Xinkong Wei

The advancement of flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) faces the challenge of simultaneously enhancing electrical conductivity, optical transparency, and chemical/mechanical stability. This study innovatively employs a thin‐film crackle self‐templating method combined with vacuum‐deposited Cu seed layers to fabricate large area demonstrable, high‐performance Cu transparent mesh films. Electrodeposition is utilized to precisely repair disconnected conductive networks. Concurrently, an in situ sulfidation technique is implemented, forming a dense protective layer of CuS nanosheets on the Cu mesh surface. This endows the film with exceptional chemical stability, exhibiting no performance degradation under harsh conditions, including various types of strong acids/alkalis (pH 1–13), high‐temperature humidity (85 °C/85% RH, duration > 100 h), adhesion test, ultrasonic impact, and 1000 bending cycles (bending radius = 2 mm). The resulting composite film (Cu/CuS micro‐network) achieves a breakthrough ultra‐low sheet resistance of 0.1 Ω/sq at 80%@550 nm transmittance (Figure of Merit = 16 382, haze = 5.52%@550 nm, excluding the effects of the PVA/PVP layer and PET substrate). The fabricated film demonstrates highly efficient electrothermal conversion (>100 °C within 60 s at 1 V, efficiency exceeding 60%). This work provides a large‐area demonstrable, corrosion‐resistant transparent electronic platform promising for applications in wearable electronics, automotive electronics, and smart environments.

Semiconductor photocatalysis offers significant potential for solving energy and environment challenges, but its efficiency is often limited by the rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. In this study, we present a photocatalytic device based on a metal–oxide–semiconductor architecture, featuring an asymmetric split-gate design that generates an alternately distributed lateral electrostatic field across the semiconductor photocatalytic film. BiVO4 is selected as the photosensitive material due to its excellent visible-light absorption and chemical stability, while HfO2 serves as a high-k dielectric layer to electrically isolate the gate electrodes from the photocatalytic film. The cross-arrayed asymmetric gates enable spatial modulation of local work functions, allowing independent control over electron and hole transport pathways within the plane of the photocatalytic film. This in-plane separation of photocarriers is different from conventional vertical separation. It effectively suppresses photocarrier recombination, prolongs photocarrier lifetimes, and enhances photocatalytic performance. Photocatalytic degradation experiments show performance improvements of 9.17% for Rhodamine B and 23.84% for chlortetracycline under optimal gate bias. This work demonstrates an approach to field-effect engineering for in-plane photocarrier modulation, offering precise and efficient control over semiconductor photocatalytic processes.

Transition metal oxide semiconductors, noted for their stability and suitable bandgap, are promising photoanodes for water splitting. Surface engineering is critical to tackle issues like low carrier mobility and charge recombination, stemming from atomic arrangement and Fermi level differences. While exposing dominant crystal facets boosts photocatalytic capability, it can hinder carrier injection into the electrolyte. In this study, BiVO4 films with various facet exposures were synthesized and characterized using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction to confirm their morphology and crystalline structure. Mott–Schottky analysis was employed to investigate changes in the band structure near the semiconductor–electrolyte interface, revealing that high (010)-BiVO4 facet exposure enhances carrier separation but reduces injection efficiency. The results from photoconductive atomic force microscopy tests demonstrated that enhanced band bending at the semiconductor interface improves hole transfer. Coating the (010)-BiVO4 photoanode with MoS2 and an amorphous ZrO2 interlayer yielded a photocurrent density of 0.6 mA cm−2 at 1.2 V (vs RHE) under AM 1.5 G illumination, tripling the pristine photoanode's performance and nearly tripling water splitting efficiency. Mechanism revealing the improved photoelectrochemical performance is attributed to a greater band bending on the BiVO4 surface, enhancing hole injection dynamics. This work provides a feasible strategy for a deeper understanding of the intrinsic mechanisms of facet engineering and improving the activity of photoanodes.