Multifold stiffness and fracture toughness enhancement in W-doped VO2 microcrystals

Vanadium dioxide is popular for the metal-insulator phase transition at 68°C. Chemical doping is one of the effective ways adopted to tune the phase transition temperature, where tungsten is known to reduce the transition temperature of VO₂. This work investigates the effect of tungsten doping on the mechanical properties of VO₂ microcrystals and their polymer composites. Doping of VO₂ with W shows a systematic reduction in phase transition temperature up to 33°C for 4 wt% W-doped VO₂. For 3 wt% W-doped VO₂, the elastic modulus values enhance by 50%. The fracture toughness of 3 wt% W-doped VO₂ shows an enhancement of fourfold compared to the undoped VO₂. The dynamic compressive strength of 3 wt% W-doped VO₂–UHMWPE polymer composite at room temperature is found to be 7% higher than the undoped VO₂—composite.     

Preparation and optical properties of W-doped VO2/AZO bilayer composite film

In order to improve its visible light transmittance, W-doped VO₂ thin film was prepared with direct current (DC) reactive magnetron sputtering on the surface of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin film deposited on quartz glass substrate in advance with radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The effects of sputtering power for AZO film were investigated on the crystal structures, surface morphologies and optical properties of AZO thin film and W-doped VO₂/AZO bilayer composite film. The results show that the crystallinity of both AZO monolayer film and the bilayer film first increases and then decreases with the increase of sputtering power. As the sputtering power increases, the film thickness increases. The integral visible luminous transmittance (T_lum) of the W-doped VO₂/AZO bilayer film decreases continuously, and the solar modulation efficiency (ΔT_sol) increases first and then decreases. When the sputtering power is 150 W, T_lum and ΔT_sol of W-doped VO₂/AZO bilayer film are 30.14% and 11.95%, 2.77% and 1.71% higher than those of W-doped VO₂ monolayer film, respectively.     

Preparation and characterization of HfO2/VO2/HfO2 sandwich structures with low phase transition temperature,excellent thermochromic properties,and superior durability

In the last few decades, smart windows made from VO₂-based thermochromic films have attracted extensive attention, but their actual commercial applications are limited by low luminous transmittance (T_lum), low solar modulation ability (ΔT_sol), high phase transition temperature (T_c), and poor durability. In this study, glass/HfO₂/VO₂/HfO₂ tri-layer films were designed and deposited on glass substrates by pulse laser deposition. Crystal structures, surface morphology, surface roughness, electrical properties, and optical properties of as-prepared sandwich structure films were analyzed. Results showed that both HfO₂ buffer layer and antireflection layer (ARL) were monoclinic phase and grew along the (020) and (?111) crystal planes, respectively. HfO₂ buffer layer not only reduced T_c of VO₂ film by about 20 °C, but also played an important role in regulating crystal quality and surface morphology of VO₂ films. More importantly, by covering films with HfO₂ ARL, T_lum and ΔT_sol of VO₂ film were greatly improved. In particular, when the thicknesses of HfO₂ buffer layer and ARL were 80 nm and 120 nm, the obtained HfO₂/VO₂/HfO₂ tri-layer film reached a balance between high T_lum (～47.2%), high ΔT_sol (～9.1%) and low T_c (～49.1 °C). In addition, after 216 h of boiling water treatment, T_lum and ΔT_sol of HfO₂/VO₂/HfO₂ film covered with 120 nm thick ARL still remained at 49.3% and 7.0%, showing excellent durability. This research provides a new strategy for designing VO₂-based smart windows with high performance and good durability.     

Low metal–insulator transition temperature of Ni-doped vanadium oxide films

Elemental doping is the main means to regulate the phase transition of vanadium oxide (VO₂); however, the effects of low valence elemental (<4+) doping on the phase transition of VO₂ are still controversial. In the present work, Ni-doped VO₂ films were prepared on quartz glass by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering and subsequent annealing. With the increase of the Ni doping content, the phase transition temperature of heating (T_H) of the VO₂ films decreased from 73.4 °C to 52.4 °C. The temperature required for the occurrence of phase transition (T_b) was lower than T_MIT. Different from the undoped VO₂ film, the Ni-doped VO₂ films had a T_b of around 30 °C. XRD and Raman results revealed that some rutile VO₂ microcrystals appeared in the vanadium oxide films because of the lattice distortion by incorporated Ni. Hence, rutile VO₂ micro-crystallinities significantly facilitated the phase transition of monoclinic VO₂ to rutile one.     

Dielectric properties of Fe-doped Ba0.65Sr0.35TiO3 thin films fabricated by the sol–gel method

Fe-doped Ba_0.65Sr_0.35TiO₃ (BST) thin films have been fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrate using the sol–gel method. The structural and surface morphology, dielectric, and leakage current properties of undoped and 1 mol% and 2 mol% Fe-doped BST thin films have been studied in detail. The results demonstrate that the Fe-doped BST films exhibit improved dielectric loss, tunability, and leakage current characteristics as compared to the undoped BST thin films. The improved figure of merit (FOM) of Fe-doped BST thin film suggests a strong potential for utilization in microwave tunable devices.     

Effect of the excess of bismuth on the morphology and properties of the BaBi2Nb2O9 thin films

In this study, the effect of bismuth content on the crystal structure, morphology and electric properties of barium bismuth niobate (BaBi₂Nb₂O₉) thin films was explored with the aid of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microcopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dielectric properties. BaBi₂Nb₂O₉ (BBN) thin films have been successfully prepared by the polymeric precursor methods and deposited by spin coating on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si (1 0 0) substrates. The phase formation, the grain size and morphology of the thin films were influenced by the addition of bismuth in excess. It was observed that the formation of single phase BBN for films was prepared with excess of bismuth up to 2 wt%. The films prepared with excess of the bismuth showed higher grain size and better dielectric properties. The 2 wt% bismuth excess BBN thin film exhibited dielectric constant of about 335 with a loss of 0.049 at a frequency of 100 kHz at room temperature.     

Coating of nano-sized ionically conductive Sr and Ca doped LaMnO3 films by sol–gel route

In this study, Sr and Ca doped LaMnO₃ thin ceramic films were coated on Al₂O₃ substrates by using a sol–gel route as the cathode material for SOFC. Nitrate precursors were used for the preparation of the thin film coating solution, and methanol and acetyl acetone were also used as the solvent and chelating agent, respectively. After the solution was prepared, an Al₂O₃ single crystal substrate was dipped into the solution. Then it was fired at 500 °C and annealed at 1025 °C for the crystallization. Coated films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Conductivity of the coated films was measured by the four probe Van der Pauw method. XRD, SEM, AFM and FIB characterizations of the coated film showed that the LaMnO₃ phase was formed, surface of the films was uniform and had homogenously distributed pores sized about 10 nm, mean grain size was about 60–80 nm and the film thickness was about 180 nm. The specific resistivity of the film was calculated to be 0.524 Ω m.     

Electron trapping of laser-induced carriers in Er-doped SnO2 thin films

In order to investigate optically excited electronic transport in Er-doped SnO₂, thin films are excited with the fourth harmonic of an Nd:YAG laser (266 nm) at low temperature, yielding conductivity decay when the illumination is removed. Inspection of these electrical characteristics aims knowledge for electroluminescent devices operation. Based on a proposed model where trapping defects present thermally activated cross section, the capture barrier is evaluated as 140, 108, 100 and 148 meV for doped SnO₂ thin films with 0.0, 0.05, 0.10 and 4.0 at% of Er, respectively. The undoped film has vacancy levels as dominating, whereas for doped films, there are two distinct trapping centers: Er³⁺ substitutional at Sn⁴⁺ lattice sites and Er³⁺ located at grain boundary.     

Preparation of PdO-decorated NiO porous film on ceramic substrate for highly selective and sensitive H2S detection

This work is to develop high-performance thin film gas sensors on the alumina ceramic substrate. Here, porous NiO films of about 2 μm were obtained by the simple electrochemical deposition technique. The NiO gas sensing thin films obtained by the in-situ growth overcomes the disadvantages of great thickness, material agglomeration, and uneven size of the conventional device structure. The films exhibit good uniformity, consistency, and reproducibility. The composition of the films and their porous morphological characteristics were demonstrated by SEM, XRD, AFM, and XPS characterization. The doping of PdO significantly enhanced the sensitivity and specificity selection of the NiO films for H₂S gas. 2 wt% PdO/NiO thin film sensor exhibited a high response (515.27) and fast dynamic process at 155 °C for 10 ppm H₂S. The outstanding gas-sensing performance of the thin film sensor is due to the doping of PdO and the porous structure of the film.     

AgSbTe2 semi-nanocrystalline thin films as a multifunctional platform for optoelectronic and diode applications

The synthesis of the nanosized multifunctional thin film provides new solutions for many technological issues and consider a great step for miniaturized technology. Toward these goals, AgSbTe₂ semi-nanocrystalline thin films of different thicknesses were synthesized by the thermal evaporation technique. The structural features were investigated by X-ray diffraction, and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) yielding a semi-nanocrystalline thin film of grain size ranging from 9.98 to 21.38 nm. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) verified the high purity and stoichiometry of the deposited films. For optoelectronic application, many optical parameters, including band gap (E_g), Urbach energy (E_u), Refractive index (n), dispersion energy (E_d), electronic polarizability (α_e), and interband transition strength (J_CV) were extensively discussed. The optical band gap reduced from 1.41 to 1.04 eV upon increasing the thickness from 150 to 550 nm. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity (ρ) of nanosized thin film was measured and the activation energy was estimated and it was found that the resistivity increased up to 450 K asserting the semiconductor behavior of the films. As for diode application, The Ag/2D-MoS₂/p-AgSbTe₂ (550 nm)/n-Si/Al heterostructure diode was constructed by thermal evaporation and all the diode parameters alongside conduction mechanism were studied in detail. AgSbTe₂-based diode showed a low rectification ratio; however, the ideality factor (n) and zero bias barrier height (Φ_b) had optimal values of about 1.40 and 0.75 at room temperature, respectively.     

Thickness effects on microwave properties of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 films for frequency agile technologies

We fabricated (Ba_0.6Sr_0.4)TiO₃ (BST) thin films of various thicknesses on sapphire (−1 1 2 0) substrates using metal-organic decomposition method. These films showed grain growth from 160 to 650 nm with an increase in the thickness from 90 to 1050 nm. At microwave frequencies, the measured capacitances of the planar capacitors decreased with the film thickness because the electro-magnetic field propagates across high permittivity BST films to the low permittivity sapphire substrate. However, we found that the BST-thin film permittivity remained large up to 90 nm thick, based on electro-magnetic field analysis using the finite element method. On the other hand, the BST thin film tunability decreased with the film thickness.     

Tungsten doped M-phase VO2 mesoporous nanocrystals with enhanced comprehensive thermochromic properties for smart windows

The phase transition temperature (~68?°C) of M-VO₂ film can be lowered significantly by tungsten (W) doping into the crystal lattice of VO₂ due to the reduction of the strength of V-V pair interaction. However, W doping was always coupled with a serious weakening of luminous transmittance and solar modulation efficiency because W dopants can increase the electron concentration of VO₂ film. Herein, the simultaneous introduction of W dopants and mesopores into M-VO₂ nanocrystals was employed to prepare VO₂ film. Interestingly, the obtained 0.4?at%?W-doped mesoporous VO₂ nanocrystals based composite films exhibited enhanced comprehensive thermochromic performance with excellent solar modulation efficiency (ΔT_sol = 11.4%), suitable luminous transmittance (T_lum = 61.6%) and low phase transition temperature around 43?°C, much lower than 65.3?°C of undoped VO₂. It was demonstrated that the lower phase transition temperature of VO₂ can be primarily attributed to abundant lattice distortion after W doping, whereas the mesoporous structure can facilitate the uniform distribution of W dopants in VO₂ nanocrystals, enhance the luminous transmittance and guarantee enough VO₂ nanocrystals in the composite film to keep relatively high solar modulation efficiency. Therefore, this work can provide a new way to balance the three important parameters for the thermochromic performance of VO₂ film (ΔT_sol, T_lum and T_c) and probably promote the application of VO₂ nanocrystals in the energy efficient windows.     

Influence of substrate temperature on the microstructure of YSZ films and their application as the insulating layer of thin film sensors for harsh temperature environments

Thin film sensors are employed to monitor the health of hot-section components of aeroengine intelligence (for instance, blades), and electrical insulating layers are needed between the metal components and thin film sensors. For this purpose, the electrical insulation characteristics of an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/Al₂O₃ multilayer insulating structure were investigated. First, YSZ thin films were deposited by DC reactive sputtering at various substrate temperatures, and the microstructural features were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the micromorphology of the YSZ thin film gradually became denser with increasing substrate temperature, and no new phases appeared. The compact and uniform topography of the YSZ thin film improved the insulation properties of the multilayer insulating structure and enhanced the adhesion of the thin film sensors. In addition, the electrical insulation properties of the YSZ/Al₂O₃ multilayer insulating structure were evaluated via insulation resistance tests from 25 to 800 °C, in which the YSZ thin film was deposited at 550 °C. The results show that the insulation resistance of the multilayer structure increased by an order of magnitude compared with that of the conventional Al₂O₃ insulating layer, reaching 135 kΩ (5.1 × 10^?6 S/m) at 800 °C. Notably, the insulation resistance was still greater than 75 kΩ after annealing at 800 °C for 5 h. Finally, the shunt effect of the YSZ/Al₂O₃ multilayer insulating structure was estimated using a PdCr thin film strain gauge. The relative resistance error was 0.24%, which demonstrates that the YSZ/Al₂O₃ multilayer insulating structure is suitable for thin film sensors.     

Dielectric properties and bright red emission of Y3+/Eu3+-codoped ZrO2 thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition

We report on an effective combination of good dielectric properties with bright red emission in Y³⁺/Eu³⁺-codoped ZrO₂ thin films. The thin films were deposited on fused silica and Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates using a chemical solution deposition method. The crystal structure, surface morphology, electrical and optical properties of the thin films were investigated in terms of annealing temperature, and Y³⁺/Eu³⁺ doping content. The 5%Eu₂O₃–3%Y₂O₃–92%ZrO₂ thin film with 400 nm thickness annealed at 700 °C exhibits optimal photoluminescent properties and excellent electrical properties. Under excitation by 396 nm light, the thin film on fused silica substrate shows bright red emission bands centered at 593 nm and 609 nm, which can be attributed to the transitions of Eu³⁺ ions. Dielectric constant and dissipation factor of the thin films at 1 kHz are 30 and 0.01, respectively, and the capacitance density is about 65.5 nf/cm² when the bias electric field is less than 500 kV/cm. The thin films also exhibit a low leakage current density and a high optical transmittance with a large band gap.     

Four-phases characterization of synthesised CeO2 thin films: Effect of molarity on structural,optical, physical properties and gamma-ray attenuation parameters

A group of novel CeO₂ thin films were synthesised using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis process. The composition ratios of these films were modified to investigate changes in their optical, surface, electrical, and structural characteristics. Absorbance spectra in the range 300–900 nm was acquired. Transmittance in the visible area was determined to be 50%. The optical band gap was reported to vary between 3.38 and 3.52eV using absorbance spectra. X-ray diffraction was used to analyse the films' structure, while atomic force microscopy was used to determine the surface roughness values. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and the Cauchy–Urbach model were used to calculate the thicknesses. Electrical resistivity values were determined using a four-probe system. CeO₂ thin film X-ray diffraction patterns validated the polycrystalline cubic fluorite structure. According to the data, the deposited films expand preferentially in the (2 0 0) direction. The films were found to have a high resistivity of 10⁶ Ω cm. We also evaluated the nuclear radiation shielding properties of CeO₂ thin films in the 0.015–15 MeV photon energy range. The results indicated that CeO₂ thin film exhibits promising half value layers of 0.00169 cm, 0.14055 cm, 1.62665 cm, and 2.30273 cm, respectively, for 0.015 MeV, 0.15 MeV, 1 MeV, and 15 MeV CeO₂ films have been determined to be worth working on and may be promising materials for optoelectronic and nuclear security applications.     

The novel preparation method of thermochromic VO2 films with a low phase transition temperature by thermal oxidation of V–Mo cosputtered alloy films

Vanadium dioxide (VO₂) has been studied extensively for its unique insulator-metal transition characteristics and potential applications in thermochromic smart windows, switching devices, and infrared detectors. However, how to balance the metal-insulator transition temperature, luminous transmittance (T_lum) and solar modulation ability (ΔT_sol) of VO₂ thin films remains a challenge. In this work, high-quality thermochromic VO₂ thin films were prepared by a two-step method of magnetron sputtering and thermal oxidation annealing. Metallic and alloyed V–Mo layers were first deposited by direct-current reactive magnetron sputtering, and then a thermal oxidation annealing process was used to obtain pure and Mo-doped VO₂ thin films. The Mo content in the films was regulated by changing the sputtering power of the vanadium target, and the effect of Mo doping on the crystallinity, microstructure, phase transition temperature and optical properties of VO₂ thin films was studied. The shift of the VO₂(011) peak to a lower 2θ angle in the XRD patterns showed that Mo was successfully diffused into vanadium dioxide films. The phase transition temperatures were decreased continuously from 57.4 to 32.7 °C by decreasing the sputtering power of vanadium. The thinner Mo-doped VO₂ thin films showed higher luminous transmittance and lower transition temperature. Our results were shown to be an innovative preparation method to fabricate thermochromic VO₂ films with a low phase transition temperature, balanced luminous transmittance and solar modulation ability by thermal oxidation of V–Mo cosputtered alloy films.     

Destruction of percolative network using green synthesized gold nanoparticles: Formation of high dielectric material

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of about 5 nm in diameter were biosynthesized at room temperature (300 K). The PVA/2.5 wt% KH₂PO₄ or KDP composite film and PVA/2.5 wt% KDP/AuNPs nanocomposite films with different concentrations of AuNPs were prepared. Interestingly, addition of 0.05 wt% of AuNPs to the PVA/2.5 wt% KDP percolative composite film destroys percolative behavior of this composite film. Furthermore, the PVA/2.5 wt% KDP/0.05 wt% AuNPs nanocomposite film exhibited high room temperature dielectric permittivity (ε′ ∼ 590 at 1 kHz). The behavior of AC conductivity (σ_ac) of the nanocomposite films indicated correlated barrier hopping type of conduction mechanism. The Cole–Davidson dielectric response becomes evident as the interfacial polarization process acquires a more symmetric form, tending to Debye relaxation. High value of ε′ promises direct application in capacitors. Moreover, the novel feature of destroying the percolative behavior by AuNPs may be applied even in other systems.     

UV photodetection properties of pulsed laser deposited Cu-doped ZnO thin film

Nanocrystalline undoped and 2 at% copper (Cu) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were successfully grown onto SiO₂/n-Si substrates at 600 °C by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The influence of Cu incorporation on structural, surface morphological, elemental composition and UV detection properties of ZnO film was investigated. X-ray diffraction studies of thin films show that they are polycrystalline and have a hexagonal wurtzite structure; however, Cu doping improves the preferential orientation along c-axis. The chemical state of constituent elements was analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It indicates the presence of Cu ions in the doped film that exist in a mixed univalent and bivalent state. FE-SEM observations support the crystallographic results. The effective incorporation of Cu ions into the lattice of the ZnO nanostructure without changing its wurtzite structure was confirmed by an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis (EDX). The UV photodetection characteristics of both films were further studied in metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) planar configurations at room temperature and are found to be greatly influenced by Cu doping. The incorporation of Cu into ZnO lattice increases the resistivity of thin film; which leads to lower dark current. As a result, the Cu-doped ZnO film based UV PD demonstrates improved UV sensitivity of about 66.92 upon 2 mW/cm² UV illumination at 365 nm peak wavelengths and 5 V applied bias. The reproducible UV detection performance of MSM devices was also ensured by periodically switching UV light on and off at fixed time intervals.     

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of highly transparent superhydrophilic doped TiO2 thin films for improving the self-cleaning property of solar panel covers

Undoped and metal doped nanocrystalline TiO₂ transparent thin films were synthesized on glass substrates via sol-gel/dip-coating method. TiO₂ thin film coatings can be applied to the surfaces of solar panels to impart self-cleaning properties to them. The structural and optical properties of few nanometer-thick films were characterized by XRD, SEM, CA, AFM, XPS, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry techniques. The stoichiometric TiO₂ films crystallized in anatase phase, with a particle size of ～100 nm, which were uniformly distributed on the surface. The prepared films with a roughness of ～1–5 nm, increased the hydrophilicity of the glass surface. Reducing the amount of Ti precursor (X) favored the improvement of film quality. To improve the photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ thin film, it was doped with Ni, Cd, Mo, Bi and Sr metal ions. The effect of metal doping on the photocatalytic activity of the films was investigated using the degradation process of methylene blue (MB) dye as the model contaminant. Among the prepared coatings, the Sr–TiO₂ film showed the highest efficiency for MB degradation. It increased the dye degradation efficiency of the films under both UV and Vis lights. The kinetic investigations also showed that the degradation of MB by TiO₂ and M ? TiO₂ films obeyed the pseudo-first order kinetics.     

Bandwidth controlled metal-insulator transition in Au–VO2 nanocomposite thin films

Recognizing and controlling the metal-insulator transition (MIT) in VO₂ transition-metal oxides is interesting for the future electronic devices. However, the effect of the electron correlation for the structure-coupled MIT in VO₂ is as yet an open question. In this study, we present for the first time direct spectroscopic evidence for the charge-transfer assistance bandwidth controlled MIT (BC-MIT) in Au–VO₂ nanocomposite thin films (NCTFs). A significantly enhancement of the MIT temperature (about 350 K) is realized in Au–VO₂ films with Au volume ratio of 1.1 mol%. However, by further increasing Au ratios, the MIT temperature in Au–VO₂ NCTFs is downward shifted by ~16 K and forward shifted 6 K. The V L-edge and O K-edge have been investigated. The basic electronic parameters such as the covalency (W) have been tuned. The relationship between bandwidth and the MIT temperature has been clearly elucidated a linear relationship. The experimental results demonstrate that MIT in VO₂ is BC-MIT which improved our understanding of the electron correlation effect in VO₂ systems.