Advances in Plasma-Enabled Nanomaterial Synthesis for Enhanced Energy Harvesting Devices

In this communication, we will present our latest advances in the development of nanostructured thin films and supported core@multishell nanomaterials for energy harvesting. The foundation of the synthetic approach centers around the utilization of a one-reactor system,^[1] where we integrate various industrially scalable vacuum and plasma deposition methods for tailored nanostructured thin film deposition and the fabrication of one-dimensional devices. The transition from conformal layers to core@multishell devices is driven by the application of single-crystalline organic nanowires as supported soft templates compatible with a wide array of substrates.^[2,3] We demonstrate the integration of materials, spanning from plasma polymers to sculptural hybrid halide perovskites and metal oxide nanotrees, onto energy harvesting devices such as solar cells, piezoelectric, pyroelectric, triboelectric, and hybrid nanogenerators. Our presentation highlights the role of micro and nanostructures and interface control in optimizing these energy-harvesting solutions.^[4-9]<br/><br/>[1] Castillo-Seoane, J., Borras, A. et al. (2021) Nanoscale 13:13882.<br/>[2] Montes, L., Borras, A. et al. (2021) Adv. Mater. Interf. 21:2100767.<br/>[3] Borras, A., Groening, A. et al. (2010) Langmuir 26:5763.<br/>[4] Castillo-Seoane, J., Borras, A., Sanchez-Valencia, J. R. et al. (2022) Adv. Mater. 34:2270137.<br/>[5] Obrero, J., Borras, A., Barranco, A. et al. (2022) Adv. Ener. Mater. 12:2200812.<br/>[6] Barranco, A., Borras, A., Sanchez-Valencia J. R. et al. (2020) Adv. Ener. Mater. 10:1901524.<br/>[7] Filippin, A. N., Borras, A. et al. (2019) Nano Energy 58:476-483.<br/>[8] García-Casas, X., Borras, A. et al. (2022) Nano Energy 91:106673.<br/>[9] García-Casas, X., Borras, A. et al. (2023) Nano Energy 114:108686.