Nanostructured Glass-Ceramic Materials from Glass Waste with Antimicrobial Activity.

Modern consumption patterns have led to a surge in waste glass accumulating in municipal landfills, contributing to environmental pollution, especially in countries that do not have well-established recycling standards. While glass itself is 100% recyclable, the logistics and handling involved present significant challenges. Flint and amber-colored glass, often found in high quantities in municipal waste, can serve as valuable sources of raw materials.

Room-temperature synthesis of earth-abundant semiconductor ZnSiN on amorphous carbon.

This manuscript reports room-temperature one-step synthesis of earth-abundant semiconductor ZnSiN on amorphous carbon substrates using radio frequency reactive magnetron co-sputtering. Transmission Electron Microscopy and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry analysis demonstrated that the synthesis has occurred as ZnSiN nanocrystals in the orthorhombic phase, uniformly distributed on amorphous carbon. The technique of large-area deposition on an amorphous substrate can be interesting for flexible electronics technologies.