Edgar G. Zamorano-Noriega¹, María E. Martínez-Barbosa^1,*, María L. Mota², Ana B. López-Oyama^3,4, Eugenio Rodríguez González⁵, Crescencio García-Guendulain⁶, Ramón Ochoa-Landín⁷, Fernando J. Sánchez-Rodríguez^8,*, Santos J. Castillo^3,*

Chalcogenide Letters, Vol.23, No.6, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cl.2026.085590 - 02 July 2026

Abstract The major challenge in developing efficient photovoltaic devices is achieving highlight absorption, optimal charge transport, and low recombination losses. In this work, the effect of the immersion bath numbers in the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique on the properties of bismuth oxysulfide (Bi₂O₂S) thin films, as emergent materials, was studied. The films were synthesized under eco-friendly conditions, using a low-concentration bismuth nitrate precursor and thioacetamide as the sulfur source, and under basic conditions at moderate temperature, with a reaction time of 3 h. X-ray diffraction demonstrated the formation of a crystalline Bi₂O₂S phase, and the morphological… More >

Nourah A. Alsobai¹, Norah Alsairy², A. Ashour³, A. M. Ismail⁴, Khaled M. Abdelbased⁵, Atef Ismail^6,*

Chalcogenide Letters, Vol.23, No.6, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cl.2026.083101 - 02 July 2026

Abstract This study presents a comparative investigation of the structural, DC electrical, and magnetic properties of pure cadmium sulfide (CdS) and 10% chromium-doped CdS (Cd_0.9Cr_0.1S) nanocrystalline thin films deposited by thermal evaporation. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the polycrystalline hexagonal (wurtzite) structure of both films with no detectable secondary phases. Upon Cr doping, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the principal diffraction peaks increased systematically, leading to a reduction in average crystallite size from 19.8 nm to 13.9 nm, accompanied by an increase in lattice strain (from 2.48 to 3.52) × 10⁻³ and dislocation density (from… More >

Hanaa I. Mohammed¹, Eman M. Nasir^2,*, Iqbal S. Naji²

Chalcogenide Letters, Vol.23, No.6, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cl.2026.079657 - 02 July 2026

Abstract Thin films of Cu_xZn_1−xS nanocomposite with varying copper content (x = 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7) were successfully synthesized by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique from their fabricated powders by the precipitation method for optoelectronic applications. The impact of Cu content on the film’s structural, morphological, optical, and electrical characteristics was investigated. Elemental composition analyses indicated that thin CZS films consisted only of their constituent elements and were free of any noted impurities. XRD patterns demonstrated that all as-grown thin films were polycrystalline in nature and adopted various planes and phases of CuS and ZnS binary… More >

Chengyao Xue^1,2, Leting Wang², Jihao Yang², Hao Zhang², Xinhang Duan², Yizhou Dong², Yiwen Yan², Yu Zhang³, Jinghui Shi⁴, Wenliang Song^1,2,*

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.43, No.2, 2026, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2026.082848 - 30 June 2026

Abstract Food packaging films play a crucial role in maintaining food quality and safeguarding human health, making the development of advanced packaging materials an important research priority. Conventional petroleum-based plastic films suffer from poor degradability and may pose environmental and potential health concerns, while many currently available preservative films still exhibit limited freshness-retention performance. Therefore, the development of environmentally friendly, non-toxic, biodegradable, and efficient food-packaging materials is of great significance. In this study, coaxial electrospinning was employed to fabricate a core–shell nanofiber film by encapsulating resveratrol within gelatin/zein (GA/ZN) fibers, aiming to enhance the preservation performance… More >

Peishuai Xing¹, Xiaodong Guo², Yang Wang^1,*, Sixi Zha¹, Zeting Chen³, Shicheng Shen¹, Bin He², Tianyun Li², Yuning Zhao²

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.43, No.2, 2026, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2026.077304 - 30 June 2026

Abstract In the fabrication of microelectronic devices, polyimide (PI) is often patterned through plasma etching. However, the relationship between its etching behavior and the precursor processing technology has not been systematically revealed. In this paper, PMDA-ODA type PI was selected as the research object. For the first time, the effects of two film-forming processes, freeze drying (FD) and thermal drying (TD), on the microstructure of PI films and their O₂ plasma etching behavior were systematically compared. By means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and water contact angle testing,… More >

Seham Hassan Salman¹, Sarmad Mahdi Ali¹, Hawraa Hadi^2,*, Dhufr Hadi³

Chalcogenide Letters, Vol.23, No.5, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cl.2026.081302 - 02 June 2026

Abstract Films of (SnS) with a thickness of 400 nm were deposited by the thermal evaporation technique to investigate the influence of annealing temperature on their Physics and CO₂ gas-sensing characteristics. The deposited films were annealed at 200, 300, and 400°C. Structural characterization was performed using XRD, and the obtained results revealed that all samples possessed an orthorhombic crystal structure with a preferred orientation (301). The annealing treatment significantly improved the crystallinity of the films and reduced structural defects and lattice strain. Surface morphology investigations were performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), which revealed noticeable modifications in… More >

Zhadyra Toreniyaz¹, Guzal Ismailova¹, Oleg Prikhodko¹, Zhasulan Nakysbekov¹, Tilek Kuanyshbekov², Nurkadam Tolep¹, Dmitry Terekhov³, Zhandos Tolepov^1,*

Chalcogenide Letters, Vol.23, No.5, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cl.2026.081101 - 02 June 2026

Abstract Amorphous selenium (a-Se) thin films were deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation and investigated in planar photoconductive structures to evaluate their optical and photoelectrical properties in the low-field regime. SEM analysis showed continuous film coverage with a thickness of about 250 nm. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction confirmed the amorphous structure of the as-deposited films and the formation of trigonal crystalline selenium after annealing. Optical analysis based on transmission and reflectance spectra yielded an optical band gap E g = 1.96   eV and an Urbach energy E U = 0.083   eV ,… More >

Xiaojian You¹, Zhen Sun¹, Lei Zhang¹, Weikun Qian¹, Cong Wang¹, Weigang Pang¹, Hongming Li¹, Yingshuang Cui¹, Chen Chen¹, Yue Wang¹, Xiao Wu^2,*

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.22, No.5, 2026, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2026.081350 - 27 May 2026

Abstract Slug flow poses significant dynamic challenges in multiphase pipeline transport, particularly in complex offshore and Floating Liquefied Natural Gas systems, where conventional one- and two-dimensional models fail to capture the intricate three-dimensional interfacial topologies and transient liquid-film dynamics. To overcome this limitation, the present study develops a three-dimensional transient numerical model based on the coupled level-set and volume-of-fluid (CLSVOF) method within a large eddy simulation (LES) framework, and validates it against high-frequency measurements obtained from a double parallel conductance probe experimental platform. The proposed model successfully resolves phase velocity slip and interfacial morphological evolution, predicting More >

Devita Amelia¹, R. A. Ilyas^1,2,*, Hairul Abral^2,3, Mochamad Asrofi⁴, Muhammad Asyraf Muhammad Rizal^2,5, Mohamad Zaki Hassan⁶, Mohamad Haafiz Mohamad Kassim^2,7,8, Nurul Fazita Mohammad Rawi^2,7,8, Nasrullah Razali⁹, Melbi Mahardika^2,7,8,10,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.14, No.4, 2026, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2025.02025-0147 - 24 April 2026

Abstract This study characterizes biocomposites derived from jicama starch and reinforced with microfibers obtained from jicama bagasse (JB). The incorporation of jicama bagasse microfibers into the jicama matrix was systematically varied at concentrations of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt%. The starch film and biocomposite were prepared using solution casting methodologies, employing glycerol as a plasticizing agent. The biocomposites were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the moisture absorption and tensile properties were evaluated. The jicama starch contained 44% w/w amylose, whereas the jicama bagasse microfiber contained… More >

Edja Florentin Assanvo^1,*, N’Dri N’Guessan Gervais Ziabo¹, Kohi Alfred Kouame², David Boa¹

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.43, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2026.073634 - 03 April 2026

Abstract This study aims to synthesise, characterise and evaluate the performance characteristics of packaging films based on biodegradable natural resources incorporated with nanoparticles. Particularly, it is focused on the valorisation of the fibers from the underexploited Lonchocarpus cyanescens plant from West Africa as raw renewable lignocellulose biomass material source for the production of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). To this end, biodegradable films were prepared from CMC derived from the fibers of the Lonchocarpus cyanescens plant, and collagen. In order to improve the properties of these films, in particular their mechanical and humidity resistance and their ability to fight microbes, silver… More >