Surface Engineering and Thin Film Processing Technologies for Energy-Efficient Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2024 | Viewed by 4084

Special Issue Editor

GREENMAT, University of Liège, Institut de Chimie B6a, Quartier Agora, Allée du Six Août, 13, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Interests: inorganic functional coatings; wet chemical routes; opto-electronic and electrochemical properties; in-situ electro-optical characterization; electrochromic films; solar absorber films; photocatalytic films

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global energy crisis imposes on privileging renewable energy resources, on increasing the energy storage capacities, at small and large scale and on encouraging sustainable goods production.

A wide range of new technologies capable of harvesting the solar energy are constrained at lab-scale due to up-scaling limitations related to the high raw material demand and cost and industrially incompatible fabrication processes.

Producing energy without consuming to much is a challenge we have to face nowadays, and in terms of photovoltaic, passive or active solar filtering, energy storage or photocatalytic applications, smart thin film production could be the solution. “Smart” means the use of non-toxic and abundant raw materials and exploiting low energy consuming deposition methods.

Despite the high reproducibility and atomic scale control that physical methods benefit from, only the solution-based methods (dip-coating, spin-coating, blade-coating, spraying, evaporation or printing) allow a fine control over layer composition, thickness and porosity, versatility in doping and precursor choice and low or room-temperature growth of materials.

However not all the processes are readily scalable and this special issue will precisely address this problematic i.e. up-scalable processes and methods for thin functional films fabrication and related devices focusing on solar-cells, electro/thermo-chromic, photocatalytic conversion and thin film batteries applications. The following aspects will be developed in this issue:

  • Green, chemical, up-scalable routes for thin functional films processing and device fabrication
  • Innovative solution strategies for increasing the thin film performance
  • Representative parameters assessment for high-scale thin films performance evaluation
  • Film fabrication up-scaling perspectives and limitations

Dr. Laura Manceriu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

Keywords

  • functional thin films
  • chemical methods
  • up-scaling
  • thermo/electro-chromic
  • solar cells
  • thin film batteries
  • photocatalytic films

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 8965 KiB  
Article
Unveiling Nanogranular Advancements in Nickel-Doped Tungsten Oxide for Superior Electrochromic Performance
by Pritam J. Morankar, Rutuja U. Amate, Aviraj M. Teli, Sonali A. Beknalkar and Chan-Wook Jeon
Coatings 2024, 14(3), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14030320 - 07 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Electrochromic materials allow for precise control of their optical properties by applying an electric field, which has led to recent developments in energy-saving and indoor temperature control systems like smart windows. The selective incorporation of metal dopants is an effective technique for generating [...] Read more.
Electrochromic materials allow for precise control of their optical properties by applying an electric field, which has led to recent developments in energy-saving and indoor temperature control systems like smart windows. The selective incorporation of metal dopants is an effective technique for generating highly advanced semiconducting metal oxides with precisely customized physicochemical characteristics. In this report, we employed a one-step electrodeposition process to fabricate nickel-doped tungsten oxide (W–Ni) thin films, systematically probing the impact of nickel (Ni) doping on the collective material characteristics. Comprehensive X-ray diffraction research revealed significant changes in diffraction patterns, suggesting slight modifications in the structure caused by Ni doping. The scanning electron microscopy showed complex differences in the microstructure of the film, such as a dense surface, porosity, and clustering of nanogranules. The WNi-3% thin film doped at 3 wt. % exhibited excellent electrochromic performance by efficiently handling lithium ions and displaying favorable electrochromic properties. The improved electrode, WNi-3%, showed a maximum optical modulation of 81.90%, exceptional reversibility of 99.4%, and a high coloration efficiency of 75.12 cm2/C. These findings underscore the efficacy of Ni-doping in tailoring the electrochromic properties of nickel-doped tungsten oxide thin films, thereby advancing the frontiers of high-performance electrochromic materials for energy-efficient applications. Full article
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Review

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39 pages, 11347 KiB  
Review
Film Deposition of Electrochromic Metal Oxides through Spray Coating: A Descriptive Review
by Anthony Maho, Suraj Nayak, Florian Gillissen, Rudi Cloots and Aline Rougier
Coatings 2023, 13(11), 1879; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13111879 - 01 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1575
Abstract
Electrochromism induces reversible changes of coloration in specific organic and inorganic materials through electrical charge/discharge reactions. When processed into thin films, electrochromic metal oxides can be integrated into glazing applications such as displays, rearview mirrors, goggles and, most notably, smart windows in energy-efficient [...] Read more.
Electrochromism induces reversible changes of coloration in specific organic and inorganic materials through electrical charge/discharge reactions. When processed into thin films, electrochromic metal oxides can be integrated into glazing applications such as displays, rearview mirrors, goggles and, most notably, smart windows in energy-efficient buildings. Over the years, the use of spray coating as a liquid-based approach has been acknowledged for its cost-efficient, high-throughput samples production with a low volume consumption. It represents an interesting alternative to vacuum processes and to other wet methods, suitably responding to the current limitations of electrochromic thin films production by offering improved control over deposition parameters and capacities of up-scaling, together with lowered energetic and economic costs. The present review summarizes the main theoretical and practical aspects of spray coating, notably distinguishing room-temperature methodologies from pyrolysis-based, under heating protocols. The main families of functional electrochromic metal oxides are then screened and discussed, establishing how spray processing can challengingly lead to higher levels of optical contrast, commutation kinetics, coloration efficiency and cycling durability, and how low-toxic and environment-friendly precursors can be favored while sustaining large deposition areas. Full article
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49 pages, 14457 KiB  
Review
Printability of (Quasi-)Solid Polysiloxane Electrolytes for Online Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Fabrication
by Laura Manceriu, Anil Kumar Bharwal, Nathan Daem, Jennifer Dewalque, Pierre Colson, Frederic Boschini and Rudi Cloots
Coatings 2023, 13(7), 1164; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13071164 - 27 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1398
Abstract
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a very promising solution as remote sustainable low power sources for portable electronics and Internet of Things (IoT) applications due to their room-temperature and low-cost fabrication, as well as their high efficiency under artificial light. In addition, new [...] Read more.
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a very promising solution as remote sustainable low power sources for portable electronics and Internet of Things (IoT) applications due to their room-temperature and low-cost fabrication, as well as their high efficiency under artificial light. In addition, new achievements in developing semitransparent devices are driving interest in their implementation in the building sector. However, the main obstacle towards the large-scale exploitation of DSSCs mainly concerns their limited long-term stability triggered by the use of liquid electrolytes. Moreover, the device processing generally involves using a thick adhesive separator layer and vacuum filling or injection of the liquid polymer electrolyte between the two electrodes, a method that is difficult to scale up. This review summarizes the advances made in the design of alternative (quasi-)solid polymer electrolytes, with a focus on polysiloxane-based poly(ionic liquid)s. Their behavior in full DSSCs is presented and compared in terms of power generation maximization, advantages and shortcomings of the different device assembly strategies, as well as polymer electrolyte-related processing limitations. Finally, a fair part of the manuscript is allocated to the assessment of liquid and gel polymer electrolyte printability, particularly focusing on polysiloxane-based electrolytes. Spray, blade (slot-dye), screen and inkjet printing technologies are envisaged considering the polymer electrolyte thermophysical and rheological properties, as well as DSSC processing and operating conditions. Full article
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