Highly transparent and super-wettable nanocoatings hybridized with isocyanate-silane modified surfactant for multifunctional applications

Highly transparent and super-wettable nanocoatings for multifunctional applications with outstanding physical properties are in high demanded.However,such nanocoatings resistant to water invasion and Ultraviolet(UV)weathering remain a significant challenge.In this work,physically durable coatings based on inorganic nanoparticles(NPs)and an organic segment(isocyanate-silane modified surfactant)have been synthesized via a sol-gel approach.It is noteworthy the isocyanate-silane with-NH-C=O-functional group creates a strong bonding between the highly hydrophilic surfactant and the inorganic NPs.This in-house synthesized organic segment can render the coating long-lasting wetting properties and resist to be washed away by water,while the inorganic NPs can form sturdy covalent bonds with the nano-scale hierarchical structure on the glazing substrate to improve the durability.This nanocoating demonstrates high transparency with superwetting property(water contact angle,WCA=4.4±0.3°),effective de-frosting performance.Water invasion or UV accelerated weathering tests do not significantly affect the self-cleaning performance of nanocoating.Physical properties,including coating adhesion,hardness,Young's modulus,and abrasion resistance are systematically investigated.Interestingly,this clear coating shows prominent infrared shielding property attributed to Antimony-doped tin oxide(Sb-doped SnO_(2))NPs.The developed nanocoating process is easy to scale up for larger areas that require multipurpose self-cleaning functions.

High-entropy rare earth stannate ceramics:Acid corrosion resistant radiative cooling materials with high atmospheric transparency window emissivity and high near-infrared solar reflectivity

In response to the development of the concepts of“carbon neutrality”and“carbon peak”,it is critical to developing materials with high near-infrared(NIR)solar reflectivity and high emissivity in the atmospheric transparency window(ATW;8–13μm)to advance zero energy consumption radiative cooling technology.To regulate emission and reflection properties,a series of high-entropy rare earth stannate ceramics(HE-RE_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7):(Y_(0.2)La_(0.2)Nd_(0.2)Eu_(0.2)Gd_(0.2))_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7),(Y_(0.2)La_(0.2)Sm_(0.2)Eu_(0.2)Lu_(0.2))_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7),and(Y_(0.2)La_(0.2)Gd_(0.2)Yb_(0.2)Lu_(0.2))_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7))with severe lattice distortion were prepared using a solid phase reaction followed by a pressureless sintering method for the first time.Lattice distortion is accomplished by introducing rare earth elements with different cation radii and mass.The as-synthesized HE-RE_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7)ceramics possess high ATW emissivity(91.38%–95.41%),high NIR solar reflectivity(92.74%–97.62%),low thermal conductivity(1.080–1.619 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1)),and excellent chemical stability.On the one hand,the lattice distortion intensifies the asymmetry of the structural unit to cause a notable alteration in the electric dipole moment,ultimately enlarging the ATW emissivity.On the other hand,by selecting difficult excitation elements,HE-RE_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7),which has a wide band gap(Eg),exhibits high NIR solar reflectivity.Hence,the multi-component design can effectively enhance radiative cooling ability of HE-RE_(2)Sn_(2)O_(7)and provide a novel strategy for developing radiative cooling materials.

Dopant-Tunable Ultrathin Transparent Conductive Oxides for Efficient Energy Conversion Devices

Ultrathin film-based transparent conductive oxides(TCOs)with a broad work function(WF)tunability are highly demanded for e cient energy conversion devices.However,reducing the film thickness below 50 nm is limited due to rapidly increasing resistance;furthermore,introducing dopants into TCOs such as indium tin oxide(ITO)to reduce the resistance decreases the transparency due to a trade-o between the two quantities.Herein,we demonstrate dopant-tunable ultrathin(≤50 nm)TCOs fabricated via electric field-driven metal implantation(m-TCOs;m=Ni,Ag,and Cu)without com-promising their innate electrical and optical properties.The m-TCOs exhibit a broad WF variation(0.97 eV),high transmittance in the UV to visible range(89–93%at 365 nm),and low sheet resistance(30–60Ωcm-2).Experimental and theoretical analyses show that interstitial metal atoms mainly a ect the change in the WF without substantial losses in optical transparency.The m-ITOs are employed as anode or cathode electrodes for organic light-emitting diodes(LEDs),inorganic UV LEDs,and organic photovoltaics for their universal use,leading to outstanding performances,even without hole injection layer for OLED through the WF-tailored Ni-ITO.These results verify the proposed m-TCOs enable e ective carrier transport and light extraction beyond the limits of traditional TCOs.

Modified Triphenylmethane-based Polyimides with Improved Optical,Dielectric and Solubility Properties via Post-Polymerization Modification

A family of new triphenylmethane(TPM)-based polyimides(PIs)containing bulky tert-butyldimethylsiloxy(TBS)side-groups(PI-TPMOSis)has been prepared by a post-polymerization modification via a simple silyl ether reaction of TPM-based PIs containing hydroxyl(OH)groups(PI-TPMOHs).The attachment of TBS side-groups in PI-TPMOSis can be achieved up to 100%,as confirmed by the 1H-NMR and IR spectra.Due to the presence of the TPM structure,PI-TPMOSi films still display the excellent thermal stability with high glass transition temperature(Tg)of 314–351°C and high degradation temperature(Td5%)of 480–501°C.It is quite remarkable that the introduction of TBS side-groups into PI-TPMOSi chains results in more superior optical,dielectric and solubility properties in comparison with the precursor PI-TPMOH films,probably due to the reductions of the packing density and charge-transfer complexes(CTCs)formation.The optical transmittance at 400 nm(T400)of PI-TPMOSi films is significantly increased from 45.3%–68.8%to 75.4%–81.6%of the precursor PI-TPMOH films.The dielectric constant(Dk)and dissipation factor(Df)at 1 MHz of PI-TPMOSi films are reduced from 4.11–4.40 and 0.00159–0.00235 to 2.61–2.92 and 0.00125–0.00171 of the precursor PI-TPMOH films,respectively.Combining the molecular design and simple preparation method,this study provides an effective approach for enhancement of various properties of PI films for microelectronic and photoelectric engineering applications.