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Fluorocarbon thin films are widely used in protective coatings due to their distinctive physical and chemical properties. However, their inherent lubricating nature often results in low scratch resistance and poor adhesion to substrates. In this study, a beam plasma source was employed to deposit fluorocarbon thin films, resulting in enhanced adhesion and scratch resistance while preserving optical transmittance and hydrophobicity. The beam plasma source can generate high-density plasma, resulting in the effective dissociation of the C4F8 source gas, as evidenced by the large ion current and high film deposition rates. A unique feature of this beam plasma source is that it can simultaneously emit a single broad beam of ions with independently controllable ion energy and flux to interact with the film. The fluorocarbon films exhibit high hydrophobicity with a contact angle of about 105°, a high optical transmittance of 85–90% in the visible wavelength range, and exceptional scratch resistance and durability. 

Abstract A single-beam ion source was developed and used in combination with magnetron sputtering to modulate the film microstructure. The ion source emits a single beam of ions that interact with the deposited film and simultaneously enhances the magnetron discharge. The magnetron voltage can be adjusted over a wide range, from approximately 240 to 130 V, as the voltage of the ion source varies from 0 to 150 V, while the magnetron current increases accordingly. The low-voltage high-current magnetron discharge enables a ‘soft sputtering mode’, which is beneficial for thin-film growth. Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited at room temperature using a combined single-beam ion source and magnetron sputtering. The ion beam resulted in the formation of polycrystalline ITO thin films with significantly reduced resistivity and surface roughness. Single-beam ion-source-enhanced magnetron sputtering has many potential applications in which low-temperature growth of thin films is required, such as coatings for organic solar cells. 

2D nickel phthalocyanine based MOFs (NiPc-MOFs) with excellent conductivity were synthesized through a solvothermal approach. Benefiting from excellent conductivity and a large surface area, 2D NiPc-MOF nanosheets present excellent electrocatalytic activity for nitrite sensing, with an ultra-wide linear concentration from 0.01 mM to 11 500 mM and a low detection limit of 2.3 μM, better than most reported electrochemical nitrite sensors. Significantly, this work reports the synthesis of 2D conductive NiPc-MOFs and develops them as electrochemical biosensors for non-enzymatic nitrite determination for the first time.