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The composite material, Ag/AgX/graphene (X=Br, Cl, I), is considered a promising photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Its photocatalytic activity is superior to that of the conventional TiO2 photocatalyst; the enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to its effective charge separation ability and wide visible light absorption. However, the Ag/AgX/graphene composite is often prepared in the powder form, limiting its wide-spread application. In addition, the simple fabrication of Ag/AgX/graphene composite films is highly challenging. In this study, a simple solution-based process based on meniscus-dragging deposition is demonstrated for the fabrication of Ag/AgI/rGO composite films. Uniform catalyst films with reasonable photocatalytic activities can be easily fabricated by using this microliter-scale solution process.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received substantial attention as alternatives to indium tin oxide for the production of transparent conductors. However, problems associated with the dewetting of liquid thin films have hindered the reliable fabrication of networked conducting CNT films via solution-based processes. In this study, the dewetting of liquid thin films containing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on substrates is successfully retarded by simply adding ethylene glycol to the SWCNT dispersion, and highly uniform SWCNT thin films are obtained using the meniscus-dragging deposition (MDD) method. The dewetting-free coating conditions for the uniform SWCNT films are determined by calculating the dewetting and drying times of the liquid thin films formed by the MDD method. When the dewetting time was 2.5 times longer than the drying time of the liquid thin layers, uniform SWCNT films are formed over the entire substrates without breakage or rupture of the films. In addition, the transmittance and sheet resistance of the transparent SWCNT films are easily controlled over a wide range by varying the coating parameters.