Optical Properties of Sol-Gel Derived Materials and Thin Film Structures

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 4362

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Micro and Nanoelectronics, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Minsk, Belarus
Interests: sol-gel technology; electrochemistry for nanophotonics and microelectronics

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Guest Editor
Centre for Sol-Gel Coatings, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Balapur, Hyderabad 500005, Telangana State, India
Interests: sol-gel nanocomposite coatings for different functionalities; corrosion protection; microwave sintering of ceramics and solid state electrochemistry

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Guest Editor
Institute of Low Temperatures and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: luminescence properties of rare earth and transition metal ions in crystal; glasses and nanostructures; laser spectroscopy; optical sensors; laser materials; technologies of luminescent materials; transparent ceramics; porous thermo-isolation materials; nanoceramic materials; cryotherapy; photodynamic therapy and diagnostic; laser therapy; laser induced lighting in rare earth systems and graphene; hydrogen generation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Low-cost sol-gel technology receives significant attention for photonics applications. This special issue invites manuscripts that introduce the recent advances in sol-gel-derived optical materials and microstructures. Topics include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Luminescence of lanthanides and transition metals from sol-gel-derived powders and thin films
  • Materials and coatings with upconversion luminescence for solar cells
  • Enhanced luminescence of lanthanides from microcavities: Stokes and anti-Stokes (upconversion luminescence)
  • X-ray convertors and scintillators
  • Photonic band gap materials and sol-gel derived materials in porous matrices.
  • Optical filters
  • Optical properties of conductive transparent coatings
  • Sol-gel-derived planar waveguides
  • Optical properties of sol-gel-derived glasses
  • Porous materials for photocatalysis
  • Optical sensors

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Gaponenko
Prof. Dr. Raghavan Subasri
Prof. Dr. Wiesław Stręk
Guest Editors

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. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • microcavity
  • photonic crystal
  • sol-gel
  • xerogel
  • waveguide
  • powders
  • ceramics
  • glass
  • luminescence
  • photocatalysis

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 4268 KiB  
Communication
Photoactive Properties of Transport Sol-Gel Layers Based on Strontium Titanate for Perovskite Solar Cells
by Alina V. Semchenko, Gagik Y. Ayvazyan, Viktoriya V. Malyutina-Bronskaya, Sergei A. Khakhomov, Dmitry L. Kovalenko, Andrei A. Boiko, Vitali V. Sidski, Anton V. Nestsiaronak, Alexander A. Mayevsky, Konstantin D. Danilchenko, Dmitry V. Zhigulin, Vladimir A. Pilipenko, R. Subasri and Nikolai V. Gaponenko
Photonics 2023, 10(7), 845; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10070845 - 21 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 940
Abstract
In this work, we have investigated the photocurrent and spectral sensitivity of the silicon/SrTiO3:xNb/perovskite structures. The sol–gel method carried out the deposition of undoped SrTiO3 layers as well as niobium-doped (SrTiO3:Nb) layers at atomic concentrations of 3 and [...] Read more.
In this work, we have investigated the photocurrent and spectral sensitivity of the silicon/SrTiO3:xNb/perovskite structures. The sol–gel method carried out the deposition of undoped SrTiO3 layers as well as niobium-doped (SrTiO3:Nb) layers at atomic concentrations of 3 and 6% Nb. The perovskite layer, CH3NH3PbI3−xClx, has been deposited by the vacuum co-evaporation technique. The layers have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements. The volt–ampere characteristics and spectral sensitivity of the fabricated samples have been measured under illumination with selective wavelengths of 405, 450, 520, 660, 780, 808, 905, 980, and 1064 nm of laser diodes. We have shown that for different configurations of applied voltage between silicon, SrTiO3:xNb, and CH3NH3PbI3−xClx, the structures are photosensitive ones with a variation of photocurrent from microamperes to milliamperes depending on Nb concentration in SrTiO3, and the highest photocurrent and spectral sensitivity values are observed when a SrTiO3:Nb layer with 3 at.% of Nb is used. A possible application of the proposed structure with a SrTiO3:Nb layer for perovskite solar cells and photodetectors is being discussed. Full article
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12 pages, 2446 KiB  
Article
Upconversion Luminescence from Sol-Gel-Derived Erbium- and Ytterbium-Doped BaTiO3 Film Structures and the Target Form
by Nikolai V. Gaponenko, Nikolai I. Staskov, Larisa V. Sudnik, Petr A. Vityaz, Alexei R. Luchanok, Yuliana D. Karnilava, Ekaterina I. Lashkovskaya, Margarita V. Stepikhova, Artem N. Yablonskiy, Vadim D. Zhivulko, Alexander V. Mudryi, Igor L. Martynov, Alexander A. Chistyakov, Nikolai I. Kargin, Vladimir A. Labunov, Yuriy V. Radyush, Eugene B. Chubenko and Victor Yu. Timoshenko
Photonics 2023, 10(4), 359; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10040359 - 23 Mar 2023
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Abstract
Sol-gel technology has attracted attention in the fabrication of diverse luminescent materials and thin film structures, with forms that range from powders to microcavities. The optical properties of sol-gel-derived structures depend on the sol composition, deposition, and heat treatment conditions, as well as [...] Read more.
Sol-gel technology has attracted attention in the fabrication of diverse luminescent materials and thin film structures, with forms that range from powders to microcavities. The optical properties of sol-gel-derived structures depend on the sol composition, deposition, and heat treatment conditions, as well as on the film thicknesses and other factors. Investigations on the upconversion luminescence of lanthanides in film structures and materials are also ongoing. In this study, we synthesized three different types of materials and film structures using the same sol, which corresponded to a Ba0.76Er0.04Yb0.20TiO3 xerogel, as follows: (a) the target form, which used the explosive compaction method for sol-gel-derived powder; (b) single-layer spin-on xerogel films annealed at 450 and 800 °C; and (c) microcavities with an undoped SiO2/BaTiO3 Bragg reflector surrounding a Ba0.76Er0.04Yb0.20TiO3 active layer. The BaTiO3:(Er,Yb)/SiO2 microcavity exhibited an enhancement of the upconversion luminescence when compared to the BaTiO3:(Er,Yb) double-layer film fabricated directly on a crystalline silicon substrate. The reflection spectra of the BaTiO3:(Er, Yb)/SiO2 microcavity annealed at 800 °C demonstrated a deviation of the maxima of the reflection within 15% for temperature measurements ranging from 26 to 120 °C. From the analyses of the transmission and reflection spectra, the optical band gap for the indirect optical transition in the single layer of the BaTiO3:(Er,Yb) spin-on film annealed at 450 °C was estimated to be 3.82 eV, while that for the film annealed at 800 °C was approximately 3.87 eV. The optical properties, upconversion luminescence, and potential applications of the BaTiO3:(Er,Yb) sol-gel-derived materials and structures are discussed in this paper. Full article
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12 pages, 2917 KiB  
Article
Design and Characterization of Nanostructured Ag2O-Ag/Au Based on Al2O3 Template Membrane for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting and Hydrogen Generation
by Huda Mostafa, Ashour M. Ahmed, Mohamed Shaban, Ahmed A. Abdel-Khaliek, Fuead Hasan, Fatimah Mohammed Alzahrani and Mohamed Rabia
Photonics 2022, 9(12), 968; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9120968 - 11 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1603
Abstract
This study considers the progress of our previous study for hydrogen generation depends on the highly ordered metal oxide/plasmonic materials. This study reports the preparation of Ag2O-Ag/Au on the Al2O3 template (Ag2O-Ag/Au/Al2O3) [...] Read more.
This study considers the progress of our previous study for hydrogen generation depends on the highly ordered metal oxide/plasmonic materials. This study reports the preparation of Ag2O-Ag/Au on the Al2O3 template (Ag2O-Ag/Au/Al2O3) for photocatalytic sewage water splitting and H2 gas production. Ni imprinting, followed by two-step anodization procedures, prepare the Al2O3 template. Ag2O-Ag and Au materials are prepared inside the template using electrochemical deposition and sputter coating methods, respectively. The chemical structure is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses, in which all the peaks characterized by Ag2O, Ag, Au, and Al2O3 are confirmed. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images confirm the preparation of a highly ordered hexagonal Al2O3 template with a pore wide of about 350 nm. Ag2O-Ag/Au accept the same morphology after the deposition process, in which the materials are deposited inside and on the Al2O3 template, in which the hexagonal pores are still opened after the deposition process. These open pores increase the surface area and then enhance the optical and electrical properties. For the H2 generated from sewage water, the produced Ag2O-Ag/Au on the Al2O3 photoelectrode achieved an incident to photon conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 30%. Additionally, the impact of light wavelength and intensity on photoelectrode performance is evaluated. Under increasing the light total power from 25 to 75 mW.cm−2, the current density (Jph) value goes up from 8.9 to 9.5 mA.cm−2. The current study’s findings show promising results for resolving the issue of energy in remote areas by turning wastewater into hydrogen fuel. Full article
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