The tunable construction of multilayer thin-film-based particulate has opened up new horizons in materials science and led to exciting new developments in many scientific areas during the past two decades. Indeed, to utilize the synergistic properties of thin film coatings and the core particles, the thin film immobilized on fine particles can be a promising approach. The interaction between the thin films and the core fine particles results in adjustable properties of the coated particles. Therefore, such coated systems have been considered as an important class of emerging powder technology for a wide range of applications. Namely, multilayer structural features can lead to designing a highly active and selective catalytic systems. In addition, multilayer-coated nano/micro particles (NMPs) can be employed in the development of many new properties, ease of functionalization, conjugation of biomolecules, etc. Such structure with multilayer coatings can also revolutionize the energy storage and conversion systems.
Part of the book: Multilayer Thin Films
The sol-gel method has been widely used to prepare several materials, such as glass fibers, catalysts, electrochemical devices, or thin films. Sol-gel is considered an economical and straightforward method compared to physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD), which are more complex and need more facilities. At the same time, almost the same quality has been evaluated for sol-gel thin films. Furthermore, chemical tailoring of raw materials to produce new functional compositions is more feasible than conventional methods such as PVD. Thin films utilizing sol-gel were prepared by dip coating, spin coating, electrochemical coating, and spray coating methods, where these methods can be used for various substrate types. Prepared thin films may be utilized in several areas of application, such as semiconductors, catalysts, or photocatalysts.
Part of the book: Thin Films