Recent Progress in the Synthesis and Potential Applications of Two‐Dimensional Tungsten (Sub)oxides

Large-Size and Ultrahigh Purity Tungsten with Enhanced Physical Properties via Chemical Vapor Deposition

Conventional powder metallurgy techniques fail to meet the demands for ultrahigh purity tungsten (UHPW) and scalable component sizes required by the semiconductor industry. In this study, ultrahigh purity (99.999998 wt %) large-size tungsten parts, with an adjustable thickness and a diameter of 350 mm, were prepared via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using ultrahigh purity (99.9999 wt %) tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) as the precursor. The microstructure and physical properties of the resulting CVD-UHPW were evaluated and compared with those of powder metallurgy tungsten (PM-W). The results indicate that CVD-UHPW displays a columnar grain microstructure with a lower dislocation density and internal strain, whereas PM-W shows an equiaxed grain microstructure. CVD-UHPW has a density of 19.17 g/cm3, closely matching the theoretical density of tungsten (19.35 g/cm3) and significantly higher than PM-W's density of 18.79 g/cm3. The specific heat capacities of CVD-UHPW, measured from 298 to 1473 K, range from 0.113 to 0.146 J/g·K, similar to PM-W's range of 0.120 to 0.151 J/g·K. CVD-UHPW shows improved electrical and thermal conductivities compared to PM-W, with values ranging from 1.68 × 106 to 1.78 × 107 S/m and 105.7 to 196.4 W/(m·K) from 298 to 1473 K. This study highlights the potential of the CVD method for the large-scale production of ultrahigh purity tungsten parts, emphasizing its significant applicability across various industries.

The frontier of tungsten oxide nanostructures in electronic applications

Electrochromic (EC) glazing has garnered significant attention recently as a crucial solution for enhancing energy efficiency in future construction and automotive sectors. EC glazing could significantly reduce the energy usage of buildings compared to traditional blinds and glazing. Despite their commercial availability, several challenges remain, including issues with switching time, leakage of electrolytes, production costs, etc. Consequently, these areas demand more attention and further studies. Among inorganic-based EC materials, tungsten oxide nanostructures are essential due to its outstanding advantages such as low voltage demand, high coloration coefficient, large optical modulation range, and stability. This review will summarize the principal design and mechanism of EC device fabrication. It will highlight the current gaps in understanding the mechanism of EC theory, discuss the progress in material development for EC glazing, including various solutions for improving EC materials, and finally, introduce the latest advancements in photo-EC devices that integrate photovoltaic and EC technologies.

Durable Superhydrophobic Coatings on Tungsten Surface by Nanosecond Laser Ablation and Fluorooxysilane Modification

Tungsten is an attractive material for a variety of applications, from constructions in high-temperature vacuum furnaces to nontoxic shields for nuclear medicine, because of its distinctive properties, such as high thermal conductivity, high melting point, high hardness and high density. At the same time, the areas of the applicability of tungsten, to a large extent, are affected by the formation of surface oxides, which not only strongly reduce the mechanical properties, but are also prone to easily interacting with water. To alleviate this shortcoming, a series of superhydrophobic coatings for the tungsten surface was elaborated using the method of nanosecond laser treatment followed by chemical vapor deposition of hydrophobic fluorooxysilane molecules. It is shown that the durability of the fabricated coatings significantly depends on surface morphology and composition, which in turn can be effectively controlled by adjusting the parameters of the laser treatment. The coating prepared with optimized parameters had a contact angle of 172.1 ± 0.5° and roll-off angle of 1.5 ± 0.4°, and preserved their high superhydrophobic properties after being subjected to oscillated sand abrasion for 10 h, continuous contact with water droplets for more than 50 h, and to several cycles of the falling sand test.

Influence of crystal structure and oxygen vacancies on optical properties of nanostructured multi-stoichiometric tungsten suboxides

Four distinct tungsten suboxide (WO_3-x) nanomaterials were synthesized via chemical vapour transport reaction and the role of their crystal structures on the optical properties was studied. These materials grow either as thin, quasi-2D crystals with the W_nO_3n-1formula (in shape of platelets or nanotiles), or as nanowires (W₅O₁₄, W₁₈O₄₉). For the quasi-2D materials, the appearance of defect states gives rise to two indirect absorption edges. One is assigned to the regular bandgap occurring between the valence and the conduction band, while the second is a defect-induced band. While the bandgap values of platelets and nanotiles are in the upper range of the reported values for the suboxides, the nanowires' bandgaps are lower due to the higher number of free charge carriers. Both types of nanowires sustain localized surface plasmon resonances, as evidenced from the extinction measurements, whereas the quasi-2D materials exhibit excitonic transitions. All four materials have photoluminescence emission peaks in the UV region. The interplay of the crystal structure, oxygen vacancies and shape can result in changes in optical behaviour, and the understanding of these effects could enable intentional tuning of selected properties.