Lithium-containing magnesium alloys are promising materials for high-demanding industrial applications. In the present contribution, three different AZ31 magnesium alloys AZ31-xLi (x = 4, 8, and 12 wt.%) were cast and their corrosion processes were examined in 0.05 M NaCl solution utilizing potassium permanganate as a potential corrosion inhibitor. The microstructure of the alloys was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy demonstrated high susceptibility of the alloys to localized corrosion attack. Electrochemical techniques showed high effectiveness of the permanganate inhibitor (up to 97 %) at concentrations starting from 10 to 50 mM. Post-corrosion surface analyses allowed establishment of the corrosion inhibition mechanism based on the reduction of permanganate ions on the surface of AZ31-xLi alloys to form an insoluble protective layer of Mn(IV) oxide.

The electrical properties of an all-oxide core–shell ZnO–Co₃O₄ nanorod heterojunction were studied in the dark and under UV-vis illumination. The contact potential difference and current distribution maps were obtained utilizing new methods in dynamic multifrequency atomic force microscopy (AFM) such as electrostatic and conductive intermodulation AFM. Light irradiation modified the electrical properties of the nanorod heterojunction. The new techniques are able to follow the instantaneous local variation of the photocurrent, giving a two-dimensional (2D) map of the current–voltage curves and correlating the electrical and morphological features of the heterostructured core–shell nanorods.

Dispersion and aggregation of nanomagnetite (Fe₃O₄) and silica (SiO₂) particles are of high importance in various applications, such as biomedicine, nanoelectronics, drug delivery, flotation, and pelletization of iron ore. In directly probing nanomagnetite–silica interaction, atomic force microscopy (AFM) using the colloidal probe technique has proven to be a suitable tool. In this work, the interaction between nanomagnetite and silica particles was measured with AFM in aqueous Ca²⁺ solution at different pH levels. This study showed that the qualitative changes of the interaction forces with pH and Ca²⁺ concentrations were consistent with the results from zeta-potential measurements. The repulsion between nanomagnetite and silica was observed at alkaline pH and 1 mM Ca²⁺ concentration, but no repulsive forces were observed at 3 mM Ca²⁺ concentration. The interaction forces on approach were due to van der Waals and electrical double-layer forces. The good fitting of experimental data to the DLVO model and simulations supported this conclusion. However, contributions from non-DLVO forces should also be considered. It was shown that an increase of Ca²⁺ concentration from 1 to 3.3 mM led to a less pronounced decrease of adhesion force with increasing pH. A comparison of measured and calculated adhesion forces with a few contact mechanics models demonstrated an important impact of nanomagnetite layer nanoroughness.

Self-powered photodetectors operating in the UV–visible–NIR window made of environmentally friendly, earth abundant, and cheap materials are appealing systems to exploit natural solar radiation without external power sources. In this study, we propose a new p–n junction nanostructure, based on a ZnO–Co3O4 core–shell nanowire (NW) system, with a suitable electronic band structure and improved light absorption, charge transport, and charge collection, to build an efficient UV–visible–NIR p–n heterojunction photodetector. Ultrathin Co3O4 films (in the range 1–15 nm) were sputter-deposited on hydrothermally grown ZnO NW arrays. The effect of a thin layer of the Al2O3 buffer layer between ZnO and Co3O4 was investigated, which may inhibit charge recombination, boosting device performance. The photoresponse of the ZnO–Al2O3–Co3O4 system at zero bias is 6 times higher compared to that of ZnO–Co3O4. The responsivity (R) and specific detectivity (D*) of the best device were 21.80 mA W–1and 4.12 × 1012 Jones, respectively. These results suggest a novel p–n junction structure to develop all-oxide UV–vis photodetectors based on stable, nontoxic, low-cost materials.

Transparent nanoscale-film heterojunctions based on Cu₂O and ZnO were fabricated by atomic layer deposition and reactive magnetron sputtering. The constitutive layers exhibit high crystalline quality and a local epitaxial relation between Cu₂O and ZnO was achieved with [110] Cu2O || [001] ZnO and [001] Cu₂O || [010] ZnO as evidenced by high resolution transmission electron microscopy and. Cu₂O films show very low resistivity and high mobility values of 9–150 Ω cm and 19 cm2/V s, respectively. The Cu₂O/ZnO heterojunctions exhibit a nonlinear rectifying behavior characteristic of a p–n junction, self-powered photoresponse under 1 Sun illumination and an average transmittance of 73% in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. These results are promising for all-oxide transparent electronics, photodetection and photovoltaic applications.

Area-selective atomic layer deposition (AS-ALD) has attracted much attention in recent years due to the possibility of achieving accurate patterns in nanoscale features, which render this technique compatible with the continuous downscaling in nanoelectronic devices. The growth selectivity is achieved by starting from different materials and results (ideally) in localized growth of a single material. We propose here a new concept, more subtle and general, in which a property of the substrate is modulated to achieve localized growth of different materials. This concept is demonstrated by selective growth of high-quality metallic Cu and semiconducting Cu2O thin films, achieved by changing the type of majority point defects in the ZnO underneath film exposed to the reactive species using a patterned bilayer structure composed of highly conductive and highly resistive areas, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The selective growth of these materials in a patterned ZnO/Al-doped ZnO substrate allows the fabrication of p-Cu2O/n-ZnO nanojunctions showing a nonlinear rectifying behavior typical of a p-n junction, as confirmed by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). This process expands the spectra of materials that can be grown in a selective manner by ALD and opens up the possibility of fabricating different architectures, taking advantage of the area-selective deposition. This offers a variety of opportunities in the field of transparent electronics, catalysis, and photovoltaics.

Plasmonic Cu nanoparticles (NP) were successfully deposited on ZnO substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD) owing to the Volmer–Weber island growth mode. An evolution from Cu NP to continuous Cu films was observed with an increasing number of ALD cycles. Real and imaginary parts of the NP dielectric functions, determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry using an effective medium approach, evidence a localized surface plasmon resonance that can be tuned between the visible and near-infrared ranges by controlling the interparticle spacing and size of the NP. The resulting Cu NP/ZnO device shows an enhanced photoresponse under white light illumination with good responsivity values, fast response times, and stability under dark/light cycles. The significant photocurrent detected for this device is related to the hot-electron generation at the NP surface and injection into the conduction band of ZnO. The possibility of tuning the plasmon resonance together with the photoresponsivity of the device is promising in many applications related to photodetection, photonics, and photovoltaics.

In this work, we present all-oxide p-n junction core-shell nanowires (NWs) as fast and stable self-powered photodetectors. Hydrothermally grown n-type ZnO NWs were conformal covered by different thicknesses (up to 420 nm) of p-type copper oxide layers through metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The ZnO NWs exhibit a single crystalline Wurtzite structure, preferentially grown along the [002] direction, and energy gap E_g=3.24 eV. Depending on the deposition temperature, the copper oxide shell exhibits either a crystalline cubic structure of pure Cu₂O phase (MOCVD at 250 °C) or a cubic structure of Cu₂O with the presence of CuO phase impurities (MOCVD at 300 °C), with energy gap of 2.48 eV. The electrical measurements indicate the formation of a p-n junction after the deposition of the copper oxide layer. The core-shell photodetectors present a photoresponsivity at 0 V bias voltage up to 7.7 µA/W and time response ≤0.09 s, the fastest ever reported for oxide photodetectors in the visible range, and among the fastest including photodetectors with response limited to the UV region. The bare ZnO NWs have slow photoresponsivity, without recovery after the end of photo-stimulation. The fast time response for the core-shell structures is due to the presence of the p-n junctions, which enables fast exciton separation and charge extraction. Additionally, the suitable electronic structure of the ZnO-Cu₂O heterojunction enables self-powering of the device at 0 V bias voltage. These results represent a significant advancement in the development of low-cost, high efficiency and self-powered photodetectors, highlighting the need of fine tuning the morphology, composition and electronic properties of p-n junctions to maximize device performances.

The behavior of cast Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo during chemical milling in hydrofluoric-nitric (HF-HNO₃) acid solutions with 1:3 and 1:11 molar ratios was investigated using electrochemical and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Faster corrosion rate in 1:3 solutions was measured for Ti-6Al-4V than for Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo, whereas in 1:11 solution Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo exhibited higher corrosion rate. Scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements revealed difference in the Volta potential between the α-laths and the β-layers in the Widmansttäten microstructure indicating operation of microgalvanic cells between the microconstituents when in contact with HF-HNO₃ solution. The AFM topography measurements demonstrated faster corrosion of the α-laths compared to the β-layers, in both alloys. In 1:3 solutions, higher α/β height difference was measured in Ti-6Al-4V, whereas in 1:11 solution, the difference was higher in Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo. The results revealed that the chemical milling behavior of the two investigated alloys is controlled by the microscopic corrosion behavior of the individual microconstituents.