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Abstract: New cobalt-based metal oxide thin films (MxCoyOz with M=Mn, Cu, Ni) have been deposited on commercial aluminum and glass substrates using sol–gel dip-coating method. The as-deposited films were characterized by a wide range of complementary techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectrophotometry and nanoindentation techniques. A light absorption study for coatings on glass substrates within a wavelength range of 300–1100nm was also conducted. Topographical and morphological investigations showed the presence of nano-sized, grain-like particles in the copper–cobalt oxide coatings, which consequently had the roughest surface among the three coatings. All coatings on glass substrate exhibited higher absorption of ultraviolet (UV) light compared to visible light, while coatings on aluminum substrate generally had low reflectance (<50%) of UV light, moderate reflectance (<80%) of visible light and high reflectance (up to 100%) of infrared light. Implications of optical properties as a function of film thickness controlled by dip-heating cycles were discussed. The elastic modulus (E) and hardness (H) of thin film samples compared with stand‐alone commercial aluminum substrate were also measured. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• First growth kinetic studies for oxidative chemical-vapor-deposited (oCVD) PEDOT. • Significantly large carrier mean free path (>5 nm) for oCVD PEDOT. • Conjugation and doping level-dependent carrier transport behaviors. This study is aimed to enhance the understanding of the processing-structure-property relationship in oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) conjugated polymers. Particular focus is made on the substrate and oxidant temperatures for the oCVD poly(3 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) growth and their effects on the structure and electrical properties on resulting thin films. Doping levels are evaluated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which is complemented by Hall Effect investigations. Further, the relationship between doping level and conjugation length is described with discussion on mean free path, where the mean free path of oCVD PEDOT (up to ~5 nm) is significantly larger than typical organic semiconductors and comparable to conventional inorganic counterparts. The mechanisms that govern oCVD film growth are suggested, which is strongly dependent on both substrate and oxidant sublimation temperatures. Finally, the carrier transport behaviors, dominated by conjugation and doping levels are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructured thin film coatings of copper oxide (Cu-oxide) were investigated to determine their physical structure, surface morphology, surface electronic bonding states, and optical properties. The Cu-oxide had been coated onto reflective aluminum substrates via a facile one-step sol–gel dip-coating route using a copper nitrate precursor. Characterizations were conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and ultra-violet visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopic methods, and representative sol-gel reactions using copper nitrate precursor were proposed. The XPS spectra confirmed the presence of copper oxide elements. Further exploration of the Cu2 p 3/2 peak in XPS spectra revealed that the electronic structure of the copper component consisted of tetrahedral Cu(I) and octahedral Cu(II) with the presence of octahedral Cu(II) enabling coatings to have high absorption levels across the solar spectrum. The deconvolution of the O1 s spectra exhibited three curve-fitting components: the lattice O2−, surface oxygen, and subsurface O− species. FESEM results showed that the coating surface was an agglomerated copper oxide nanoparticles structure forming a porous structure. The optical band-gap of Cu-oxide thin film coatings, via the Tauc plot, was 2.7 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The temperature dependence of phase composition and lattice parameters, for TiAl x N thin film coating, are experimentally investigated by in-situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD), at temperatures between 25 °C and 700 °C. Mechanical properties, such as: Young's modulus (E), hardness (H) and plastic deformation index (PDI) – were experimentally determined by nanoindentation, at 25 °C. Crystalline structural analysis, of SR-XRD results, indicates the major phases are TiN and AlN; with Ti 2 O and TiO 2 phases also present above 600 °C. The lattice constants increased with an increase in temperature. Atomic and phase compositions, at 25 °C, were also verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images display an increase in surface roughness and reduction in grain size, with increasing Aluminium percentage (Al%). Nanoindentation analysis showed a maximum hardness of 25.1 ± 1.5 GPa (sample containing 12% Al), which was subsequently reduced upon addition of more Aluminium. Finite element modelling (FEM), including von Mises stress distribution, indicates lower mechanical integrity, for samples with high Al% content. Highlights • Hardness increase upon the addition of small amounts of Aluminium doping. • Significant increase in resistance of plastic deformation with increasing doping. • High temperature in-situ analysis detected an increase in lattice parameters. • Film coatings with different doping exhibited different oxidation states. • Finite element modelling evaluated mechanical integrity of films under load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]