Izabela Stojanoska

Transparent conductive oxides are essential materials for optoelectronic applications. However, achieving both high electrical conductivity and optical transparency with solution‐compatible deposition techniques remains challenging. In this work, In–Zn–O thin films are fabricated using three complementary solution‐based methods, spin coating, inkjet printing, and screen printing, with tailored solutions optimized for each technique. Although identical thermal treatments are applied, the deposition technique significantly affects film thickness, microstructure, and the resulting optical and electrical properties. All films are amorphous, with grain sizes ranging from a few nanometres to approximately 300 nm, depending on nucleation density controlled by solution concentration. After annealing in a reducing atmosphere, the films exhibit low electrical resistivity (1–100 mΩ cm), high optical transparency (>90% in the visible–NIR range), and direct bandgaps of 3.3–3.6 eV. Spectroscopic ellipsometry indicates uniform optical properties for printed films, while spin‐coated films show slight inhomogeneity linked to their layered microstructure. These results clarify the interplay between solution chemistry, deposition method, and drying conditions in tuning the optoelectronic performance of In–Zn–O thin films. This study presents the first demonstration of conductive and transparent In–Zn–O thin films produced by screen printing.

Textile materials are an essential part of contemporary architecture, the environment, and urban spaces due to their unique appearance and qualities, as it is now possible to achieve both a structural function and an aesthetic quality with textiles. As colour is one of the most important characteristics of textile material, it is also important to understand the relationships between colour and textile material with different surface qualities. In order to explain the complexity of different textile materials and the appearance of colours, which consequently affects the colour properties, this paper analyses this phenomenon. The presented research analyses the dependence of the reproduction quality and colour appearance on fabrics of different construction and structural characteristics, i.e., the texture of the textile material, printed using digital inkjet technology. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of various structural features of textiles on the colour appearance of digitally printed textile substrates, to monitor the quality of colour reproduction, and to analyse the behaviour of a reactive dye droplet on textile substrates. Printing of a particular shape was performed using a Dimatix Materials Printer DMP-2831 piezoelectric inkjet device (provided by the J. Stefan Institute, Ljubjana, Slovenia; manufactured by Fujifilm Dimatix Inc., 2230 Martin Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, USA). The behaviour of the ink delivered by the needle of the tensiometer DSA20E, Kruess GmbH (provided by the J. Stefan Institute, Ljubjana, Slovenia; manufactured by Kruess Scientific Instruments (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Futong Dong Dajie 10 Baoneng Center, Tower B, Room 605 Chaoyang District, Beijing 100102, China), on the surface of the fabric was analysed. The samples were digitally printed on a Mimaki digital printer Tx2-1600 (provided by University of Ljubljana Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering, Slovenia EU; manufactured by Mimaki, 2182-3 Shigeno-Otsu, Tomi-city, Nagano, Japan), with reactive dyes, which were first pretreated in a bath with a specific solution. The statistical method of image analysis and microscopic imaging were used to obtain the characteristics of the porosity, texture, and roughness parameters. All results are presented from colouristic analysis based on the objectification of colour and colour differences. The objective values of the parameters of lightness (L*), chroma (C*), and hue (h°) show the significant influence of the structure and properties of the substrate on colour reproduction, and significant changes were obtained, which were confirmed by the evaluation of the colour differences. The results confirm the influence of the substrate structure on colour properties. Furthermore, it is essential to consider this complexity in the context of environmental colour design when utilising (coloured) textile installations/materials in architecture and urban spaces, i.e., in the environment.

Gallium-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films on glass, which can be used as transparent electrodes, were prepared using a spin coating technique. Thermal analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of the dried precursor solution of Zn acetate and Ga nitrate dissolved in ethanol with diethanolamine confirmed the decomposition of the organic components upon heating and the formation of ZnO at 450 °C. The thin films fired at 600 °C in oxygen and air, and the films annealed at 400 °C in Ar/H_2, were polycrystalline, 140 nm thick, and exhibited a homogeneous microstructure with 50 nm grains and a smooth surface, as shown by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. The sheet resistance R_s measured using the 4-probe technique showed a change in R_s within 80 days for all samples. The R_s of the GZO thin films annealed in oxygen and air with values of MΩ/sq decreased over time. R_s values of 150 kΩ/sq were obtained for GZO thin films annealed in Ar/H₂, but the R_s increased over time. We suggest that the degradation of R_s is related to the adsorption of water on GZO and that the responses depend on the nature of the defects in the GZO lattice.