Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II

A special issue of Electronic Materials (ISSN 2673-3978).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 25575

Special Issue Editor

1. Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
2. Department of Molecular Physics, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Interests: organic electronics; physical chemical aspects of π-conjugated self-organizing systems and their functionality
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This is a Special Issue of high-quality papers in Open Access form by the Editorial Board Members of Electronic Materials, or those invited by the Editorial Office and the Editor-in-Chief.

Prof. Dr. Wojciech Pisula
Guest Editor

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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. Electronic Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • dielectric materials
  • semiconductors
  • low dimensional semiconductors
  • 2D and quasi-2D semiconductors
  • piezoelectric
  • ferroelectric
  • antiferroelectric
  • conductive metals and alloys
  • magnetic materials
  • superconducting materials
  • optoelectronic materials

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 155 KiB  
Editorial
Characterization of Electronic Materials
by Wojciech Pisula
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(3), 263-264; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3030022 - 14 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1613
Abstract
Electronic materials are of great interest due to their potential to be applied in a broad range of important electronic devices including transistors, sensors, solar cells and others [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)

Research

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16 pages, 5074 KiB  
Article
Chlorine Adsorption on TiO2(110)/Water Interface: Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics Simulations for Photocatalytic Water Splitting
by Yin-Pai Lin, Dmitry Bocharov, Inta Isakoviča, Vladimir Pankratov, Aleksandr A. Popov, Anatoli I. Popov and Sergei Piskunov
Electron. Mater. 2023, 4(1), 33-48; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat4010004 - 07 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1468
Abstract
Chloride is one of the most abundant ions in sea water, which is more available than fresh water. Due to lack of H2O adsorbate states near the valence band maximum (VBM) edge, the difficulty of water dissociation incidents has been reported [...] Read more.
Chloride is one of the most abundant ions in sea water, which is more available than fresh water. Due to lack of H2O adsorbate states near the valence band maximum (VBM) edge, the difficulty of water dissociation incidents has been reported on the rutile TiO2 surface as the excitation energy is around the band gap energy of TiO2. It is interesting whether the extra chloride can be a benefit to the water dissociation or not. In this study, the models of chlorine adatoms placed on the rutile TiO2 (110)/water interface are constructed using ab initio methods. The time-dependent spatial charges, bond-lengths of water molecules, and Hirshfeld charges are calculated by real-time time-dependent density functional theory and the Ehrenfest dynamics theory for investigating the excited state nonadiabatic dynamics of water dissociation. This study presents two photoinduced water-splitting pathways related to chlorine and analyzes the photogenerated hole along the reactions. The first step of water dissociation relies on the localized competition of oxygen charges between the dissociated water and the bridge site of TiO2 for transforming the water into hydroxyl and hydrogen by photoinduced driving force. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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11 pages, 2211 KiB  
Article
Stress-Relaxed AlN-Buffer-Oriented GaN-Nano-Obelisks-Based High-Performance UV Photodetector
by Pargam Vashishtha, Pukhraj Prajapat, Lalit Goswami, Aditya Yadav, Akhilesh Pandey and Govind Gupta
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(4), 357-367; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3040029 - 09 Dec 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2172
Abstract
Epitaxial GaN nanostructures are developed, and the influence of the AlN buffer layer (temperature modulation) on material characteristics and optoelectronic device application is assessed. The AlN buffer layer was grown on a Si (111) substrate at varying temperatures (770–830 °C), followed by GaN [...] Read more.
Epitaxial GaN nanostructures are developed, and the influence of the AlN buffer layer (temperature modulation) on material characteristics and optoelectronic device application is assessed. The AlN buffer layer was grown on a Si (111) substrate at varying temperatures (770–830 °C), followed by GaN growth using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The investigation revealed that the comparatively lower temperature AlN buffer layer was responsible for stress and lattice strain relaxation and was realized as the GaN nano-obelisk structures. Contrarily, the increased temperature of the AlN growth led to the formation of GaN nanopyramidal and nanowax/wane structures. These grown GaN/AlN/Si heterostructures were utilized to develop photodetectors in a metal–semiconductor–metal geometry format. The performance of these fabricated optoelectronic devices was examined under ultraviolet illumination (UVA), where the GaN nano-obelisks-based device attained the highest responsivity of 118 AW−1. Under UVA (325 nm) illumination, the designed device exhibited a high detectivity of 1 × 1010 Jones, noise equivalent power of 1 × 10−12 WHz−1/2, and external quantum efficiency of 45,000%. The analysis revealed that the quality of the AlN buffer layer significantly improved the optoelectronic performance of the device. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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12 pages, 4485 KiB  
Article
Effect of Carrier Gas Flow Rates on the Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Films Deposited Using an Aerosol Deposition Technique
by May Zin Toe, Wai Kian Tan, Hiroyuki Muto, Go Kawamura, Atsunori Matsuda, Khatijah Aisha Binti Yaacob and Swee-Yong Pung
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(4), 332-343; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3040027 - 31 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1676
Abstract
Aerosol deposition (AD) is a simple, dry raw-powder deposition process in which the targeted film is formed by direct bombardment of accelerated starting powder onto the substrate surface at room temperature. Despite the increased interest in AD film formation, no work has been [...] Read more.
Aerosol deposition (AD) is a simple, dry raw-powder deposition process in which the targeted film is formed by direct bombardment of accelerated starting powder onto the substrate surface at room temperature. Despite the increased interest in AD film formation, no work has been completed to systematically investigate the formation of dense zinc oxide (ZnO) films using the AD method and their optical properties. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of AD gas flow rate on the formation of AD films and the optical properties of aerosol-deposited ZnO films. ZnO films with nanosized (<40 nm) crystallites were successfully deposited on FTO substrates at room temperature. A dense and uniform layer of aerosol-deposited ZnO films with a roughened surface was obtained without subsequent heat treatment. With the increase in the AD gas flow rate, the crystal size and the AD film’s thickness were reduced. The Raman spectroscopy verified that the thin film was of a ZnO wurtzite structure. The room temperature photoluminescence of the ZnO thin film produced strong visible emissions. The findings of this work demonstrated that AD can be an alternative technique for the rapid deposition of dense and thick ZnO films for optoelectronic applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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10 pages, 1843 KiB  
Article
Direct Comparison of the Effect of Processing Conditions in Electrolyte-Gated and Bottom-Gated TIPS-Pentacene Transistors
by Nicolò Lago, Marco Buonomo, Federico Prescimone, Stefano Toffanin, Michele Muccini and Andrea Cester
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(4), 281-290; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3040024 - 27 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1775
Abstract
Among the plethora of soluble and easy processable organic semiconductors, 6,13-Bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-P5) is one of the most promising materials for next-generation flexible electronics. However, based on the information reported in the literature, it is difficult to exploit in field-effect transistors the high-performance characteristics [...] Read more.
Among the plethora of soluble and easy processable organic semiconductors, 6,13-Bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-P5) is one of the most promising materials for next-generation flexible electronics. However, based on the information reported in the literature, it is difficult to exploit in field-effect transistors the high-performance characteristics of this material. This article correlates the HMDS functionalization of the silicon substrate with the electrical characteristics of TIPS-P5-based bottom gate organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors (EGOFETs) fabricated over the same platform. TIPS-P5 transistors with a double-gate architecture were fabricated by simple drop-casting on Si/SiO2 substrates, and the substrates were either functionalized with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) or left untreated. The same devices were characterized both as standard bottom-gate transistors and as (top-gate) electrolyte-gated transistors, and the results with and without HMDS treatment were compared. It is shown that the functionalization of the silicon substrate negatively influences EGOFETs performance, while it is beneficial for bottom-gate OFETs. Different device architectures (e.g., bottom-gate vs. top-gate) require specific evaluation of the fabrication protocols starting from the effect of the HMDS functionalization to maximize the electrical characteristics of TIPS-P5-based devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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11 pages, 42615 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Optimization of the Conductive Ball Manufacturing Process, Used for Anisotropic Conductive Films
by Jong-Keun Choi, Young-Gyun Kim and Kwan-Young Han
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(3), 252-262; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3030021 - 19 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1534
Abstract
Currently, as the next-generation of display progresses—with high performance and high integration—the surface mounting technology of components is very important. In particular, in the case of flexible displays, such as rollable and bendable displays, ACF that connects wires to any curvature is essential. [...] Read more.
Currently, as the next-generation of display progresses—with high performance and high integration—the surface mounting technology of components is very important. In particular, in the case of flexible displays, such as rollable and bendable displays, ACF that connects wires to any curvature is essential. However, the conductive ball used inside the ACF has had problems with particle size and non-uniform metal coating. It was confirmed that the presence of solvent and oxygen, which are used in polymer synthesis, affects the sphere formation of polymer beads. By optimizing the factors affecting the polymer beads, a perfect spherical polymer bead was manufactured. In addition, the conductive ball manufacturing process was optimized by confirming the factors affecting the metal coating. The metal coating on the surface of the polymer bead was applied with a uniform thickness by considering the specific surface area and concentration of the conductive balls, and, through this optimized process, conductive balls for anisotropic conductive films with uniform size and metal thickness were obtained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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16 pages, 3798 KiB  
Article
Hydrodynamic and Energy Transport Model-Based Hot-Carrier Effect in GaAs pin Solar Cell
by Tomah Sogabe, Kodai Shiba and Katsuyoshi Sakamoto
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(2), 185-200; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3020016 - 11 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2021
Abstract
The hot-carrier effect and hot-carrier dynamics in GaAs solar cell device performance were investigated. Hot-carrier solar cells based on the conventional operation principle were simulated based on the detailed balance thermodynamic model and the hydrodynamic energy transportation model. A quasi-equivalence between these two [...] Read more.
The hot-carrier effect and hot-carrier dynamics in GaAs solar cell device performance were investigated. Hot-carrier solar cells based on the conventional operation principle were simulated based on the detailed balance thermodynamic model and the hydrodynamic energy transportation model. A quasi-equivalence between these two models was demonstrated for the first time. In the simulation, a specially designed GaAs solar cell was used, and an increase in the open-circuit voltage was observed by increasing the hot-carrier energy relaxation time. A detailed analysis was presented regarding the spatial distribution of hot-carrier temperature and its interplay with the electric field and three hot-carrier recombination processes: Auger, Shockley–Read–Hall, and radiative recombinations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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18 pages, 4030 KiB  
Article
Copper-Content Dependent Structural and Electrical Properties of CZTS Films Formed by “Green” Colloidal Nanocrystals
by Volodymyr Dzhagan, Oleksandr Selyshchev, Serhiy Kondratenko, Nazar Mazur, Yevhenii Havryliuk, Oleksandra Raievska, Oleksandr Stroyuk and Dietrich R. T. Zahn
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(1), 136-153; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3010013 - 20 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2452
Abstract
Thin films of colloidal CZTS nanocrystals (NCs) synthesized using a “green” approach in water with a variation of the copper-to-tin ratio are investigated by Raman scattering, mid-infrared (molecular vibrations) and near-infrared (free carrier) absorption, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), electrical conductivity, and conductive atomic [...] Read more.
Thin films of colloidal CZTS nanocrystals (NCs) synthesized using a “green” approach in water with a variation of the copper-to-tin ratio are investigated by Raman scattering, mid-infrared (molecular vibrations) and near-infrared (free carrier) absorption, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), electrical conductivity, and conductive atomic force microscopy (cAFM). We determined the effect of the actual Cu content on the phonon spectra, electrical conductivity, and spectral parameters of the plasmon band. An increase in the electrical conductivity of the NC films upon annealing at 220 °C is explained by three factors: formation of a CuxS nanophase at the CZTS NC surface, partial removal of ligands, and improved structural perfection. The presence of the CuxS phase is concluded to be the determinant factor for the CZTS NC film conductivity. CuxS can be reliably detected based on the analysis of the modified Auger parameter of copper, derived from XPS data and corroborated by Raman spectroscopy data. Partial removal of the ligand is concluded from the agreement of the core-level XPS and vibrational IR spectra. The degree of lattice perfection can be conveniently assessed from the Raman data as well. Further important information derived from a combination of photoelectron and optical data is the work function, ionization potential, and electron affinity of the NC films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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12 pages, 1904 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Elastic Properties of WO3 Thin Films Supported on Quartz in Surface Acoustic Wave Sensing Devices
by Madjid Arab, Véronique Madigou, Virginie Chevallier, Christian Turquat and Christine Leroux
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(1), 124-135; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3010012 - 17 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2181
Abstract
This study aims to discuss the combined theoretical and experimental results of elastic properties of tungsten trioxide films supported on Quartz (YX)/45°/10° resonator to form surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. The SAW systems with different thicknesses of WO3 thin films were imaged [...] Read more.
This study aims to discuss the combined theoretical and experimental results of elastic properties of tungsten trioxide films supported on Quartz (YX)/45°/10° resonator to form surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. The SAW systems with different thicknesses of WO3 thin films were imaged and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force, and transmission electron microscopy. The deposited WO3 films (100, 200, and 300 nm of thickness) crystallized in a single monoclinic phase. The acoustoelectric properties of the SAW system were obtained by combining theoretical simulations with experimental measurements. The modeling of the SAW devices has been performed by the finite element and boundary element methods (FEM/BEM). The elastic constants of the films at room temperature were assessed via electrical admittances experiments in light of theoretical calculations. The gravimetric effect of the deposited layers is observed by a shift of the resonance frequency to lower values as the thickness of the films increases. Moreover, the acoustic losses are affected by the dielectric losses of the WO3 films while the resonant frequency decreases almost linearly. SAW devices revealed strong displacement fields with low acoustic losses as a function of WO3 thicknesses. For all the deposited layers, the measured Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratios are 8 GPa and 0.5, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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Review

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16 pages, 8345 KiB  
Review
Recent Research Process of Carbon Engineering on Na3V2(PO4)3 for Sodium-Ion Battery Cathodes: A Mini Review
by Yaxuan He and Haibo Li
Electron. Mater. 2023, 4(1), 17-32; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat4010003 - 31 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2130
Abstract
Owing to the 3D open framework, excellent structural stability, and high ionic conductivity, NASICON-type compounds are extensively employed as promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Being one of the representative NASICON-type compounds, the Na3V2(PO4)3 delivers [...] Read more.
Owing to the 3D open framework, excellent structural stability, and high ionic conductivity, NASICON-type compounds are extensively employed as promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Being one of the representative NASICON-type compounds, the Na3V2(PO4)3 delivers high theoretical capacity with an operating voltage exceeding 3.3 V, enabling it to be a good candidate for SIBs. Unfortunately, the Na3V2(PO4)3 suffers from low electronic conductivity. In this work, we briefly review the recent research progress on novel carbon engineering strategies to enhance the electronic conductivity of Na3V2(PO4)3. Moreover, we will point out the issues relating to the development of NASICON cathode materials and put forward some suggestions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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9 pages, 3098 KiB  
Review
Majority and Minority Charge Carrier Traps in n-Type 4H-SiC Studied by Junction Spectroscopy Techniques
by Ivana Capan and Tomislav Brodar
Electron. Mater. 2022, 3(1), 115-123; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat3010011 - 14 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3078
Abstract
In this review, we provide an overview of the most common majority and minority charge carrier traps in n-type 4H-SiC materials. We focus on the results obtained by different applications of junction spectroscopy techniques. The basic principles behind the most common junction spectroscopy [...] Read more.
In this review, we provide an overview of the most common majority and minority charge carrier traps in n-type 4H-SiC materials. We focus on the results obtained by different applications of junction spectroscopy techniques. The basic principles behind the most common junction spectroscopy techniques are given. These techniques, namely, deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), Laplace DLTS (L-DLTS), and minority carrier transient spectroscopy (MCTS), have led to recent progress in identifying and better understanding the charge carrier traps in n-type 4H-SiC materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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Other

13 pages, 7280 KiB  
Perspective
On-Surface Synthesis and Applications of 2D Covalent Organic Framework Nanosheets
by Jinwei Fan, Zhuoqun Wang, Haoge Cheng, Dingguan Wang and Andrew Thye Shen Wee
Electron. Mater. 2023, 4(2), 49-61; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronicmat4020005 - 12 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2064
Abstract
Covalent organic framework nanosheets (COF nanosheets) are two-dimensional crystalline porous polymers with in-plane covalent bonds and out-of-plane Van der Waals forces. Owing to the customizable structure, chemical modification, and ultra-high porosity, COF nanosheets show many fascinating properties unique to traditional two-dimensional materials, and [...] Read more.
Covalent organic framework nanosheets (COF nanosheets) are two-dimensional crystalline porous polymers with in-plane covalent bonds and out-of-plane Van der Waals forces. Owing to the customizable structure, chemical modification, and ultra-high porosity, COF nanosheets show many fascinating properties unique to traditional two-dimensional materials, and have shown potential applications in gas separation, sensors, electronic, and optoelectronic devices. This minireview aims to illustrate recent progress on two-dimensional covalent organic framework nanosheets, from two aspects of on-surface synthesis and potential applications. We first review the synthesis of COF nanosheets at the gas–solid interface. On-surface synthesis under ultrahigh vacuum and on-surface synthesis under vapor are highlighted. In addition, we also review the liquid–solid interface synthesis of COF nanosheets at various substrates, i.e., both crystalline and amorphous substrates. Beyond the synthesis, we highlight state-of-the-art applications of the COF nanosheets, particularly in charge transport, chemical sensors, and gas separation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Electronic Materials II)
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