Researchers around the world use various solution-based deposition techniques to deposit thin films with multiple layers that typically require multiple rounds of deposition. Some such techniques include successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR), and layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition.
One of the main issues with deposition of these types of films...
The continuous microreactor-assisted solution deposition (MASD) process was used for the deposition of CdS thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass. The MASD system, including a T-junction micromixer and a microchannel heat exchanger is capable of isolating the homogeneous particle precipitation from the heterogeneous surface reaction. The results show...
Recent advances in nanocrystalline materials production are expected to impact the development of next generation low-cost and/or high efficiency solar cells. For example, semiconductor nanocrystal inks are used to lower the fabrication cost of the absorber layers of the solar cells. In addition, some quantum confined nanocrystals display electron-hole pair...
The use of size and shape tunable quantum confinement nanocrystals has many potential applications for use in semiconductors, optics and sensors. The synthesis of lead sulfide (PbS) and copper indium diselenide (CuInSe₂) nanoparticles are of particular interest for use in semiconductor, optoelectronics and bio-medical applications.
The continuous synthesis of lead...
Photoluminescence (PL) materials have attracted a lot of attention in last several decades. Recently PL materials, which can convert low-efficiency Ultraviolet (UV) or Infrared (IR) light to high-efficiency visible light, have been widely applied in the research of improving conversion efficiency of solar cell. As one of the most common...
Boiling heat transfer is studied for its ability to dissipate high fluxes and achieve heat transfer coefficients two orders of magnitude greater than single-phase heat transfer systems. Heater surface enhancement with increased surface area, varied geometry, wettability contrast and micro/nano-structures can further enhance boiling heat transfer performance through bubble nucleation...
Digital inkjet printing is developing quickly today because inkjet printing processes consume less energy and water and produce less waste discharge than traditional dyeing and other printing technologies. Inkjet printing provides more versatility and flexibility in terms of printing patterns and colors. Natural pigments are gaining more attention today as...
CuInGaSe₂ (CIGS), a promising thin film solar cell material, has gained lots of
attention in decades due to its high energy conversion efficiency and potential lower
manufacture cost over conventional Si solar cells. As a cheaper processing method
compared to vacuum-based techniques, solution-based deposition has been
successfully applied to fabricate...
Copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) is a potential solar material for thin film solar cells according to its suitable band gap in the visible light range, high absorption coefficient, low toxicity, good photostability and relative earth abundance of component elements. However, the production cost of this solar thin film material...
Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) thin film, with a wide band gap, has been used for many applications, such as buffer layer for CIGS solar cells, light emitting diodes and thin film electroluminescent devices.
In this work, ZnS thin films were prepared using two different deposition processes. In the first method, ZnS...
Copper sulfides (Cu[subscript x]S) are compound semiconductor materials that exhibit considerable optical and electrical properties varying significantly as a function of the composition. Copper sulfide thin films can be used in many applications, such as solar control coatings, solar cells, photothermal conversion of solar energy, electroconductive coatings, and microwave shielding...
A unique microreactor-assisted nanomaterial synthesis and printing process was studied for the fabrication of patterned metal oxide nanostructured thin films. The process uses a continuous flow microreactor to control and generate a reactive chemical flux that was transported to a patterned microfluidic channel. The microreactor-assisted nanomaterial synthesis process can generate...
Anti-reflective coatings are applied to substrates to increase the transmittance of light in the visible range of wavelength 400 – 800 nm through the substrate by changing the refractive index at the surface and directing more light through the substrate rather than being reflected away. This project investigated the possibility...
Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline compounds formed from reacting a metal ion with an organic ligand. They represent a promising new avenue in materials science for gas separations and storage. Certain MOFs, in particular Mg-MOF-74, have shown a strong affinity for the capture of CO2. This project investigated a known...
The various solution-based processes, spin coating, inkjet printing, microreactor assisted nanoparticle deposition (MANDTM) and spin-successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (Spin-SILAR) were used to demonstrate thin film electronics and anti-reflective coatings. Several aspects of thin film transistors (TFTs) were tested including a range of temperatures, annealing atmosphere, and deposition methods....
Digital printing techniques offer several advantages in manufacturing electronics such as direct writing of materials, reduction of chemical waste, and scalability. In particular, printing can significantly simplify manufacturing processes by directly defining the channel area, the gate, and the source and drain contacts, allowing for lower costs and higher throughput...
Inkjet-printed p-type copper(I) iodide-based TFTs were successfully fabricated. As-printed copper(I) halide semiconductor films, such as CuI, CuBrI, and CuClI, were used as p-type active channel layers for TFTs. The entire process of the TFTs fabrication was maintained under 150 °C, which is compatible with flexible plastic substrates and transparent glass...
To become a competitor for fossil fuels such as coal, solar installations will need to be produced and installed at a price equal to or below grid parity. This price can be approached by either reducing the overall system cost or increasing system efficiency. The focus of this paper is...
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging type of microporous crystalline polymers connected by organic units via strong covalent bonds. Due to the well-defined crystalline structure and excellent chemical and thermal stabilities, COF materials are being considered as promising candidates in a variety of applications, such as gas adsorption, catalysis...
As a group of promising semiconductor materials, metal chalcogenides in thin film form have been widely used in electronics and optoelectronics applications, such as solar cell devices and photon sensors. Unfortunately, the film size and product throughput are limited by the current vacuum-based thin film deposition techniques. Solution-based thin film...
Metal oxide nanocrystals have attracted significant interests due to their unique chemical, physical, and electrical properties which depend on their size and structure. In this study, a continuous flow microreactor system was employed to synthesize metal oxide nanocrystals in aqueous solution. Assembly of nanocrystals is considered one of the most...
Mg-MOF-74 is one type of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that is widely known for its excellent CO2 uptake capacity. More intriguingly, it can be used to detect low levels of toxic gas such as CO2. Currently, most research into Mg-MOF-74 focuses on using the powder type as a CO2 absorbent because...
Transparent and electrically conductive metal oxide nanoparticles have attracted much attention, and can be used to improve the performance of solar cells, transparent electrode materials, and gas sensor technology. Specifically, indium tin oxide (ITO) nanocrystals (NCs) are potentially useful nanomaterials, having technological applications in enhanced sensitivity of optical spectroscopy due...
The primary goal of this thesis is to synthesize titanium dioxide nanorods using a continuous flow microreactor. Titania powder, one of the most important particulate materials is used for many purposes owing to its excellent optical properties of a high refractive index leading to high hiding power and whiteness of...