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Zinc-based batteries (ZBBs) have proven to be tremendously plausible for large-scale electrochemical energy storage applications due to their merits of desirable safety, low-cost, and low environmental impact. Nevertheless, the zinc metal anodes in ZBBs still suffer from many issues, including dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs), corrosion, passivation, and other types of undesirable side reactions, which severely hinder practical application. The modification of Cu-based current collectors (CCs) has proven to be an efficient method to regulate zinc deposition and prevent dendritic growth, thereby improving the Coulombic efficiency (CE) and lifespan of batteries (e.g., up to 99.977% of CE over 6900 cycles after modification), which is an emerging research topic in recent years. In this review, we provide a systematic overview of the modification of copper-based CCs and their application in zinc metal anodes. The relationships between their modification strategies, nano-micro-structures, and electrochemical performance are systematically reviewed. Ultimately, their promising prospects for future development are also proposed. We hope that this review could contribute to the design of copper-based CCs for zinc-based batteries and facilitate their practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkali metals (Li, Na, and K) are deemed as the ideal anode materials for next-generation high-energy-density batteries because of their high theoretical specific capacity and low redox potentials. However, alkali metal anodes (AMAs) still face some challenges hindering their further applications, including uncontrollable dendrite growth and unstable solid electrolyte interphase during cycling, resulting in low Coulombic efficiency and inferior cycling performance. In this regard, designing 3D current collectors as hosts for AMAs is one of the most effective ways to address the above-mentioned problems, because their sufficient space could accommodate AMAs' volume expansion, and their high specific surface area could lower the local current density, leading to the uniform deposition of alkali metals. Herein, we review recent progress on the application of 3D Cu-based current collectors in stable and dendrite-free AMAs. The most widely used modification methods of 3D Cu-based current collectors are summarized. Furthermore, the relationships among methods of modification, structure and composition, and the electrochemical properties of AMAs using Cu-based current collectors, are systematically discussed. Finally, the challenges and prospects for future study and applications of Cu-based current collectors in high-performance alkali metal batteries are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low‐cost, high‐efficiency corona discharge detection method is important in ensuring the safety of high‐voltage transmission systems. High‐sensitivity solar‐blind deep‐ultraviolet (SBDU) photodetectors (PD) have obvious advantages in corona discharge detection. Herein, a fully transparent SBDU photoconductive detector with indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrodes is successfully constructed based on amorphous Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) thin films. The device demonstrates an ultra‐high responsivity of 1.3 × 104 A W−1, a detectivity of 3.2 × 1014 Jones, and an external quantum efficiency of 6.7 × 106%. In addition, the capability of the ultra‐sensitive fully transparent photoconductive detector is investigated in terms of corona discharge detection. It is established that the device detection distance limit for simulated corona discharge detection is up to 70 cm, that is, the device can effectively detect extremely weak solar‐blind deep‐ultraviolet signals below 204 pW cm−2. A proof‐of‐concept for the future application of easily‐integrated fully transparent amorphous Ga2O3 photoconductive detectors with low manufacturing costs in high‐voltage corona discharge detection is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films are crucial in optoelectronic devices, such as photodetectors, due to their unique blend of transparency and electrical conductivity. ZnO is a top choice for TCOs owing to its excellent properties, non-toxicity, and cost-effectiveness. In this work, we explore the potential of carbon doping to enhance the electrical properties of ZnO films for transparent conductive applications. Our findings reveal that C-doped ZnO (ZnO:C) films retain the pristine high quality and surface morphology despite an increase in defects with higher C doping. Notably, C doping does not compromise the visible light transmittance of ZnO films, while inducing a gradual increase in optical bandgap, indicative of the typical Burstein–Moss effect. As carbon doping increases, the ZnO:C films exhibit improved carrier concentration, lower resistivity, and sustained high mobility, achieving optimal performance with an electron concentration of 3.73 × 1019 cm−3, resistivity of 3.69 × 10−3 Ω cm, and mobility of 46.08 cm2 V−1 s−1. Finally, we utilized ZnO:C films as a transparent electrode material in ε-Ga2O3-based photodetector, achieving the development of transparent device and attaining high-performance solar-blind detection capabilities. This work provides a strategy for developing a transparent conductive oxide, with ZnO:C emerging as a promising rival to IIIA-doped ZnO for optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of flexible electronics for detecting solar‐blind deep ultraviolet (UV‐C) light holds great promise for emerging technologies. Here, flexible photoelectrochemical photodetectors (PEC‐PDs) are demonstrated for self‐powered solar‐blind UV‐C sensing based on one‐step radio frequency sputtered amorphous gallium oxide (a‐Ga2O3) thin films on indium tin oxide‐coated polyethylene naphthalate (ITO/PEN) substrates in a simple and low‐cost manner. Surface functionalization of the ITO/PEN substrates with silver nanowires (Ag NWs) successfully embedded within the a‐Ga2O3 films significantly enhances the optoelectronic performance. Incorporating Ag NWs reduces charge transfer resistance and potential barrier, while enhancing built‐in electric field at the Ag NWs/a‐Ga2O3 interface, synergistically facilitating efficient electron transport. Consequently, the Ag NW‐modified PEC‐PDs exhibit approximately two‐fold increases in key metrics including responsivity (11.23 mA W−1) and response times (0.07/0.09 s rise/decay) under 254 nm illumination compared to pristine devices. Moreover, the Ag NW‐functionalized PEC‐PDs demonstrate superb mechanical flexibility and fatigue durability, maintaining ≈95% of the initial photoresponse current and responsivity after 500 bending cycles. This work provides valuable insights into designing high‐performance flexible self‐powered PEC‐PDs through ingenious photoanode engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of heterojunctions has attracted considerable attention among the various strategies of water-splitting for hydrogen evolution due to their band structure advantages. In this research, we combined chemical vapor deposition and pulsed laser deposition to fabricate MoS2/g-C3N4 heterojunction films on indium-tin oxide glass substrates, and we studied the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. The x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscope characterizations suggested the successful preparation of MoS2/g-C3N4 heterojunction films. In particular, the shifts of the peak positions in the XPS spectra indicated the formation of a strong interaction between the g-C3N4 and MoS2 films. After depositing MoS2 on the g-C3N4 film, the visible-light absorption was enhanced and broadened, the electrical conductivity improved, and the intensity of the photoluminescence peak decreased. As a result, the greater generation, faster transport, and lower recombination rate of electrons and holes caused the heterojunction films to show higher PEC performance. More importantly, the obtained MoS2/g-C3N4 film was confirmed to be an n–n type heterojunction and to have a typical type-II band structure, which could indeed suppress the recombination and promote the separation, transfer, and transport of photogenerated electron–holes. Finally, the obtained MoS2/g-C3N4 film successfully achieved the overall water-splitting and the H2 evolution rate when the visible-light radiation reached 252 µmol/h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-blind imaging has attracted considerable interest in both military and civilian applications, spurring the development of high-performance deep-ultraviolet photodetector arrays (PDAs) with wide-bandgap semiconductor materials. Herein, we present a novel method to enhance the performance of solar-blind PDAs (SBPDs) using β-Ga2O3 films obtained by the phase transition of heterogeneous epitaxial sub-stable ε-Ga2O3, achieved through high-temperature rapid annealing. Metal-semiconductor-metal-type SBPDs based on phase-transformed β-Ga2O3 films exhibited superior performance, including an ultrahigh responsivity of 459.38 A/W, detectivity of 1014−1015 Jones, external quantum efficiency of 104%−105%, rejection ratio (R254/R365) of 105−106, photo-to-dark current ratio of 104−106, fast response speed of 1.01 s/0.06 s, and favorable stability. Notably, the ultrahigh responsivity of β-Ga2O3-film-based devices was approximately 222-fold higher than that of ε-Ga2O3 film-based devices. The assembled 4 × 5 β-Ga2O3 film-based PDAs exhibited favorable uniformity, repeatability, and high spatial resolution for solar-blind imaging. Our study offers a promising approach for the development of high-performance β-Ga2O3-based PDAs for solar-blind ultraviolet imaging with potential applications in both military and civilian fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important applications of photodetectors is as sensing units in imaging systems. In practical applications, a photodetector array with high uniformity and high performance is an indispensable part of the imaging system. Herein, a photodetector array (5 × 4) consisting of 20 photodetector units, in which the photosensitive layer involves preprocessing commercial ε-Ga2O3 films with high temperature annealing, have been constructed by low-cost magnetron sputtering and mask processes. The ε-Ga2O3 ultraviolet photodetector unit shows excellent responsivity and detectivity of 6.18 A/W and 5 × 1013 Jones, respectively, an ultra-high light-to-dark ratio of 1.45 × 105, and a fast photoresponse speed (0.14/0.09 s). At the same time, the device also shows good solar-blind characteristics and stability. Based on this, we demonstrate an ε-Ga2O3-thin-film-based solar-blind ultraviolet detector array with high uniformity and high performance for solar-blind imaging in optoelectronic integration applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, transparent electrode materials have had a positive effect on improving the responsivity of photodetectors by increasing the effective illumination area of devices due to their high transmittance. In this work, by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering and simple mask technology, an amorphous Ga2O3-based solar-blind UV photodetector with graphitic carbon (C) electrodes was created. The device exhibits a high responsivity of 16.34 A/W, an external quantum efficiency of 7979%, and excellent detectivity of 1.19 × 1013 Jones at room temperature under a light density of 5 μw/cm2. It has been proved that C electrodes can replace the traditional noble metal electrode. Additionally, the potential of the transparent photodetector array in solar-blind imaging is explored. We believe that the present study will pave the way for the preparation of a fully transparent and high-response solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]