Transparent conductors as solar energy materials: A panoramic review

Design, and Applications Shutao Wang,†,‡ Kesong Liu, Xi Yao, and Lei Jiang*,†,‡,§ †Laboratory of Bio-inspired Smart Interface Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, and ‡Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, BeiHang University, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong P6903, People’s Republic of China

Bioinspired Surfaces with Superwettability: New Insight on Theory, Design, and Applications

Self-cleaning materials have gained considerable attention for both their unique properties and practical applications in energy and environmental areas. Recent examples of many TiO2-derived materials have been illustrated to understand the fundamental principles of self-cleaning hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Various models including those proposed by Wenzel, Cassie-Baxter and Miwa-Hashimoto are discussed to explain the mechanism of self-cleaning. Examples of semiconductor surfaces exhibiting the simultaneous occurrence of superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic domains on the same surface are illustrated, which can have various advanced applications in microfluidics, printing, photovoltaic, biomedical devices, anti-bacterial surfaces and water purification. Several strategies to improve the efficiency of photocatalytic self-cleaning property have been discussed including doping with metals and non-metals, formation of hetero-junctions between TiO2 and other low bandgap semiconductors, and fabrication of graphene based semiconductor nano-composites. Different mechanisms such as band-gap narrowing, formation of localized energy levels within the bandgap and formation of intrinsic defects such as oxygen vacancies have been suggested to account for the improved activity of doped TiO2 photocatalysts. Various preparation routes for developing efficient superhydrophilic–superhydrophobic patterns have been reviewed. In addition, reversible photo-controlled surfaces with tuneable hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties and its technological applications are discussed. Examples of antireflective surfaces exhibiting self-cleaning properties for the applications in solar cells and flat panel displays have also been provided. Discussion is provided on TiO2 based self-cleaning materials exhibiting hydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties and their utilities in water management, antifouling applications and separation of oil in water emulsions are discussed. In addition, ISO testing methods (ISO 27448: 2009, ISO 10678: 2010 and ISO 27447: 2009) for analysing self-cleaning activity and antibacterial action have also been discussed. Rapid photocatalytic self-cleaning testing methods using various photocatalytic activity indicator inks such as resazurin (Rz), basic blue 66 (BB66) and acid violet 7(AV7) for a broad range of materials such as commercial paints, tiles and glasses are also described. Various commercial products such as glass, tiles, fabrics, cement and paint materials developed based on the principle of photo-induced hydrophilic conversion of TiO2 surfaces have also been provided. The wide ranges of practical applications of self-cleaning photocatalytic materials suggest further development to improve their efficiency and utilities. It was concluded that a rational fabrication of multifunctional photocatalytic materials by integrating biological inspired structures with tunable wettability would be favorable to address a number of existing environmental concerns.

/pdf/self-cleaning-applications-of-tio2-by-photo-induced-4j922x6bm9.pdf

Self-Cleaning Applications of TiO2 by Photo-Induced Hydrophilicity and Photocatalysis

The term superhydrophilicity is only 11–12 years old and was introduced just after the explosion of research on superhydrophobic surfaces, in response to the demand for surfaces and coatings with exceptionally strong affinity to water. The definition of superhydrophilic substrates has not been clarified yet, and unrestricted use of this term to hydrophilic surfaces has stirred controversy in the last few years in the surface chemistry community. In this review, we take a close look into major definitions of hydrophilic surfaces used in the past, before we review the physics behind the superhydrophilic phenomenon and make recommendation on defining superhydrophilic surfaces and coatings. We also review chemical and physical methods used in the fabrication of substrates on surfaces of which water spreads completely. Several applications of superhydrophilic surfaces, including examples from the authors' own research, conclude this review.

Hydrophilic and superhydrophilic surfaces and materials

Their Applications Kesong Liu,†,∥ Moyuan Cao,† Akira Fujishima, and Lei Jiang*,†,‡ †Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, PR China ‡Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China Research Institute for Science and Technology, Photocatalysis International Research Center, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong, NSW 2500, Australia

Bio-Inspired Titanium Dioxide Materials with Special Wettability and Their Applications

Ion implantation has been widely used as a surface modification technique to improve surface properties. However, a few works have been performed using argon as implanted element in order to modify the corrosion behaviour of stainless steels (SS). In the present study, the implanted ion was Ar + at an energy of 80 keV and the implanted dose was in the range of 1 × 10 15 to 1 × 10 17  Ar + /cm 2 in an AISI 304 stainless steel. The surface bombardment with inert gases mainly produces structural changes, modifying topography and morphology. Nevertheless, the surface analysis carried out by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) shows that Ar-implantation modifies the surface composition of the passive layer and, therefore, the protective properties of the SS. In order to measure these modifications on the corrosion behaviour, electrochemical noise tests at open circuit potential were performed. The results obtained show that Ar-implantation decrease the corrosion resistance of AISI 304 SS and this effect is more important with the increasing implantation dose.

Ar-implantation on AISI 304 stainless steel against pit initiation processes

Pemfc定常状態運転後の膜および活性層の劣化 i mea中の白金溶解および再分配

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1945-7111/ac2975/pdf

A Combined Experimental and Computational Approach to Study Crevice Corrosion of Stainless Steels

Impact of silica-substrate chemistry on tantalum nitride thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition: Microstructure, chemistry and electrical behaviors

EN-GJS-500-7 spheroidal graphite (SG) cast iron was coated with chemical Ni-P. The kinetic study reveals that the limiting step corresponds to a classical surface process, but the morphological study shows, at short times, an imperfect Ni-P coating on the graphite spheroids. The initial Ni-P growth appears to be blocked. This problem has been solved by the application of a cathodic polarization for a few minutes as a pretreatment of the surface. It was observed after this first step that both chemical and electrochemical reduction of nickel cation and hypophosphite on the SG cast iron took place at the same time, leading to the growth of a homogeneous Ni-P scale, in particular on graphite spheroids.

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/8/7/239/pdf

G. Berthomé

Papers

Ar-implantation on AISI 304 stainless steel against pit initiation processes

Pemfc定常状態運転後の膜および活性層の劣化 i mea中の白金溶解および再分配

A Combined Experimental and Computational Approach to Study Crevice Corrosion of Stainless Steels

Impact of silica-substrate chemistry on tantalum nitride thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition: Microstructure, chemistry and electrical behaviors

Study of Electroless Nickel Coatings on EN-GJS-500-7 Spheroidal Graphite Cast Iron