Uncovering the Lowest Thickness Limit for Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism of Cr1.6Te2.

Metallic ferromagnetic transition metal dichalcogenides have emerged as important building blocks for scalable magnetic and memory applications. Downscaling such systems to the ultrathin limit is critical to integrate them into technology. Here, we achieved layer-by-layer control over the transition metal dichalcogenide Cr1.6Te2 by using pulsed laser deposition, and we uncovered the minimum critical thickness above which room-temperature magnetic order is maintained. The electronic and magnetic structures are explored experimentally and theoretically, and it is shown that the films exhibit strong in-plane magnetic anisotropy as a consequence of large spin-orbit effects. Our study elucidates both magnetic and electronic properties of Cr1.6Te2 and corroborates the importance of intercalation to tune the magnetic properties of nanoscale materials' architectures.

High-Performance Self-Powered Photodetector Based on the Lateral Photovoltaic Effect of All-Inorganic Perovskite CsPbBr3 Heterojunctions.

CsPbBr3, an inorganic halide perovskite, has attracted great interest in recent years due to its excellent photoelectric properties. In this paper, we report a high-performance position-sensitive detector and laser communication sensor based on a CsPbBr3/4H-SiC heterojunction that effectively exploits the lateral photovoltaic (LPV) effect. The X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectra, and photoluminescence data indicate that a high-quality CsPbBr3 film has been successfully obtained using pulsed laser deposition. The thickness of the CsPbBr3 film is shown to play a key role in the open-circuit voltage and linear LPV. A large position sensitivity (up to 827 mV/mm) of the LPV with a fast relaxation time is observed. Moreover, the shortest relaxation time of only 0.34 µs for 532 nm laser irradiation among counterparts is achieved in the detector under consideration. Furthermore, the position sensitivity and relaxation time of the LPV in the CsPbBr3/4H-SiC heterojunction show a weak dependence on the laser wavelength from 266 to 532 nm. The robust characteristics of fast relaxation time and high position sensitivity of the LPV make the CsPbBr3 junction a promising candidate for both laser communication sensors and self-powered high-performance position-sensitive detectors.

Large-Area GeSe Realized Using Pulsed Laser Deposition for Ultralow-Noise and Ultrafast Broadband Phototransistors.

Here, we report on the comprehensive growth, characterization, and optoelectronic application of large-area, two-dimensional germanium selenide (GeSe) layers prepared using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Back-gated phototransistors based on few-layered 2D GeSe have been fabricated on a SiO2/Si substrate for ultrafast, low noise, and broadband light detection, showing spectral functionalities over a broad wavelength range of 0.4-1.5 µm. The broadband detection capabilities of the device have been attributed to the self-assembled GeOx/GeSe heterostructure and sub-bandgap absorption in GeSe. Besides a high photoresponsivity of 25 AW-1, the GeSe phototransistor displayed a high external quantum efficiency of the order of 6.14 × 103%, a maximum specific detectivity of 4.16 × 1010 Jones, and an ultralow noise equivalent power of 0.09 pW/Hz1/2. The detector has an ultrafast response/recovery time of 3.2/14.9 µs and can show photoresponse up to a high cut-off frequency of 150 kHz. These promising device parameters exhibited by PLD-grown GeSe layers-based detectors make it a favorable choice against present-day mainstream van der Waals semiconductors with limited scalability and optoelectronic compatibility in the visible-to-infrared spectral range.

Hydroxyapatite Thin Films of Marine Origin as Sustainable Candidates for Dental Implants.

Novel biomaterials with promising bone regeneration potential, derived from rich, renewable, and cheap sources, are reported. Thus, thin films were synthesized from marine-derived (i.e., from fish bones and seashells) hydroxyapatite (MdHA) by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Besides the physical-chemical and mechanical investigations, the deposited thin films were also evaluated in vitro using dedicated cytocompatibility and antimicrobial assays. The morphological examination of MdHA films revealed the fabrication of rough surfaces, which were shown to favor good cell adhesion, and furthermore could foster the in-situ anchorage of implants. The strong hydrophilic behavior of the thin films was evidenced by contact angle (CA) measurements, with values in the range of 15-18°. The inferred bonding strength adherence values were superior (i.e., ~49 MPa) to the threshold established by ISO regulation for high-load implant coatings. After immersion in biological fluids, the growth of an apatite-based layer was noted, which indicated the good mineralization capacity of the MdHA films. All PLD films exhibited low cytotoxicity on osteoblast, fibroblast, and epithelial cells. Moreover, a persistent protective effect against bacterial and fungal colonization (i.e., 1- to 3-log reduction of E. coli, E. faecalis, and C. albicans growth) was demonstrated after 48 h of incubation, with respect to the Ti control. The good cytocompatibility and effective antimicrobial activity, along with the reduced fabrication costs from sustainable sources (available in large quantities), should, therefore, recommend the MdHA materials proposed herein as innovative and viable solutions for the development of novel coatings for metallic dental implants.

Molybdenum Disulfide Nanoribbons with Enhanced Edge Nonlinear Response and Photoresponsivity.

MoS2 nanoribbons have attracted increased interest due to their properties, which can be tailored by tuning their dimensions. Herein, the growth of MoS2 nanoribbons and triangular crystals formed by the reaction between films of MoOx (2

SAW Hydrogen Sensors with Pd/SnO2 Layers.

Pd/SnO2 bilayers for surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors were obtained using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Bilayers were made at several deposition pressures in order to observe the influence of the morphology of the sensitive films on the response of the sensors. The morphological properties were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SnO2 monolayers were initially deposited on quartz substrates at 100, 400 and 700 mTorr, to observe their morphology at these pressures. The Pd/SnO2 bilayer depositions were made at 100 and 700 mTorr. The sensors realized with these sensitive films were tested at different hydrogen concentrations, in the range of 0.2-2%, at room temperature. In order to establish selectivity, tests for hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide were carried out with SnO2-700, Pd-100/SnO2-700 and Pd-700/SnO2-700 sensors. The sensor with the most porous sensitive film (both films deposited at 700 mTorr) had the best results: a sensitivity of 0.21 Hz/ppm and a limit of detection (LOD) of 142 ppm. The morphology of the SnO2 film is the one that has the major influence on the sensor results, to the detriment of the Pd morphology. The use of Pd as a catalyst for hydrogen improved the sensitivity of the film considerably and the selectivity of the sensors for hydrogen.

Synthesis of Silver, Gold, and Platinum Doped Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Water.

In this paper, we propose a simple two-step method for the synthesis of Ag, Au, and Pt-doped ZnO nanoparticles. The method is based on the fabrication of targets using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique where thin layers of metals (Ag, Pt, Au) have been deposited on a metal-oxide bulk substrate (ZnO). Such formed structures were used as a target for the production of doped nanoparticles (ZnO: Ag, ZnO: Au, and ZnO: Pt) by laser ablation in water. The influence of Ag, Au, and Pt doping on the optical properties, structure and composition, sizing, and morphology was studied using UV-Visible (UV-Vis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The band-gap energy decreased to 3.06, 3.08, and 3.15 for silver, gold, and platinum-doped ZnO compared to the pure ZnO (3.2 eV). PL spectra showed a decrease in the recombination rate of the electrons and holes in the case of doped ZnO. SEM, TEM, and AFM images showed spherical-shaped nanoparticles with a relatively smooth surface. The XRD patterns confirm that Ag, Au, and Pt were well incorporated inside the ZnO lattice and maintained a hexagonal wurtzite structure. This work could provide a new way for synthesizing various doped materials.

Fabrication of two-dimensional close-packed shell structure in ceramic thin films.

TiO2 thin films with a periodical two-dimensional close-packed hemispherical structure were prepared on Si substrates using pulsed laser deposition and close-packed monolayer polystyrene colloidal crystals as a template. Compared with conventional methods, which use a top-down approach, this route supports low-cost production of a periodic structure. Additionally, it is applicable to various ceramics for use in applications related to photonic crystals, surface self-cleaning materials, data storage media, bioassays, and so on.

Magnetic and optical properties of MgAl2O4-(Ni0.5Zn0.5)Fe2O4 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition.

Thin films composed of MgAl2O4 and (Ni0.5Zn0.5)Fe2O4 ([MA(100-x)-NZFx] films) were grown on fused SiO2 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the films were polycrystalline, and that their lattice constant varied linearly with composition, indicating the formation of a solid solution. The film with x=60 was paramagnetic and those with x ≥ 70 were ferromagnetic. The films had a transparency above 75% in the visible range, but the transparency decreased with the x value. The optical band gaps were 2.95, 2.55, 2.30 and 1.89 eV for x=20, 40, 60, 80 and 100, respectively. The Faraday rotation angle increased with x in the visible range, and the film with x=70 exhibited a value of 2000 degrees cm-1 at 570 nm, which is comparable to the rotation angle of Y3Fe5O12. Owing to their high transparency, which extends into the visible range, the [MA(100-x)-NZFx] films can be used in novel magneto-optical devices.

Effect of the Helium Background Gas Pressure on the Structural and Optoelectronic Properties of Pulsed-Laser-Deposited PbS Thin Films.

This work focuses on the dependence of the features of PbS films deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) subsequent to the variation of the background pressure of helium (PHe). The morphology of the PLD-PbS films changes from a densely packed and almost featureless structure to a columnar and porous one as the He pressure increases. The average crystallite size related to the (111) preferred orientation increases up to 20 nm for PHe ≥ 300 mTorr. The (111) lattice parameter continuously decreases with increasing PHe values and stabilizes at PHe ≥ 300 mTorr. A downshift transition of the Raman peak of the main phonon (1LO) occurs from PHe = 300 mTorr. This transition would result from electron-LO-phonon interaction and from a lattice contraction. The optical bandgap of the films increases from 1.4 to 1.85 eV as PHe increases from 50 to 500 mTorr. The electrical resistivity of PLD-PbS is increased with PHe and reached its maximum value of 20 Ω·cm at PHe = 300 mTorr (400 times higher than 50 mTorr), which is probably due to the increasing porosity of the films. PHe = 300 mTorr is pointed out as a transitional pressure for the structural and optoelectronic properties of PLD-PbS films.

The effect of substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure on the properties of nanocrystalline copper oxide thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition.

The data presented in this paper are related to the research article entitled "Pulsed laser deposition of single phase n- and p-type Cu2O thin films with low resistivity" (S.F.U. Farhad et al., 2020) [1]. The detailed processing conditions of copper oxide thin films and a variety of characterization techniques used are described in the same ref. [1]https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2020.108848. Thin films need to grow on different substrates to elucidate various properties of the individual layer for attaining optimum processing conditions required for devising efficient optoelectronic junctions as well as thin film stacks for different sensing applications. This article describes the effect of substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of pulsed laser deposited (PLD) nanocrystalline copper oxide thin films on quartz glass, ITO, NaCl(100), Si(100), ZnO coated FTO substrates. The low temperature grown copper oxide and zinc oxide thin films by PLD were used for devising solid n-ZnO/p-Cu2O junction and investigated their photovoltaic and interface properties using dynamic photo-transient current measurement at zero bias voltage and TEM/EDX respectively. These datasets are made publicly available for enabling extended analyses and as a guide for further research.

Development of Pd/TiO2 Porous Layers by Pulsed Laser Deposition for Surface Acoustic Wave H2 Gas Sensor.

The influence of sensitive porous films obtained by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on the response of surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors on hydrogen at room temperature (RT) was studied. Monolayer films of TiO2 and bilayer films of Pd/TiO2 were deposited on the quartz substrates of SAW sensors. By varying the oxygen and argon pressure in the PLD deposition chamber, different morphologies of the sensitive films were obtained, which were analyzed based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. SAW sensors were realized with different porosity degrees, and these were tested at different hydrogen concentrations. It has been confirmed that the high porosity of the film and the bilayer structure leads to a higher frequency shift and allow the possibility to make tests at lower concentrations. Thus, the best sensor, Pd-1500/TiO2-600, with the deposition pressure of 600 mTorr for TiO2 and 1500 mTorr for Pd, had a frequency shift of 1.8 kHz at 2% hydrogen concentration, a sensitivity of 0.10 Hz/ppm and a limit of detection (LOD) of 1210 ppm. SAW sensors based on such porous films allow the detection of hydrogen but also of other gases at RT, and by PLD method such sensitive porous and nanostructured films can be easily developed.

Surface Roughness Influence on Néel-, Crosstie, and Bloch-Type Charged Zigzag Magnetic Domain Walls in Nanostructured Fe Films.

Charged magnetic domain walls have been visualized in soft magnetic nanostructured Fe thin films under both static and dynamic conditions. A transition in the core of these zigzagged magnetic walls from Néel-type to Bloch-type through the formation of crosstie walls has been observed. This transition in charged zigzagged walls was not previously shown experimentally in Fe thin films. For film thicknesses t < 30 nm, Néel-type cores are present, while at t ≈ 33 nm, walls with crosstie cores are observed. At t > 60 nm, Bloch-type cores are observed. Along with the visualization of these critical parameters, the dependence on the film thickness of the characteristic angle and length of the segments of the zigzagged walls has been observed and analyzed. After measuring the bistable magneto-optical behavior, the values of the wall nucleation magnetic field and the surface roughness of the films, an energetic fit to these nucleation values is presented.

Enhanced Phase Transition Properties of VO2 Thin Films on 6H-SiC (0001) Substrate Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition.

For growing high quality epitaxial VO2 thin films, the substrate with suitable lattice parameters is very important if considering the lattice matching. In addition, the thermal conductivity between the substrate and epitaxial film should be also considered. Interestingly, the c-plane of hexagonal 6H-SiC with high thermal conductivity has a similar lattice structure to the VO2 (010), which enables epitaxial growth of high quality VO2 films on 6H-SiC substrates. In the current study, we deposited VO2 thin films directly on 6H-SiC (0001) single-crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and systematically investigated the crystal structures and surface morphologies of the films as the function of growth temperature and film thickness. With optimized conditions, the obtained epitaxial VO2 film showed pure monoclinic phase structure and excellent phase transition properties. Across the phase transition from monoclinic structure (M1) to tetragonal rutile structure (R), the VO2/6H-SiC (0001) film demonstrated a sharp resistance change up to five orders of magnitude and a narrow hysteresis width of only 3.3 °C.

Nitric Oxide Detector Based on WO3-1wt%In2O3-1wt%Nb2O5 with State-of-the-Art Selectivity and ppb-Level Sensitivity.

Fast, sensitive, and precise detection of nitric oxide (NO) is critical to many applications in environmental monitoring and early disease diagnosis via respiratory testing. An effective detection system requires a sensor to detect NO gas at the parts per billion (ppb) level, and this system should possess a high degree of anti-interference selectivity. To achieve these targets, a series of gas sensor thin films based on intrinsic WO3, one-additive-doped WO3 (prepared by doping In2O3 or Nb2O5), and two-additive-doped WO3 (synthesized by doping with In2O3 and Nb2O5) oxides were successfully grown. By analyzing the properties of sensitivity, selectivity, responsiveness, and recovery time of the gas sensors, we found that WO3-1wt%In2O3-1wt%Nb2O5 has overwhelming advantages over intrinsic WO3, WO3-In2O3, and WO3-Nb2O5. A sensing response value of 2.4 was observed for NO concentrations as low as 20 ppb from the WO3-1wt%In2O3-1wt%Nb2O5 sensor. With 100 ppb NO gas, the WO3-1wt%In2O3-1wt%Nb2O5 sensor achieved a high response of 56.1 at 70 °C, which is a state-of-the-art performance for NO detection at low working temperature settings. WO3-1wt%In2O3-1wt%Nb2O5 also yields significantly improved selectivity and stability over intrinsic WO3, WO3-In2O3, and WO3-Nb2O5. Studies on the sensing mechanism show that the grain size, rather than the n-n heterostructure effect, plays a dominant role in the observed results. By decreasing the grain size so that it is close to the thickness of the space-charge layer, the sensing response is enhanced. Although room remains to further improve the sensing properties, the performance of WO3-1wt%In2O3-1wt%Nb2O5 is sufficient for implementation in low-content NO detection devices.

Nanosilver-PMMA composite coating optimized to provide robust antibacterial efficacy while minimizing human bone marrow stromal cell toxicity.

Porous PMMA is a versatile biomaterial with good biocompatibility but high susceptibility to bacterial colonization, which we mitigated by utilizing immobilized antimicrobial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). A uniform porous thin film was deposited onto silicon wafers by simultaneously ablating PMMA and silver (Ag) using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) optimized for minimal human cell toxicity and antibacterial efficacy. PMMA without Ag became heavily colonized by E. coli in simulated dynamic conditions, while Ag-containing samples prevented all colonization. ICP-MS analysis demonstrated that the amount of leached Ag after 24h under simulated in vivo conditions (with serum media at 37°C and 5% CO2) increased in proportion to film thickness (and total silver content). 10,000, 14,000, and 20,000 laser pulse-deposited films released 0.76, 1.05, and 1.67µg/mL Ag, respectively, after 24h. Human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) grown directly on 10,000-pulse films (0.76µg/mL Ag released) for 24-h exhibited no cytotoxicity. Exposure to the remaining films produced cytotoxicity, necrosis, and apoptosis detected using flow cytometry. Examining both leachates and direct cell contact allowed us to develop an in vitro cytotoxicity test method and optimize a novel device material and coating to be nontoxic and bactericidal during both potential initial implantation and external use.

Tuning 2D Light Upconversion Emission by Modulating Phonon Relaxation.

The photonic upconversion in rare earth atoms is widely used to convert "invisible" near infrared photons to "visible" photons with continuous wave light. By using a patterned substrate, upconversion become a route for creating new information-incorporating security codes. The amount of information in the cipher increases in proportion to the number of emission colors as well as the pattern structure. Subsequently, changing the chemical composition of upconversion phosphors on 2 D substrates is required to manufacture information-rich upconversion cryptography. In this study, we exploited temperature-controlled thermal reaction on upconversion films deposited on a quartz substrate to prepare security information codes. Multiple color emission was generated from upconversion films as the result of inserting high-frequency molecular oscillators into the film structures. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and time-resolved study corroborated the mechanism of spectral variation of upconversion films.

Origin of the Ultrafast Response of the Lateral Photovoltaic Effect in Amorphous MoS2/Si Junctions.

The lateral photovoltaic (LPV) effect has attracted much attention for a long time because of its application in position-sensitive detectors (PSD). Here, we report the ultrafast response of the LPV in amorphous MoS2/Si (a-MoS2/Si) junctions prepared by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Different orientations of the built-in field and the breakover voltages are observed for a-MoS2 films deposited on p- and n-type Si wafers, resulting in the induction of positive and negative voltages in the a-MoS2/n-Si and a-MoS2/p-Si junctions upon laser illumination, respectively. The dependence of the LPV on the position of the illumination shows very high sensitivity (183 mV mm-1) and good linearity. The optical relaxation time of LPV with a positive voltage was about 5.8 µs in a-MoS2/n-Si junction, whereas the optical relaxation time of LPV with a negative voltage was about 2.1 µs in a-MoS2/p-Si junction. Our results clearly suggested that the inversion layer at the a-MoS2/Si interface made a good contribution to the ultrafast response of the LPV in a-MoS2/Si junctions. The large positional sensitivity and ultrafast relaxation of LPV may promise the a-MoS2/Si junction's applications in fast position-sensitive detectors.

Room Temperature Deposition of Crystalline Nanoporous ZnO Nanostructures for Direct Use as Flexible DSSC Photoanode.

A facile approach to fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is demonstrated by depositing (001) oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures on both glass and flexible substrates at room temperature using pulsed laser deposition. Unique crystallographic characteristics of ZnO combined with highly non-equilibrium state of pulsed laser-induced ablated species enabled highly crystalline ZnO nanostructures without aid of any chemically induced additives or organic/inorganic impurities at room temperature. Film morphology as well as internal surface area is tailored by varying ambient oxygen pressure and deposition time. It is revealed that the optimization of these two experimental factors was essential for achieving structure providing large surface area as well as efficient charge collection. The DSSCs with optimized ZnO photoanodes showed overall efficiencies of 3.89 and 3.4 % on glass and polyethylene naphthalate substrates, respectively, under AM 1.5G light illumination. The high conversion efficiencies are attributed to elongated electron lifetime and enhanced electrolyte diffusion in the high crystalline ZnO nanostructures, verified by intensity-modulated voltage spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance measurements.

Nondestructive Encapsulation of CdSe/CdS Quantum Dots in an Inorganic Matrix by Pulsed Laser Deposition.

We report the successful encapsulation of colloidal quantum dots in an inorganic matrix by pulsed laser deposition. Our technique is nondestructive and thus permits the incorporation of CdSe/CdS core/shell colloidal quantum dots in an amorphous yttrium oxide matrix (Y2O3) under full preservation of the advantageous optical properties of the nanocrystals. We find that controlling the kinetic energy of the matrix precursors by means of the oxygen pressure in the deposition chamber facilitates the survival of the encapsulated species, whose well-conserved optical properties such as emission intensity, luminescence spectrum, fluorescence lifetime, and efficiency as single-photon emitters we document in detail. Our method can be extended to different types of nanoemitters (e.g., nanorods, dots-in-rods, nanoplatelets) as well as to other matrices (oxides, semiconductors, metals), opening up new vistas for the realization of fully inorganic multilayered active devices based on colloidal nano-objects.