This book guides beginners in the areas of thin film preparation, characterization, and device making, while providing insight into these areas for experts. As chemically deposited metal oxides are currently gaining attention in development of devices such as solar cells, supercapacitors, batteries, sensors, etc., the book illustrates how the chemical deposition route is emerging as a relatively inexpensive, simple, and convenient solution for large area deposition. The advancement in the nanostructured materials for the development of devices is fully discussed.

This is the first text to cover all aspects of solution processed functional oxide thin-films. Chemical Solution Deposition (CSD) comprises all solution based thin- film deposition techniques, which involve chemical reactions of precursors during the formation of the oxide films, i. e. sol-gel type routes, metallo-organic decomposition routes, hybrid routes, etc. While the development of sol-gel type processes for optical coatings on glass by silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide dates from the mid-20th century, the first CSD derived electronic oxide thin films, such as lead zirconate titanate, were prepared in the 1980’s. Since then CSD has emerged as a highly flexible and cost-effective technique for the fabrication of a very wide variety of functional oxide thin films. Application areas include, for example, integrated dielectric capacitors, ferroelectric random access memories, pyroelectric infrared detectors, piezoelectric micro-electromechanical systems, antireflective coatings, optical filters, conducting-, transparent conducting-, and superconducting layers, luminescent coatings, gas sensors, thin film solid-oxide fuel cells, and photoelectrocatalytic solar cells. In the appendix detailed “cooking recipes” for selected material systems are offered.

METAL OXIDE NANOCOMPOSITE THIN FILMS FOR OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICE APPLICATIONS The book provides insight into the fundamental aspects, latest research, synthesis route development, preparation, and future applications of metal oxide nanocomposite thin films. The fabrication of thin film-based materials is important to the future production of safe, efficient, and affordable energy as the devices convert sunlight into electricity. Thin film devices allow excellent interface engineering for high-performance printable solar cells as their structures are highly reliable and stand-alone systems can provide the required megawatts. They have been used as power sources in solar home systems, remote buildings, water pumping, megawatt-scale power plants, satellites, communications, and space vehicles. Metal Oxide Nanocomposite Thin Films for Optoelectronic Device Applications covers the basics of advanced nanometal oxide-based materials, their synthesis, characterization, and applications, and all the updated information on optoelectronics. Topics discussed include the implications of metal oxide thin films, which are critical for device fabrications. It provides updated information on the economic aspect and toxicity, with great focus paid to display applications, and covers some core areas of nanotechnology, which are particularly concerned with optoelectronics and the available technologies. The book concludes with insights into the role of nanotechnology and the physics behind photovoltaics. Audience The book will be an important volume for electronics and electrical engineers, nanotechnologists, materials scientists, inorganic chemists in academic research, and those in industries, exploring the applications of nanoparticles in semiconductors, power electronics, and more.

This book satisfies the interest and curiosity of beginners in thin film electrode preparations, characterizations, and device making, while providing insight into the area for experts. The considerable literature on ‘metal chalcogenides based carbon composites and their versatile applications’ reflect its importance for research and demonstrate how it’s now reached a level where the timely review is necessary to understand the current progress and recent trends and future opportunities. In the book, the authors examine recent advances in the state-of-the-art fabrication techniques of metal sulfide based carbon composites along with their working mechanisms, associated issues/solutions, and possible future are discussed. In addition, detailed insight into the properties and various applications including principles, design, fabrication, and engineering aspects are further discussed.

This book explores chemical methods for thin film deposition with diverse nanostructured morphology and their applications. Unlike top-down techniques, chemical methods offer low cost, simplicity, and growth of nanostructured surface architecture with ease of small to large-scale area deposition. The book primarily focuses on innovative twelve chemical methods for thin-film deposition on one platform. Since each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, it is crucial to select the specific method for specific material to be deposited depending upon what type of application is targeted. Due to inclusive of diverse chemical deposition methods, researcher will have knowledge about best choice of the deposition method to be adopted. Inclusive methods discussed in the book are chemical bath deposition, successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction, ion exchange, electroless deposition, electrodeposition, hydrothermal, spray pyrolysis, spin coating, dip coating, doctor blade, screen printing, and sol-gel. The selection of the correct procedure for material to be deposited in thin film form depends on its unique process parameters based on the kind of application and its requirement. The role of preparative factors necessary for thin film alters properties related to structure and surface morphology, electrical conductivity and optical band gap which have been extensively discussed along with the underlying science of film synthesis. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the field of chemical methods for thin film synthesis to applications. In addition to synthesis, the book covers characterization, instrumentation, and industrial application of thin films. As a result, concentrated techniques will be of great interest to university/college professors, students and new engineers as well as postdocs and scientists in the area.

Oxide Thin Films and Nanostructures is an interdisciplinary approach to introduce readers to the field of oxide nano-materials, that is oxides of nano-meter size and dimensions. Emphasis is put to differentiate these nanoscale oxide objects from their solid bulk oxide parents and present their properties in a pedagogic way.

Materials development has reached a point where it is difficult for a single material to satisfy the needs of sophisticated applications in the modern world. Nanocomposite films and coatings achieve much more than the simple addition of the constitutents OCo the law of summation fails to work in the nano-world. This book encompasses three major parts of the development of nanocomposite films and coatings: the first focuses on processing and properties, the second concentrates on mechanical performance, and the third deals with functional performance, including wide application areas ranging from mechanical cutting to solar energy and from electronics to medicine. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Magnetron Sputtered Hard and Yet Tough Nanocomposite Coatings With Case Studies: Nanocrystalline Tin Embedded in Amorphous SiNx (187 KB). Contents: Magnetron Sputtered Hard and Yet Tough Nanocomposite Coatings with Case Studies: Nanocrystalline TiN Embedded in Amorphous SiN x (S Zhang et al.); Magnetron Sputtered Hard and Yet Tough Nanocomposite Coatings with Case Studies: Nanocrystalline TiC Embedded in Amorphous Carbon (S Zhang et al.); Properties of Chemical Vapor Deposited Nanocrystalline Diamond and Nanodiamond/Amorphous Carbon Composite Films (S C Tjong); Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Nanocrystalline Diamond Films (Z-Q Xu & A Kumar); Properties of Hard Nanocomposite Thin Films (J Musil); Nanostructured, Multifunctional Tribological Coatings (J J Moore et al.); Nanocomposite Thin Films for Solar Energy Conversion (Y-B Yin); Application of Silicon Nanocrystal in Non-Volatile Memory Devices (T P Chen); Nanocrystalline Silicon Films for Thin Film Transistor and Optoelectronic Applications (Y-J Choi et al.); Amorphous and Nanocomposite Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings for Biomedical Applications (T I T Okpalugo et al.); Nanocoatings for Orthopaedic and Dental Application (W-Q Yan). Readership: Undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers, scientists, college and university professors, research professionals, technology investors and developers, research enterprises, R&D research laboratories, academic and research libraries."