Spreadability of Ag Layer on Oxides and High Performance of AZO/Ag/AZO Sandwiched Transparent Conductive Film

Single layers of indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), and Ag, bilayers of ITO/Ag and AZO/Ag, and sandwiched layers of ITO/Ag/ITO (IAI) and AZO/Ag/AZO (ZAZ) were fabricated on ordinary glass substrates using magnetron sputtering. The surface morphologies of single layers and bilayers were measured. The sheet resistance and transmittance of the sandwiched layers were investigated. The results showed that the spreadability of the Ag on the AZO was significantly better than that on the ITO or bare glass substrate. The spreadability of Ag on underlayers influences obviously the performance of transparent conductive oxide/Ag/transparent conductive oxides (TCO/Ag/TCO or TAT). The sheet resistance and transmittance of the ZAZ sandwiched layer with the matching of 35 nm AZO (35 nm)/Ag (9 nm)/AZO (35 nm) fabricated in this paper were low to 3.84 Ω/sq and up to 85.55% at 550 nm, respectively. Its maximum Haacke figure of merit was 0.05469 Ω−1, higher than that of IAI multilayer.

Fabrication and Characterization of High-Crystalline Nanoporous ZnO Thin Films by Modified Thermal Evaporation System

The aim of this work is to fabricate high-crystalline nanoporous zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films by a modified thermal evaporation system. First, zinc thin films have been deposited on bare glass substrate by the modified thermal evaporation system with pressure of 0.05[Formula: see text]mbar, source–substrate distance of 3[Formula: see text]cm and source temperature 700[Formula: see text]C. Then, high-crystalline ZnO thin film is obtained by annealing at 500[Formula: see text]C for 2[Formula: see text]h in atmosphere. The prepared ZnO films are characterized with various deposition times of 10[Formula: see text]min and 20[Formula: see text]min. The structural property was investigated by X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The optical bandgap and absorbance/transmittance of these films are examined by ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometer. The surface morphological property has been observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). ZnO films have showed uniform nanoporous surface with high-crystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure. The ZnO films prepared with 20[Formula: see text]min has excitation absorption-edge at 369[Formula: see text]nm, which is blueshifted with respect to the bulk absorption-edge appearing at 380[Formula: see text]nm. The gap energy of ZnO film is decreased from 3.14[Formula: see text]eV to 3.09[Formula: see text]eV with increase of the deposition time, which can enhance the excitation of ZnO films by the near visible light, and is suitable for the application of photocatalyst of waste water cleaning and polluted air purification.

TiO2 nanosheet array thin film for self-cleaning coating

A simple hydrothermal method is developed to directly grow TiO2 nanosheets on a bare glass substrate.

High-density metallic nanogap arrays for the sensitive detection of single-walled carbon nanotube thin films

We have investigated the extraordinary optical transmission of terahertz waves through an array of nanogaps with varying dimensions and periodicities, and used this platform to demonstrate terahertz sensing of a thin film of single-walled carbon nanotubes. We have used atomic layer lithography to fabricate periodic arrays of nanogap loops that have a gap size of 2 nm and a loop length of 100 μm (aspect ratio of 50 000). These sub-mm-scale loops of nanogaps can sustain terahertz electromagnetic resonances along the contour. We have characterized the transmission of terahertz waves through the nanogap arrays and investigated the influence of inter-gap electromagnetic coupling as the array periodicity shrinks from 100 μm to 4 μm. While the gaps occupy only 0.1% of the surface area, we have measured an amplitude (|E|) transmittance of over 50% due to the strong and broadband field enhancement inside the nanogaps. The absolute transmission through the 2 nm gaps along the rectangular loops can be boosted up to 25%, while it is only 1% for annular gaps with the same perimeter. Furthermore, the extremely tight field confinement and strong field enhancement near the 2 nm gap lead to 43% extinction of THz waves in a 10 nm-thick film of single-walled carbon nanotubes over the gaps. On the other hand, THz extinction by the same nanotube film on a bare glass substrate is only 2%. These nanogaps pave the way toward developing sensitive terahertz detectors for biological and chemical targets.

Sensitivity Improvement of Ammonia Gas Sensor Based on Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(styrenesulfonate) by Employing Doping of Bromocresol Green

The aim of this research is to improve the sensitivity of ammonia gas sensor (hereafter referred to as sensor) based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) by employing the doping dye of bromocresol green (BCG). The doping process was carried out by mixing the BCG and the PEDOT:PSS in a solution with an optimum ratio of 1 : 1 in volume. The sensor was fabricated by using spin-coating technique followed by annealing process. For comparison, the BCG thin film and the PEDOT:PSS thin film were also deposited with the same method on glass substrates. For optical characterization, a red-light laser diode with a 650 nm wavelength was used as light source. Under illumination with the laser diode, the bare glass substrate and BCG film showed no absorption. The sensor exhibited linear response to ammonia gas for the range of 200 ppm to 800 ppm. It increased the sensitivity of sensor based on PEDOT:PSS with BCG doping being about twofold higher compared to that of without BCG doping. Furthermore, the response time and the recovery time of the sensor were found very fast. It suggests that the optical sensor based on BCG-doped PEDOT:PSS is promising for application as ammonia gas sensor.