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Ga⁻Sn⁻Zn eutectic alloy is a non-toxic liquid metal alloy which could be used in a multitude of applications, including as a heat transfer agent, in gas sensing, and in medicine. Alloys containing gallium readily oxidise in air, forming a thin oxide layer that influences the properties of liquid metals and which has not been studied. In this study, the oxide layer formed on Ga⁻Sn⁻Zn alloy was transferred at room temperature onto three substrates—quartz, glass and silicon. The contact angle between the liquid alloy and different substrates was determined. The obtained thin oxide films were characterised using atomic force microscopy, X-ray photon spectroscopy, and optical and transmission electron microscopy. The contact angle does not influence the deposition of the layers. It was determined that it is possible to obtain nanometric oxide layers of a few micrometres in size. The chemical composition was determined by XPS and EDS independently, and showed that the oxide layer contains about 90 atom % of gallium with some additions of tin and zinc. The oxides obtained from the eutectic Ga⁻Sn⁻Zn liquid alloys appear to be nanocrystalline.

Among the available metal oxide nanostructures, tungsten oxide has remained, at times, troublesome to fabricate, with many synthetic methods often requiring exotic equipment and or reagents. In this work, we present a systematic investigation demonstrating a new method for the deposition of anhydrous and hydrated nanostructured tungsten oxide thin films via spin coating. The attributes of these materials include the following: high surface area, controllable deposition, and compatibility with existing semiconductor fabrication infrastructure making this method a suitable candidate for application in the manufacture of gas sensors and dye sensitized solar cells. We will show that it is possible to form micrometer thick highly crystalline nanostructured thin films and, using Raman, SEM, XRD, XPS, and TEM analysis, will prove that these nanostructures can be rendered into anhydrous or partially or fully hydrated tungsten oxides. We further demonstrate the application of these materials in the fabrication of an inexpensive NO2gas sensor, capable of sensing sub-ppm levels of NO2concentrations at a modest operating temperature of 175 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated several key aspects for the self-organization of nanotubes in RF sputtered titanium (Ti) thin films formed by the anodization process in fluoride-ion-containing neutral electrolytes. Ti films were deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates at room temperature and 300 °C, and then anodized. The films were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV−vis spectrometry before and after anodization. It was observed that anodization of high temperature deposited films resulted in nanotube type structures with diameters in the range of 10−45 nm for an applied voltage of 5−20 V. In addition, the anatase form of TiO2is formed during the anodization process which is also confirmed using photocurrent measurements. However, the anodization of room temperature deposited Ti films resulted in irregular pores or holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]