Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Ilyass Jellal, Othmane Daoudi, Khalid Nouneh, Mustapha Boutamart, Samir Briche, Mounir Fahoume, Jamal Naja
Summary: This research aimed to develop an efficient solar photocatalyst by synthesizing supported photocatalyst, nanostructuring the surface, and doping ZnO. It was found that aluminum doping transformed the particle structure of ZnO from rod-like to nanosheet, while nickel doping resulted in decreased grain sizes. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO was enhanced by 240% with Al doping, but decreased with Ni doping.
OPTICAL AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Muhammad R. Islam, Muhammad G. Azam
Summary: Undoped ZnO and Mg-doped ZnO thin films were synthesized by sol-gel dip-coating technique. The study showed that Mg doping increased the porosity of the films, decreased their crystallinity, and led to the formation of localized energy states. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of Mg-doped ZnO thin films was attributed to charge trapping by localized states and an increase in surface area due to porosity induced by Mg doping.
SURFACE ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
C. Mrabet, R. Jaballah, N. Mahdhi, A. Boukhachem, M. Amlouk
Summary: The formation of heterojunctions is commonly used to enhance photocatalytic efficiency. In this study, the photocatalytic activity of CuO-ZnO nanocomposite thin films was investigated and found to be greater than that of individual semiconductors. The produced nanocomposite thin films might be beneficial for environmentally friendly and energy-saving wastewater treatment.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mouna Khiari, Michael Lejeune, Mickael Gilliot, Florica Lazar, Aomar Hadjadj
Summary: The original technique developed in this study enables the direct and efficient incorporation of silver metal nanoparticles into ZnO precursor solution, resulting in nanocomposite thin films with a large effective surface area for interaction with the external environment and a large surface area for metal-semiconductor interaction suitable for surface photocatalysis reactions. These nanocomposites exhibit improved photocatalytic performance, stability, and reusability, making them promising for water treatment applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Meng Wei, Hong-Li Ma, Min-Yue Nie, Ying-Zhen Li, Zhuang-Hao Zheng, Xiang-Hua Zhang, Ping Fan
Summary: In this study, Ag and Ti were co-doped into CoSb3 thin films via a facile in situ growth method, and the influence of doping content on the thermoelectric properties was investigated. The results showed that all co-doped CoSb3 thin films contained a pure well-crystallized CoSb3 phase. Compared to the undoped thin film, the co-doped samples exhibited an increase in both the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity, leading to a significantly enhanced power factor. The co-doping was found to be efficient in optimizing the performance of the CoSb3 thin films, with the key factor being the control of doping element content to achieve high thermoelectric properties.
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Emine Guneri, Johnson Henry, Fatma Gode, Nilgun Kalaycioglu Ozpozan
Summary: Pure ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition method with various Mn doping concentrations. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the films were analyzed using different techniques. XRD analysis revealed hexagonal structured ZnO in all films, with a peak shift observed in Mn-doped films. The crystallite size increased with Mn doping. The surface morphology of Mn-doped films exhibited irregularly shaped agglomerated particles. The transmittance spectra showed higher transmittance in the visible region, which decreased with Mn doping, indicating increased optical absorption. The band gap of Mn-doped films decreased with Mn doping. Mn-doped films exhibited higher optical and electrical conductivity in the UV region.
JOURNAL OF CENTRAL SOUTH UNIVERSITY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ales Omerzu, Robert Peter, Daria Jardas, Iztok Turel, Kresimir Salamon, Matejka Podlogar, Damjan Vengust, Ivana Jelovica Badovinac, Ivna Kavre Piltaver, Mladen Petravic
Summary: The study demonstrated a significant enhancement in the photocatalytic activity of thin ZnO films grown by PE-ALD method compared to those grown by the thermal ALD method. Various structural and optical experimental techniques were employed to analyze the physical origin of this difference.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
William Vallejo, Alvaro Cantillo, Carlos Diaz-Uribe
Summary: In this study, we synthesized Mn-doped ZnO thin films and investigated the effects of doping loads on the physicochemical properties of the compounds. The results showed that doping altered the structure, crystalline size, and surface morphology of ZnO, while also reducing the band gap. Furthermore, the doped catalysts exhibited improved photocatalytic performance in dye removal compared to bare ZnO.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Michal Kurka, Karel Palka, Jiri Jancalek, Stanislav Slang, Jakub Houdek, Miroslav Vlcek
Summary: This study prepared amorphous As33S67 thin films by both solution processing and thermal evaporation, and doped them with silver ions. The results showed that the doped films had good optical properties, such as decreased optical bandgap and increased refractive index. The doping mechanisms of the films prepared by solution processing and thermal evaporation were significantly different.
JOURNAL OF NON-CRYSTALLINE SOLIDS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Khedidja Chehhat, Abla Mecif, Abedel Hakim Mahdjoub, Roshan Nazir, Manzoor Ahmad Pandit, Faiza Salhi, Abdelouahab Noua
Summary: In this study, high-quality ZnO thin films with different loadings of cobalt (Co) were prepared on porous ceramics substrates using a sol-gel dip-coating scheme. The impact of cobalt on the crystal phase, surface morphology, optical and chemical properties of the films was investigated. The results showed that the addition of cobalt led to a decrease in grain size and a reduction in band gap values of the films, resulting in improved performance in the removal of Orange II dye under UV radiation.
JOURNAL OF SOL-GEL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
G. Ortiz Rabell, M. R. Alfaro Cruz, I Juarez-Ramirez
Summary: The research demonstrates that ZnO and ZnO/Ag films prepared by sol-gel method exhibit good photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic performance under simulated solar light, facilitating hydrogen production. Increasing the amount of Ag enhances light absorption and charge transfer properties of the films.
MATERIALS SCIENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
B. Amudhavalli, R. Mariappan, M. Prasath
Summary: This review discusses the applications of thin film materials in various fields and explores the advantages and disadvantages of different chemical deposition methods. The influence of preparative parameters on the properties of thin films is also discussed.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
N. H. Erdogan, T. Kutlu, N. Sedefoglu, H. Kavak
Summary: Undoped ZnO films and Na-doped ZnO films with different Na/Zn molar ratios were deposited on glass substrates by the sol-gel spin coating method. Sodium doping significantly influenced the structure and properties of the films, resulting in different electrical conductivity and optical characteristics.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hind El Masaoudi, Ilyass Jellal, Karim Tanji, Ismail Benabdallah, Wafaa Azouzi, Khalid Nouneh, Abdelhak Kherbeche, Jamal Naja, Mohammed Benaissa
Summary: Cu-doped Ag3PO4 (Cu-Ag3PO4) and Ag3PO4 thin films were studied as photocatalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine-B (Rh-B) dye under real solar light irradiation. It was found that the Cu-Ag3PO4 and Ag3PO4 thin films exhibited different photocatalytic performances, with Ag3PO4 thin films showing higher degradation efficiency.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Moez Salem, Hajar Ghannam, Abdullah Almohammedi, Jamel Salem, Yousra Litaiem, Imen Massoudi, Malek Gassoumi, Mounir Gaidi
Summary: Synthesized pure and Ag-doped ZnO nanostructures using a simple co-precipitation method and applied them onto Si substrates. Studied the evolution of nanostructure and opto-electronic characteristics in doped layers with different Ag content. Examined crystal structure and surface morphology of deposited films using XRD and AFM techniques. Investigated surface passivation quality using FTIR and photoconductance-based techniques to understand electronic and optical losses. Lifetime values increased from 1.5 to 106 μs at a density of 5.10(14) cm(-3) according to photoconductance lifetime measurement, while reflectivity decreased from 36% to 6% after deposition of Ag:ZnO on silicon surface.
Article
Physics, Condensed Matter
S. Senthil Kumari, W. Nirmala, Natarajan Chidhambaram, Arun Thirumurugan, S. Gobalakrishnan
Summary: This study reports the influence of the rare-earth metal ion yttrium on the physical properties of co-precipitation-derived ZnO nanoparticles. The results show that the inclusion of yttrium does not alter the crystal structure of ZnO but increases the crystallite size and forms a secondary phase. Changes in the optical properties and photoluminescence investigations indicate the formation of defect levels due to yttrium doping. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental mapping, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are used to analyze the functional groups, constituent elements, and surface morphology of the doped nanoparticles.
PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI B-BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
S. Senthil Kumari, W. Nirmala, N. Chidhambaram, M. Prabu, S. Gobalakrishnan, Arun Thirumurugan
Summary: This study comprehensively examines the influence of rare-earth metal doping on the zinc oxide matrix. It is found that rare-earth doping does not form any secondary phases and has an impact on the absorption and emission properties of the zinc oxide nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive x-ray studies provide further insights into the composition and functional groups of the doped zinc oxide matrix.
SEMICONDUCTOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Vasanthi Venkidusamy, Sivanantham Nallusamy, Gopalakrishnan Nammalvar, Ramakrishnan Veerabahu, Arun Thirumurugan, Chidhambaram Natarajan, Shanmuga Sundar Dhanabalan, Durga Prasad Pabba, Carolina Venegas Abarzua, Sathish-Kumar Kamaraj
Summary: ZnO/graphene nanocomposites were prepared by a simple method. Graphene nanosheets were obtained by liquid phase exfoliation of graphite powder in 1,2-Dichloroethane, which were then used to prepare ZnO/graphene nanocomposites. The structural properties of the synthesized nanocomposites were studied using powder XRD and micro-Raman analysis.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
R. M. Eugin Nirmala, R. Racil Jeya Geetha, R. Meenakshi, N. Chidhambaram, S. Gobalakrishnan, Arun Thirumurugan
Summary: This study investigates the impact of high-valence dopant molybdenum on the magnetic characteristics of zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanocrystals. The structural analysis shows that molybdenum doping does not affect the cubic phase of ZnS lattice, with only a slight decline in crystallinity. The introduction of 3% molybdenum results in a redshift of the bandgap and the presence of zinc and sulfur-related vacancies and surface defects confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The nanocrystals exhibit mixed magnetism, with ferromagnetic characteristics at low applied fields and diamagnetic nature at high applied fields, with a maximum coercivity of 247 Oe and the lowest retentivity of 78 mu emu/g observed for the ZnS nanocrystals with 3% molybdenum. The findings of this study may have implications for dilute magnetic semiconductor applications.
APPLIED PHYSICS A-MATERIALS SCIENCE & PROCESSING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Krishnamoorthy Shanmugaraj, Ramalinga Viswanathan Mangalaraja, Cristian H. Campos, Dinesh Pratap Singh, Radhamanohar Aepuru, Arun Thirumurugan, M. A. Gracia-Pinilla, Sadasivan Shaji
Summary: Highly active gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) immobilized on two-dimensional titanium dioxide nanosheets (AuNPs-TiO2NSs) serve as an excellent catalyst for the catalytic reduction of nitroarenes (NAs) and rhodamine B (RhB) dye in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity and recyclability in continuous flow fixed bed reactor. The synthetic pathway and catalytic reduction mechanism are proposed.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dhandayuthapani Thiyagarajan, Arun Thirumurugan, Bong -Kee Lee
Summary: In this study, nickel sulfide@cobalt iron-molybdenum oxide (NiS@CoFeMoO4) nanosheet heterostructures supported on nickel foam were fabricated. The as-built NiS@CoFeMoO4/NF with a sheet-on-sheet morphology delivered a current density of 10 mA cm-2 with a low overpotential of 72 and 200 mV for the hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions, respectively. The formation of a synergistic heterostructure between NiS and CoFeMoO4/NF via interfacial engineering facilitated the generation of a micro-mesoporous surface and modulation of the charge density at interfaces. Consequently, this configuration outperformed many non-precious-metal-based catalysts as an electrocatalyst for water oxidation.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Optics
T. Sridarshini, S. Geerthana, V. R. Balaji, Arun Thirumurugan, R. Sitharthan, A. Sivanantha Raja, Shanmuga Sundar Dhanabalan
Summary: This paper proposes a photonic crystal based ultra-compact Optical XOR gate followed by an optical half-subtractor. Plane wave expansion is used to evaluate the photonic bandgap of the devised structure. By maintaining distinct thresholds for the output logic states, the output and efficiency of logical circuits can be improved, enabling the design to operate even in low power inputs. The proposed logical circuit has high contrast ratio, making it suitable for photonic integrated circuits due to its ultra-small and simple design.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Durga Prasad Pabba, Mani Satthiyaraju, Ananthakumar Ramasdoss, Pandurengan Sakthivel, Natarajan Chidhambaram, Shanmugasundar Dhanabalan, Carolina Venegas Abarzua, Mauricio J. Morel, Rednam Udayabhaskar, Ramalinga Viswanathan Mangalaraja, Radhamanohar Aepuru, Sathish-Kumar Kamaraj, Praveen Kumar Murugesan, Arun Thirumurugan
Summary: This article presents the superior advantages of 2D MXenes for nanogenerators and reviews the recent progress in this field. The topics covered include the applications of MXenes in nanogenerators, renewable energy, classifications and working principles of nanogenerators, materials for energy harvesting, and combinations of MXene with other active materials. Furthermore, the synthesis and properties of MXene, MXene nanocomposites with polymeric materials, and internal improvement mechanisms of MXenes for nanogenerators using 3D printing technologies are discussed in detail. Finally, the key points of this review are summarized, and some thoughts on potential approaches for better performance of nanogenerators using MXene-based nanocomposite materials are presented.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Natarajan Chidhambaram, Samuel Jasmine Jecintha Kay, Saravanan Priyadharshini, Rajakantham Meenakshi, Pandurengan Sakthivel, Shanmugasundar Dhanbalan, Shajahan Shanavas, Sathish-Kumar Kamaraj, Arun Thirumurugan
Summary: The conversion of diverse non-petroleum carbon elements into cleaner hydrocarbon fuels and useful chemicals heavily relies on syngas. New catalysts with enhanced activity and adjustable product selectivity are needed for syngas-based technologies. Magnetic nanomaterials have shown promise as catalysts due to their magnetic properties and their ability to be easily separated using a magnetic separation process.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Durga Prasad Pabba, B. V. Bhaskara Rao, Abdoulaye Thiam, M. Praveen Kumar, R. V. Mangalaraja, R. Udayabhaskar, Radhamanohar Aepuru, Arun Thirumurugan
Summary: Integrating the concept of magnetoelectric in mechanical energy harvesters has been explored, using the magneto-mechanoelectrical (MME) nanogenerators, to realize self-powered devices. In this study, a flexible biomechanical and MME nanogenerator was fabricated using PVDF/CoFe2O4 fibers composite films.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
A. G. Anitha, S. Rizwana Begum, N. Chidhambaram, Arun Thirumurugan, R. Meenakshi
Summary: Nanohybrids with less toxicity and excellent antibacterial activity, such as zinc oxide@graphene oxide (ZnO@GO), have been investigated in this study. The ZnO@GO nanohybrid was fabricated using the co-precipitation method, resulting in a homogeneous dispersion of ZnO particles on graphene oxide. The antibacterial efficacy of ZnO@GO was found to be higher than that of ZnO, indicating the potential of nanohybrids for developing effective bactericidal agents.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
P. Sakthivel, Pragati Kumar, M. Dhavamurthy, Arun Thirumurugan, S. Sridhar
Summary: The Mn, La dual doped ZnS QDs were synthesized using co-precipitation method. The XRD analysis confirmed the cubic phase and HR-TEM estimated the average crystallite size of 2 nm. FT-IR spectroscopy and EDAX ensured the purity of the samples. Surface morphological examination revealed the surface structure and particle aggregation of the sample. UV-visible spectroscopy showed that La 2% doped Mn: ZnS had a large band gap of 3.98 eV. The size dependence of the Zn0.98-xMn0.02LaxS QDs was confirmed by the shift of absorption and emission peaks. Increased La concentration led to higher optical absorbance. Defect-induced red emission was observed through PL study. Cyclic Voltagram (CV) findings demonstrated enhanced electrical properties of ZnS electrolytes through codoping with an ideal ratio of La3+ and Mn2+ ions.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
S. Geerthana, T. Sridarshini, V. R. Balaji, R. Sitharthan, Karthikeyan Madurakavi, Arun Thirumurugan, Shanmuga Sundar Dhanabalan
Summary: This article discusses the design of T-junction, Y-junction, and E-junction power splitters based on 2D Photonic Crystals (PC). Mathematical analysis is carried out using the two-dimensional FDTD method, and the band structure of the designed Photonic Crystal based optical power splitters is obtained using the plane Wave Expansion (PWE) method. The results show that the E-junction photonic crystal-based power splitter achieves the highest overall transmission efficiency of 93% at an operating wavelength of 1.55 μm, compared to 60% for T-junction and 79% for Y-junction. It also offers a low insertion loss of 0.32 dB.
OPTICAL AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
S. Geerthana, T. Sridarshini, S. Syedakbar, S. Nithya, V. R. Balaji, Arun Thirumurugan, Shanmuga Sundar Dhanabalan
Summary: In this article, a chain-shaped photonic crystal-based ring resonator (PhCRR) is designed and used as a channel drop filter (CDF) using two-dimensional photonic crystals. The proposed PhCRR achieves a transmission efficiency of 99.7% and a quality factor of 4550 at a wavelength of 1551 nm. The functionality of the drop filter is analyzed by calculating the electric field distribution and using numerical analysis methods.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Krishnamoorthy Shanmugaraj, Ramalinga Viswanathan Mangalaraja, Cristian H. Campos, R. Udayabhaskar, Dinesh Pratap Singh, Leonardo Vivas, Arun Thirumurugan, Abdullah G. Al-Sehemi, J. N. Diaz de Leon, Wahid Ali
Summary: In this study, CuNi bimetallic nanoparticles decorated halloysite nanotubes (CuNi/ HNTs) were synthesized and used as catalysts for the reduction of 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) and rhodamine B (RhB) dye in water at room temperature. The synthesized composites were characterized by various techniques and it was confirmed that CuNi nanoparticles were successfully anchored onto the outer surface of HNTs. The Cu0.75Ni0.25/HNTs catalyst displayed the highest catalytic activity and excellent reusability and stability.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2023)
