Functional Nanofilms: From Fundamentals to Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2021) | Viewed by 13930

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for Theoretical and Applied Electromagnetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 125412, Russia
FMN Laboratory, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow 105005, Russia
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow 141700, Russia
Interests: multi-functional coatings; physics and chemistry of surfaces and thin films; SERS-active surfaces; nanophotonics; nanoplasmonics; nanocomposites; quantum electronics; thin-film vacuum deposition

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Guest Editor
Institute for Theoretical and Applied Electromagnetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 125412, Russia
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow 141700, Russia
Interests: functional coatings; light scattering; metal–polymer nanocomposites; thin films; surface-enhanced Raman scattering; biosensing; nanoplasmonic structures application

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue on "Functional Nanofilms: From Fundamentals to Applications".

The term “functional materials” appeared in recent decades as a result of the development of new approaches to the production of materials that are required to possess “functions”—that is, measurable physicochemical parameters that change due to external influence, especially when an external load is of extremely wide dynamic range.

Functional materials can be defined as materials whose response to external influence is described by a well-known, single function of specific exposure parameters.

This approach provides benefits for the design and physical implementation of very complicated technical systems that operate in extreme conditions with maximum stability of their characteristics. The transition from three-dimensional systems to quasi-two-dimensional (thin films) is accompanied by significant changes in the physicochemical properties of the materials, including thermodynamic parameters.

The microstructure of thin films differs significantly from the structure of bulk materials of the same composition, and the properties of thin films are largely determined by their morphology. This makes functional thin-film materials even more promising and “tunable” than the “bulk” functional materials.

An essential feature of a thin nanoscale film is a large surface-to-volume ratio. The surface morphology and structure of thin-film materials determine many parameters, such as the dielectric constant, magnetic permeability and anisotropy, electrical conductivity, electrical and mechanical strength, adhesion properties, chemical activity, and corrosion resistance.

Correct monitoring of nanoscale parameters is a free-standing challenging task. For example, surface roughness is a common critical parameter, but in modern technology, it varies in a range from picometers to microns. The basis for modern nanotechnology is not just the production of nanostructured and nanoscale objects, but the precise manufacturing of specific “size and shape” required for the nanodesigns. Hence, necessary components of modern nanotechnology are measurement techniques such as electron, ion, and X-ray spectroscopy; probe, electron, and ion microscopy; ellipsometry; and IR spectroscopy. Moreover, methods of mathematical statistics recently started to play a significant role in nanotechnology, as they estimate connections between the measurable parameters of thin films, technology of thin-film preparation and “functioning” of functional nanofilms.

The Editors of the journal and the Special Issue will be glad to consider proposed publications in all areas related to new approaches in the formation of thin films and functional nanomaterials with desired properties, their research, and their applications.

In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Sensor development based on nanofilm functional materials;
  • Nanofilms for plasmonic applications;
  • Fundamental aspects of nanofilm features;
  • Thin-film magnetic systems;
  • Technological aspects of creating and managing the properties of nanofilms;
  • Microdevices based on controlled electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of nanofilms;
  • Newest nanostructured thin-film material applications;
  • Overcoming challenges in controlled nanostructured material fabrication;
  • Composite and nanocomposite films;
  • Optical coatings;
  • Protective coatings (chemical or environmental).

Prof. Dr. Ilya A. Ryzhikov
Dr. Irina Boginskaya
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4259 KiB  
Article
The Poly(chloro-p-xylylene)-Ag Metal-Polymer Nanocomposites Obtained by Controlled Vapor-Phase Synthesis for SERS Effect Realisation
by Irina Boginskaya, Aliia Gainutdinova, Alexey Gusev, Karen Mailyan, Anton Mikhailitsyn, Marina Sedova, Artem Vdovichenko, Alexey Glushchenkov, Alexander Dorofeenko and Ilya Ryzhikov
Coatings 2021, 11(10), 1171; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11101171 - 27 Sep 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1511
Abstract
Substrates based on the metal-polymer nanocomposites 2,3-dichloro-p-xylylene-silver (PCPX-Ag) that realize the effect of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) were developed. To obtain nanocomposites, the vapor-phase polymerization method was used (VDP), which makes it possible to control the nanocomposite microstructure. In the process of self-assembly [...] Read more.
Substrates based on the metal-polymer nanocomposites 2,3-dichloro-p-xylylene-silver (PCPX-Ag) that realize the effect of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) were developed. To obtain nanocomposites, the vapor-phase polymerization method was used (VDP), which makes it possible to control the nanocomposite microstructure. In the process of self-assembly during VDP, nanocomposite films with inclusions of silver particles were formed on the polycore substrates. Silver content varied from 2.5 to 16% vol. The possibility of using such substrates for the detection of low-molecular substances, for example 5,5′-dithiobis- (2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) analyte, by the SERS method with an enhancement factor of up to 104, was demonstrated. The dependence of the SERS spectra enhancement on the microstructure of the nanocomposite and the silver content was determined. The optical and morphological properties of nanocomposites were also investigated and their dependence on the silver content was shown. It has been demonstrated that the nanocomposite is SERS selective since when working with complex solutions in the presence of high molecular weight substances, signal enhancement was only observed for low molecular weight substances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanofilms: From Fundamentals to Applications)
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12 pages, 3201 KiB  
Article
Low Weight Hollow Microspheres of Iron with Thin Dielectric Coating: Synthesis and Microwave Permeability
by Anastasia Kosevich, Elizaveta Petrusevich, Sergey Maklakov, Andrey Naboko, Evgeniy Kolesnikov, Dmitry Petrov, Polina Zezyulina, Konstantin Pokholok, Dmitry Filimonov and Mangui Han
Coatings 2020, 10(10), 995; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10100995 - 18 Oct 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2266
Abstract
Spray pyrolysis of an aqueous solution of iron nitrate, proceeded with reduction of the product in hydrogen, gave iron powder with micron-sized hollow particles. Coating these iron particles with SiO2 through tetraethyl orthosilicate hydrolysis prevented interparticle electrical contacts and suppressed DC percolation. [...] Read more.
Spray pyrolysis of an aqueous solution of iron nitrate, proceeded with reduction of the product in hydrogen, gave iron powder with micron-sized hollow particles. Coating these iron particles with SiO2 through tetraethyl orthosilicate hydrolysis prevented interparticle electrical contacts and suppressed DC percolation. This material shows a high ferromagnetic resonance frequency of 18 GHz, low permittivity, and weighs 20% less than common carbonyl iron. Potential microwave applications are for inductors and electromagnetic interference shielding designs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanofilms: From Fundamentals to Applications)
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13 pages, 3481 KiB  
Article
The Influence of the Multiple Scattering on the Optical Properties of Ag-poly(p-xylylene) Composite Coating
by Roman Puzko, Vitally Tsvirka, Alexey Gusev, Karen Mailyan, Anton Mikhailitsyn, Alexey Glushchenkov, Artem Vdovichenko, Yuri Trofimov, Ilya Ryzhikov and Alexander Merzlikin
Coatings 2020, 10(10), 976; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10100976 - 14 Oct 2020
Viewed by 1885
Abstract
The creation of composite coatings with assigned optical properties is an important problem of modern science and technology. We have considered the metal-polymer nanocomposites based on poly(p-xylylene), with various concentrations of plasmon components—silver nanoparticles. We have carried out the optical measurements of the [...] Read more.
The creation of composite coatings with assigned optical properties is an important problem of modern science and technology. We have considered the metal-polymer nanocomposites based on poly(p-xylylene), with various concentrations of plasmon components—silver nanoparticles. We have carried out the optical measurements of the reflection, transmission, scattering and absorption coefficients for the manufactured films. We have retrieved the effective optical parameters of the composite coatings. The theoretical estimations based on the scattering and absorption data show that the scattering effectively occurs on the clusters of metal nanoparticles. This significantly influences the optical properties of the composite coating. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanofilms: From Fundamentals to Applications)
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13 pages, 6728 KiB  
Article
Epitaxial Silver Films Morphology and Optical Properties Evolution over Two Years
by Aleksandr S. Baburin, Anton I. Ivanov, Evgeniy S. Lotkov, Olga S. Sorokina, Irina A. Boginskaya, Evgeniy V. Sergeev, Kirill A. Buzaverov, Tatiana G. Konstantinova, Dmitriy O. Moskalev, Zhamila Issabayeva, Ilya A. Ryzhikov and Ilya A. Rodionov
Coatings 2020, 10(10), 911; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10100911 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2769
Abstract
Silver and gold are the most commonly used materials in optics and plasmonics. Silver has the lowest optical losses in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range, but it faces a serious problem—degradation over time. It has been repeatedly reported that the optical properties [...] Read more.
Silver and gold are the most commonly used materials in optics and plasmonics. Silver has the lowest optical losses in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range, but it faces a serious problem—degradation over time. It has been repeatedly reported that the optical properties of silver thin films rapidly degrade when exposed to the atmosphere. This phenomenon was described by various mechanisms: rapid silver oxidation, sorption of sulfur or oxygen, formation of silver compounds with chlorine, sulfur, and oxygen. In this work, we systematically studied single-crystalline silver films from 25 to 70 nm thicknesses for almost two years. The surface morphology, crystalline structure and optical characteristics of the silver films were measured using spectroscopic ellipsometry, ultra-high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, and stylus profilometry under standard laboratory conditions. After 19 months, bulk structures appeared on the surface of thin films. These structures are associated with relaxation of internal stresses combined with dewetting. Single-crystalline silver films deposited using the single-crystalline continuous ultra-smooth, low-loss, low-cost (SCULL) technology with a thickness of 35–50 nm demonstrated the best stability in terms of degradation. We have shown that the number of defects (grain boundaries and joints of terraces) is one of the key factors that influence the degradation intensity of silver films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanofilms: From Fundamentals to Applications)
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16 pages, 8282 KiB  
Article
Detection of Organic Substances by a SERS Method Using a Special Ag-Poly(Chloro-P-Xylylene)-Ag Sandwich Substrate
by Irina Boginskaya, Aliia Gainutdinova, Alexey Gusev, Karen Mailyan, Anton Mikhailitsyn, Marina Sedova, Artem Vdovichenko, Ilya Ryzhikov, Sergei Chvalun and Andrey Lagarkov
Coatings 2020, 10(8), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10080799 - 18 Aug 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2396
Abstract
Spectroscopy based on surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is widely used as a method with extremely high sensitivity for molecular and chemical analysis. We have developed thin-film sandwich structures, in which, when used as sensitive elements for detecting organic compounds at low concentrations, [...] Read more.
Spectroscopy based on surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is widely used as a method with extremely high sensitivity for molecular and chemical analysis. We have developed thin-film sandwich structures, in which, when used as sensitive elements for detecting organic compounds at low concentrations, high-amplitude spectra of surface enhanced Raman scattering are observed. Using gas-phase cryochemical synthesis and thermal sputtering in vacuum, SERS active sandwich structures Ag–poly(chloro-p-xylylene)–Ag (Ag–PCPX–Ag) were obtained. In the process of creating sandwich structures, the upper silver film takes the form of a complex island topology with submicron sizes. A series of samples were made with different thicknesses of the polymer and upper silver layers. SERS spectra of the analyte chemically adsorbed on the film surface were obtained, demonstrating a significant amplification (up to 104) compared with the control sample. The dependence of the gain on the silver concentration is characterized by a maximum polymer layer thickness of 600 nm and a 30 nm thick upper silver layer. A selective amplification of the low molecular weight compound spectra with respect to proteins was observed. A semi-empirical model is proposed that is in good agreement with the experimental results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanofilms: From Fundamentals to Applications)
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10 pages, 2423 KiB  
Article
Study of the Static and Microwave Magnetic Properties of Nanostructured BaFe12−xTixO19
by Polina A. Zezyulina, Dmitry A. Petrov, Konstantin N. Rozanov, Denis A. Vinnik, Sergey S. Maklakov, Vladimir E. Zhivulin, Andrey Yu. Starikov, Daria P. Sherstyuk and Santiranjan Shannigrahi
Coatings 2020, 10(8), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10080789 - 14 Aug 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2071
Abstract
The effect of Ti substitution on the microwave and magnetostatic properties of nanostructured hexagonal BaFe12−xTixO19 ferrite composites is studied. The microwave permeability is measured in the frequency range of 0.1–22 GHz by a coaxial technique. An analysis [...] Read more.
The effect of Ti substitution on the microwave and magnetostatic properties of nanostructured hexagonal BaFe12−xTixO19 ferrite composites is studied. The microwave permeability is measured in the frequency range of 0.1–22 GHz by a coaxial technique. An analysis of the magnetostatic data is made by the law of approach to saturation. The ferrimagnetic resonance frequencies calculated from the magnetostatic data are consistent with those obtained from the microwave measurements. The natural ferrimagnetic resonance frequencies are located in the frequency range of 15 to 22 GHz, depending on the substitution level x. An increase in the amount of substitution elements results in a low-frequency shift of the ferrimagnetic resonance frequency for samples with x < 1. With x rising from 1 to 2.5, the resonance frequency increases. The results of the study demonstrate that the tailored optimization of the nano-structure of a functional material is a robust tool to fine-tune its microwave magnetic properties. The ferrites under study are promising materials to be applied as functional coatings intended to control electromagnetic interference in microwave devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanofilms: From Fundamentals to Applications)
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