Dr. Seebauer from the University of Illinois has developed a method to eliminate oxygen vacancy defects in thin-film metal oxides. The novel method of a liquid environment enables the improvement of these materials without involving a normally difficult manufacturing process. The process enables the control of oxygen vacancies to a certain depth and density. The removal of the defect allows for the metal oxide thin-film to have better photocatalytic properties. This could be useful for sensors and power devices which are a quickly growing market. The filled vacancies also affect subsequent redox reactions by inhibiting the transfer of electrons.