Synthesis of conical Co–Fe alloys structures obtained with crystal modifier in superimposed magnetic field

The addition of crystal modifier to electrolyte used during electrodeposition of metals and alloys allows obtaining conical structures without using any template. This method is fast and ensures covering large areas during one single electrodeposition process. In this work, Co–Fe cones were obtained by one-step method with ammonium chloride as a crystal modifier. The influence of electrodeposition parameters and electrolyte compositions were investigated. Electrodeposition conditions (duration, electrolyte temperature, and addition of NH4Cl), which allow obtaining the most uniform conical structures, were applied during sample fabrication in the magnetic field. The influence of its value and direction on the quality and compositions of obtained alloys was investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photos. To check if there is any change in the sample crystal system, the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis was performed. To confirm the synthesis of Co–Fe cones, they were analyzed using the X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) method.

Silicon Conical Structures by Metal Assisted Chemical Etching

A simple and inexpensive method to obtain Si conical structures is proposed. The method consists of a sequence of steps that include photolithography and metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) to create porous regions that are dissolved in a post-etching process. The proposed process takes advantage of the lateral etching obtained when using catalyst particles smaller than 40 nm for MACE. The final shape of the base of the structures is mainly given by the shape of the lithography mask used for the process. Conical structures ranging from units to hundreds of microns can be produced by this method. The advantage of the method is its simplicity, allowing the production of the structures in a basic chemical lab.

Optimization of Shapes and Sizes of Moth-Eye-Inspired Structures for the Enhancement of Their Antireflective Properties

Novel antireflective (AR) structures have attracted tremendous attention and been used in various applications such as solar cells, displays, wearable devices, and others. They have also stimulated the development of several other methods, including moth-eye-inspired technologies. However, the analyses of the shapes and sizes of nanostructures remain a critical issue and need to be considered in the design of effective AR surfaces. Herein, moth-eye and inverse-moth-eye patterned polyurethane-acrylate (PUA) structures (MPS and IMPS) with three different sizes are analyzed and compared to optimize the designed nanostructures to achieve the best optical properties pertaining to maximum transmittance and minimum reflectance. We fabricated moth-eye-inspired conical structures with three different sizes using a simple and robust fabrication method. Furthermore, the fabricated surfaces of the MPS and IMPS structures were analyzed based on the experimental and theoretical variation influences of their optical properties according to their sizes and shapes. As a result of these analyses, we herein propose a standard methodology based on the optimal structure of IMPS structure with a 300 nm diameter.