Room-Temperature Postannealing Reduction via Aqueous Sodium Borohydride and Composition Optimization of Fully Solution-Processed Indium Tin Oxide Films

Solution-processed transparent conductive oxides offer the advantages of low-cost, high-throughput fabrication of electronic devices compared to the specific requirements of vacuum deposition techniques. However, adapting the current state of the art to ink deposition calls for optimization of the precursor ink composition and the postdeposition process. Solution processing of indium tin oxide films can be accomplished at reduced temperatures (250-400 °C) by annealing soluble precursor metal salts together with a fuel/oxidizer, causing an exothermic reaction with elevated local temperatures. Following layer-by-layer cycles of deposition and annealing, a postprocessing step is required via heating (300 °C) under a 5% H₂ reducing atmosphere. To address the discrepancy between the versatility of ink deposition and the limitations of controlled atmosphere postprocessing, here we investigate the effects of postprocess dipping in aqueous sodium borohydride at room temperature as an alternative, which allows for a completely solution-based process from ink to film. In addition to postprocessing, the solution composition was also optimized by removing the fuel additive and by adjusting the In/Sn content. Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were spin-coated and annealed in air at 250, 300, and 400 °C and characterized by UV/vis spectroscopy to obtain optical transmittance, atomic force microscopy to obtain film thickness and surface morphology, and a Hall effect system for electrical parameters. Additional data from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that crystallinity is affected by the reducing environment. Results revealed an order-of-magnitude improvement of the Haacke figure of merit (FOM) from 4.3 × 10^-4 Ω^-1, 382 Ω/□ sheet resistance (R_s), and 84% transmittance (%T) for the traditional 9:1 In/Sn precursor ink with fuel additive followed by 300 °C of 5% H₂-furnace post-treatment compared to that of the optimized fully solution-processed 8.5:1.5 In/Sn ink without fuel followed by an ambient air at 25 °C dipping in aqueous sodium borohydride, leading to 3.0 × 10^-3 Ω^-1 FOM, 84.5 Ω/□ R_s, and 87%T including the glass substrate.

Fast-Charging Anode Materials and Novel Nanocomposite Design of Rice Husk-Derived SiO2 and Sn Nanoparticles Self-Assembled on TiO2(B) Nanorods for Lithium-Ion Storage Applications

A novel microstructure of anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with ternary components, comprising tin (Sn), rice husk-derived silica (SiO2), and bronze-titanium dioxide (TiO2(B)), has been developed. The goal of this research is to utilize the nanocomposite design of rice husk-derived SiO2 and Sn nanoparticles self-assembled on TiO2(B) nanorods, Sn-SiO2@TiO2(B), through simple chemical route methods. Following that, the microstructure and electrochemical performance of as-prepared products were investigated. The major patterns of the X-ray diffraction technique can be precisely indexed as monoclinic TiO2(B). The patterns of SiO2 and Sn were found to be low in intensity since the particles were amorphous and in the nanoscale range, respectively. Small spherical particles, Sn and SiO2, attached to TiO2(B) nanorods were discovered. Therefore, the influence mechanism of Sn-SiO2@TiO2(B) fabrication was proposed. The Sn-SiO2@TiO2(B) anode material performed exceptionally well in terms of electrochemical and battery performance. The as-prepared electrode demonstrated outstanding stability over 500 cycles, with a high discharge capacity of ∼150 mA h g-1 at a fast-charging current of 5000 mA g-1 and a low internal resistance of around 250.0 Ω. The synthesized Sn-SiO2@TiO2(B) nanocomposites have a distinct structure, the potential for fast charging, safety in use, and good stability, indicating their use as promising and effective anode materials in better power batteries for the next-generation applications.

Structural and Morphological Description of Sn/SnOx Core-Shell Nanoparticles Synthesized and Isolated from Ionic Liquid

The potential application of high capacity Sn-based electrode materials for energy storage, particularly in rechargeable batteries, has led to extensive research activities. In this scope, the development of an innovative synthesis route allowing to downsize particles to the nanoscale is of particular interest owing to the ability of such nanomaterial to better accommodate volume changes upon electrochemical reactions. Here, we report on the use of room temperature ionic liquid (i.e., [EMIm⁺][TFSI^-]) as solvent, template, and stabilizer for Sn-based nanoparticles. In such a media, we observed, using Cryo-TEM, that pure Sn nanoparticles can be stabilized. Further washing steps are, however, mandatory to remove residual ionic liquid. It is shown that the washing steps are accompanied by the partial oxidation of the surface, leading to a core-shell structured Sn/SnO_x composite. To understand the structural features of such a complex architecture, HRTEM, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and the pair distribution function were employed to reveal a crystallized β-Sn core and a SnO and SnO₂ amorphous shell. The proportion of oxidized phases increases with the final washing step with water, which appeared necessary to remove not only salts but also the final surface impurities made of the cationic moieties of the ionic liquid. This work highlights the strong oxidation reactivity of Sn-based nanoparticles, which needs to be taken into account when evaluating their electrochemical properties.

Synthesis of indium nanoparticles at ambient temperature; simultaneous phase transfer and ripening

The synthesis of size-monodispersed indium nanoparticles via an innovative simultaneous phase transfer and ripening method is reported. The formation of nanoparticles occurs in a one-step process instead of well-known two-step phase transfer approaches. The synthesis involves the reduction of InCl₃ with LiBH₄ at ambient temperature and although the reduction occurs at room temperature, fine indium nanoparticles, with a mean diameter of 6.4 ± 0.4 nm, were obtained directly in non-polar n-dodecane. The direct synthesis of indium nanoparticles in n-dodecane facilitates their fast formation and enhances their size-monodispersity. In addition, the nanoparticles were highly stable for more than 2 months. The nanoparticles were characterised by dynamic light scattering (DLS), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to determine their morphology, structure and phase purity.

Physicochemical properties of novel cholinium ionic liquids for the recovery of silver from nitrate media

Linear and ramified cholinium based ionic liquids have been synthesized and their physicochemical properties have been investigated by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ATR-FTIR and ESI-MS as well as their extraction properties towards Ag(i), Cu(ii) and Fe(iii).