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Current development of high-performance transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films is limited with tradeoff between carrier mobility and concentration since none of them can be improved without sacrificing the other. In this study, we prepare fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) films by chemical vapor deposition with inclusions of different additives and report that the mobility can be varied from 0.65 to 28.5 cm2 V-1 s-1 without reducing the achieved high carrier concentration of 4 × 1020 cm-3. Such an increase in mobility is shown to be clearly associated with the development of (200) preferred orientation (PO) but concurrent degradation of (110) PO in films. Thus, at a constant high carrier concentration, the electrical conductivity can be improved via carrier mobility simply by PO control. Such a one-step approach avoiding conventional post-deposition treatment is suggested for developing next-generation FTO as well as other TCO films with better than ever conductivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directional transportation of a ball-like water droplet on a superhydrophobic (SH) surface has been experimentally demonstrated. A SH surface with a water contact angle of as high as 160° and a sliding angle close to 0° is prepared by a sol-gel method based on removable polymeric nanospheres. A designed path line is then created on the prepared SH surface. The contact angle possesses anisotropy on the patterned SH surface. When the tilted angle of the patterned SH surface and the volume of the water droplet are proper, the sliding of a ball-like water droplet follows the designed line precisely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic, highly transparent, and stable organic-inorganic composite nanocoating is successfully prepared by a simple sol-gel dip-coating method. This method involves control of the aggregation of inorganic colloid particles by polymerization and ultrasonic vibration to create the desired micro/nanostructure in the coating. Superhydrophobicity and transparency of the coating can be controlled by adjusting the initial concentration of monomer and the size of aggregates in the sol-gel. Thus, superhydrophobicity and high transparency can be concurrently achieved in a single coating. The prepared coating also possesses good thermal stability. Its superhydrophobicity can be maintained from 20 to 90 degrees C.