In this era of smart technologies, there is an increasing demand for developing highly efficient, mechanically robust transparent conducting electrodes through simple chemical fabrication techniques. The current study discusses the fabrication of highly conducting interconnected gold (Au) networks using an electrospun fiber mask for the selective etching of the Au thin films. The fabrication strategy involved coating polystyrene (PS) fibers over thin metal films, which served as masks for Au thin film and subsequent etching of unmasked regions. This was followed by the removal of the polymer mask, yielding highly interconnected, flexible, transparent conducting electrodes (FTCEs) with seamless junctions. The resulting Au FTCE exhibits highly tunable transmittances ( 65–78
Inverse spinel nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) and manganese-substituted nickel ferrite nanoparticles (MnxNi(1–x)Fe2O4) with x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.08, 0.10 were synthesized via the sol–gel auto-combustion technique. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy shows that the prepared samples are crystalline in nature, with preferred orientation along the (311) plane, and have a cubic system with space group Fd-3m. The elemental composition and morphological features of the samples were confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDAX) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The room-temperature electrical properties were studied over a frequency range of 102–106 Hz using an LCR meter. The magnetic properties were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), which shows that the samples have soft magnetic behaviour. The magnetic anisotropy constant, calculated via the law of approach to saturation (LAS), exhibited a decreasing trend with increasing Mn2+ content, indicating a disruption in the magnetic spin alignment of the samples due to cation substitution. The Mn-substituted samples show enhanced dielectric performance as reflected by increased dielectric constant and reduced dielectric loss, improved electrical conductivity and enhanced magnetic properties. These results suggest that Mn-doped nickel ferrite nanoparticles are promising candidates for using as an improved ferromagnetic phase in magnetoelectric and spintronic devices.
The hydrogen adsorption properties of pristine and fluorinated sumanene derivatives were investigated using density functional theory and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory to assess their potential as lightweight hydrogen storage materials. Geometry optimizations and electronic structure calculations were performed using a dispersion-corrected long-range hybrid functional, while interaction energies and their physical origins were analyzed through energy decomposition. The results show that hydrogen adsorption is energetically favorable for all systems, with interaction energies ranging from approximately −8.6 to −15.0 kJ·mol–1 and equilibrium adsorption distances of about 2.9–3.2 Å, characteristic of physisorption. Increasing hydrogen coverage from one to three molecules leads to a cumulative stabilization without inducing significant structural distortion or charge transfer. Energy decomposition analysis reveals that dispersion interactions dominate the binding mechanism, with electrostatic and induction contributions playing secondary roles. Fluorination enhances molecular polarization and slightly strengthens adsorption while preserving the noncovalent and reversible nature of hydrogen binding. Frontier orbital, molecular electrostatic potential, and infrared spectral analyses confirm that hydrogen adsorption causes only minor electronic and vibrational perturbations to the sumanene framework. The theoretical results demonstrate that fluorinated sumanenes maintain dispersion-driven hydrogen physisorption while offering tunable electronic properties, supporting their potential for reversible hydrogen storage and sensing applications.
Dion–Jacobson (DJ) two-dimensional (2D) perovskites have recently gained attention as a promising class of materials for next-generation optoelectronics. We have designed and modeled a hybrid device integrating a PeDAMA4Pb5I16 DJ and Cs2SnI6 perovskite in the configuration FTO/WS2/PeDAMA4Pb5I16/Cs2SnI6/CuSCN/Au. This design was comparatively analyzed against a pure DJ-based structure (FTO/WS2/PeDAMA4Pb5I16/CuSCN/Au). Owing to favorable band alignment and built-in electric fields, the device supports self-powered photodetection under zero external bias. The simulated hybrid photodetector exhibited a responsivity of 0.734 A W−1 and a specific detectivity of 7.12×1010 Jones, representing a significant enhancement over the pure DJ counterpart (0.519 A W−1 and 5.04×1010 Jones, respectively). Furthermore, the hybrid configuration demonstrated excellent photovoltaic characteristics, achieving a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 29.09
The temperature-dependent (0-300 K) elastic, mechanical, anisotropic, and thermodynamic properties of Ta-10%W, Ta-30%W and Ta-50%W (wt%) alloys were derived from 0 K density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the virtual crystal approximation (VCA). Subsequently, Varshni's well-known fit equation (C = C-0 - s/[exp((t/T) )- 1]) was employed in this work to extrapolate the high-temperature elastic stiffness constants, and all results were compared with available experimental data. For the Ta-10%W and Ta-30%W alloys, the cubic elastic stiffness constants as well as the bulk, shear, and Young's moduli decrease together with the hardness values, while the Poisson's ratios increase with temperature. Conversely, for the Ta-50%W alloy, the cubic elastic stiffness constants, bulk modulus, and Poisson's ratio decrease, while the shear modulus, Young's modulus, and hardness increase significantly with increasing temperature. The hardness behavior of the investigated alloys illustrates a complex relationship, which is also discussed. The currently determined heat capacity curves (C-V) of the alloys are in the range of Ta-10%W > Ta-30%W > Ta-50%W and are mainly related to the composition. In summary, the results of this study regarding the properties of Ta-10%W, Ta-30%W and Ta-50%W alloys are in good agreement with the available literature.
