Thick and Thin Films for Functional Device Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 12792

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: ultrasound device
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Interests: materials for energy conversion and energy storage; smart sensor and actuator technology; ultrasonic transducer technology (miniature multi-modality catheters, transparent ultrasonic transducers, etc.); power ultrasonics; battery health monitoring; energy harvesting; non-destructive evaluation by ultrasound; ultrasound for biomedical applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, thick and thin film technologies have seen rapid and significant developments. With their unique properties, the application prospects of functional devices based on thick or thin films are far-reaching, including in various fields such as information technology, energy, medical diagnosis and treatment, and so on.

This Special Issue aims to publish original research papers studying the latest advances on the development of new thick and thin films, including manufacturing processes and practical applications of their functional devices, and reviews describing the state-of-the-art technologies in this field. The current state of this exciting research field will be presented, covering a wide range of topics including, but not limited to,

  • New thick and thin films: ceramic and single crystal films, polymer film, composite film, 2-D material film, etc.;
  • Functional devices: sensors, actuators, transducers, energy harvesters, wearable devices, etc.

Prof. Dr. Benpeng Zhu
Prof. Dr. Koko Kwok-Ho Lam
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

8 pages, 2240 KiB  
Article
Thermal Transport Properties of Na2X (X = O and S) Monolayers
by Xinxin Yan, Wei Cao and Haohuan Li
Coatings 2022, 12(9), 1294; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12091294 - 2 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1098
Abstract
Motivated by the excellent functional thin film devices made from two-dimensional materials, we investigated the thermal transport properties of Na2X (X = O and S) monolayers using first-principle calculations. The thermal conductivity at room temperature was 1.055 W/mK and 1.822 W/mK [...] Read more.
Motivated by the excellent functional thin film devices made from two-dimensional materials, we investigated the thermal transport properties of Na2X (X = O and S) monolayers using first-principle calculations. The thermal conductivity at room temperature was 1.055 W/mK and 1.822 W/mK for the Na2O monolayers and Na2S monolayers, respectively. The high thermal conductivity for the Na2S monolayers is mainly contributed to by in-plane transverse acoustic (TA) phonons. The group velocity for the Na2S monolayers exhibits lower group velocity and a larger phonon relaxation time than the Na2O monolayers. Our results are helpful for functional thin film devices made using Na2X (X = O and S) monolayers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thick and Thin Films for Functional Device Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 4006 KiB  
Article
Layer by Layer Optimization of Langmuir–Blodgett Films for Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Based Sensors for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Detection
by Ivan D. Avramov and George R. Ivanov
Coatings 2022, 12(5), 669; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12050669 - 13 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3253
Abstract
Rayleigh surface acoustic wave (RSAW)-based resonant sensors, functionalized with single and multiple monomolecular layers of Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films, were thickness and density optimized for the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOC), which could impose a serious threat on the environment and human health. [...] Read more.
Rayleigh surface acoustic wave (RSAW)-based resonant sensors, functionalized with single and multiple monomolecular layers of Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films, were thickness and density optimized for the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOC), which could impose a serious threat on the environment and human health. Single layers of a phospholipid (SLP), hexane dissolved arachidic acid (HDAA), and chloroform dissolved arachidic acid (CDAA) were used for the LB film preparation. Several layers of these compounds were deposited on top of each other onto the active surface of high-Q 434 MHz two-port RSAW resonators in a LB trough to prepare a highly sensitive vapor detection quartz surface microbalance (QSM). Frequency shift was measured with a vector network analyzer (VNA). These devices were probed with saturated vapors of hexane, chloroform, methanol, acetone, ethanol, and water after each deposited layer to test the behavior of the QSM’s insertion loss, loaded Q, vapor sensitivity, and to find the optimum trade-off between these parameters for the best real-life sensor performance. With 2200 ppm and 3700 ppm sensitivity to chloroform, HDAA and CDAA coated QSM devices reached the optimum sensor performance at 15 and 11–15 monolayers, respectively. Surface pressure optimized single monolayers of phospholipid LB films were found to provide up to 530 ppm sensitivity to chloroform vapors with a negligible reduction in loss and loaded Q. This vapor sensitivity is higher than the mass of the sensing layer itself, making SLP films an excellent choice for QSM functionalization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thick and Thin Films for Functional Device Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4821 KiB  
Article
Solvent Effects on the Structural and Optical Properties of MAPbI3 Perovskite Thin Film for Photovoltaic Active Layer
by Saif M. H. Qaid, Hamid M. Ghaithan, Bandar Ali Al-Asbahi and Abdullah S. Aldwayyan
Coatings 2022, 12(5), 549; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12050549 - 19 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2668
Abstract
Controlling the crystallinity, homogeneity, and surface morphology is an efficient method of enhancing the perovskite layer. These improvements contribute toward the optimization of perovskite film morphology for its use in high-performance photovoltaic applications. Here, different solvents will be used in order to process [...] Read more.
Controlling the crystallinity, homogeneity, and surface morphology is an efficient method of enhancing the perovskite layer. These improvements contribute toward the optimization of perovskite film morphology for its use in high-performance photovoltaic applications. Here, different solvents will be used in order to process the perovskite precursor, to improve the interfacial contacts through generating a smooth film and uniform crystal domains with large grains. The effect that the solvent has on the optical and structural properties of spin-coated methyl ammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite thin films prepared using a single-step method was systematically investigated. The spin-coating parameters and precursor concentrations of MAI and PbI2 were optimized to produce uniform thin films using the different solvents N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and γ-butyrolactone (GBL). The effect that the solvent has on the morphology of the MAPbI3 films was examined to determine how the materials can be structurally altered to make them highly efficient for use in perovskite hybrid photovoltaic applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) results show that the synthesized MAPbI3 films prepared using DMSO, DMF, and GBL exhibit the best crystallinity and optical characteristics (photoluminescence (PL)), respectively, of the prepared films. The optical properties resulting from the noticeable improvement PL of the films can be clearly correlated with their crystallinity, depending on the solvents used in their preparation. The film prepared in DMSO shows the highest transmittance and the highest bandgap energy of the prepared films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thick and Thin Films for Functional Device Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 9269 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Luminescence Properties of PVDF/ZnS:Mn Flexible Thin-Film Sensors
by Caifeng Chen, Jing Zhu, Youming Zhang and Andong Wang
Coatings 2022, 12(4), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12040449 - 25 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2576
Abstract
Flexible luminescent thin-film sensors have attracted widespread attention for their potential applications in biomedical detection, structural health detection, and smart wear. In this work, PVDF/ZnS:Mn flexible luminescent thin-film sensors were fabricated using electro-assisted 3D-printing techniques. The interaction and influence of PVDF thin film [...] Read more.
Flexible luminescent thin-film sensors have attracted widespread attention for their potential applications in biomedical detection, structural health detection, and smart wear. In this work, PVDF/ZnS:Mn flexible luminescent thin-film sensors were fabricated using electro-assisted 3D-printing techniques. The interaction and influence of PVDF thin film and ZnS:Mn were studied. The mechanism through which the PVDF matrix and ZnS:Mn particles affects the luminescence of the flexible thin-film sensor were investigated. The results demonstrate that the ZnS:Mn luminescent particles in PVDF thin films can promote the formation of the β-phase in the PVDF thin films. The mechano-luminesce spectra of the PVDF/ZnS:Mn composite thin film is consistent with the photoluminescence spectra, both of which exhibit yellow light with a wavelength of 580 nm. Mn entering the ZnS lattice increases the number of effective luminescent centres. Because of the double piezoelectric field, when the Mn content of ZnS:Mn is 4 at.% and PVDF films contain 3 wt.% ZnS:Mn particles, the PVDF/ZnS:Mn flexible thin-film sensors demonstrate excellent mechano-luminescence performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thick and Thin Films for Functional Device Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

8 pages, 2612 KiB  
Article
Manipulation of Magnetization Reversal by Electric Field in a FePt/(011)PMN-PT/Au
by Xiaoyu Zhao, Yaxin Yan, Jiahong Wen, Xiaolong Zhang and Dunhui Wang
Coatings 2021, 11(6), 730; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11060730 - 17 Jun 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2124
Abstract
Electric field manipulation of magnetism and 180° magnetization reversal are crucial for realizing magnetic storage devices with low-power consumption. Here, we demonstrate that electric-field manipulation of magnetic anisotropy rotation is achieved by the strain-mediated magnetoelectric effect in a Fe50Pt50/(011)0.7Pb(Mg [...] Read more.
Electric field manipulation of magnetism and 180° magnetization reversal are crucial for realizing magnetic storage devices with low-power consumption. Here, we demonstrate that electric-field manipulation of magnetic anisotropy rotation is achieved by the strain-mediated magnetoelectric effect in a Fe50Pt50/(011)0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.3PbTiO3/Au. The remanent magnetization and magnetic coercivity of the Fe50Pt50 film exhibit an obvious response with the change of the electric fields. Moreover, the reversible in-plane 180° magnetization reversal can be controlled by alternating on or off the electric field under a small bias magnetic field. These results suggest a promising application for realizing magnetoelectric random access memory (MeRAM) devices with low-power consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thick and Thin Films for Functional Device Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop