Robust superhydrophobic surfaces were synthesized as composites of the widely commercially available adhesives epoxy resin (EP) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The EP layer provided a strongly adhered micro/nanoscale structure on the substrates, while the PDMS was used as a post-treatment to lower the surface energy. In this study, the depositions of EP films were taken at a range of temperatures, deposition times, and substrates via aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD). A novel dynamic deposition temperature approach was developed to create multiple-layered periodic micro/nanostructures that significantly improved the surface mechanical durability. Water droplet contact angles (CA) of 160° were observed with droplet sliding angles (SA) frequently <1°. A rigorous sandpaper abrasion test demonstrated retention of superhydrophobic properties and superior robustness therein, while wear, anticorrosion (pH = 1-14, 72 h), and UV testing (365 nm, 3.7 mW/cm, 120 h) were carried out to exhibit the environmental stability of the films. Self-cleaning behavior was demonstrated in clearing the surfaces of various contaminating powders and aqueous dyes. This facile and flexible method for fabricating highly durable superhydrophobic polymer films points to a promising future for AACVD in their scalable and low-cost production.

Low-cost, high-efficiency, and high quality Cl-doped ZnO (ZnO:Cl) thin films that can simultaneously function as transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) and photocatalysts are described. The films have been fabricated by a facile and inexpensive solution-source aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique using NH 4 Cl as an effective, cheap, and abundant source of Cl. Successful Cl O substitutional doping in the ZnO films was evident from powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry results, while scanning electron microscopy reveals the impact of Cl doping on the ZnO thin film morphology. All ZnO:Cl films deposited were transparent and uncolored; optical transmittance in the visible region (400−700 nm) exceeded 80% for depositions using 5−20 mol % Cl. Optimal electrical properties were achieved when using 5 mol % Cl with a minimum measured resistivity of (2.72 ± 0.04) × 10 −3 Ω•cm, in which the charge carrier concentration and mobility were measured at (8.58 ± 0.16) × 10 19 cm −3 and 26.7 ± 0.1 cm 2 V −1 s −1 respectively, corresponding to a sheet resistance (R sh ) of 41.9 Ω□ −1 at a thickness of 650 nm. In addition to transparent conducting properties, photocatalytic behavior of stearic acid degradation in the ZnO:Cl films was also observed with an optimal Cl concentration of 7 mol % Cl, with the highest formal quantum efficiency (ξ) measured at (1.63 ± 0.03) × 10 −4 molecule/photon, while retaining a visible transparency of 80% and resistivity ρ = (9.23 ± 0.13) × 10 −3 Ω•cm. The dual functionality of ZnO:Cl as both a transparent conductor and an efficient photocatalyst is a unique combination of properties making this a particularly unusual material.

Cl-doped ZnO films, grown via aerosol-assisted CVD, can function as both TCOs and photocatalysts.

The fabrication of highly efficient photocatalytic thin films has important consequences for selfcleaning, organic pollutant decomposition and antimicrobial coatings for a wide range of industrial applications. In this work, we developed a simple synthesis method to produce efficient, high surfacearea zinc oxide (ZnO) photocatalytic films using aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition. This approach used mixtures of methanol and acetic acid to promote preferential growth and exposure of polar facets, which favour photocatalytic activity. Interestingly, the initial enhanced efficiency of the films was correlated to structural defects, likely oxygen vacancies, as supported by photoluminescence spectroscopy results. Discussion over the influence of such defects on photocatalytic performance is described and the need for strategies to develop high surface-area materials containing stable defects is highlighted.

Because of the interesting activities and relatively high stability, Bi2WO6 photocatalyst has been widely investigated. Several strategies have been proven effective in improving its performance. Here, we investigate the enhancement...

Scandium(III) oxide thin film deposition has been historically difficult to achieve without the use of vacuum-based or wet chemical systems due to precursor limitations of low vapour pressure or ambient instability. In this letter, the adoption of aerosol-assisted delivery of scandium(III) acetylacetonate has enabled the chemical vapour deposition of polycrystalline and amorphous Sc2O3 thin films at ambient pressure with high growth rates (ca. 500 nm h−1). The scandia films were intrinsically highly photoluminescent, exhibiting broad emission bands centred at 3.6 and 3.0 eV, which increased significantly in intensity upon aerobic annealing, accompanying a transition from amorphous to crystalline, while bands appearing at 2.1 and 2.3 eV seemed to occur only in the crystalline films. In addition, both amorphous and crystalline scandia films exhibited blue-green vibronic fine structure between 2.3 and 3.2 eV attributed to the electronic transition BΣ+→ΧΣ+22 in surface  ⋯O−⋯O−Sc=O groups and split by a vibrational mode observed at 920±60 cm−1 by infrared spectroscopy. Band gaps of amorphous and crystalline Sc2O3 were determined to be 5.3 and 5.7 eV, respectively via diffuse reflectance. All films had high refractive indices, varying between 1.8 and 2.0 at 400 nm depending on film thickness and carrier gas used in the deposition; film thicknesses less than ca. 300 nm were observed to have a strong influence on the refractive index measured, while there was little variation for films thicker than this. The synthesis process itself is exceedingly low-cost and facile thus promising streamlined industrial scalability.

Type Ih eterojunctionf ilms of a-Fe 2 O 3 /ZnO are reported here as an on-titania based photocatalyst, which shows remarkablee nhancement in the photocatalytic properties towards stearic acid degradationu nder UVA-light exposure (l = 365 nm), with aq uantum efficiencyo fx = 4.42 AE 1.54 10 À4 molecules degraded/photon, which was about 16 times greater than that of a-Fe 2 O 3 ,a nd 2.5 times greater than that of ZnO. Considering that the degradation of stearic acid requires 104 electron transfers for each molecule, this represents an overall quantum efficiency of 4.60 %f or the a-Fe 2 O 3 /ZnO heterojunction. Time-resolved transienta bsorption spectroscopy (TAS) revealed the charge-carrier behaviour responsible fort his increase in activity. Photogenerated electrons,f ormed in the ZnO layer,w ere transferred into the a-Fe 2 O 3 layer on the pre-mst imescale, whichr educed electron-hole recombination. This increasedt he lifetimeo fp hotogenerated holes formed in ZnO, which oxidise stearic acid. The heterojunction a-Fe 2 O 3 /ZnO films grown herein show potentiale nvironmental applicationsa sc oatings fors elfcleaningw indows and surfaces.

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