Recent Advances in Processing and Applications of Heterobimetallic Oxide Thin Films by Aerosol‐Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract

The fabrication of smart, efficient, and innovative devices critically needs highly refined thin‐film nanomaterials; therefore, facile, scalable, and economical methods of thin films production are highly sought‐after for the sustainable growth of the hi‐tech industry. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique is widely implemented at the industrial level due to its versatile features. However, common issues with a precursor, such as reduced volatility and thermal stability, restrict the use of CVD to produce novel and unique materials. A modified CVD approach, named aerosol‐assisted CVD (AACVD), has been the center of attention due to its remarkable tendency to fabricate uniform, homogenous, and distinct nano‐architecture thin films in an uncomplicated and straightforward manner. Above all, AACVD can utilize any custom‐made or commercially available precursors, which can be transformed into a transparent solution in a common organic solvent; thus, a vast array of compounds can be used for the formation of nanomaterial thin films. This review article highlights the importance of AACVD in fabricating heterobimetallic oxide thin films and their potential in making energy production (e. g., photoelectrochemical water splitting), energy storage (e. g., supercapacitors), and environmental protection (e. g., electrochemical sensors) devices. A heterobimetallic oxide system involves two metallic species either in a composite, solid solution, or metal‐doped metal oxides. Moreover, the AACVD tunable parameters, such as temperature, deposition time, and precursor, which drastically affect thin films microstructure and their performance in device applications, are also discussed. Lastly, the key challenges and issues of scaling up AACVD to the industrial level and processing for emerging functional materials are also highlighted.

Recent Advancements in Electrochemical Deposition of Metal‐Based Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Supercapacitors

“…Several methodologies have been employed for the synthesis of supercapacitor electrode materials. The most frequently used methods are electrochemical deposition techniques, [46,80,81] solvothermal/hydrothermal methods, [82–84] chemical precipitation method, [85–87] sol‐gel method, [51,88] chemical vapor deposition, [52,53,89] and chemical bath deposition [90] . However, electrochemical deposition techniques are considered the most useful for preparing supercapacitor electrode materials.…”

“…Up to now, various methodologies have been developed to synthesize and deposit electrode materials on different substrates. These include hydrothermal/solvothermal method, [47][48][49] microwave irradiation technique, [50] sol-gel methods, [51] aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition method, [52,53] chemical precipitation method, [54] and green synthesis method. [55] Though these approaches are widely employed in electrode materials fabrication and deposition purposes, however, owing to having several shortcomings, such as expensive appliances corresponding to maintain the desired conditions, high energy requirements, and more time consuming, has encouraged researchers to find alternative approaches, such as electrochemical deposition.…”

Recent Advances in Carbon and Metal Based Supramolecular Technology for Supercapacitor Applications

“…Compared to only carbon‐based SSCs, metal‐incorporated systems often provide several advantages [143,167] . Some of the critical factors that should be considered when making MSMs for SC applications are: (i) compatibility of the ligand and metal ions.…”

“…To get the best results from the MSM, it is essential that the metal ions used can adequately interact with the ligands. (ii) Heterometallic systems in which metal ions can interact synergistically often show better electrochemical properties than their monometallic counterparts [167] . (iii) When antifreeze agents or other chemicals are introduced into the MSM gel system, care should be taken so that the added chemical does not destabilize the supramolecular system.…”

Potential Applications of Nickel‐Based Metal‐Organic Frameworks and their Derivatives

“…At the electrode electrolyte interface (EEI) of EDLCs, the electrolyte ions are physically adsorbed/desorbed, and the electrostatic surface charge storage improves Pd; in this situation, carbonaceous materials are considered as suitable electrodes [107–112] . Whereas, in pseudocapacitors, fast and reversible Faradic redox reactions occur at the EEI and redox‐active materials, including conductive polymers, metal additives, and MOFs, are considered excellent electrode materials (EMs) [105,113–116] . Hybridization of EDLCs and pseudocapacitor materials is prevalent these days that serve as positive and negative electrodes in developing hybrid SCs.…”