This paper reports the synthesis of tetragonal zirconia nanowires using template method. An as‐prepared sample was characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the as‐prepared materials were tetragonal zirconia nanowires with average diameters of ca. 80 nm and length of over 10 μm. The Raman spectrum showed peaks at 120, 461, and 629 cm–1, which are attributed to the Eg, Eg, and B1g phonon modes of the tetragonal zirconia structure, respectively. The UV‐vis absorption spectrum showed an absorption peak at 232.5 nm (5.33 eV in photon energy). Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of zirconia nanowires showed a strong emission peak at ca. 388 nm at room temperature, which is attributed to the ionized oxygen vacancy in the zirconia nanowires system.
Templated synthesis of polythiophene micro‐ and nanotubules using an alumina membrane is described here. Flexible polythiophene tubules up to 60 μm in length and aligned tubule/gold bilayer films (see Figure) with an area as large as 1.8 cm2 can be obtained. These bilayer films show broad, strong redox responses with a capacitance 30 times that of a normal polythiophene film.
Highly flexible AgNW/PI transparent film heaters with superior mechanical and thermal response behavior were fabricated using an all solution-coating method.
Flexible transparent conductive films (TCFs) are used in a variety of optoelectronic devices. However, their use is limited due to poor thermostability. We report hybrid TCFs incorporation in both aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and silver nanowires (AgNWs). The layered AZO/AgNWs/AZO structure was deposited onto a transparent polyimide (PI) substrate and displayed excellent thermostability. When heated to 250 °C for 1 h, the change in resistivity (Rc) was less than 10% (Rc of pure AgNW film > 500) while retaining good photoelectric properties (Rsh = 8.6 Ohm/sq and T = 74.4%). Layering the AgNW network between AZO films decreased the surface roughness (Rrms < 8 nm) and enhances the mechanical flexibility of the hybrid films. The combination of these characteristics makes the hybrid film an excellent candidate for substrates of novel flexible optoelectronic devices which require high-temperature processing.
Oxygen vacancies (OVs) can improve catalytic activities in oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Although considerable effort has been devoted to increasing the OVs concentration in electrocatalysts, limited OVs have been created by current techniques so far. Here, we, for the first time, engineered (i.e., created) abundant OVs into perovskites by element doping and plasma treatment. The results revealed that more OVs were manufactured by combination of Sr doping with Ar plasma treatment, leading to improved OER activity and high stability of LaCoO 3 perovskite. The La 1-x Sr x CoO 3-δ (x = 0.3) sample with Ar plasma treatment (denoted as Sr-0.3-p) showed high OER activity and stability due to the existence of rich OVs, which provided large amounts as well as high intrinsic activity of active sites in OER. The combination of two OV-creating techniques provides an efficient strategy to develop OV-rich catalysts for various applications.
Photovoltaic (PV) modules are not only an opto‐electrical system, but also opto‐thermal one, where the optical, electrical, and thermodynamic domains are strongly coupled. The means to suppress both light and heat losses in PV modules remains undeveloped. Herein, a universal route to realize both radiative cooling and light management via the ultra‐broadband versatile textures is proposed, originating from the interaction with the visible, near‐infrared, and mid‐infrared electromagnetic waves (EMWs) via geometric, diffractive, and subwavelength optical effects. The sol–gel imprinted ultra‐broadband textures exhibited a near‐unity infrared emissivity over 0.96 at the atmospheric window between 8 to 13 μm for radiative cooling, and a solar transmittance and haze above 0.94 and 0.95 at the wavelengths from 350 to 750 nm, respectively, for light management. Applying the ultra‐broadband textures imprinted glass to silicon PV modules as an encapsulant cover, the short‐circuit current and conversion efficiency were increased by 5.12 and 3.13% in relative terms, respectively. The fabrication of such ultra‐broadband versatile textures was photolithography‐free, scalable, and PV industry compatible, which provided a cost‐effective, long‐term durable, and energy‐efficient means to both light and thermal management through ultra‐broadband matter‐EMW interaction not only in PV modules, but also various opto‐electro‐thermal devices.
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