Establishment of different aliphatic amines-based rapid self-healing Mg(OH)2 metallogels: exploring the morphology, rheology and intriguing semiconducting Schottky diode characteristics

Abstract

Different aliphatic amine (including triethylamine (TEA), ethylenediamine (EN), N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED), diethylenetriamine (DETA), triethylenetetramine (TETA)) directed Mg(II)-metallogels have been successfully achieved. Amines with single or multiple N-site(s) are utilized for the origination of stable Mg(II)-metallogels. Exhaustive rheological investigations establish the mechanical stability of the Mg(II)-metallogels. The thixotropic properties of the rheological experiments clarify the self-healing nature of different Mg(II)-metallogels. The morphological variations of different aliphatic-amine-directed metallogels are verified through scanning electronic microscopic images. The presence of metallogel-forming chemicals has been experimentally checked through elemental analyses. The electrical properties of the self-healable Mg(II)-metallogel-based systems have been explored. The I–V characteristics of different metallogels show a Schottky device nature for a gel-directed sandwich configuration with an ITO/metallogels/Al structure. The metallogel-mediated fabricated metal–semiconductor junction devices show very prominent rectification ratios (on–off ratio).