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A comprehensive theoretical framework integrating density functional theory (DFT) and finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) simulations to investigate absorption and photothermal properties of titanium oxynitride (TiON) is presented. DFT‐calculated dielectric data combined with theoretical estimations of effective thermal properties and mass density are used to predict absorption spectra and light‐induced temperature rise in TiON metamaterials and slabs. It is shown that a two‐layer nanoring metamaterial with moderate oxygen doping achieves over 95% absorption across the 550–1500 nm range due to the interplay between localized surface plasmon resonance and intrinsic TiON losses. This leads to enhanced photothermal heating effects in the TiON metamaterials compared to the TiON slab. The findings reveal that there exists an optimal oxygen doping level in TiON, where the photothermal efficiency is maximized due to a balance between enhanced absorption and reduced thermal conductivity. These results are consistent with prior works and provide insights into tailoring TiON for diverse solar energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work explores a new application of titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiN NPs) as efficient photothermal materials in enhancing the greenhouse effect. We demonstrate that a simple greenhouse using TiN NPs-embedded black paint boasts several advantages in solar drying technology, which are indicated by the drying of red chilli. In particular, the greenhouse using TiN NPs significantly improves the drying efficiency, which reduces the mass of red chilli by approximately four times and results in dried chilli with a moisture content of 10% within two days. In addition, by conducting long experiments in various environments, we found that the relative humidity can have a predominant role over the temperature in the solar drying of red chilli and observed that the re-adsorption of moisture can take place during the drying process, which prolongs the drying time and reduces the quality of the dried products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Etching technology – one of the representative modern semiconductor device makers – serves as a broad descriptor for the process of removing material from the surfaces of various materials, whether partially or entirely. Meanwhile, thinning technology represents a novel and highly specialized approach within the realm of etching technology. It indicates the importance of achieving an exceptionally sophisticated and precise removal of material, layer-by-layer, at the nanoscale. Notably, thinning technology has gained substantial momentum, particularly in top–down strategies aimed at pushing the frontiers of nano-worlds. This rapid development in thinning technology has generated substantial interest among researchers from diverse backgrounds, including those in the fields of chemistry, physics, and engineering. Precisely and expertly controlling the layer numbers of 2D materials through the thinning procedure has been considered as a crucial step. This is because the thinning processes lead to variations in the electrical and optical characteristics. In this comprehensive review, the strategies for top–down thinning of representative 2D materials (e.g., graphene, black phosphorus, MoS2, h-BN, WS2, MoSe2, and WSe2) based on conventional plasma-assisted thinning, integrated cyclic plasma-assisted thinning, laser-assisted thinning, metal-assisted splitting, and layer-resolved splitting are covered in detail, along with their mechanisms and benefits. Additionally, this review further explores the latest advancements in terms of the potential advantages of semiconductor devices achieved by top–down 2D material thinning procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructures of titanium nitride (TiN) have recently been considered as a new class of plasmonic materials that have been utilized in many solar energy applications. This work presents the synthesis of a novel nanostructure of TiN that has a nanodonut shape from natural ilmenite ore using a low-cost and bulk method. The TiN nanodonuts exhibit strong and spectrally broad localized surface plasmon resonance absorption in the visible region centered at 560 nm, which is well suited for thermoplasmonic applications as a nanoscale heat source. The heat generation is investigated by water evaporation experiments under simulated solar light, demonstrating excellent solar light harvesting performance of the nanodonut structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a gas-phase approach for the synthesis of Cu 2 O/TiO 2 powder-based photocatalysts using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The process is carried out in a fluidized bed reactor working at atmospheric pressure using (trimethylvinylsilyl)-hexafluoroacetulacetonate copper(I) as the Cu-precursor and H 2 O vapor as the oxidizer. The saturating regime of the chemical reactions and the linear growth of ALD are achieved. In combination with the unsaturated regime, the ALD approach enables the deposition of ultrasmall Cu 2 O clusters with average diameters in the range of 1.3-2.0 nm, narrow particle size distributions and tunable Cu 2 O loadings on P25 TiO 2 nanoparticles. The photocatalytic performance of Cu 2 O/TiO 2 photocatalysts is investigated by the degradation of organic dyes, including Rhodamine B (RhB), methyl orange, and methylene blue; the results demonstrate that the surface modification of TiO 2 nanoparticles by Cu 2 O nanoclusters significantly enhances the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 . This is attributed to the efficient charge transfer between Cu 2 O and TiO 2 that reduces the charge recombination. The photocatalytic reaction mechanism is further investigated for the degradation of RhB, revealing the dominating role of holes, which contribute to both direct hole oxidation and indirect oxidation (i.e. via the formation of hydroxyl radicals). Our approach provides a fast, scalable and efficient process to deposit ultrasmall Cu 2 O clusters in a controllable fashion for surface engineering and modification., (© 2021 IOP Publishing Ltd.)