A chemistry-based approach to designing precursors for the deposition of inorganic films requires consideration of the physical properties of the precursor compound (e.g., volatility for transport in the reactor) and its probable decomposition pathways, both in the gas phase and on the surface during growth. We have been using Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition of tungsten carbonitride ...

Metal chalcogenide semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) are ideal inorganic materials for solar cells and biomedical labeling. In consideration of the hazard and instability of alkylphosphines, the phosphine-free synthetic route has become one of the most important trends in synthesizing selenide QDs. Here we report a novel phase transfer strategy to prepare phosphine-free chalcogenide precursors. ...

Nanocrystals have drawn lots of attention in many fields. The main-stream synthetic routes usually produced hydrophobic nanocrystals (NCs). Organometallic precursors and long-alkyl-chain ligands are adopted and for further use surface modification to render them water-soluble is needed. A direct protocol to synthesize water-soluble NCs in an environmental-friendly and convenient way is still qu...

The possibility to deposit purely organic and hybrid inorganic-organic materials in a way parallel to the state-of-the-art gas-phase deposition method of inorganic thin films, i.e., atomic layer deposition (ALD), is currently experiencing a strongly growing interest. Like ALD in case of the inorganics, the emerging molecular layer deposition (MLD) technique for organic constituents can be emplo...

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been widely reported as a novel method for thin film encapsulation (TFE) of organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaic cells. Both organic and inorganic thin films can be deposited by ALD with a variety of precursors. In this work, the performances of Al2O3 thin films and Al2O3/alucone hybrid films have been investigated. The samples with a 50 nm Al...

Traditional approaches to the formation of mesostructured inorganic films from block-copolymer and surfactant templates rely on simultaneous assembly of amphiphilic structure-directing agents and inorganic sol–gel precursor species into ordered hybrid structures. Variations in sample composition and processing conditions have afforded considerable control over the local (nanometer-scale) morpho...

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) have heterogeneous structures which are suspected carcinogens as a result of reactions between NOMs (Natural Organic Matter) and oxidants/disinfectants such as chlorine. Because of variability in DBPs characteristics, eliminate completely from drinking water by single technique is impossible. The current article reviews removal of the precursors and DBPs by diffe...

We fabricated titanium dioxide (TiO2)-silica (SiO2) nanocomposite structures with controlled morphology by a simple synthetic approach using cooperative sol-gel chemistry and block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly. Mixed TiO2-SiO2 sol-gel precursors were blended with amphiphilic poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) BCPs where the precursors were selectively incorporated into the hydrophil...

New, thermally robust meso- and macroporous carbon powders were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) of aqueous solutions using an inexpensive high-frequency ultrasound generator from a household humidifier. We choose our molecular precursors rationally, so that the expected decomposition pathways produce only remnant carbon atoms. Specifically, our rational design criterion led to halo...

The high optical gain and absorption of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have attracted attention for photonic device applications. However, owing to the sensitivity of organic moieties to solvents and temperature, device processing is challenging, particularly for patterning. Here, we report the direct patterning of perovskites using chemically gas-assisted focused-ion beam (GAFIB) etching...