薄膜电极的光电转化效率高于N719/TiO₂/FTO, 并进一步讨论了光致界面电荷转移的机理.     

Preparation and Characterization of TiO2 Nanotube Arrays via Anodization of Titanium Films Deposited on FTO Conducting Glass at Room Temperature

Self-organized TiO₂ nanotube arrays with micro-scale length were prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass in NH₄F/glycerol electrolyte by electrochemical anodization of pure titanium films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) at room temperature. The samples were characterized by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoelectrochemistry methods. The results showed that Ti films prepared at the condition of Ar pressure 0.5 Pa, power 150 W, and 0.5 h at room temperature possessed the zone T model structure with good homogeneity and high denseness. When the anodization time was prolonged from 1 to 3 h at the voltage of 30 V, the pore diameter of TiO₂ nanotubes increased from 50 to 75 nm, and the length increased from 750 to 1100 nm and then gradually decreased to 800 nm, while their wall morphology changed from smooth to rough. Also with increasing the anodization voltage, the pore diameter became larger, and the remaining oxide layer reduced, which could be easily removed by ultrasonic-chemical cleaning in 0.05% (w, mass fraction) diluted HF solution. Moreover, the photocurrent response curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results indicated that UV-illumination clearly enhanced the effective separation of the electron-hole pairs and the crystallized electrodes from the annealing treatment of as-anodized electrodes at 450 °C exhibited a better photoelectrochemical performance.     

基于FTO/VO2/FTO结构的VO2薄膜电压诱导相变光调制特性

采用直流磁控溅射和后退火工艺在掺氟的SnO₂(FTO)导电玻璃衬底上制备VO₂薄膜, 研究了不同退火时间和不同比例的氮氧气氛对VO₂薄膜性能的影响, 对VO₂薄膜的结晶取向、表面形貌、表面元素的相对含量和透过率随波长变化进行了测试分析, 结果表明在最佳工艺条件下制备得到了组分相对单一的VO₂薄膜. 基于FTO/VO₂/FTO结构在VO₂薄膜两侧的透明导电膜上施加电压并达到阈值电压时, 观察到了明显的电流突变. 当接触面积为3 mm×3 mm时, 阈值电压为1.7 V, 阈值电压随接触面积的增大而增大. 与不加电压的情况相比, FTO/VO₂/FTO结构在电压作用下高低温的红外透过率差值可达28%, 经反复施加电压, 该结构仍保持性能稳定, 具有较强的电致调控能力.     

Synthesis and photocatalytic properties of vertically aligned Bi2S3 platelets

Vertically aligned Bi₂S₃ platelets have been synthesized on FTO substrate via a simple hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the orthorhombic structure of the platelets. The results of scanning electron microscopy show that the Bi₂S₃ platelets interconnect with each other. The length of platelets is about 5 μm and the thickness ranges from 50 to 150 nm. The photocatalytic activity studies reveal that the synthesized Bi₂S₃ platelets exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance in rapidly degrading aqueous methylene blue dye solution under UV irradiation. A degradation ratio of 56% was obtained for the Bi₂S₃ platelets at 120 min and about 99% at 240 min. These results suggest that Bi₂S₃ platelets will be an interesting candidate for photocatalytic detoxification under UV light.     

Fluorescence quenching and molecular docking study on the binding of four hydroxyanthraquinones to FTO

In this work, the binding of four hydroxyanthraquinones (HAQs) to fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) protein has been studied using fluorescence, UV-vis absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopy as well as molecular docking analysis. Analysis of fluorescence data showed that the binding of HAQs to FTO occurred via a static quenching mechanism. Thermodynamic analysis and molecular docking results suggested that hydrophobic force played a major role in stabilising the HAQ-FTO complex. Circular dichroism spectra indicated that the secondary structure of FTO was changed by the addition of HAQs. Results also showed that emodin had the strongest quenching and binding ability among four HAQs.     

Structure-based design and evaluation of novel N-phenyl-1H-indol-2-amine derivatives for fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) protein inhibition

Fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) protein contributes to non-syndromic human obesity which refers to excessive fat accumulation in human body and results in health risk. FTO protein has become a promising target for anti-obesity medicines as there is an immense need for the rational design of potent inhibitors to treat obesity. In our study, a new scaffold N-phenyl-1H-indol-2-amine was selected as a base for FTO protein inhibitors by applying scaffold hopping approach. Using this novel scaffold, different derivatives were designed by extending scaffold structure with potential functional groups. Molecular docking simulations were carried out by using two different docking algorithm implemented in CDOCKER (flexible docking) and AutoDock programs (rigid docking). Analyzing results of rigid and flexible docking, compound MU06 was selected based on different properties and predicted binding affinities for further analysis. Molecular dynamics simulation of FTO/MU06 complex was performed to characterize structure rationale and binding stability. Certainly, Arg96 and His231 residue of FTO protein showed stable interaction with inhibitor MU06 throughout the production dynamics phase. Three residues of FTO protein (Arg96, Asp233, and His231) were found common in making H-bond interactions with MU06 during molecular dynamics simulation and CDOCKER docking.     

Effect of Er doping on optical band gap energy of TiO2 thin films prepared by spin coating

In order to evaluate the effect of Er doping in the range of 0–1.0 mol% on optical indirect band gap energy (E_g) of the film, the Er-doped TiO₂ (Er-TiO₂) thin films were spin-coated onto fluorine-doped SnO₂ coated (FTO) glasses. Glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) results indicated that the films whose thickness was 550 nm consisted of pure anatase and FTO substrate. The anatase (101) TiO₂ peaks became broader and weaker with the rise in Er content. The apparent crystallite size decreased from 12 nm to 10 nm with increasing the amount of Er from 0 mol% to 1.0 mol%. UV–vis spectrophotometry showed that the values of E_g decreased from 3.25 eV to 2.81 eV with the increase of Er doping from 0 to 0.7 mol%, but changed to 2.89 eV when Er content was 1.0 mol%. The reduction in E_g might be attributed to electron and/or hole trapping at the donor and acceptor levels in the TiO₂ band structure.     

Fast-speed self-powered PEDOT: PSS/α-Ga2O3 nanorod array/FTO photodetector with solar-blind UV/visible dual-band photodetection

The $\alpha $-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ nanorod array is grown on FTO by hydrothermal and annealing processes. And a self-powered PEDOT:PSS/$\alpha $-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ nanorod array/FTO (PGF) photodetector has been demonstrated by spin coating PEDOT:PSS on the $\alpha $-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ nanorod array. Successfully, the PGF photodetector shows solar-blind UV/visible dual-band photodetection. Our device possesses comparable solar-blind UV responsivity (0.18 mA/W at 235 nm) and much faster response speed (0.102 s) than most of the reported self-powered $\alpha $-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ nanorod array solar-blind UV photodetectors. And it presents the featured and distinguished visible band photoresponse with a response speed of 0.136 s at 540 nm. The response time is also much faster than the other non-self-powered $\beta $-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3 }$ DUV/visible dual-band photodetectors due to the fast-speed separation of photogenerated carries by the built-in electric field in the depletion regions of PEDOT:PSS/$\alpha $-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ heterojunction. The results herein may prove a promising way to realize fast-speed self-powered $\alpha $-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ photodetectors with solar-blind UV/visible dual-band photodetection by simple processes for the applications of multiple-target tracking, imaging, machine vision and communication.     

Elektrochrome Fenster mit leitenden Polymeren

The construction of a low‐cost potentiostat and an electrochemical cell are described. Both have been used for the potentiostatic deposition of conducting polymers on FTO‐coated glass. According to a reported procedure from literature an electrochromic window has been prepared and tested. Furthermore a novel window containing an additional electrodeposited polymer layer that shows a more pronounced electrochromism than the literature example is described for the first time. The required chemicals are inexpensive as well as the entire electrochemical equipment.