In Situ Engineering of Conducting Polymer Nanocomposites at Liquid/Liquid Interfaces: A Perspective on Fundamentals to Technological Significance.

The conducting polymers have continuously been hybridized with their counterparts to overcome the intrinsic functional limitations compared to the metallic or inorganic analogs. Remarkably, the liquid/liquid interface-assisted methods represent an efficient and facile route for developing fully tunable metamaterials for various applications. The spontaneous adsorption of nanostructures at a quasi-two-dimensional interface is energetically favorable due to the reduction in interfacial tension, interfacial area, and interfacial energy (Helmholtz free energy).

Interfacial Tension-Impelled Self-Assembly and Morphology Tuning of Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/Tellurium Nanocomposites at Various Liquid/Liquid Interfaces.

Compared to the enormous number of nanostructures that have been documented, the variety of nanostructures produced by organic polymerization is rather limited. We devised an unconventional route and a sustainable approach to distribute tellurium nanoparticles (Te NPs) in a poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) matrix to form semiconducting organic-inorganic nanocomposites for potential applications in electrochemical sensing. The adopted strategy of in situ liquid/liquid interface-assisted polymerization aids in the formation of intimately tethered Te NPs on the PEDOT polymer chains, thereby preventing the aggregation of Te NPs.

Self-assembly of random networks of zirconium-doped manganese oxide nanoribbons and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) flakes at the water/chloroform interface.

Owing to their magnificent chemical and physical properties, transition metal-based heterostructures are potential materials for applications ranging from point-of-care diagnostics to sustainable energy technologies. The cryptomelane-type octahedral molecular sieves (K-OMS-2) are extensively studied porous materials with a hollandite (2 × 2 tunnel of dimensions 4.6 × 4.

engineering of Au-Ag alloy embedded PEDOT nanohybrids at a solvent/non-solvent interface for the electrochemical enzyme-free detection of histamine.

Steadfast efforts have been made to develop novel materials and incorporate them into functional devices for practical applications, pushing the research on electroactive materials to the forefront of nano electronics. Liquid/liquid interface-assisted polymerization offers a scalable methodology to fabricate hybrid materials with multifunctional applications, in contrast to the conventional and ubiquitous routes. Here, we explored this efficient and versatile approach toward the tailoring of Au-Ag alloy nanostructures with a conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene) (PEDOT).

Interfacial tension driven adsorption of MnO nanoparticles at the liquid/liquid interface to tailor ultra-thin polypyrrole sheets.

An emerging aspect of research is designing and developing fully tunable metamaterials for various applications with fluid interfaces. Liquid/liquid interface-assisted methods represent an efficient and facile route for synthesizing two-dimensional (2-D) thin films of potential materials. The underlying mechanism behind thin film formation at the liquid/liquid interface involves the preferential adsorption of nano-sized particles at the interface to minimize high interfacial tension.

Interface-assisted synthesis: a gateway to effective nanostructure tuning of conducting polymers.

The interface-assisted polymerization technique can be viewed as a powerful emerging tool for the synthesis of conducting polymers (CPs) on a large scale. Contrary to other bulk or single-phase polymerization techniques, interface-assisted synthesis strategies offer effective nanostructure control in a confined two-dimensional (2-D) space. This review focuses on the types of interfaces, mechanism at the interface, advantages and future perspectives of the interfacial polymerization in comparison to conventional polymerization techniques.

Soft-template-assisted synthesis: a promising approach for the fabrication of transition metal oxides.

The past few decades have witnessed transition metal oxides (TMOs) as promising candidates for a plethora of applications in numerous fields. The exceptional properties retained by these materials have rendered them of paramount emphasis as functional materials. Thus, the controlled and scalable synthesis of transition metal oxides with desired properties has received enormous attention.

-Butanol/Water Interface-Aided Physicochemical Tuning of Two-Dimensional Transition-Metal Oxides.

Herein, we report a facile regulation of the interface of two immiscible solvents, -butanol and water, to achieve the physicochemical tuning of the transition-metal oxide nickel cobaltite. The crystal nucleation and the growth of nickel cobaltite into distinct morphology are highly dependent on the orientation and the mass transfer of the reactive species through the reactive interface layer. A distinct two-dimensional flakelike (1 nm thickness) nickel cobaltite is formed at the interface of -butanol/water in a 1:1 solvent ratio.

Water-Chloroform Interface Assisted Microstructure Tuning of Polypyrrole-Silver Sheets.

The liquid-liquid interface of two immiscible solvents remarkably controls the morphology of polymeric nanostructures as compared to the polymerization in single solvent systems. The polymerization of pyrrole in the water-chloroform medium using silver nitrate (AgNO) as oxidant yields polypyrrole/silver (PPy/Ag) sheets. The water-chloroform interface acts as a template for the growth of PPy/Ag hybrids into sheets by preventing the secondary growth of silver associated pyrrole oligomers in a three-dimensional (3-D) manner.

Reduced haze of transparent conductive films by smaller diameter silver nanowires.

Silver nanowires (Ag NWs) have received considerable attention for flexible transparent conductive films (TCFs) since they provide a relatively low sheet resistance at a high transmittance. However, the diffuse light scattering, haze, has been regarded as a hurdle to achieve clarity of films. Here we revisit the Mie scattering theory to calculate the extinction and scattering coefficients of Ag NWs which were employed to estimate haze of TCFs.

Extraordinarily high conductivity of flexible adhesive films by hybrids of silver nanoparticle-nanowires.

Highly conductive flexible adhesive (CFA) film was developed using micro-sized silver flakes (primary fillers), hybrids of silver nanoparticle-nanowires (secondary fillers) and nitrile butadiene rubber. The hybrids of silver nanoparticle-nanowires were synthesized by decorating silver nanowires with silver nanoparticle clusters using bifunctional cysteamine as a linker. The dispersion in ethanol was excellent for several months.

Silver nanowires decorated with silver nanoparticles for low-haze flexible transparent conductive films.

Silver nanowires have attracted much attention for use in flexible transparent conductive films (TCFs) due to their low sheet resistance and flexibility. However, the haze was too high for replacing indium-tin-oxide in high-quality display devices. Herein, we report flexible TCFs, which were prepared using a scalable bar-coating method, with a low sheet resistance (24.

Hierarchically Structured Hole Transport Layers of Spiro-OMeTAD and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Perovskite Solar Cells.

The low electrical conductivity of spiro-OMeTAD hole transport layers impedes further enhancements of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells. We embedded multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in spiro-OMeTAD (spiro-OMeTAD/MWNTs) to increase carrier mobility and conductivity. However, direct electrical contact between CH3 NH3 PbI3 and the MWNTs created pathways for undesirable back-electron transfer, owing to the large work function of MWNTs, limiting enhancements of the PCE.

Large work function difference driven electron transfer from electrides to single-walled carbon nanotubes.

A difference in work function plays a key role in charge transfer between two materials. Inorganic electrides provide a unique opportunity for electron transfer since interstitial anionic electrons result in a very low work function of 2.4-2.

Transparent stretchable single-walled carbon nanotube-polymer composite films with near-infrared fluorescence.

We report transparent stretchable single-walled carbon nanotube-polymer composite films that emit pronounced Raman and near-infrared fluorescence with a fine spatial resolution. The independent modulation in Raman and fluorescence spectra is demonstrated in response to touch and temperature. The optical signal transduction of transparent stretchable optoelectronic films may enable a paradigm shift in touch-sensing devices eliminating electrical interconnects.