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In this paper, we investigate the decomposition of a toxic organic compound, Rhodamine B, by the photocatalytic activities of undoped and nitrogen-doped ZrO2 thin films, deposited using the HiPIMS technique. The investigation was performed in the presence and in the absence of H2O2, for two types of experimental arrangements: the irradiation of the films, followed by dipping them in the Rhodamine B solutions, and the irradiation of the films dipped in the solution. The two situations were named "direct irradiation" and "indirect irradiation", respectively. Methods like XRD, AFM, XPS, DRS, water/film surface contact angle, and spectrophotometry were used to obtain information on the films' structure, surface morphology, elemental composition of the films surface, optical band gap, hydrophilicity, and photocatalytic activity, respectively. All these properties were described and correlated. By N-doping ZrO2, the films become absorbent in the visible domain, so that the solar light could be efficiently used; the films' hydrophilic properties improve, which is an important fact in self-cleaning applications; and the films' photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of Rhodamine B becomes better. The addition of hydrogen peroxide acted as an inhibitor for all systems and not as an accelerator of the photocatalytic reactions as expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size of silver nanoparticles plays a crucial role in their ultimate application in the medical and industrial fields, as their efficacy is enhanced by decreasing dimensions. This study presents two chemical synthesis procedures for obtaining silver particles and compares the results to a commercially available Ag-based product. The first procedure involves laboratory-based chemical reduction using D-glucose (C6H12O6) and NaOH as reducing agents, while the second approach utilizes trisodium citrate dehydrate (C6H5Na3O7·2H2O, TSC). The Ag nanoparticle suspensions were examined using FT-IR and UV-VIS spectroscopy, which indicated the formation of Ag particles. The dimensional properties were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and confirmed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The results showed particle size from microparticles to nanoparticles, with a particle size of approximately 60 nm observed for the laboratory-based TSC synthesis approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the optical and electrical properties of flexible single and bi-layer organic heterostructures prepared by vacuum evaporation with a p-type layer of arylenevinylene oligomers, based on carbazole, 3,3′ bis(N hexylcarbazole)vinylbenzene = L13, or triphenylamine, 1,4 bis [4 (N,N' diphenylamino)phenylvinyl] benzene = L78, and an n-type layer of 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyrydil)21H,23H-porphyne = TPyP. Transparent conductor films of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) with high transparency, >90% for wavelengths > 400 nm, and low resistivity, between 6.9 × 10−4 Ω·cm and 23 × 10−4 Ω·cm, were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on flexible substrates of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The properties of the heterostructures based on oligomers and zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) were compared, emphasizing the effect of the surface morphology. The measurements revealed a good absorption in the visible range of the PET/AZO/arylenevinylene oligomer/TPyP heterostructures and a typical injection contact behavior with linear (ZnPc, L78) or non-linear (L13) J-V characteristics in the dark, at voltages < 0.4 V. The heterostructure PET/AZO/L78/TPyP/Al showed a current density of ~1 mA/cm2 at a voltage of 0.3 V. The correlation between the roughness exponent, evaluated from the height-height correlation function, grain shape, and electrical behavior was analyzed. Consequently, the oligomer based on triphenylamine could be a promising replacement of donor ZnPc in flexible electronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]