Notes on useful materials and synthesis through various chemical solution techniques

Abstract

Abstract Choice of materials is the prime step toward device applications as the unique physical and chemical properties of each material determine the desired output and efficiency of a product. Devices those are commonly used can be categorized as sensors and detectors, solar cells, fuel cells and batteries, data storage, optoelectronic and displays, resistors, switches, and among others. Fabrication of such devices to achieve optimal efficiency is an ongoing process and it is seen that effectiveness of such devices depends on the material synthesis process, mode of deposition, nucleation temperature, and inherent properties of the materials used. The most common materials which have found its way into a variety of applications are the oxides; many of them are nontoxic, economical, and easy to synthesize. So, one can notice the use of the simple binary oxides as gas sensing elements, varistors, photocatalysts, in solar cell, as conducting materials, and others. Sulfides and chalcogenides, on the contrary, are more useful as light-emitting material, in solar cell, batteries, and infrared filters. Similarly, NiO/SiO2 multilayers are used as resistive switching devices; γ-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 are immensely popular in magnetic recording media. In this article, a list of materials, for example, oxide, sulfides, chalcogenides, graphene, magnetic, glass, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric materials, are compiled which are used as important elements in a variety of devices. Besides, the description of multiple synthesis techniques is provided in order to showcase the versatility of wet (solution) chemical method. The advantage of the chemical method is that it is easy, economical, and offers stoichiometric and morphological control, and wide ranges of materials can be produced by varying simple reaction conditions. In this article, it is revealed that the morphology and stoichiometry of the solution-processed material are related to the choice of solvents, surface compositions and ligands, particle-particle interaction, deposition methods, and nucleation. Short notes on these chemical routes toward preparing a variety of materials are presented here.