Disclosed are a transition metal chalcogenide thin-layer material, a preparation method and an application thereof. The preparation method comprises: uniformly spreading a transition metal source between two substrates to prepare a sandwich structure; performing a heat treatment on the sandwich structure to fuse and bond the two substrates together, and performing a chemical vapor deposition reaction on a chalcogen element source and the fused and bonded sandwich structure under the protection of a protective gas, wherein the transition metal source is heated to dissolve and diffuse at a reaction temperature, separated out from surfaces of the substrates, and reacts with the chalcogen element source. The prepared thin-layer material is uniformly distributed in a centimeter-level substrate.

Provided is a chalcogenide glass material having excellent weather resistance and being suitable as an optical element for an infrared sensor. The chalcogenide glass material contains, in terms of % by mole, 20 to 99% Te and has an antireflection film formed thereon.

A method of growing plants comprising determining preferential light wavelengths for promoting growth of a plant. The method further comprises constructing one or more light filtering panels arranged to filter natural sunlight or artificial light to produce filtered light comprising the preferential wavelengths. In addition, the method comprises locating one or more plants in a structure constructed at least in part from one or more of the panels. The method also comprises illuminating the structure from outside with natural sunlight or artificial light to pass through the one or more panels and produce the filtered light wherein the filtered light is directed to radiate the plants.

Provided is a chalcogenide glass material having excellent weather resistance and being suitable as an optical element for an infrared sensor. The chalcogenide glass material contains, in terms of % by mole, 20 to 99% Te and has an antireflection film formed thereon.

A method for fabricating a wear-resistant optical film on a quartz substrate, and to a wear-resistant optical film and use of a wear-resistant optical film. The wear-resistant optical film includes a zinc sulphide layer on a first titanium oxide layer, the wear-resistant optical film arranged on the quartz substrate, the first titanium oxide layer improving the adhesion of the wear-resistant optical film to the quartz substrate. The method includes a) first, depositing the first titanium oxide layer on the quartz substrate with ALD and at least two precursors, and b) depositing the zinc sulphide layer on the first titanium oxide layer with ALD and at least two precursors. A wear-resistant optical film and use thereof are also disclosed.

A manufacturing method of a functional membrane which contains an inorganic material and has a fine uneven structure on a surface thereof, includes a single mask forming step and an etching step, wherein a plurality of protruding portions which constitute the fine uneven structure are formed in a stair shape having one or more stairs in a vertical cross-sectional shape of the functional membrane along a thickness direction of the functional membrane, when Mohs hardness of the inorganic material is denoted as X and the number of the stairs of the protruding portions is denoted as Y, following formula (I) is satisfied, and an average height from the lowest bottom surface of the protruding portions of the lowermost stair to the highest top surface of the protruding portions of the uppermost stair is 1 ?m or less.

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}10?X?Y& \mathrm{Formula}\left(I\right)\end{array}$

A nanoparticle multilayer thin film is provided in which nanoparticles which are not electrically insulated from each other are spaced apart from one another at a reduced distance. The nanoparticle multilayer film includes: at least one first nanoparticle layer including first nanoparticles that are surface-modified with a cationic metal-chalcogenide compound; and at least one second nanoparticle layer including second nanoparticles that are surface-modified with an anionic metal-chalcogenide compound, wherein the first nanoparticle layer and the second nanoparticle layer are alternately stacked upon one another.

An optical element that features high transmission and low reflectivity at infrared wavelengths is described. The optical element includes a substrate, an adhesion layer on the substrate, and an anti-reflection coating. Substrates include chalcogenide glasses, InAs, and GaAs. Adhesion layers include Se, ZnSe, Ga.sub.2Se.sub.3, Bi.sub.2Se.sub.3, In.sub.2Se.sub.3, ZnS, Ga.sub.2S.sub.3 and In.sub.2S.sub.3. Anti-reflection coatings include one or more layers of DLC (diamond-like carbon), ZnS, ZnSe, Ge, Si, HfO.sub.2, Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, GdF.sub.3, YbF.sub.3, In.sub.2Se.sub.3, and YF.sub.3. The optical elements show high durability and good adhesion when subjected to thermal shocks, temperature cycling, abrasion, and humidity.

Glass (1) for vehicles includes a light blocking region (A2) in which a far-infrared ray transmission region (B) provided with an opening and a far-infrared ray transmission member arranged in the opening, and a visible light transmission region (C) transmitting visible light are formed. The opening is formed between an upper edge part (1a) of the glass (1) and a first position (P1) in a first direction from the upper edge part (1a) toward a lower edge part (1b) of the glass (1), the first position (P1) is a position at which a distance from the upper edge part (1a) is 30% of a length from the upper edge part (1a) to the lower edge part (1b), and between a second position (P2) and a third position (P3) in a second direction from a side edge part (1c) toward a side edge part (1d) of the glass (1) for vehicles. A length (L2a) in the second direction from the second position (P2) to the third position (P3) is 55% of a length (L2) from the side edge part (1c) to the side edge part (1d), and a length of the longest straight line among straight lines connecting optional two points within a surface on a vehicle exterior side is equal to or smaller than 80 mm.