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Sample records for amorphous hard carbon

  1. Heat treatment of cathodic arc deposited amorphous hard carbon films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anders, S.; Ager, J.W. III; Brown, I.G. [and others

    1997-02-01

    Amorphous hard carbon films of varying sp{sup 2}/sp{sup 3} fractions have been deposited on Si using filtered cathodic are deposition with pulsed biasing. The films were heat treated in air up to 550 C. Raman investigation and nanoindentation were performed to study the modification of the films caused by the heat treatment. It was found that films containing a high sp{sup 3} fraction sustain their hardness for temperatures at least up to 400 C, their structure for temperatures up to 500 C, and show a low thickness loss during heat treatment. Films containing at low sp{sup 3} fraction graphitize during the heat treatment, show changes in structure and hardness, and a considerable thickness loss.

  2. A Low-Stress, Elastic, and Improved Hardness Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Film

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The evolution of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films with fullerene-like microstructure was investigated with a different proportion of hydrogen supply in deposition. The results showed at hydrogen flow rate of 50 sccm, the deposited films showed a lower compressive stress (lower 48.6%, higher elastic recovery (higher 19.6%, near elastic recovery rate 90%, and higher hardness (higher 7.4% compared with the films deposited without hydrogen introduction. Structural analysis showed that the films with relatively high sp2 content and low bonded hydrogen content possessed high hardness, elastic recovery rate, and low compressive stress. It was attributed to the curved graphite microstructure, which can form three-dimensional covalently bonded network.

  3. Formation of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films of controlled hardness from a methane plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vandentop, G.J.; Kawasaki, M.; Nix, R.M.; Brown, I.G.; Salmeron, M.; Somorjai, G.A.; Department of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720)

    1990-01-01

    Studies of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) film deposition revealed that methyl radicals are the precursor species responsible for the bulk mass deposition of the films, while the ions act to improve the mechanical properties. The films were deposited on Si(100) substrates both on the powered (negatively self-biased) and on the grounded electrodes from a methane rf plasma (13.56 MHz) at 68 to 70 mTorr and 300 to 370 K. The films produced on the powered electrode exhibited superior mechanical properties, such as high hardness. A mass spectrometer was used to identify neutral species and positive ions incident on the electrodes from the plasma, and also to measure ion energies. Methyl radicals were incident on the electrode surface with an estimated flux of 10 16 cm -2 s -1 , for a rf power of 50 W. Methyl radicals appear to be the dominant intermediates in the growth of the soft carbon polymer, and there is a remarkable decrease in deposition rate due to the introduction of NO, a radical scavenger. A novel pulsed biasing technique was used so that the role of ions in the plasma could be studied separately. It was found that the hardness of the films depends on the power supplied by the ions to the growing film surface (the time averaged difference between the plasma potential and the electrode potential), but not on the energy of individual ions. The pulsed biasing technique offers an efficient method to adjust the film hardness by independent control of the neutral radical and ion fluxes to the surface

  4. Tribological performance of hard carbon coatings on 440C bearing steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kustas, F M; Misra, M S; Shepard, D F; Froechtenigt, J F [Martin Marietta Astronautics Group, Denver, CO (United States)

    1991-11-01

    Hard carbon coatings such as amorphous carbon, diamond and diamond-like carbon have received considerable attention for tribological applications owing to their high hardness, high modulus and desirable surface properties. Unfortunately, most of the deposition techniques induce high substrate temperatures that would temper traditional bearing steels and reduce the substrate load-carrying capability. Therefore, to effectively use these desirable coatings, a lower temperature deposition technique is required. Ion beam deposition can provide essentially ambient temperature conditions, accurate control of process parameters and good coating-substrate adhesion. To use these attributes, a test program was initiated to deposit mass-analyzed, high purity C{sup +} and CH{sub 4}{sup +} ions on molybdenum and 440C bearing steel for subsequent characterization by Raman spectroscopy and friction-wear tests. Results for a coating deposited from a carbon monoxide source showed an amorphous carbon-microcrystalline graphtie structure which exhibited very high microhardness and a three fold reduction in coefficient of friction for unlubricated tests compared to untreated 440C steel. In addition, incrementally increasing the applied load (by up to a factor of 5) resulted in progressively lower coefficients of friction, which conforms to solid lubrication theory. End-of-travel wear debris and some limited coating delamination were observed within thinner areas of the coating. Therefore an amorphous carbon-graphite coating applied to 440C steel at ambient temperature exhibits solid lubricating film characteristics with high load-carrying capability. (orig.).

  5. Amorphous iron (II) carbonate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sel, Ozlem; Radha, A.V.; Dideriksen, Knud

    2012-01-01

    Abstract The synthesis, characterization and crystallization energetics of amorphous iron (II) carbonate (AFC) are reported. AFC may form as a precursor for siderite (FeCO3). The enthalpy of crystallization (DHcrys) of AFC is similar to that of amorphous magnesium carbonate (AMC) and more...

  6. The effect of substrate bias on titanium carbide/amorphous carbon nanocomposite films deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xu; Liang, Hong; Wu, Zhenglong; Wu, Xiangying; Zhang, Huixing

    2013-01-01

    The titanium carbide/amorphous carbon nanocomposite films have been deposited on silicon substrate by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technology, the effects of substrate bias on composition, structures and mechanical properties of the films are studied by scanning electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nano-indentation. The results show that the Ti content, deposition rate and hardness at first increase and then decrease with increasing the substrate bias. Maximum hardness of the titanium carbide/amorphous carbon nanocomposite film is 51 Gpa prepared at −400 V. The hardness enhancement may be attributed to the compressive stress and the fraction of crystalline TiC phase due to ion bombardment

  7. Hard graphitelike hydrogenated amorphous carbon grown at high rates by a remote plasma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, Shailendra Vikram; Zaharia, T.; Creatore, M.

    2010-01-01

    Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) deposited from an Ar-C 2H2 expanding thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition (ETP-CVD) is reported. The downstream plasma region of an ETP is characterized by a low electron temperature (∼0.3 eV), which leads to an ion driven chemistry and negligible physical...

  8. On the properties of nanocomposite amorphous carbon films prepared by off-plane double bend filtered cathodic vacuum arc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tay, B.K.; Zhang, P.

    2002-01-01

    It is known to deposit hard thin films, such as tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C), using a filtered cathode vacuum arc (FCVA). These ta-C films have interesting and useful properties because of the high sp 3 fraction of carbon atoms (up to 87%) in the film. However, the high internal stress in the films can limit their applications as the film may flake away from the substrate. In order to reduce the internal stress of the ta-C films and in an attempt to improve adhesion of thick films of this type, growth modifications such as incorporating metal into the ta-C films have been carried out. Nanocomposite amorphous carbon films were deposited by FCVA technique using metal-carbon composite target. Atomic force microscopy, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the films. Nanoindenter and surface profilometer were used to determine the hardness, Young's modulus, and internal stress. The same metal composition targets for different elements results in different metal composition in the corresponding nanocomposite amorphous carbon films. We attribute this observation to the dynamic balance deposition effect of the FCVA deposition process. The influence of the type of metallic elements and its composition in the films on the structural, mechanical properties, surface energy and field emission (FE) performance was studied. The incorporation of metal into the films results in the decrease of sp 3 fraction, internal stress in the films, but the hardness and Young's modulus remains at high level. The surface energy of the films increases with incorporating Ni atoms, but decreases after incorporating Fe and Al atoms into the films. After heat-treatment, the incorporation of metal into ta-C films can greatly improve the FE performance

  9. Characterization of amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, Paul K.; Li Liuhe

    2006-01-01

    Amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films possess special chemical and physical properties such as high chemical inertness, diamond-like properties, and favorable tribological proprieties. The materials usually consist of graphite and diamond microstructures and thus possess properties that lie between the two. Amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films can exist in different kinds of matrices and are usually doped with a large amount of hydrogen. Thus, carbon films can be classified as polymer-like, diamond-like, or graphite-like based on the main binding framework. In order to characterize the structure, either direct bonding characterization methods or the indirect bonding characterization methods are employed. Examples of techniques utilized to identify the chemical bonds and microstructure of amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films include optical characterization methods such as Raman spectroscopy, Ultra-violet (UV) Raman spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy, electron spectroscopic and microscopic methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy, surface morphology characterization techniques such as scanning probe microscopy (SPM) as well as other characterization methods such as X-ray reflectivity and nuclear magnetic resonance. In this review, the structures of various types of amorphous carbon films and common characterization techniques are described

  10. Large-deformation and high-strength amorphous porous carbon nanospheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Weizhu; Mao, Shimin; Yang, Jia; Shang, Tao; Song, Hongguang; Mabon, James; Swiech, Wacek; Vance, John R.; Yue, Zhufeng; Dillon, Shen J.; Xu, Hangxun; Xu, Baoxing

    2016-04-01

    Carbon is one of the most important materials extensively used in industry and our daily life. Crystalline carbon materials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene possess ultrahigh strength and toughness. In contrast, amorphous carbon is known to be very brittle and can sustain little compressive deformation. Inspired by biological shells and honeycomb-like cellular structures in nature, we introduce a class of hybrid structural designs and demonstrate that amorphous porous carbon nanospheres with a thin outer shell can simultaneously achieve high strength and sustain large deformation. The amorphous carbon nanospheres were synthesized via a low-cost, scalable and structure-controllable ultrasonic spray pyrolysis approach using energetic carbon precursors. In situ compression experiments on individual nanospheres show that the amorphous carbon nanospheres with an optimized structure can sustain beyond 50% compressive strain. Both experiments and finite element analyses reveal that the buckling deformation of the outer spherical shell dominates the improvement of strength while the collapse of inner nanoscale pores driven by twisting, rotation, buckling and bending of pore walls contributes to the large deformation.

  11. Role of carbon atoms in the remote plasma deposition of hydrogenated amorphous carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benedikt, J.; Wisse, M.; Woen, R.V.; Engeln, R.; Sanden, M.C.M. van de

    2003-01-01

    The aim of this article is to determine the role of carbon atoms in the growth of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films by means of an argon/acetylene expanding thermal plasma. Cavity ring down absorption spectroscopy is used to detect metastable carbon atoms by probing the 1s 2 2s 2 2p 3s 1 P 1 2 2s 2 2p 2 1 S 0 electronic transition. In addition to absorption measurements, the emission of the same transition is monitored by means of optical emission spectroscopy. These two measurements provide information about the local production of the C atoms and about their reactivity in the gas phase. It will be shown that under growth conditions in an Ar/C 2 H 2 expanding thermal plasma, the metastable carbon density is also representative for the ground state carbon density. From obtained results it is concluded that the carbon atoms react rapidly with acetylene in the gas phase and therefore their contribution to the growth of hard diamond-like a-C:H films can be neglected. Only at low acetylene flows, the condition when soft polymer-like films are deposited, carbon atoms are detected close to the substrate and can possibly contribute to the film growth

  12. Band gap engineering of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films for solar cell application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dwivedi, Neeraj; Kumar, Sushil; Dayal, Saurabh; Rauthan, C. M. S.; Panwar, O. S.; Malik, Hitendra K.

    2012-10-01

    In this work, self bias variation, nitrogen introduction and oxygen plasma (OP) treatment approaches have been used for tailoring the band gap of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) thin films. The band gap of a-C:H and modified a- C:H films is varied in the range from 1.25 eV to 3.45 eV, which is found to be nearly equal to the full solar spectrum (1 eV- 3.5 eV). Hence, such a-C:H and modified a-C:H films are found to be potential candidate for the development of full spectrum solar cells. Besides this, computer aided simulation with considering variable band gap a-C:H and modified a- C:H films as window layer for amorphous silicon p-i-n solar cells is also performed by AFORS-HET software and maximum efficiency as ~14 % is realized. Since a-C:H is hard material, hence a-C:H and modified a-C:H films as window layer may avoid the use of additional hard and protective coating particularly in n-i-p configuration.

  13. Effect of mating materials on wear properties of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H coating and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C coating in base oil boundary lubrication condition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang Li

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In this study, wear behavior of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H coating and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C coating when sliding against various mating materials in base oil boundary lubrication condition is comparatively investigated to find out the optimal combinations of DLC/mating material and corresponding wear mechanism of both DLC coating. Tribological tests were performed in a cylinder-on-disc tribometer, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy is used for characterization of ta-C and a-C:H worn surface. The results show that the specific wear rate of ta-C coating increases along with the hardness and roughness of mating material increases, while the specific wear rate of a-C:H coating increases together with an increment in the ID/IG ratio. It is concluded that for ta-C coating, local stress concentration-induced microfracture is the main wear mechanism in relative high wear scenario, along with minor graphitization-induced wear which prevails in low wear scenario. On the other hand, a-C:H coating showed that simultaneous generation and removal of the graphitized layer on the contact surface is the predominant wear mechanism.

  14. Fabrication of C60/amorphous carbon superlattice structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kojima, Nobuaki; Ohshita, Yoshio; Yamaguchi, Masafumi

    2001-01-01

    The nitrogen doping effects in C 60 films by RF plasma source was investigated, and it was found that the nitrogen ion bombardment broke up C 60 molecules and changed them into amorphous carbon. Based on these results, formation of C 60 /amorphous carbon superlattice structure was proposed. The periodic structure of the resulted films was confirmed by XRD measurements, as the preliminary results of fabrication of the superlattice structure

  15. Amorphous hydrogenated carbon films treated by SF{sub 6} plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marins, N M S; Mota, R P; Santos, D C R; Honda, R Y; Kayama, M E; Kostov, K G; Algatti, M A [Laboratorio de Plasma, Faculdade de Engenharia, UNESP, Av. Dr. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha-333, 12516-410, Guaratingueta, SP (Brazil); Cruz, N C; Rangel, E C, E-mail: nazir@feg.unesp.b [Laboratorio de Plasmas Tecnologicos, Unidade Diferenciada Sorocaba/Ipero, UNESP, Av. Tres de Marco-511, 18085-180, Sorocaba, SP (Brazil)

    2009-05-01

    This work was performed to verify the chemical structure, mechanical and hydrophilic properties of amorphous hydrogenated carbon films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, using acetylene/argon mixture as monomer. Films were prepared in a cylindrical quartz reactor, fed by 13.56 MHz radiofrequency. The films were grown during 5 min, for power varying from 25 to 125 W at a fixed pressure of 9.5 Pa. After deposition, all samples were treated by SF{sub 6} plasma with the aim of changing their hydrophilic character. Film chemical structure investigated by Raman spectroscopy, revealed the increase of sp{sup 3} hybridized carbon bonds as the plasma power increases. Hardness measurements performed by the nanoindentation technique showed an improvement from 5 GPa to 14 GPa following the increase discharge power. The untreated films presented a hydrophilic character, which slightly diminished after SF{sub 6} plasma treatment.

  16. Apparatus and process for deposition of hard carbon films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyaiesh, Ali R.; Garwin, Edward L.

    1989-01-03

    A process and an apparatus for depositing thin, amorphous carbon films having extreme hardness on a substrate is described. An enclosed chamber maintained at less than atmospheric pressure houses the substrate and plasma producing elements. A first electrode is comprised of a cavity enclosed within an RF coil which excites the plasma. A substrate located on a second electrode is excited by radio frequency power applied to the substrate. A magnetic field confines the plasma produced by the first electrode to the area away from the walls of the chamber and focuses the plasma onto the substrate thereby yielding film deposits having higher purity and having more rapid buildup than other methods of the prior art.

  17. Crystalline and amorphous solid phases in the classical hard sphere system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aguilera-Navarro, V.C.; Souza, R.F.T.; Llano, M. de; Mini, S.

    1984-01-01

    A qualitative crystalline, as well as amorphous, solid behavior is simultaneously extracted for a classical hard sphere system from its known virial power series expansion in the density augmented by only one further virial coefficient, taken from an extrapolated estimate of the Cauchy-Hadamard radius of convergence criterion. Results are compared with computer simulation data. (Author) [pt

  18. Fabrication of nitrogen-containing diamond-like carbon film by filtered arc deposition as conductive hard-coating film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iijima, Yushi; Harigai, Toru; Isono, Ryo; Imai, Takahiro; Suda, Yoshiyuki; Takikawa, Hirofumi; Kamiya, Masao; Taki, Makoto; Hasegawa, Yushi; Tsuji, Nobuhiro; Kaneko, Satoru; Kunitsugu, Shinsuke; Habuchi, Hitoe; Kiyohara, Shuji; Ito, Mikio; Yick, Sam; Bendavid, Avi; Martin, Phil

    2018-01-01

    Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, which are amorphous carbon films, have been used as hard-coating films for protecting the surface of mechanical parts. Nitrogen-containing DLC (N-DLC) films are expected as conductive hard-coating materials. N-DLC films are expected in applications such as protective films for contact pins, which are used in the electrical check process of integrated circuit chips. In this study, N-DLC films are prepared using the T-shaped filtered arc deposition (T-FAD) method, and film properties are investigated. Film hardness and film density decreased when the N content increased in the films because the number of graphite structures in the DLC film increased as the N content increased. These trends are similar to the results of a previous study. The electrical resistivity of N-DLC films changed from 0.26 to 8.8 Ω cm with a change in the nanoindentation hardness from 17 to 27 GPa. The N-DLC films fabricated by the T-FAD method showed high mechanical hardness and low electrical resistivity.

  19. Amorphous carbon nanofibres inducing high specific capacitance of deposited hydrous ruthenium oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barranco, V.; Pico, F.; Ibanez, J.; Lillo-Rodenas, M.A.; Linares-Solano, A.; Kimura, M.; Oya, A.; Rojas, R.M.; Amarilla, J.M.; Rojo, J.M.

    2009-01-01

    Composites consisting of ruthenium oxide particles deposited on amorphous carbon nanofibres are prepared by a repetitive impregnation procedure. The choice of amorphous carbon nanofibres as support of amorphous ruthenium oxide leads to composites in which the deposited oxide consists of aggregates of extremely small primary particles (1-1.5 nm-size) and showing high porosity (specific surface area of 450 m 2 g -1 ). This special deposition of the oxide seems to favour: (i) high oxide capacitance (1000 Fg -1 ) at high oxide loadings (up to 20 wt%) and (ii) high capacitance retention (ca. 80% from the initial oxide capacitance) at high current densities (200 mA cm -2 ). Amorphous carbon nanofibres are suitable supports for amorphous ruthenium oxide and perhaps for other amorphous oxides acting as active electrode materials.

  20. Amorphous molecular junctions produced by ion irradiation on carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Zhenxia; Yu Liping; Zhang Wei; Ding Yinfeng; Li Yulan; Han Jiaguang; Zhu Zhiyuan; Xu Hongjie; He Guowei; Chen Yi; Hu Gang

    2004-01-01

    Experiments and molecular dynamics have demonstrated that electron irradiation could create molecular junctions between crossed single-wall carbon nanotubes. Recently molecular dynamics computation predicted that ion irradiation could also join single-walled carbon nanotubes. Employing carbon ion irradiation on multi-walled carbon nanotubes, we find that these nanotubes evolve into amorphous carbon nanowires, more importantly, during the process of which various molecular junctions of amorphous nanowires are formed by welding from crossed carbon nanotubes. It demonstrates that ion-beam irradiation could be an effective way not only for the welding of nanotubes but also for the formation of nanowire junctions

  1. Paramagnetic defects in hydrogenated amorphous carbon powders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keeble, D J; Robb, K M; Smith, G M; Mkami, H El; Rodil, S E; Robertson, J

    2003-01-01

    Hydrogenated amorphous carbon materials typically contain high concentrations of paramagnetic defects, the density of which can be quantified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). In this work EPR measurements near 9.5, 94, and 189 GHz have been performed on polymeric and diamond-like hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) powder samples. A similar single resonance line was observed at all frequencies for the two forms of a-C:H studied. No contributions to the spectrum from centres with resolved anisotropic g-values as reported earlier were detected. An increase in linewidth with microwave frequency was observed. Possible contributions to this frequency dependence are discussed

  2. Intrinsic graphene field effect transistor on amorphous carbon films

    OpenAIRE

    Tinchev, Savcho

    2013-01-01

    Fabrication of graphene field effect transistor is described which uses an intrinsic graphene on the surface of as deposited hydrogenated amorphous carbon films. Ambipolar characteristic has been demonstrated typical for graphene devices, which changes to unipolar characteristic if the surface graphene was etched in oxygen plasma. Because amorphous carbon films can be growth easily, with unlimited dimensions and no transfer of graphene is necessary, this can open new perspective for graphene ...

  3. Hydrogenated amorphous carbon next deposit after heat treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salancon, E.; Durbeck, T.; Schwarz-Selinger, T.; Jacob, W.

    2006-01-01

    One of the main safety problems in the ITER tokamak project is the tritium adsorption in the reactor walls and in particular the deposits which appear after the plasma discharge. These deposits are amorphous hydrogenated carbon films, type polymer (soft a-C:H). The heating of these deposits with a pulse laser is a proposed solution for the tritium desorption. Meanwhile, Gibson and al show that in experimental conditions, products are deposed on the walls before entering the mass spectrometer. The authors present thermo-desorption spectra of different amorphous carbon films. (A.L.B.)

  4. Nanocomposite metal amorphous-carbon thin films deposited by hybrid PVD and PECVD technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira, V; Soares, P; Martins, A J; Carneiro, J; Cerqueira, F

    2009-07-01

    Carbon based films can combine the properties of solid lubricating graphite structure and hard diamond crystal structure, i.e., high hardness, chemical inertness, high thermal conductivity and optical transparency without the crystalline structure of diamond. Issues of fundamental importance associated with nanocarbon coatings are reducing stress, improving adhesion and compatibility with substrates. In this work new nanocomposite coatings with improved toughness based in nanocrystalline phases of metals and ceramics embedded in amorphous carbon matrix are being developed within the frame of a research project: nc-MeNxCy/a-C(Me) with Me = Mo, Si, Al, Ti, etc. Carbide forming metal/carbon (Me/C) composite films with Me = Mo, W or Ti possess appropriate properties to overcome the limitation of pure DLC films. These novel coating architectures will be adopted with the objective to decrease residual stress, improve adherence and fracture toughness, obtain low friction coefficient and high wear-resistance. Nanocomposite DLC's films were deposited by hybrid technique using a PVD-Physically Vapor Deposition (magnetron sputtering) and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), by the use of CH4 gas. The parameters varied were: deposition time, substrate temperature (180 degrees C) and dopant (Si + Mo) of the amorphous carbon matrix. All the depositions were made on silicon wafers and steel substrates precoated with a silicon inter-layer. The characterisation of the film's physico-mechanical properties will be presented in order to understand the influence of the deposition parameters and metal content used within the a-C matrix in the thin film properties. Film microstructure and film hybridization state was characterized by Raman Spectroscopy. In order to characterize morphology SEM and AFM will be used. Film composition was measured by Energy-Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The contact angle for the produced DLC's on

  5. Effect of deposition parameter on hardness of amorphous carbon film prepared by plasma immersion ion implantation using C2H2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitsuo, A.; Uchida, S.; Morikawa, K.; Kawaguchi, M.; Shiotani, K.; Suzuki, H.

    2007-01-01

    Carbon films were deposited on a cemented carbide substrate and silicon wafer at various bias voltages, acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) pressures and process times by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). In order to investigate the substrate temperature, the tool steel substrate was also simultaneously treated. The final substrate temperature was estimated from the hardness of the tool steel substrate. The surface and cross-sectional morphology of the deposited films were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Depth profiles of the carbon were obtained by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Raman spectroscopy was employed for the structural evaluation of the films. The hardness of the deposited films was measured using a nano-indenter with the maximum load of 0.5 mN. A variety of film hardnesses between 10 to 24 GPa was obtained. The hardness of the carbon films decreased with the increasing bias voltage, C 2 H 2 pressure and process time, although the intensity ratio of the disordered peak to graphitic peak in the Raman spectrum increased. It was considered that the decrease in the film hardness was caused by a stress reduction accompanied by a heating effect during the process as each PIII process parameter significantly influenced the substrate temperature

  6. Room-temperature low-voltage electroluminescence in amorphous carbon nitride thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyes, R.; Legnani, C.; Ribeiro Pinto, P. M.; Cremona, M.; de Araújo, P. J. G.; Achete, C. A.

    2003-06-01

    White-blue electroluminescent emission with a voltage bias less than 10 V was achieved in rf sputter-deposited amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN) and amorphous silicon carbon nitride (a-SiCN) thin-film-based devices. The heterojunction structures of these devices consist of: Indium tin oxide (ITO), used as a transparent anode; amorphous carbon film as an emission layer, and aluminum as a cathode. The thickness of the carbon films was about 250 Å. In all of the produced diodes, a stable visible emission peaked around 475 nm is observed at room temperature and the emission intensity increases with the current density. For an applied voltage of 14 V, the luminance was about 3 mCd/m2. The electroluminescent properties of the two devices are discussed and compared.

  7. Obtention of high hardness multilayer systems by laser ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mejia T, I.S.

    2007-01-01

    In this thesis work the synthesis of thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon nitride (CN x ) amorphous carbon (a-C) and Ti/TiN/CNx multilayers and Ti/TiN/a-C by means of the laser ablation technique, with the objective of obtaining films of high hardness is studied, as well as to produce multilayer coatings with superior properties to the individual layers. The effect that has the laser fluence used for ablationing the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the films deposited of TiN was investigated. It was found that the hardness is increased in lineal way approximately with the fluence increment up to 19 J/cm 2 . Thin films of a-C with hardness of the order of 12 GPa. likewise CN x films with high hardness (18.4 GPa) were obtained. The hardness of the deposited films was analyzed and it was related with its microstructure and deposit conditions. It was concluded that the Ti/TiN/CNx and Ti/TiN/a-C systems presented bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

  8. Coaxial carbon plasma gun deposition of amorphous carbon films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sater, D. M.; Gulino, D. A.; Rutledge, S. K.

    1984-01-01

    A unique plasma gun employing coaxial carbon electrodes was used in an attempt to deposit thin films of amorphous diamond-like carbon. A number of different structural, compositional, and electrical characterization techniques were used to characterize these films. These included scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, X ray diffraction and absorption, spectrographic analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. Optical absorption and electrical resistivity measurements were also performed. The films were determined to be primarily amorphous, with poor adhesion to fused silica substrates. Many inclusions of particulates were found to be present as well. Analysis of these particulates revealed the presence of trace impurities, such as Fe and Cu, which were also found in the graphite electrode material. The electrodes were the source of these impurities. No evidence of diamond-like crystallite structure was found in any of the film samples. Details of the apparatus, experimental procedure, and film characteristics are presented.

  9. Coaxial carbon plasma gun deposition of amorphous carbon films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sater, D.M.; Gulino, D.A.

    1984-03-01

    A unique plasma gun employing coaxial carbon electrodes was used in an attempt to deposit thin films of amorphous diamond-like carbon. A number of different structural, compositional, and electrical characterization techniques were used to characterize these films. These included scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, X ray diffraction and absorption, spectrographic analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. Optical absorption and electrical resistivity measurements were also performed. The films were determined to be primarily amorphous, with poor adhesion to fused silica substrates. Many inclusions of particulates were found to be present as well. Analysis of these particulates revealed the presence of trace impurities, such as Fe and Cu, which were also found in the graphite electrode material. The electrodes were the source of these impurities. No evidence of diamond-like crystallite structure was found in any of the film samples. Details of the apparatus, experimental procedure, and film characteristics are presented

  10. Properties of Amorphous Carbon Microspheres Synthesised by Palm Oil-CVD Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zobir, S. A. M.; Zainal, Z.; Sarijo, S. H.; Rusop, M.

    2011-01-01

    Amorphous carbon microspheres were synthesized using a dual-furnace chemical vapour deposition method at 800-1000 deg. C. Palm oil-based cooking oil (PO) and zinc nitrate solution was used as a carbon source and catalyst precursor, respectively with PO to zinc nitrate ratio of 30:20 (v/v) and a silicon wafer as the sample target. Regular microsphere shape of the amorphous carbons was obtained and a uniform microsphere structure improved as the carbonization temperature increased from 800 to 1000 deg. C. At 800 deg. C, no regular microspheres were formed but more uniform structure is observed at 900 deg. C. Generally the microspheres size is uniform when the heating temperature was increased to 1000 deg. C, but the presence of mixed sizes can still be observed. X-ray diffraction patterns show the presence of oxide of carbon, ZnO phase together with Zn oxalate phase. Raman spectra show two broad peaks characteristic to amorphous carbon at 1344 and 1582 cm -1 for the D and G bands, respectively. These bands become more prominent as the preparation temperature increased from 800 to 1000 deg. C. This is in agreement with the formation of amorphous carbon microspheres as shown by the FESEM study and other Zn-based phases as a result of the oxidation process of the palm oil as the carbon source and the zinc nitrate as the catalyst precursor, respectively.

  11. Development of novel Mg–Ni60Nb40 amorphous particle reinforced composites with enhanced hardness and compressive response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayalakshmi, S.; Sahu, Shreyasi; Sankaranarayanan, S.; Gupta, Sujasha; Gupta, M.

    2014-01-01

    Development of amorphous alloy/glassy particle reinforced light metal composites is an emerging research field. In this investigation, we have synthesized and characterized Ni 60 Nb 40 amorphous alloy particle reinforced Mg-composites with varying volume fractions. Microwave-assisted two-directional rapid sintering technique followed by hot extrusion was used to produce these pure Mg-based composites. The structural and mechanical properties of the developed composites were investigated, and are discussed using structure–property relationship. Structural analysis indicated the retention of amorphous structure of the reinforcement in all the composites. It was found that the distribution of the reinforcement was strongly dependent on the volume fraction (V f ). The addition of Ni 60 Nb 40 amorphous alloy particles modified the preferred crystal orientation of Mg, as was observed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The composites showed significant improvement in hardness (increment up to 120%) and compressive strength (∼85% increase at 5% V f ). Comparison of mechanical properties of the developed composites with those of conventional Mg-composites having ceramic/metallic reinforcements, highlight the effectiveness of using amorphous particles as promising reinforcement materials. - Highlights: • Novel Mg-composites reinforced with Ni 60 Nb 40 amorphous particles were developed . • Microwave sintering and hot extrusion were used to synthesize the composites. • Reinforcements retained the amorphous structure, and changed Mg-crystal orientation. • Composites showed significant enhancement in hardness and compressive properties. • Performance of developed composites are superior/competitive to conventional MMCs

  12. Identifying the optimal HVOF spray parameters to attain minimum porosity and maximum hardness in iron based amorphous metallic coatings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Vignesh

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Flow based Erosion – corrosion problems are very common in fluid handling equipments such as propellers, impellers, pumps in warships, submarine. Though there are many coating materials available to combat erosion–corrosion damage in the above components, iron based amorphous coatings are considered to be more effective to combat erosion–corrosion problems. High velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF spray process is considered to be a better process to coat the iron based amorphous powders. In this investigation, iron based amorphous metallic coating was developed on 316 stainless steel substrate using HVOF spray technique. Empirical relationships were developed to predict the porosity and micro hardness of iron based amorphous coating incorporating HVOF spray parameters such as oxygen flow rate, fuel flow rate, powder feed rate, carrier gas flow rate, and spray distance. Response surface methodology (RSM was used to identify the optimal HVOF spray parameters to attain coating with minimum porosity and maximum hardness.

  13. Effect of boron addition to the hard magnetic bulk Nd60Fe30Al10 amorphous alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kong, H.Z.; Li, Y.; Ding, J.

    2000-01-01

    A detailed study of the effect of boron addition to crystallinity, magnetic properties and thermal properties was carried out for alloys Nd 60-x Fe 30 Al 10 B x with x=0, 1, 3 and 5 produced by copper mold chill casting and melt-spinning. The cast rods of alloys Nd 60-x Fe 30 Al 10 B x were largely amorphous. Remanence up to 0.154 T and coercivity up to 355 kA/m were observed, which were higher than those of the bulk amorphous Nd 60 Fe 30 Al 10 rod of the same diameter. A step in hysteresis loop was observed for the hard magnetic cast rod and ribbon melt-spun at a low speed of 5 m/s of the alloys with boron addition. Consistent increase in the amplitude of the step and magnetic field (H) at which the step was observed as the boron content increased. A single magnetic phase with low coercivity was observed for fully amorphous ribbon melt-spun at high speed of 30 m/s. Full crystallization due to heat treatment resulted in transition of hard magnetic amorphous phase of Nd 55 Fe 30 Al 10 B 5 cast rod to paramagnetic crystalline phases. TEM results of the as-cast rods illustrated the existence of numerous minute Nd-crystallites in amorphous matrix

  14. Salt Fog Testing Iron-Based Amorphous Alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rebak, Raul B.; Aprigliano, Louis F.; Day, S. Daniel; Farmer, Joseph C.

    2007-01-01

    Iron-based amorphous alloys are hard and highly corrosion resistant, which make them desirable for salt water and other applications. These alloys can be produced as powder and can be deposited as coatings on any surface that needs to be protected from the environment. It was of interest to examine the behavior of these amorphous alloys in the standard salt-fog testing ASTM B 117. Three different amorphous coating compositions were deposited on 316L SS coupons and exposed for many cycles of the salt fog test. Other common engineering alloys such as 1018 carbon steel, 316L SS and Hastelloy C-22 were also tested together with the amorphous coatings. Results show that amorphous coatings are resistant to rusting in salt fog. Partial devitrification may be responsible for isolated rust spots in one of the coatings. (authors)

  15. Infrared analysis of thin films: amorphous, hydrogenated carbon on silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacob, Wolfgang; Keudell, Achim von; Schwarz-Selinger, Thomas

    2000-01-01

    The infrared analysis of thin films on a thick substrate is discussed using the example of plasma-deposited, amorphous, hydrogenated carbon layers (a-C:H) on silicon substrates. The framework for the optical analysis of thin films is presented. The main characteristic of thin film optics is the occurrence of interference effects due to the coherent superposition of light multiply reflected at the various internal and external interfaces of the optical system. These interference effects lead to a sinusoidal variation of the transmitted and reflected intensity. As a consequence, the Lambert-Beer law is not applicable for the determination of the absorption coefficient of thin films. Furthermore, observable changes of the transmission and reflection spectra occur in the vicinity of strong absorption bands due to the Kramers-Kronig relation. For a sound data evaluation these effects have to be included in the analysis. To be able to extract the full information contained in a measured optical thin film spectrum, an experimentally measured spectrum has to be simulated using the full formalism including the Kramers-Kronig relation. Infrared absorption spectra and the resulting k spectra in the range of the CH vibrational bands around 3000 cm -1 are presented for a variety of a-C:H layers. The shape and the total intensity of the peak are quite sensitive to the film structure. Soft, polymerlike hydrocarbon layers are characterized by a well structured, intense IR absorption band, while hard, amorphous, hydrogenated carbon layers exhibit a structureless, broad IR absorption band with relative low intensity. The k spectra of the CH vibrational bands can be considered as fingerprint for the type of a-C:H film. (author)

  16. Evaluation of optical properties of the amorphous carbon film on fused silica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baydogan, Nilguen Dogan

    2004-01-01

    Deposition was done using a pulsed filtered cathodic arc with a graphite cathode. The carbon plasma is fully ionised and condenses on the substrate, forming diamond-like material but with amorphous structure. Optical properties of amorphous carbon films on fused-silica glass were investigated and the curves of optical density have a characteristic band at approximately 950 nm. Changes of the colourimetric quantities were evaluated and compared to uncoated fused silica glass. These changes were investigated as a function of the applied substrate bias voltage using the CIE and CIELAB colour systems. It is suggested that the mechanism of absorption is related to an allowed direct transition at the amorphous carbon films on fused silica glass. The optical energy gap of the amorphous carbon film depends on the bias voltage applied to the substrate holder. The optical colour parameters and optical band gap indicated that there is a relation between the dominant wavelength of the reflectance in the visible range and the wavelength of the optical band gap

  17. Chemical bonding modifications of tetrahedral amorphous carbon and nitrogenated tetrahedral amorphous carbon films induced by rapid thermal annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCann, R.; Roy, S.S.; Papakonstantinou, P.; Bain, M.F.; Gamble, H.S.; McLaughlin, J.A.

    2005-01-01

    Tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) and nitrogenated tetrahedral amorphous carbon films (ta-CN x ), deposited by double bend off plane Filtered Vacuum Cathodic Arc were annealed up to 1000 deg. C in flowing argon for 2 min. Modifications on the chemical bonding structure of the rapidly annealed films, as a function of temperature, were investigated by NEXAFS, X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies. The interpretation of these spectra is discussed. The results demonstrate that the structure of undoped ta-C films prepared at floating potential with an arc current of 80 A remains stable up to 900 deg. C, whereas that of ta-CN x containing 12 at.% nitrogen is stable up to 700 deg. C. At higher temperatures, all the spectra indicated the predominant formation of graphitic carbon. Through NEXAFS studies, we clearly observed three π* resonance peaks at the ' N K edge structure. The origin of these three peaks is not well established in the literature. However our temperature-dependant study ascertained that the first peak originates from C=N bonds and the third peak originates from the incorporation of nitrogen into the graphite like domains

  18. Memristive effects in oxygenated amorphous carbon nanodevices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bachmann, T. A.; Koelmans, W. W.; Jonnalagadda, V. P.; Le Gallo, M.; Santini, C. A.; Sebastian, A.; Eleftheriou, E.; Craciun, M. F.; Wright, C. D.

    2018-01-01

    Computing with resistive-switching (memristive) memory devices has shown much recent progress and offers an attractive route to circumvent the von-Neumann bottleneck, i.e. the separation of processing and memory, which limits the performance of conventional computer architectures. Due to their good scalability and nanosecond switching speeds, carbon-based resistive-switching memory devices could play an important role in this respect. However, devices based on elemental carbon, such as tetrahedral amorphous carbon or ta-C, typically suffer from a low cycling endurance. A material that has proven to be capable of combining the advantages of elemental carbon-based memories with simple fabrication methods and good endurance performance for binary memory applications is oxygenated amorphous carbon, or a-CO x . Here, we examine the memristive capabilities of nanoscale a-CO x devices, in particular their ability to provide the multilevel and accumulation properties that underpin computing type applications. We show the successful operation of nanoscale a-CO x memory cells for both the storage of multilevel states (here 3-level) and for the provision of an arithmetic accumulator. We implement a base-16, or hexadecimal, accumulator and show how such a device can carry out hexadecimal arithmetic and simultaneously store the computed result in the self-same a-CO x cell, all using fast (sub-10 ns) and low-energy (sub-pJ) input pulses.

  19. Designed synthesis of tunable amorphous carbon nanotubes (a ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    Page 1. Electronic Supplementary Material. Graphical abstract. Designed synthesis of tunable amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs) by a novel route and their oxidation resistance properties by Longlong. Xu et al (pp 1397–1402).

  20. Structure and giant magnetoresistance of carbon-based amorphous films prepared by magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, L.; He, M.F.; Liu, Z.W.; Zeng, D.C.; Gu, Z.F.; Cheng, G.

    2014-01-01

    Pure amorphous carbon (a-C) and Co-doped Co x C 1−x films were prepared on n-Si(100) substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. In Co–C films, the nano-sized amorphous Co particles were homogeneously dispersed in the amorphous cross-linked carbon matrix. The structures of a-C and Co x C 1−x films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the a-C films were diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. After doping cobalt into DLC film, the sp 3 -hybridized carbon content in DLC composite films almost had no change. The as-deposited Co x C 1−x granular films had larger value of magnetoresistance (MR) than the amorphous carbon film. A very high positive MR, up to 15.5% at magnetic field B = 0.8 T and x = 2.5 at.% was observed in a Co x C 1−x granular film with thickness of 80 nm at room temperature when the external magnetic field was perpendicular to the electric current and the film surface. With increase of the film thickness and Co-doped content, the MR decreased gradually. It remains a challenge to well explain the observed MR effect in the Co x C 1−x granular films. - Highlights: • The amorphous carbon films were diamond-like carbon films. • No carbide appearing, the Co–C composite films form a good metal/insulator system. • A high positive magnetoresistance, up to 15.5% at B = 0.8 T was observed in Co–C films

  1. The application of Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics to the study of tetrahedral amorphous carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKenzie, D.R.; McCulloch, D.G.; Goringe, C.M.

    1998-01-01

    The Car-Parrinello method for carrying out molecular dynamics enables the forces between atoms to be calculated by solving Schroedinger's equation for the valence electrons using Density Functional Theory. The method is capable of giving good structural predictions for amorphous network solids by quenching from the melt, even in situations where the bonding changes from one site to another. In amorphous carbon where, depending on its environment, carbon may show sp 2 or sp 3 bonds. The method is applied here to the study of network solids using the example of tetrahedral amorphous carbon

  2. Deposition of amorphous carbon films using Ar and/or N{sub 2} magnetron sputter with ring permanent magnet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kinoshita, Haruhisa, E-mail: rdhkino@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp; Kubota, Masaya; Ohno, Genji

    2012-11-15

    Magnetron sputter with a rotating ring permanent magnet using Ar and/or N{sub 2} gases were first used to form amorphous carbon (a-C and a-CN{sub x}) films on p-Si wafers set on a grounded lower electrode. The a-C film was hard while the a-CN{sub x} films were soft. These films include a little O and H atoms unintentionally. Optical band gap, refractive index, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy absorption spectra, hardness and field emission threshold electric field were significantly different between a-C and a-CN{sub x} films. The optical band gap of the a-C film was 0.7 eV while those of a-CN{sub x} films were almost constant at about 1.25 eV. The low field emission threshold electric field of 13 V/{mu}m was obtained in hard a-C film.

  3. Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous carbon films deposited by the dual plasma technique

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Yaohui Wang; Xu Zhang; Xianying Wu; Huixing Zhang; Xiaoji Zhang

    2008-01-01

    Direct current metal filtered cathodic vacuum are (FCVA) and acetylene gas (C2H2) were wielded to synthesize Ti-containing amorphous carbon films on Si (100). The influence of substrate bias voltage and acetylene gas on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the films were investigated. The results show that the phase of TiC in the (111) preferential crystallo-graphic orientation exists in the film, and rite main existing pattern of carbon is sp2. With increasing the acetylene flow rate, the con-tents of Ti and TiC phase of the film gradually reduce; however, the thickness of the film increases. When the substrate bias voltage reaches -600 V, the internal stress of the film reaches 1.6 GPa. The micro-hardness and elastic modulus of the film can reach 33.9 and 237.6 GPa, respectively, and the friction coefficient of the film is 0.25.

  4. Silicon and aluminum doping effects on the microstructure and properties of polymeric amorphous carbon films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Xiaoqiang, E-mail: lxq_suse@sina.com [Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China); Hao, Junying, E-mail: jyhao@licp.cas.cn [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Xie, Yuntao [Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China)

    2016-08-30

    Highlights: • Evolution of nanostructure and properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films were firstly studied. • Si doping enhanced polymerization of the hydrocarbon chains and Al doping resulted in increase in the ordered carbon clusters of polymeric amorphous carbon films. • Soft polymeric amorphous carbon films exhibited an unconventional frictional behaviors with a superior wear resistance. • The mechanical and vacuum tribological properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films were significantly improved by Si and Al co-doping. - Abstract: Polymeric amorphous carbon films were prepared by radio frequency (R.F. 13.56 MHz) magnetron sputtering deposition. The microstructure evolution of the deposited polymeric films induced by silicon (Si) and aluminum(Al) doping were scrutinized through infrared spectroscopy, multi-wavelength Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The comparative results show that Si doping can enhance polymerization and Al doping results in an increase in the ordered carbon clusters. Si and Al co-doping into polymeric films leads to the formation of an unusual dual nanostructure consisting of cross-linked polymer-like hydrocarbon chains and fullerene-like carbon clusters. The super-high elasticity and super-low friction coefficients (<0.002) under a high vacuum were obtained through Si and Al co-doping into the films. Unconventionally, the co-doped polymeric films exhibited a superior wear resistance even though they were very soft. The relationship between the microstructure and properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films with different elements doping are also discussed in detail.

  5. Structural stability of hydrogenated amorphous carbon overcoats used in heat-assisted magnetic recording investigated by rapid thermal annealing

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, N.; Komvopoulos, K.; Rose, F.; Marchon, B.

    2013-01-01

    Ultrathin amorphous carbon (a-C) films are extensively used as protective overcoats of magnetic recording media. Increasing demands for even higher storage densities have necessitated the development of new storage technologies, such as heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), which uses laser-assisted heating to record data on high-stability media that can store single bits in extremely small areas (∼1 Tbit/in.2). Because HAMR relies on locally changing the coercivity of the magnetic medium by raising the temperature above the Curie temperature for data to be stored by the magnetic write field, it raises a concern about the structural stability of the ultrathin a-C film. In this study, rapid thermal annealing (RTA) experiments were performed to examine the thermal stability of ultrathin hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Structural changes in the a-C:H films caused by RTA were investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray reflectivity, and conductive atomic force microscopy. The results show that the films exhibit thermal stability up to a maximum temperature in the range of 400-450 °C. Heating above this critical temperature leads to hydrogen depletion and sp 2 clustering. The critical temperature determined by the results of this study represents an upper bound of the temperature rise due to laser heating in HAMR hard-disk drives and the Curie temperature of magnetic materials used in HAMR hard disks. © 2013 American Institute of Physics.

  6. Single walled carbon nanotube network—Tetrahedral amorphous carbon composite film

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iyer, Ajai, E-mail: ajai.iyer@aalto.fi; Liu, Xuwen; Koskinen, Jari [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Technology, Aalto University, POB 16200, 00076 Espoo (Finland); Kaskela, Antti; Kauppinen, Esko I. [NanoMaterials Group, Department of Applied Physics, School of Science, Aalto University, POB 15100, 00076 Espoo (Finland); Johansson, Leena-Sisko [Department of Forest Products Technology, School of Chemical Technology, Aalto University, POB 16400, 00076 Espoo (Finland)

    2015-06-14

    Single walled carbon nanotube network (SWCNTN) was coated by tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) using a pulsed Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc system to form a SWCNTN—ta-C composite film. The effects of SWCNTN areal coverage density and ta-C coating thickness on the composite film properties were investigated. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements prove the presence of high quality sp{sup 3} bonded ta-C coating on the SWCNTN. Raman spectroscopy suggests that the single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) forming the network survived encapsulation in the ta-C coating. Nano-mechanical testing suggests that the ta-C coated SWCNTN has superior wear performance compared to uncoated SWCNTN.

  7. The effect of empirical potential functions on modeling of amorphous carbon using molecular dynamics method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Longqiu; Xu, Ming; Song, Wenping; Ovcharenko, Andrey; Zhang, Guangyu; Jia, Ding

    2013-01-01

    Empirical potentials have a strong effect on the hybridization and structure of amorphous carbon and are of great importance in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In this work, amorphous carbon at densities ranging from 2.0 to 3.2 g/cm 3 was modeled by a liquid quenching method using Tersoff, 2nd REBO, and ReaxFF empirical potentials. The hybridization, structure and radial distribution function G(r) of carbon atoms were analyzed as a function of the three potentials mentioned above. The ReaxFF potential is capable to model the change of the structure of amorphous carbon and MD results are in a good agreement with experimental results and density function theory (DFT) at low density of 2.6 g/cm 3 and below. The 2nd REBO potential can be used when amorphous carbon has a very low density of 2.4 g/cm 3 and below. Considering the computational efficiency, the Tersoff potential is recommended to model amorphous carbon at a high density of 2.6 g/cm 3 and above. In addition, the influence of the quenching time on the hybridization content obtained with the three potentials is discussed.

  8. Citrate effects on amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) structure, stability, and crystallization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tobler, Dominique Jeanette; Rodriguez Blanco, Juan Diego; Dideriksen, Knud

    2015-01-01

    Understanding the role of citrate in the crystallization kinetics of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is essential to explain the formation mechanisms, stabilities, surface properties, and morphologies of CaCO3 biominerals. It also contributes to deeper insight into fluid-mineral inte......Understanding the role of citrate in the crystallization kinetics of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is essential to explain the formation mechanisms, stabilities, surface properties, and morphologies of CaCO3 biominerals. It also contributes to deeper insight into fluid...

  9. Combined HRTEM and PEELS analysis of nanoporous and amorphous carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, J.L.; Fan, X. D.; Bursill, L.A.

    1997-01-01

    Both the mass density (1.37 kgm/m 3 ) and sp 2 +sp 3 bonding fraction (0.15) were determined for an unusual nanoporous amorphous carbon consisting of curved single graphitic sheets. A combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and parallel electron energy loss spectroscopy (PEELS) was used. The values of these two parameters provide important constraints for the determination of the structure of this relatively low density variety of nanoporous carbon. The results are relevant also in the search for negatively-curved Schwarzite-related carbon structures. New date are also presented for highly-oriented pyrollytic graphite (HOPG), chemically vapour deposited (CVD) diamond, C 60 , glassy carbon (GC) and evaporated amorphous carbon (EAC); these are compared with the results for NAC. Kramers-Kronig analysis (KKA) of the low-loss PEELS data shows that the band gaps of both NAC and EAC are collapsed relative to that of CVD diamond. 18 refs., 2 tabs., 3 figs

  10. Combined HRTEM and PEELS analysis of nanoporous and amorphous carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peng, J.L.; Fan, X. D.; Bursill, L.A.

    1997-06-01

    Both the mass density (1.37 kgm/m{sup 3}) and sp{sup 2}+sp{sup 3} bonding fraction (0.15) were determined for an unusual nanoporous amorphous carbon consisting of curved single graphitic sheets. A combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and parallel electron energy loss spectroscopy (PEELS) was used. The values of these two parameters provide important constraints for the determination of the structure of this relatively low density variety of nanoporous carbon. The results are relevant also in the search for negatively-curved Schwarzite-related carbon structures. New date are also presented for highly-oriented pyrollytic graphite (HOPG), chemically vapour deposited (CVD) diamond, C{sub 60}, glassy carbon (GC) and evaporated amorphous carbon (EAC); these are compared with the results for NAC. Kramers-Kronig analysis (KKA) of the low-loss PEELS data shows that the band gaps of both NAC and EAC are collapsed relative to that of CVD diamond. 18 refs., 2 tabs., 3 figs.

  11. Amorphous carbon enhancement of hydrogen penetration into UO2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zalkind, S.; Shamir, N.; Gouder, T.; Akhvlediani, R.; Hoffman, A.

    2014-01-01

    In a previous study, it was demonstrated that an amorphous carbon layer, deposited on a native oxide covered uranium surface, significantly enhances the interaction of hydrogen with the uranium metal. Fig. 1[2], demonstrates the preferential hydrogen attack (forming uranium hydride) on the carbon covered area of the naturally oxidized uranium metal

  12. Nanopillar arrays of amorphous carbon nitride

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sai Krishna, Katla; Pavan Kumar, B. V. V. S.; Eswaramoorthy, Muthusamy

    2011-07-01

    Nanopillar arrays of amorphous carbon nitride have been prepared using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as a template. The amine groups present on the surface of these nanopillars were exploited for functionalization with oleic acid in order to stabilize the nanostructure at the aqueous-organic interface and also for the immobilization of metal nanoparticles and protein. These immobilised nanoparticles were found to have good catalytic activity.

  13. Revealing the 1 nm/s Extensibility of Nanoscale Amorphous Carbon in a Scanning Electron Microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Wei

    2013-01-01

    In an ultra-high vacuum scanning electron microscope, the edged branches of amorphous carbon film (∼10 nm thickness) can be continuously extended with an eye-identifying speed (on the order of ∼1 nm/s) under electron beam. Such unusual mobility of amorphous carbon may be associated with deformation...... promoted by the electric field, which resulted from an inner secondary electron potential difference from the main trunk of carbon film to the tip end of branches under electron beam. This result demonstrates importance of applying electrical effects to modify properties of carbon materials. It may have...... positive implications to explore some amorphous carbon as electron field emission device. SCANNING 35: 261-264, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc....

  14. Crystalline and amorphous carbon nitride films produced by high-energy shock plasma deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bursilll, L.A.; Peng, Julin; Gurarie, V.N.; Orlov, A.V.; Prawer, S.

    1995-01-01

    High-energy shock plasma deposition techniques are used to produce carbon-nitride films containing both crystalline and amorphous components. The structures are examined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, parallel-electron-energy loss spectroscopy and electron diffraction. The crystalline phase appears to be face-centered cubic with unit cell parameter approx. a=0.63nm and it may be stabilized by calcium and oxygen at about 1-2 at % levels. The carbon atoms appear to have both trigonal and tetrahedral bonding for the crystalline phase. There is PEELS evidence that a significant fraction of the nitrogen atoms have sp 2 trigonal bonds in the crystalline phase. The amorphous carbon-nitride film component varies from essentially graphite, containing virtually no nitrogen, to amorphous carbon-nitride containing up to 10 at % N, where the fraction of sp 3 bonds is significant. 15 refs., 5 figs

  15. Low-energy electron irradiation induced top-surface nanocrystallization of amorphous carbon film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Cheng; Fan, Xue; Diao, Dongfeng

    2016-10-01

    We report a low-energy electron irradiation method to nanocrystallize the top-surface of amorphous carbon film in electron cyclotron resonance plasma system. The nanostructure evolution of the carbon film as a function of electron irradiation density and time was examined by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the electron irradiation gave rise to the formation of sp2 nanocrystallites in the film top-surface within 4 nm thickness. The formation of sp2 nanocrystallite was ascribed to the inelastic electron scattering in the top-surface of carbon film. The frictional property of low-energy electron irradiated film was measured by a pin-on-disk tribometer. The sp2 nanocrystallized top-surface induced a lower friction coefficient than that of the original pure amorphous film. This method enables a convenient nanocrystallization of amorphous surface.

  16. Preparation and analysis of amorphous carbon films deposited from (C{sub 6}H{sub 12})/Ar/He chemistry for application as the dry etch hard mask in the semiconductor manufacturing process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Seungmoo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); TC Technology Team, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Gyeounggi-Do, 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Won, Jaihyung; Choi, Jongsik [TC Technology Team, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Gyeounggi-Do, 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Samseok [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); Jee, Yeonhong; Lee, Hyeondeok [TC Technology Team, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Gyeounggi-Do, 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Byun, Dongjin, E-mail: dbyun@korea.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-08-01

    Amorphous carbon layers (ACL) were deposited on Si (100) wafers by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) by using 1-hexene (C{sub 6}H{sub 12}) as a carbon source for dry etch hard mask of semiconductor devices manufacturing process. The deposition characteristics and film properties were investigated by means of ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS) and stress analysis. Hardness, Young's modulus, and surface roughness of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C were investigated by using nano-indentation and AFM. The deposition rate was decreased from 5050 A/min to 2160 A/min, and dry etch rate was decreased from 2090 A/min to 1770 A/min, and extinction coefficient was increased from 0.1 to 0.5. Raman analysis revealed a higher shift of the G-peak and a lower shift of the D-peak and the increase of I(D)/I(G) ratio as the deposition temperature was increased from 350 deg. C to 550 deg. C. XPS results of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C revealed a carbon 1s binding energy of 284.4 eV. The compressive film stress was decreased from 2.95 GPa to 1.28 GPa with increasing deposition temperature. The hardness and Young's modulus of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C were 5.8 GPa and 48.7 GPa respectively. The surface roughness RMS of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C was 2.24 A, and that after cleaning in diluted HF solution (H{sub 2}O:HF = 200:1), SC1 (NH{sub 4}OH:H{sub 2}O{sub 2}:H{sub 2}O = 1:4:20) solution, and sulfuric acid solution (H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}:H{sub 2}O{sub 2} = 6:1) was 2.28 A, 2.30 A and 7.34 A, respectively. The removal amount of ACL deposited at 550 deg. C in diluted HF solution, SC1 solution and sulfuric acid solution was 6 A, 36 A and 110 A, respectively. These results demonstrated the viability of ACL deposited by PECVD from C{sub 6}H{sub 12} at 550 deg. C for application as the dry etch hard mask in fabrication of semiconductor devices.

  17. Amorphous Carbon Gold Nanocomposite Thin Films: Structural and Spectro-ellipsometric Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Montiel-Gonzalez, Z., E-mail: zeuzmontiel@hotmail.com [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacan 04510, Mexico D.F (Mexico); Rodil, S.E.; Muhl, S. [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacan 04510, Mexico D.F (Mexico); Mendoza-Galvan, A. [Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Unidad Queretaro, 76010 Queretaro, Queretaro (Mexico); Rodriguez-Fernandez, L. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito de la Investigacion Cientifica, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico D.F (Mexico)

    2011-07-01

    Spectroscopic Ellipsometry was used to determine the optical and structural properties of amorphous carbon:gold nanocomposite thin films deposited by dc magnetron co-sputtering at different deposition power. The incorporation of gold as small particles distributed in the amorphous carbon matrix was confirmed by X-ray Diffraction, Rutherford Backscattering measurements and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. Based on these results, an optical model for the films was developed using the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium with the Drude-Lorentz model representing the optical response of gold and the Tauc-Lorentz model for the amorphous carbon. The gold volume fraction and particle size obtained from the fitting processes were comparable to those from the physical characterization. The analysis of the ellipsometric spectra for all the samples showed strong changes in the optical properties of the carbon films as a consequence of the gold incorporation. These changes were correlated to the structural modification observed by Raman Spectroscopy, which indicated a clustering of the sp{sup 2} phase with a subsequent decrease in the optical gap. Finally, measurements of Reflection and Transmission Spectroscopy were carried out and Transmission Electron Microscopy images were obtained in order to support the ellipsometric model results.

  18. Theoretical investigation of magnetic properties in interfaces of magnetic nanoparticles and amorphous carbons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Shih-Jye, E-mail: sjs@nuk.edu.tw [Department of Applied Physics, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan (China); Hsu, Hua-Shu [Department of Applied Physics, National Pingtung University, Pingtung 900, Taiwan (China); Ovchinnikov, Sergei [Kirensky Institute of Physics, Federal Research Center KSC SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk 660036 (Russian Federation); Chen, Guan-Long [Department of Applied Physics, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan (China)

    2017-06-15

    Highlights: • The interfaces of amorphous carbons will be graphited and antiferromagnetic. • The ferromagnetism on the Co interfaces is induced by the medium electrons. • The spin-wave excitation will change between the acoustic and optical modes. • The charge exchange in the interfaces changes the magnetism of the interfaces. - Abstract: Based on the experimental finding of the exchange bias in amorphous carbon samples with embedded Co nanoparticles and on the graphited character of the amorphous carbon interface confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations we have proposed the interface of graphited carbon to be antiferromagnetic. A theoretical model, which comprises the Kondo interactions in the interfaces of Co nanoparticles and the induced antiferromagnetic interactions in the graphited carbons, is employed to evaluate the ferromagnetism of the interfaces of Co nanoparticles. We have shown that the ferromagnetism of interfaces of Co nanoparticles will be enhanced by the increase of antiferromagnetic interaction as well as the increase of electron density in the graphited carbons. In particular, we found that the antiferromagnetic interactions in graphited carbons will change the spin-wave excitation in interfaces of Co nanoparticles from the quasiacoustic mode to the quasioptical one.

  19. Research Update: Direct conversion of amorphous carbon into diamond at ambient pressures and temperatures in air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narayan, Jagdish; Bhaumik, Anagh

    2015-01-01

    We report on fundamental discovery of conversion of amorphous carbon into diamond by irradiating amorphous carbon films with nanosecond lasers at room-temperature in air at atmospheric pressure. We can create diamond in the form of nanodiamond (size range <100 nm) and microdiamond (>100 nm). Nanosecond laser pulses are used to melt amorphous diamondlike carbon and create a highly undercooled state, from which various forms of diamond can be formed upon cooling. The quenching from the super undercooled state results in nucleation of nanodiamond. It is found that microdiamonds grow out of highly undercooled state of carbon, with nanodiamond acting as seed crystals

  20. Bonding topologies in diamondlike amorphous-carbon films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siegal, M. P.; Provencio, P. N.; Tallant, D. R.; Simpson, R. L.; Kleinsorge, B.; Milne, W. I.

    2000-01-01

    The carbon ion energy used during filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition determines the bonding topologies of amorphous-carbon (a-C) films. Regions of relatively low density occur near the substrate/film and film/surface interfaces; their thicknesses increase with deposition energy. The ion subplantation growth results in mass density gradients in the bulk portion of a-C in the growth direction; density decreases with distance from the substrate for films grown using ion energies 160 eV. Films grown between these energies are the most diamondlike with relatively uniform bulk density and the highest optical transparencies. Bonding topologies evolve with increasing growth energy consistent with the propagation of subplanted carbon ions inducing a partial transformation of σ- to π-bonded carbon atoms. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

  1. Sputtering of amorphous carbon layers studied by laser induced fluorescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pasch, E.

    1992-07-01

    In order to minimize the radiation losses, it is desirable to keep the plasmas in nuclear fusion devices free of high-Z-impurities. Therefore, the walls of TEXTOR and other tokamaks are covered with thin layers of amorphous carbon layers (a-C:H) or amorphous carbon/boron layers (a-C/B:H). The sputtering behaviour of these layers has been studied under bombardment by Ar + ions with energies of 1.5 keV and current densities of a few mA/cm 2 . Investigations of these coatings were carried out with the object to measure the velocity distribution of the sputtered atoms and the sputtered yields by laser induced fluorescence in the vacuum ultraviolet. (orig.)

  2. Convective heat transfer enhancement using Carbon nanofibers (CNFs): influence of amorphous carbon layer on heat transfer performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Taha, T.J.; Lefferts, Leonardus; van der Meer, Theodorus H.

    2013-01-01

    In this work, an experimental heat transfer investigation was carried out to investigate the combined influence of both amorphous carbon (a-C) layer thickness and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on the convective heat transfer behavior. Synthesis of these carbon nano structures was achieved using catalytic

  3. Amorphous TiO2 doped with carbon for visible light photodegradation of rhodamine B and 4-chlorophenol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shao, Penghui; Tian, Jiayu; Zhao, Zhiwei; Shi, Wenxin; Gao, Shanshan; Cui, Fuyi

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Amorphous TiO 2 doped with carbon is prepared as a visible photocatalyst. • RhB and 4-chlorophenol are decomposed effectively by carbon-doped amorphous TiO 2 . • The mechanism for visible light photocatalysis is discussed detailedly. - Abstract: Visible light photocatalytic activity of amorphous TiO 2 doped with carbon is prepared by a facile sol-gel route for the first time. The most active sample with mesostructure of amorphous phase, high surface area (273 m 2 g −1 ) and large pore volume (0.33 cm 3 g −1 ) is identified by X-ray diffractometer, Raman spectrometer, transmission electron microscope and N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. In addition, the most active sample is characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrometer and luminescence spectrometer. The results show that the most active sample with oxygenic groups has a narrower bandgap and lower recombination of electron–hole, due to the carbon doping and phase of amorphous. Effective photodegradation capability and stability of rhodamine B and colorless 4-chlorophenol are verified by photocatalytic tests under visible light irradiation. A possible mechanism of amorphous TiO 2 doped with carbon for visible light photocatalysis is proposed. The findings of this paper will provide new insights to design visible light-induced photocatalyst based on amorphous TiO 2 for organic removal

  4. Amorphous calcium carbonate particles form coral skeletons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mass, Tali; Giuffre, Anthony J.; Sun, Chang-Yu; Stifler, Cayla A.; Frazier, Matthew J.; Neder, Maayan; Tamura, Nobumichi; Stan, Camelia V.; Marcus, Matthew A.; Gilbert, Pupa U. P. A.

    2017-09-01

    Do corals form their skeletons by precipitation from solution or by attachment of amorphous precursor particles as observed in other minerals and biominerals? The classical model assumes precipitation in contrast with observed “vital effects,” that is, deviations from elemental and isotopic compositions at thermodynamic equilibrium. Here, we show direct spectromicroscopy evidence in Stylophora pistillata corals that two amorphous precursors exist, one hydrated and one anhydrous amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC); that these are formed in the tissue as 400-nm particles; and that they attach to the surface of coral skeletons, remain amorphous for hours, and finally, crystallize into aragonite (CaCO3). We show in both coral and synthetic aragonite spherulites that crystal growth by attachment of ACC particles is more than 100 times faster than ion-by-ion growth from solution. Fast growth provides a distinct physiological advantage to corals in the rigors of the reef, a crowded and fiercely competitive ecosystem. Corals are affected by warming-induced bleaching and postmortem dissolution, but the finding here that ACC particles are formed inside tissue may make coral skeleton formation less susceptible to ocean acidification than previously assumed. If this is how other corals form their skeletons, perhaps this is how a few corals survived past CO2 increases, such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum that occurred 56 Mya.

  5. Bonding topologies in diamondlike amorphous-carbon films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    SIEGAL,MICHAEL P.; PROVENCIO,PAULA P.; TALLANT,DAVID R.; SIMPSON,REGINA L.; KLEINSORGE,B.; MILNE,W.I.

    2000-01-27

    The carbon ion energy used during filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition determines the bonding topologies of amorphous-carbon (a-C) films. Regions of relatively low density occur near the substrate/film and film/surface interfaces and their thicknesses increase with increasing deposition energy. The ion subplantation growth results in mass density gradients in the bulk portion of a-C in the growth direction; density decreases with distance from the substrate for films grown using ion energies < 60 eV and increases for films grown using ion energies > 160 eV. Films grown between these energies are the most diamondlike with relatively uniform bulk density and the highest optical transparencies. Bonding topologies evolve with increasing growth energy consistent with the propagation of subplanted carbon ions inducing a partial transformation of 4-fold to 3-fold coordinated carbon atoms.

  6. Bonding topologies in diamondlike amorphous-carbon films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Siegal, M. P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Provencio, P. N. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Tallant, D. R. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Simpson, R. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Kleinsorge, B. [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, (United Kingdom); Milne, W. I. [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, (United Kingdom)

    2000-04-10

    The carbon ion energy used during filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition determines the bonding topologies of amorphous-carbon (a-C) films. Regions of relatively low density occur near the substrate/film and film/surface interfaces; their thicknesses increase with deposition energy. The ion subplantation growth results in mass density gradients in the bulk portion of a-C in the growth direction; density decreases with distance from the substrate for films grown using ion energies <60 eV and increases for films grown using ion energies >160 eV. Films grown between these energies are the most diamondlike with relatively uniform bulk density and the highest optical transparencies. Bonding topologies evolve with increasing growth energy consistent with the propagation of subplanted carbon ions inducing a partial transformation of {sigma}- to {pi}-bonded carbon atoms. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

  7. Ternary graphene/amorphous carbon/nickel nanocomposite film for outstanding superhydrophobicity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xiaobo; Zhou, Shengguo; Yan, Qingqing

    2018-04-01

    A novel superhydrophobic ternary graphene/amorphous carbon/nickel (G-Ni/a-C:H) carbon-based film was fabricated by a green approach of high-voltage electrochemical deposition without using aqueous solution, which was systematically investigated including the structure and relating applications on self-cleaning and corrosion resistance. Graphene and nickel nano-particle inserts were effective to tailor the feature of nanocrystallite/amorphous microstructure as well as micro-nanoscale hierarchical rose-petal-like surface for G-Ni/a-C:H carbon-based film. Surprisingly, this deposit could present outstanding superhydrophobicity with the contact angle of 158.98 deg and sliding angle of 2.75 deg without any further surface modification meanwhile it could possess fairly well adhesion. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic G-Ni/a-C:H carbon-based film could exhibit excellent corrosion resistance and self-cleaning performances compared to no graphene incorporated deposit. The procedure of fabricating deposit might be simple, scalable, and environmental friendly, indicating a promising prospect for industrial applications in the field of anti-fouling, anti-corrosion and drag resistance.

  8. Characterization of diamond amorphized by ion implantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, W.R.; Lee, E.H.

    1992-01-01

    Single crystal diamond has been implanted at 1 MeV with 2 x 10 20 Ar/m 2 . Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in a channeled geometry revealed a broad amorphized region underlying a thin, partially crystalline layer. Raman spectroscopy disclosed modifications in the bonding characteristic of the appearance of non-diamond carbon. The complementary nature of the two analysis techniques is demonstrated. The Knoop hardness of the implanted diamond was reduced by implantation

  9. Low hydrogen containing amorphous carbon films - Growth and electrochemical properties as lithium battery anodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Subramanian, V.; Masarapu, Charan; Wei, Bingqing [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, 130 Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716 (United States); Karabacak, Tansel [Department of Applied Science, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 South University Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72204 (United States); Teki, Ranganath [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180 (United States); Lu, Toh-Ming [Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180 (United States)

    2010-04-02

    Amorphous carbon films were deposited successfully on Cu foils by DC magnetron sputtering technique. Electrochemical performance of the film as lithium battery anode was evaluated across Li metal at 0.2 C rate in a non-aqueous electrolyte. The discharge curves showed unusually low irreversible capacity in the first cycle with a reversible capacity of {proportional_to}810 mAh g{sup -1}, which is at least 2 times higher than that of graphitic carbon. For the first time we report here an amorphous carbon showing such a high reversibility in the first cycle, which is very much limited to the graphitic carbon. The deposited films were extensively characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and step profilometer for the structural and surface properties. The hydrogen content of the synthesized films was studied using residual gas analysis (RGA). The low hydrogen content and the low specific surface area of the synthesized amorphous carbon film are considered responsible for such a high first cycle columbic efficiency. The growth mechanism and the reasons for enhanced electrochemical performance of the carbon films are discussed. (author)

  10. Low hydrogen containing amorphous carbon films-Growth and electrochemical properties as lithium battery anodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subramanian, V.; Karabacak, Tansel; Masarapu, Charan; Teki, Ranganath; Lu, Toh-Ming; Wei, Bingqing

    Amorphous carbon films were deposited successfully on Cu foils by DC magnetron sputtering technique. Electrochemical performance of the film as lithium battery anode was evaluated across Li metal at 0.2 C rate in a non-aqueous electrolyte. The discharge curves showed unusually low irreversible capacity in the first cycle with a reversible capacity of ∼810 mAh g -1, which is at least 2 times higher than that of graphitic carbon. For the first time we report here an amorphous carbon showing such a high reversibility in the first cycle, which is very much limited to the graphitic carbon. The deposited films were extensively characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and step profilometer for the structural and surface properties. The hydrogen content of the synthesized films was studied using residual gas analysis (RGA). The low hydrogen content and the low specific surface area of the synthesized amorphous carbon film are considered responsible for such a high first cycle columbic efficiency. The growth mechanism and the reasons for enhanced electrochemical performance of the carbon films are discussed.

  11. Opto-electrical properties of amorphous carbon thin film deposited from natural precursor camphor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pradhan, Debabrata [Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076 (India)]. E-mail: dpradhan@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca; Sharon, Maheshwar [Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076 (India)

    2007-06-30

    A simple thermal chemical vapor deposition technique is employed for the pyrolysis of a natural precursor 'camphor' and deposition of carbon films on alumina substrate at higher temperatures (600-900 deg. C). X-ray diffraction measurement reveals the amorphous structure of these films. The carbon films properties are found to significantly vary with the deposition temperatures. At higher deposition temperature, films have shown predominately sp{sup 2}-bonded carbon and therefore, higher conductivity and lower optical band gap (Tauc gap). These amorphous carbon (a-C) films are also characterized with Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, electrical and optical properties are measured. The thermoelectric measurement shows these as-grown a-C films are p-type in nature.

  12. Mechanochemical treatment of amorphous carbon from brown sphagnum moss for the preparation of carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onishchenko, D.V.

    2013-01-01

    Under consideration is the mechanism of multiwalled nanotubes formation during mechanical activation of amorphous carbon synthesized by pyrolysis of sphagnum moss. The formation of nanotubes has been shown to take place in the array of carbon particles. A complex study of the sorption characteristics of carbon nanotubes has been carried out. The dependence of the sorption capacity of carbon nanotubes on their storage time, as well as the effect of the process parameters of nanotubes formation on their ability for oxidative modification, is represented. (authors)

  13. Stabilization of amorphous calcium carbonate by controlling its particle size

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nudelman, F.; Sonmezler, E.; Bomans, P.H.H.; With, de G.; Sommerdijk, N.A.J.M.

    2010-01-01

    Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) nanoparticles of different size are prepared using a flow system. Post-synthesis stabilization with a layer of poly[(a,ß)-DL-aspartic acid] leads to stabilization of the ACC, but only for particles

  14. Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Siegal, M. P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Tallant, D. R. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Martinez-Miranda, L. J. [University of Maryland, Department of Materials and Nuclear Engineering, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States); Barbour, J. C. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Simpson, R. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Overmyer, D. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)

    2000-04-15

    Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon (a-C) films grown on silicon using pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) is correlated to both growth energetics and film thickness. Raman spectroscopy and x-ray reflectivity probe both the topological nature of three- and four-fold coordinated carbon atom bonding and the topographical clustering of their distributions within a given film. In general, increasing the energetics of PLD growth results in films becoming more ''diamondlike,'' i.e., increasing mass density and decreasing optical absorbance. However, these same properties decrease appreciably with thickness. The topology of carbon atom bonding is different for material near the substrate interface compared to material within the bulk portion of an a-C film. A simple model balancing the energy of residual stress and the free energies of resulting carbon topologies is proposed to provide an explanation of the evolution of topographical bonding clusters in a growing a-C film. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.

  15. Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    SIEGAL,MICHAEL P.; TALLANT,DAVID R.; MARTINEZ-MIRANDA,L.J.; BARBOUR,J. CHARLES; SIMPSON,REGINA L.; OVERMYER,DONALD L.

    2000-01-27

    Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon (a-C) films grown on silicon using pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) is correlated to both growth energetic and film thickness. Raman spectroscopy and x-ray reflectivity probe both the topological nature of 3- and 4-fold coordinated carbon atom bonding and the topographical clustering of their distributions within a given film. In general, increasing the energetic of PLD growth results in films becoming more ``diamondlike'', i.e. increasing mass density and decreasing optical absorbance. However, these same properties decrease appreciably with thickness. The topology of carbon atom bonding is different for material near the substrate interface compared to material within the bulk portion of an a-C film. A simple model balancing the energy of residual stress and the free energies of resulting carbon topologies is proposed to provide an explanation of the evolution of topographical bonding clusters in a growing a-C film.

  16. Growth Mechanism for Low Temperature PVD Graphene Synthesis on Copper Using Amorphous Carbon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narula, Udit; Tan, Cher Ming; Lai, Chao Sung

    2017-03-01

    Growth mechanism for synthesizing PVD based Graphene using Amorphous Carbon, catalyzed by Copper is investigated in this work. Different experiments with respect to Amorphous Carbon film thickness, annealing time and temperature are performed for the investigation. Copper film stress and its effect on hydrogen diffusion through the film grain boundaries are found to be the key factors for the growth mechanism, and supported by our Finite Element Modeling. Low temperature growth of Graphene is achieved and the proposed growth mechanism is found to remain valid at low temperatures.

  17. Contribution to the study of hard, low-density pyrolytic carbons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boutin, F.R.

    1966-06-01

    Apparent contradictions in the properties of pyrolytic carbons obtained at 1600 deg C (hardness and graphitization) are studied. It is shown that structure of the deposit is turbostratic with high internal stresses (δ -2 ), and it graphitizes (by thermal treatment over 2000 deg C) in a similar manner to graphitisable carbon. Because the deposit forms lamellar compounds, it is presumed that the structure is similar to that of graphitisable carbon. Since it is not structure dependant, the hardness originates from the 'growth texture' and is not comparable with the hardness of a non-graphitisable carbon. The pyrolytic carbon studied is composed of regions, on the overage a few microns across, formed by the stacking of small carbon platelets, interlocked and showing a preferred orientation. The mis-orientation of the various regions produces general disorientation. We estimate that the introduction of the particles of some material such as thermal black which are observed in the electron microscope are responsible for the mis-orientation. The density and hardness of the deposit are a result of the interlocking of platelets, which creates a closed porosity and prevents any sliding of the atomic planes. (author) [fr

  18. Obtention of high hardness multilayer systems by laser ablation; Obtencion de sistemas multicapa de alta dureza por ablacion laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mejia T, I.S

    2007-07-01

    In this thesis work the synthesis of thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon nitride (CN{sub x}) amorphous carbon (a-C) and Ti/TiN/CNx multilayers and Ti/TiN/a-C by means of the laser ablation technique, with the objective of obtaining films of high hardness is studied, as well as to produce multilayer coatings with superior properties to the individual layers. The effect that has the laser fluence used for ablationing the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the films deposited of TiN was investigated. It was found that the hardness is increased in lineal way approximately with the fluence increment up to 19 J/cm{sup 2}. Thin films of a-C with hardness of the order of 12 GPa. likewise CN{sub x} films with high hardness (18.4 GPa) were obtained. The hardness of the deposited films was analyzed and it was related with its microstructure and deposit conditions. It was concluded that the Ti/TiN/CNx and Ti/TiN/a-C systems presented bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

  19. Ultrahard carbon nanocomposite films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    SIEGAL,MICHAEL P.; TALLANT,DAVID R.; PROVENCIO,PAULA P.; OVERMYER,DONALD L.; SIMPSON,REGINA L.; MARTINEZ-MIRANDA,L.J.

    2000-01-27

    Modest thermal annealing to 600 C of diamondlike amorphous-carbon (a-C) films grown at room temperature results in the formation of carbon nanocomposites with hardness similar to diamond. These nanocomposite films consist of nanometer-sized regions of high density a-C embedded in an a-C matrix with a reduced density of 5--10%. The authors report on the evolution of density and bonding topologies as a function of annealing temperature. Despite a decrease in density, film hardness actually increases {approximately} 15% due to the development of the nanocomposite structure.

  20. Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okuyama, H.; Takashima, M.; Akasaka, H.; Ohtake, N.

    2013-06-01

    We report the effects of antimony (Sb) doping on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films grown on silicon and copper substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition. For film deposition, the mixture targets fabricated from carbon and antimony powders was used. The atomic concentration of carbon, hydrogen, and antimony, in the film deposited from the 1.0 mol% Sb containing target were 81, 17, 2 at.%, respectively. These elements were homogeneously distributed in the film. On the structural effect, the average continuous sp2 carbon bonding networks decreased with Sb concentration increasing, and defects in the films were increased with the Sb incorporation because atomic radius of Sb atoms is twice larger size than that of carbon. The optical gap and the electrical resistivity were carried out before and after the Sb doping. The results show that optical gap dropped from 3.15 to 3.04 eV corresponding to non-doping to Sb-doping conditions, respectively. The electrical resistivity reduced from 10.5 to 1.0 MΩm by the Sb doping. These results suggest the doping level was newly formed in the forbidden band.

  1. Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okuyama, H; Takashima, M; Akasaka, H; Ohtake, N

    2013-01-01

    We report the effects of antimony (Sb) doping on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films grown on silicon and copper substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition. For film deposition, the mixture targets fabricated from carbon and antimony powders was used. The atomic concentration of carbon, hydrogen, and antimony, in the film deposited from the 1.0 mol% Sb containing target were 81, 17, 2 at.%, respectively. These elements were homogeneously distributed in the film. On the structural effect, the average continuous sp 2 carbon bonding networks decreased with Sb concentration increasing, and defects in the films were increased with the Sb incorporation because atomic radius of Sb atoms is twice larger size than that of carbon. The optical gap and the electrical resistivity were carried out before and after the Sb doping. The results show that optical gap dropped from 3.15 to 3.04 eV corresponding to non-doping to Sb-doping conditions, respectively. The electrical resistivity reduced from 10.5 to 1.0 MΩm by the Sb doping. These results suggest the doping level was newly formed in the forbidden band.

  2. Screen-printed carbon electrode modified on its surface with amorphous carbon nitride thin film: Electrochemical and morphological study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghamouss, F. [Universite de Nantes, UMR 6006-CNRS, FR-2465-CNRS, Laboratoire d' Analyse isotopique et Electrochimique de Metabolismes (LAIEM) (France); Tessier, P.-Y. [Universite de Nantes, UMR CNRS 6502, Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel - IMN Faculte des Sciences and des Techniques de Nantes, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Djouadi, A. [Universite de Nantes, UMR CNRS 6502, Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel - IMN Faculte des Sciences and des Techniques de Nantes, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Besland, M.-P. [Universite de Nantes, UMR CNRS 6502, Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel - IMN Faculte des Sciences and des Techniques de Nantes, 2 rue de la Houssiniere, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Boujtita, M. [Universite de Nantes, UMR 6006-CNRS, FR-2465-CNRS, Laboratoire d' Analyse isotopique et Electrochimique de Metabolismes (LAIEM) (France)]. E-mail: mohammed.boujtita@univ-nantes.fr

    2007-04-20

    The surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was modified by using amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN {sub x}) thin film deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering. Scanning electron microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were used to characterise respectively the morphology and the chemical structure of the a-CN {sub x} modified electrodes. The incorporation of nitrogen in the amorphous carbon network was demonstrated by X ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The a-CN {sub x} layers were deposited on both carbon screen-printed electrode (SPCE) and silicon (Si) substrates. A comparative study showed that the nature of substrate, i.e. SPCE and Si, has a significant effect on both the surface morphology of deposited a-CN {sub x} film and their electrochemical properties. The improvement of the electrochemical reactivity of SPCE after a-CN {sub x} film deposition was highlighted both by comparing the shapes of voltammograms and calculating the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant.

  3. Development of amorphous carbon protective coatings on poly(vinyl)chloride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rangel, Elidiane C.; Souza, Eduardo S. de; Moraes, Francine S. de; Marins, Nazir M.S.; Schreiner, Wido H.; Cruz, Nilson C.

    2010-01-01

    The great versatility of polymers has promoted their application in a series of ordinary situations. The development of specific devices from polymers, however, requires modifications to fit specific stipulations. In this work the surface properties of thin films grown onto polyvinylchloride (PVC) were investigated. Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films were deposited onto commercial PVC plates from acetylene and argon plasmas excited by radiofrequency (13.56 MHz, 70 W) power. The proportion of acetylene in the gas feed was varied against that of argon, keeping the total pressure constant at 2.5 Pa. Deposition time was 1800 s. Film elemental composition was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS. Water contact angle measurements were performed using the sessile drop technique. The root mean squared roughness was derived from 50 x 50 μm 2 surface topographic images, acquired by scanning probe microscopy. Nanoindentation and pin-on-disk techniques were employed on the determination of film hardness and sliding wear, respectively. Oxidation resistance was obtained through the etching rate of the samples in oxygen radiofrequency (1.3 Pa, 50 W) plasmas. From XPS analysis it was detected oxygen and nitrogen contamination in all the samples. It was also found that sp 3 /sp 2 ratio depends on the proportion of argon in the plasma. At lower argon concentrations, hardness, wear and oxidation resistances were all improved with respect to the uncoated PVC. In such conditions, the surface wettability is low indicating a moderate receptivity to water. This combination of properties, ascribed to a balance between the ion bombardment and deposition processes, is suitable for materials exposed to rigorous weathering conditions.

  4. Cell survival in carbon beams - comparison of amorphous track model predictions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grzanka, L.; Greilich, S.; Korcyl, M.

    Introduction: Predictions of the radiobiological effectiveness (RBE) play an essential role in treatment planning with heavy charged particles. Amorphous track models ( [1] , [2] , also referred to as track structure models) provide currently the most suitable description of cell survival under i....... Amorphous track modelling of luminescence detector efficiency in proton and carbon beams. 4.Tsuruoka C, Suzuki M, Kanai T, et al. LET and ion species dependence for cell killing in normal human skin fibroblasts. Radiat Res. 2005;163:494-500.......Introduction: Predictions of the radiobiological effectiveness (RBE) play an essential role in treatment planning with heavy charged particles. Amorphous track models ( [1] , [2] , also referred to as track structure models) provide currently the most suitable description of cell survival under ion....... [2] . In addition, a new approach based on microdosimetric distributions is presented and investigated [3] . Material and methods: A suitable software library embrasing the mentioned amorphous track models including numerous submodels with respect to delta-electron range models, radial dose...

  5. Standard hardness conversion tables for metals relationship among brinell hardness, vickers hardness, rockwell hardness, superficial hardness, knoop hardness, and scleroscope hardness

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2007-01-01

    1.1 Conversion Table 1 presents data in the Rockwell C hardness range on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, Knoop hardness, and Scleroscope hardness of non-austenitic steels including carbon, alloy, and tool steels in the as-forged, annealed, normalized, and quenched and tempered conditions provided that they are homogeneous. 1.2 Conversion Table 2 presents data in the Rockwell B hardness range on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, Knoop hardness, and Scleroscope hardness of non-austenitic steels including carbon, alloy, and tool steels in the as-forged, annealed, normalized, and quenched and tempered conditions provided that they are homogeneous. 1.3 Conversion Table 3 presents data on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, and Knoop hardness of nickel and high-nickel alloys (nickel content o...

  6. Micro-friction behavior of amorphous carbon films on porous AAO membrane synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyethleneglycol 400

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tu, J.P.; Jiang, C.X.; Guo, S.Y.; Fu, M.F.

    2005-01-01

    The amorphous carbon films with different degrees of graphitization were synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyethleneglycol 400 infiltrated in the nano-sized pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane. The morphology and microstructure of the carbon films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The micro-friction behavior of the amorphous carbon films sliding against GCr15 steel in ambient air was investigated using a ball-on-disk tester at an applied load of 980 mN and a sliding velocity of 0.2 m s -1 . The graphitization degree in the carbon films had effect on the micro-friction properties. In comparison, the amorphous carbon film with high graphitization degree showed low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. An efficient approach was brought for enhancing the friction performance of aluminum

  7. Micro-friction behavior of amorphous carbon films on porous AAO membrane synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyethleneglycol 400

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tu, J P [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Jiang, C X [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330029 (China); Guo, S Y [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310033 (China); Fu, M F [Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330029 (China)

    2005-05-25

    The amorphous carbon films with different degrees of graphitization were synthesized by the pyrolysis of polyethleneglycol 400 infiltrated in the nano-sized pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane. The morphology and microstructure of the carbon films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The micro-friction behavior of the amorphous carbon films sliding against GCr15 steel in ambient air was investigated using a ball-on-disk tester at an applied load of 980 mN and a sliding velocity of 0.2 m s{sup -1}. The graphitization degree in the carbon films had effect on the micro-friction properties. In comparison, the amorphous carbon film with high graphitization degree showed low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. An efficient approach was brought for enhancing the friction performance of aluminum.

  8. Effects of thermal annealing on the structural, mechanical, and tribological properties of hard fluorinated carbon films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maia da Costa, M. E. H.; Baumvol, I. J. R.; Radke, C.; Jacobsohn, L. G.; Zamora, R. R. M.; Freire, F. L.

    2004-11-01

    Hard amorphous fluorinated carbon films (a-C:F) deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition were annealed in vacuum for 30 min in the temperature range of 200-600 °C. The structural and compositional modifications were followed by several analytical techniques: Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. Nanoidentation measurements and lateral force microscopy experiments were carried out in order to provide the film hardness and the friction coefficient, respectively. The internal stress and contact angle were also measured. RBS, ERDA, and XPS results indicate that both fluorine and hydrogen losses occur for annealing temperatures higher than 300 °C. Raman spectroscopy shows a progressive graphitization upon annealing, while the surface became slightly more hydrophobic as revealed by the increase of the contact angle. Following the surface wettability reduction, a decrease of the friction coefficient was observed. These results highlight the influence of the capillary condensation on the nanoscale friction. The film hardness and the internal stress are constant up to 300 °C and decrease for higher annealing temperatures, showing a direct correlation with the atomic density of the films. Since the thickness variation is negligible, the mass loss upon thermal treatment results in amorphous structures with a lower degree of cross-linking, explaining the deterioration of the mechanical properties of the a-C:F films.

  9. Interdispersed amorphous MnO{sub x}-carbon nanocomposites with superior electrochemical performance as lithium-storage material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Juchen; Wang, Chunsheng [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Liu, Qing; Zachariah, Michael R. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)

    2012-02-22

    The realization of manganese oxide anode materials for lithium-ion batteries is hindered by inferior cycle stability, rate capability, and high overpotential induced by the agglomeration of manganese metal grains, low conductivity of manganese oxide, and the high stress/strain in the crystalline manganese oxide structure during the repeated lithiation/delithiation process. To overcome these challenges, unique amorphous MnO{sub x}-C nanocomposite particles with interdispersed carbon are synthesized using aerosol spray pyrolysis. The carbon filled in the pores of amorphous MnO{sub x} blocks the penetration of liquid electrolyte to the inside of MnO{sub x}, thus reducing the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase and lowering the irreversible capacity. The high electronic and lithium-ion conductivity of carbon also enhances the rate capability. Moreover, the interdispersed carbon functions as a barrier structure to prevent manganese grain agglomeration. The amorphous structure of MnO{sub x} brings additional benefits by reducing the stress/strain of the conversion reaction, thus lowering lithiation/delithiation overpotential. As the result, the amorphous MnO{sub x}-C particles demonstrated the best performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries to date. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  10. Carbon isotope fractionation between amorphous calcium carbonate and calcite in earthworm-produced calcium carbonate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Versteegh, E.A.A.; Black, S.; Hodson, M.E.

    2017-01-01

    In this study we investigate carbon isotope fractionation during the crystallization of biogenic calcium carbonate. Several species of earthworm including Lumbricus terrestris secrete CaCO_3. Initially a milky fluid comprising micro-spherules of amorphous CaCO_3 (ACC) is secreted into pouches of the earthworm calciferous gland. The micro-spherules coalesce and crystalize to form millimetre scale granules, largely comprising calcite. These are secreted into the earthworm intestine and from there into the soil. L. terrestris were cultured for 28 days in two different soils, moistened with three different mineral waters at 10, 16 and 20 °C. The milky fluid in the calciferous glands, granules in the pouches of the calciferous glands and granules excreted into the soil were collected and analysed by FTIR spectroscopy to determine the form of CaCO_3 present and by IRMS to determine δ"1"3C values. The milky fluid was ACC. Granules removed from the pouches and soil were largely calcite; the granules removed from the pouches contained more residual ACC than those recovered from the soil. The δ"1"3C values of milky fluid and pouch granules became significantly more negative with increasing temperature (p ≤ 0.001). For samples from each temperature treatment, δ"1"3C values became significantly (p ≤ 0.001) more negative from the milky fluid to the pouch granules to the soil granules (−13.77, −14.69 and −15.00 respectively at 10 °C; −14.37, −15.07 and −15.18 respectively at 16 °C and −14.89, −15.41 and −15.65 respectively at 20 °C). Fractionation of C isotopes occurred as the ACC recrystallized to form calcite with the fractionation factor ε_c_a_l_c_i_t_e_-_A_C_C = −1.20 ± 0.52‰. This is consistent with the crystallization involving dissolution and reprecipitation rather than a solid state rearrangement. Although C isotopic fractionation has previously been described between different species of dissolved inorganic carbon

  11. Ultrahard carbon nanocomposite films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Siegal, M. P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Tallant, D. R. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Provencio, P. N. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Overmyer, D. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Simpson, R. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States); Martinez-Miranda, L. J. [Department of Materials and Nuclear Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)

    2000-05-22

    Modest thermal annealing to 600 degree sign C of diamondlike amorphous-carbon (a-C) films grown at room temperature results in the formation of carbon nanocomposites with hardness similar to diamond. These nanocomposite films consist of nanometer-sized regions of high density a-C embedded in an a-C matrix with a reduced density of 5%-10%. We report on the evolution of density and bonding topologies as a function of annealing temperature. Despite a decrease in density, film hardness actually increases {approx}15% due to the development of the nanocomposite structure. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

  12. Three-dimensional structure of Au nanoparticles supported on amorphous silica and carbon substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bruma, A; Li, Z Y

    2012-01-01

    Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) has been employed to study the three-dimensional structure of gold (Au) nanoparticles deposited by means of thermal evaporation in high vacuum on amorphous silica (a-SiO 2 ) and amorphous carbon (a-C) supports. By performing quantitative analysis on the evolution of the high angle annular dark field (HAADF) images, we studied the influence of the nature and the temperature of support on the growth mode of gold nanoparticles.

  13. One-step liquid phase chemical method to prepare carbon-based amorphous molybdenum sulfides: As the effective hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Mengmeng; Wu, Qikang; Yu, Miaomiao; Wang, Yinling; Li, Maoguo

    2017-01-01

    Two different kinds of carbon-based amorphous molybdenum sulfide composite catalysts (activated carbon supported amorphous molybdenum sulfide and acetylene black supported amorphous molybdenum sulfide) had been prepared in a facile and scalable one-step liquid phase chemical method. The morphological and structural information of catalysts was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and it’s electro-catalytic HER activity were evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry(LSV), amperometric i-t technology and AC impedance technology. The as-prepared carbon-based amorphous molybdenum sulfides showed greatly enhanced electro-catalytic activity for HER compared with pure amorphous molybdenum sulfides. Especially, the nano-sized acetylene black supported molybdenum sulfide exhibited excellent electro-catalytic HER performances with a low onset potential of −116 mV versus reverse hydrogen electrode (RHE) and a small Tafel slope of 51 mV per decade.

  14. Protective amorphous carbon coatings on glass substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silins, Kaspars; Baránková, Hana; Bardos, Ladislav

    2017-11-01

    Thick amorphous carbon films were deposited by the Magnets-in-Motion (M-M) rf linear hollow cathode at varying acetylene contents in Ar in a hybrid PVD/PE-CVD process directly on glass substrates. The hollow cathode plates manufactured from graphite were used as the PVD target. The measurements show that the films can reach thickness of up to 50 μm at deposition rates of up to 2.5 μm/min. Scratch test measurements confirm that well adhering films several μm thick can be achieved at C2H2 contents of up to 0.5%.

  15. Mesoporous carbon prepared from carbohydrate as hard template for hierarchical zeolites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeblad, Kresten; Christensen, Claus H.

    2007-01-01

    treatment of a mixture of sucrose and ammonia followed by carbonization of the mixture in N-2 at high temperatures. The porous carbon produced by this method was subsequently applied as a hard template in the synthesis of mesoporous silicalite-1 and removed by combustion after synthesis. X-ray diffraction......A mesoporous carbon prepared from sucrose was successfully employed as a hard template to produce hierarchical silicalite-1, thus providing a very simple and inexpensive route to desirable zeolite catalysts from widely available raw materials. The porous carbon was prepared by hydrothermal...... the porous carbon template as well as the mesoporous zeolite single-crystal material....

  16. Neutron irradiation induced amorphization of silicon carbide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Snead, L.L.; Hay, J.C.

    1998-01-01

    This paper provides the first known observation of silicon carbide fully amorphized under neutron irradiation. Both high purity single crystal hcp and high purity, highly faulted (cubic) chemically vapor deposited (CVD) SiC were irradiated at approximately 60 C to a total fast neutron fluence of 2.6 x 10 25 n/m 2 . Amorphization was seen in both materials, as evidenced by TEM, electron diffraction, and x-ray diffraction techniques. Physical properties for the amorphized single crystal material are reported including large changes in density (-10.8%), elastic modulus as measured using a nanoindentation technique (-45%), hardness as measured by nanoindentation (-45%), and standard Vickers hardness (-24%). Similar property changes are observed for the critical temperature for amorphization at this neutron dose and flux, above which amorphization is not possible, is estimated to be greater than 130 C

  17. Implantation of xenon in amorphous carbon and silicon for brachytherapy application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marques, F.C.; Barbieri, P.F.; Viana, G.A.; Silva, D.S. da

    2013-01-01

    We report a procedure to implant high dose of xenon atoms (Xe) in amorphous carbon, a-C, and amorphous silicon, a-Si, for application in brachytherapy seeds. An ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) system was used for the deposition of the films, where one ion gun was used for sputtering a carbon (or silicon) target, while the other ion gun was used to simultaneously bombard the growing film with a beam of xenon ion Xe + in the 0–300 eV range. Xe atoms were implanted into the film with concentration up to 5.5 at.%, obtained with Xe bombardment energy in the 50–150 eV range. X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to investigate the local arrangement of the implanted Xe atoms through the Xe L III absorption edge (4.75 keV). It was observed that Xe atoms tend to agglomerate in nanoclusters in a-C and are dispersed in a-Si.

  18. Synthesis and electrochemical performances of amorphous carbon-coated Sn-Sb particles as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Zhong; Tian Wenhuai; Liu Xiaohe; Yang Rong; Li Xingguo

    2007-01-01

    The amorphous carbon coating on the Sn-Sb particles was prepared from aqueous glucose solutions using a hydrothermal method. Because the outer layer carbon of composite materials is loose cotton-like and porous-like, it can accommodate the expansion and contraction of active materials to maintain the stability of the structure, and hinder effectively the aggregation of nano-sized alloy particles. The as-prepared composite materials show much improved electrochemical performances as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries compared with Sn-Sb alloy and carbon alone. This amorphous carbon-coated Sn-Sb particle is extremely promising anode materials for lithium secondary batteries and has a high potentiality in the future use. - Graphical abstract: The amorphous carbon coating on the Sn-Sb particles was prepared from aqueous glucose solutions using a hydrothermal method. Because the outer layer carbon of composite materials is loose cotton-like and porous-like, it can accommodate the expansion and contraction of active materials to maintain the stability of the structure, and hinder effectively the aggregation of nano-sized alloy particles

  19. Control of wettability of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films by laser-assisted micro- and nanostructuring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfleging, Wilhelm; Kohler, Robert; Torge, Maika; Trouillet, Vanessa; Danneil, Friederike; Stueber, Michael

    2011-01-01

    A flexible and rapid surface functionalization of amorphous carbon films shows a great potential for various application fields such as biological surfaces and tribological systems. For this purpose, the combination of thin film deposition and subsequent laser material processing was investigated. Amorphous carbon layers doped with hydrogen were deposited on silicon wafers by reactive direct-current magnetron sputtering. Films with three different hydrogen contents were synthesized. Subsequent to the thin film deposition process, UV laser material processing at wavelengths of 193 nm or 248 nm was performed with respect to chemical surface modification and surface structuring on micro- and nanometer scale. Depending on structure size and laser-induced chemical surface modification the adjustment of the surface energy and wetting behaviour in a broad range from hydrophobic to hydrophilic was possible. The chemical modification and the ablation mechanisms near the ablation threshold were strongly influenced by the hydrogen content in amorphous carbon thin films. Structural and chemical information of the as-deposited and modified films was obtained by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements.

  20. Ultrafast carrier dynamics in tetrahedral amorphous carbon: carrier trapping versus electron-hole recombination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carpene, E; Mancini, E; Dallera, C; Schwen, D; Ronning, C; Silvestri, S De

    2007-01-01

    We report the investigation of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films by means of femtosecond time-resolved reflectivity. We estimated the electron-phonon relaxation time of a few hundred femtoseconds and we observed that under low optical excitation photo-generated carriers decay according to two distinct mechanisms attributed to trapping by defect states and direct electron-hole recombination. With high excitation, when photo-carrier and trap densities are comparable, a unique temporal evolution develops, as the time dependence of the trapping process becomes degenerate with the electron-hole recombination. This experimental evidence highlights the role of defects in the ultrafast electronic dynamics and is not specific to this particular form of carbon, but has general validity for amorphous and disordered semiconductors

  1. Rational design of coaxial mesoporous birnessite manganese dioxide/amorphous-carbon nanotubes arrays for advanced asymmetric supercapacitors

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Shijin; Zhang, Jie; Ma, Junjun; Zhang, Yuxin; Yao, Kexin

    2015-01-01

    Coaxial mesoporous MnO2/amorphous-carbon nanotubes have been synthesized via a facile and cost-effective strategy at room temperature. The coaxial double nanotubes of inner (outer) MnO2 and outer (inner) amorphous carbon can be obtained via fine tuning the preparative factors (e.g., deposition order and processing temperature). Furthermore, the electrochemical properties of the coaxial nanotubes were evaluated by cycle voltammetric (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GC) measurements. The as-prepared coaxial double nanotubes of outer MnO2 and inner amorphous carbon exhibit the optimized pseudocapacitance performance (362 F g-1) with good cycling stability, and ideal rate capability owning to the unique nanostructures. When assembled into two-electrode asymmetric supercapacitor, an energy density of 22.56 W h kg-1 at a power density of 224.9 W kg-1 is obtained. These findings provide a new and facile approach to fabricate high-performance electrode for supercapacitors.

  2. Rational design of coaxial mesoporous birnessite manganese dioxide/amorphous-carbon nanotubes arrays for advanced asymmetric supercapacitors

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Shijin

    2015-03-01

    Coaxial mesoporous MnO2/amorphous-carbon nanotubes have been synthesized via a facile and cost-effective strategy at room temperature. The coaxial double nanotubes of inner (outer) MnO2 and outer (inner) amorphous carbon can be obtained via fine tuning the preparative factors (e.g., deposition order and processing temperature). Furthermore, the electrochemical properties of the coaxial nanotubes were evaluated by cycle voltammetric (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GC) measurements. The as-prepared coaxial double nanotubes of outer MnO2 and inner amorphous carbon exhibit the optimized pseudocapacitance performance (362 F g-1) with good cycling stability, and ideal rate capability owning to the unique nanostructures. When assembled into two-electrode asymmetric supercapacitor, an energy density of 22.56 W h kg-1 at a power density of 224.9 W kg-1 is obtained. These findings provide a new and facile approach to fabricate high-performance electrode for supercapacitors.

  3. Effects of ion implantation on the hardness and friction behaviour of soda-lime silica glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bull, S.J.; Page, T.F.

    1992-01-01

    Ion implantation-induced changes in the near-surface mechanical properties of soda-lime silica glass have been investigated by indentation and scratch testing and have been found to be more complicated than changes in the corresponding properties of crystalline ceramic materials. Argon, nitrogen, carbon and potassium ions were used with energies in the range 45-300 keV. Hardness and scratch friction tests were performed under ambient laboratory conditions. At low doses, a decrease in hardness and an increase in both friction and surface stress are observed which are attributed to the electronic damage produced by ion implantation. At higher doses, the hardness increases again and a maximum is produced similar to the behaviour observed for crystalline materials. Similarly there is found to be a second stress and friction peak at this dose. This behaviour is shown to be due to the build-up of displacement damage produced by ion implantation and is thus very similar to the radiation hardening (and eventual amorphization) behaviour of ion-implanted crystalline ceramics. For glass, ''amorphization'' probably corresponds to some change in the existing amorphous state which, in turn, is responsible for the reduction in hardness, stress and friction at the highest doses. (author)

  4. Amorphous silicon based particle detectors

    OpenAIRE

    Wyrsch, N.; Franco, A.; Riesen, Y.; Despeisse, M.; Dunand, S.; Powolny, F.; Jarron, P.; Ballif, C.

    2012-01-01

    Radiation hard monolithic particle sensors can be fabricated by a vertical integration of amorphous silicon particle sensors on top of CMOS readout chip. Two types of such particle sensors are presented here using either thick diodes or microchannel plates. The first type based on amorphous silicon diodes exhibits high spatial resolution due to the short lateral carrier collection. Combination of an amorphous silicon thick diode with microstrip detector geometries permits to achieve micromete...

  5. Ultrathin diamond-like carbon films deposited by filtered carbon vacuum arcs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anders, Andre; Fong, Walton; Kulkarni, Ashok; Ryan, Francis W.; Bhatia, C. Singh

    2001-01-01

    Ultrathin ( and lt; 5 nm) hard carbon films are of great interest to the magnetic storage industry as the areal density approaches 100 Gbit/in(sup 2). These films are used as overcoats to protect the magnetic layers on disk media and the active elements of the read-write slider. Tetrahedral amorphous carbon films can be produced by filtered cathodic arc deposition, but the films will only be accepted by the storage industry only if the ''macroparticle'' issue has been solved. Better plasma filters have been developed over recent years. Emphasis is put on the promising twist filter system - a compact, open structure that operates with pulsed arcs and high magnetic field. Based on corrosion tests it is shown that the macroparticle reduction by the twist filter is satisfactory for this demanding application, while plasma throughput is very high. Ultrathin hard carbon films have been synthesized using S-filter and twist filter systems. Film properties such as hardness, elastic modulus, wear, and corrosion resistance have been tested

  6. Thermodynamic properties of the amorphous and crystalline modifications of carbon and the metastable synthesis of diamond

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guencheva, V.; Grantscharova, E.; Gutzow, I. [Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria). Inst. of Physical Chemistry

    2001-07-01

    The temperature dependencies of the thermodynamic properties of the little known (or even hypothetical) undercooled carbon melt and of the glasses that could be obtained from it at appropriate cooling rates are constructed. This is done using both a general thermodynamic formalism to estimate equilibrium properties of undercooled glass-forming melts and the expected analogy in properties of Fourth Group Elements. A comparison of the hypothetical carbon glasses with amorphous materials, obtained by the pyrolisis of organic resins, usually called vitreous (or glassy) carbon, is made. It turns out that from a thermodynamic point of view existing vitreous carbon materials, although characterized by an amorphous, frozen-in structure, differ significantly from the carbon glasses, which could be obtained by a splat-cool-quench of the carbon melt. It is shown also that the hypothetical carbon glasses should have at any temperature a thermodynamic potential, significantly higher than that of diamond. Thus they could be used as a source of constant supersaturation in metastable diamond synthesis. Existing amorphous carbon materials, although showing considerably lower thermodynamic potentials than the hypothetical carbon glasses, could also be used as sources of constant supersaturation in a process of isothermal diamond synthesis if their thermodynamic potential is additionally increased (e.g. by mechano-chemical treatment or by dispersion into nano-size scale). Theoretical estimates made in terms of Ostwald's Rule of Stages indicate that in processes of metastable isothermal diamond synthesis additional kinetic factors (e.g. influencing the formation of sp{sup 3} - carbon structures in the ambient phase) and the introduction of active substrates (e.g. diamond powder) are to be of significance in the realization of this thermodynamic possibility. (orig.)

  7. Synthesis and electrochemical performances of amorphous carbon-coated Sn Sb particles as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhong; Tian, Wenhuai; Liu, Xiaohe; Yang, Rong; Li, Xingguo

    2007-12-01

    The amorphous carbon coating on the Sn-Sb particles was prepared from aqueous glucose solutions using a hydrothermal method. Because the outer layer carbon of composite materials is loose cotton-like and porous-like, it can accommodate the expansion and contraction of active materials to maintain the stability of the structure, and hinder effectively the aggregation of nano-sized alloy particles. The as-prepared composite materials show much improved electrochemical performances as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries compared with Sn-Sb alloy and carbon alone. This amorphous carbon-coated Sn-Sb particle is extremely promising anode materials for lithium secondary batteries and has a high potentiality in the future use.

  8. Structure-property relations in amorphous carbon for photovoltaics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Risplendi, Francesca; Cicero, Giancarlo; Bernardi, Marco; Grossman, Jeffrey C.

    2014-01-01

    Carbon is emerging as a material with great potential for photovoltaics (PV). However, the amorphous form (a-C) has not been studied in detail as a PV material, even though it holds similarities with amorphous Silicon (a-Si) that is widely employed in efficient solar cells. In this work, we correlate the structure, bonding, stoichiometry, and hydrogen content of a-C with properties linked to PV performance such as the electronic structure and optical absorption. We employ first-principles molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations to generate and analyze a set of a-C structures with a range of densities and hydrogen concentrations. We demonstrate that optical and electronic properties of interest in PV can be widely tuned by varying the density and hydrogen content. For example, sunlight absorption in a-C films can significantly exceed that of a same thickness of a-Si for a range of densities and H contents in a-C. Our results highlight promising features of a-C as the active layer material of thin-film solar cells.

  9. Structure-property relations in amorphous carbon for photovoltaics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Risplendi, Francesca; Cicero, Giancarlo [Dipartimento di Scienza Applicata e Tecnologia, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino (Italy); Bernardi, Marco [Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Grossman, Jeffrey C., E-mail: jcg@mit.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

    2014-07-28

    Carbon is emerging as a material with great potential for photovoltaics (PV). However, the amorphous form (a-C) has not been studied in detail as a PV material, even though it holds similarities with amorphous Silicon (a-Si) that is widely employed in efficient solar cells. In this work, we correlate the structure, bonding, stoichiometry, and hydrogen content of a-C with properties linked to PV performance such as the electronic structure and optical absorption. We employ first-principles molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations to generate and analyze a set of a-C structures with a range of densities and hydrogen concentrations. We demonstrate that optical and electronic properties of interest in PV can be widely tuned by varying the density and hydrogen content. For example, sunlight absorption in a-C films can significantly exceed that of a same thickness of a-Si for a range of densities and H contents in a-C. Our results highlight promising features of a-C as the active layer material of thin-film solar cells.

  10. Effects of ion beam bombardment of carbon thin films deposited onto tungsten carbide and tool steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Awazu, Kaoru; Yoshida, Hiroyuki [Industrial Research Inst. of Ishikawa (Japan); Watanabe, Hiroshi [Gakushuin Univ., Tokyo (Japan); Iwaki, Masaya; Guzman, L [RIKEN, Saitama (Japan)

    1992-04-15

    A study was made of the effects of argon ion bombardment of carbon thin films deposited onto WC and tool steels. Carbon thin film deposition was performed at various temperatures ranging from 200degC to 350degC, using C{sub 6}H{sub 6} gas. Argon ion beam bombardment of the films was carried out at an energy of 150 keV with a dose of 1x10{sup 16} ions cm{sup -2}. The hardness and adhesion of the films were measured by means of Knoop hardness and scratch tests respectively. The structure of the carbon films was estimated by laser Raman spectroscopy, and the relations were investigated between the mechanical properties and the structure of the films. The hardness of carbon thin films increases as their deposition temperature decreases; this tendency corresponds to the increase in amorphous structure estimated by Raman spectra. Argon ion bombardment results in constant hardness and fraction of amorphous structure. Argon ion beam bombardment of films prior to additional carbon deposition may cause the adhesion of the subsequently deposited films to improve. It is concluded that argon ion beam bombardment is useful for improving the properties of carbon films deposited onto WC and tool steels. (orig.).

  11. Effects of ion beam bombardment of carbon thin films deposited onto tungsten carbide and tool steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Awazu, Kaoru; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Iwaki, Masaya; Guzman, L.

    1992-01-01

    A study was made of the effects of argon ion bombardment of carbon thin films deposited onto WC and tool steels. Carbon thin film deposition was performed at various temperatures ranging from 200degC to 350degC, using C 6 H 6 gas. Argon ion beam bombardment of the films was carried out at an energy of 150 keV with a dose of 1x10 16 ions cm -2 . The hardness and adhesion of the films were measured by means of Knoop hardness and scratch tests respectively. The structure of the carbon films was estimated by laser Raman spectroscopy, and the relations were investigated between the mechanical properties and the structure of the films. The hardness of carbon thin films increases as their deposition temperature decreases; this tendency corresponds to the increase in amorphous structure estimated by Raman spectra. Argon ion bombardment results in constant hardness and fraction of amorphous structure. Argon ion beam bombardment of films prior to additional carbon deposition may cause the adhesion of the subsequently deposited films to improve. It is concluded that argon ion beam bombardment is useful for improving the properties of carbon films deposited onto WC and tool steels. (orig.)

  12. Controlled fluoridation of amorphous carbon films deposited at reactive plasma conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoffe Alexander

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available A study of the correlations between plasma parameters, gas ratios, and deposited amorphous carbon film properties is presented. The injection of a C4F8/Ar/N2 mixture of gases was successfully used in an inductively coupled plasma system for the preparation of amorphous carbon films with different fluoride doping at room-temperature, using silicon as a substrate. This coating was formed at low-pressure and low-energy using an inductively coupled plasma process. A strong dependence between the ratios of gases during deposition and the composition of the substrate compounds was shown. The values of ratios between Ar (or Ar+N2 and C4F8 - 1:1 and between N2 and Ar - 1:2 in the N2/Ar/C4F8 mixture were found as the best for low fluoridated coatings. In addition, an example of improving the etch-passivation in the Bosch procedure was described. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy options, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray reflectivity were used for quantitative analysis of the deposited films.

  13. Etching characteristics and application of physical-vapor-deposited amorphous carbon for multilevel resist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, H. T.; Kwon, B. S.; Lee, N.-E.; Park, Y. S.; Cho, H. J.; Hong, B.

    2008-01-01

    For the fabrication of a multilevel resist (MLR) based on a very thin, physical-vapor-deposited (PVD) amorphous carbon (a-C) layer, the etching characteristics of the PVD a-C layer with a SiO x hard mask were investigated in a dual-frequency superimposed capacitively coupled plasma etcher by varying the following process parameters in O 2 /N 2 /Ar plasmas: high-frequency/low-frequency combination (f HF /f LF ), HF/LF power ratio (P HF /P LF ), and O 2 and N 2 flow rates. The very thin nature of the a-C layer helps to keep the aspect ratio of the etched features low. The etch rate of the PVD a-C layer increased with decreasing f HF /f LF combination and increasing P LF and was initially increased but then decreased with increasing N 2 flow rate in O 2 /N 2 /Ar plasmas. The application of a 30 nm PVD a-C layer in the MLR structure of ArF PR/BARC/SiO x /PVD a-C/TEOS oxide supported the possibility of using a very thin PVD a-C layer as an etch-mask layer for the TEOS-oxide layer

  14. Effective utilizations of palm oil mill fly ash for synthetic amorphous silica and carbon zeolite composite synthesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Utama, P. S.; Saputra, E.; Khairat

    2018-04-01

    Palm Oil Mill Fly Ash (POMFA) the solid waste of palm oil industry was used as a raw material for synthetic amorphous silica and carbon zeolite composite synthesis in order to minimize the wastes of palm oil industry. The alkaline extraction combine with the sol-gel precipitation and mechanical fragmentation was applied to produce synthetic amorphous silica. The byproduct, extracted POMFA was rich in carbon and silica content in a significant amount. The microwave heated hydrothermal process used to synthesize carbon zeolite composite from the byproduct. The obtained silica had chemical composition, specific surface area and the micrograph similar to commercial precipitated silica for rubber filler. The microwave heated hydrothermal process has a great potential for synthesizing carbon zeolite composite. The process only needs one-step and shorter time compare to conventional hydrothermal process.

  15. Effect of sulfur and Nano- carbon black on the mechanical properties of hard rubber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Hamza Al-Maamori

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available To improve the properties of hard rubber(Ebonite from natural rubber, added Nano-Carbon black, where measured the properties of tensile, density, hardness and the properties of the vulcanization of a group of samples with different amount of sulfur from 18-36 pphr and different of carbon black (18-26-30 pphr. The results showed that the best carbon black ratio is 30 pphr, where it gives a balance between tensile properties of hand and toughness and flexibility of on the other hand and reduce brittleness in hard rubber.

  16. Incidence Angle Effect of Energetic Carbon Ions on Deposition Rate, Topography, and Structure of Ultrathin Amorphous Carbon Films Deposited by Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, N.; Komvopoulos, K.

    2012-01-01

    The effect of the incidence angle of energetic carbon ions on the thickness, topography, and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon (a-C) films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) was examined in the context of numerical

  17. Exact theory of dense amorphous hard spheres in high dimension. II. The high density regime and the Gardner transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurchan, Jorge; Parisi, Giorgio; Urbani, Pierfrancesco; Zamponi, Francesco

    2013-10-24

    We consider the theory of the glass phase and jamming of hard spheres in the large space dimension limit. Building upon the exact expression for the free-energy functional obtained previously, we find that the random first order transition (RFOT) scenario is realized here with two thermodynamic transitions: the usual Kauzmann point associated with entropy crisis and a further transition at higher pressures in which a glassy structure of microstates is developed within each amorphous state. This kind of glass-glass transition into a phase dominating the higher densities was described years ago by Elisabeth Gardner, and may well be a generic feature of RFOT. Microstates that are small excitations of an amorphous matrix-separated by low entropic or energetic barriers-thus emerge naturally, and modify the high pressure (or low temperature) limit of the thermodynamic functions.

  18. Short pulse laser-induced optical damage and fracto-emission of amorphous, diamond-like carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    SOKOLOWSKI-TINTEN,K.; VON DER LINDE,D.; SIEGAL,MICHAEL P.; OVERMYER,DONALD L.

    2000-02-07

    Short pulse laser damage and ablation of amorphous, diamond-like carbon films is investigated. Material removal is due to fracture of the film and ejection of large fragments, which exhibit a broadband emission of microsecond duration.

  19. Hardness and adhesion performances of nanocoating on carbon steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasnidawani, J. N.; Azlina, H. N.; Norita, H.; Bonnia, N. N.

    2018-01-01

    Nanocoatings industry has been aggressive in searching for cost-effective alternatives and environmental friendly approaches to manufacture products. Nanocoatings represent an engineering solution to prevent corrosion of the structural parts of ships, insulation and pipelines industries. The adhesion and hardness properties of coating affect material properties. This paper reviews ZnO-SiO2 as nanopowder in nano coating formulation as the agent for new and improved coating performances. Carbon steel on type S50C used as common substrate in nanocoating industry. 3wt% ZnO and 2wt% SiO2 addition of nanoparticles into nanocoating showed the best formulation since hardness and adhesion of nanocoating was good on carbon steel substrate. Incorporation of nanoparticles into coating increased the performances of coating.

  20. Research Update: Hard carbon with closed pores from pectin-free apple pomace waste for Na-ion batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dou, Xinwei; Geng, Chenxi; Buchholz, Daniel; Passerini, Stefano

    2018-04-01

    Herein, we report a hard carbon derived from industrial bio-waste, i.e., pectin-free apple pomace. The structural, morphological, and electrochemical properties of the hard carbon are reported. The impact of the bio-waste on the closed porosity is discussed, providing valuable insights into the sodium storage mechanism in hard carbons. Most importantly, the hard carbon delivers good electrochemical performance, high specific capacities of 285 mAh g-1, and a very good capacity retention of 96% after 230 cycles at 0.1 C.

  1. Amorphous-tetrahedral diamondlike carbon layered structures resulting from film growth energetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegal, M. P.; Barbour, J. C.; Provencio, P. N.; Tallant, D. R.; Friedmann, T. A.

    1998-08-01

    High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) shows that amorphous-tetrahedral diamondlike carbon (a-tC) films grown by pulsed-laser deposition on Si(100) consist of three-to-four layers, depending on the growth energetics. We estimate the density of each layer using both HRTEM image contrast and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The first carbon layer and final surface layer have relatively low density. The bulk of the film between these two layers has higher density. For films grown under the most energetic conditions, there exists a superdense a-tC layer between the interface and bulk layers. The density of all four layers, and the thickness of the surface and interfacial layers, correlate well with the energetics of the depositing carbon species.

  2. Electronic sputtering by swift highly charged ions of nitrogen on amorphous carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caron, M.; Haranger, F.; Rothard, H.; Ban d'Etat, B.; Boduch, P.; Clouvas, A.; Potiriadis, C.; Neugebauer, R.; Jalowy, T.

    2001-01-01

    Electronic sputtering with heavy ions as a function of both electronic energy loss dE/dx and projectile charge state q was studied at the French heavy ion accelerator GANIL. Amorphous carbon (untreated, and sputter-cleaned and subsequently exposed to nitrogen) was irradiated with swift highly charged ions (Z=6-73, q=6-54, energy 6-13 MeV/u) in an ultrahigh vacuum scattering chamber. The fluence dependence of ion-induced electron yields allows to deduce a desorption cross-section σ which varies approximately as σ∼(dE/dx) 1.65 or σ∼q 3.3 for sputter-cleaned amorphous carbon exposed to nitrogen. This q dependence is close to the cubic charge dependence observed for the emission of H + secondary ions which are believed to be emitted from the very surface. However, the power law σ∼(dE/dx) 1.65 , related to the electronic energy loss gives the best empirical description. The dependence on dE/dx is close to a quadratic one thus rather pointing towards a thermal evaporation-like effect

  3. Piezoresistive effect observed in flexible amorphous carbon films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, B.; Jiang, Y. C.; Zhao, R.; Liu, G. Z.; He, A. P.; Gao, J.

    2018-05-01

    Amorphous carbon (a-C) films, deposited on Si substrates at 500 °C, were transferred onto flexible polyethylene (PE) substrates by a lift-off method, which overcomes the limit of deposition temperature. After transferring, a-C films exhibited a large piezoresistive effect. Such flexible samples could detect the change of bending angle by attaching them onto Cu foils. The ratio of the bending and non-bending resistances reaches as large as ~27.8, which indicates a potential application as a pressure sensor. Also, the a-C/PE sample revealed an enhanced sensitivity to gas pressure compared with the a-C/Si one. By controlling the bending angle, the sensitivity range can be tuned to shift to a low- or high-pressure region. The fatigue test shows a less than 1% change in resistance after 10 000 bending cycles. Our work provides a route to prepare the flexible and piezoresistive carbon-based devices with high sensitivity, controllable pressure-sensing and high stability.

  4. On the structure of amorphous calcium carbonate--a detailed study by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nebel, Holger; Neumann, Markus; Mayer, Christian; Epple, Matthias

    2008-09-01

    The calcium carbonate phases calcite, aragonite, vaterite, monohydrocalcite (calcium carbonate monohydrate), and ikaite (calcium carbonate hexahydrate) were studied by solid-state NMR spectroscopy ( (1)H and (13)C). Further model compounds were sodium hydrogencarbonate, potassium hydrogencarbonate, and calcium hydroxide. With the help of these data, the structure of synthetically prepared additive-free amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) was analyzed. ACC contains molecular water (as H 2O), a small amount of mobile hydroxide, and no hydrogencarbonate. This supports the concept of ACC as a transient precursor in the formation of calcium carbonate biominerals.

  5. Enhancement of photovoltaic effects and photoconductivity observed in Co-doped amorphous carbon/silicon heterostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Y. C.; Gao, J., E-mail: jugao@hku.hk [Research Center for Solid State Physics and Materials, School of Mathematics and Physics, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, Jiangsu (China)

    2016-08-22

    Co-doped amorphous carbon (Co-C)/silicon heterostructures were fabricated by growing Co-C films on n-type Si substrates using pulsed laser deposition. A photovoltaic effect (PVE) has been observed at room temperature. Open-circuit voltage V{sub oc} = 320 mV and short-circuit current density J{sub sc }= 5.62 mA/cm{sup 2} were measured under illumination of 532-nm light with the power of 100 mW/cm{sup 2}. In contrast, undoped amorphous carbon/Si heterostructures revealed no significant PVE. Based on the PVE and photoconductivity (PC) investigated at different temperatures, it was found that the energy conversion efficiency increased with increasing the temperature and reached the maximum at room temperature, while the photoconductivity showed a reverse temperature dependence. The observed competition between PVE and PC was correlated with the way to distribute absorbed photons. The possible mechanism, explaining the enhanced PVE and PC in the Co-C/Si heterostructures, might be attributed to light absorption enhanced by localized surface plasmons in Co nanoparticles embedded in the carbon matrix.

  6. The multilayered structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Na; Komvopoulos, Kyriakos

    2013-01-01

    The structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon (a-C) films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron

  7. Vertical electric field stimulated neural cell functionality on porous amorphous carbon electrodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Shilpee; Sharma, Ashutosh; Basu, Bikramjit

    2013-12-01

    We demonstrate the efficacy of amorphous macroporous carbon substrates as electrodes to support neuronal cell proliferation and differentiation in electric field mediated culture conditions. The electric field was applied perpendicular to carbon substrate electrode, while growing mouse neuroblastoma (N2a) cells in vitro. The placement of the second electrode outside of the cell culture medium allows the investigation of cell response to electric field without the concurrent complexities of submerged electrodes such as potentially toxic electrode reactions, electro-kinetic flows and charge transfer (electrical current) in the cell medium. The macroporous carbon electrodes are uniquely characterized by a higher specific charge storage capacity (0.2 mC/cm(2)) and low impedance (3.3 kΩ at 1 kHz). The optimal window of electric field stimulation for better cell viability and neurite outgrowth is established. When a uniform or a gradient electric field was applied perpendicular to the amorphous carbon substrate, it was found that the N2a cell viability and neurite length were higher at low electric field strengths (≤ 2.5 V/cm) compared to that measured without an applied field (0 V/cm). While the cell viability was assessed by two complementary biochemical assays (MTT and LDH), the differentiation was studied by indirect immunostaining. Overall, the results of the present study unambiguously establish the uniform/gradient vertical electric field based culture protocol to either enhance or to restrict neurite outgrowth respectively at lower or higher field strengths, when neuroblastoma cells are cultured on porous glassy carbon electrodes having a desired combination of electrochemical properties. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Capillarity creates single-crystal calcite nanowires from amorphous calcium carbonate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yi-Yeoun; Hetherington, Nicola B J; Noel, Elizabeth H; Kröger, Roland; Charnock, John M; Christenson, Hugo K; Meldrum, Fiona C

    2011-12-23

    Single-crystal calcite nanowires are formed by crystallization of morphologically equivalent amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) particles within the pores of track etch membranes. The polyaspartic acid stabilized ACC is drawn into the membrane pores by capillary action, and the single-crystal nature of the nanowires is attributed to the limited contact of the intramembrane ACC particle with the bulk solution. The reaction environment then supports transformation to a single-crystal product. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Nanostructural study of the thermal transformation of diamond-like amorphous carbon into an ultrahard carbon nanocomposite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez-Miranda, L. J.; Siegal, M. P.; Provencio, P. P.

    2001-01-01

    We studied the structural transformation of diamond-like amorphous carbon (a-C) films into ultrahard carbon nanocomposites via postannealing to 600 C using transmission electron microscopy, x-ray reflectivity, and small-angle scattering. Film density decreases monotonically above 200 C. Film surfaces roughen upon annealing to 300 C; however, a-C recovers its smoothness with higher temperature annealing. Finally, there exists some quasiperiodic nanostructural feature with a lattice spacing that increases with annealing, correlating well with purely a-C nanocomposite structures imaged from samples annealed at 600 C. We propose that these annealing-induced nanostructural changes are a derivative of localized stress fields in as-grown a-C films

  10. Nanostructural study of the thermal transformation of diamond-like amorphous carbon into an ultrahard carbon nanocomposite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martinez-Miranda, L. J.; Siegal, M. P.; Provencio, P. P.

    2001-07-23

    We studied the structural transformation of diamond-like amorphous carbon (a-C) films into ultrahard carbon nanocomposites via postannealing to 600 C using transmission electron microscopy, x-ray reflectivity, and small-angle scattering. Film density decreases monotonically above 200 C. Film surfaces roughen upon annealing to 300 C; however, a-C recovers its smoothness with higher temperature annealing. Finally, there exists some quasiperiodic nanostructural feature with a lattice spacing that increases with annealing, correlating well with purely a-C nanocomposite structures imaged from samples annealed at 600 C. We propose that these annealing-induced nanostructural changes are a derivative of localized stress fields in as-grown a-C films.

  11. Effect of Mo-Fe substitution on glass forming ability, thermal stability, and hardness of Fe-C-B-Mo-Cr-W bulk amorphous alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khalifa, Hesham E.; Cheney, Justin L. [University of California, San Diego Materials Science and Engineering Program, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0411 (United States); Vecchio, Kenneth S. [University of California, San Diego Department of NanoEngineering, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0411 (United States)], E-mail: kvecchio@ucsd.edu

    2008-08-25

    Amorphous Fe{sub 67-x}C{sub 10}B{sub 9}Mo{sub 7+x}Cr{sub 4}W{sub 3} (x = 1-7 at.%) plates with 640 {mu}m thickness were prepared by copper mold casting. The thermal properties and microstructural development during heat treatments were investigated by a combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), differential thermal analysis, and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The glass forming ability (GFA) and activation energy for crystallization have a distinct dependence on Mo content. Fe{sub 62}C{sub 10}B{sub 9}Mo{sub 12}Cr{sub 4}W{sub 3} is the best glass former in this study, demonstrating a supercooled liquid region, {delta}T{sub x} = 51 K, and an activation energy for crystallization, Q = 453 kJ/mol. The GFA of alloys in this system was governed by elastic strain optimization resulting directly from the variation in Mo content. Heat treatments were performed to demonstrate resistance to crystallization under typical processing conditions. Alloys in this system exhibited a three-phase evolution during crystallization. A second set of heat treatments was performed to identify each phase. Hardness data was collected at each of the heat treatment conditions, and a bulk metallic glasses (BMG)-derived composite containing a Mo-rich phase exhibited Vickers Hardness in excess of 2000. The fully amorphous alloys had an average hardness approaching 1500.

  12. Buckling instability in amorphous carbon films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, X D [CAS Key Laboratory of Basic Plasma Physics, Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Narumi, K [Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Naramoto, H [Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan)

    2007-06-13

    In this paper, we report the buckling instability in amorphous carbon films on mirror-polished sapphire (0001) wafers deposited by ion beam assisted deposition at various growth temperatures. For the films deposited at 150 deg. C, many interesting stress relief patterns are found, which include networks, blisters, sinusoidal patterns with {pi}-shape, and highly ordered sinusoidal waves on a large scale. Starting at irregular buckling in the centre, the latter propagate towards the outer buckling region. The maximum length of these ordered patterns reaches 396 {mu}m with a height of {approx}500 nm and a wavelength of {approx}8.2 {mu}m. However, the length decreases dramatically to 70 {mu}m as the deposition temperature is increased to 550 deg. C. The delamination of the film appears instead of sinusoidal waves with a further increase of the deposition temperature. This experimental observation is correlated with the theoretic work of Crosby (1999 Phys. Rev. E 59 R2542)

  13. Buckling instability in amorphous carbon films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, X D; Narumi, K; Naramoto, H

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, we report the buckling instability in amorphous carbon films on mirror-polished sapphire (0001) wafers deposited by ion beam assisted deposition at various growth temperatures. For the films deposited at 150 deg. C, many interesting stress relief patterns are found, which include networks, blisters, sinusoidal patterns with π-shape, and highly ordered sinusoidal waves on a large scale. Starting at irregular buckling in the centre, the latter propagate towards the outer buckling region. The maximum length of these ordered patterns reaches 396 μm with a height of ∼500 nm and a wavelength of ∼8.2 μm. However, the length decreases dramatically to 70 μm as the deposition temperature is increased to 550 deg. C. The delamination of the film appears instead of sinusoidal waves with a further increase of the deposition temperature. This experimental observation is correlated with the theoretic work of Crosby (1999 Phys. Rev. E 59 R2542)

  14. Low-Surface-Area Hard Carbon Anode for Na-Ion Batteries via Graphene Oxide as a Dehydration Agent

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luo, W; Bommier, C; Jian, ZL; Li, X; Carter, R; Vail, S; Lu, YH; Lee, JJ; Ji, XL

    2015-02-04

    Na-ion batteries are emerging as one of the most promising energy storage technologies, particularly for grid-level applications. Among anode candidate materials, hard carbon is very attractive due to its high capacity and low cost. However, hard carbon anodes often suffer a low first-cycle Coulombic efficiency and fast capacity fading. In this study, we discover that doping graphene oxide into sucrose, the precursor for hard carbon, can effectively reduce the specific surface area of hard carbon to as low as 5.4 m(2)/g. We further reveal that such doping can effectively prevent foaming during caramelization of sucrose and extend the pyrolysis burnoff of sucrose caramel over a wider temperature range. The obtained low-surface-area hard carbon greatly improves the first-cycle Coulombic efficiency from 74% to 83% and delivers a very stable cyclic life with 95% of capacity retention after 200 cycles.

  15. Improvement of the corrosion and tribological properties of CSS-42L aerospace bearing steel using carbon ion implantation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Fangfang; Zhou, Chungen; Zheng, Lijing, E-mail: zhenglijing@buaa.edu.cn; Zhang, Hu

    2017-01-15

    Highlights: • The corrosion and tribological properties of an aerospace bearing steel CSS-42L was investigated. • Carbon ion implantation was conducted and an amorphous layer formed at the near surface of CSS-42L steel. • The enhanced Cr diffusion and the decreased free electrons are contributed to the improvement of corrosion properties. • The external hard layer has positive effect on the wear resistance. - Abstract: The aerospace bearings steel CSS-42L was ion implanted by carbon with implantation fluxes of 5 × 10{sup 16} ions cm{sup −2}. The composition, microstructure and hardness of the carbon implanted samples were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nanoindentation tests. The corrosion and tribological properties were also evaluated in the present work. The results shown that carbon implantation produced an amorphous layer and graphitic bounds formed at the near surface of CSS-42L steel. In the electrochemical test, the carbon implanted samples suggested lower current densities and corrosion rates. Carbon ion implanted samples shown a relative Cr-enrichment at the surface as compared with nonimplanted samples. The improved corrosion resistance is believed to be related to the formed amorphous layer, the enhancement of Cr diffusion in the carbon implantation layer which contributed the formation of passive film on the surface, the decrease of free electrons which caused by the increase of carbon fraction. The external hard layer had positive effect on the wear resistance, reducing strongly the friction coefficient about 30% and the abrasive-adhesive mechanism present in the unimplanted samples was not modified by the implantation process.

  16. Unlocking the Electrocatalytic Activity of Chemically Inert Amorphous Carbon-Nitrogen for Oxygen Reduction: Discerning and Refactoring Chaotic Bonds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Caihong; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Dong

    2017-01-01

    Mild annealing enables inactive nitrogen (N)-doped amorphous carbon (a-C) films abundant with chaotic bonds prepared by magnetron sputtering to become effective for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by virtue of generating pyridinic N. The rhythmic variation of ORR activity elaborates well...... on the subtle evolution of the amorphous C−N bonds conferred by spectroscopic analysis....

  17. THE EFFECT OF DIAMETER ON THE MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF AMORPHOUS-CARBON FIBERS FROM LINEAR LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    PENNING, JP; LAGCHER, R; PENNINGS, AJ

    The mechanical properties of amorphous carbon fibers, derived from linear low density polyethylene strongly depend on the fibre diameter, which may be attributed to the presence of a skin/core structure in these fibres. High strength carbon fibres could thus be prepared by using thin precursor

  18. Fracture of Carbon Nanotube - Amorphous Carbon Composites: Molecular Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Benjamin D.; Wise, Kristopher E.; Odegard, Gregory M.

    2015-01-01

    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising candidates for use as reinforcements in next generation structural composite materials because of their extremely high specific stiffness and strength. They cannot, however, be viewed as simple replacements for carbon fibers because there are key differences between these materials in areas such as handling, processing, and matrix design. It is impossible to know for certain that CNT composites will represent a significant advance over carbon fiber composites before these various factors have been optimized, which is an extremely costly and time intensive process. This work attempts to place an upper bound on CNT composite mechanical properties by performing molecular dynamics simulations on idealized model systems with a reactive forcefield that permits modeling of both elastic deformations and fracture. Amorphous carbon (AC) was chosen for the matrix material in this work because of its structural simplicity and physical compatibility with the CNT fillers. It is also much stiffer and stronger than typical engineering polymer matrices. Three different arrangements of CNTs in the simulation cell have been investigated: a single-wall nanotube (SWNT) array, a multi-wall nanotube (MWNT) array, and a SWNT bundle system. The SWNT and MWNT array systems are clearly idealizations, but the SWNT bundle system is a step closer to real systems in which individual tubes aggregate into large assemblies. The effect of chemical crosslinking on composite properties is modeled by adding bonds between the CNTs and AC. The balance between weakening the CNTs and improving fiber-matrix load transfer is explored by systematically varying the extent of crosslinking. It is, of course, impossible to capture the full range of deformation and fracture processes that occur in real materials with even the largest atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. With this limitation in mind, the simulation results reported here provide a plausible upper limit on

  19. Bone tissue engineering on amorphous carbonated apatite and crystalline octacalcium phosphate-coated titanium discs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dekker, Robert J.; de Bruijn, Joost Dick; Stigter, Martin; Barrère, F.; Layrolle, Pierre; van Blitterswijk, Clemens

    2005-01-01

    Poor fixation of bone replacement implants, e.g. the artificial hip, in implantation sites with inferior bone quality and quantity may be overcome by the use of implants coated with a cultured living bone equivalent. In this study, we tested, respectively, amorphous carbonated apatite (CA)- and

  20. Nanostructural study of the thermal transformation of diamond-like amorphous carbon into an ultrahard carbon nanocomposite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Miranda, L. J.; Siegal, M. P.; Provencio, P. P.

    2001-07-01

    We studied the structural transformation of diamond-like amorphous carbon (a-C) films into ultrahard carbon nanocomposites via postannealing to 600 °C using transmission electron microscopy, x-ray reflectivity, and small-angle scattering. Film density decreases monotonically above 200 °C. Film surfaces roughen upon annealing to 300 °C; however, a-C recovers its smoothness with higher temperature annealing. Finally, there exists some quasiperiodic nanostructural feature with a lattice spacing that increases with annealing, correlating well with purely a-C nanocomposite structures imaged from samples annealed at 600 °C. We propose that these annealing-induced nanostructural changes are a derivative of localized stress fields in as-grown a-C films.

  1. Structure-properties relationships of novel poly(carbonate-co-amide) segmented copolymers with polyamide-6 as hard segments and polycarbonate as soft segments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yunyun; Kong, Weibo; Yuan, Ye; Zhou, Changlin; Cai, Xufu

    2018-04-01

    Novel poly(carbonate-co-amide) (PCA) block copolymers are prepared with polycarbonate diol (PCD) as soft segments, polyamide-6 (PA6) as hard segments and 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) as coupling agent through reactive processing. The reactive processing strategy is eco-friendly and resolve the incompatibility between polyamide segments and PCD segments in preparation processing. The chemical structure, crystalline properties, thermal properties, mechanical properties and water resistance were extensively studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Thermal gravity analysis (TGA), Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile testing, water contact angle and water absorption, respectively. The as-prepared PCAs exhibit obvious microphase separation between the crystalline hard PA6 phase and amorphous PCD soft segments. Meanwhile, PCAs showed outstanding mechanical with the maximum tensile strength of 46.3 MPa and elongation at break of 909%. The contact angle and water absorption results indicate that PCAs demonstrate outstanding water resistance even though possess the hydrophilic surfaces. The TGA measurements prove that the thermal stability of PCA can satisfy the requirement of multiple-processing without decomposition.

  2. Modelling the structure factors and pair distribution functions of amorphous germanium, silicon and carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalgic, Seyfettin; Gonzalez, Luis Enrique; Baer, Shalom; Silbert, Moises

    2002-01-01

    We present the results of calculations of the static structure factor S(k) and the pair distribution function g(r) of the tetrahedral amorphous semiconductors germanium, silicon and carbon using the structural diffusion model (SDM). The results obtained with the SDM for S(k) and g(r) are of comparable quality with those obtained by the unconstrained Reverse Monte Carlo simulations and existing ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for these systems. We have found that g(r) exhibits a small peak, or shoulder, a weak remnant of the prominent third neighbour peak present in the crystalline phase of these systems. This feature has been experimentally found to be present in recently reported high energy X-ray experiments of amorphous silicon (Phys. Rev. B 60 (1999) 13520), as well as in the previous X-ray diffraction of as-evaporated amorphous germanium (Phys. Rev. B 50 (1994) 539)

  3. Modelling the structure factors and pair distribution functions of amorphous germanium, silicon and carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dalgic, Seyfettin; Gonzalez, Luis Enrique; Baer, Shalom; Silbert, Moises

    2002-12-01

    We present the results of calculations of the static structure factor S(k) and the pair distribution function g(r) of the tetrahedral amorphous semiconductors germanium, silicon and carbon using the structural diffusion model (SDM). The results obtained with the SDM for S(k) and g(r) are of comparable quality with those obtained by the unconstrained Reverse Monte Carlo simulations and existing ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for these systems. We have found that g(r) exhibits a small peak, or shoulder, a weak remnant of the prominent third neighbour peak present in the crystalline phase of these systems. This feature has been experimentally found to be present in recently reported high energy X-ray experiments of amorphous silicon (Phys. Rev. B 60 (1999) 13520), as well as in the previous X-ray diffraction of as-evaporated amorphous germanium (Phys. Rev. B 50 (1994) 539)

  4. Amorphization of ceramics by ion beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McHargue, C.J.; Farlow, G.C.; White, C.W.; Williams, J.M.; Appleton, B.R.; Naramoto, H.

    1984-01-01

    The influence of the implantation parameters fluence, substrate temperature, and chemical species on the formation of amorphous phases in Al 2 O 3 and α-SiC was studied. At 300 0 K, fluences in excess of 10 17 ions.cm -2 were generally required to amorphize Al 2 O 3 ; however, implantation of zirconium formed the amorphous phase at a fluence of 4 x 10 16 Zr.cm -2 . At 77 0 K, the threshold fluence was lowered to about 2 x 10 15 Cr.cm -2 . Single crystals of α-SiC were amorphized at 300 0 K by a fluence of 2 x 10 14 Cr.cm -2 or 1 x 10 15 N.cm -2 . Implantation at 1023 0 K did not produce the amorphous phase in SiC. The micro-indentation hardness of the amorphous material was about 60% of that of the crystalline counterpart

  5. High throughput deposition of hydrogenated amorphous carbon coatings on rubber with expanding thermal plasma

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pei, Y.T.; Eivani, A.R.; Zaharia, T.; Kazantis, A.V.; Sanden, van de M.C.M.; De Hosson, J.T.M.

    2014-01-01

    Flexible hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) thin film coated on rubbers has shown outstanding protection of rubber seals from friction and wear. This work concentrates on the potential advances of expanding thermal plasma (ETP) process for a high throughput deposition of a-C:H thin films in

  6. Substrate temperature influence on the trombogenicity in amorphous carbon nitride thin coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galeano-Osorio, D.S.; Vargas, S.; Lopez-Cordoba, L.M.; Ospina, R.; Restrepo-Parra, E.; Arango, P.J.

    2010-01-01

    Carbon nitride thin films were obtained through plasma assisted physical vapor deposition technique by pulsed arc, varying the substrate temperature and investigating the influence of this parameter on the films hemocompatibility. For obtaining approaches of blood compatibility, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) was used in order to study the platelets adherence and their morphology. Moreover, the elemental chemical composition was determined by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), finding C, N and O. The coatings hemocompatibility was evaluated by in vitro thrombogenicity test, whose results were correlated with the microstructure and roughness of the films obtained. During the films growth process, the substrate temperature was varied, obtaining coatings under different temperatures, room temperature (T room ), 100 deg. C, 150 deg. C and 200 deg. C. Parameters as interelectrodic distance, voltage, work pressure and number of discharges, were remained constant. By EDS, carbon and nitrogen were found in the films. Visible Raman spectroscopy was used, and it revealed an amorphous lattice, with graphitic process as the substrate temperature was increased. However, at a critical temperature of 150 deg. C, this tendency was broken, and the film became more amorphous. This film showed the lowest roughness, 2 ± 1 nm. This last characteristic favored the films hemocompatibility. Also, it was demonstrated that the blood compatibility of carbon nitride films obtained were affected by the I D /I G or sp 3 /sp 2 ratio and not by the absolute sp 3 or sp 2 concentration.

  7. Corrosion resistant amorphous metals and methods of forming corrosion resistant amorphous metals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farmer, Joseph C [Tracy, CA; Wong, Frank M. G. [Livermore, CA; Haslam, Jeffery J [Livermore, CA; Yang, Nancy [Lafayette, CA; Lavernia, Enrique J [Davis, CA; Blue, Craig A [Knoxville, TN; Graeve, Olivia A [Reno, NV; Bayles, Robert [Annandale, VA; Perepezko, John H [Madison, WI; Kaufman, Larry [Brookline, MA; Schoenung, Julie [Davis, CA; Ajdelsztajn, Leo [Walnut Creek, CA

    2009-11-17

    A system for coating a surface comprises providing a source of amorphous metal, providing ceramic particles, and applying the amorphous metal and the ceramic particles to the surface by a spray. The coating comprises a composite material made of amorphous metal that contains one or more of the following elements in the specified range of composition: yttrium (.gtoreq.1 atomic %), chromium (14 to 18 atomic %), molybdenum (.gtoreq.7 atomic %), tungsten (.gtoreq.1 atomic %), boron (.ltoreq.5 atomic %), or carbon (.gtoreq.4 atomic %).

  8. Highly ordered amorphous silicon-carbon alloys obtained by RF PECVD

    CERN Document Server

    Pereyra, I; Carreno, M N P; Prado, R J; Fantini, M C A

    2000-01-01

    We have shown that close to stoichiometry RF PECVD amorphous silicon carbon alloys deposited under silane starving plasma conditions exhibit a tendency towards c-Si C chemical order. Motivated by this trend, we further explore the effect of increasing RF power and H sub 2 dilution of the gaseous mixtures, aiming to obtain the amorphous counterpart of c-Si C by the RF-PECVD technique. Doping experiments were also performed on ordered material using phosphorus and nitrogen as donor impurities and boron and aluminum as acceptor ones. For nitrogen a doping efficiency close to device quality a-Si:H was obtained, the lower activation energy being 0,12 eV with room temperature dark conductivity of 2.10 sup - sup 3 (OMEGA.cm). Nitrogen doping efficiency was higher than phosphorous for all studied samples. For p-type doping, results indicate that, even though the attained conductivity values are not device levels, aluminum doping conducted to a promising shift in the Fermi level. Also, aluminum resulted a more efficie...

  9. Electron emission induced modifications in amorphous tetrahedral diamondlike carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mercer, T.W.; DiNardo, N.J.; Rothman, J.B.; Siegal, M.P.; Friedmann, T.A.; Martinez-Miranda, L.J.

    1998-01-01

    The cold-cathode electron emission properties of amorphous tetrahedral diamondlike carbon are promising for flat-panel display and vacuum microelectronics technologies. The onset of electron emission is, typically, preceded by open-quotes conditioningclose quotes where the material is stressed by an applied electric field. To simulate conditioning and assess its effect, we combined the spatially localized field and current of a scanning tunneling microscope tip with high-spatial-resolution characterization. Scanning force microscopy shows that conditioning alters surface morphology and electronic structure. Spatially resolved electron-energy-loss spectroscopy indicates that the predominant bonding configuration changes from predominantly fourfold to threefold coordination. copyright 1998 American Institute of Physics

  10. Deposit of thin films of nitrided amorphous carbon using the laser ablation technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rebollo, P.B.; Escobar A, L.; Camps C, E.; Haro P, E.; Camacho L, M.A.; Muhl S, S.

    2000-01-01

    It is reported the synthesis and characterization of thin films of amorphous carbon (a-C) nitrided, deposited by laser ablation in a nitrogen atmosphere at pressures which are from 4.5 x 10 -4 Torr until 7.5 x 10 -2 Torr. The structural properties of the films are studied by Raman spectroscopy obtaining similar spectra at the reported for carbon films type diamond. The study of behavior of the energy gap and the ratio nitrogen/carbon (N/C) in the films, shows that the energy gap is reduced when the nitrogen incorporation is increased. It is showed that the refraction index of the thin films diminish as nitrogen pressure is increased, indicating the formation of graphitic material. (Author)

  11. The ir emission features: Emission from PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) molecules and amorphous carbon particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Allamandola, L.J.; Tielens, A.G.G.M.; Barker, J.R.

    1986-01-01

    PAHs can have several forms in the interstellar medium. To assess the importance of each requires the availability of a collection of high quality, complete mid-ir interstellar emission spectra, a collection of laboratory spectra of PAH samples prepared under realistic conditions and a firm understanding of the microscopic emission mechanism. Given what we currently know about PAHs, the spectroscopic data suggests that there are at least two components which contribute to the interstellar emission spectrum: free molecule sized PAHs producing the narrow features and amorphous carbon particles (which are primarily made up of an irregular ''lattice'' of PAHs) contributing to the broad underlying components. An exact treatment of the ir fluorescence from highly vibrationally excited large molecules shows that species containing between 20 and 30 carbon atoms are responsible for the narrow features, although the spectra match more closely with the spectra of amorphous carbon particles. Since little is known about the spectroscopic properties of free PAHs and PAH clusters, much laboratory work is called for in conjunction with an observational program which focuses on the spatial characteristics of the spectra. In this way the distribution and evolution of carbon from molecule to particle can be traced. 38 refs., 9 figs.

  12. The ir emission features: Emission from PAH [Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons] molecules and amorphous carbon particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allamandola, L.J.; Tielens, A.G.G.M.; Barker, J.R.

    1986-01-01

    PAHs can have several forms in the interstellar medium. To assess the importance of each requires the availability of a collection of high quality, complete mid-ir interstellar emission spectra, a collection of laboratory spectra of PAH samples prepared under realistic conditions and a firm understanding of the microscopic emission mechanism. Given what we currently know about PAHs, the spectroscopic data suggests that there are at least two components which contribute to the interstellar emission spectrum: free molecule sized PAHs producing the narrow features and amorphous carbon particles (which are primarily made up of an irregular ''lattice'' of PAHs) contributing to the broad underlying components. An exact treatment of the ir fluorescence from highly vibrationally excited large molecules shows that species containing between 20 and 30 carbon atoms are responsible for the narrow features, although the spectra match more closely with the spectra of amorphous carbon particles. Since little is known about the spectroscopic properties of free PAHs and PAH clusters, much laboratory work is called for in conjunction with an observational program which focuses on the spatial characteristics of the spectra. In this way the distribution and evolution of carbon from molecule to particle can be traced. 38 refs., 9 figs

  13. Tribological studies of nitrogen ion implantation induced overlayer coatings of amorphous carbon and carbonitride phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, N.; Srivastava, S.K.; Pandian, R.; Bahuguna, Ashok; Dhara, S.; Nair, K.G.M.; Dash, S.; Tyagi, A.K.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Composite phase of amorphous carbon and carbonitride phase is observed on the N + ion implanted surface of steel. ► Advanced properties of implanted surface shows low friction coefficient of ∼0.05. ► High wear resistance 4.3 × 10 −8 mm 3 /Nm of N + implanted surface is obtained. -- Abstract: Morphology and microstructure of N + ion implanted 316 LN steel are found to modify with irradiated substrate temperature. At low temperature of 100 °C, self-similar micro-ripples are formed but at high temperature of 200 and 300 °C, micro-pores and blisters are observed on the implanted surface. Chemically modified surface is found to consist of amorphous carbon and carbonitride phase. Such composite characteristic of implanted steel surface at irradiated substrate temperature of 300 °C shows improved tribological properties with low friction coefficient and high wear resistance

  14. In situ formation of low friction ceramic coatings on carbon steel by plasma electrolytic oxidation in two types of electrolytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yunlong; Jiang Zhaohua

    2009-01-01

    In situ formation of ceramic coatings on Q235 carbon steel was achieved by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in carbonate electrolyte and silicate electrolyte, respectively. The surface and cross-section morphology, phase and elemental composition of PEO coatings were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The bond strength of the coating was determined using a direct pull-off test. The hardness as well as tribological properties of the ceramic coating was primarily studied. The results indicated that the coating obtained in carbonate electrolyte was Fe 3 O 4 , while the coating achieved from silicate electrolyte was proved to be amorphous. Both kinds of coatings showed coarse and porous surface. The Fe 3 O 4 coatings obtained in carbonate electrolyte showed a high bonding strength to the substrate up to 20 ± 2 MPa and the value was 15 ± 2 MPa for the amorphous coatings obtained in carbonate electrolyte. The micro hardness of the amorphous coating and the Fe 3 O 4 coating was 1001 Hv and 1413 Hv, respectively, which was more than two and three times as that of the Q235 alloy substrate (415 Hv). The friction coefficient exhibited by amorphous coating and Fe 3 O 4 coating was 0.13 and 0.11, respectively, both lower than the uncoated Q235 substrate which ranged from 0.17 to 0.35.

  15. Facile fabrication of boron nitride nanosheets-amorphous carbon hybrid film for optoelectronic applications

    KAUST Repository

    Wan, Shanhong

    2015-01-01

    A novel boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs)-amorphous carbon (a-C) hybrid film has been deposited successfully on silicon substrates by simultaneous electrochemical deposition, and showed a good integrity of this B-C-N composite film by the interfacial bonding. This synthesis can potentially provide the facile control of the B-C-N composite film for the potential optoelectronic devices. This journal is

  16. Superhard PVD carbon films deposited with different gradients with and without additions of titanium and silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bauer, C.

    2003-10-01

    This work focusses on thin carbon-based films, deposited by magnetron sputtering with additional argon ion bombardment (0 eV to 800 eV) without extra adhesive layer on hard metal inserts. As one possibility of increasing the reduced adherence of hard carbon films the deposition of films with additions of titanium and silicon is studied. The aim of this work is to examine the influence of a modification of the transition between substrate and film by realizing three different types of deposition gradients. The pure carbon films are amorphous, the dominant network of atoms is formed by sp 2 bonded atoms. The amount of sp 3 bonded atoms is up to 30% and is influenced by the bombarding argon ion energy. Carbon films with additions of silicon are amorphous, only in films with a high amount of titanium (approx. 20 at%) nanocomposites of titanium carbide crystals with diameters of less than 5 nm in an amorphous carbon matrix were found. The mechanical properties and the behavior of single layer carbon films strongly depend on the argon ion energy. An increase of this energy leads to higher film hardness and higher residual stress and results in the delamination of superhard carbon films on hard metal substrates. The adhesion of single layer films for ion energies of more than 200 eV is significantly improved by additions of titanium and silicon, respectively. The addition of 23 at% silicon and titanium, respectively leads to a high reduction of the residual stress. In a non-reactive PVD process thin films were deposited with a continuously gradient in chemical composition. The results of the investigations of the films with two different concentrations of titanium and silicon, respectively show that carbon-based films with a good adhesion could be deposited. The combination of the two gradients in structure and properties and in chemical composition leads in the system with carbon and silicon carbide to hard and very adhesive films. Especially for carbon films with a high

  17. Spectroscopic properties of nitrogen doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon films grown by radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, Y.; Yu, G.; Rahman, M. M.; Krishna, K. M.; Soga, T.; Jimbo, T.; Umeno, M.

    2001-01-01

    Nitrogen doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films have been deposited by rf plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using CH 4 as the source of carbon and with different nitrogen flow rates (N 2 /CH 4 gas ratios between 0 and 3), at 300 K. The dependence modifications of the optical and the structural properties on nitrogen incorporation were investigated using different spectroscopic techniques, such as, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy, electron spin resonance (ESR), photoluminescence (PL) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). Raman spectroscopy and IR absorption reveal an increase in sp 2 -bonded carbon or a change in sp 2 domain size with increasing nitrogen flow rate. It is found that the configuration of nitrogen atoms incorporated into an amorphous carbon network gradually changes from nitrogen atoms surrounded by three (σ bonded) to two (π bonded) neighboring carbons with increasing nitrogen flow rate. Tauc optical gap is reduced from 2.6 to 2.0 eV, and the ESR spin density and the peak-to-peak linewidth increase sharply with increasing nitrogen flow rate. Excellent agreement has been found between the measured SE data and modeled spectra, in which an empirical dielectric function of amorphous materials and a linear void distribution along the thickness have been assumed. The influence of nitrogen on the electronic density of states is explained based on the optical properties measured by UV-VIS and PL including nitrogen lone pair band. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

  18. Growth, characterisation and electronic applications of amorphous hydrogenated carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paul, S.

    2000-11-01

    My thesis proposes solutions to a number of riddles associated with the material, hydrogenated amorphous carbon, (a-C:H). This material has lately generated interest in the electronic engineering community, owing to some remarkable properties. The characterisation of amorphous carbon films, grown by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition has been reported. The coexistence of multiple phases in the same a-C:H film manifests itself in the inconsistent electrical behaviour of different parts of the film, thus rendering it difficult to predict the nature of films. For the first time, in this thesis, a reliable prediction of Schottky contact formation on a-C:H films is reported. A novel and simple development on a Scanning Electron Microscope, configured to study the electrical properties of the grown a-C:H films, has been reported. Since device performance is crucially linked to the density of states in the film, a study of the same was undertaken in my doctoral research. I present a mathematical formalism to estimate the density of states in a-C:H. The most commonly used metal, (aluminium), for contact formation on a-C:H films, has been concluded to be the least suitable. On the basis of the study presented in this thesis, copper and chromium are judged to be the best alternatives. The resilience of a-C:H/Si heterostructures under high voltages (upto 900 V) has been reported in this thesis for the first time. The performance of a-C:H grown at room temperature on GaAs, has been studied and concluded to be satisfactory on the basis of good adherence and low leakage currents. Such a structure was motivated by the applicability in Metal Insulator Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MISFET). (author)

  19. Self-selection in size and structure in argon clusters formed on amorphous carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krainyukova, Nina V.; Waal, Benjamin W. van de

    2004-07-01

    Argon clusters formed on an amorphous carbon substrate as deposited from the vapor phase were studied by means of transmission high energy electron diffraction using the liquid helium cryostat. Electron diffractograms were analysed on the basis of assumption that there exist a cluster size distribution in samples formed on substrate and multi-shell structures such as icosahedra, decahedra, fcc and hcp were probed for different sizes up to {approx}15 000 atoms. The experimental data were considered as a result of a superposition of diffracted intensities from clusters of different sizes and structures. The comparative analysis was based on the R-factor minimization that was found to be equal to 0.014 for the best fit between experiment and modelling. The total size and structure distribution function shows the presence of 'non-crystallographic' structures such as icosahedra and decahedra with five-fold symmetry that was found to prevail and a smaller amount of fcc and hcp structures. Possible growth mechanisms as well as observed general tendency to self-selection in sizes and structures are presumably governed by confined pore-like geometry in an amorphous carbon substrate.

  20. Substrate temperature influence on the trombogenicity in amorphous carbon nitride thin coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galeano-Osorio, D.S.; Vargas, S.; Lopez-Cordoba, L.M.; Ospina, R. [Laboratorio de Fisica del Plasma, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Manizales, Km. 9 via al Magdalena, Manizales (Colombia); Restrepo-Parra, E., E-mail: erestrepopa@unal.edu.co [Laboratorio de Fisica del Plasma, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Manizales, Km. 9 via al Magdalena, Manizales (Colombia); Arango, P.J. [Laboratorio de Fisica del Plasma, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Manizales, Km. 9 via al Magdalena, Manizales (Colombia)

    2010-10-01

    Carbon nitride thin films were obtained through plasma assisted physical vapor deposition technique by pulsed arc, varying the substrate temperature and investigating the influence of this parameter on the films hemocompatibility. For obtaining approaches of blood compatibility, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) was used in order to study the platelets adherence and their morphology. Moreover, the elemental chemical composition was determined by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), finding C, N and O. The coatings hemocompatibility was evaluated by in vitro thrombogenicity test, whose results were correlated with the microstructure and roughness of the films obtained. During the films growth process, the substrate temperature was varied, obtaining coatings under different temperatures, room temperature (T{sub room}), 100 deg. C, 150 deg. C and 200 deg. C. Parameters as interelectrodic distance, voltage, work pressure and number of discharges, were remained constant. By EDS, carbon and nitrogen were found in the films. Visible Raman spectroscopy was used, and it revealed an amorphous lattice, with graphitic process as the substrate temperature was increased. However, at a critical temperature of 150 deg. C, this tendency was broken, and the film became more amorphous. This film showed the lowest roughness, 2 {+-} 1 nm. This last characteristic favored the films hemocompatibility. Also, it was demonstrated that the blood compatibility of carbon nitride films obtained were affected by the I{sub D}/I{sub G} or sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} ratio and not by the absolute sp{sup 3} or sp{sup 2} concentration.

  1. Electrochemical treatment of domestic wastewater using boron-doped diamond and nanostructured amorphous carbon electrodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daghrir, Rimeh; Drogui, Patrick; Tshibangu, Joel; Delegan, Nazar; El Khakani, My Ali

    2014-05-01

    The performance of the electrochemical oxidation process for efficient treatment of domestic wastewater loaded with organic matter was studied. The process was firstly evaluated in terms of its capability of producing an oxidant agent (H2O2) using amorphous carbon (or carbon felt) as cathode, whereas Ti/BDD electrode was used as anode. Relatively high concentrations of H2O2 (0.064 mM) was produced after 90 min of electrolysis time, at 4.0 A of current intensity and using amorphous carbon at the cathode. Factorial design and central composite design methodologies were successively used to define the optimal operating conditions to reach maximum removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color. Current intensity and electrolysis time were found to influence the removal of COD and color. The contribution of current intensity on the removal of COD and color was around 59.1 and 58.8%, respectively, whereas the contribution of treatment time on the removal of COD and color was around 23.2 and 22.9%, respectively. The electrochemical treatment applied under 3.0 A of current intensity, during 120 min of electrolysis time and using Ti/BDD as anode, was found to be the optimal operating condition in terms of cost/effectiveness. Under these optimal conditions, the average removal rates of COD and color were 78.9 ± 2 and 85.5 ± 2 %, whereas 70% of total organic carbon removal was achieved.

  2. Synthesis and characterization of thin films of nitrided amorphous carbon deposited by laser ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rebollo P, B.

    2001-01-01

    The objective of this work is the synthesis and characterization of thin films of amorphous carbon (a-C) and thin films of nitrided amorphous carbon (a-C-N) using the laser ablation technique for their deposit. For this purpose, the physical properties of the obtained films were studied as function of diverse parameters of deposit such as: nitrogen pressure, power density, substrate temperature and substrate-target distance. For the characterization of the properties of the deposited thin films the following techniques were used: a) Raman spectroscopy which has demonstrated being a sensitive technique to the sp 2 and sp 3 bonds content, b) Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy which allows to know semi-quantitatively way the presence of the elements which make up the deposited films, c) Spectrophotometry, for obtaining the absorption spectra and subsequently the optical energy gap of the deposited material, d) Ellipsometry for determining the refraction index, e) Scanning Electron Microscopy for studying the surface morphology of thin films and, f) Profilemetry, which allows the determination the thickness of the deposited thin films. (Author)

  3. Metal (Ag/Ti)-Containing Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Nanocomposite Films with Enhanced Nanoscratch Resistance: Hybrid PECVD/PVD System and Microstructural Characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Constantinou, Marios; Nikolaou, Petros; Koutsokeras, Loukas; Avgeropoulos, Apostolos; Moschovas, Dimitrios; Varotsis, Constantinos; Patsalas, Panos; Kelires, Pantelis; Constantinides, Georgios

    2018-03-30

    This study aimed to develop hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films with embedded metallic nanoparticles (a-C:H:Me) of controlled size and concentration. Towards this end, a novel hybrid deposition system is presented that uses a combination of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) technologies. The a-C:H matrix was deposited through the acceleration of carbon ions generated through a radio-frequency (RF) plasma source by cracking methane, whereas metallic nanoparticles were generated and deposited using terminated gas condensation (TGC) technology. The resulting material was a hydrogenated amorphous carbon film with controlled physical properties and evenly dispersed metallic nanoparticles (here Ag or Ti). The physical, chemical, morphological and mechanical characteristics of the films were investigated through X-ray reflectivity (XRR), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and nanoscratch testing. The resulting amorphous carbon metal nanocomposite films (a-C:H:Ag and a-C:H:Ti) exhibited enhanced nanoscratch resistance (up to +50%) and low values of friction coefficient (<0.05), properties desirable for protective coatings and/or solid lubricant applications. The ability to form nanocomposite structures with tunable coating performance by potentially controlling the carbon bonding, hydrogen content, and the type/size/percent of metallic nanoparticles opens new avenues for a broad range of applications in which mechanical, physical, biological and/or combinatorial properties are required.

  4. LARGE AREA FILTERED ARC DEPOSITION OF CARBON AND BORON BASED HARD COATINGS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhattacharya, Rabi S.

    2003-12-05

    This document is a final report covering work performed under Contract No. DE-FG02-99ER82911 from the Department of Energy under a SBIR Phase II Program. Wear resistant, hard coatings can play a vital role in many engineering applications. The primary goal of this project was to develop coatings containing boron and carbon with hardness greater than 30 GPa and evaluate these coatings for machining applications. UES has developed a number of carbon and boron containing coatings with hardness in the range of 34 to 65 GPa using a combination of filtered cathodic arc and magnetron sputtering. The boron containing coatings were based on TiB2, TiBN, and TiBCN, while the carbon containing coatings ere TiC+C and hydrogen free diamond-like-carbon. Machining tests were performed with single and multilayer coated tools. The turning and milling tests were run at TechSolve Inc., under a subcontract at Ohio State University. Significant increases in tool lives were realized in end milling of H-13 die steel (8X) and titanium alloy (80%) using the TiBN coating. A multilayer TiBN/TiN performed the best in end-milling of highly abrasive Al-Si alloys. A 40% increase in life over the TiAlN benchmark coating was found. Further evaluations of these coatings with commercialization partners are currently in progress.

  5. Nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon-silicon core-shell structures for high-power supercapacitor electrodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tali, S A Safiabadi; Soleimani-Amiri, S; Sanaee, Z; Mohajerzadeh, S

    2017-02-10

    We report successful deposition of nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon films to realize high-power core-shell supercapacitor electrodes. A catalyst-free method is proposed to deposit large-area stable, highly conformal and highly conductive nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) films by means of a direct-current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique (DC-PECVD). This approach exploits C 2 H 2 and N 2 gases as the sources of carbon and nitrogen constituents and can be applied to various micro and nanostructures. Although as-deposited a-C:N films have a porous surface, their porosity can be significantly improved through a modification process consisting of Ni-assisted annealing and etching steps. The electrochemical analyses demonstrated the superior performance of the modified a-C:N as a supercapacitor active material, where specific capacitance densities as high as 42 F/g and 8.5 mF/cm 2 (45 F/cm 3 ) on silicon microrod arrays were achieved. Furthermore, this supercapacitor electrode showed less than 6% degradation of capacitance over 5000 cycles of a galvanostatic charge-discharge test. It also exhibited a relatively high energy density of 2.3 × 10 3  Wh/m 3 (8.3 × 10 6  J/m 3 ) and ultra-high power density of 2.6 × 10 8  W/m 3 which is among the highest reported values.

  6. High Capacity of Hard Carbon Anode in Na-Ion Batteries Unlocked by PO x Doping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Zhifei; Ma, Lu; Surta, Todd Wesley; Bommier, Clement; Jian, Zelang; Xing, Zhenyu; Stickle, William F.; Dolgos, Michelle; Amine, Khalil; Lu, Jun; Wu, Tianpin; Ji, Xiulei

    2016-08-12

    The capacity of hard carbon anodes in Na-ion batteries 2.5 rarely reaches values beyond 300 mAh/g. We report that doping POx into local structures of hard carbon increases its reversible capacity from 283 to 359 mAh/g. We confirm that the doped POx is redox inactive by X-ray adsorption near edge structure measurements, thus not contributing to the higher capacity. We observe two significant changes of hard carbon's local structures caused by doping. First, the (002) d-spacing inside the turbostratic nanodomains is increased, revealed by both laboratory and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Second, doping turns turbostratic nanodomains more defective along ab planes, indicated by neutron total scattering and the associated pair distribution function studies. The local structural changes of hard carbon are correlated to the higher capacity, where both the plateau and slope regions in the potential profiles are enhanced. Our study demonstrates that Na-ion storage in hard carbon heavily depends on carbon local structures, where such structures, despite being disordered, can be tuned toward unusually high capacities.

  7. Efficient Production of N-Butyl Levulinate Fuel Additive from Levulinic Acid Using Amorphous Carbon Enriched with Oxygenated Groups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinfan Yang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to develop an effective carbonaceous solid acid for synthesizing green fuel additive through esterification of lignocellulose-derived levulinic acid (LA and n-butanol. Two different sulfonated carbons were prepared from glucose-derived amorphous carbon (GC400 and commercial active carbon (AC400. They were contrastively studied by a series of characterizations (N2 adsorption, X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and NH3 temperature programmed desorption. The results indicated that GC400 possessed stronger acidity and higher –SO3H density than AC400, and the amorphous structure qualified GC400 for good swelling capacity in the reaction solution. Assessment experiments showed that GC400 displayed remarkably higher catalytic efficiency than AC400 and other typical solid acids (HZSM-5, Hβ, Amberlyst-15 and Nafion-212 resin. Up to 90.5% conversion of LA and 100% selectivity of n-butyl levulinate could be obtained on GC400 under the optimal reaction conditions. The sulfonated carbon retained 92% of its original catalytic activity even after five cycles.

  8. Silicon nitride gradient film as the underlayer of ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon overcoat for magnetic recording slider

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Guigen, E-mail: wanggghit@yahoo.com [Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Kuang Xuping; Zhang Huayu; Zhu Can [Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Han Jiecai [Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Center for Composite Materials, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080 (China); Zuo Hongbo [Center for Composite Materials, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080 (China); Ma Hongtao [SAE Technologies Development (Dongguan) Co., Ltd., Dongguan 523087 (China)

    2011-12-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The ultra-thin carbon films with different silicon nitride (Si-N) film underlayers were prepared. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It highlighted the influences of Si-N underlayers. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The carbon films with Si-N underlayers obtained by nitriding especially at the substrate bias of -150 V, can exhibit better corrosion protection properties - Abstract: There are higher technical requirements for protection overcoat of magnetic recording slider used in high-density storage fields for the future. In this study, silicon nitride (Si-N) composition-gradient films were firstly prepared by nitriding of silicon thin films pre-sputtered on silicon wafers and magnetic recording sliders, using microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma source. The ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films were then deposited on the Si-N films by filtered cathodic vacuum arc method. Compared with amorphous carbon overcoats with conventional silicon underlayers, the overcoats with Si-N underlayers obtained by plasma nitriding especially at the substrate bias of -150 V, can provide better corrosion protection for high-density magnetic recording sliders.

  9. Silicon nitride gradient film as the underlayer of ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon overcoat for magnetic recording slider

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Guigen; Kuang Xuping; Zhang Huayu; Zhu Can; Han Jiecai; Zuo Hongbo; Ma Hongtao

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: ► The ultra-thin carbon films with different silicon nitride (Si-N) film underlayers were prepared. ► It highlighted the influences of Si-N underlayers. ► The carbon films with Si-N underlayers obtained by nitriding especially at the substrate bias of −150 V, can exhibit better corrosion protection properties - Abstract: There are higher technical requirements for protection overcoat of magnetic recording slider used in high-density storage fields for the future. In this study, silicon nitride (Si-N) composition-gradient films were firstly prepared by nitriding of silicon thin films pre-sputtered on silicon wafers and magnetic recording sliders, using microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma source. The ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films were then deposited on the Si-N films by filtered cathodic vacuum arc method. Compared with amorphous carbon overcoats with conventional silicon underlayers, the overcoats with Si-N underlayers obtained by plasma nitriding especially at the substrate bias of −150 V, can provide better corrosion protection for high-density magnetic recording sliders.

  10. Hardness of high-pressure high-temperature treated single-walled carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawasaki, S.; Nojima, Y.; Yokomae, T.; Okino, F.; Touhara, H.

    2007-01-01

    We have performed high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) treatments of high quality single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) over a wide pressure-temperature range up to 13 GPa-873 K and have investigated the hardness of the HPHT-treated SWCNTs using a nanoindentation technique. It was found that the hardness of the SWCNTs treated at pressures greater than 11 GPa and at temperatures higher than 773 K is about 10 times greater than that of the SWCNTs treated at low temperature. It was also found that the hardness change of the SWCNTs is related to the structural change by the HPHT treatments which was based on synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements

  11. In search of amorphization-resistant boron carbide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Subhash, Ghatu; Awasthi, Amnaya P.; Kunka, Cody; Jannotti, Phillip; DeVries, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    Despite its superior mechanical properties, boron carbide suffers from amorphization, a pressure-induced phenomenon that disturbs crystalline order and likely reduces shear strength. Numerous experimental and computational studies have investigated the structure and origins of amorphization, yet strategies to mitigate this deleterious phenomenon elude. However, recent investigations have revealed three new research avenues for addressing this issue. First, we identify crystallographic cage spaces that may accommodate foreign atoms to potentially prevent structural collapse. Second, we propose polymorph-level tailoring through strict control of processing conditions. Finally, we demonstrate that reducing grain size to nanometer scale increases hardness and may counter amorphization.

  12. Negative ion emission at field electron emission from amorphous (alpha-C:H) carbon

    CERN Document Server

    Bernatskij, D P; Ivanov-Omskij, V I; Pavlov, V G; Zvonareva, T K

    2001-01-01

    The study on the electrons field emission from the plane cathode surface on the basis of the amorphous carbon film (alpha-C:H) is carried out. The methodology, making it possible to accomplish simultaneously the registration of the emission currents and visually observe the distribution of the emission centers on the plane emitter surface is developed. The analysis of the oscillograms indicated that apart from the proper electron constituent the negative ions of hydrogen (H sup - and H sub 2 sup -), carbon (C sup -) and hydrocarbon (CH sub n sup -) are observed. The ions emission is connected with the processes of formation and degradation of the local emission centers

  13. Comment on "Scrutinizing the carbon cycle and CO2residence time in the atmosphere" by H. Harde

    Science.gov (United States)

    Köhler, Peter; Hauck, Judith; Völker, Christoph; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter A.; Butzin, Martin; Halpern, Joshua B.; Rice, Ken; Zeebe, Richard E.

    2018-05-01

    Harde (2017) proposes an alternative accounting scheme for the modern carbon cycle and concludes that only 4.3% of today's atmospheric CO2 is a result of anthropogenic emissions. As we will show, this alternative scheme is too simple, is based on invalid assumptions, and does not address many of the key processes involved in the global carbon cycle that are important on the timescale of interest. Harde (2017) therefore reaches an incorrect conclusion about the role of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Harde (2017) tries to explain changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration with a single equation, while the most simple model of the carbon cycle must at minimum contain equations of at least two reservoirs (the atmosphere and the surface ocean), which are solved simultaneously. A single equation is fundamentally at odds with basic theory and observations. In the following we will (i) clarify the difference between CO2 atmospheric residence time and adjustment time, (ii) present recently published information about anthropogenic carbon, (iii) present details about the processes that are missing in Harde (2017), (iv) briefly discuss shortcoming in Harde's generalization to paleo timescales, (v) and comment on deficiencies in some of the literature cited in Harde (2017).

  14. Origins of amorphous interstellar grains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, H.

    1984-01-01

    The existence of amorphous interstellar grains has been suggested from infrared observations. Some carbon stars show the far infrared emission with a lambda -1 wavelength dependence. Far infrared emission supposed to be due to silicate grains often show the lambda -1 wavelength dependence. Mid infrared spectra around 10 μm have broad structure. These may be due to the amorphous silicate grains. The condition that the condensed grains from the cosmic gas are amorphous is discussed. (author)

  15. Distinct Short-Range Order Is Inherent to Small Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Clusters (<2 nm)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Shengtong [Physical Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10 78457 Konstanz Germany; School of Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Materials Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road Shanghai 200237 P.R. China; Chevrier, Daniel M. [Department of Chemistry and Institute for Research in Materials, Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Canada; Zhang, Peng [Department of Chemistry and Institute for Research in Materials, Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Canada; Gebauer, Denis [Physical Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10 78457 Konstanz Germany; Cölfen, Helmut [Physical Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10 78457 Konstanz Germany

    2016-09-09

    Amorphous intermediate phases are vital precursors in the crystallization of many biogenic minerals. While inherent short-range orders have been found in amorphous calcium carbonates (ACCs) relating to different crystalline forms, it has never been clarified experimentally whether such orders already exist in very small clusters less than 2 nm in size. Here, we studied the stability and structure of 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) protected ACC clusters with a core size of ca. 1.4 nm consisting of only seven CaCO3 units. Ligand concentration and structure are shown to be key factors in stabilizing the ACC clusters. More importantly, even in such small CaCO3 entities, a proto-calcite short-range order can be identified but with a relatively high degree of disorder that arises from the very small size of the CaCO3 core. Our findings support the notion of a structural link between prenucleation clusters, amorphous intermediates, and final crystalline polymorphs, which appears central to the understanding of polymorph selection.

  16. Heavy-ion induced desorption yields of amorphous carbon films bombarded with 4.2 MeV/u lead ions

    CERN Document Server

    Mahner, E; Küchler, D; Scrivens, R; Costa Pinto, P; Yin Vallgren, C; Bender, M

    2011-01-01

    During the past decade, intense experimental studies on the heavy-ion induced molecular desorption were performed in several particle accelerator laboratories worldwide in order to understand and overcome large dynamic pressure rises caused by lost beam ions. Different target materials and various coatings were studied for desorption and mitigation techniques were applied to heavy-ion accelerators. For the upgrade of the CERN injector complex, a coating of the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) vacuum system with a thin film of amorphous carbon is under study to mitigate the electron cloud effect observed during SPS operation with the nominal proton beam for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Since the SPS is also part of the heavy-ion injector chain for LHC, dynamic vacuum studies of amorphous carbon films are important to determine their ion induced desorption yields. At the CERN Heavy Ion Accelerator (LINAC 3), carbon-coated accelerator-type stainless steel vacuum chambers were tested for desorption using 4.2 Me...

  17. Enhancement of sp3 hybridized C in amorphous carbon films by Ar ion bombardment and Si incorporation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Hae-Suk; Park, Hyung-Ho; Mendieta, I.R.; Smith, D.A.

    2003-01-01

    We report an effective method of increasing the sp 3 hybridization fraction in sputtered amorphous carbon (a-C) film by the combination of Ar ion bombardment and Si incorporation. In the deposition of an a-C film, Ar ion bombardment by controlling the applied bias voltage plays a role in creating high stress in film and causes the local bonding configuration to change to a sp 3 hybridized bond. Simultaneously, the incorporated Si in an a-C network breaks the sp 2 hybridized bonded ring and promotes the formation of a sp 3 hybridized bond. This enhancement of the sp 3 hybridized bonding characteristic is maximized for an a-C film with 23 at. % of Si and 100-150 V of applied bias voltage. In this region, the increase of resistivity, optical band gap, and mechanical hardness of a-C is attributed to the reduction of the sp 2 hybridized bonded ring and increased fraction of the sp 3 hybridized bond. However, at a higher bias voltage above 150 V, the enhancement effect is reduced due to the resputtering and thermally activated reconversion of a sp 3 to a sp 2 hybridized bond

  18. Computational Evaluation of Amorphous Carbon Coating for Durable Silicon Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Jeongwoon; Ihm, Jisoon; Lee, Kwang-Ryeol; Kim, Seungchul

    2015-01-01

    We investigate the structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of graphite-like amorphous carbon coating on bulky silicon to examine whether it can improve the durability of the silicon anodes of lithium-ion batteries using molecular dynamics simulations and ab-initio electronic structure calculations. Structural models of carbon coating are constructed using molecular dynamics simulations of atomic carbon deposition with low incident energies (1–16 eV). As the incident energy decreases, the ratio of sp2 carbons increases, that of sp3 decreases, and the carbon films become more porous. The films prepared with very low incident energy contain lithium-ion conducting channels. Also, those films are electrically conductive to supplement the poor conductivity of silicon and can restore their structure after large deformation to accommodate the volume change during the operations. As a result of this study, we suggest that graphite-like porous carbon coating on silicon will extend the lifetime of the silicon anodes of lithium-ion batteries. PMID:28347087

  19. Computational Evaluation of Amorphous Carbon Coating for Durable Silicon Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeongwoon Hwang

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of graphite-like amorphous carbon coating on bulky silicon to examine whether it can improve the durability of the silicon anodes of lithium-ion batteries using molecular dynamics simulations and ab-initio electronic structure calculations. Structural models of carbon coating are constructed using molecular dynamics simulations of atomic carbon deposition with low incident energies (1–16 eV. As the incident energy decreases, the ratio of sp2 carbons increases, that of sp3 decreases, and the carbon films become more porous. The films prepared with very low incident energy contain lithium-ion conducting channels. Also, those films are electrically conductive to supplement the poor conductivity of silicon and can restore their structure after large deformation to accommodate the volume change during the operations. As a result of this study, we suggest that graphite-like porous carbon coating on silicon will extend the lifetime of the silicon anodes of lithium-ion batteries.

  20. Metal (Ag/Ti-Containing Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Nanocomposite Films with Enhanced Nanoscratch Resistance: Hybrid PECVD/PVD System and Microstructural Characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marios Constantinou

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to develop hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films with embedded metallic nanoparticles (a–C:H:Me of controlled size and concentration. Towards this end, a novel hybrid deposition system is presented that uses a combination of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD technologies. The a–C:H matrix was deposited through the acceleration of carbon ions generated through a radio-frequency (RF plasma source by cracking methane, whereas metallic nanoparticles were generated and deposited using terminated gas condensation (TGC technology. The resulting material was a hydrogenated amorphous carbon film with controlled physical properties and evenly dispersed metallic nanoparticles (here Ag or Ti. The physical, chemical, morphological and mechanical characteristics of the films were investigated through X-ray reflectivity (XRR, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM and nanoscratch testing. The resulting amorphous carbon metal nanocomposite films (a–C:H:Ag and a–C:H:Ti exhibited enhanced nanoscratch resistance (up to +50% and low values of friction coefficient (<0.05, properties desirable for protective coatings and/or solid lubricant applications. The ability to form nanocomposite structures with tunable coating performance by potentially controlling the carbon bonding, hydrogen content, and the type/size/percent of metallic nanoparticles opens new avenues for a broad range of applications in which mechanical, physical, biological and/or combinatorial properties are required.

  1. Structural properties of nitrogenated amorphous carbon films: Influence of deposition temperature and radiofrequency discharge power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lazar, G.; Bouchet-Fabre, B.; Zellama, K.; Clin, M.; Ballutaud, D.; Godet, C.

    2008-01-01

    The structural properties of nitrogenated amorphous carbon deposited by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering of graphite in pure N 2 plasma are investigated as a function of the substrate temperature and radiofrequency discharge power. The film composition is derived from x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, nuclear reaction analysis and elastic recoil detection measurements and the film microstructure is discussed using infrared, Raman, x-ray photoemission and near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic results. At low deposition temperature and low radiofrequency power, the films are soft, porous, and easily contaminated with water vapor and other atmospheric components. The concentration of nitrogen in the films is very large for low deposition temperatures (∼33.6 at. % N at 150 deg. C) but decreases strongly when the synthesis temperature increases (∼15 at. % N at 450 deg. C). With increasing deposition temperature and discharge power values, the main observed effects in amorphous carbon nitride alloys are a loss of nitrogen atoms, a smaller hydrogen and oxygen contamination related to the film densification, an increased order of the aromatic sp 2 phase, and a strong change in the nitrogen distribution within the carbon matrix. Structural changes are well correlated with modifications of the optical and transport properties

  2. From empirical to ab initio: transferable potentials in the atomistic simulation of amorphous carbons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marks, N.A.; Goringe, C.M.; McKenzie, D.R.; McCulloch, D.G.; Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Melbourne, VIC

    2000-01-01

    Full text: Silicon is often described as the prototype covalent material, and when it comes to developing atomistic models this situation is well described by the sentiment that 'everything works for silicon'. The same cannot be said for carbon though, where the interaction potential has always proved problematical, be it with empirical, tight-binding or ab initio methods. Thus far the most decisive contributions to understanding amorphous carbon networks have come from ab initio simulations using the Car-Parrinello method, where the fully quantum treatment of the valence electrons has provided unexpected insight into the local structure. However such first principles calculations are restricted spatially and temporally to systems with approximately 100 atoms and times of order one picosecond. There is therefore demand for less expensive techniques capable of resolving important questions whose solution can only to found with larger simulations running for longer times. In the case of tetrahedral amorphous carbon, such issues include the release of compressive stress through annealing, the origin of graphitic surface layers and the nature of the film growth process and thermal spike. Against this background tight-binding molecular dynamics has emerged as a popular alternative to first principles methods, and our group has an ongoing program to understand film growth using one of the efficient variants of tight-binding. Another direction of research is a new empirical potential based on the Environment Dependent Interaction Potential (EDIP) recently developed for silicon. The EDIP approach represents a promising direction for empirical potentials through its use of ab initio data to motivate the functional form as well as the more conventional parametrisation. By inverting ab initio cohesive energy curves the authors of EDIP arrived at a pair potential expression which reduces to the well-known Stillinger-Weber form at integer coordination, while providing

  3. A study of the chemical, mechanical, and surface properties of thin films of hydrogenated amorphous carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vandentop, G.J.

    1990-07-01

    Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films were studied with the objective of elucidating the nucleation and growth mechanisms, and the origin of their unique physical properties. The films were deposited onto Si(100) substrates both on the powered (negatively self-biased) and on the grounded electrodes from methane in an rf plasma (13.56 MHz) at 65 mTorr and 300 to 370 K. The films produced at the powered electrode exhibited superior mechanical properties, such as high hardness. A mass spectrometer was used to identify neutral species and positive ions incident on the electrodes from the plasma, and also to measure ion energies. The effect of varying ion energy flux on the properties of a-C:H films was investigated using a novel pulsed biasing technique. It was demonstrated that ions were not the dominant deposition species as the total ion flux measured was insufficient to account for the observed deposition rate. The interface between thin films of a-C:H and silicon substrates was investigated using angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A silicon carbide layer was detected at the interface of a hard a-C:H film formed at the powered electrode. At the grounded electrode, where the kinetic energy is low, no interfacial carbide layer was observed. Scanning tunneling microscopy and high energy electron energy loss spectroscopy was used to investigate the initial stages of growth of a-C:H films. On graphite substrates, films formed at the powered electrode were observed to nucleate in clusters approximately 50 {Angstrom} in diameter, while at the grounded electrode no cluster formation was observed. 58 figs.

  4. Crystalline and Amorphous Phosphorus – Carbon Nanotube Composites as Promising Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

    KAUST Repository

    Smajic, Jasmin

    2016-05-04

    Battery research has been going full steam and with that the search for alternative anodes. Among many proposed electrode materials, little attention has been given to phosphorus. Phosphorus boasts the third highest gravimetric charge capacity and the highest volumetric charge capacity of all elements. Because of that, it would be an attractive battery anode material were it not for its poor cyclability with significant capacity loss immediately after the first cycle. This is known to be the consequence of considerable volume changes of phosphorus during charge/discharge cycles. In this work, we propose circumventing this issue by mixing amorphous red phosphorus with carbon nanotubes. By employing a non-destructive sublimation-deposition method, we have synthesized composites where the synergetic effect between phosphorus and carbon nanotubes allow for an improvement in the electrochemical performance of battery anodes. In fact, it has been shown that carbon nanotubes can act as an effective buffer to phosphorus volumetric expansions and contractions during charging and discharging of the half-cells [1]. By modifying the synthesis parameters, we have also been able to change the degree of crystallinity of the phosphorus matrix in the composites. In fact, the less common phase of red phosphorus, named fibrous phosphorus, was obtained, and that explains some of the varying electrochemical performances observed in the composites. Overall, it is found that a higher surface area of amorphous phosphorus allows for a better anode material when using single-walled carbon nanotubes as fillers.

  5. Transformation of Mg-bearing amorphous calcium carbonate to Mg-calcite - In situ monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purgstaller, Bettina; Mavromatis, Vasileios; Immenhauser, Adrian; Dietzel, Martin

    2016-02-01

    The formation of Mg-bearing calcite via an amorphous precursor is a poorly understood process that is of relevance for biogenic and abiogenic carbonate precipitation. In order to gain an improved insight on the controls of Mg incorporation in calcite formed via an Mg-rich amorphous calcium carbonate (Mg-ACC) precursor, the precipitation of Mg-ACC and its transformation to Mg-calcite was monitored by in situ Raman spectroscopy. The experiments were performed at 25.0 ± 0.03 °C and pH 8.3 ± 0.1 and revealed two distinct pathways of Mg-calcite formation: (i) At initial aqueous Mg/Ca molar ratios ⩽ 1:6, Mg-calcite formation occurs via direct precipitation from solution. (ii) Conversely, at higher initial Mg/Ca molar ratios, Mg-calcite forms via an intermediate Mg-rich ACC phase. In the latter case, the final product is a calcite with up to 20 mol% Mg. This Mg content is significant higher than that of the Mg-rich ACC precursor phase. Thus, a strong net uptake of Mg ions from the solution into the crystalline precipitate throughout and also subsequent to ACC transformation is postulated. Moreover, the temporal evolution of the geochemical composition of the reactive solution and the Mg-ACC has no significant effect on the obtained ;solubility product; of Mg-ACC. The enrichment of Mg in calcite throughout and subsequent to Mg-ACC transformation is likely affected by the high aqueous Mg/Ca ratio and carbonate alkalinity concentrations in the reactive solution. The experimental results have a bearing on the formation mechanism of Mg-rich calcites in marine early diagenetic environments, where high carbonate alkalinity concentrations are the rule rather than the exception, and on the insufficiently investigated inorganic component of biomineralisation pathways in many calcite secreting organisms.

  6. The Role of Ambient Gas and Pressure on the Structuring of Hard Diamond-Like Carbon Films Synthesized by Pulsed Laser Deposition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrei C. Popescu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Hard carbon thin films were synthesized on Si (100 and quartz substrates by the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD technique in vacuum or methane ambient to study their suitability for applications requiring high mechanical resistance. The deposited films’ surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, crystalline status by X-ray diffraction, packing and density by X-ray reflectivity, chemical bonding by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, adherence by “pull-out” measurements and mechanical properties by nanoindentation tests. Films synthesized in vacuum were a-C DLC type, while films synthesized in methane were categorized as a-C:H. The majority of PLD films consisted of two layers: one low density layer towards the surface and a higher density layer in contact with the substrate. The deposition gas pressure played a crucial role on films thickness, component layers thickness ratio, structure and mechanical properties. The films were smooth, amorphous and composed of a mixture of sp3-sp2 carbon, with sp3 content ranging between 50% and 90%. The thickness and density of the two constituent layers of a film directly determined its mechanical properties.

  7. X-ray and neutron scattering from amorphous diamondlike carbon and hydrocarbon films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Findeisen, E.

    1994-10-01

    In this report amorphous, diamondlike, carbon and hydrocarbon films are investigated by two different methods, namely, X-ray scattering and a combination of X-ray and neutron reflectivity. As specular reflectivity probes the scattering length density profile of a sample perpendicular to its surface, the combination of X-ray and neutron reflectivity reveals the nuclei density of both carbon and hydrogen separately. This allows to calculate the concentration of hydrogen in the films, which varies in the presented experiments between 0 and 36 atomic %. This method is a new and nondestructive technique to determine the concentration of hydrogen within an error of about ±1 at. % in samples with sharp interfaces. It is well suited for thin diamondlike carbon films. X-ray scattering is used to obtain structural information on the atomic scale, especially the average carbon-carbon distance and the average coordination number of the carbon atoms. As grazing incidence diffraction experiments were not successful, free-standing films are used for the scattering experiments with synchrotron light. However, the scattered intensity for large scattering vectors is, in spite of the intense primary beam, very weak, and therefore the accuracy of the obtained structural parameter is not sufficient to prove the diamondlike properties also on the atomic scale. (au) (10 tabs., 76 ills., 102 refs.)

  8. Solubility and bioavailability of stabilized amorphous calcium carbonate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiron, Oren E; Bar-David, Elad; Aflalo, Eliahu D; Shechter, Assaf; Stepensky, David; Berman, Amir; Sagi, Amir

    2011-02-01

    Since its role in the prevention of osteoporosis in humans was proven some 30 years ago, calcium bioavailability has been the subject of numerous scientific studies. Recent technology allowing the production of a stable amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) now enables a bioavailability analysis of this unique form of calcium. This study thus compares the solubility and fractional absorption of ACC, ACC with chitosan (ACC-C), and crystalline calcium carbonate (CCC). Solubility was evaluated by dissolving these preparations in dilute phosphoric acid. The results demonstrated that both ACC and ACC-C are more soluble than CCC. Fractional absorption was evaluated by intrinsically labeling calcium carbonate preparations with (45)Ca, orally administrated to rats using gelatin capsules. Fractional absorption was determined by evaluating the percentage of the administrated radioactive dose per milliliter that was measured in the serum, calcium absorption in the femur, and whole-body retention over a 34-hour period. Calcium serum analysis revealed that calcium absorption from ACC and ACC-C preparations was up to 40% higher than from CCC, whereas retention of ACC and ACC-C was up to 26.5% higher than CCC. Absorbed calcium in the femurs of ACC-administrated rats was 30% higher than in CCC-treated animals, whereas 15% more calcium was absorbed following ACC-C treatment than following CCC treatment. This study demonstrates the enhanced solubility and bioavailability of ACC over CCC. The use of stable ACC as a highly bioavailable dietary source for calcium is proposed based on the findings of this study. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

  9. Effect of Radio-Frequency and Low-Frequency Bias Voltage on the Formation of Amorphous Carbon Films Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manis-Levy, Hadar; Mintz, Moshe H.; Livneh, Tsachi; Zukerman Ido; Raveh, Avi

    2014-01-01

    The effect of radio-frequency (RF) or low-frequency (LF) bias voltage on the formation of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films was studied on silicon substrates with a low methane (CH 4 ) concentration (2–10 vol.%) in CH 4 +Ar mixtures. The bias substrate was applied either by RF (13.56 MHz) or by LF (150 kHz) power supply. The highest hardness values (∼18–22 GPa) with lower hydrogen content in the films (∼20 at.%) deposited at 10 vol.% CH 4 , was achieved by using the RF bias. However, the films deposited using the LF bias, under similar RF plasma generation power and CH 4 concentration (50 W and 10 vol.%, respectively), displayed lower hardness (∼6–12 GPa) with high hydrogen content (∼40 at.%). The structures analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman scattering measurements provide an indication of trans-polyacetylene structure formation. However, its excessive formation in the films deposited by the LF bias method is consistent with its higher bonded hydrogen concentration and low level of hardness, as compared to the film prepared by the RF bias method. It was found that the effect of RF bias on the film structure and properties is stronger than the effect of the low-frequency (LF) bias under identical radio-frequency (RF) powered electrode and identical PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) system configuration. (plasma technology)

  10. Influence of high temperature annealing on the structure, hardness and tribological properties of diamond-like carbon and TiAlSiCN nanocomposite coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie, Z.W.; Wang, L.P.; Wang, X.F.; Huang, L.; Lu, Y.; Yan, J.C.

    2011-01-01

    Diamond-like carbon (DLC) and TiAlSiCN nanocomposite coatings were synthesized and annealed at different temperatures in a vacuum environment. The microstructure, hardness and tribological properties of as-deposited and annealed DLC-TiAlSiCN nanocomposite coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, nano-indentation and friction tests. The TEM results reveal that the as-deposited DLC-TiAlSiCN coating has a unique nanocomposite structure consisting of TiCN nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous matrix consisting of a-Si 3 N 4 , a-SiC, a-CN and DLC, and the structure changed little after annealing at 800 °C. However, XPS and Raman results show that an obvious graphitization of the DLC phase occurred during the annealing process and it worsened with annealing temperature. Because of the graphitization, the hardness of the DLC-TiAlSiCN coating after annealing at 800 °C decreased from 45 to 36 GPa. In addition, the DLC-TiAlSiCN coating after annealing at 800 °C has a similar friction coefficient to the as-deposited coating.

  11. Fabrication of periodical surface structures by picosecond laser irradiation of carbon thin films: transformation of amorphous carbon in nanographite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Popescu, C.; Dorcioman, G. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, Magurele RO-077125 (Romania); Bita, B. [National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, Voluntari RO-077190 (Romania); Faculty of Physics, 405 Atomistilor Street, Magurele RO-077125 (Romania); Besleaga, C.; Zgura, I. [National Institute of Materials Physics, 105bis Atomistilor Street, Magurele RO-077125 (Romania); Himcinschi, C. [Institute of Theoretical Physics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg D-09596 (Germany); Popescu, A.C., E-mail: andrei.popescu@inflpr.ro [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, Magurele RO-077125 (Romania)

    2016-12-30

    Highlights: • Ripples obtained on carbon films after irradiation with visible ps laser pulses. • Amorphous carbon was transformed in nanographite following irradiation. • Ripples had a complex morphology, being made of islands of smaller ripples. • Hydrophilic carbon films became hydrophobic after surface structuring. - Abstract: Thin films of carbon were synthesized by ns pulsed laser deposition in vacuum on silicon substrates, starting from graphite targets. Further on, the films were irradiated with a picosecond laser source emitting in visible at 532 nm. After tuning of laser parameters, we obtained a film surface covered by laser induced periodical surface structures (LIPSS). They were investigated by optical, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. It was observed that changing the irradiation angle influences the LIPSS covered area. At high magnification it was revealed that the LIPSS pattern was quite complex, being composed of other small LIPSS islands, interconnected by bridges of nanoparticles. Raman spectra for the non-irradiated carbon films were typical for a-C type of diamond-like carbon, while the LIPSS spectra were characteristic to nano-graphite. The pristine carbon film was hydrophilic, while the LIPSS covered film surface was hydrophobic.

  12. Effects of hydrogenation on thermal conductivity of ultrananocrystalline diamond/amorphous carbon composite films prepared via coaxial arc plasma deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeichi, Satoshi; Nishiyama, Takashi; Tabara, Mitsuru; Kawawaki, Shuichi; Kohno, Masamichi; Takahashi, Koji; Yoshitake, Tsuyoshi

    2018-06-01

    Ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD)/hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) composite (UNCD/a-C:H) and UNCD/non-hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C) composite (UNCD/a-C) films were prepared via coaxial arc plasma deposition, and their thermal conductivity and interfacial conductance in grain boundaries were measured using a time-domain thermoreflectance method. The interfacial conductance was estimated to be 1,010 and 4,892 MW/(m2·K) for UNCD/a-C:H and UNCD/a-C films, respectively. The reasons for the hydrogenated film having lower interfacial conductance than the non-hydrogenated film are 1) the reduced number of carriers that contribute to heat transport and 2) the hydrogen atoms, which are preferentially located at the grain boundaries and enhance phonon scattering.

  13. Mapping residual organics and carbonate at grain boundaries and in the amorphous interphase in mouse incisor enamel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lyle M Gordon

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Dental enamel has evolved to resist the most grueling conditions of mechanical stress, fatigue, and wear. Adding insult to injury, it is exposed to the frequently corrosive environment of the oral cavity. While its hierarchical structure is unrivaled in its mechanical resilience, heterogeneity in the distribution of magnesium ions and the presence of Mg-substituted amorphous calcium phosphate (Mg-ACP as an intergranular phase have recently been shown to increase the susceptibility of mouse enamel to acid attack. Herein we investigate the distribution of two important constituents of enamel, residual organic matter and inorganic carbonate. We find that organics, carbonate, and possibly water show distinct distribution patterns in the mouse enamel crystallites, at simple grain boundaries, and in the amorphous interphase at multiple grain boundaries. This has implications for the resistance to acid corrosion, mechanical properties, and the mechanism by which enamel crystals grow during amelogenesis.

  14. Resistance switching at the nanometre scale in amorphous carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sebastian, Abu; Rossel, Christophe; Pozidis, Haralampos; Eleftheriou, Evangelos; Pauza, Andrew; Shelby, Robert M; RodrIguez, Arantxa Fraile

    2011-01-01

    The electrical transport and resistance switching mechanism in amorphous carbon (a-C) is investigated at the nanoscale. The electrical conduction in a-C thin films is shown to be captured well by a Poole-Frenkel transport model that involves nonisolated traps. Moreover, at high electric fields a field-induced threshold switching phenomenon is observed. The following resistance change is attributed to Joule heating and subsequent localized thermal annealing. We demonstrate that the mechanism is mostly due to clustering of the existing sp 2 sites within the sp 3 matrix. The electrical conduction behaviour, field-induced switching and Joule-heating-induced rearrangement of atomic order resulting in a resistance change are all reminiscent of conventional phase-change memory materials. This suggests the potential of a-C as a similar nonvolatile memory candidate material.

  15. Limiting of photo induced changes in amorphous chalcogenide/alumino-silicate nanomultilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charnovych, S.; Nemec, P.; Nazabal, V.; Csik, A.; Allix, M.; Matzen, G.; Kokenyesi, S.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Amorphous chalcogenides were investigated in this work. → Photo-induced effects were investigated in the created thin films. → Limiting of photo induced changes in amorphous chalcogenide/alumino-silicate nanomultilayers have been studied. - Abstract: Photo induced changes in amorphous As 20 Se 80 /alumino-silicate nanomultilayers (NML) produced by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method have been studied in this work. The aim was to investigate the photo induced optical and surface relief changes due to the band gap illumination under the size- and hard cover limited conditions. It was observed that the hard cover layer on the surface of the uniform film or alumino-silicate sub-layers in the NML structure influences the photo darkening and restricts surface relief formations in As 20 Se 80 film or in the related NML compared with this effect in a pure chalcogenide layer. The influence of hard layers is supposed to be connected with limiting the free volume formation at the initial stage of the transformation process, which in turn limits the atomic movement and so the surface relief formation.

  16. Transformation of amorphous calcium carbonate to rod-like single crystal calcite via "copying" collagen template.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Zhonghui; Hu, Binbin; Dai, Shuxi; Du, Zuliang

    2015-10-01

    Collagen Langmuir films were prepared by spreading the solution of collagen over deionized water, CaCl2 solution and Ca(HCO3)2 solution. Resultant collagen Langmuir monolayers were then compressed to a lateral pressure of 10 mN/m and held there for different duration, allowing the crystallization of CaCO3. The effect of crystallization time on the phase composition and microstructure of CaCO3 was investigated. It was found that amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) was obtained at a crystallization time of 6 h. The amorphous CaCO3 was transformed to rod-like single crystal calcite crystals at an extended crystallization time of 12 h and 24 h, via "copying" the symmetry and dimensionalities of collagen fibers. Resultant calcite crystallites were well oriented along the longitudinal axis of collagen fibers. The ordered surface structure of collagen fibers and electrostatic interactions played key roles in tuning the oriented nucleation and growth of the calcite crystallites. The mineralized collagen possessing both desired mechanical properties of collagen fiber and good biocompatibility of calcium carbonate may be assembled into an ideal biomaterial for bone implants. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. Channeling implantation of high energy carbon ions in a diamond crystal: Determination of the induced crystal amorphization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erich, M.; Kokkoris, M.; Fazinić, S.; Petrović, S.

    2018-02-01

    This work reports on the induced diamond crystal amorphization by 4 MeV carbon ions implanted in the 〈1 0 0〉 oriented crystal and its determination by application of RBS/C and EBS/C techniques. The spectra from the implanted samples were recorded for 1.2, 1.5, 1.75 and 1.9 MeV protons. For the two latter ones the strong resonance of the nuclear elastic scattering 12C(p,p0)12C at 1.737 MeV was explored. The backscattering channeling spectra were successfully fitted and the ion beam induced crystal amorphization depth profile was determined using a phenomenological approach, which is based on the properly defined Gompertz type dechanneling functions for protons in the 〈1 0 0〉 diamond crystal channels and the introduction of the concept of ion beam amorphization, which is implemented through our newly developed computer code CSIM.

  18. Discovery of amorphous carbon veins in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake fault zone: implications for the fault weakening mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, J.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, B.; Li, H.

    2013-12-01

    The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake generated 270- and 80-km-long surface ruptures along Yingxiu-Beichuan fault and Guanxian-Anxian fault, respectively. At the outcrop near Hongkou village, southwest segment of Yingxiu-Beichuan rupture, network black amorphous carbon veins were discovered near fault planes in the 190-m-wide earthquake fault zone. These veins are mainly composed of ultrafine- and fine-grained amorphous carbon, usually narrower than 5mm and injected into faults and cracks as far as several meter. Flowage structures like asymmetrical structures around few stiff rock fragments indicate materials flew when the veins formed. Fluidization of cataclastic amorphous carbon and the powerful driving force in the veins imply high pore pressure built up during earthquakes. High pore pressure solution and graphite reported in the fault gouge (Togo et al., 2011) can lead very low dynamic friction during the Wenchuan earthquake. This deduction hypothesis is in accordance with the very low thermal abnormal measured on the principle fault zone following the Wenchuan earthquake (Mori et al., 2010). Furthermore, network amorphous carbon veins of different generations suggest similar weakening mechanism also worked on historical earthquakes in Longmenshan fault zone. Reference: Brodsky, E. E., Li, H., Mori, J. J., Kano, Y., and Xue, L., 2012, Frictional Stress Measured Through Temperature Profiles in the Wenchuan Scientific Fault Zone Drilling Project. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting. San Francisco, T44B-07 Li, H., Xu, Z., Si, J., Pei, J., Song, S., Sun, Z., and Chevalier, M., 2012, Wenchuan Earthquake Fault Scientific Drilling program (WFSD): Overview and Results. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting. San Francisco, T44B-01 Mori, J. J., Li, H., Wang, H., Kano, Y., Pei, J., Xu, Z., and Brodsky, E. E., 2010, Temperature measurements in the WFSD-1 borehole following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (MW7.9). American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting. San Francisco, T53E

  19. Effect of ultraviolet light irradiation on amorphous carbon nitride films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, M.; Nakayama, Y.

    1997-01-01

    The amorphous carbon nitride films were produced using electron cyclotron resonance nitrogen plasma with various mixtures of N 2 and CH 4 gases. The dependence of film structures on the nitrogen incorporation and the structural modifications of the film due to ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation were investigated using infrared and UV-VIS spectroscopy. It is found that UV irradiation results in the decrease of CH bonding, increase of CC and CN double bonding in the film and increase of the optical band gap of the film. It appears that both bond removal and reordering have taken place as a result of UV irradiation. The structural modifications due to nitrogen incorporation and UV light irradiation are explained by a cluster model. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

  20. The Influence of Calcium Carbonate Composition and Activated Carbon in Pack Carburizing Low Carbon Steel Process in The Review of Hardness and Micro Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafni; Hadi, Syafrul; Edison

    2017-12-01

    Carburizing is a way of hardening the surface by heating the metal (steel) above the critical temperature in an environment containing carbon. Steel at a temperature of the critical temperature of affinity to carbon. Carbon is absorbed into the metal form a solid solution of carbon-iron and the outer layer has high carbon content. When the composition of the activator and the activated charcoal is right, it will perfect the carbon atoms to diffuse into the test material to low carbon steels. Thick layer of carbon Depending on the time and temperature are used. Pack carburizing process in this study, using 1 kg of solid carbon derived from coconut shell charcoal with a variation of 20%, 10% and 5% calcium carbonate activator, burner temperature of 950 0C, holding time 4 hours. The test material is low carbon steel has 9 pieces. Each composition has three specimens. Furnace used in this study is a pack carburizing furnace which has a designed burner box with a volume of 1000 x 600 x 400 (mm3) of coal-fired. Equipped with a circulation of oxygen from the blower 2 inches and has a wall of refractory bricks. From the variation of composition CaCO3, microstructure formed on the specimen with 20% CaCO3, better diffusion of carbon into the carbon steel, it is seen by the form marten site structure after quenching, and this indicates that there has been an increase of or adding carbon to in the specimen. This led to the formation of marten site specimen into hard surfaces, where the average value of hardness at one point side (side edge) 31.7 HRC

  1. Tribological properties of nitrogen-containing amorphous carbon film produced by dc plasma chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Wei; Wazumi, Koichiro; Tanaka, Akihiro; Koga, Yoshinori

    2003-01-01

    The nitrogen-contained amorphous carbon (a-C:N) films were deposited in a dc plasma chemical vapor deposition system with different substrate bias voltages. The structural, mechanical, and tribological properties of the a-C:N films were investigated. The influence of the bias voltage on the tribological behaviors of the a-C:N films was evaluated under various environments (dry air, O 2 , N 2 , and vacuum) using a ball-on-disk friction tester. It showed that the sp 3 C and hydrogen concentration of the a-C:N films decreases with increasing the bias voltage. However, the nitrogen concentration increases with increasing the bias voltage. As a result, the hardness and internal stress decrease and the critical load for fracturing increases as the substrate bias increases. For the tribological properties of the a-C:N films, the friction coefficient of the films slightly decreases in the environments of N 2 , O 2 , or dry air, but increases slightly in the vacuum environment by increasing the bias voltage. It indicates that the incorporated nitrogen in the a-C:N films would decrease the friction coefficient of the films in N 2 or O 2 environments, but slightly increases the friction coefficient of the films in a vacuum. The excellent wear resistance of the a-C:N films, in the level of 10 -9 -10 -8 mm 3 /Nm, can be observed in N 2 , vacuum, and dry air environments. In addition, the effect of the bias voltage on the wear rate of the a-C:N films becomes less obvious by nitrogen incorporation. So, we suggest the incorporated nitrogen, which bonded to carbon and restrained the increase of the fraction of sp 2 C-C, would restrain the wear of the a-C:N films in different environments, especially in dry air

  2. Simulation and experimental analysis of nanoindentation and mechanical properties of amorphous NiAl alloys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chih-Hao; Fang, Te-Hua; Cheng, Po-Chien; Chiang, Chia-Chin; Chao, Kuan-Chi

    2015-06-01

    This paper used numerical and experimental methods to investigate the mechanical properties of amorphous NiAl alloys during the nanoindentation process. A simulation was performed using the many-body tight-binding potential method. Temperature, plastic deformation, elastic recovery, and hardness were evaluated. The experimental method was based on nanoindentation measurements, allowing a precise prediction of Young's modulus and hardness values for comparison with the simulation results. The indentation simulation results showed a significant increase of NiAl hardness and elastic recovery with increasing Ni content. Furthermore, the results showed that hardness and Young's modulus increase with increasing Ni content. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Adhesion test of amorphous NiAl alloys at room temperature is also described in this study.

  3. Influence of carbon chemical bonding on the tribological behavior of sputtered nanocomposite TiBC/a-C coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abad, M.D.; Sanchez-Lopez, J.C.; Brizuela, M.; Garcia-Luis, A.; Shtansky, D.V.

    2010-01-01

    The tribological performance of nanocomposite coatings containing Ti-B-C phases and amorphous carbon (a-C) are studied. The coatings are deposited by a sputtering process from a sintered TiB 2 :TiC target and graphite, using pulsed direct current and radio frequency sources. By varying the sputtering power ratio, the amorphous carbon content of the coatings can be tuned, as observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. The crystalline component consists of very disordered crystals with a mixture of TiB 2 /TiC or TiB x C y phases. A slight increase in crystalline order is detected with the incorporation of carbon in the coatings that is attributed to the formation of a ternary TiB x C y phase. An estimation of the carbon present in the form of carbide (TiB x C y or TiC) and amorphous (a-C) is performed using fitting analysis of the C 1s XPS peak. The film hardness (22 to 31 GPa) correlates with the fraction of the TiB x C y phase that exists in the coatings. The tribological properties were measured by a pin-on-disk tribometer in ambient conditions, using 6 mm tungsten carbide balls at 1 N. The friction coefficients and the wear rates show similar behavior, exhibiting an optimum when the fraction of C atoms in the amorphous phase is near 50%. This composition enables significant improvement of the friction coefficients and wear rates (μ ∼ 0.1; k -6 mm 3 /Nm), while maintaining a good value of hardness (24.6 GPa). Establishing the correlation between the lubricant properties and the fraction of a-C is very useful for purposes of tailoring the protective character of these nanocomposite coatings to engineering applications.

  4. Short-pulse-laser-induced optical damage and fracto-emission of amorphous, diamond-like carbon films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sokolowski-Tinten, Klaus; Ziegler, Wolfgang; von der Linde, Dietrich; Siegal, Michael P.; Overmyer, D. L.

    2005-03-01

    Short-pulse-laser-induced damage and ablation of thin films of amorphous, diamond-like carbon have been investigated. Material removal and damage are caused by fracture of the film and ejection of large fragments. The fragments exhibit a delayed, intense and broadband emission of microsecond duration. Both fracture and emission are attributed to the laser-initiated relaxation of the high internal stresses of the pulse laser deposition-grown films.

  5. Constitution, microstructure, mechanical properties, and performance of magnetron-sputtered carbon films with additions of silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bauer, C. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Institut fuer Materialforschung I, Postfach 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Leiste, H.; Stueber, M.; Ulrich, S.; Holleck, H.

    2003-11-01

    Amorphous carbon films with additions of silicon were deposited by non-reactive magnetron sputtering on WC-Co hard metal and on silicon substrates. The targets were hot-pressed, homogenous mixtures of graphite and silicon carbide powder. Additional argon ion bombardment of the growing film was applied by a substrate bias varied between 0V and -800 V. The deposited amorphous carbon films with two different silicon contents (5 at.% and 23 at.% respectively) were characterised with respect to their microstructure, density, thickness, residual stress, Vickers hardness, Young's modulus, critical load of failure, friction coefficient, and wear behaviour. The residual stress of the carbon films could be remarkably lowered by silicon additions (23 at.%). The hardness reached high values (2200 HV0.05) and the friction coefficient for unlubricated sliding friction against a steel (1.3505) counterpart was as low as 0.06. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [German] Amorphe Kohlenstoffschichten mit Zusaetzen von Silizium wurden nichtreaktiv durch Magnetronzerstaeubung auf Substraten aus WC-Co Hartmetall und Silizium abgeschieden. Die neuartigen Targets wurden durch Heisspressen einer homogenen Mischung aus Graphit- und Siliziumcarbidpulver hergestellt. Durch Anlegen einer elektrischen Substratvorspannung von 0 V bis -800 V wurden die aufwachsenden Schichten zusaetzlich mit Argonionen unterschiedlicher Energie beschossen. Die abgeschiedenen amorphen Kohlenstoffschichten mit Zusaetzen von Silizium (5 at% bzw. 23 at%) wurden hinsichtlich Struktur, Dichte, Dicke, Eigenspannungen, Vickershaerte, reduziertem Elastizitaetsmodul, kritischer Last des Versagens im Ritztest, Reibwert und Verschleissverhalten untersucht. Fuer Schichten mit hohem Siliziumgehalt (23 at%) erfolgte eine erhebliche Reduzierung der Eigenspannung, die Haerte wurde bei sehr hohen Werten stabilisiert (2200 HV0,05) und der Reibungskoeffizient fuer ungeschmierte Gleitreibung gegen Stahl (1

  6. Influences of carbon content and coating carbon thickness on properties of amorphous CoSnO3@C composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Fuqiang; Fang, Guoqing; Zhang, Ruixue; Xu, Yanhui; Zheng, Junwei; Li, Decheng

    2014-08-01

    A series of core-shell carbon coated amorphous CoSnO3 (CoSnO3@C) with different carbon content are synthesized. Effects of carbon content and coating carbon thickness on the physical and electrochemical performances of the samples were studied in detail. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), galvanostatic charge-discharge and AC impedance spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicate that controlling the concentration of aqueous glucose solution influences the generation of in-situ carbon layer thickness. The optimal concentration of aqueous glucose solution, carbon content and carbon layer thickness are suggested as 0.25 M, 35.1% and 20 nm, respectively. CoSnO3@C composite prepared under the optimal conditions exhibits excellent cycling performance, whose reversible capacity could reach 491 mA h g-1 after 100 cycles.

  7. Structural models for amorphous transition metal binary alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ching, W.Y.; Lin, C.C.

    1976-01-01

    A dense random packing of 445 hard spheres with two different diameters in a concentration ratio of 3 : 1 was hand-built to simulate the structure of amorphous transition metal-metalloid alloys. By introducing appropriate pair potentials of the Lennard-Jones type, the structure is dynamically relaxed by minimizing the total energy. The radial distribution functions (RDF) for amorphous Fe 0 . 75 P 0 . 25 , Ni 0 . 75 P 0 . 25 , Co 0 . 75 P 0 . 25 are obtained and compared with the experimental data. The calculated RDF's are resolved into their partial components. The results indicate that such dynamically constructed models are capable of accounting for some subtle features in the RDF of amorphous transition metal-metalloid alloys

  8. Carbon 1s photoelectron spectroscopy of halomethanes. Effects of electronegativity, hardness, charge distribution, and relaxation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saethre, L.J.; Borve, K.J.; Thomas, T.D.; Bozek, J.D.; Huttula, M.; Kukk, E.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: The concept of electronegativity - the ability of an atom (or functional group) to attract electrons to itself - plays an important role in chemistry. A related concept is the hardness, which has been defined to be half the derivative of electronegativity with respect to charge. It is inversely related to polarizibility. A number of quantitative definitions of electronegativity have been given and a number of tables of electronegativity and hardness have been presented. In spite of this extensive activity the quantitative nature of both of these remains elusive. Inner-shell ionization energies reflect both the charge distribution in a molecule (and, hence, the electronegativity of its component atoms) and the polarizibility of the molecule (and, hence, the hardness of the component atoms). It is not surprising, therefore, that the core-ionization energies of a central atom correlate with the electronegativities of the substituents attached to the atom. It has been our goal to use these correlations to obtain a better insight into the nature of electronegativity and to develop a method for assigning group electronegativities on the basis of core-ionization energies. Carbon 1s ionization energies have been measured for 12 halomethanes. These together with earlier measurements provide 27 compounds for investigating the relationship between core-ionization energies and the electronegativity and hardness of the halogens. The ionization energies correlate nearly linearly with the sum of the electronegativities of the halogens attached to the central carbon. Both electronegativity and hardness play important roles in determining the ionization energy, and it is found that the linear relationship between ionization energy and electronegativity arises from an interplay of the electronegativity and hardness of the halogens and the length and ionicity of the carbon-halogen bond

  9. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon radiation detectors: Material parameters; radiation hardness; charge collection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qureshi, S.

    1991-01-01

    Properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon p-i-n diodes relevant to radiation detection applications were studied. The interest in using this material for radiation detection applications in physics and medicine was motivated by its high radiation hardness and the fact that it can be deposited over large area at relatively low cost. Thick, fully depleted a-Si:H diodes are required for sufficient energy deposition by a charged particle and better signal to noise ratio. A sizeable electric field is essential for charge collection in a -Si:H diodes. The large density of ionized defects that exist in the i layer when the diode is under DC bias causes the electric field to be uniform. Material parameters, namely carrier mobility and lifetime and the ionized defect density in thick a-Si:H p-i-n diodes were studied by the transient photoconductivity method. The increase in diode leakage current with reverse bias over the operating bias was consistent with the Poole-Frenkel effect, involving excitation of carriers from neutral defects. The diode noise over the operating voltage range was completely explained in terms of the shot noise component for CR-(RC) 4 (pseudo-Gaussian) shaping at 3 μs shaping time and the noise component at 0 V bias (delta and thermal noise) added in quadrature. Irradiation with 1 Mev neutrons produced no significant degradation in leakage current and noise at fluences exceeding 4 x 10 14 cm -2 . Irradiation with 1.4 Mev proton fluence of 1 x 10 14 cm -2 decreased carrier lifetime by a factor of ∼4. Degradation in leakage current and noise became significant at proton fluence of ∼10 13 cm -2

  10. Microhardness tests of stainless steel 52100 implanted with nitrogen and carbon dioxide

    CERN Document Server

    Mardanian, M; Taheri, Z

    2003-01-01

    In this research work, samples of stainless steel 52100 disks were implanted with nitrogen and carbon dioxide ions at the energy of 90 keV. Microhardness measurement were performed to determine the hardness of the surface. The N-2 sup + implanted steels at the doses of 1x10 sup 1 8 ions cm sup sub 2 gave the highest hardness of 49.70%, while for the CO sub 2 sup + ions implantation, the hardness of 17% and 5% were obtained at the doses of 3x10 sup 1 8 and 1x10 sup 1 9 ions cm sup - 2, respectively. To support the interpretation of our microhardness results the implanted surface were analyzed by the use of XRD method. Our results indicated that the hardness of the N sub 2 sup + implanted samples are due to formation of beta-Cr N phase in the surface layer, while in the CO sub 2 + implanted samples no observation of carbon as graphite or carbide was made. In addition, the absence of any hump in the XRD spectrum indicating that carbon is not in the amorphous phase either.

  11. Studies of hydrogen incorporation in hydrogenated amorphous carbon films by infrared absorption spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alameh, R.; Bounouh, Y.; Sadki, A.; Naud, C.; Theye, M.L.

    1997-01-01

    Author.Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films presently attract considerable interest because of their potential applications in the domain of multifunctional coatings: transparent in the infrared, very hard, chemically inert, etc...This material is rather complex since it contains C atoms in both sp 3 (diamond) and sp 2 (graphite) electronic configurations, as well as a large concentration of H atoms. Its properties are strongly dependent on the deposition conditions which determine the film microstructure, i.e. the relative proportions of sp 3 and sp 2 C sites, their connection in the network and the hydrogen bonding modes. It has been suggested that the sp 2 C sites tend to cluster into unsaturated chains ans rings, which are then embedded in the sp 3 C sites m atrix . Hydrogen incorporation plays a crucial role in this intrinsic microheterogeneity, which determines the electronic properties, and especially the gap value, of a-C:H. We here present and discuss the results of Fourrier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy measurements performed on a-C:H films prepared under different conditions and submitted to controlled annealing cycles, which exhibit quite different optical gap values (from 1 to 2.5 eV). We carefully analyze the absorption bands detected in the 400-7500 cm -1 spectral range in terms of the vibration modes of C-H and C-C bonds in different local environments and we interpret the results in relation with the film microstructure and optical properties. Special attention is also paid to the absorption background and to the variations of the whole absorption spectra with measurement temperature

  12. Annealing effect on the microstructure modification and tribological properties of amorphous carbon nitride films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhou; Wang, Chengbing; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Junyan

    2008-10-01

    The influences of thermal annealing on the microstructural and tribological properties of amorphous carbon nitride films were investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer were utilized to characterize bond configuration and chemical state of the films. The results indicated that at low annealing temperatures (200 and 300 °C), the volatile species and surface contamination are easily dissociated without obvious bulk modification; while at high annealing temperatures (400 and 500 °C), the microstructure of carbon nitride films changed and favored a graphitization process, which indicated the growth of more graphitic film structures. The faint Raman signal of C≡N decreased with annealing temperature (TA) and completely disappeared at TA of 500 °C, indicating that nitrile bonds were thermal unstable under high temperature. Surprisingly, the tribological properties of the films showed a remarkably decreasing in friction coefficient as the TA increased; it is attributed to the graphitization of carbon nitride films during thermal annealing, which favored transfer film formation between the carbon nitride films and counterface materials. The transfer films benefit the decrease in coefficient of friction.

  13. Electromagnetic wave absorption properties of composites with micro-sized magnetic particles dispersed in amorphous carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Bin Peng [Research Center of Carbon Fiber, Key Laboratory for Liquid–Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Tianjin Binhai New Area Finance Bureau, Tianjin 300450 (China); Wang, Cheng Guo, E-mail: sduwangchg@gmail.com [Research Center of Carbon Fiber, Key Laboratory for Liquid–Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Wang, Wen [Norinco Group China North Material Science and Engineering Technology Group Corporation, Jinan 250031 (China); Yu, Mei Jie; Gao, Rui; Chen, Yang; Xiang Wang, Yan [Research Center of Carbon Fiber, Key Laboratory for Liquid–Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China)

    2014-09-01

    Composites with micro-sized magnetic particles dispersed in amorphous carbon were fabricated conveniently and economically by carbonizing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers mixed with micro-sized iron particles under different temperatures. The composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electric microscope (SEM). The electromagnetic (EM) properties were measured by a vector network analyzer in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz based on which analog computations of EM wave absorption properties were carried out. The influences of temperature on phase composition and EM wave absorption properties were also investigated, indicating that the composites had good electromagnetic absorption properties with both electrical loss and magnetic loss. Effective reflection loss (RL<−10 dB) was observed in a large frequency range of 7.5–18 GHz with the absorber thickness of 2.0–3.0 mm for the paraffin samples with composite powders heated up to 750 °C and the minimum absorption peak around −40 dB appeared at approximately 10 GHz with matching thickness of 2.0 mm for the paraffin sample with composite powders heated up to 800 °C. - Highlights: • High-performance electromagnetic wave absorption materials were fabricated conveniently and economically. • The materials are composites with micro-sized magnetic particles dispersed in porous amorphous carbon. • The influences of temperature on phase composition and electromagnetic wave absorption properties were investigated. • The composites heated up to 750 °C and 800 °C had good electromagnetic wave absorption property.

  14. Elastic characteristics and microplastic deformation of amorphous alloys on iron base

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pol'dyaeva, G.P.; Zakharov, E.K.; Ovcharov, V.P.; Tret'yakov, B.N.

    1983-01-01

    Investigation results of elasticity and microplasticity properties (modulus of normal elasticity E, elasticity limit σsub(0.01) and yield limit σsub(0.2)) of three amorphous alloys on iron base Fe 80 B 20 , Fe 70 Cr 10 B 20 and Fe 70 Cr 5 Ni 5 B 20 are given. Amorphous band of the alloys is obtained using the method of melt hardening. It is shown that amorphous alloys on iron base possess high elasticity and yield limits and hardness and are very perspective for the use as spring materials

  15. Electrochemical performances and capacity fading behaviors of activated carbon/hard carbon lithium ion capacitor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Xianzhong; Zhang, Xiong; Liu, Wenjie; Wang, Kai; Li, Chen; Li, Zhao; Ma, Yanwei

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Three-electrode pouch cell is used to investigate the capacity fading of AC/HC LIC. • the electrode potential swing is critical for the cycleability of a LIC cell. • Different capacity fading behaviors are discussed. • A large-capacity LIC pouch cell has been assembled with a specific energy of 18.1 Wh kg −1 based on the total weight. - Abstract: Lithium ion capacitor (LIC) is one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage devices, which offers rapid charging-discharging capability and long cycle life. We have fabricated LIC pouch cells using an electrochemically-driven lithium pre-doping method through a three-electrode pouch cell structure. The active materials of cathode and anode of LIC cell are activated carbon and pre-lithiated hard carbon, respectively. The electrochemical performances and the capacity fading behaviors of LICs in the voltage range of 2.0 − 4.0 V have been studied. The specific energy and specific power reach 73.6 Wh kg −1 and 11.9 kW kg −1 based on the weight of the active materials in both cathode and anode, respectively. Since the cycling performance is actually determined by hard carbon anode, the anode potential swings are emphasized. The capacity fading of LIC upon cycling is proposed to be caused by the increases of internal resistance and the consumption of lithium stored in anode. Finally, a large-capacity LIC pouch cell has been assembled with a maximum specific energy of 18.1 Wh kg −1 and a maximum specific power of 3.7 kW kg −1 based on the weight of the whole cell.

  16. Spectroscopic and mechanical studies on the Fe-based amorphous alloy 2605SA1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cabral P, A.; Garcia S, I.; Contreras V, J. A.; Garcia S, F.; Nava, N.

    2010-01-01

    The Vickers micro-hardness of this alloy was unusually dependent on the heat treatment from 300 to 634 K, inferring important micro-structural changes and the presence of amorphous grains before its phase transition. Once the alloy is crystallized, the micro-hardness is characteristic of a brittle alloy, the main problem of these alloys. Within the amorphous state, other properties like free-volume, magnetic states and Fe-Fe distances were followed by Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and Moessbauer spectroscopy, respectively, to analyze those micro-structural changes, thermally induced, which are of paramount interest to understand their brittleness problem. (Author)

  17. Spectroscopic and mechanical studies on the Fe-based amorphous alloy 2605SA1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cabral P, A.; Garcia S, I. [ININ, Departamento de Quimica, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Contreras V, J. A.; Garcia S, F. [Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Facultad de Ciencias, El Cerrillo Piedras Blancas, Toluca, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Nava, N., E-mail: agustin.cabral@inin.gob.m [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas No. 152, Col. San Bartolo Atepehuacan, 07730 Mexico D. F. (Mexico)

    2010-07-01

    The Vickers micro-hardness of this alloy was unusually dependent on the heat treatment from 300 to 634 K, inferring important micro-structural changes and the presence of amorphous grains before its phase transition. Once the alloy is crystallized, the micro-hardness is characteristic of a brittle alloy, the main problem of these alloys. Within the amorphous state, other properties like free-volume, magnetic states and Fe-Fe distances were followed by Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and Moessbauer spectroscopy, respectively, to analyze those micro-structural changes, thermally induced, which are of paramount interest to understand their brittleness problem. (Author)

  18. Surface energy of amorphous carbon films containing iron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, J. S.; Lau, S. P.; Tay, B. K.; Chen, G. Y.; Sun, Z.; Tan, Y. Y.; Tan, G.; Chai, J. W.

    2001-01-01

    Iron containing diamond-like amorphous carbon (a-C:Fe) films were deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique. The influences of Fe content and substrate bias on the surface energy of the films were investigated. The surface energy of a-C:Fe films was determined by the contact angle measurement. Atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to analyze the origin of the variation of surface energy with various Fe content and substrate bias. It is found that the contact angle for water increases significantly after incorporating Fe into the films and the films become hydrophobic. The roughness of these films has no effect on the contact angle. The surface energy is reduced from 42.8 to 25 dyne/cm after incorporating Fe into the a-C film (10% Fe in the target), which is due to the reduction of both dispersive and polar component. The reduction in dispersive component is ascribed to the decrease of atomic density of the a-C:Fe films due to the increase in sp 2 bonded carbon. When sp 2 content increases to some extent, the atomic density remains constant and hence dispersive component does not change. The absorption of oxygen on the surface plays an important role in the reduction of the polar component for the a-C:Fe films. It is proposed that such network as (C n - O - Fe) - O - (Fe - O - C n ) may be formed and responsible for the reduction of polar component. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

  19. Understanding API-polymer proximities in amorphous stabilized composite drug products using fluorine-carbon 2D HETCOR solid-state NMR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abraham, Anuji; Crull, George

    2014-10-06

    A simple and robust method for obtaining fluorine-carbon proximities was established using a (19)F-(13)C heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) two-dimensional (2D) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) experiment under magic-angle spinning (MAS). The method was applied to study a crystalline active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), avagacestat, containing two types of fluorine atoms and its API-polymer composite drug product. These results provide insight into the molecular structure, aid with assigning the carbon resonances, and probe API-polymer proximities in amorphous spray dried dispersions (SDD). This method has an advantage over the commonly used (1)H-(13)C HETCOR because of the large chemical shift dispersion in the fluorine dimension. In the present study, fluorine-carbon distances up to 8 Å were probed, giving insight into the API structure, crystal packing, and assignments. Most importantly, the study demonstrates a method for probing an intimate molecular level contact between an amorphous API and a polymer in an SDD, giving insights into molecular association and understanding of the role of the polymer in API stability (such as recrystallization, degradation, etc.) in such novel composite drug products.

  20. Study of hard diamond-like carbon films deposited in an inductively coupled plasma source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Shiji; Ma Tengcai

    2003-01-01

    Chemical vapor deposition of the hard diamond-like carbon (DLC) films was achieved using an inductively coupled plasma source (ICPS). The microscopy, microhardness, deposition rate and structure characteristic of the DLC films were analyzed. It is shown that the ICPS is suitable for the hard DLC film deposition at relatively low substrate negative bias voltage, and the substrate negative bias voltage greatly affects chemical vapor deposition of the DLC film and its quality

  1. Multiscale simulation of thermal disruption in resistance switching process in amorphous carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Popov, A M; Nikishin, N G; Shumkin, G N

    2015-01-01

    The switching of material atomic structure and electric conductivity is used in novel technologies of making memory on the base of phase change. The possibility of making memory on the base of amorphous carbon is shown in experiment [1]. Present work is directed to simulation of experimentally observed effects. Ab initio quantum calculations were used for simulation of atomic structure changes in amorphous carbon [2]. These simulations showed that the resistance change is connected with thermally induced effects. The temperature was supposed to be the function of time. In present paper we propose a new multiscale, self-consistent model which combines three levels of simulation scales and takes into account the space and time dependencies of the temperature. On the first level of quantum molecular dynamic we provide the calculations of phase change in atomic structure with space and time dependence of the temperature. Nose-Hover thermostats are used for MD simulations to reproduce space dependency of the temperature. It is shown that atomic structure is localized near graphitic layers in conducting dot. Structure parameter is used then on the next levels of the modeling. Modified Ehrenfest Molecular Dynamics is used on the second level. Switching evolution of electronic subsystem is obtained. In macroscopic scale level the heat conductivity equation for continuous media is used for calculation space-time dependence of the temperature. Joule heat source depends on structure parameter and electric conductivity profiles obtained on previous levels of modeling. Iterative procedure is self-consistently repeated combining three levels of simulation. Space localization of Joule heat source leads to the thermal disruption. Obtained results allow us to explain S-form of the Volt-Ampere characteristic observed in experiment. Simulations were performed on IBM Blue Gene/P supercomputer at Moscow State University. (paper)

  2. Wear Resistant Amorphous and Nanocomposite Coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Racek, O

    2008-03-26

    Glass forming materials (critical cooling rate <10{sup 4}K.s{sup -1}) are promising for their high corrosion and wear resistance. During rapid cooling, the materials form an amorphous structure that transforms to nanocrystalline during a process of devitrification. High hardness (HV 1690) can be achieved through a controlled crystallization. Thermal spray process has been used to apply coatings, which preserves the amorphous/nanocomposite structure due to a high cooling rate of the feedstock particles during the impact on a substrate. Wear properties have been studied with respect to process conditions and feedstock material properties. Application specific properties such as sliding wear resistance have been correlated with laboratory tests based on instrumented indentation and scratch tests.

  3. Effect of metal doping on structural characteristics of amorphous carbon system: A first-principles study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Xiaowei; Zhang, Dong [Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China); Lee, Kwang-Ryeol, E-mail: krlee@kist.re.kr [Computational Science Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Wang, Aiying, E-mail: aywang@nimte.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China)

    2016-05-31

    First-principles calculation was performed to investigate the effect of metal doping on the structural characteristics of amorphous carbon system, and the 3d transition metals (TM) were particularly selected as representative case. Results showed that the total energy in TM–C systems caused by distorting the bond angles was reduced distinctly for comparison with that in C–C system. Further electronic structure revealed that as the 3d electrons of doped TM increased, the bond characteristic of highest occupied molecular orbital changed from bonding (Sc, Ti) to nonbonding (V, Cr, Mn, Fe) and finally to antibonding (Co, Ni, Cu) between the TM and C atoms. Meanwhile, the TM–C bond presented a mixture of the covalent and ionic characters. The decrease of strength and directionality of TM–C bonds resulted in the total energy change upon bond angle distortion, which demonstrated that the bond characteristics played an important role in reducing residual stress of TM-doped amorphous carbon systems. - Highlights: • The bond characteristics as 3d electrons changed from bonding, nonbonding to antibonding. • The TM–C bond was a mixture of covalent and ionic characters. • Reduced strength and directionality of TM–C bond led to small distortion energy change. • The weak TM–C bond accounted for the reduced compressive stress caused by TM.

  4. Nanosized amorphous calcium carbonate stabilized by poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) block copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guillemet, Baptiste; Faatz, Michael; Gröhn, Franziska; Wegner, Gerhard; Gnanou, Yves

    2006-02-14

    Particles of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), formed in situ from calcium chloride by the slow release of carbon dioxide by alkaline hydrolysis of dimethyl carbonate in water, are stabilized against coalescence in the presence of very small amounts of double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) composed of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) blocks. Under optimized conditions, spherical particles of ACC with diameters less than 100 nm and narrow size distribution are obtained at a concentration of only 3 ppm of PEO-b-PAA as additive. Equivalent triblock or star DHBCs are compared to diblock copolymers. The results are interpreted assuming an interaction of the PAA blocks with the surface of the liquid droplets of the concentrated CaCO3 phase, formed by phase separation from the initially homogeneous reaction mixture. The adsorption layer of the block copolymer protects the liquid precursor of ACC from coalescence and/or coagulation.

  5. Gas desorption during friction of amorphous carbon films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rusanov, A; Fontaine, J; Martin, J-M; Mogne, T L; Nevshupa, R

    2008-01-01

    Gas desorption induced by friction of solids, i.e. tribodesorption, is one of the numerous physical and chemical phenomena, which arise during friction as result of thermal and structural activation of material in a friction zone. Tribodesorption of carbon oxides, hydrocarbons, and water vapours may lead to significant deterioration of ultra high vacuum conditions in modern technological equipment in electronic, optoelectronic industries. Therefore, knowledge of tribodesorption is crucial for the performance and lifetime of vacuum tribosystems. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are interesting materials for vacuum tribological systems due to their high wear resistance and low friction. Highly hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films are known to exhibit extremely low friction coefficient under high vacuum or inert environment, known as 'superlubricity' or 'superlow friction'. However, the superlow friction period is not always stable and then tends to spontaneous transition to high friction. It is supposed that hydrogen supply from the bulk to the surface is crucial for establishing and maintaining superlow friction. Thus, tribodesorption can serve also as a new technique to determine the role of gases in superlow friction mechanisms. Desorption of various a-C:H films, deposited by PECVD, ion-beam deposition and deposition using diode system, has been studied by means of ultra-high vacuum tribometer equipped with a mass spectrometer. It was found that in superlow friction period desorption rate was below the detection limit in the 0-85 mass range. However, transition from superlow friction to high friction was accompanied by desorption of various gases, mainly of H 2 and CH 4 . During friction transition, surfaces were heavily damaged. In experiments with DLC films with low hydrogen content tribodesorption was significant during the whole experiment, while low friction was not observed. From estimation of maximum surface temperature during sliding contact it

  6. Hard carbon coated nano-Si/graphite composite as a high performance anode for Li-ion batteries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeong, Sookyung; Li, Xiaolin; Zheng, Jianming; Yan, Pengfei; Cao, Ruiguo; Jung, Hee Joon; Wang, Chong M.; Liu, Jun; Zhang, Jiguang

    2016-08-27

    With the ever increasing demands on Li-ion batteries with higher energy densities, alternative anode with higher reversible capacity is required to replace the conventional graphite anode. Here, we demonstrate a cost-effective hydrothermal-carbonization approach to prepare the hard carbon coated nano-Si/graphite (HC-nSi/G) composite as a high performance anode for Li-ion batteries. In this hierarchical structured composite, the hard carbon coating layer not only provides an efficient pathway for electron transfer, but also alleviates the volume variation of silicon during charge/discharge processes. The HC-nSi/G composite electrode shows excellent electrochemical performances including a high specific capacity of 878.6 mAh g-1 based on the total weight of composite, good rate performance and a decent cycling stability, which is promising for practical applications.

  7. Photophysical and photochemical investigations of fullerene presence in amorphous hydrogenated carbon films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, J. Q.; Meeker, D. L.; Barashkov, N. N.

    1997-07-01

    The plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system was used to grow amorphous hydrogenated carbon films deposited on silicon substrates. Extracts of the films were obtained by treatment with boiling cyclohexane solvent. The absorption spectra of these extracts showed the existence of small quantities of fullerenes. Using the molar extinction coefficient of C60 in cyclohexane, the mass of fullerenes in the films was estimated to be about 0.019 mg. C60 induced fluorescence quenching of anthracene was also observed. Additional evidence for the presence of fullerenes was based on their capability to accelerate the photo-oxidation of anthracene through the generation of singlet oxygen with a high quantum yield under ultraviolet irradiation.

  8. Soft-to-hard templating to well-dispersed N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres via one-pot carbon/silica source copolymerization

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qinglu Kong; Lingxia Zhang; Min Wang; Mengli Li; Heliang Yao; Jianlin Shi

    2016-01-01

    Here we report a new approach referred as "softto-hard templating" strategy via the copolymerization of carbon source (dopamine) and silica source (tetraethyl orthosilicate) for the synthesis of well dispersed N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs),which exhibit high performance for electrochemical supercapacitor.This method overcomes the shortcoming of uncontrolled dispersity and complicated procedures of soft-or hard-tem-plating methods,respectively.Moreover,the synthesized MCNs feature enriched heteroatom N-doping and easy functionalization by noble-metal nanoparticles during the one-pot synthesis.All the above characters make the asprepared MCNs a promising platform in a variety of applications.To demonstrate the applicability of the synthesized nitrogen-doped MCNs,this material has been employed as an electrode for high-performance electrochemical supercapacitor,which shows a capacitance of 223 and 140 F/g at current densities of 0.5 and 10 A/g in 1 mol/L KOH electrolyte,respectively.

  9. Elastic characteristics and microplastic deformation of amorphous alloys on iron base

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pol' dyaeva, G.P.; Zakharov, E.K.; Ovcharov, V.P.; Tret' yakov, B.N. (Tsentral' nyj Nauchno-Issledovatel' skij Inst. Chernoj Metallurgii, Moscow (USSR))

    1983-01-01

    Investigation results of elasticity and microplasticity properties (modulus of normal elasticity E, elasticity limit sigmasub(0.01) and yield limit sigmasub(0.2)) of three amorphous alloys on iron base Fe/sub 80/B/sub 20/, Fe/sub 70/Cr/sub 10/B/sub 20/ and Fe/sub 70/Cr/sub 5/Ni/sub 5/B/sub 20/ are given. Amorphous band of the alloys is obtained using the method of melt hardening. It is shown that amorphous alloys on iron base possess high elasticity and yield limits and hardness and are very perspective for the use as spring materials.

  10. Materials and Manufacturing Processing; Special Issue on Hard Carbon Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    1993-01-01

    AZ 85721 G. SMOLIK, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 J.B. TERRELL, Reynolds Metals Company, P.O. Box 27003 ...18%Si alloy using inserts of ISO SPGN120308 and HEHN532FN. The damage to diamond films after cutting was examined by SEM and micro-laser Raman...uncoated cemented carbide insert corresponding to ISO K10 grade and sintered diamond insert were also used. Milling a hard carbon under dry condition The

  11. Recent Progress in Design of Biomass-Derived Hard Carbons for Sodium Ion Batteries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Górka

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Sodium ion batteries (SIBs have attracted lots of attention over last few years due to the abundance and wide availability of sodium resources, making SIBs the most cost-effective alternative to the currently used lithium ion batteries (LIBs. Many efforts are underway to find effective anodes for SIBs since the commercial anode for LIBs, graphite, has shown very limited capacity for SIBs. Among many different types of carbons, hard carbons—especially these derived from biomass—hold a great deal of promise for SIB technology thanks to their constantly improving performance and low cost. The main scope of this mini-review is to present current progress in preparation of negative electrodes from biomass including aspects related to precursor types used and their impact on the final carbon characteristics (structure, texture and composition. Another aspect discussed is how certain macro- and microstructure characteristics of the materials translate to their performance as anode for Na-ion batteries. In the last part, current understanding of factors governing sodium insertion into hard carbons is summarized, specifically those that could help solve existing performance bottlenecks such as irreversible capacity, initial low Coulombic efficiency and poor rate performance.

  12. A fax-machine amorphous silicon sensor for X-ray detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alberdi, J. [Association EURATOM/CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Barcala, J.M. [Association EURATOM/CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Chvatchkine, V. [Association EURATOM/CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Ioudine, I. [Association EURATOM/CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Molinero, A. [Association EURATOM/CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Navarrete, J.J. [Association EURATOM/CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Yuste, C. [Association EURATOM/CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain)

    1996-10-01

    Amorphous silicon detectors have been used, basically, as solar cells for energetics applications. As light detectors, linear sensors are used in fax and photocopier machines because they can be built with a large size, low price and have a high radiation hardness. Due to these performances, amorphous silicon detectors have been used as radiation detectors, and, presently, some groups are developing matrix amorphous silicon detectors with built-in electronics for medical X-ray applications. Our group has been working on the design and development of an X-ray image system based on a commercial fax linear amorphous silicon detector. The sensor scans the selected area and detects light produced by the X-ray in a scintillator placed on the sensor. Image-processing software produces a final image with better resolution and definition. (orig.).

  13. Low-temperature growth of low friction wear-resistant amorphous carbon nitride thin films by mid-frequency, high power impulse, and direct current magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakoglidis, Konstantinos D.; Schmidt, Susann; Garbrecht, Magnus; Ivanov, Ivan G.; Jensen, Jens; Greczynski, Grzegorz; Hultman, Lars

    2015-01-01

    The potential of different magnetron sputtering techniques for the synthesis of low friction and wear resistant amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN x ) thin films onto temperature-sensitive AISI52100 bearing steel, but also Si(001) substrates was studied. Hence, a substrate temperature of 150 °C was chosen for the film synthesis. The a-CN x films were deposited using mid-frequency magnetron sputtering (MFMS) with an MF bias voltage, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with a synchronized HiPIMS bias voltage, and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) with a DC bias voltage. The films were deposited using a N 2 /Ar flow ratio of 0.16 at the total pressure of 400 mPa. The negative bias voltage, V s , was varied from 20 to 120 V in each of the three deposition modes. The microstructure of the films was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, while the film morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. All films possessed an amorphous microstructure, while the film morphology changed with the bias voltage. Layers grown applying the lowest substrate bias of 20 V exhibited pronounced intercolumnar porosity, independent of the sputter technique. Voids closed and dense films are formed at V s  ≥ 60 V, V s  ≥ 100 V, and V s  = 120 V for MFMS, DCMS, and HiPIMS, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen-to-carbon ratio, N/C, of the films ranged between 0.2 and 0.24. Elastic recoil detection analysis showed that Ar content varied between 0 and 0.8 at. % and increased as a function of V s for all deposition techniques. All films exhibited compressive residual stress, σ, which depends on the growth method; HiPIMS produces the least stressed films with values ranging between −0.4 and −1.2 GPa for all V s , while CN x films deposited by MFMS showed residual stresses up to −4.2 GPa. Nanoindentation showed a significant

  14. Study of lithium insertion in hard carbon made from cotton wool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peled, Emanuel; Eshkenazi, Victor; Rosenberg, Yuri

    Hard-carbon materials were made either by one-step or multi-step pyrolysis of cotton cloth between 700 and 1100°C. All carbons have been characterized by gas sorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Two types of carbons have been obtained. One, made by multi-step pyrolysis, has the highest lithium reversible capacity [about 600 (mA h)/g] and two distinct voltage regions: a sloping one between 1.5 and about 0.1 V, called the high-voltage region (HVR), and a horizontal one between 0.1 and 0 V, called the low-voltage plateau (LVP). The other carbons made by the one-step process have only the HVR and less capacity [up to 470 (mA h)/g]. The influence of the current density and temperature on the capacity and degradation rate in both LVP and HVR was checked. We suggest that there are two different modes of lithium insertion: intercalation-like (on both sides of single graphene sheets) at lower potentials and chemical binding to edge carbon atoms at higher potentials vs. lithium reference electrode. A schematic model for lithiated carbon is proposed.

  15. Coercivities of hot-deformed magnets processed from amorphous and nanocrystalline precursors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Xin; Sepehri-Amin, H.; Ohkubo, T.; Hioki, K.; Hattori, A.; Hono, K.

    2017-01-01

    Hot-deformed magnets have been processed from amorphous and nanocrystalline precursors and their hard magnetic properties and microstructures have been investigated in order to explore the optimum process route. The hot-deformed magnets processed from an amorphous precursor exhibited the coercivity of 1.40 T that is higher than that processed from nanocrystalline powder, ∼1.28 T. The average grain size was larger in the magnets processed from amorphous precursor. Detailed microstructure analyses by aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed that the Nd + Pr concentrations in the intergranular phases were higher in the hot-deformed magnet processed from the amorphous precursor, which is considered to lead to the enhanced coercivity due to a stronger pinning force against magnetic domain wall motion.

  16. Absorption and adsorption of methane and carbon dioxide in hard coal and active carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milewska-Duda, J.; Duda, J.; Nodzenski, A.; Lakatos, J. [Stanislaw Staszic University of Mining and Metallurgy, Krakow (Poland). Faculty of Fuels and Energy

    2000-07-01

    The paper shows what can be deduced on sorption mechanisms in hard coals and active carbon by using a theoretical model of sorption of small molecules in elastic submicroporous materials. This multiple sorption model (MSM) describes both adsorption and absorption phenomena. Basic assumptions and formulae of the MSM are presented. The computations were performed for isotherms of CO{sub 2} and CH{sub 4} at elevated pressures on three coal samples of different rank and on an active carbon. Nonideality of the sorbates is handled by an original state equation providing consistent information on fugacity and cohesion energy corresponding to a given molar volume of sorbate molecules in the sorption system. Surface structure of the studied coals and energetic parameters of the systems determined with MSM are compared to those obtained by using BET and Dubinin-Radushkievitch equations.

  17. Transformation and Crystallization Energetics of Synthetic and Biogenic Amorphous Calcium Carbonate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Radha, A. V. [Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Lab. and Nanomaterials in the Environment, Agriculture, and Technology Organized Research Unit (NEAT ORU), Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Forbes, Tori Z. [Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Lab. and Nanomaterials in the Environment, Agriculture, and Technology Organized Research Unit (NEAT ORU), Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Killian, Christopher E. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Gilbert, P.U.P.A [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Navrotsky, Alexandra [Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Lab. and Nanomaterials in the Environment, Agriculture, and Technology Organized Research Unit (NEAT ORU), Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is a metastable phase often observed during low temperature inorganic synthesis and biomineralization. ACC transforms with aging or heating into a less hydrated form, and with time crystallizes to calcite or aragonite. The energetics of transformation and crystallization of synthetic and biogenic (extracted from California purple sea urchin larval spicules, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) ACC were studied using isothermal acid solution calorimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. Transformation and crystallization of ACC can follow an energetically downhill sequence: more metastable hydrated ACC → less metastable hydrated ACC→anhydrous ACC ~ biogenic anhydrous ACC→vaterite → aragonite → calcite. In a given reaction sequence, not all these phases need to occur. The transformations involve a series of ordering, dehydration, and crystallization processes, each lowering the enthalpy (and free energy) of the system, with crystallization of the dehydrated amorphous material lowering the enthalpy the most. ACC is much more metastable with respect to calcite than the crystalline polymorphs vaterite or aragonite. The anhydrous ACC is less metastable than the hydrated, implying that the structural reorganization during dehydration is exothermic and irreversible. Dehydrated synthetic and anhydrous biogenic ACC are similar in enthalpy. The transformation sequence observed in biomineralization could be mainly energetically driven; the first phase deposited is hydrated ACC, which then converts to anhydrous ACC, and finally crystallizes to calcite. The initial formation of ACC may be a first step in the precipitation of calcite under a wide variety of conditions, including geological CO₂ sequestration.

  18. Hardness of ion implanted ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliver, W.C.; McHargue, C.J.; Farlow, G.C.; White, C.W.

    1985-01-01

    It has been established that the wear behavior of ceramic materials can be modified through ion implantation. Studies have been done to characterize the effect of implantation on the structure and composition of ceramic surfaces. To understand how these changes affect the wear properties of the ceramic, other mechanical properties must be measured. To accomplish this, a commercially available ultra low load hardness tester has been used to characterize Al 2 O 3 with different implanted species and doses. The hardness of the base material is compared with the highly damaged crystalline state as well as the amorphous material

  19. Growth Mechanism and Origin of High s p3 Content in Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caro, Miguel A.; Deringer, Volker L.; Koskinen, Jari; Laurila, Tomi; Csányi, Gábor

    2018-04-01

    We study the deposition of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films from molecular dynamics simulations based on a machine-learned interatomic potential trained from density-functional theory data. For the first time, the high s p3 fractions in excess of 85% observed experimentally are reproduced by means of computational simulation, and the deposition energy dependence of the film's characteristics is also accurately described. High confidence in the potential and direct access to the atomic interactions allow us to infer the microscopic growth mechanism in this material. While the widespread view is that ta-C grows by "subplantation," we show that the so-called "peening" model is actually the dominant mechanism responsible for the high s p3 content. We show that pressure waves lead to bond rearrangement away from the impact site of the incident ion, and high s p3 fractions arise from a delicate balance of transitions between three- and fourfold coordinated carbon atoms. These results open the door for a microscopic understanding of carbon nanostructure formation with an unprecedented level of predictive power.

  20. Structural morphology of amorphous conducting carbon film

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    moves from low preparation temperature to high preparation temperature. The amorphous .... nm and the interac- tion between the pi-electron clouds of the two layers re- .... sp2 configuration forms to minimize stress and making. C900 films ...

  1. The effect of deposition energy of energetic atoms on the growth and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films studied by molecular dynamics simulations

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, N; Komvopoulos, K

    2014-01-01

    The growth and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The second-generation reactive-empirical-bond-order potential was used to model atomic interactions. Films with different structures

  2. Photophysical and photochemical investigations of fullerene presence in amorphous hydrogenated carbon films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, J.Q.; Meeker, D.L. [The Physics Program, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75083 (United States); Barashkov, N.N. [Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75083 (United States)

    1997-07-01

    The plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system was used to grow amorphous hydrogenated carbon films deposited on silicon substrates. Extracts of the films were obtained by treatment with boiling cyclohexane solvent. The absorption spectra of these extracts showed the existence of small quantities of fullerenes. Using the molar extinction coefficient of C{sub 60} in cyclohexane, the mass of fullerenes in the films was estimated to be about 0.019 mg. C{sub 60} induced fluorescence quenching of anthracene was also observed. Additional evidence for the presence of fullerenes was based on their capability to accelerate the photo-oxidation of anthracene through the generation of singlet oxygen with a high quantum yield under ultraviolet irradiation. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

  3. Infrared analysis of thin films amorphous, hydrogenated carbon on silicon

    CERN Document Server

    Jacob, W; Schwarz-Selinger, T

    2000-01-01

    The infrared analysis of thin films on a thick substrate is discussed using the example of plasma-deposited, amorphous, hydrogenated carbon layers (a-C:H) on silicon substrates. The framework for the optical analysis of thin films is presented. The main characteristic of thin film optics is the occurrence of interference effects due to the coherent superposition of light multiply reflected at the various internal and external interfaces of the optical system. These interference effects lead to a sinusoidal variation of the transmitted and reflected intensity. As a consequence, the Lambert-Beer law is not applicable for the determination of the absorption coefficient of thin films. Furthermore, observable changes of the transmission and reflection spectra occur in the vicinity of strong absorption bands due to the Kramers-Kronig relation. For a sound data evaluation these effects have to be included in the analysis. To be able to extract the full information contained in a measured optical thin film spectrum, ...

  4. Optical and luminescence properties of hydrogenated amorphous carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rusli

    1996-03-01

    In this thesis, the optical and luminescence properties of hydrogenated amorphous carbon(a - C:H) thin films deposited using a Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) system are studied. A photoluminescence (PL) measuring system with a wavelength range of 300nm to 900nm, used for the above study, has been set up as a main part of the research. Firstly, a simple yet powerful method developed to solve for the optical constants and thickness of a - C : H deposited on Si is presented. This is followed by an investigation into the optical properties of band gap modulated a - C : H thin films superlattice structures. a - C : H films, obtained from a wide range of deposition conditions, are then characterised in terms of their optical absorption, infrared absorption, Raman scattering, fraction of sp 2 to sp 3 bondings and unpaired electron spin density. Their PL characteristics, such as the peak emission energy, spectral bandwidth, quantum efficiency, fatigue and polarisation memory are investigated in relation to their microstructure. The results, taken together with those obtained from photoconductivity study and electric field quenching of PL, are used to understand the origin of the strong PL in a - C : H. Preliminary work on a - C : H electroluminescent celbis also presented. (author)

  5. Study on the substrate-induced crystallisation of amorphous SiC-precursor ceramics. TIB/A; Untersuchungen zur substratinduzierten Kristallisation amorpher SiC-Precursorkeramiken

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rau, C.

    2000-12-01

    In the present thesis the crystallization behaviour of amorphous silicon-carbon materials (SiC{sub x}) was studied. The main topic of the experimental studies formed thereby the epitactical crystallization of thin silicon carbide layers on monocrystalline substrates of silicon carbides or silicon. Furthermore by thermolysis of the polymer amorphous SiC{sub x}-powder was obtained.

  6. Establishing the solubility and local structure(s) of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate (ACC): Toward an understanding of invertebrate biomineralization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mergelsberg, S. T.; Ulrich, R. N.; Michel, F. M.; Dove, P. M.

    2017-12-01

    Recent advances in high-resolution imaging show the widespreadd occurrence of multistep pathways to mineralization in biological and geological settings (De Yoreo et al., 2015, Science). For example, carbonate biomineralization often involves precipitation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) as a reactive intermediate that subsequently transforms to crystalline products with diverse structures. Although current carbonate mineral proxies are based upon the composition of final crystalline products, the final signatures may be recording the properties of the initial amorphous phase. Thus, it is critical to establish the physical properties of ACC and understand the factors that influence its evolution to final products at conditions that approximate biological environments. This disconnect limits our ability to build a process-based understanding of when/how minor and trace elements are recorded in mineral composition proxies. In this experimental study, we quantified the chemical and physical properties of ACC and its evolution to final products. We first determined ACC solubility under controlled chemical conditions using a new type of flow-through reactor developed by our research group (Blue and Dove, 2015, GCA; Blue et al., 2017, GCA). The experimental design varied Mg concentration and total alkalinity while maintaining a mild pH that approximates biological environments. ACC solubility was measured at specific time points during the precipitation (from super- and undersaturated conditions) and during its subsequent evolution. Parallel experiments characterized the structure of the corresponding amorphous products using in situ pair distribution function (PDF) and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses. The measurements demonstrate at least two types of ACC can be produced by tuning Mg concentration and alkalinity. Each "phase" exhibits distinct short-range ordering that demonstrates structure-specific solubility. We also find temporal changes in the

  7. Effect of Fluoride, Casein Phosphopeptide–Amorphous Calcium Phosphate and Casein Phosphopeptide–Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Fluoride on Enamel Surface Microhardness After Microabrasion: An In Vitro Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghazaleh Ahmadi Zenouz

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effect of applying casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP paste, casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate fluoride (CPP-ACPF paste and sodium fluoride gel on surface microhardness of enamel after microabrasion.Materials and Methods: Thirty freshly extracted human premolars were selected. All samples were subjected to hardness indentations made with the Vickers hardness machine and the average value was recorded as the initial surface microhardness. The specimens were then randomly divided into three groups (n=10 of CPP-ACPF, fluoride and CPP-ACP. The teeth were micro-abraded with Opalustre. Microhardness test was performed to assess the post-abrasion hardness. Three remineralization modalities were performed on samples of each group. The enamel surface microhardness measurements were performed. To compare the difference between groups, the rehardening and softening values were defined. One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test at a significance level of 5% were used for statistical analysis.Results: The mean microhardness value (MMV had a significant decrease after microabrasion from baseline. The MMV had a significant increase after remineralization in all groups. The MMV of CPP-ACPF group was significantly more than that of fluoride group (P=0.027. The rehardening value of fluoride group was significantly more than that of other groups (P<0.001.Conclusion: All the remineralizing agents were effective for rehardening the enamel after microabrasion. The CPP-ACP and CPP-ACPF pastes are effective, but to a lesser extent than neutral sodium fluoride gel in remineralizing enamel surface. Incorporation of fluoride to CPP-ACP formulation does not provide any additional remineralizing potential.Keywords: Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate nanocomplex; Enamel Microabrasion; Hardness; Sodium Fluoride

  8. Thermal stability of amorphous carbon films grown by pulsed laser deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedmann, T. A.; McCarty, K. F.; Barbour, J. C.; Siegal, M. P.; Dibble, Dean C.

    1996-03-01

    The thermal stability in vacuum of amorphous tetrahedrally coordinated carbon (a-tC) films grown on Si has been assessed by in situ Raman spectroscopy. Films were grown in vacuum on room-temperature substrates using laser fluences of 12, 22, and 45 J/cm2 and in a background gas of either hydrogen or nitrogen using a laser fluence of 45 J/cm2. The films grown in vacuum at high fluence (≳20J/cm2) show little change in the a-tC Raman spectra with temperature up to 800 °C. Above this temperature the films convert to glassy carbon (nanocrystalline graphite). Samples grown in vacuum at lower fluence or in a background gas (H2 or N2) at high fluence are not nearly as stable. For all samples, the Raman signal from the Si substrate (observed through the a-tC film) decreases in intensity with annealing temperature indicating that the transparency of the a-tC films is decreasing with temperature. These changes in transparency begin at much lower temperatures (˜200 °C) than the changes in the a-tC Raman band shape and indicate that subtle changes are occurring in the a-tC films at lower temperatures.

  9. Plasma synthesis of hard materials with energetic ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monteiro, Othon R.

    1999-01-01

    Recent developments in plasma synthesis of hard materials using metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition are described. We have produced and characterized a variety of films including doped and undoped DLC (diamond-like carbon) and metal carbides. By using multiple plasma sources operated either synchronously or asynchronously, different metal plasma species can be either blended or linked so as to form mixed-composition films or multilayer structures, and by control of the depositing ion energy, interfaces can be made sharp or graded and the film morphology and microstructure can be widely tailored. Plasma compositional uniformity is important to produce homogeneous films, and therefore effective mixing of plasma streams produced by the filtered cathodic vacuum arcs is very important. Specific systems described here include amorphic diamond, and TiC. We outline the deposition technique employed in this investigation, and summarize the results of the characterization of the films

  10. Synthesis and densification of Cu-coated Ni-based amorphous composite powders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yong-Jin; Kim, Byoung-Kee; Kim, Jin-Chun

    2007-01-01

    Spherical Ni 57 Zr 20 Ti 16 Si 2 Sn 3 (numbers indicate at.%) amorphous powders were produced by the gas atomization process, and ductile Cu phase was coated on the Ni-based amorphous powders by the spray drying process in order to increase the ductility of the consolidated amorphous alloy. The characteristics of the as-prepared powders and the consolidation behaviors of Cu-coated Ni-based amorphous composite powders were investigated. The atomization was conducted at 1450 deg. C under the vacuum of 10 -2 mbar. The Ni-based amorphous powders and Cu nitrate solution were mixed and sprayed at temperature of 130 deg. C. After spray drying and reduction treatment, the sub-micron size Cu powders were coated successfully on the surface of the atomized Ni amorphous powders. The spark plasma sintering process was applied to study the densification behavior of the Cu-coated composite powders. Thickness of the Cu layer was less than 1 μm. The compacts obtained by SPS showed high relative density of over 98% and its hardness was over 800 Hv

  11. Low-temperature growth of low friction wear-resistant amorphous carbon nitride thin films by mid-frequency, high power impulse, and direct current magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bakoglidis, Konstantinos D., E-mail: konba@ifm.liu.se; Schmidt, Susann; Garbrecht, Magnus; Ivanov, Ivan G.; Jensen, Jens; Greczynski, Grzegorz; Hultman, Lars [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden)

    2015-09-15

    The potential of different magnetron sputtering techniques for the synthesis of low friction and wear resistant amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN{sub x}) thin films onto temperature-sensitive AISI52100 bearing steel, but also Si(001) substrates was studied. Hence, a substrate temperature of 150 °C was chosen for the film synthesis. The a-CN{sub x} films were deposited using mid-frequency magnetron sputtering (MFMS) with an MF bias voltage, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with a synchronized HiPIMS bias voltage, and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) with a DC bias voltage. The films were deposited using a N{sub 2}/Ar flow ratio of 0.16 at the total pressure of 400 mPa. The negative bias voltage, V{sub s}, was varied from 20 to 120 V in each of the three deposition modes. The microstructure of the films was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, while the film morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. All films possessed an amorphous microstructure, while the film morphology changed with the bias voltage. Layers grown applying the lowest substrate bias of 20 V exhibited pronounced intercolumnar porosity, independent of the sputter technique. Voids closed and dense films are formed at V{sub s} ≥ 60 V, V{sub s} ≥ 100 V, and V{sub s} = 120 V for MFMS, DCMS, and HiPIMS, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen-to-carbon ratio, N/C, of the films ranged between 0.2 and 0.24. Elastic recoil detection analysis showed that Ar content varied between 0 and 0.8 at. % and increased as a function of V{sub s} for all deposition techniques. All films exhibited compressive residual stress, σ, which depends on the growth method; HiPIMS produces the least stressed films with values ranging between −0.4 and −1.2 GPa for all V{sub s}, while CN{sub x} films deposited by MFMS showed residual stresses up to −4.2

  12. Intense heavy ion beam-induced effects in carbon-based stripper foils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kupka, Katharina

    2016-08-15

    Amorphous carbon or carbon-based stripper foils are commonly applied in accelerator technology for electron stripping of ions. At the planned facility for antiproton and ion research (FAIR) at the Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Darmstadt, thin carbon stripper foils provide an option for directly delivering ions of intermediate charge states to the heavy ion synchrotron, SIS 18, in order to mitigate space charge limitations during high-intensity operation. In case of desired high end-energies in the synchrotron, a second stripping process by a thicker carbon foil provides ions of higher charge states for injection into the SIS18. High beam intensities and a pulsed beam structure as foreseen at FAIR pose new challenges to the stripper foils which experience enhanced degradation by radiation damage, thermal effects, and stress waves. In order to ensure reliable accelerator operation, radiation-hard stripper foils are required. This thesis aims to a better understanding of processes leading to degradation of carbon-based thin foils. Special focus is placed on ion-beam induced structure and physical property changes and on the influence of different beam parameters. Irradiation experiments were performed at the M3-beamline of the universal linear accelerator (UNILAC) at GSI, using swift heavy ion beams with different pulse lengths and repetition rates. Tested carbon foils were standard amorphous carbon stripper foils produced by the GSI target laboratory, as well as commercial amorphous and diamond-like carbon foils and buckypaper foils. Microstructural changes were investigated with various methods such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), profilometry and chromatic aberration measurements. For the investigation of structural changes X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), in-situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and small angle X

  13. Intense heavy ion beam-induced effects in carbon-based stripper foils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kupka, Katharina

    2016-08-01

    Amorphous carbon or carbon-based stripper foils are commonly applied in accelerator technology for electron stripping of ions. At the planned facility for antiproton and ion research (FAIR) at the Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Darmstadt, thin carbon stripper foils provide an option for directly delivering ions of intermediate charge states to the heavy ion synchrotron, SIS 18, in order to mitigate space charge limitations during high-intensity operation. In case of desired high end-energies in the synchrotron, a second stripping process by a thicker carbon foil provides ions of higher charge states for injection into the SIS18. High beam intensities and a pulsed beam structure as foreseen at FAIR pose new challenges to the stripper foils which experience enhanced degradation by radiation damage, thermal effects, and stress waves. In order to ensure reliable accelerator operation, radiation-hard stripper foils are required. This thesis aims to a better understanding of processes leading to degradation of carbon-based thin foils. Special focus is placed on ion-beam induced structure and physical property changes and on the influence of different beam parameters. Irradiation experiments were performed at the M3-beamline of the universal linear accelerator (UNILAC) at GSI, using swift heavy ion beams with different pulse lengths and repetition rates. Tested carbon foils were standard amorphous carbon stripper foils produced by the GSI target laboratory, as well as commercial amorphous and diamond-like carbon foils and buckypaper foils. Microstructural changes were investigated with various methods such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), profilometry and chromatic aberration measurements. For the investigation of structural changes X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), in-situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and small angle X

  14. Sizeable magnetic circular dichroism of artificially precipitated Co clusters in amorphous carbon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. S. Hsu

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available This study examines sizeable magnetic circular dichroism (MCD in Co(20%-doped amorphous carbon (a-C films. While as-grown films exhibit a non-detectable MCD signal, films that undergo rapid thermal annealing (RTA at 600°C in a vacuum yield broad MCD spectra with a large amplitude of ∼3.9 × 104 deg/cm in saturation field 0.78 T at the σ-σ* gap transition (∼5.5 eV. In such films after RTA, the metastable Co-C bonding is decomposed and suitable Co nanoparticles/a-C interfaces are thus formed. Our results indicate that the large change in MCD is contributed from Co nanoparticles and associated with the spin-dependent electronic structure at the Co/a-C interfaces.

  15. Amorphization of Fe-based alloy via wet mechanical alloying assisted by PCA decomposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neamţu, B.V., E-mail: Bogdan.Neamtu@stm.utcluj.ro [Materials Science and Engineering Department, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 103-105, Muncii Avenue, 400641, Cluj-Napoca (Romania); Chicinaş, H.F.; Marinca, T.F. [Materials Science and Engineering Department, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 103-105, Muncii Avenue, 400641, Cluj-Napoca (Romania); Isnard, O. [Université Grenoble Alpes, Institut NEEL, F-38042, Grenoble (France); CNRS, Institut NEEL, 25 rue des martyrs, BP166, F-38042, Grenoble (France); Pană, O. [National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 65-103 Donath Street, 400293, Cluj-Napoca (Romania); Chicinaş, I. [Materials Science and Engineering Department, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 103-105, Muncii Avenue, 400641, Cluj-Napoca (Romania)

    2016-11-01

    Amorphization of Fe{sub 75}Si{sub 20}B{sub 5} (at.%) alloy has been attempted both by wet and dry mechanical alloying starting from a mixture of elemental powders. Powder amorphization was not achieved even after 140 hours of dry mechanical alloying. Using the same milling parameters, when wet mechanical alloying was used, the powder amorphization was achieved after 40 h of milling. Our assumption regarding the powder amorphization capability enhancement by contamination with carbon was proved by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements which revealed the presence of carbon in the chemical composition of the wet mechanically alloyed sample. Using shorter milling times and several process control agents (PCA) (ethanol, oleic acid and benzene) with different carbon content it was proved that the milling duration required for powder amorphization is linked to the carbon content of the PCA. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), thermomagnetic (TG) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements performed to the heated samples revealed the fact that, the crystallisation occurs at 488 °C, thus leading to the formation of Fe{sub 3}Si and Fe{sub 2}B. Thermogravimetry measurements performed under H{sub 2} atmosphere, showed the same amount of contamination with C, which is about 2.3 wt%, for the amorphous samples regardless of the type of PCA. Saturation magnetisation of the wet milled samples decreases upon increasing milling time. In the case of the amorphous samples wet milled with benzene up to 20 h and with oleic acid up to 30 h, the saturation magnetisation has roughly the same value, indicating the same degree of contamination. The XRD performed on the samples milled using the same parameters, revealed that powder amorphization can be achieved even via dry milling, just by adding the equivalent amount of elemental C calculated from the TG plots. This proves that in this system by considering the atomic species which can contaminate the powder, they can be

  16. Contribution to the study of hard, low-density pyrolytic carbons; Contribution a l'etude des carbones pyrolytiques de variete dure et de faible densite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boutin, F R [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

    1967-07-01

    Apparent contradictions in the properties of pyrolytic carbons obtained at 1600 deg C (hardness and graphitization) are studied. It is shown that structure of the deposit is turbostratic with high internal stresses ({delta}{sup -2}), and it graphitizes (by thermal treatment over 2000 deg C) in a similar manner to graphitisable carbon. Because the deposit forms lamellar compounds, it is presumed that the structure is similar to that of graphitisable carbon. Since it is not structure dependant, the hardness originates from the 'growth texture' and is not comparable with the hardness of a non-graphitisable carbon. The pyrolytic carbon studied is composed of regions, on the overage a few microns across, formed by the stacking of small carbon platelets, interlocked and showing a preferred orientation. The mis-orientation of the various regions produces general disorientation. We estimate that the introduction of the particles of some material such as thermal black which are observed in the electron microscope are responsible for the mis-orientation. The density and hardness of the deposit are a result of the interlocking of platelets, which creates a closed porosity and prevents any sliding of the atomic planes. (author) [French] On etudie les proprietes apparemment contradictoires du pyrocarbone 1600 deg C, durete et graphitabilite. On montre que le pyrocarbone possede la structure d'un carbone turbostratique a fort taux de distorsion et qu'il subit, par traitement a des temperatures superieures a 2000 deg C, une transformation de graphitation comparable a celle que l'on observe sur les cokes graphitables. Comme le pyrocarbone forme de plus des composes d'insertion, sa structure est comparable a celle d'un carbone graphitable. La durete, qui n'a pas d'origine structurale, est donc liee a la 'texture de croissance' du depot et ne peut etre comparee a celle d'un coke dur et non graphitable. Le pyrocarbone etudie est constitue de domaines, dont les dimensions sont de l

  17. Enhancement in ballistic performance of composite hard armor through carbon nanotubes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason Gibson

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The use of carbon nanotubes in composite hard armor is discussed in this study. The processing techniques to make various armor composite panels consisting of Kevlar®29 woven fabric in an epoxy matrix and the subsequent V50 test results for both 44 caliber soft-point rounds and 30 caliber FSP (fragment simulated projectile threats are presented. A 6.5% improvement in the V50 test results was found for a combination of 1.65 wt% loading of carbon nanotubes and 1.65 wt% loading of milled fibers. The failure mechanism of carbon nanotubes during the ballistic event is discussed through scanning electron microscope images of the panels after the failure. Raman Spectroscopy was also utilized to evaluate the residual strain in the Kevlar®29 fibers post shoot. The Raman Spectroscopy shows a Raman shift of 25 cm−1 for the Kevlar®29 fiber utilized in the composite panel that had an enhancement in the V50 performance by using milled fiber and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Evaluating both scenarios where an improvement was made and other panels without any improvement allows for understanding of how loading levels and synergistic effects between carbon nanotubes and milled fibers can further enhance ballistic performance.

  18. Thionyl chloride assisted functionalization of amorphous carbon nanotubes: A better field emitter and stable nanofluid with better thermal conductivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarkar, S.K.; Jha, A. [School of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032 (India); Chattopadhyay, K.K., E-mail: kalyan_chattopadhyay@yahoo.com [Thin Film & Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032 (India); School of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032 (India)

    2015-06-15

    Highlights: • Thionyl chloride assisted functionalization of amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs). • Improved dispersion enhanced thermal conductivity of engine oil. • Again f-a-CNTs showed enhanced field emission property compared to pure a-CNTs. - Abstract: Amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs) were synthesized at low temperature in open atmosphere and further functionalized by treating them in thionyl chloride added stearic acid-dichloro methane solution. The as prepared functionalized a-CNTs (f-a-CNTs) were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The nanofluid was prepared by dispersing f-a-CNTs in engine oil using ultrasonic treatment. The effective thermal conductivity of as prepared nanofluid was investigated at different loading (volume fraction of f-a-CNTs). Obtained experimental data of thermal conductivity were compared with the predicted values, calculated using existing theoretical models. Stability of the nanofluid was tested by means of zeta potential measurement to optimize the loading. The as prepared f-a-CNTs sample also showed improved field emission result as compared to pristine a-CNTs. Dependence of field emission behavior on inter electrode distance was investigated too.

  19. Fabrication of amorphous Si and C anode films via co-sputtering for an all-solid-state battery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, K.S. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University Shinchondong, 262 Seongsanno, Seodaemoongu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Environment and Energy Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnamdaero 1342, 461-710 Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Lee, S.H. [Department of Environment and Energy Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnamdaero 1342, 461-710 Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Woo, S.P. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University Shinchondong, 262 Seongsanno, Seodaemoongu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Environment and Energy Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnamdaero 1342, 461-710 Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Kim, H.S. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnamdaero 1342, 461-710 Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Y.S., E-mail: benedicto@gachon.ac.kr [Department of Environment and Energy Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnamdaero 1342, 461-710 Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-08-01

    In this study, a combination of silicon and carbon as the anode material for an all-solid-state battery has been investigated to overcome their individual deficiencies. The capacity of silicon thin films with an input power of 60 W shows dramatic failure after 38 cycles due to serious volume expansion. In contrast, C thin films at 60 W show high stability of cyclic performance and capacity retention. The amorphous silicon and carbon composite reduced the volume expansion of silicon during long term cycles and enhanced the low specific capacity of the carbon. This resistance of the volume expansion might be expected from the cushion effect caused by the carbon, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscope images after a 100 cycle test. These results indicate that amorphous silicon and carbon composite thin films have a high possibility as the stable anode material for an all-solid-state battery. - Highlights: • Amorphous Si/C nanocomposite thin films have been prepared by co-sputtering. • Carbon can act as a cushion effect to prevent volume expansion of Si. • Amorphous Si/C nanocomposite thin films show structure stability at 100 cycles. • Capacity of the amorphous Si/C nanocomposite thin films was enhanced considerably.

  20. In-Situ Observation of Solid Electrolyte Interphase Formation in Ordered Mesoporous Hard Carbon by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bridges, Craig A.; Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans; Sun, Xiao-Guang; Zhao, Jinkui; Dai, Sheng

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this work was to better understand the electrochemical processes occurring during the cycling of a lithium-ion half-cell containing ordered mesoporous hard carbon using time-resolved in situ small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Utilizing electrolytes containing mixtures of deuterated (2H) and non-deuterated (1H) carbonates, we have addressed the challenging task of monitoring the formation and evolution of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. An evolution occurs in the SEI layer during discharge from a composition dominated by a higher scattering length density (SLD) lithium salt, to a lower SLD lithium salt for the ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate (EC/DMC) mixture employed. By comparing half-cells containing different solvent deuteration levels, we show that it is possible to observe both SEI formation and lithium intercalation occurring concurrently at the low voltage region in which lithium intercalates into the hard carbon. These results demonstrate that SANS can be employed to monitor complicated electrochemical processes occurring in rechargeable batteries, in a manner that simultaneously provides information on the composition and microstructure of the electrode.

  1. Low-emissivity coating of amorphous diamond-like carbon/Ag-alloy multilayer on glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiba, Kiyoshi; Takahashi, Toshiyuki; Kageyama, Takashi; Oda, Hironori

    2005-01-01

    Transparent low-emissivity (low-e) coatings comprising dielectrics of amorphous diamond-like carbon (DLC) and Ag-alloy films are investigated. All films have been prepared by dc magnetron sputtering. An index of refraction of the DLC film deposited in a gas mixture of Ar/H 2 (4%) shows n = 1.80 + 0.047i at 500 nm wavelength. A multilayer stack of DLC (70 nm thick)/Ag 87.5 Cu 12.5 -alloy (10 nm)/DLC (140 nm)/Ag 87.5 Cu 12.5 -alloy (10 nm)/DLC (70 nm) has revealed clear interference spectra with spectra selectivity. This coating performs low emittance less than 0.1 for black body radiation at 297 K, exhibiting a transparent heat mirror property embedded in DLC films

  2. Nanodiamonds on tetrahedral amorphous carbon significantly enhance dopamine detection and cell viability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peltola, Emilia; Wester, Niklas; Holt, Katherine B; Johansson, Leena-Sisko; Koskinen, Jari; Myllymäki, Vesa; Laurila, Tomi

    2017-02-15

    We hypothesize that by using integrated carbon nanostructures on tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C), it is possible to take the performance and characteristics of these bioelectrodes to a completely new level. The integrated carbon electrodes were realized by combining nanodiamonds (NDs) with ta-C thin films coated on Ti-coated Si-substrates. NDs were functionalized with mixture of carboxyl and amine groups ND andante or amine ND amine , carboxyl ND vox or hydroxyl groups ND H and drop-casted or spray-coated onto substrate. By utilizing these novel structures we show that (i) the detection limit for dopamine can be improved by two orders of magnitude [from 10µM to 50nM] in comparison to ta-C thin film electrodes and (ii) the coating method significantly affects electrochemical properties of NDs and (iii) the ND coatings selectively promote cell viability. ND andante and ND H showed most promising electrochemical properties. The viability of human mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblastic SaOS-2 cells was increased on all ND surfaces, whereas the viability of mouse neural stem cells and rat neuroblastic cells was improved on ND andante and ND H and reduced on ND amine and ND vox. The viability of C6 cells remained unchanged, indicating that these surfaces will not cause excess gliosis. In summary, we demonstrated here that by using functionalized NDs on ta-C thin films we can significantly improve sensitivity towards dopamine as well as selectively promote cell viability. Thus, these novel carbon nanostructures provide an interesting concept for development of various in vivo targeted sensor solutions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Structures and properties of fluorinated amorphous carbon films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, K. P.; Lin, P.; Shih, H. C.

    2004-07-01

    Fluorinated amorphous carbon (a-C:F) films were deposited by radio frequency bias assisted microwave plasma electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition with tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and acetylene (C2H2) as precursors. The deposition process was performed at two flow ratios R=0.90 and R=0.97, where R=CF4/(CF4+C2H2). The samples were annealed at 300 °C for 30 min. in a N2 atmosphere. Both Fourier transform infrared and electron spectroscopy for chemical analyzer were used to characterize the a-C:F film chemical bond and fluorine concentration, respectively. A high resolution electron energy loss spectrometer was applied to detect the electronic structure. The higher CF4 flow ratio (R=0.97) produced more sp3 linear structure, and it made the a-C:F film smoother and softer. A lifetime of around 0.34 μs and an energy gap of ˜2.75 eV were observed in both the as-deposited and after annealing conditions. The short carriers lifetime in the a-C:F film made the photoluminescence peak blueshift. The annealing changed both the structure and composition of the a-C:F film. The type of fluorocarbon bond and electronic structure characterized the mechanical and physical properties of a-C:F film.

  4. Carbon nanostructure formation driven by energetic particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Zhiyuan; Gong Jinlong; Zhu Dezhang

    2006-01-01

    Carbon nanostructures, especially carbon nanotubes (CNTs), have been envisaged to be the building blocks of a variety of nanoscale devices and materials. The inherent nanometer-size and ability of being either metallic or semiconductive of CNTs lead to their application in nanoelectronics. Excellent mechanical characteristics of CNTs suggest their use as structural reinforcements. However, to fully exploit the potential applications, effective means of tailoring CNT properties must be developed. Irradiation of materials with energetic particles beams (ions and electrons) is a standard and important tool for modifying material properties. Irradiation makes it possible to dope the samples, to create local amorphous region or vice versa, recrystallize the lattice and even drive a phase transition. In this paper, we report our results of (1) phase transfromation from carbon nanotubes to nanocrystalline diamond driven by hydrogen plasma, (2) onion-like nanostructure from carbon nanotubes driven by ion beams of several tens keV, and (3) amorphous carbon nanowire network formation by ion beam irradiation. Structural phase transformation from multiwalled carbon nanotubes to nanocrystalline diamond by hydrogen plasma post-treatment was carried out. Ultrahigh equivalent diamond nucleation density of more than 1011 nuclei/cm 2 was obtained. The diamond formation and growth mechanisms were proposed to be the consequence of the formation of sp3 bonded amorphous carbon clusters. The hydrogen chemisorption on curved graphite network and the energy deposited on CNTs by continuous impingement of activated molecular or atomic hydrogen are responsible for the formation of amorphous carbon matrix. Diamond nucleates and grows in the way similar to that of diamond chemical vapor deposition processes on amorphous carbon films. Furthermore, single crystalline diamond nanorods of 4-8 nm in diameter and up to 200 nm in length have been successfully synthesized by hydrogen plasma post

  5. Mo-containing tetrahedral amorphous carbon deposited by dual filtered cathodic vacuum arc with selective pulsed bias voltage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pasaja, Nitisak; Sansongsiri, Sakon; Intarasiri, Saweat; Vilaithong, Thiraphat; Anders, Andre

    2007-01-01

    Metal-containing tetrahedral amorphous carbon films were produced by dual filtered cathodic vacuum arc plasma sources operated in sequentially pulsed mode. Negatively pulsed bias was applied to the substrate when carbon plasma was generated, whereas it was absent when the molybdenum plasma was presented. Film thickness was measured after deposition by profilometry. Glass slides with silver pads were used as substrates for the measurement of the sheet resistance. The microstructure and composition of the films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering, respectively. It was found that the electrical resistivity decreases with an increase of the Mo content, which can be ascribed to an increase of the sp 2 content and an increase of the sp 2 cluster size

  6. Molecular dynamics simulation of chemical vapor deposition of amorphous carbon. Dependence on H/C ratio of source gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Atsushi M.; Takayama, Arimichi; Nakamura, Hiroaki; Saito, Seiki; Ohno, Noriyasu; Kajita, Shin

    2011-01-01

    By molecular dynamics simulation, the chemical vapor deposition of amorphous carbon onto graphite and diamond surfaces was studied. In particular, we investigated the effect of source H/C ratio, which is the ratio of the number of hydrogen atoms to the number of carbon atoms in a source gas, on the deposition process. In the present simulation, the following two source gas conditions were tested: one was that the source gas was injected as isolated carbon and hydrogen atoms, and the other was that the source gas was injected as hydrocarbon molecules. Under the former condition, we found that as the source H/C ratio increases, the deposition rate of carbon atoms decreases exponentially. This exponential decrease in the deposition rate with increasing source H/C ratio agrees with experimental data. However, under the latter molecular source condition, the deposition rate did not decrease exponentially because of a chemical reaction peculiar to the type of hydrocarbon in the source gas. (author)

  7. Analysis of an ideal amorphous solid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    To, L.T.; Stachurski, Z.H.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: In geometrical terms, amorphous solids are fundamentally different from crystalline solids in that they can not be constructed by the crystallographic method of translation of the basis along a lattice. Therefore, to study amorphous structures we must invoke concepts and use measures different to those used for ordered structures. Nevertheless, an ideal amorphous solid must share together with the ideal crystalline solid in the same definition of the term 'ideal'. In both cases it must be a perfect body, in which perfection is carried through in every detail to an unlimited (infinite) size without fault or defect. The latest results on this research will be presented. To qualify for a solid, rigid body, close packing of the spheres is required. For an ideal amorphous solids composed of hard spheres of identical size, we impose a stricter condition for the packing, namely, to be such that all spheres are in fixed positions (no loose spheres). To define the ideal solid, we must define what we mean by a perfect amorphous structure. Here, perfection is defined by, first the definition of imperfections, and next by the requirement of absence of imperfections of any kind. We envisage two types of defects: (i) geometrical, and (ii) statistical. Geometrical defects are: a sphere of different size, a loose sphere, and a vacancy. A statistical defect is defined with respect to two statistical functions: Ψ(N C ), and Φ(S β ). The former describes the probability of a given sphere having nc number of touching contacts, and the latter describes the disposition of the contacts on the surface of the sphere. Defects relating to the two functions will be described. The results for the functions, Ψ(N C ), and Φ(S β ), for the corresponding radial distribution function, and so called blocking number will be presented from simulations of an ideal amorphous solid

  8. Emission of blue light from hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nevin, W. A.; Yamagishi, H.; Yamaguchi, M.; Tawada, Y.

    1994-04-01

    THE development of new electroluminescent materials is of current technological interest for use in flat-screen full-colour displays1. For such applications, amorphous inorganic semiconductors appear particularly promising, in view of the ease with which uniform films with good mechanical and electronic properties can be deposited over large areas2. Luminescence has been reported1 in the red-green part of the spectrum from amorphous silicon carbide prepared from gas-phase mixtures of silane and a carbon-containing species (usually methane or ethylene). But it is not possible to achieve blue luminescence by this approach. Here we show that the use of an aromatic species-xylene-as the source of carbon during deposition results in a form of amorphous silicon carbide that exhibits strong blue luminescence. The underlying structure of this material seems to be an unusual combination of an inorganic silicon carbide lattice with a substantial 'organic' π-conjugated carbon system, the latter dominating the emission properties. Moreover, the material can be readily doped with an electron acceptor in a manner similar to organic semiconductors3, and might therefore find applications as a conductivity- or colour-based chemical sensor.

  9. Recent Experimental Results on Amorphous Carbon Coatings for Electron Cloud Mitigation

    CERN Document Server

    Yin Vallgren, C; Chiggiato, P; Costa Pinto, P; Neupert, H; Taborelli, M; Rumolo, G; Shaposhnikova, E; Vollenberg, W

    2011-01-01

    Amorphous carbon (a-C) thin films, produced in different coating configurations by using DC magnetron sputtering, have been investigated in laboratory for low secondary electron yield (SEY) applications. After the coatings had shown a reliable low initial SEY, the a-C thin films have been applied in the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) and tested with Large Hadron Collider (LHC) type beams.Currently, we have used a-C thin film coated in so-called liner configuration for the electron cloud monitors. In addition the vacuum chambers of three dipole magnets have been coated and inserted into the machine. After describing the different configurations used for the coatings, results of the tests in the machine and a summary of the analyses after extraction will be presented. Based on comparison between different coating configurations, a new series of coatings has been applied on three further dipole magnet vacuum chambers. They have been installed and will be tested in coming machine development runs.

  10. Batch and column adsorption of herbicide fluroxypyr on different types of activated carbons from water with varied degrees of hardness and alkalinity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pastrana-Martínez, L M; López-Ramón, M V; Fontecha-Cámara, M A; Moreno-Castilla, C

    2010-02-01

    There has been little research into the effects of the water hardness and alkalinity of surface waters on the adsorption of herbicides on activated carbons. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of these water characteristics on fluroxypyr adsorption on different activated carbons. At low fluroxypyr surface concentrations, the amount adsorbed from distilled water was related to the surface hydrophobicity. Surface area of carbons covered by fluroxypyr molecules ranged from 60 to 65%. Variations in fluroxypyr solubility with water hardness and alkalinity showed a salting-in effect. Calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate ions were adsorbed to a varied extent on the activated carbons. The presence of fluroxypyr in solution decreased their adsorption due to a competition effect. K(F) from the Freundlich equation linearly increased with water hardness due to salt-screened electrostatic repulsions between charged fluroxypyr molecules. The amount adsorbed from distilled water was largest at high fluroxypyr solution concentrations, because there was no competition between inorganic ions and fluroxypyr molecules. The column breakthrough volume and the amount adsorbed at breakthrough were smaller in tap versus distilled water. Carbon consumption was lower with activated carbon cloth than with the use of granular activated carbon. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Formation of a highly doped ultra-thin amorphous carbon layer by ion bombardment of graphene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piotr Michałowski, Paweł; Pasternak, Iwona; Ciepielewski, Paweł; Guinea, Francisco; Strupiński, Włodek

    2018-07-01

    Ion bombardment of graphene leads to the formation of defects which may be used to tune properties of the graphene based devices. In this work, however, we present that the presence of the graphene layer on a surface of a sample has a significant impact on the ion bombardment process: broken sp2 bonds react with the incoming ions and trap them close to the surface of the sample, preventing a standard ion implantation. For an ion bombardment with a low impact energy and significant dose (in the range of 1014 atoms cm‑2) an amorphization of the graphene layer is observed but at the same time, most of the incoming ions do not penetrate the sample but stop at the surface, thus forming a highly doped ultra-thin amorphous carbon layer. The effect may be used to create thin layers containing desired atoms if no other technique is available. This approach is particularly useful for secondary ion mass spectrometry where a high concentration of Cs at the surface of a sample significantly enhances the negative ionization probability, allowing it to reach better detection limits.

  12. Amorphous Mn oxide-ordered mesoporous carbon hybrids as a high performance electrode material for supercapacitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nam, Inho; Kim, Nam Dong; Kim, Gil-Pyo; Park, Junsu; Yi, Jongheop

    2012-07-01

    A supercapacitor has the advantages of both the conventional capacitors and the rechargeable batteries. Mn oxide is generally recognized one of the potential materials that can be used for a supercapacitor, but its low conductivity is a limiting factor for electrode materials. In this study, a hybrid of amorphous Mn oxide (AMO) and ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) was prepared and characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N2/77 K sorption techniques, and electrochemical analyses. The findings indicate that the electrochemical activities of Mn oxide were facilitated when it was in the hybrid state because OMC acted as a pathway for both the electrolyte ions and the electrons due to the characteristics of the ordered mesoporous structure. The ordered mesoporous structure of OMC was well maintained even after hybridization with amorphous Mn oxide. The electrochemical-activity tests revealed that the AMO/OMC hybrid had a higher specific capacitance and conductivity than pure Mn oxide. In the case where the Mn/C weight ratio was 0.75, the composite showed a high capacitance of 153 F/g, which was much higher than that for pure Mn oxide, due to the structural effects of OMC.

  13. Finite size effects in a model for platicity of amorphous composites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tyukodi, Botond; Lemarchand, Claire A.; Hansen, Jesper Schmidt

    2016-01-01

    We discuss the plastic behavior of an amorphous matrix reinforced by hard particles. A mesoscopic depinning-like model accounting for Eshelby elastic interactions is implemented. Only the effect of a plastic disorder is considered. Numerical results show a complex size dependence of the effective...

  14. Radiation hardness of silicon detectors manufactured on epitaxial material and FZ bulk enriched with oxygen, carbon, tin and platinum

    CERN Document Server

    Ruzin, A; Glaser, M; Lemeilleur, F; Talamonti, R; Watts, S; Zanet, A

    1999-01-01

    Recent results on the radiation hardness of silicon detectors fabricated on epitaxial and float zone bulk silicon enriched by various impurities, such as carbon, oxygen, tin and platinum are reported. A new methodology of measurements of electrical properties of the devices has been utilized in the experiment. It has been shown that in the case of irradiation by protons, oxygen enriched silicon has better radiation hardness than standard float zone silicon. The carbon enriched silicon detectors, on the other hand, exhibited significantly inferior radiation hardness compared to standard detectors. This study shows for the first time, a violation of the widely used normalization technique of the various particle irradiations by NIEL coefficients. The study has been carried out in the framework of the RD48 (ROSE) collaboration, which studies the radiation hardening of silicon detectors. (5 refs).

  15. Bringing nanomagnetism to the mesoscale with artificial amorphous structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muscas, G.; Brucas, R.; Jönsson, P. E.

    2018-05-01

    In the quest for materials with emergent or improved properties, an effective route is to create artificial superstructures. Novel properties emerge from the coupling between the phases, but the strength of this coupling depends on the quality of the interfaces. Atomic control of crystalline interfaces is notoriously complicated and to elude that obstacle, we suggest here an all-amorphous design. Starting from a model amorphous iron alloy, we locally tune the magnetic behavior by creating boron-doped regions by means of ion implantation through a lithographic mask. This process preserves the amorphous environment, creating a non-topographic magnetic superstructure with smooth interfaces and no structural discontinuities. The absence of inhomogeneities acting as pinning centers for the magnetization reversal is demonstrated by the formation of magnetic vortexes for ferromagnetic disks as large as 20 µm in diameter embedded within a paramagnetic matrix. Rigid exchange coupling between two amorphous ferromagnetic phases in a microstructured sample is evidenced by an investigation involving first-order reversal curves. The sample consists of a soft matrix with embedded elements constituting a hard phase where the anisotropy originates from an elongated shape of the elements. We provide an intuitive explanation for the micrometer-range exchange coupling mechanism and discuss how to tailor the properties of all-amorphous superstructures.

  16. Damage of amorphous carbon induced by soft x-ray femtosecond pulses above and below the critical angle

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Chalupský, Jaromír; Hájková, Věra; Altapova, V.; Burian, T.; Gleeson, A.J.; Juha, Libor; Jurek, M.; Sinn, H.; Störmer, M.; Sobierajski, R.; Tiedtke, K.; Toleikis, S.; Tschentscher, T.; Vyšín, Luděk; Wabnitz, H.; Gaudin, J.

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 95, č. 3 (2009), 031111/1-031111/3 ISSN 0003-6951 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KAN300100702; GA MŠk LC510; GA MŠk(CZ) LC528; GA MŠk LA08024; GA AV ČR IAAX00100903; GA AV ČR IAA400100701 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100523 Keywords : amorphous state * carbon * coatings * graphitisation * laser beam effects * nanostructured materials * phase transformations * reflectivity Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 3.554, year: 2009

  17. Influence of disorder on localization and density of states in amorphous carbon nitride thin films systems rich in π-bonded carbon atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alibart, F.; Lejeune, M.; Durand Drouhin, O.; Zellama, K.; Benlahsen, M.

    2010-01-01

    We discuss in this paper the evolution of both the density of states (DOS) located between the band-tail states and the DOS around the Fermi level N(E F ) in amorphous carbon nitride films (a-CN x ) as a function of the total nitrogen partial pressure ratio in the Ar/N 2 plasma mixture. The films were deposited by three different deposition techniques and their microstructure was characterized using a combination of infrared and Raman spectroscopy and optical transmission experiments, completed with electrical conductivity measurements, as a function of temperature. The observed changes in the optoelectronic properties are attributed to the modification in the atomic bonding structures, which were induced by N incorporation, accompanied by an increase in the sp 2 carbon bonding configurations and their relative disorder. The electrical conductivity variation was interpreted in terms of local effects on the nature and energy distribution of π and π* states.

  18. Mesoporous calcium carbonate as a phase stabilizer of amorphous celecoxib--an approach to increase the bioavailability of poorly soluble pharmaceutical substances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forsgren, Johan; Andersson, Mattias; Nilsson, Peter; Mihranyan, Albert

    2013-11-01

    The bioavailability of crystalline pharmaceutical substances is often limited by their poor aqueous solubility but it can be improved by formulating the active substance in the amorphous state that is featured with a higher apparent solubility. Although the possibility of stabilizing amorphous drugs inside nano-sized pores of carbon nanotubes and ordered mesoporous silica has been shown, no conventional pharmaceutical excipients have so far been shown to possess this property. This study demonstrates the potential of using CaCO3 , a widely used excipient in oral drug formulations, to stabilize the amorphous state of active pharmaceutical ingredients, in particular celecoxib. After incorporation of celecoxib in the vaterite particles, a five to sixfold enhancement in apparent solubility of celecoxib is achieved due to pore-induced amorphization. To eliminate the possibility of uncontrolled phase transitions, the vaterite particles are stored in an inert atmosphere at 5 °C throughout the study. Also, to demonstrate that the amorphization effect is indeed associated with vaterite mesopores, accelerated stress conditions of 100% relative humidity are employed to impose transition from mesoporous vaterite to an essentially non-porous aragonite phase of CaCO3 , which shows only limited amorphization ability. Further, an improvement in solubility is also confirmed for ketoconazole when formulated with the mesoporous vaterite. Synthesis of the carrier particles and the incorporation of the active substances are carried out simultaneously in a one-step procedure, enabling easy fabrication. These results represent a promising approach to achieve enhanced bioavailability in new formulations of Type II BCS drugs. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Improvement of deposition efficiency and control of hardness for cold-sprayed coatings using high carbon steel/mild steel mixture powder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Kazuhiro; Amao, Satoshi; Yokoyama, Nobuyuki; Ootaki, Kousuke

    2011-01-01

    In this study, in order to make high carbon steel coating by cold spray technique, spray conditions such as carrier gas temperature and pressure etc. were investigated. And also, in order to improve deposition efficiency and control coating hardness of cold-sprayed high carbon steel, high carbon and mild steel mixed powder and its mechanical milled powder were developed and were optimized. By using the cold-spray technique, particle deposition of a high carbon steel was successful. Moreover, by applying mixed and mechanical milled powders, the porosity ratio was decreased and deposition efficiency was improved. Furthermore, using these powders, it is possible to control the hardness value. Especially, when using mechanical milled powder, it is very difficult to identify the interface between the coating and the substrate. The bonding between the coating and the substrate is thus considered to be excellent. (author)

  20. Field Emission and Radial Distribution Function Studies of Fractal-like Amorphous Carbon Nanotips

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lebrón-Colón M

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The short-range order of individual fractal-like amorphous carbon nanotips was investigated by means of energy-filtered electron diffraction in a transmission electron microscope (TEM. The nanostructures were grown in porous silicon substrates in situ within the TEM by the electron beam-induced deposition method. The structure factorS(k and the reduced radial distribution functionG(r were calculated. From these calculations a bond angle of 124° was obtained which suggests a distorted graphitic structure. Field emission was obtained from individual nanostructures using two micromanipulators with sub-nanometer positioning resolution. A theoretical three-stage model that accounts for the geometry of the nanostructures provides a value for the field enhancement factor close to the one obtained experimentally from the Fowler-Nordheim law.

  1. The effect of gamma radiation on hardness evolution in high density polyethylene at elevated temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Pei-Yun; Chen, C.C.; Harmon, Julie P.; Lee, Sanboh

    2014-01-01

    This research focuses on characterizing hardness evolution in irradiated high density polyethylene (HDPE) at elevated temperatures. Hardness increases with increasing gamma ray dose, annealing temperature and annealing time. The hardness change is attributed to the variation of defects in microstructure and molecular structure. The kinetics of defects that control the hardness are assumed to follow the first order structure relaxation. The experimental data are in good agreement with the predicted model. The rate constant follows the Arrhenius equation, and the corresponding activation energy decreases with increasing dose. The defects that control hardness in post-annealed HDPE increase with increasing dose and annealing temperature. The structure relaxation of HDPE has a lower energy of mixing in crystalline regions than in amorphous regions. Further, the energy of mixing for defects that influence hardness in HDPE is lower than those observed in polycarbonate (PC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA). This is due to the fact that polyethylene is a semi-crystalline material, while PC, PMMA and PHEMA are amorphous. - Highlights: • Hardness of HDPE increases with increasing gamma ray dose, annealing time and temperature. • The hardness change arises from defects in microstructure and molecular structure. • Defects affecting hardness follow a kinetics of structure relaxation. • The structure relaxation has a low energy of mixing in crystalline regime

  2. The effect of gamma radiation on hardness evolution in high density polyethylene at elevated temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Pei-Yun [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan (China); Chen, C.C. [Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Longtan, Taoyuan 325, Taiwan (China); Harmon, Julie P. [Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620 (United States); Lee, Sanboh, E-mail: sblee@mx.nthu.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan (China)

    2014-08-01

    This research focuses on characterizing hardness evolution in irradiated high density polyethylene (HDPE) at elevated temperatures. Hardness increases with increasing gamma ray dose, annealing temperature and annealing time. The hardness change is attributed to the variation of defects in microstructure and molecular structure. The kinetics of defects that control the hardness are assumed to follow the first order structure relaxation. The experimental data are in good agreement with the predicted model. The rate constant follows the Arrhenius equation, and the corresponding activation energy decreases with increasing dose. The defects that control hardness in post-annealed HDPE increase with increasing dose and annealing temperature. The structure relaxation of HDPE has a lower energy of mixing in crystalline regions than in amorphous regions. Further, the energy of mixing for defects that influence hardness in HDPE is lower than those observed in polycarbonate (PC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA). This is due to the fact that polyethylene is a semi-crystalline material, while PC, PMMA and PHEMA are amorphous. - Highlights: • Hardness of HDPE increases with increasing gamma ray dose, annealing time and temperature. • The hardness change arises from defects in microstructure and molecular structure. • Defects affecting hardness follow a kinetics of structure relaxation. • The structure relaxation has a low energy of mixing in crystalline regime.

  3. Carbon-based Fresnel optics for hard x-ray astronomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braig, Christoph; Zizak, Ivo

    2018-03-10

    We investigate the potential of large-scale diffractive-refractive normal-incidence transmission lenses for the development of space-based hard x-ray telescopes with an angular resolution in the range of (10 -6 -10 -3 )  arcsec over a field of view that is restricted by the available detector size. Coherently stepped achromatic lenses with diameters up to 5 m for compact apertures and 13 m in the case of segmentation provide an access to spectrally resolved imaging within keV-wide bands around the design energy between 10 and 30 keV. Within an integration time of 10 6   s, a photon-limited 5σ sensitivity down to (10 -9 -10 -7 )  s -1  cm -2  keV -1 can be achieved depending on the specific design. An appropriate fabrication strategy, feasible nowadays with micro-optical technologies, is considered and relies on the availability of high-purity carbon or polymer membranes. X-ray fluorescence measurements of various commercially available carbon-based materials prove for most of them the existence of a virtually negligible contamination by critical trace elements such as transition metals on the ppm level.

  4. A combined salt-hard templating approach for synthesis of multi-modal porous carbons used for probing the simultaneous effects of porosity and electrode engineering on EDLC performance

    KAUST Repository

    Bhandari, Nidhi

    2015-06-01

    A new approach, based on a combination of salt and hard templating for producing multi-modal porous carbons is demonstrated. The hard template, silica nanoparticles, generate mesopores (∼22 nm), and in some cases borderline-macropores (∼64 nm), resulting in high pore volume (∼3.9 cm3/g) while the salt template, zinc chloride, generates borderline-mesopores (∼2 nm), thus imparting high surface area (∼2100 m2/g). The versatility of the proposed synthesis technique is demonstrated using: (i) dual salt templates with hard template resulting in magnetic, nanostructured-clay embedded (∼27% clay content), high surface area (∼1527 m2/g) bimodal carbons (∼2 and 70 nm pores), (ii) multiple hard templates with salt template resulting in tri-modal carbons (∼2, 12 and 28 nm pores), (iii) low temperature (450 °C) synthesis of bimodal carbons afforded by the presence of hygroscopic salt template, (iv) easy coupling with physical activation approaches. A selected set of thus synthesized carbons were used to evaluate, for the first time, the simultaneous effects of carbon porosity and pressure applied during electrode fabrication on EDLC performance. Electrode pressing was found to be more favorable for carbons containing hard-templated mesopores (∼87% capacitance retention at current density of 40 A/g) as compared to those without (∼54% capacitance retention). © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Amorphous-silicon@silicon oxide/chromium/carbon as an anode for lithium-ion batteries with excellent cyclic stability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Mingqi; Gu, Jingwei; Feng, Xiaofang; He, Hongyan; Zeng, Chunmei

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A new amorphous-Si@SiO x /Cr/carbon anode composite for lithium-ion batteries is synthesized by a simple method. • At a current density of 100 mA g −1 , this as-prepared composite exhibit a stable discharge capacity of about 810 mAh g −1 with good capacity retention up to 200 cycles. Even at a current density of 800 mA g −1 , a stable discharge capacity of 570 mAh g −1 can be obtained. • This work creates a new method to improve the electrochemical performance of SiO-based electrode materials. - Abstract: A new amorphous-Si@SiO x /Cr/carbon (a-Si@SiO x /Cr/C) anode composite for lithium-ion batteries is synthesized, using SiO, chromium powder and graphite as starting materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) are employed to characterize the composition, morphology and microstructure of the composite. Coin-type cells are assembled to investigate the electrochemical behaviors of the as-prepared composites by constant current charge–discharge technique, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that chromium facilitates the crush of Si@SiO x and graphite during milling, and thus improves their mutual dispersion in the composite. When cycled at 100 mA g −1 , the a-Si@SiO x /Cr/C exhibits a stable discharge capacity of about 810 mAh g −1 (calculated on the mass of a-Si@SiO x /Cr/C) with good capacity retention up to 200 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance is attributed to the reduced particle size of a-Si@SiO x and the synergistic effect of carbon and chromium

  6. Electrochemically synthesized amorphous and crystalline nanowires: dissimilar nanomechanical behavior in comparison with homologous flat films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeeshan, M. A.; Esqué-de Los Ojos, D.; Castro-Hartmann, P.; Guerrero, M.; Nogués, J.; Suriñach, S.; Baró, M. D.; Nelson, B. J.; Pané, S.; Pellicer, E.; Sort, J.

    2016-01-01

    The effects of constrained sample dimensions on the mechanical behavior of crystalline materials have been extensively investigated. However, there is no clear understanding of these effects in nano-sized amorphous samples. Herein, nanoindentation together with finite element simulations are used to compare the properties of crystalline and glassy CoNi(Re)P electrodeposited nanowires (φ ~ 100 nm) with films (3 μm thick) of analogous composition and structure. The results reveal that amorphous nanowires exhibit a larger hardness, lower Young's modulus and higher plasticity index than glassy films. Conversely, the very large hardness and higher Young's modulus of crystalline nanowires are accompanied by a decrease in plasticity with respect to the homologous crystalline films. Remarkably, proper interpretation of the mechanical properties of the nanowires requires taking the curved geometry of the indented surface and sink-in effects into account. These findings are of high relevance for optimizing the performance of new, mechanically-robust, nanoscale materials for increasingly complex miniaturized devices.The effects of constrained sample dimensions on the mechanical behavior of crystalline materials have been extensively investigated. However, there is no clear understanding of these effects in nano-sized amorphous samples. Herein, nanoindentation together with finite element simulations are used to compare the properties of crystalline and glassy CoNi(Re)P electrodeposited nanowires (φ ~ 100 nm) with films (3 μm thick) of analogous composition and structure. The results reveal that amorphous nanowires exhibit a larger hardness, lower Young's modulus and higher plasticity index than glassy films. Conversely, the very large hardness and higher Young's modulus of crystalline nanowires are accompanied by a decrease in plasticity with respect to the homologous crystalline films. Remarkably, proper interpretation of the mechanical properties of the nanowires

  7. Structural and electrical properties of amorphous carbon–sulfur ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    Amorphous carbon films; pyrolysis; scanning electron microscopy; electrical properties; thermal analysis. 1. Introduction ... phorus compounds may have useful mechanical or elec- .... SEM images of a-C:S samples with different S/P values.

  8. Influences of carbon content and coating carbon thickness on properties of amorphous CoSnO3@C composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan, Fuqiang; Fang, Guoqing; Zhang, Ruixue; Xu, Yanhui; Zheng, Junwei; Li, Decheng

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The thickness of carbon coating layers can be successfully controlled through varying molar concentration of aqueous glucose solution. • Coating carbon thickness and carbon content are two important factors on the electrochemical performances of CoSnO3@C. • CoSnO 3 @C under optimized conditions exhibits the optimal balance between the volume buffering effect and reversible capacity. • As-prepared CoSnO 3 @C under optimized conditions shows excellent electrochemical performances, whose reversible capacity could reach 491 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles. - Abstract: A series of core–shell carbon coated amorphous CoSnO 3 (CoSnO 3 @C) with different carbon content are synthesized. Effects of carbon content and coating carbon thickness on the physical and electrochemical performances of the samples were studied in detail. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), galvanostatic charge–discharge and AC impedance spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicate that controlling the concentration of aqueous glucose solution influences the generation of in-situ carbon layer thickness. The optimal concentration of aqueous glucose solution, carbon content and carbon layer thickness are suggested as 0.25 M, 35.1% and 20 nm, respectively. CoSnO 3 @C composite prepared under the optimal conditions exhibits excellent cycling performance, whose reversible capacity could reach 491 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles

  9. Influence of H2 reduction on lignin-based hard carbon performance in lithium ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Zhen-zhen; Yu, Bao-jun; Wang, Cheng-yang

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT: Lignin as a by-product of fuel alcohol industry is used to prepare hard carbon materials by acetone extraction, stabilization in N 2 at 300 °C, carbonization in N 2 and subsequent H 2 reduction at 800 °C. The effect of H 2 reduction after carbonization process on the performances of the prepared samples is systematically studied and a simple mechanism is proposed. Excitingly, it is demonstrated that the process of H 2 reduction has a favorable influence on both structures and electrochemical performances of pyrolysis sample and an obvious improvement of capacity performance is obtained with reduction treatment. A first discharge/ charge capacity of 882.2/550.5 mA h g −1 (coulombic efficiency (CE) of 62.4%) is achieved at 0.1 C (1C = 372 mA g −1 ), and even after 200 cycles at 2 C a charge capacity of 228.8 mA h g −1 (about 92.8% retention ratio) remains and CE is above 99% during cycles for H 2 reduced sample. The fabulous electrochemical performance could be attributed to high purity of acetone-extracted lignin, low surface oxygen-containing functional groups and relatively high graphitization degree of reduction sample. In a word, both the simple pyrolysis process and excellent electrochemical performance make lignin-based hard carbon a promising anode material for high-capacity and high-stability lithium ion batteries (LIBs)

  10. Superconducting properties of amorphous Zr-Ge binary alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, A.; Takahashi, Y.; Toyota, N.; Fukase, T.; Masumoto, T.

    1982-01-01

    A new type of refractory metal-metalloid amorphous alloys exhibiting superconductivity has been found in a binary Zr-Ge system by a modified melt-spinning technique. Specimens are in the form of continuous ribbons 1 to 2 mm wide and 0.02 to 0.03 mm thick. The germanium content in the amorphous alloys is limited to the range of 13 to 21 at%. These amorphous alloys are so ductile that no cracks are observed even after closely contacted bending test. Data are reported for various alloy compositions for the Vickers hardness and crystallization temperature, the tensile fracture strength, superconducting transition temperature Tsub(c), upper critical magnetic field, critical current density in the absence of an applied field, upper critical field gradient at Tsub(c) and the electrical resistivity at 4.2 K. The Ginzburg-Landau (GL) parameter and the GL coherence length were estimated to be 72 to 111 and about 7.9 nm, respectively, from these experimental values by using the Ginzburg-Landau-Abrikosov-Gorkov theory and hence it is concluded that the Zr-Ge amorphous alloys are extremely 'soft' type-II superconductor with high degree of dirtiness which possesses the Tsub(c) values higher than zirconium metal, in addition to high strength combined with good ductility. (author)

  11. Magnetic Properties of Nanometer-sized Crystalline and Amorphous Particles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mørup, Steen; Bødker, Franz; Hansen, Mikkel Fougt

    1997-01-01

    Amorphous transition metal-metalloid alloy particles can be prepared by chemical preparation techniques. We discuss the preparation of transition metal-boron and iron-carbon particles and their magnetic properties. Nanometer-sized particles of both crystalline and amorphous magnetic materials...... are superparamagnetic at finite temperatures. The temperature dependence of the superparamagnetic relaxation time and the influence of inter-particle interactions is discussed. Finally, some examples of studies of surface magnetization of alpha-Fe particles are presented....

  12. Relationship between 0.2% proof stress and Vickers hardness of work-hardened low carbon austenitic stainless steel, 316SS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuoka, Saburo

    2004-01-01

    Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) occurs in shrouds and piping made of low carbon austenitic stainless steels at nuclear power plants. A work-hardened layer is considered to be one of the probable causes for this occurrence. The maximum Vickers hardness measured at the work-hardened layer is 400 HV. It is important to determine the yield strength and tensile strength of the work-hardened layer in the investigation on the causes of SCC. However, the tensile specimen cannot be obtained since the thickness of the work-hardened layer is as mall as several hundred μm, therefore, it is useful if we can estimate these strengths from its Vickers hardness. Consequently, we investigated the relationships between Vickers hardness versus yield strength and tensile strength using the results obtained on various steels in a series of Fatigue Data Sheets published by the National Institute for Materials Science and results newly obtained on a parent material and rolled materials (reduction of area: 10 - 50%, maximum hardness: 350 HV) for a low carbon stainless steel. The results showed that (1) the relationship between the 0.2% proof stress and the Vickers hardness can be described by a single straight line regardless of strength, structure, and rolling ratio, however, (2) the tensile strength is not correlated with the Vickers hardness, and the austenitic stainless steel in particular shows characteristics different from those of other steels. (author)

  13. Hard template synthesis of porous carbon nitride materials with improved efficiency for photocatalytic CO_2 utilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ovcharov, M.; Shcherban, N.; Filonenko, S.; Mishura, A.; Skoryk, M.; Shvalagin, V.; Granchak, V.

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Porous carbon nitrides were obtained via bulk and matrix pyrolysis of melamine. • Carbon nitride obtained in MCF has the highest bandgap and photocatalytic activity. • Acetaldehyde was the major product of the photoreduction reaction of CO2. - Abstract: Porous carbon nitrides of different morphology were obtained via bulk and hard template (SBA-15 and MCF) pyrolysis of melamine. Matrix method allowed obtaining ordered porous C_3N_4 with higher bandgap (2.87 eV) in the contrary to the bulk sample (2.45 eV). Obtained carbon nitrides were found to be p-type semiconductors with catalytic activity towards photoreduction of carbon dioxide with water vapour. Carbon nitride obtained in MCF has the higher bandgap, developed surface, sponge-like morphology, spatially ordering and it's characterized by the highest photocatalytic activity.

  14. Kinetically Controlled Two-Step Amorphization and Amorphous-Amorphous Transition in Ice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Chuanlong; Yong, Xue; Tse, John S.; Smith, Jesse S.; Sinogeikin, Stanislav V.; Kenney-Benson, Curtis; Shen, Guoyin

    2017-09-01

    We report the results of in situ structural characterization of the amorphization of crystalline ice Ih under compression and the relaxation of high-density amorphous (HDA) ice under decompression at temperatures between 96 and 160 K by synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The results show that ice Ih transforms to an intermediate crystalline phase at 100 K prior to complete amorphization, which is supported by molecular dynamics calculations. The phase transition pathways show clear temperature dependence: direct amorphization without an intermediate phase is observed at 133 K, while at 145 K a direct Ih-to-IX transformation is observed; decompression of HDA shows a transition to low-density amorphous ice at 96 K and ˜1 Pa , to ice Ic at 135 K and to ice IX at 145 K. These observations show that the amorphization of compressed ice Ih and the recrystallization of decompressed HDA are strongly dependent on temperature and controlled by kinetic barriers. Pressure-induced amorphous ice is an intermediate state in the phase transition from the connected H-bond water network in low pressure ices to the independent and interpenetrating H-bond network of high-pressure ices.

  15. Hard X-ray irradiation of cosmic silicate analogs: structural evolution and astrophysical implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gavilan, L.; Jäger, C.; Simionovici, A.; Lemaire, J. L.; Sabri, T.; Foy, E.; Yagoubi, S.; Henning, T.; Salomon, D.; Martinez-Criado, G.

    2016-03-01

    Context. Protoplanetary disks, interstellar clouds, and active galactic nuclei contain X-ray-dominated regions. X-rays interact with the dust and gas present in such environments. While a few laboratory X-ray irradiation experiments have been performed on ices, X-ray irradiation experiments on bare cosmic dust analogs have been scarce up to now. Aims: Our goal is to study the effects of hard X-rays on cosmic dust analogs via in situ X-ray diffraction. By using a hard X-ray synchrotron nanobeam, we seek to simulate cumulative X-ray exposure on dust grains during their lifetime in these astrophysical environments and provide an upper limit on the effect of hard X-rays on dust grain structure. Methods: We prepared enstatite (MgSiO3) nanograins, which are analogs to cosmic silicates, via the melting-quenching technique. These amorphous grains were then annealed to obtain polycrystalline grains. These were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) before irradiation. Powder samples were prepared in X-ray transparent substrates and were irradiated with hard X-rays nanobeams (29.4 keV) provided by beamline ID16B of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble). X-ray diffraction images were recorded in transmission mode, and the ensuing diffractograms were analyzed as a function of the total X-ray exposure time. Results: We detected the amorphization of polycrystalline silicates embedded in an organic matrix after an accumulated X-ray exposure of 6.4 × 1027 eV cm-2. Pure crystalline silicate grains (without resin) do not exhibit amorphization. None of the amorphous silicate samples (pure and embedded in resin) underwent crystallization. We analyze the evolution of the polycrystalline sample embedded in an organic matrix as a function of X-ray exposure. Conclusions: Loss of diffraction peak intensity, peak broadening, and the disappearance of discrete spots and arcs reveal the amorphization

  16. Correlation between substrate bias, growth process and structural properties of phosphorus incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Aiping; Zhu Jiaqi; Han Jiecai; Wu Huaping; Jia Zechun

    2007-01-01

    We investigate the growth process and structural properties of phosphorus incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C:P) films which are deposited at different substrate biases by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique with PH 3 as the dopant source. The films are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, residual stress measurement, UV/VIS/NIR absorption spectroscopy and temperature-dependent conductivity measurement. The atomic fraction of phosphorus in the films as a function of substrate bias is obtained by XPS analysis. The optimum bias for phosphorus incorporation is about -80 V. Raman spectra show that the amorphous structures of all samples with atomic-scaled smooth surface are not remarkably changed when PH 3 is implanted, but some small graphitic crystallites are formed. Moreover, phosphorus impurities and higher-energetic impinging ions are favorable for the clustering of sp 2 sites dispersed in sp 3 skeleton and increase the level of structural ordering for ta-C:P films, which further releases the compressive stress and enhances the conductivity of the films. Our analysis establishes an interrelationship between microstructure, stress state, electrical properties, and substrate bias, which helps to understand the deposition mechanism of ta-C:P films

  17. Formation of low friction and wear-resistant carbon coatings on tool steel by 75keV, high-dose carbon ion implantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikkelsen, N.J.; Eskildsen, S.S.; Straede, C.A.; Chechenin, N.G.

    1994-01-01

    Hardened AISI D2 steel samples were subjected to mass-separated C + ion bombardment at 75keV with ion doses in the range 0.5-15x10 18 C + cm -2 . It was observed that sputtering was still limited, and the system exhibited internal growth, because most of the ions penetrated more than 0.1μm into the growing carbon film. At the lowest ion doses applied, carbon was implanted into the steel, while higher doses resulted in the implanted carbon concentration near the surface being almost 100%. For the highest doses applied, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and surface profilometry analyses showed that layers about 0.5-1μm thick of almost pure carbon grew outward from the steel substrate. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the carbon layers were amorphous and exhibited an intermixed layer-substrate interface. The layers were hard and exhibited pronounced elastic recovery when subjected to ultralow load indentation. Low friction and excellent wear properties were measured when tested under dry conditions with a ball-on-disc tribometer. ((orig.))

  18. Ion-Assisted Pulsed Laser Deposition of amorphous tetrahedral-coordinated carbon films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedmann, T. A.; Tallant, D. R.; Sullivan, J. P.; Siegal, M. P.; Simpson, R. L.

    1994-04-01

    A parametric study has been performed of amorphous tetrahedral carbon (a-tC) films produced by ion-assisted pulsed laser deposition (IAPLD). The ion voltage, current density, and feed gas composition (nitrogen in argon) have been varied. The resultant films were characterized by thickness, residual stress, Raman spectroscopy, and electrical resistivity. The Raman spectra have been fit to two gaussian peaks, the so called graphitic (G) peak and the disorder (D) peak. It has been found that the magnitude of the D peak and the residual compressive stress are inversely correlated. At low beam voltages and currents, the magnitude of the D peak is low, increasing as the ion beam voltage and current are raised. The ion beam voltage has the most dramatic effect on the magnitude of the D peak. At low voltages (200-500 V) the magnitude of the D peak is greater for ion beams with high percentages of nitrogen possibly indicative of C-N bonding in the films. At higher voltages (500-1500 V) the D peak intensity is less sensitive to the nitrogen content of the beam.

  19. Microstructure and chemical bond evolution of diamond-like carbon films machined by femtosecond laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Jing; Wang, Chunhui [Science and Technology on Thermostructure Composite Materials Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Liu, Yongsheng, E-mail: yongshengliu@nwpu.edu.cn [Science and Technology on Thermostructure Composite Materials Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Cheng, Laifei [Science and Technology on Thermostructure Composite Materials Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Li, Weinan [State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 10068 (China); Zhang, Qing [Science and Technology on Thermostructure Composite Materials Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Yang, Xiaojun [State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 10068 (China)

    2015-06-15

    Highlights: • The machining depth was essentially proportional to the laser power. • The well patterned microgrooves and ripple structures with nanoparticles were formed distinctly in the channels. And the number of nanoparticles increased with the processing power as well. • It revealed a conversion from amorphous carbon to nanocrystalline graphite after laser treated with increasing laser power. • It showed that a great decrease of sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} after laser treatment. - Abstract: Femtosecond laser is of great interest for machining high melting point and hardness materials such as diamond-like carbon, SiC ceramic, et al. In present work, the microstructural and chemical bond evolution of diamond-like carbon films were investigated using electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques after machined by diverse femtosecond laser power in air. The results showed the machining depth was essentially proportional to the laser power. The well patterned microgrooves and ripple structures with nanoparticles were formed distinctly in the channels. Considering the D and G Raman band parameters on the laser irradiation, it revealed a conversion from amorphous carbon to nanocrystalline graphite after laser treated with increasing laser power. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed a great decrease of sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} after laser treatment.

  20. Na-ion capacitor using sodium pre-doped hard carbon and activated carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuratani, Kentaro; Yao, Masaru; Senoh, Hiroshi; Takeichi, Nobuhiko; Sakai, Tetsuo; Kiyobayashi, Tetsu

    2012-01-01

    We assembled a sodium-ion capacitor (Na-IC) by combining sodium pre-doped hard carbon (HC) as the negative- and activated carbon (AC) as the positive-electrode. The electrochemical properties were compared with two lithium-ion capacitors (Li-ICs) in which the negative electrodes were prepared with Li pre-doped HC and mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB). The positive and negative electrodes were prepared using the established doctor blade method. The negative electrodes were galvanostatically pre-doped with Na or Li to 80% of the full capacity of carbons. The potential of the negative electrodes after pre-doping was around 0.0 V vs. Na/Na + or Li/Li + , which resulted in the higher output potential difference of the Na-IC and Li-ICs than that of the conventional electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) because AC positive electrode works in the same principle both in the ion capacitors and in the EDLC. The state-of-charge of the negative electrode varied 80 ± 10% during the electrochemical charging and discharging. The capacity of the cell was evaluated using galvanostatic charge–discharge measurement. At the discharge current density of 10 mA cm −2 , the Na-IC maintained 70% of the capacity that obtained at the current density of 0.5 mA cm −2 , which was comparable to the Li-ICs. At 50 mA cm −2 , the capacities of the Li-IC(MCMB) and the Na-IC dropped to 20% whereas the Li-IC(HC) retained 30% of the capacity observed at 0.5 mA cm −2 . The capacities of the Na-IC and Li-ICs decreased by 9% and 3%, respectively, after 1000 cycles of charging and discharging.

  1. Immobilization of sericin molecules via amorphous carbon plasma modified-polystyrene dish for serum-free culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tunma, Somruthai; Song, Doo-Hoon; Kim, Si-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Han, Jeon-Geon; Boonyawan, Dheerawan

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we focused on sericin hydrolysates, originating from silkworm used in serum-free human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) culture. We reported the effect of a covalent linkage between a bioactive protein molecule and polystyrene dish surface via a carbon intermediate layer which can slow down the release rate of protein compounds into the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. Films of amorphous carbon (a-C) and functionalized-carbon were deposited on PS culture dish surfaces by using a DC magnetron sputtering system and RF PECVD system. We found that a-C based-films can increase the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of polystyrene (PS) dishes, especially a-C films and a-C:N 2 films showed good attachment of hBM-MSCs at 24 h. However, in the case of silica surface (a-C:SiO x films), the cells showed a ragged and unattached boundary resulting from the presence of surface silanol groups. For the UV–vis absorbance, all carbon modified-PS dishes showed a lower release rate of sericin molecules into PBS solution than PS control. This revealed that the functionalized carbon could be enhanced by specific binding properties with given molecules. The carbon-coated PS dishes grafting with sericin protein were used in a serum-free condition. We also found that hBM-MSCs have higher percentage of proliferated cells at day 7 for the modified dishes with carbon films and coated with sericin than the PS control coated with sericin. The physical film properties were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle measurement. The presence of -NH 2 groups of sericin compounds on the PS dish was revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The stability of covalent bonds of sericin molecules after washing out ungrafted sericin was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

  2. Immobilization of sericin molecules via amorphous carbon plasma modified-polystyrene dish for serum-free culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tunma, Somruthai; Song, Doo-Hoon; Kim, Si-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Han, Jeon-Geon; Boonyawan, Dheerawan

    2013-10-01

    In this study, we focused on sericin hydrolysates, originating from silkworm used in serum-free human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) culture. We reported the effect of a covalent linkage between a bioactive protein molecule and polystyrene dish surface via a carbon intermediate layer which can slow down the release rate of protein compounds into the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. Films of amorphous carbon (a-C) and functionalized-carbon were deposited on PS culture dish surfaces by using a DC magnetron sputtering system and RF PECVD system. We found that a-C based-films can increase the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of polystyrene (PS) dishes, especially a-C films and a-C:N2 films showed good attachment of hBM-MSCs at 24 h. However, in the case of silica surface (a-C:SiOx films), the cells showed a ragged and unattached boundary resulting from the presence of surface silanol groups. For the UV-vis absorbance, all carbon modified-PS dishes showed a lower release rate of sericin molecules into PBS solution than PS control. This revealed that the functionalized carbon could be enhanced by specific binding properties with given molecules. The carbon-coated PS dishes grafting with sericin protein were used in a serum-free condition. We also found that hBM-MSCs have higher percentage of proliferated cells at day 7 for the modified dishes with carbon films and coated with sericin than the PS control coated with sericin. The physical film properties were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle measurement. The presence of sbnd NH2 groups of sericin compounds on the PS dish was revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The stability of covalent bonds of sericin molecules after washing out ungrafted sericin was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

  3. Tough ceramic coatings: Carbon nanotube reinforced silica sol-gel

    Science.gov (United States)

    López, A. J.; Rico, A.; Rodríguez, J.; Rams, J.

    2010-08-01

    Silica coatings reinforced with carbon nanotubes were produced via sol-gel route using two mixing techniques of the sol-gel precursors, mechanical and ultrasonic mixing, and dip-coating as deposition process on magnesium alloy substrates. Effective incorporation and distribution of 0.1 wt.% of carbon nanotubes in the amorphous silica matrix of the coatings were achieved using both techniques. Fabrication procedure determines the morphological aspects of the coating. Only mechanical mixing process produced coatings dense and free of defects. Nanoindentation technique was used to examine the influence of the fabrication process in the mechanical features of the final coatings, i.e. indentation fracture toughness, Young's modulus and hardness. A maximum toughening effect of about 24% was achieved in silica coatings reinforced with carbon nanotubes produced by the mechanical mixing route. Scanning electron microscopy investigation revealed that the toughening of these reinforced coatings was mainly due to bridging effect of the reinforcement.

  4. Effect of Nitridation Time on the Surface Hardness of Medium Carbon Steels (AISI 1045)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Setyo Atmojo; Tjipto Sujitno; Sukidi

    2003-01-01

    It has been investigated the effect of nitridation time on the surface hardness of medium carbon steels (AISI 1045). Parameters determining to the results were flow rate of the nitrogen gas, temperature and time. In this experiments, sample having diameter of 15 mm, thick 2 mm placed in tube of glass with diameter 35 mm heated 550 o C, flow rate and temperature were kept constants, 100 cc/minutes and 550 o C respectively, while the time were varied from 5, 10, 20 and 30 hours. It was found, that for the nitridation time of 5, 10, 20, and 30 hours, the surface hardness increased from 145 VHN to, 23.7, 296.8, 382.4 and 426.1 VHN, respectively. (author)

  5. Influences of carbon content and coating carbon thickness on properties of amorphous CoSnO{sub 3}@C composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fan, Fuqiang [Key Laboratory of Lithium Battery Materials of Jiangsu Province, Institute of chemical power sources, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Fang, Guoqing [Key Laboratory of Lithium Battery Materials of Jiangsu Province, Institute of chemical power sources, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Changzhou Institute of Energy Storage Materials and Devices, Changzhou 213000 (China); Zhang, Ruixue [Key Laboratory of Lithium Battery Materials of Jiangsu Province, Institute of chemical power sources, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Xu, Yanhui; Zheng, Junwei [Key Laboratory of Lithium Battery Materials of Jiangsu Province, Institute of chemical power sources, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Li, Decheng, E-mail: lidecheng@suda.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Lithium Battery Materials of Jiangsu Province, Institute of chemical power sources, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China)

    2014-08-30

    Highlights: • The thickness of carbon coating layers can be successfully controlled through varying molar concentration of aqueous glucose solution. • Coating carbon thickness and carbon content are two important factors on the electrochemical performances of CoSnO3@C. • CoSnO{sub 3}@C under optimized conditions exhibits the optimal balance between the volume buffering effect and reversible capacity. • As-prepared CoSnO{sub 3}@C under optimized conditions shows excellent electrochemical performances, whose reversible capacity could reach 491 mA h g{sup −1} after 100 cycles. - Abstract: A series of core–shell carbon coated amorphous CoSnO{sub 3} (CoSnO{sub 3}@C) with different carbon content are synthesized. Effects of carbon content and coating carbon thickness on the physical and electrochemical performances of the samples were studied in detail. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), galvanostatic charge–discharge and AC impedance spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicate that controlling the concentration of aqueous glucose solution influences the generation of in-situ carbon layer thickness. The optimal concentration of aqueous glucose solution, carbon content and carbon layer thickness are suggested as 0.25 M, 35.1% and 20 nm, respectively. CoSnO{sub 3}@C composite prepared under the optimal conditions exhibits excellent cycling performance, whose reversible capacity could reach 491 mA h g{sup −1} after 100 cycles.

  6. Semiconducting Properties of Nanostructured Amorphous Carbon Thin Films Incorporated with Iodine by Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamaruzaman, Dayana; Ahmad, Nurfadzilah; Annuar, Ishak; Rusop, Mohamad

    2013-11-01

    Nanostructured iodine-post doped amorphous carbon (a-C:I) thin films were prepared from camphor oil using a thermal chemical vapor deposition (TCVD) technique at different doping temperatures. The structural properties of the films were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Raman, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies. FESEM and EDS studies showed successful iodine doping. FTIR and Raman studies showed that the a-C:I thin films consisted of a mixture of sp2- and sp3-bonded carbon atoms. The optical and electrical properties of a-C:I thin films were determined by UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy and current-voltage (I-V) measurement respectively. The optical band gap of a-C thin films decreased upon iodine doping. The highest electrical conductivity was found at 400 °C doping. Heterojunctions are confirmed by rectifying the I-V characteristics of an a-C:I/n-Si junction.

  7. Post-treatment of Plasma-Sprayed Amorphous Ceramic Coatings by Spark Plasma Sintering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chraska, T.; Pala, Z.; Mušálek, R.; Medřický, J.; Vilémová, M.

    2015-04-01

    Alumina-zirconia ceramic material has been plasma sprayed using a water-stabilized plasma torch to produce free standing coatings. The as-sprayed coatings have very low porosity and are mostly amorphous. The amorphous material crystallizes at temperatures above 900 °C. A spark plasma sintering apparatus has been used to heat the as-sprayed samples to temperatures above 900 °C to induce crystallization, while at the same time, a uniaxial pressure of 80 MPa has been applied to their surface. After such post-treatment, the ceramic samples are crystalline and have very low open porosity. The post-treated material exhibits high hardness and significantly increased flexural strength. The post-treated samples have a microstructure that is best described as nanocomposite with the very small crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix.

  8. Gamma and Neutron Irradiation of Semitransparent Amorphous Silicon Sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carabe, J.; Fernandez, M. G.; Ferrando, A.; Fuentes, J.; Gandia, J.; Josa, M. I.; Molinero, A.; Oller, J. C.; Arce, P.; Calvo, E.; Figueroa, C. F.; Garcia, N.; Matorras, F.; Rodrigo, T.; Vila, I.; Virto, A. L.; Fenyvesi, A.; Molnar, J.; Sohler, D.

    1999-12-01

    Semitransparent amorphous silicon sensors are key elements for laser light 2D position reconstruction in the CMS multipoint alignment link system. Some of the sensors have to work in very hard radiation environment. We have irradiated with gammas, up to 10 Mrad, and neutrons, up to 10 ''14 cm''-2, two different type of sensors and measured their change in performance. (Author) 10 refs

  9. Rapid growth of amorphous carbon films on the inner surface of micron-thick and hollow-core fibers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ji, Longfei [Fujian Key Laboratory for Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Department of Electric Science, School of Physics and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China); School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Liu, Dongping, E-mail: Dongping.liu@dlnu.edu.cn [Fujian Key Laboratory for Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Department of Electric Science, School of Physics and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China); School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Zhou, Xinwei [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 310007 (China); Song, Ying [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023 (China); Ni, Weiyuan [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Niu, Jinhai; Fan, Hongyu [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China)

    2013-10-01

    Ultrathick (> 25 μm) carbon films were obtained on the inner surface of hollow and micron-thick quartz fibers by confining CH{sub 4}/He or C{sub 2}H{sub 2}/He microplasmas in their hollow cores. The resulting carbon films were studied by using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The microplasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique resulted in the uniform growth of amorphous carbon films on the inner surface of very long (> 1 m) hollow-core fibers. Film deposition is performed by using microplasmas at atmospheric pressure and at 50 Pa. The carbon films obtained with the latter show the smooth inner surfaces and the well continuity across the film/optical fiber. Low-pressure CH{sub 4}/He and C{sub 2}H{sub 2}/He microplasmas can lead to a rapid growth (∼ 2.00 μm/min) of carbon films with their thickness of > 25 μm. The optical emission measurements show that various hydrocarbon species were formed in these depositing microplasmas due to the collisions between CH{sub 4}/C{sub 2}H{sub 2} molecules and energetic species. The microplasma-enhanced CVD technique running without the complicated fabrication processes shows its potentials for rapidly depositing the overlong carbon tubes with their inner diameters of tens of microns. - Highlights: • The microplasma device is applied for coating deposition inside hollow-core fibers. • The microplasma device results in > 25 μm-thick carbon films. • The microplasma device is simple for deposition of ultralong carbon tubes.

  10. Amorphous to crystalline phase transition in carbon induced by intense femtosecond x-ray free-electron laser pulses

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Gaudin, J.; Peyrusse, O.; Chalupský, Jaromír; Toufarová, Martina; Vyšín, Luděk; Hájková, Věra; Sobierajski, R.; Burian, Tomáš; Dastjani-Farahani, S.; Graf, A.; Amati, M.; Gregoratti, L.; Hau-Riege, S.P.; Hoffmann, G.; Juha, Libor; Krzywinski, J.; London, R.A.; Moeller, S.; Sinn, H.; Schorb, S.; Störmer, M.; Tschentscher, T.; Vorlíček, Vladimír; Vu, H.; Bozek, J.; Bostedt, C.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 86, č. 2 (2012), "024103-1"-"024103-7" ISSN 1098-0121 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/11/1312; GA ČR GAP205/11/0571; GA ČR GAP208/10/2302; GA AV ČR IAAX00100903; GA MŠk EE.2.3.20.0087 Grant - others:OP VK 2 LaserGen(XE) CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0087 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100523 Keywords : amorphous carbon * phase transition * graphitization * x-ray laser * free-electron laser Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 3.767, year: 2012

  11. Bonding tungsten, W–Cu-alloy and copper with amorphous Fe–W alloy transition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Song, E-mail: wangsongrain@163.com [Laboratory of Special Ceramics and Powder Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Ling, Yunhan, E-mail: yhling@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Zhao, Pei [Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Zang, Nanzhi [Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Wang, Jianjun [Laboratory of Special Ceramics and Powder Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Guo, Shibin [Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Zhang, Jun [Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Xu, Guiying [Laboratory of Special Ceramics and Powder Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China)

    2013-05-15

    W/Cu graded materials are the leading candidate materials used as the plasma facing components in a fusion reactor. However, tungsten and copper can hardly be jointed together due to their great differences in physical properties such as coefficient of thermal expansion and melting point, and the lack of solid solubility between them. To overcome those difficulties, a new amorphous Fe–W alloy transitional coating and vacuum hot pressing (VHP) method were proposed and introduced in this paper. The morphology, composition and structure of the amorphous Fe–W alloy coating and the sintering interface of the specimens were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The thermal shock resistance of the bonded composite was also tested. The results demonstrated that amorphous structure underwent change from amorphous to nano grains during joining process, and the joined W/Cu composite can endued plasma thermal shock resistance with energy density more than 5.33 MW/m{sup 2}. It provides a new feasible technical to join refractory tungsten to immiscible copper with amorphous Fe–W alloy coating.

  12. Hard template synthesis of metal nanowires

    OpenAIRE

    Kawamura, Go; Muto, Hiroyuki; Matsuda, Atsunori

    2014-01-01

    Metal nanowires (NWs) have attracted much attention because of their high electron conductivity, optical transmittance, and tunable magnetic properties. Metal NWs have been synthesized using soft templates such as surface stabilizing molecules and polymers, and hard templates such as anodic aluminum oxide, mesoporous oxide, carbon nanotubes. NWs prepared from hard templates are composites of metals and the oxide/carbon matrix. Thus, selecting appropriate elements can simplify the production o...

  13. Surface morphology and grain analysis of successively industrially grown amorphous hydrogenated carbon films (a-C:H) on silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catena, Alberto; McJunkin, Thomas; Agnello, Simonpietro; Gelardi, Franco M.; Wehner, Stefan; Fischer, Christian B.

    2015-08-01

    Silicon (1 0 0) has been gradually covered by amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films via an industrial process. Two types of these diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings, one more flexible (f-DLC) and one more robust (r-DLC), have been investigated. Both types have been grown by a radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) technique with acetylene plasma. Surface morphologies have been studied in detail by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy has been used to investigate the DLC structure. Both types appeared to have very similar morphology and sp2 carbon arrangement. The average height and area for single grains have been analyzed for all depositions. A random distribution of grain heights was found for both types. The individual grain structures between the f- and r-type revealed differences: the shape for the f-DLC grains is steeper than for the r-DLC grains. By correlating the average grain heights to the average grain areas for all depositions a limited region is identified, suggesting a certain regularity during the DLC deposition mechanisms that confines both values. A growth of the sp2 carbon entities for high r-DLC depositions is revealed and connected to a structural rearrangement of carbon atom hybridizations and hydrogen content in the DLC structure.

  14. Thermal expansion coefficient measurement from electron diffraction of amorphous films in a TEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashida, Misa; Cui, Kai; Malac, Marek; Egerton, Ray

    2018-05-01

    We measured the linear thermal expansion coefficients of amorphous 5-30 nm thick SiN and 17 nm thick Formvar/Carbon (F/C) films using electron diffraction in a transmission electron microscope. Positive thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) was observed in SiN but negative coefficients in the F/C films. In case of amorphous carbon (aC) films, we could not measure TEC because the diffraction radii required several hours to stabilize at a fixed temperature. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Effect of nitrogen plasma afterglow on the surface charge effect resulted during XPS surface analysis of amorphous carbon nitride thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kayed, Kamal

    2018-06-01

    The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the micro structure and the surface charge effect resulted during XPS surface analysis of amorphous carbon nitride thin films prepared by laser ablation method. The study results show that the charge effect coefficient (E) is not just a correction factor. We found that the changes in this coefficient value due to incorporation of nitrogen atoms into the carbon network are related to the spatial configurations of the sp2 bonded carbon atoms, order degree and sp2 clusters size. In addition, results show that the curve E vs. C(sp3)-N is a characteristic curve of the micro structure. This means that using this curve makes it easy to sorting the samples according to the micro structure (hexagonal rings or chains).

  16. Microstructure and property of Fe–Co–B–Si–C–Nb amorphous composite coating fabricated by laser cladding process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Y.Y.; Li, Z.G.; Li, R.F.; Li, M.; Daze, X.L.; Feng, K.; Wu, Y.X.

    2013-01-01

    Laser cladding of Fe 34 Co 34 B 20 Si 5 C 3 Nb 4 on a low carbon steel substrate was conducted using coaxial powder feeding method. Microstructure, phase and microhardness were investigated by scanning electronic microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron probe micro-analysis and microhardness tester. Amorphous coating with NbC particles embedded in the matrix was formed. Differential scanning calorimetry curve showed that the glass transition temperature (T g ) and the onset crystallization temperature (T x ) were 799 K and 850 K, respectively. The supercooled liquid region (ΔT x = T x − T g ) was as large as 51 K, which implied the high thermal stability of the supercooled liquid against crystallization. Due to the NbC particles embedded in the amorphous matrix, the mean value of the microhardness of the coating prepared by laser cladding was higher than that of the bulk metallic glass formed by the copper mold casting method. The contribution of NbC particles to the total microhardness was theoretically estimated. The estimated hardness of the composite coating agreed well with the tested value.

  17. Incidence Angle Effect of Energetic Carbon Ions on Deposition Rate, Topography, and Structure of Ultrathin Amorphous Carbon Films Deposited by Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, N.

    2012-07-01

    The effect of the incidence angle of energetic carbon ions on the thickness, topography, and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon (a-C) films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) was examined in the context of numerical and experimental results. The thickness of a-C films deposited at different incidence angles was investigated in the light of Monte Carlo simulations, and the calculated depth profiles were compared with those obtained from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The topography and structure of the a-C films were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The film thickness decreased with the increase of the incidence angle, while the surface roughness increased and the content of tetrahedral carbon hybridization (sp 3) decreased significantly with the increase of the incidence angle above 45° , measured from the surface normal. TEM, AFM, and XPS results indicate that the smoothest and thinnest a-C films with the highest content of sp 3 carbon bonding were produced for an incidence angle of 45°. The findings of this study have direct implications in ultrahigh-density magnetic recording, where ultrathin and smooth a-C films with high sp 3 contents are of critical importance. © 2012 IEEE.

  18. A facile route for growth of CNTs on Si@hard carbon for conductive agent incorporating anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Chanhoon; Choi, Sinho; Yoo, Seungmin; Kwon, Dohyoung; Ko, Seunghee; Kim, Ju-Myung; Lee, Sang-Young; Kim, Il-Doo; Park, Soojin

    2015-07-14

    Conductive agent incorporating Si anodes consisting of directly grown carbon nanotubes on hard carbon encapsulating Si nanoparticles were prepared by a one-pot chemical vapour deposition process. Owing to this fabulous structure, Si-based anodes exhibit excellent cycle retention and rate capability with a high-mass-loading of 3.5 mg cm(-2).

  19. Influence of deposition temperature and amorphous carbon on microstructure and oxidation resistance of magnetron sputtered nanocomposite Crsbnd C films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nygren, Kristian; Andersson, Matilda; Högström, Jonas; Fredriksson, Wendy; Edström, Kristina; Nyholm, Leif; Jansson, Ulf

    2014-06-01

    It is known that mechanical and tribological properties of transition metal carbide films can be tailored by adding an amorphous carbon (a-C) phase, thus making them nanocomposites. This paper addresses deposition, microstructure, and for the first time oxidation resistance of magnetron sputtered nanocomposite Crsbnd C/a-C films with emphasis on studies of both phases. By varying the deposition temperature between 20 and 700 °C and alternating the film composition, it was possible to deposit amorphous, nanocomposite, and crystalline Crsbnd C films containing about 70% C and 30% Cr, or 40% C and 60% Cr. The films deposited at temperatures below 300 °C were X-ray amorphous and 500 °C was required to grow crystalline phases. Chronoamperometric polarization at +0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl (sat. KCl) in hot 1 mM H2SO4 resulted in oxidation of Crsbnd C, yielding Cr2O3 and C, as well as oxidation of C. The oxidation resistance is shown to depend on the deposition temperature and the presence of the a-C phase. Physical characterization of film surfaces show that very thin C/Cr2O3/Crsbnd C layers develop on the present material, which can be used to improve the oxidation resistance of, e.g. stainless steel electrodes.

  20. Stabilization of iron and molybdenum amorphous state with interstitials under high rates of cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barmin, Yu.V.; Vavilova, V.V.; Verevkin, A.G.; Gertsen, A.T.; Kovneristyj, Yu.K.; Kotyurgin, E.A.; Mirkin, B.V.; Palij, N.A.

    1993-01-01

    Amorphous solidification of iron and molybdenum is investigated in thin films and on surface laser irradiated on air at 10 12 and 10 8 /Ks cooling rates correspondingly. Amorphous solidification occurs during ion plasma spraying in thin films of 50 nm at saturation of carbon and oxygen atoms in the ratio of C:0=2.3, but amorphous state is absent at room temperature. Metastable fcc phase, among bcc, is formed by crystallization

  1. Effect of Casein Phosphopeptide-Amorphous Calcium Phosphate and Three Calcium Phosphate on Enamel Microhardness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haghgou, En Hr; Haghgoo, Roza; Roholahi, Mohamad R; Ghorbani, Zahra

    2017-07-01

    This study aims to investigate the effect of casein phos-phopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate and three calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP and TCP) on increasing the microhardness of human enamel after induction of erosion. A total of 26 healthy human-impacted third molar teeth were chosen, and their hardness measured using a microhardness testing machine. The samples were immersed in Coca Cola (pH = 4.7) for 8 minutes. Then, micro-hardness was measured again, and these samples were randomly divided into four groups (two control groups and two experimental groups). (1) Negative control group: Artificial saliva was used for 10 minutes, (2) positive control group: Fluoride gel was used for 10 minutes, (3) β-TCP group: TCP was used for 10 minutes, (4) CCP-ACP group: CCP-ACP was used for 10 minutes. The final microhardness of those samples was measured, and the changes in microhardness of teeth within group and between groups were analyzed using the paired and analysis of variance tests respectively. Results were considered statistically significant at a level of p < 0.05. No significant difference was observed in microhard-ness between CPP-ACP group and TCP group (p = 0.368) during the time microhardness significantly dropped after soaking in soda. Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate and TCP increased the microhardness of teeth. The increase in hardness in the TCP group was higher than in the CPP-ACP group, but this difference was not significant (p = 0.36). Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate and TCP can affect the remineralization of erosive lesions.

  2. Extremely environment-hard and low work function transfer-mold field emitter arrays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakamoto, Masayuki, E-mail: m-nakamoto@rie.shizuoka.ac.jp [Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Moon, Jonghyun [Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan)

    2013-06-15

    Extremely environment-hard and low work function field-emitter arrays (FEAs) were fabricated by a transfer-mold emitter fabrication method to produce highly reliable vacuum nanoelectronic devices able to operate stably at low voltage in highly oxidizing atmospheres. Amorphous carbon (a-C) having a work function of 3.6 eV and sp{sup 3} fraction of 85.6% prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition was used as the emitter material. The field-emission characteristics of the obtained transfer-mold FEAs strongly depended on their work function and morphology. The environment-hard characteristics of the transfer-mold a-C FEAs were compared with those of the transfer-mold titanium nitride FEAs and nickel FEAs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to confirm the stable chemical states of the FEAs after oxygen radical treatment. The small amount of material oxidized (6.3%) at the surface of the a-C FEAs compared with 11.8% for the TiN-FEAs and 39.0% for Ni FEAs after oxygen radical treatment explained their almost constant work function in oxidizing atmospheres. The emission fluctuation rates of transfer-mold a-C FEAs without resistive layers under in situ radical treatment were as low as ±5.0%, compared with 5–100% for conventional FEAs with resistive layers not under highly oxidizing atmospheres. Therefore, the present environment-hard and low work function transfer-mold a-C FEAs are expected to be useful for reliable vacuum nanoelectronic devices.

  3. Definition and properties of ideal amorphous structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stachurski, Z.H.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Amorphous structure is usually defined by what it is not (ie, no crystalline peaks in XRS, no bond correlation in NMR), rather than by what it is. The interest in defining the structure of non-crystalline materials is long standing; packing geometry of spheres, molecular structure of glassy SiO 2 , or the structure of atactic polymers are prime examples. The earliest definitions of amorphous structure were in terms of a microcrystallite model of Valenkov, or continuous random network by Zachariasen. The random close packing of spheres of equal size, and an amorphous structure, composed of freely jointed linear chains of hard spheres, has been described mathematically in terms of a linear homogeneous Poisson process. This paper aims to describe some geometrical, kinematic, and topological properties of these two ideal amorphous structures, which belong to the same amorphous class. The geometry of packing is elucidated, and the use of Voronoi tessellation method for measuring the structures is described. The ideal amorphous solid has no symmetry elements; its volume can not be divided into identical unit cells. However, there is a volume element small enough to allow the distinction of its nanoscopic inhomogeneities, and sufficiently large enough to represent, accurately the overall behaviour. We define this volume element, the representative volume element. Suitable boundary conditions must be prescribed for a choice of RVE, and satisfy certain requirements. Topologically, a catchment region on the Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surface over nuclear configuration space, is defined by Mezey and Bader as an energetically stable geometry of the open region of R 3 traversed by all the trajectories which terminate at a local maximum. Two topological properties will be described: (i) the boundaries of the catchment region as a direct geometrical correspondence to the Voronoi polyhedron for a given atom in a given structure, and (ii) the constriction points

  4. Recent Progress in Some Amorphous Materials for Supercapacitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qing; Xu, Yuxia; Zheng, Shasha; Guo, Xiaotian; Xue, Huaiguo; Pang, Huan

    2018-05-14

    A breakthrough in technologies having "green" and sustainable energy storage conversion is urgent, and supercapacitors play a crucial role in this area of research. Owing to their unique porous structure, amorphous materials are considered one of the best active materials for high-performance supercapacitors due to their high specific capacity, excellent cycling stability, and fast charging rate. This Review summarizes the synthesis of amorphous materials (transition metal oxides, carbon-based materials, transition metal sulfides, phosphates, hydroxides, and their complexes) to highlight their electrochemical performance in supercapacitors. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Biological characteristics of the MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells on composite tantalum carbide/amorphous carbon films.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yin-Yu Chang

    Full Text Available Tantalum (Ta is a promising metal for biomedical implants or implant coating for orthopedic and dental applications because of its excellent corrosion resistance, fracture toughness, and biocompatibility. This study synthesizes biocompatible tantalum carbide (TaC and TaC/amorphous carbon (a-C coatings with different carbon contents by using a twin-gun magnetron sputtering system to improve their biological properties and explore potential surgical implant or device applications. The carbon content in the deposited coatings was regulated by controlling the magnetron power ratio of the pure graphite and Ta cathodes. The deposited TaC and TaC/a-C coatings exhibited better cell viability of human osteosarcoma cell line MG-63 than the uncoated Ti and Ta-coated samples. Inverted optical and confocal imaging was used to demonstrate the cell adhesion, distribution, and proliferation of each sample at different time points during the whole culture period. The results show that the TaC/a-C coating, which contained two metastable phases (TaC and a-C, was more biocompatible with MG-63 cells compared to the pure Ta coating. This suggests that the TaC/a-C coatings exhibit a better biocompatible performance for MG-63 cells, and they may improve implant osseointegration in clinics.

  6. Amorphous Metallic Alloys: Pathways for Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aditya, Ayyagari; Felix Wu, H.; Arora, Harpreet; Mukherjee, Sundeep

    2017-11-01

    Amorphous metallic alloys are widely used in bulk form and as coatings for their desirable corrosion and wear behavior. Nevertheless, the effects of heat treatment and thermal cycling on these surface properties are not well understood. In this study, the corrosion and wear behavior of two Zr-based bulk metallic glasses were evaluated in as-cast and thermally relaxed states. Significant improvement in wear rate, friction coefficient, and corrosion penetration rate was seen for both alloys after thermal relaxation. A fully amorphous structure was retained with thermal relaxation below the glass transition. There was an increase in surface hardness and elastic modulus for both alloys after relaxation. The improvement in surface properties was explained based on annihilation of free volume.

  7. Immobilization of sericin molecules via amorphous carbon plasma modified-polystyrene dish for serum-free culture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tunma, Somruthai [The Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics (ThEP), 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Song, Doo-Hoon [Research Center for Orofacial Hard Tissue Regeneration, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Si-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Nam [Research Center for Orofacial Hard Tissue Regeneration, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Department and Research Institute of Dental Biomaterials and Bioengineering, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Han, Jeon-Geon [Center for Advanced Plasma Surface Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, 300 Chunchun-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Boonyawan, Dheerawan [Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics (ThEP), 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand)

    2013-10-15

    In this study, we focused on sericin hydrolysates, originating from silkworm used in serum-free human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) culture. We reported the effect of a covalent linkage between a bioactive protein molecule and polystyrene dish surface via a carbon intermediate layer which can slow down the release rate of protein compounds into the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. Films of amorphous carbon (a-C) and functionalized-carbon were deposited on PS culture dish surfaces by using a DC magnetron sputtering system and RF PECVD system. We found that a-C based-films can increase the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of polystyrene (PS) dishes, especially a-C films and a-C:N{sub 2} films showed good attachment of hBM-MSCs at 24 h. However, in the case of silica surface (a-C:SiO{sub x} films), the cells showed a ragged and unattached boundary resulting from the presence of surface silanol groups. For the UV–vis absorbance, all carbon modified-PS dishes showed a lower release rate of sericin molecules into PBS solution than PS control. This revealed that the functionalized carbon could be enhanced by specific binding properties with given molecules. The carbon-coated PS dishes grafting with sericin protein were used in a serum-free condition. We also found that hBM-MSCs have higher percentage of proliferated cells at day 7 for the modified dishes with carbon films and coated with sericin than the PS control coated with sericin. The physical film properties were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle measurement. The presence of -NH{sub 2} groups of sericin compounds on the PS dish was revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The stability of covalent bonds of sericin molecules after washing out ungrafted sericin was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

  8. Formation of carbon nanotubes on an amorphous Ni{sub 25}Ta{sub 58}N{sub 17} alloy film by chemical vapor deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gromov, D. G.; Dubkov, S. V., E-mail: sv.dubkov@gmail.com [National Research University of Electronic Technology MIET (Russian Federation); Pavlov, A. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nanotechnologies of Microelectronics (Russian Federation); Skorik, S. N. [Technological Center Research and Production Complex (Russian Federation); Trifonov, A. Yu. [Lukin Scientific Research Institute of Physical Problems (Russian Federation); Kirilenko, E. P.; Shulyat’ev, A. S. [National Research University of Electronic Technology MIET (Russian Federation); Shaman, Yu. P. [Technological Center Research and Production Complex (Russian Federation); Rygalin, B. N. [National Research University of Electronic Technology MIET (Russian Federation)

    2016-12-15

    It is shown that it is possible to grow carbon nanotubes on the surface of an amorphous Ni–Ta–N metal alloy film with a low Ni content (~25 at %) by chemical deposition from acetylene at temperature 400–800°C. It is established that the addition of nitrogen into the Ni–Ta alloy composition is favorable for the formation of tantalum nitride and the expulsion of Ni clusters, which act as a catalyst of the growth of carbon nanotubes, onto the surface. From Raman spectroscopy studies, it is found that, as the temperature of synthesis is raised, the quality of nanotubes is improved.

  9. Molecular-scale tribology of amorphous carbon coatings: effects of film thickness, adhesion, and long-range interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, G T; Mikulski, Paul T; Harrison, Judith A

    2002-06-19

    Classical molecular dynamics simulations have been conducted to investigate the atomic-scale friction and wear when hydrogen-terminated diamond (111) counterfaces are in sliding contact with diamond (111) surfaces coated with amorphous, hydrogen-free carbon films. Two films, with approximately the same ratio of sp(3)-to-sp(2) carbon, but different thicknesses, have been examined. Both systems give a similar average friction in the load range examined. Above a critical load, a series of tribochemical reactions occur resulting in a significant restructuring of the film. This restructuring is analogous to the "run-in" observed in macroscopic friction experiments and reduces the friction. The contribution of adhesion between the probe (counterface) and the sample to friction was examined by varying the saturation of the counterface. Decreasing the degree of counterface saturation, by reducing the hydrogen termination, increases the friction. Finally, the contribution of long-range interactions to friction was examined by using two potential energy functions that differ only in their long-range forces to examine friction in the same system.

  10. Hard facings used in welded joints. Industrial applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delair, J.

    1998-01-01

    In this article, two industrial application cases of special hard facings used in offshore and nuclear fabrications are described into details. These hard facings concern more particularly 1)the heterogeneous joints of a martensitic steel on an ordinary carbon steel 2)the homogeneous joints of a high resistive low alloy carbon steel. (O.M.)

  11. Obstacles using amorphous materials for volume applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kiessling, Albert [Festo AG and Co. KG, 73734, Esslingen (Germany); Reininger, Thomas, E-mail: drn@de.festo.com [Festo AG and Co. KG, 73734, Esslingen (Germany)

    2012-10-15

    This contribution is especially focussed on the attempt to use amorphous or nanocrystalline metals in position sensor applications and to describe the difficulties and obstacles encountered in coherence with the development of appropriate industrial high volume series products in conjunction with the related quality requirements. The main motivation to do these investigations was to beat the generally known sensors especially silicon based Hall-sensors as well as AMR- and GMR-sensors - well known from mobile phones and electronic storage devices like hard discs and others - in terms of cost-effectiveness and functionality.

  12. Adsorption of gold ions from industrial wastewater using activated carbon derived from hard shell of apricot stones - an agricultural waste.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soleimani, Mansooreh; Kaghazchi, Tahereh

    2008-09-01

    In this study, hard shell of apricot stones was selected from agricultural solid wastes to prepare effective and low cost adsorbent for the gold separation from gold-plating wastewater. Different adsorption parameters like adsorbent dose, particle size of activated carbon, pH and agitation speed of mixing on the gold adsorption were studied. The results showed that under the optimum operating conditions, more than 98% of gold was adsorbed onto activated carbon after only 3h. The equilibrium adsorption data were well described by the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. Isotherms have been used to obtain thermodynamic parameters. Gold desorption studies were performed with aqueous solution mixture of sodium hydroxide and organic solvents at ambient temperatures. Quantitative recovery of gold ions is possible by this method. As hard shell of apricot stones is a discarded as waste from agricultural and food industries, the prepared activated carbon is expected to be an economical product for gold ion recovery from wastewater.

  13. Hard and transparent hybrid polyurethane coatings using in situ incorporation of calcium carbonate nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao Lu; Yang Jie; Sun Jing; Cai Lifang; He Linghao; Huang Hui; Song Rui; Hao Yongmei

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → In situ mineralization via gas diffusion was adopted for a good dispersion of calcium carbonate nanoparticles in the polymeric PU matrix. → Hybrid films with high dispersion, transparency, robust and thermal stability can be obtained by controlling the CaCO 3 loading. → The hybrid films display a significant improvement in its water resistance, surface hardness, scratch resistance and flexibility, with the introduction of CaCO 3 , and all coatings exhibited excellent chemical resistance and adhesion. - Abstract: The combination of hardness, scratch resistance, and flexibility is a highly desired feature in many coating applications. The aim of this study is to achieve this goal through the in situ introduction of an unmodified calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) into a water-soluble polyurethane (PU) matrix. Smooth and (semi-) transparent films were prepared from both the neat PU and the CaCO 3 -filled composites. As evidenced by the measurements from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), hybrid films with high dispersion, transparency, robustness and thermal stability could be obtained by controlling the CaCO 3 loading. The storage modulus could increase from 441 MPa of neat PU matrix to 1034 MPa of hybrid film containing 2% (w/w) CaCO 3 . In addition, the same hybrid films displayed a significant improvement in its water resistance. In this case, the water-uptake ratio decreased from 41.54% of PU to 2.21% of hybrid film containing 2% (w/w) CaCO 3 . Moreover, with the introduction of CaCO 3 , conventional coating characterization methods demonstrated an increase in the surface hardness, scratch resistance and flexibility, and all coatings exhibited excellent chemical resistance and adhesion.

  14. Transformation of Graphitic and Amorphous Carbon Dust to Complex Organic Molecules in a Massive Carbon Cycle in Protostellar Nebulae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuth, Joseph A., III; Johnson, Natasha M.

    2012-01-01

    More than 95% of silicate minerals and other oxides found in meteorites were melted, or vaporized and recondensed in the Solar Nebula prior to their incorporation into meteorite parent bodies. Gravitational accretion energy and heating via radioactive decay further transformed oxide minerals accreted into planetesimals. In such an oxygen-rich environment the carbonaceous dust that fell into the nebula as an intimate mixture with oxide grains should have been almost completely converted to CO. While some pre-collapse, molecular-cloud carbonaceous dust does survive, much in the same manner as do pre-solar oxide grains, such materials constitute only a few percent of meteoritic carbon and are clearly distinguished by elevated D/H, N-15/N-16, C-13/C-12 ratios or noble gas patterns. Carbonaceous Dust in Meteorites: We argue that nearly all of the carbon in meteorites was synthesized in the Solar Nebula from CO and that this CO was generated by the reaction of carbonaceous dust with solid oxides, water or OH. It is probable that some fraction of carbonaceous dust that is newly synthesized in the Solar Nebula is also converted back into CO by additional thermal processing. CO processing might occur on grains in the outer nebula through irradiation of CO-containing ice coatings or in the inner nebula via Fischer-Tropsch type (FTT) reactions on grain surfaces. Large-scale transport of both gaseous reaction products and dust from the inner nebula out to regions where comets formed would spread newly formed carbonaceous materials throughout the solar nebula. Formation of Organic Carbon: Carbon dust in the ISM might easily be described as inorganic graphite or amorphous carbon, with relatively low structural abundances of H, N, O and S . Products of FTT reactions or organics produced via irradiation of icy grains contain abundant aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. aldehydes, keytones, acids, amines and amides.. The net result of the massive nebular carbon cycle is to convert

  15. Enhanced electrical conductivity and hardness of silver-nickel composites by silver-coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Dongmok; Sim, Jeonghyun; Baik, Seunghyun; Kim, Wonyoung; Moon, Chuldong; Cho, Wookdong

    2015-01-01

    We investigated electrical conductivity and Vickers hardness of Ag- and Ni-based composites prepared by powder metallurgy involving spark plasma sintering. The starting composition was Ag:Ni = 61:39 vol%, which provided an electrical conductivity of 3.30 × 10"5 S cm"−"1 and a hardness of 1.27 GPa. The addition of bare multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs, 1.45 vol%) increased hardness (1.31 GPa) but decreased electrical conductivity (2.99 × 10"5 S cm"−"1) and carrier mobility (11 cm"2 V"−"1 s"−"1) due to the formation of Ni_3C in the interface between the MWNTs and Ni during spark plasma sintering. The formation of Ni_3C was prevented by coating the surface of the nanotubes with Ag (nAgMWNTs), concomitantly increasing electrical conductivity (3.43 × 10"5 S cm"−"1) and hardness (1.37 GPa) of the sintered specimen (Ag:Ni:nAgMWNTs = 59.55:39:1.45 vol%). The electrical contact switching time (133 357) was also increased by 30%, demonstrating excellent feasibility as electrical contact materials for electric power industries. (paper)

  16. Thon rings from amorphous ice and implications of beam-induced Brownian motion in single particle electron cryo-microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McMullan, G., E-mail: gm2@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk; Vinothkumar, K.R.; Henderson, R.

    2015-11-15

    We have recorded dose-fractionated electron cryo-microscope images of thin films of pure flash-frozen amorphous ice and pre-irradiated amorphous carbon on a Falcon II direct electron detector using 300 keV electrons. We observe Thon rings [1] in both the power spectrum of the summed frames and the sum of power spectra from the individual frames. The Thon rings from amorphous carbon images are always more visible in the power spectrum of the summed frames whereas those of amorphous ice are more visible in the sum of power spectra from the individual frames. This difference indicates that while pre-irradiated carbon behaves like a solid during the exposure, amorphous ice behaves like a fluid with the individual water molecules undergoing beam-induced motion. Using the measured variation in the power spectra amplitude with number of electrons per image we deduce that water molecules are randomly displaced by a mean squared distance of ∼1.1 Å{sup 2} for every incident 300 keV e{sup −}/Å{sup 2}. The induced motion leads to an optimal exposure with 300 keV electrons of 4.0 e{sup −}/Å{sup 2} per image with which to observe Thon rings centred around the strong 3.7 Å scattering peak from amorphous ice. The beam-induced movement of the water molecules generates pseudo-Brownian motion of embedded macromolecules. The resulting blurring of single particle images contributes an additional term, on top of that from radiation damage, to the minimum achievable B-factor for macromolecular structure determination. - Highlights: • Thon rings can be seen from amorphous ice. • Radiation damage to amorphous ice randomly displaces water molecules. • Each incident 300 keV e{sup −}/Å{sup 2} displaces water molecules on average by ∼1 Å. • Macromolecules embedded in amorphous ice undergo beam induced Brownian motion.

  17. Corrosion resistance and cytocompatibility of biodegradable surgical magnesium alloy coated with hydrogenated amorphous silicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xin, Yunchang; Jiang, Jiang; Huo, Kaifu; Tang, Guoyi; Tian, Xiubo; Chu, Paul K

    2009-06-01

    The fast degradation rates in the physiological environment constitute the main limitation for the applications of surgical magnesium alloys as biodegradable hard-tissue implants. In this work, a stable and dense hydrogenated amorphous silicon coating (a-Si:H) with desirable bioactivity is deposited on AZ91 magnesium alloy using magnetron sputtering deposition. Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reveal that the coating is mainly composed of hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The hardness of the coated alloy is enhanced significantly and the coating is quite hydrophilic as well. Potentiodynamic polarization results show that the corrosion resistance of the coated alloy is enhanced dramatically. In addition, the deterioration process of the coating in simulated body fluids is systematically investigated by open circuit potential evolution and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The cytocompatibility of the coated Mg is evaluated for the first time using hFOB1.19 cells and favorable biocompatibility is observed. 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Electron transport determines the electrochemical properties of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palomäki, Tommi; Wester, Niklas; Caro, Miguel A.; Sainio, Sami; Protopopova, Vera; Koskinen, Jari; Laurila, Tomi

    2017-01-01

    Amorphous carbon based electrodes are very promising for electrochemical sensing applications. In order to better understand their structure-function relationship, the effect of film thickness on the electrochemical properties of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) electrodes was investigated. ta-C thin films of 7, 15, 30, 50 and 100 nm were characterized in detail with Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM), scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to assess (i) the surface properties of the films, (ii) the effect of film thickness on their structure and electrical properties and (iii) the subsequent correlation with their electrochemistry. The electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) using two different outer-sphere redox probes, Ru(NH 3 ) 6 3+/2+ and FcMeOH, and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Computational simulations using density functional theory (DFT) were carried out to rationalize the experimental findings. The characterization results showed that the sp 2 /sp 3 ratio increased with decreasing ta-C film thickness. This correlated with a decrease in mobility gap value and an increase in the average current through the films, which was also consistent with the computational results. XAS indicated that the surface of the ta-C films was always identical and composed of a sp 2 -rich layer. The CV measurements indicated reversible reaction kinetics for both outer-sphere redox probes at 7 and 15 nm ta-C films with a change to quasi-reversible behavior at a thickness of around 30 nm. The charge transfer resistance, obtained from EIS measurements, decreased with decreasing film thickness in accordance with the CV results. Based on the characterization and electrochemical results, we conclude that the reaction kinetics in the case of outer-sphere redox systems is determined mainly by the electron transport through the

  19. Syntheses and characterization of TiC/a:C composite coatings using pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (P-CFUBMS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, J.; Moore, J.J.; Mishra, B.; Pinkas, M.; Sproul, W.D.

    2008-01-01

    TiC/a:C nanocomposite coatings were prepared by reactively sputtering titanium and graphite targets in pure argon atmosphere using a pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (P-CFUBMS) system. The microstructure of TiC/a:C coatings consisting of nanocrystalline TiC dispersed in an amorphous matrix of free carbon was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of coating compositions on the structure and properties of TiC/a:C coatings were investigated. In the present study, TiC/a:C coatings exhibit high hardness (24-29 GPa), low coefficient of friction (0.24-0.25) and low wear rate (less than 2.5 x 10 -7 mm 3 N -1 m -1 ) when the carbon concentration is in the range of 55-66 at.%. Further increase of the carbon content beyond 70 at.% significantly decreased the volume fraction of TiC nanocrystalline and formed a large amount of free amorphous carbon in the coatings. The excessive amorphous carbon phases resulted in a decrease in the coating hardness and the sliding friction coefficient, e.g. a low COF of 0.15 was obtained when the carbon concentration reached 80.5 at.%. However, the decreased hardness will lead to an increase in the wear rate in these high carbon content TiC/a:C coatings

  20. Methane in German hard coal mining

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martens, P.N.; Den Drijver, J.

    1995-01-01

    Worldwide, hard coal mining is being carried out at ever increasing depth, and has, therefore, to cope with correspondingly increasing methane emissions are caused by coal mining. Beside carbon dioxide, chloro-fluoro-carbons (CFCs) and nitrogen oxides, methane is one of the most significant 'greenhouse' gases. It is mainly through the release of such trace gases that the greenhouse effect is brought about. Reducing methane emissions is therefore an important problem to be solved by the coal mining industry. This paper begins by highlighting some of the fundamental principles of methane in hard coal mining. The methane problem in German hard coal mining and the industry's efforts to reduce methane emissions are presented. The future development in German hard coal mining is illustrated by an example which shows how large methane volumes can be managed, while still maintaining high outputs at increasing depth. (author). 7 tabs., 10 figs., 20 refs

  1. The Stabilization of Amorphous Zopiclone in an Amorphous Solid Dispersion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milne, Marnus; Liebenberg, Wilna; Aucamp, Marique

    2015-10-01

    Zopiclone is a poorly soluble psychotherapeutic agent. The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize an amorphous form of zopiclone as well as the characterization and performance of a stable amorphous solid dispersion. The amorphous form was prepared by the well-known method of quench-cooling of the melt. The solid dispersion was prepared by a solvent evaporation method of zopiclone, polyvinylpyrrolidone-25 (PVP-25), and methanol, followed by freeze-drying. The physico-chemical properties and stability of amorphous zopiclone and the solid dispersion was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), hot-stage microscopy (HSM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), solubility, and dissolution studies. The zopiclone amorphous solid-state form was determined to be a fragile glass; it was concluded that the stability of the amorphous form is influenced by both temperature and water. Exposure of amorphous zopiclone to moisture results in rapid transformation of the amorphous form to the crystalline dihydrated form. In comparison, the amorphous solid dispersion proved to be more stable with increased aqueous solubility.

  2. On electronic structure of polymer-derived amorphous silicon carbide ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Kewei; Li, Xuqin; Ma, Baisheng; Wang, Yiguang; Zhang, Ligong; An, Linan

    2014-06-01

    The electronic structure of polymer-derived amorphous silicon carbide ceramics was studied by combining measurements of temperature-dependent conductivity and optical absorption. By comparing the experimental results to theoretical models, electronic structure was constructed for a carbon-rich amorphous silicon carbide, which revealed several unique features, such as deep defect energy level, wide band-tail band, and overlap between the band-tail band and defect level. These unique features were discussed in terms of the microstructure of the material and used to explain the electric behavior.

  3. Hard template synthesis of metal nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawamura, Go; Muto, Hiroyuki; Matsuda, Atsunori

    2014-11-01

    Metal nanowires (NWs) have attracted much attention because of their high electron conductivity, optical transmittance and tunable magnetic properties. Metal NWs have been synthesized using soft templates such as surface stabilizing molecules and polymers, and hard templates such as anodic aluminum oxide, mesoporous oxide, carbon nanotubes. NWs prepared from hard templates are composites of metals and the oxide/carbon matrix. Thus, selecting appropriate elements can simplify the production of composite devices. The resulting NWs are immobilized and spatially arranged, as dictated by the ordered porous structure of the template. This avoids the NWs from aggregating, which is common for NWs prepared with soft templates in solution. Herein, the hard template synthesis of metal NWs is reviewed, and the resulting structures, properties and potential applications are discussed.

  4. Thin films of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) obtained through chemical vapor deposition assisted by plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mejia H, J.A.; Camps C, E.E.; Escobar A, L.; Romero H, S.; Chirino O, S.; Muhl S, S.

    2004-01-01

    Films of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) were deposited using one source of microwave plasma with magnetic field (type ECR), using mixtures of H 2 /CH 4 in relationship of 80/20 and 95/05 as precursory gases, with work pressures of 4X10 -4 to 6x10 -4 Torr and an incident power of the discharge of microwaves with a constant value of 400 W. It was analyzed the influence among the properties of the films, as the deposit rate, the composition and the bonding types, and the deposit conditions, such as the flow rates of the precursory gases and the polarization voltage of the sample holders. (Author)

  5. Radiation-Hard Complementary Integrated Circuits Based on Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMorrow, Julian J; Cress, Cory D; Gaviria Rojas, William A; Geier, Michael L; Marks, Tobin J; Hersam, Mark C

    2017-03-28

    Increasingly complex demonstrations of integrated circuit elements based on semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) mark the maturation of this technology for use in next-generation electronics. In particular, organic materials have recently been leveraged as dopant and encapsulation layers to enable stable SWCNT-based rail-to-rail, low-power complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic circuits. To explore the limits of this technology in extreme environments, here we study total ionizing dose (TID) effects in enhancement-mode SWCNT-CMOS inverters that employ organic doping and encapsulation layers. Details of the evolution of the device transport properties are revealed by in situ and in operando measurements, identifying n-type transistors as the more TID-sensitive component of the CMOS system with over an order of magnitude larger degradation of the static power dissipation. To further improve device stability, radiation-hardening approaches are explored, resulting in the observation that SWNCT-CMOS circuits are TID-hard under dynamic bias operation. Overall, this work reveals conditions under which SWCNTs can be employed for radiation-hard integrated circuits, thus presenting significant potential for next-generation satellite and space applications.

  6. Developing very hard nanostructured bainitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amel-Farzad, H., E-mail: hh_amel@yahoo.com [Department of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy, Faculty of Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Faridi, H.R., E-mail: faridihr@yahoo.com [Department of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy, Hamedan University of Technology, Hamedan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rajabpour, F.; Abolhasani, A.; Kazemi, Sh.; Khaledzadeh, Y. [Department of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy, Faculty of Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2013-01-01

    Novel nanostructured high carbon high silicon, carbide-free bainitic steels with very high strength and good ductility have been developed in the recent decade. In this work, an alloy with a high carbon content and no manganese was designed and cast. The prepared samples were heat treated through an austempering process in the range 200-350 Degree-Sign C. Optical and scanning electron microscopes and XRD were used to analyze the microstructures precisely. Bainitic ferrite plates of just a few tens of nanometer thickness were obtained with the hardness of 697{+-}6 HV. It is reasonable to say that the unprecedented hardness values obtained in this work are mostly caused by the extraordinary carbon content of the alloy.

  7. Research study on highly functional carbon related materials; Tansokei kokino zairyo no chosa kenkyu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-03-01

    The study results on highly functional carbon related materials are reported as a part of the leading research in fiscal 1996. Synthesis of these novel materials is outlined, and R & D results on the following materials are described: diamond, hetero-diamond, graphite, amorphous carbon, carbyne, fullerences, carbon nitride and chemically modified carbon materials. Their issues, future possibility and market in 2010 are also described. The markets are predicted of such electronic materials as electronic emitter, sensor, solid device and heat sink, such optical materials as X-ray lithography, and such chemical materials as electrode and catalyst. Promising characteristics of light-weight and high-hardness machine materials are presented, and some issues such as material synthesis, and intensive machining and application technologies are described. The future markets are predicted of their applications to tools, dies, information equipment, glass, automobiles, aircraft, spacecraft and industrial machines. Problems and their break through techniques of these novel materials are also presented. 220 refs., 68 figs., 16 tabs.

  8. Derivation of Hamaker Dispersion Energy of Amorphous Carbon Surfaces in Contact with Liquids Using Photoelectron Energy-Loss Spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godet, Christian; David, Denis

    2017-12-01

    Hamaker interaction energies and cutoff distances have been calculated for disordered carbon films, in contact with purely dispersive (diiodomethane) or polar (water) liquids, using their experimental dielectric functions ɛ ( q, ω) obtained over a broad energy range. In contrast with previous works, a q-averaged q is derived from photoelectron energy-loss spectroscopy (XPS-PEELS) where the energy loss function (ELF) q is a weighted average over allowed transferred wave vector values, q, given by the physics of bulk plasmon excitation. For microcrystalline diamond and amorphous carbon films with a wide range of (sp3/sp2 + sp3) hybridization, non-retarded Hamaker energies, A 132 ( L < 1 nm), were calculated in several configurations, and distance and wavenumber cutoff values were then calculated based on A 132 and the dispersive work of adhesion obtained from contact angles. A geometric average approximation, H 0 CVL = ( H 0 CVC H 0 LVL )1/2, holds for the cutoff separation distances obtained for carbon-vacuum-liquid (CVL), carbon-vacuum-carbon (CVC) and liquid-vacuum-liquid (LVL) equilibrium configurations. The linear dependence found for A CVL, A CLC and A CLV values as a function of A CVC, for each liquid, allows predictive relationships for Hamaker energies (in any configuration) using experimental determination of the dispersive component of the surface tension, {γ}_{CV}^d , and a guess value of the cutoff distance H 0 CVC of the solid. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  9. Amorphous carbon nitrogenated films prepared by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rangel, Elidiane C.; Durrant, Steven F.; Rangel, Rita C.C.; Kayama, Milton E.; Landers, Richard; Cruz, Nilson C. da

    2006-01-01

    In this work, an investigation was conducted on amorphous hydrogenated-nitrogenated carbon films prepared by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition. Glow discharge was excited by radiofrequency power (13.56 MHz, 40 W) whereas the substrate-holder was biased with 25 kV negative pulses. The films were deposited from benzene, nitrogen and argon mixtures. The proportion of nitrogen in the chamber feed (R N ) was varied against that of argon, while keeping the total pressure constant (1.3 Pa). From infrared reflectance-absorbance spectroscopy it was observed that the molecular structure of the benzene is not preserved in the film. Nitrogen was incorporated from the plasma while oxygen arose as a contaminant. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that N/C and O/C atomic ratios change slightly with R N . Water wettability decreased as the proportion of N in the gas phase increased while surface roughness underwent just small changes. Nanoindentation measurements showed that film deposition by means of ion bombardment was beneficial to the mechanical properties of the film-substrate interface. The intensity of the modifications correlates well with the degree of ion bombardment

  10. Amorphization of Fe-Nb by mechanical alloying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, J.Y.; Zhang, T.J.; Cui, K.; Li, X.G.; Zhang, J.

    1996-01-01

    Elemental powder mixtures of Fe x Nb 1-x were mechanically alloyed in a planetary ball mill. Powders milled for different times were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, differential thermal analysis and microhardness measurement. The results show that powders with 0.30≤x≤0.70 could be amorphized after 30 h milling; the maximum hardness (Hv) of milled Fe 50 Nb 50 powders attained was 1490. Based on a thermodynamical analysis, the glass forming range of the Fe-Nb system was calculated, and found to agree with the experimental result very well. (orig.)

  11. The kinetics and mechanisms of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) crystallization to calcite, via vaterite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego; Shaw, Samuel; Benning, Liane G

    2011-01-01

    The kinetics and mechanisms of nanoparticulate amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) crystallization to calcite, via vaterite, were studied at a range of environmentally relevant temperatures (7.5-25 °C) using synchrotron-based in situ time-resolved Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction (ED-XRD) in conjunction with high-resolution electron microscopy, ex situ X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The crystallization process occurs in two stages; firstly, the particles of ACC rapidly dehydrate and crystallize to form individual particles of vaterite; secondly, the vaterite transforms to calcite via a dissolution and reprecipitation mechanism with the reaction rate controlled by the surface area of calcite. The second stage of the reaction is approximately 10 times slower than the first. Activation energies of calcite nucleation and crystallization are 73±10 and 66±2 kJ mol(-1), respectively. A model to calculate the degree of calcite crystallization from ACC at environmentally relevant temperatures (7.5-40 °C) is also presented.

  12. Properties of bologna-type sausages with pork back-fat replaced with pork skin and amorphous cellulose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira Faria, Miriam; Cipriano, Tayssa Martins; da Cruz, Adriano Gomes; Santos, Bibiana Alves Dos; Pollonio, Marise Aparecida Rodrigues; Campagnol, Paulo Cezar Bastianello

    2015-06-01

    Bologna-type sausages were produced with 50% of their pork back-fat content replaced with gels elaborated with different ratios of pork skin, water, and amorphous cellulose (1:1:0, 1:1:0.1, 1:1:0.2, 1:1:0.3, and 1:1:0.4). The impact of such replacement on the physico-chemical characteristics and the consumer sensory profiling was evaluated. The modified treatments had 42% less fat, 18% more protein, and 8% more moisture than the control group. Treatments with amorphous cellulose had a lower cooking loss and higher emulsion stability. High amorphous cellulose content (1:1:0.3 and 1:1:0.4) increased hardness, gumminess, and chewiness. The gel formulated with the ratio of 1:1:0.2 (pork skin: water: amorphous cellulose gel) provided a sensory sensation similar to that provided by fat and allowed products of good acceptance to be obtained. Therefore, a combination of pork skin and amorphous cellulose is useful in improving technological quality and producing healthier and sensory acceptable bologna-type sausages. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Amorphous metal composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byrne, M.A.; Lupinski, J.H.

    1984-01-01

    This patent discloses an improved amorphous metal composite and process of making the composite. The amorphous metal composite comprises amorphous metal (e.g. iron) and a low molecular weight thermosetting polymer binder. The process comprises placing an amorphous metal in particulate form and a thermosetting polymer binder powder into a container, mixing these materials, and applying heat and pressure to convert the mixture into an amorphous metal composite

  14. Chemical Composition of the Graphitic Black Carbon Fraction in Riverine and Marine Sediments at Submicron Scales using Carbon X-ray Spectromicroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haberstroh, P.; Brandes, J.; Gelinas, Y.; Dickens, A.; Wirick, S.; Cody, G.

    2006-01-01

    The chemical composition of the graphitic black carbon (GBC) fraction of marine organic matter was explored in several marine and freshwater sedimentary environments along the west coast of North America and the Pacific Ocean. Analysis by carbon x-ray absorption near edge structure (C-XANES) spectroscopy and scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) show the GBC-fraction of Stillaguamish River surface sediments to be dominated by more highly-ordered and impure forms of graphite, together forming about 80% of the GBC, with a smaller percent of an aliphatic carbon component. Eel River Margin surface sediments had very little highly-ordered graphite, and were instead dominated by amorphous carbon and to a lesser extent, impure graphite. However, the GBC of surface sediments from the Washington State Slope and the Mexico Margin were composed almost solely of amorphous carbon. Pre-anthropogenic, highly-oxidized deep-sea sediments from the open Equatorial Pacific Ocean contained over half their GBC in different forms of graphite as well as highly-aliphatic carbon, low aromatic/highly-acidic aliphatic carbon, low aromatic/highly aliphatic carbon, and amorphous forms of carbon. Our results clearly show the impact of graphite and amorphous C phases in the BC fraction in modern riverine sediments and nearby marine shelf deposits. The pre-anthropogenic Equatorial Pacific GBC fraction is remarkable in the existence of highly-ordered graphite

  15. Hard template synthesis of metal nanowires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Go eKawamura

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Metal nanowires (NWs have attracted much attention because of their high electron conductivity, optical transmittance and tunable magnetic properties. Metal NWs have been synthesized using soft templates such as surface stabilizing molecules and polymers, and hard templates such as anodic aluminum oxide, mesoporous oxide, carbon nanotubes. NWs prepared from hard templates are composites of metals and the oxide/carbon matrix. Thus, selecting appropriate elements can simplify the production of composite devices. The resulting NWs are immobilized and spatially arranged, as dictated by the ordered porous structure of the template. This avoids the NWs from aggregating, which is common for NWs prepared with soft templates in solution. Herein, the hard template synthesis of metal NWs is reviewed, and the resulting structures, properties and potential applications are discussed.

  16. The effect of deposition energy of energetic atoms on the growth and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films studied by molecular dynamics simulations

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, N

    2014-05-16

    The growth and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The second-generation reactive-empirical-bond-order potential was used to model atomic interactions. Films with different structures were simulated by varying the deposition energy of carbon atoms in the range of 1-120 eV. Intrinsic film characteristics (e.g. density and internal stress) were determined after the system reached equilibrium. Short- and intermediate-range carbon atom ordering is examined in the context of atomic hybridization and ring connectivity simulation results. It is shown that relatively high deposition energy (i.e., 80 eV) yields a multilayer film structure consisting of an intermixing layer, bulk film and surface layer, consistent with the classical subplantation model. The highest film density (3.3 g cm-3), sp3 fraction (∼43%), and intermediate-range carbon atom ordering correspond to a deposition energy of ∼80 eV, which is in good agreement with experimental findings. © 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  17. The Buried Carbon/Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Li-ion Batteries Studied by Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ciosek Högström, Katarzyna; Malmgren, Sara; Hahlin, Maria; Gorgoi, Mihaela; Nyholm, Leif; Rensmo, Håkan; Edström, Kristina

    2014-01-01

    In cycled Li-ion batteries, the carbon negative electrode is buried under a thin passivating layer referred to as the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). In the present study, the increased depth sensitivity of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) as compared to conventional X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to study electrochemical changes at such a buried carbon/SEI. Samples from graphite/LiFePO 4 cells cycled to specific potentials during the first four charge/discharge cycles were studied. The results show dynamic changes in the SEI during cycling. Reversible, state of charge (SOC) dependent changes in the SEI thickness as well as amounts of lithium oxide, lithium fluoride, lithium and carbon active material were discussed. Moreover, the results indicate lithium enrichment close to the carbon active material surface, which could not be explained by intercalation of lithium into carbon with LiC 6 structure or by SEI formation at the surface. Potential dependent shifts in the binding energy of the carbon active material C1s feature showed the importance of internal energy calibration with an SEI feature rather than carbon active material

  18. INFLUENCE OF ELECTRIC SPARK ON HARDNESS OF CARBON STEEL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. O. Vakulenko

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of work is an estimation of influence of an electric spark treatment on the state of mouldable superficial coverage of carbon steel. Methodology. The steel of fragment of railway wheel rim served as material for research with chemical composition 0.65% С, 0.67% Mn, 0.3% Si, 0.027% P, 0.028% S. Structural researches were conducted with the use of light microscopy and methods of quantitative metallography. The structural state of the probed steel corresponded to the state after hot plastic deformation. The analysis of hardness distribution in the micro volumes of cathode metal was carried out with the use of microhardness tester of type of PMT-3. An electric spark treatment of carbon steel surface was executed with the use of equipment type of EFI-25M. Findings. After electric spark treatment of specimen surface from carbon steel the forming of multi-layered coverage was observed. The analysis of microstructure found out the existence of high-quality distinctions in the internal structure of coverage metal, depending on the probed area. The results obtained in the process are confirmed by the well-known theses, that forming of superficial coverage according to technology of electric spark is determined by the terms of transfer and crystallization of metal. The gradient of structures on the coverage thickness largely depends on development of structural transformation processes similar to the thermal character influence. Originality. As a result of electric spark treatment on the condition of identical metal of anode and cathode, the first formed layer of coverage corresponds to the monophase state according to external signs. In the volume of coverage metal, the appearance of carbide phase particles is accompanied by the decrease of microhardness values. Practical value. Forming of multi-layered superficial coverage during electric spark treatment is accompanied by the origin of structure gradient on a thickness. The effect

  19. Room temperature vortex fluidic synthesis of monodispersed amorphous proto-vaterite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Wenhong; Chen, Xianjue; Zhu, Shenmin; Guo, Cuiping; Raston, Colin L

    2014-10-11

    Monodispersed particles of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) 90 to 200 nm in diameter are accessible at room temperature in ethylene glycol and water using a vortex fluidic device (VFD). The ACC material is stable for at least two weeks under ambient conditions.

  20. Tuning the Solid Electrolyte Interphase for Selective Li- and Na-Ion Storage in Hard Carbon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soto, Fernando A. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station TX 77843-3122 USA; Yan, Pengfei [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Engelhard, Mark H. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Marzouk, Asma [Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 5825 Doha Qatar; Wang, Chongmin [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Xu, Guiliang [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Chen, Zonghai [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Amine, Khalil [Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne IL 60439 USA; Liu, Jun [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; Sprenkle, Vincent L. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA; El-Mellouhi, Fedwa [Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 5825 Doha Qatar; Balbuena, Perla B. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station TX 77843-3122 USA; Li, Xiaolin [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard Richland WA 99354 USA

    2017-03-07

    Solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) with controllable properties are highly desirable to improve battery performance. In this paper, we use a combined experimental and simulation approach to study the SEI formation on hard carbon in Li and Na-ion batteries. We show that with proper additives, stable SEI can be formed on hard carbon by pre-cycling the electrode materials in Li or Na-ion electrolyte. Detailed mechanistic studies suggest that the ion transport in the SEI layer is kinetically controlled and can be tuned by the applied voltage. Selective Na and Li-ion SEI membranes are produced using the Na or Li-ion based electrolytes respectively. The large Na ion SEI allows easy transport of Li ions, while the small Li ion SEI shuts off the Na-ion transport. Na-ion storage can be manipulated by tuning the SEI with film-forming electrolyte additives or preforming a SEI on the electrodes’ surface. The Na specific capacity can be controlled to <25 mAh/g, ~1/10 of the normal capacity (250 mAh/g). Unusual selective/preferential transport of Li-ion is demonstrated by preforming a SEI on the electrode’s surface and corroborated with a mixed electrolyte. This work may provide new guidance for preparing good ion selective conductors using electrochemical approaches in the future.

  1. A simple chemical synthesis of amorphous carbon nanotubes–MnO{sub 2} flake hybrids for cold cathode application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarkar, Sourav [Thin Film and Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032 (India); Banerjee, Diptonil; Das, Nirmalya Sankar [School of Material Science and Nanotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032 (India); Chattopadhyay, Kalyan Kumar, E-mail: kalyan_chattopadhyay@yahoo.com [Thin Film and Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032 (India); School of Material Science and Nanotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032 (India)

    2015-08-30

    Highlights: • Amorphous carbon nanotubes (aCNTs) have been synthesized chemically. • The walls of the aCNTs have been anchored by MnO{sub 2} nanoflakes. • It is seen for the first time that MnO{sub 2} modified aCNTs show much better field emission property. • Experimental result has also been supported theoretically. • This can acts as doorstep to develop a new hybrid system as a novel cold cathode material. - Abstract: A simple approach has been implemented to synthesize amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs) and manganese oxide (MnO{sub 2}) hybrid nanostructure at temperature as low as ∼250 °C in open atmosphere. Microscopic studies of the samples revealed that the walls of the a-CNTs were coated uniformly by MnO{sub 2} nanoflakes. The composition of the as prepared sample was studied with the help of energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electron field emission study was done in a custom built high vacuum field emission setup for the prepared a-CNT and manganese oxide (MnO{sub 2}) hybrid nanostructure. It is seen that the performance of the a-CNTs as cold cathode emitter has been enhanced greatly when MnO{sub 2} nanoflakes were coated uniformly over it. The turn on field has been reduced from 7.17 to value as low as 3.82 V/mm with enhancement factor increases from 2428 to 6965. Finite element based simulation study theoretically confirms the enhancement of field emission properties of as prepared MnO{sub 2} nanoflake coated a-CNTs. The results have been explained due to enhanced surface roughness leading to higher enhancement factor and overall increase of emission sites.

  2. Coating of diamond-like carbon nanofilm on alumina by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rattanasatien, Chotiwan; Tonanon, Nattaporn; Bhanthumnavin, Worawan; Paosawatyanyong, Boonchoat

    2012-01-01

    Diamond-like carbon (DLC) nanofilms with thickness varied from under one hundred to a few hundred nanometers have been successfully deposited on alumina substrates by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MW-PECVD) process. To obtain dense continuous DLC nanofilm coating over the entire sample surface, alumina substrates were pre-treated to enhance the nucleation density. Raman spectra of DLC films on samples showed distinct diamond peak at around 1332 cm(-1), and the broad band of amorphous carbon phase at around 1550 cm(-1). Full width at half maximum height (FWHM) values indicated good formation of diamond phase in all films. The result of nano-indentation test show that the hardness of alumina samples increase from 7.3 +/- 2.0 GPa in uncoated samples to 15.8 +/- 4.5-52.2 +/- 2.1 GPa in samples coated with DLC depending on the process conditions. It is observed that the hardness values are still in good range although the thickness of the films is less than a hundred nanometer.

  3. Platinum containing amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H/Pt) thin films as selective solar absorbers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lan, Yung-Hsiang; Brahma, Sanjaya; Tzeng, Y.H.; Ting, Jyh-Ming

    2014-01-01

    We have investigated a double-cermet structured thin film in which an a-C:H thin film was used as an anti-reflective (AR) layer and two platinum-containing amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H/Pt) thin films were used as the double cermet layers. A reactive co-sputter deposition method was used to prepare both the anti-reflective and cermet layers. Effects of the target power and heat treatment were studied. The obtained films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The optical absorptance and emittance of the as deposited and annealed films were determined using UV–vis-NIR spectroscopy. We show that the optical absorptance of the resulting double-cermet structured thin film is as high as 96% and remains to be 91% after heat treatment at 400 °C, indicating the thermal stability of the film

  4. Thin films of amorphous nitrogenated carbon a-CN{sub x}: Electron transfer and surface reactivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamiasso-Martinhon, P.; Cachet, H.; Debiemme-Chouvy, C.; Deslouis, C. [Universite Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Laboratoire Interfaces et Systemes Electrochimiques, CNRS, UPR15-LISE, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris F-75005 (France)

    2008-08-01

    The electrochemical behaviour of thin films of nitrogenated amorphous carbon a-CN{sub x} is similar to that of boron-doped diamond, with a wide potential window in aqueous media. They are elaborated by cathodic sputtering of a graphite target in an Ar-N{sub 2} active plasma for varying nitrogen contents, determined by XPS (0.06 {<=} x {<=} 0.39). Their electrochemical reactivity is sensitive to the surface state. The present study reports on the influence of electrochemical pre treatment on the electronic transfer rate of a fast redox system ferri-ferrocyanide, by focusing on the direction of the potential excursion. On the other hand, the role of both the pH and the potential on the interfacial capacitance in the presence of Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} without redox species is documented. The results show up the sensitivity of the film surface to the electrochemical conditions. (author)

  5. Effect of substrate temperature on corrosion performance of nitrogen doped amorphous carbon thin films in NaCl solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khun, N.W. [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Liu, E., E-mail: MEJLiu@ntu.edu.s [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

    2009-07-01

    Nitrogen doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) thin films were deposited on p-Si substrates by DC magnetron sputtering at varying substrate temperature from room temperature (RT) to 300 {sup o}C. The bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the a-C:N films were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch testing. The corrosion behavior of the a-C:N films was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization test in a 0.6 M NaCl solution. The results indicated that the corrosion resistance of the films depended on the sp{sup 3}-bonded cross-link structure that was significantly affected by the substrate temperature.

  6. Effect of substrate temperature on corrosion performance of nitrogen doped amorphous carbon thin films in NaCl solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khun, N.W.; Liu, E.

    2009-01-01

    Nitrogen doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) thin films were deposited on p-Si substrates by DC magnetron sputtering at varying substrate temperature from room temperature (RT) to 300 o C. The bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the a-C:N films were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch testing. The corrosion behavior of the a-C:N films was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization test in a 0.6 M NaCl solution. The results indicated that the corrosion resistance of the films depended on the sp 3 -bonded cross-link structure that was significantly affected by the substrate temperature.

  7. Influence of H-C bonds on the stopping power of hard and soft carbonized layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boutard, D.; Moeller, W.; Scherzer, B.M.U.

    1988-01-01

    Soft and hard carbon-hydrogen films were deposited in a rf glow discharge. Their stopping powers were deduced from depth-profile analysis by means of proton enhanced-cross-section scattering at around 1.5 MeV and 4 He + elastic-recoil detection at 2.6 MeV. In the case of soft films, ion-induced hydrogen depletion allowed study of the dependence of the stopping on hydrogen concentration. The presence of hydrogen increases the stopping power of the film by a factor of up to ∼2 compared to the predicted value for pure carbon. Moreover, Bragg's rule underestimates the total stopping considerably. However, good agreement is obtained with a recent theoretical model by Sabin et al. which takes into account the different C-C and C-H s

  8. Synthesis and high temperature stability of amorphous Si(B)CN-MWCNT composite nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhandavat, Romil; Singh, Gurpreet

    2012-02-01

    We demonstrate synthesis of a hybrid nanowire structure consisting of an amorphous polymer-derived silicon boron-carbonitride (Si-B-C-N) shell with a multiwalled carbon nanotube core. This was achieved through a novel process involving preparation of a boron-modified liquid polymeric precursor through a reaction of trimethyl borate and polyureasilazane under atmospheric conditions; followed by conversion of polymer to glass-ceramic on carbon nanotube surfaces through controlled heating. Chemical structure of the polymer was studied by liquid-NMR while evolution of various ceramic phases was studied by Raman spectroscopy, solid-NMR, Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction confirms presence of amorphous Si(B)CN coating on individual nanotubes for all specimen processed below 1400 degree C. Thermogravimetric analysis, followed by TEM revealed high temperature stability of the carbon nanotube core in flowing air up to 1300 degree C.

  9. Results on photon and neutron irradiation of semitransparent amorphous-silicon sensors

    CERN Document Server

    Carabe, J; Ferrando, A; Fuentes, J; Gandia, J J; Josa-Mutuberria, I; Molinero, A; Oller, J C; Arce, P; Calvo, E; Figueroa, C F; García, N; Matorras, F; Rodrigo, T; Vila, I; Virto, A L; Fenyvesi, A; Molnár, J; Sohler, D

    2000-01-01

    Semitransparent amorphous-silicon sensors are basic elements for laser 2D position reconstruction in the CMS multipoint alignment link system. Some of the sensors have to work in a very hard radiation environment. Two different sensor types have been irradiated with /sup 60/Co photons (up to 100 kGy) and fast neutrons (up to 10/sup 15 / cm/sup -2/), and the subsequent change in their performance has been measured. (13 refs).

  10. Compositional characterization of carbon electrode material: A study using simultaneous TG-DTA-FTIR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raje, Naina; Aacherekar, Darshana A.; Reddy, A.V.R.

    2009-01-01

    Present work describes the application of thermal methods, especially the evolved gas analysis (EGA) for the compositional characterization of carbon electrode material with respect to its organic, amorphous and graphitic carbon content. Trace levels of organic carbon present in the amorphous carbon samples were determined qualitatively by using FTIR absorption spectroscopy. Amorphous and graphitic carbon content in synthetic mixture samples were determined quantitatively using simultaneous TG-DTA-FTIR measurements. FTIR system was calibrated using the measured absorption signal of the evolved carbon dioxide due to the decomposition of cadmium carbonate. Inter-comparison studies using TG-FTIR measurements show that simultaneous FTIR spectroscopy is an effective complementary quantitative measurement technique for thermogravimetric analysis involving the complex decomposition reaction processes.

  11. Evolution of optical properties and band structure from amorphous to crystalline Ga2O3 films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fabi; Li, Haiou; Cui, Yi-Tao; Li, Guo-Ling; Guo, Qixin

    2018-04-01

    The optical properties and band structure evolution from amorphous to crystalline Ga2O3 films was investigated in this work. Amorphous and crystalline Ga2O3 films were obtained by changing the growth substrate temperatures of pulsed laser deposition and the crystallinity increase with the rising of substrate temperature. The bandgap value and ultraviolet emission intensity of the films increase with the rising of crystallinity as observed by means of spectrophotometer and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Abrupt bandgap value and CL emission variations were observed when amorphous to crystalline transition took place. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy core level spectra reveal that more oxygen vacancies and disorders exist in amorphous Ga2O3 film grown at lower substrate temperature. The valence band spectra of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy present the main contribution from Ga 4sp for crystalline film deposited at substrate temperature of 500 oC, while extra subgap states has been observed in amorphous film deposited at 300 oC. The oxygen vacancy and the extra subgap density of states are suggested to be the parts of origin of bandgap and CL spectra variations. The experimental data above yields a realistic picture of optical properties and band structure variation for the amorphous to crystalline transition of Ga2O3 films.

  12. Structural, optical and mechanical properties of amorphous and crystalline alumina thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nayar, Priyanka [Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005 (India); Khanna, Atul, E-mail: akphysics@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005 (India); Kabiraj, D.; Abhilash, S.R. [Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067 (India); Beake, Ben D.; Losset, Yannick [Micro Materials Limited, Unit 3, Wrexham Technology Park, Wrexham LL13 7YP (United Kingdom); Chen, Banghao [Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Florida State University, Tallahassee 32306 (United States)

    2014-10-01

    Thin films of amorphous alumina of thickness 350 nm were deposited on fused silica substrates by electron beam evaporation. Amorphous films were annealed at several temperatures in the range: 400–1130 °C and changes in film crystallinity, short-range structure, optical and mechanical properties were studied. X-ray diffraction studies found that crystallization starts at 800 °C and produces γ and δ-alumina, the latter phase grows with heat treatment and the sample was mostly δ and θ-alumina after annealing at 1130 °C. The as-deposited amorphous alumina films have low hardness of 5 to 8 GPa, which increases to 11 to 12 GPa in crystalline sample. {sup 27}Al Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance was used to study the short-range order of amorphous and crystalline alumina films and it was found that amorphous alumina film contains AlO{sub 5} and AlO{sub 4} structural units in the ratio of 1:2. The concentration of AlO{sub 5} was significantly suppressed in crystalline film, which contains 48% of Al{sup 3+} ions in AlO{sub 6}, 7% in AlO{sub 5} and 45% in AlO{sub 4} units. - Highlights: • Structure–property correlations in alumina films grown by electron-beam evaporation • Amorphous films crystallize into γ and δ-alumina on annealing in air at 800 °C. • δ and θ-alumina films are stable up to 1130 °C and do not transform to α-phase. • Amorphous alumina films contain {sup [5]}Al and {sup [4]}Al structural units in the ratio of 1:2. • {sup [5]}Al decreases whereas {sup [6]}Al concentration increases on crystallization.

  13. Deposit of thin films of TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C by laser ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mejia, I.S.; Escobar A, L.; Camps, E.; Romero, S.; Muhl, S.

    2006-01-01

    Thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon (a-C), as well as bilayers of Ti/TiN/a-C were deposited by means of the laser ablation technique. It was investigated the effect that it has the laser fluence used to ablation the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the TiN deposited films. The TiN obtained films have a preferential orientation in the direction (200). The results show that the hardness of this material is influenced by the laser fluence. It is observed that the hardness is increased in an approximately lineal way with the increment of the fluence up to 19 J/cm 2 . The films of amorphous carbon present hardness of the order of 11.2 GPa. Likewise it was found that the multilayers of Ti/TiN/aC presented a bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

  14. Deposit of thin films of TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C by laser ablation; Deposito de peliculas delgadas de TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C por ablacion laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mejia, I.S.; Escobar A, L.; Camps, E.; Romero, S. [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de mexico (Mexico); Muhl, S. [IIM, UNAM, A.P. 364, 01000 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

    2006-07-01

    Thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon (a-C), as well as bilayers of Ti/TiN/a-C were deposited by means of the laser ablation technique. It was investigated the effect that it has the laser fluence used to ablation the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the TiN deposited films. The TiN obtained films have a preferential orientation in the direction (200). The results show that the hardness of this material is influenced by the laser fluence. It is observed that the hardness is increased in an approximately lineal way with the increment of the fluence up to 19 J/cm{sup 2}. The films of amorphous carbon present hardness of the order of 11.2 GPa. Likewise it was found that the multilayers of Ti/TiN/aC presented a bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

  15. Neutron diffraction and thermal studies of amorphous CS2 realised by low-temperature vapour deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamuro, O.; Matsuo, T.; Onoda-Yamamuro, N.; Takeda, K.; Munemura, H.; Tanaka, S.; Misawa, M.

    2003-01-01

    We have succeeded in preparing amorphous carbon disulphide (CS 2 ) by depositing its vapour on a cold substrate at 10 K. Complete formation of the amorphous state has been confirmed by neutron diffraction and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The amorphous sample crystallized at ca. 70 K, which is lower than the hypothetical glass transition temperature (92 K) estimated from the DTA data of the (CS 2 ) x (S 2 Cl 2 ) 1-x binary mixture. CS 2 , a symmetric linear tri-atomic molecule, is the simplest of the amorphized molecular substances whose structural and thermal information has been reported so far. Comparison of the static structure factors S(Q) has shown that the orientational correlation of CS 2 molecules may be much stronger in the amorphous state than in the liquid state at higher temperature. (authors)

  16. Radiation amorphization of materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neklyudov, I.M.; Chernyaeva, T.P.

    1993-01-01

    The results of experimental and theoretical research on radiation amorphization are presented in this analytical review. Mechanism and driving forces of radiation amorphization are described, kinetic and thermodynamic conditions of amorphization are formulated. Compositional criteria of radiation amorphization are presented, that allow to predict irradiation behaviour of materials, their tendency to radiation amorphization. Mechanism of transition from crystalline state to amorphous state are considered depending on dose, temperature, structure of primary radiation damage and flux level. (author). 134 refs., 4 tab., 25 fig

  17. Methods of amorphization and investigation of the amorphous state

    OpenAIRE

    EINFALT, TOMAŽ; PLANINŠEK, ODON; HROVAT, KLEMEN

    2013-01-01

    The amorphous form of pharmaceutical materials represents the most energetic solid state of a material. It provides advantages in terms of dissolution rate and bioavailability. This review presents the methods of solid-state amorphization described in literature (supercooling of liquids, milling, lyophilization, spray drying, dehydration of crystalline hydrates), with the emphasis on milling. Furthermore, we describe how amorphous state of pharmaceuticals differ depending on method of prepara...

  18. The multilayered structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Na

    2013-08-01

    The structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon (a-C) films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results of the plasmon excitation energy shift and through-thickness elemental concentration show a multilayered a-C film structure comprising an interface layer consisting of C, Si, and, possibly, SiC, a buffer layer with continuously increasing sp 3 fraction, a relatively thicker layer (bulk film) of constant sp 3 content, and an ultrathin surface layer rich in sp 2 hybridization. A detailed study of the C K-edge spectrum indicates that the buffer layer between the interface layer and the bulk film is due to the partial backscattering of C+ ions interacting with the heavy atoms of the silicon substrate. The results of this study provide insight into the minimum thickness of a-C films deposited by FCVA under optimum substrate bias conditions. Copyright © 2013 Materials Research Society.

  19. Efficient cold cathode emission in crystalline-amorphous hybrid: Study on carbon nanotube-cadmium selenide system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, S.; Banerjee, D.; Das, N. S.; Ghorai, U. K.; Sen, D.; Chattopadhyay, K. K.

    2018-03-01

    Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) quantum dot (QD) decorated amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs) hybrids have been synthesized by simple chemical process. The samples were characterized by field emission scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Lattice image obtained from transmission electron microscopic study confirms the successful attachment of CdSe QDs. It is seen that hybrid samples show an enhanced cold emission properties with good stability. The results have been explained in terms of increased roughness, more numbers of emitting sites and favorable band bending induced electron transport. ANSYS software based calculation has also supported the result. Also a first principle based study has been done which shows that due to the formation of hybrid structure there is a profound upward shift in the Fermi level, i.e. a decrease of work function, which is believed to be another key reason for the observed improved field emission performance.

  20. Synthesis and characterization of thin films of nitrided amorphous carbon deposited by laser ablation; Sintesis y caracterizacion de peliculas delgadas de carbono amorfo nitrurado, depositadas por ablacion laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rebollo P, B

    2001-07-01

    The objective of this work is the synthesis and characterization of thin films of amorphous carbon (a-C) and thin films of nitrided amorphous carbon (a-C-N) using the laser ablation technique for their deposit. For this purpose, the physical properties of the obtained films were studied as function of diverse parameters of deposit such as: nitrogen pressure, power density, substrate temperature and substrate-target distance. For the characterization of the properties of the deposited thin films the following techniques were used: a) Raman spectroscopy which has demonstrated being a sensitive technique to the sp{sup 2} and sp{sup 3} bonds content, b) Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy which allows to know semi-quantitatively way the presence of the elements which make up the deposited films, c) Spectrophotometry, for obtaining the absorption spectra and subsequently the optical energy gap of the deposited material, d) Ellipsometry for determining the refraction index, e) Scanning Electron Microscopy for studying the surface morphology of thin films and, f) Profilemetry, which allows the determination the thickness of the deposited thin films. (Author)

  1. Indirect involvement of armorphous carbon layer on convective heat transfer enhancement using carbon nanofibers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Taha, T.J.; Lefferts, Leonardus; van der Meer, Theodorus H.

    2015-01-01

    In this work, an experimental heat transfer investigation was carried out to investigate the combined influence of both amorphous carbon (a-C) layer thickness and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on the convective heat transfer behavior. Synthesis of these carbon nanostructures was achieved using catalytic

  2. Thon rings from amorphous ice and implications of beam-induced Brownian motion in single particle electron cryo-microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMullan, G; Vinothkumar, K R; Henderson, R

    2015-11-01

    We have recorded dose-fractionated electron cryo-microscope images of thin films of pure flash-frozen amorphous ice and pre-irradiated amorphous carbon on a Falcon II direct electron detector using 300 keV electrons. We observe Thon rings [1] in both the power spectrum of the summed frames and the sum of power spectra from the individual frames. The Thon rings from amorphous carbon images are always more visible in the power spectrum of the summed frames whereas those of amorphous ice are more visible in the sum of power spectra from the individual frames. This difference indicates that while pre-irradiated carbon behaves like a solid during the exposure, amorphous ice behaves like a fluid with the individual water molecules undergoing beam-induced motion. Using the measured variation in the power spectra amplitude with number of electrons per image we deduce that water molecules are randomly displaced by a mean squared distance of ∼1.1 Å(2) for every incident 300 keV e(-)/Å(2). The induced motion leads to an optimal exposure with 300 keV electrons of 4.0 e(-)/Å(2) per image with which to observe Thon rings centred around the strong 3.7 Å scattering peak from amorphous ice. The beam-induced movement of the water molecules generates pseudo-Brownian motion of embedded macromolecules. The resulting blurring of single particle images contributes an additional term, on top of that from radiation damage, to the minimum achievable B-factor for macromolecular structure determination. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Highly thermal conductive carbon fiber/boron carbide composite material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiba, Akio; Suzuki, Yasutaka; Goto, Sumitaka; Saito, Yukio; Jinbo, Ryutaro; Ogiwara, Norio; Saido, Masahiro.

    1996-01-01

    In a composite member for use in walls of a thermonuclear reactor, if carbon fibers and boron carbide are mixed, since they are brought into contact with each other directly, boron is reacted with the carbon fibers to form boron carbide to lower thermal conductivity of the carbon fibers. Then, in the present invention, graphite or amorphous carbon is filled between the carbon fibers to provide a fiber bundle of not less than 500 carbon fibers. Further, the surface of the fiber bundle is coated with graphite or amorphous carbon to suppress diffusion or solid solubilization of boron to carbon fibers or reaction of them. Then, lowering of thermal conductivity of the carbon fibers is prevented, as well as the mixing amount of the carbon fiber bundles with boron carbide, a sintering temperature and orientation of carbon fiber bundles are optimized to provide a highly thermal conductive carbon fiber/boron carbide composite material. In addition, carbide or boride type short fibers, spherical graphite, and amorphous carbon are mixed in the boron carbide to prevent development of cracks. Diffusion or solid solubilization of boron to carbon fibers is reduced or reaction of them if the carbon fibers are bundled. (N.H.)

  4. Diamond-like carbon coatings enhance the hardness and resilience of bearing surfaces for use in joint arthroplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, M E; Whiteside, L A; Xu, J; Katerberg, B J

    2010-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of a hard diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating to enhance the hardness and resilience of a bearing surface in joint replacement. The greater hardness of a magnesium-stabilized zirconium (Mg-PSZ) substrate was expected to provide a harder coating-substrate composite microhardness than the cobalt-chromium alloy (CoCr) also used in arthroplasty. Three femoral heads of each type (CoCr, Mg-PSZ, DLC-CoCr and DLC-Mg-PSZ) were examined. Baseline (non-coated) and composite coating/substrate hardness was measured by Vickers microhardness tests, while nanoindentation tests measured the hardness and elastic modulus of the DLC coating independent of the Mg-PSZ and CoCr substrates. Non-coated Mg-PSZ heads were considerably harder than non-coated CoCr heads, while DLC coating greatly increased the microhardness of the CoCr and Mg-PSZ substrates. On the nanoscale the non-coated heads were much harder than on the microscale, with CoCr exhibiting twice as much plastic deformation as Mg-PSZ. The mechanical properties of the DLC coatings were not significantly different for both the CoCr and Mg-PSZ substrates, producing similar moduli of resilience and plastic resistance ratios. DLC coatings greatly increased hardness on both the micro and nano levels and significantly improved resilience and resistance to plastic deformation compared with non-coated heads. Because Mg-PSZ allows less plastic deformation than CoCr and provides a greater composite microhardness, DLC-Mg-PSZ will likely be more durable for use as a bearing surface in vivo. Copyright 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Carbon and nitrogen co-doping self-assembled MoS{sub 2} multilayer films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xiaoqin [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Xu, Jiao; Chai, Liqiang [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); He, Tengfei [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Yu, Fucheng [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050 (China); Wang, Peng, E-mail: pengwang@licp.cas.cn [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

    2017-06-01

    Highlights: • Mo–S–C–N composite films were synthesized by using reactive magnetron sputtering. • A self-assembled multilayer structure with periodicity in the nanometer scale was formed in the composite film. • The hardness of Mo–S–C–N film deposited at optimized parameter reaches up to 9.76 GPa. • The wear rate of deposited Mo–S–C–N film both in vacuum and ambient atmosphere decreases dramatically. - Abstract: Mo–S–C–N composite films were prepared using reactive magnetron sputtering of graphite and MoS{sub 2} targets in argon and nitrogen atmospheres. The effects of carbon/nitrogen co-doping and carbon concentration on the composition, microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of deposited films have been investigated by various characterization techniques. The results show that the deposited films comprise MoS{sub 2} nanocrystalline and amorphous carbon, and the incorporating nitrogen forms Mo-N and C–N chemical bonds. Increasing carbon concentration leads to the increase of sp{sup 2} carbon fraction in the films. Furthermore, the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that a self-assembled multilayer structure with periodicity in the nanometer scale is formed in the Mo–S–C–N film. Benefiting from the composite and self-assembled multilayer structures, the hardness of Mo–S–C–N film deposited at optimized parameter reaches up to 9.76 GPa, and corresponding friction experiment indicates that this composite films display low friction coefficient and high wear resistance both in vacuum and ambient air conditions.

  6. Sea urchin tooth mineralization: Calcite present early in the aboral plumula

    OpenAIRE

    Stock, Stuart R.; Veis, Arthur; Xiao, Xianghui; Almer, Jonathan D.; Dorvee, Jason R.

    2012-01-01

    In both vertebrate bone, containing carbonated hydroxyapatite as the mineral phase, and in invertebrate hard tissue comprised of calcium carbonate, a popular view is that the mineral phase develops from a long-lived amorphous precursor which later transforms into crystal form. Important questions linked to this popular view are: When and where is the crystallized material formed, and is amorphous solid added subsequently to the crystalline substrate? Sea urchin teeth, in which the earliest mi...

  7. Effect of milling time on the structure, micro-hardness, and thermal behavior of amorphous/nanocrystalline TiNiCu shape memory alloys developed by mechanical alloying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alijani, Fatemeh; Amini, Rasool; Ghaffari, Mohammad; Alizadeh, Morteza; Okyay, Ali Kemal

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Potential to produce B1′ (thermal- and stress-induced) and B2 was established. • Martensitic transformation occurred without the formation of intermediate R-phase. • Formation of unwanted intermetallics during heating was hindered by milling. • During milling, microhardness was increased, then reduced, and afterward re-increased. • By milling evolution, thermal crystallization steps changed from 3 to 2. - Abstract: In the present paper, the effect of milling process on the chemical composition, structure, microhardness, and thermal behavior of Ti–41Ni–9Cu compounds developed by mechanical alloying was evaluated. The structural characteristic of the alloyed powders was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The chemical composition homogeneity and the powder morphology and size were studied by scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Moreover, the Vickers micro-indentation hardness of the powders milled for different milling times was determined. Finally, the thermal behavior of the as-milled powders was studied by differential scanning calorimetery. According to the results, at the initial stages of milling (typically 0–12 h), the structure consisted of a Ni solid solution and amorphous phase, and by the milling evolution, nanocrystalline martensite (B19′) and austenite (B2) phases were initially formed from the initial materials and then from the amorphous phase. It was found that by the milling development, the composition uniformity is increased, the inter-layer thickness is reduced, and the powders microhardness is initially increased, then reduced, and afterward re-increased. It was also realized that the thermal behavior of the alloyed powders and the structure of heat treated samples is considerably affected by the milling time

  8. Phase transitions of doped carbon in CrCN coatings with modified mechanical and tribological properties via filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guan, J.J.; Wang, H.Q.; Qin, L.Z.; Liao, B.; Liang, H.; Li, B.

    2017-01-01

    The CrCN coatings were fabricated onto Si (1 1 1) wafers and SUS304 stainless steel plates using filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD) technique under different flow ratios of N_2/C_2H_2 gas mixture. The morphology, crystalline structure and chemical composition of the coatings were characterized. It was found that the grain size reduce with increasing carbon content, which makes the CrCN coatings refined and smooth. The quasi-one-dimensional carbolite phase was also found in CrN host lattice with C_2H_2 content ranging from 5% to 20%, and it will be evolved into amorphous carbon and amorphous CN_x phases as C_2H_2 content exceeds 20%. Moreover, we examined the mechanical and tribological properties of the CrCN coatings, and the experimental results confirmed that the friction coefficient of the coatings descend to the lowest value as 0.39 with 30% C_2H_2 content, due to the graphite (sp"2 C−C) phase embed in CrN host lattice; while the chromium carbon (Cr_3C_2) and diamond (sp"3 C−C) phases may give rise to the increase of the coating hardness with the highest value at 23.97 GPa under 20% C_2H_2 content.

  9. Phase transitions of doped carbon in CrCN coatings with modified mechanical and tribological properties via filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, J. J.; Wang, H. Q.; Qin, L. Z.; Liao, B.; Liang, H.; Li, B.

    2017-04-01

    The CrCN coatings were fabricated onto Si (1 1 1) wafers and SUS304 stainless steel plates using filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD) technique under different flow ratios of N2/C2H2 gas mixture. The morphology, crystalline structure and chemical composition of the coatings were characterized. It was found that the grain size reduce with increasing carbon content, which makes the CrCN coatings refined and smooth. The quasi-one-dimensional carbolite phase was also found in CrN host lattice with C2H2 content ranging from 5% to 20%, and it will be evolved into amorphous carbon and amorphous CNx phases as C2H2 content exceeds 20%. Moreover, we examined the mechanical and tribological properties of the CrCN coatings, and the experimental results confirmed that the friction coefficient of the coatings descend to the lowest value as 0.39 with 30% C2H2 content, due to the graphite (sp2 Csbnd C) phase embed in CrN host lattice; while the chromium carbon (Cr3C2) and diamond (sp3 Csbnd C) phases may give rise to the increase of the coating hardness with the highest value at 23.97 GPa under 20% C2H2 content.

  10. Thermal conductivity of the amorphous and nanocrystalline phases of the beech wood biocarbon nanocomposite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kartenko, N. F.; Orlova, T. S.; Parfen'eva, L. S.; Smirnov, B. I.; Smirnov, I. A.

    2014-11-01

    Natural composites (biocarbons) obtained by carbonization of beech wood at different carbonization temperatures T carb in the range of 800-2400°C have been studied using X-ray diffraction. The composites consist of an amorphous matrix and nanocrystallites of graphite and graphene. The volume fractions of the amorphous and nanocrystalline phases as functions of T carb have been determined. Temperature dependences of the phonon thermal conductivity κ( T) of the biocarbons with different temperatures T carb (1000 and 2400°C) have been analyzed in the range of 5-300 K. It has been shown that the behavior of κ( T) of the biocarbon with T carb = 1000°C is controlled by the amorphous phase in the range of 5-50 K and by the nanocrystalline phase in the range of 100-300 K. The character of κ( T) of the biocarbon with T carb = 2400°C is determined by the heat transfer (scattering) in the nanocrystalline phase over the entire temperature range of 5-300 K.

  11. Evolution of optical properties and band structure from amorphous to crystalline Ga2O3 films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabi Zhang

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The optical properties and band structure evolution from amorphous to crystalline Ga2O3 films was investigated in this work. Amorphous and crystalline Ga2O3 films were obtained by changing the growth substrate temperatures of pulsed laser deposition and the crystallinity increase with the rising of substrate temperature. The bandgap value and ultraviolet emission intensity of the films increase with the rising of crystallinity as observed by means of spectrophotometer and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Abrupt bandgap value and CL emission variations were observed when amorphous to crystalline transition took place. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy core level spectra reveal that more oxygen vacancies and disorders exist in amorphous Ga2O3 film grown at lower substrate temperature. The valence band spectra of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy present the main contribution from Ga 4sp for crystalline film deposited at substrate temperature of 500 oC, while extra subgap states has been observed in amorphous film deposited at 300 oC. The oxygen vacancy and the extra subgap density of states are suggested to be the parts of origin of bandgap and CL spectra variations. The experimental data above yields a realistic picture of optical properties and band structure variation for the amorphous to crystalline transition of Ga2O3 films.

  12. Theory of amorphous ices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limmer, David T; Chandler, David

    2014-07-01

    We derive a phase diagram for amorphous solids and liquid supercooled water and explain why the amorphous solids of water exist in several different forms. Application of large-deviation theory allows us to prepare such phases in computer simulations. Along with nonequilibrium transitions between the ergodic liquid and two distinct amorphous solids, we establish coexistence between these two amorphous solids. The phase diagram we predict includes a nonequilibrium triple point where two amorphous phases and the liquid coexist. Whereas the amorphous solids are long-lived and slowly aging glasses, their melting can lead quickly to the formation of crystalline ice. Further, melting of the higher density amorphous solid at low pressures takes place in steps, transitioning to the lower-density glass before accessing a nonequilibrium liquid from which ice coarsens.

  13. Production of an Amorphous Fe_<75>Si_<10>B_<15> Sheet by a Metallic Mold Casting Method and its Properties

    OpenAIRE

    Inoue, Akihisa; Yamamoto, Hirokazu; Saito, Takanobu; Masumoto, Tsuyosi

    1993-01-01

    The application of a metallic mold casting method to an Fe_Si_B_ alloy with the largest glass-forming ability in (Fe, Co, Ni)-Si-B system was found to cause the formation of a mostly single amorphous phase in a sheet form with a thickness of 0.1 mm. No distinct difference in thermal stability (crystallization temperature and heat of crystallization), hardness, Curie temperature and magnetization is detected between the as-cast sheet and the melt-spun amorphous ribbon with a thickness of 0.02 ...

  14. Superhard carbon film deposition by means of Laser-Arco {sup registered} on the way from the laboratory into the industrial series coating; Abscheidung superharter Kohlenstoffschichten mittels Laser-Arco {sup registered} auf dem Weg vom Labor in die industrielle Serienfertigung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scheibe, Hans-Joachim; Leonhardt, Michael; Leson, Andreas; Meyer, Carl-Friedrich; Stucky, Thomas; Weihnacht, Volker [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik (IWS), Dresden (Germany)

    2008-12-15

    Diamond-like carbon films (DLC) are more and more applied as wear protection coatings for components and tools due to their unique combination of high hardness, low friction and sticking tendency to metallic counter bodies. Up to now applied DLC films are hydrogen containing (a-C:H) or metal carbon films (Me-C:H) deposited by a plasma assisted CVD process from carbon-hydrogen gas mixtures. Their wide industrial effort results from that the can be deposited with slowly modified coating machines for classical hard coating (e.g. TiN or CrN). A new generation DLC films are the hydrogen-free ta-C films (ta-C = tetrahedral bounded amorphous carbon) with a between two and three-times higher hardness and with a resulting higher wear resistance under extreme condition than classical DLC films. They have excellent emergency running properties at lubrication break down. Their industrial application is more difficult due to that they cannot deposited with modified coating machines for classical hard and DLC coating and a new technology with corresponding equipment was not available up to now. The laser controlled, pulsed arc deposition technology (Laser-Arco {sup registered}) of the Fraunhofer IWS Dresden has this potential. In kind of a Laser-Arc-Module-source the ta-C film deposition can be integrated in every industrial used deposition machine. (orig.)

  15. Deposit of thin films of nitrided amorphous carbon using the laser ablation technique; Deposito de peliculas delgadas de carbono amorfo nitrurado utilizando la tecnica de ablacion laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rebollo, P.B.; Escobar A, L.; Camps C, E. [Departamento de Fisica, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, C.P. 52045 Salazar, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Haro P, E.; Camacho L, M.A. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa (Mexico); Muhl S, S. [Instituto de Investigacion en Materiales, UNAM (Mexico)

    2000-07-01

    It is reported the synthesis and characterization of thin films of amorphous carbon (a-C) nitrided, deposited by laser ablation in a nitrogen atmosphere at pressures which are from 4.5 x 10 {sup -4} Torr until 7.5 x 10 {sup -2} Torr. The structural properties of the films are studied by Raman spectroscopy obtaining similar spectra at the reported for carbon films type diamond. The study of behavior of the energy gap and the ratio nitrogen/carbon (N/C) in the films, shows that the energy gap is reduced when the nitrogen incorporation is increased. It is showed that the refraction index of the thin films diminish as nitrogen pressure is increased, indicating the formation of graphitic material. (Author)

  16. Novel phase of carbon, ferromagnetism, and conversion into diamond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narayan, Jagdish; Bhaumik, Anagh

    2015-01-01

    We report the discovery of a new phase of carbon (referred to as Q-carbon) and address fundamental issues related to direct conversion of carbon into diamond at ambient temperatures and pressures in air without any need for catalyst and presence of hydrogen. The Q-carbon is formed as result of quenching from super undercooled state by using high-power nanosecond laser pulses. We discuss the equilibrium phase diagram (P vs. T) of carbon and show that by rapid quenching kinetics can shift thermodynamic graphite/diamond/liquid carbon triple point from 5000 K/12 GPa to super undercooled carbon at atmospheric pressure in air. It is shown that nanosecond laser heating of diamond-like amorphous carbon on sapphire, glass, and polymer substrates can be confined to melt carbon in a super undercooled state. By quenching the carbon from the super undercooled state, we have created a new state of carbon (Q-carbon) from which nanodiamond, microdiamond, microneedles, and single-crystal thin films are formed depending upon the nucleation and growth times allowed for diamond formation. The Q-carbon quenched from liquid is a new state of solid carbon with a higher mass density than amorphous carbon and a mixture of mostly fourfold sp 3 (75%–85%) with the rest being threefold sp 2 bonded carbon (with distinct entropy). It is expected to have new and improved mechanical hardness, electrical conductivity, chemical, and physical properties, including room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) and enhanced field emission. Here we present interesting results on RTFM, enhanced electrical conductivity and surface potential of Q-carbon to emphasize its unique properties. The Q-carbon exhibits robust bulk ferromagnetism with estimated Curie temperature of about 500 K and saturation magnetization value of 20 emu g −1 . From the Q-carbon, diamond phase is nucleated and a variety of micro- and nanostructures and large-area single-crystal diamond sheets are grown by allowing growth times

  17. Suspension plasma sprayed composite coating using amorphous powder feedstock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Dianying; Jordan, Eric H.; Gell, Maurice

    2009-01-01

    Al 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 composite coatings were deposited by the suspension plasma spray process using molecularly mixed amorphous powders. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that the as-sprayed coating is composed of α-Al 2 O 3 and tetragonal ZrO 2 phases with grain sizes of 26 nm and 18 nm, respectively. The as-sprayed coating has 93% density with a hardness of 9.9 GPa. Heat treatment of the as-sprayed coating reveals that the Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 phases are homogeneously distributed in the composite coating

  18. Effect of nanoparticles as lubricant additives on friction and wear behavior of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C coating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang Li

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available As diamond like carbon (DLC coating becomes increasingly popular in providing low friction and wear under lubricated conditions, the effect of various oil additives on tribological behavior of DLC coating is drawing more attention. Various oil additives, such as ZnDTP and MoDTC, have been widely used in automobile engine industry to pursuit excellent tribological performance in the insufficient lubrication condition. Although such commercial oil additives have been proven to reduce friction or/and wear to some extent, usage of such high -SAPS (sulphuric ash, phosphor, sulfphur conventional additives is bound to arouse concerns due to environmental reasons. In this research, we investigate the effect of two nanoparticle oil additives, which are cerium oxide (CeO2 and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2, on friction and wear of non-hydrogen tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C coating. The results show that by adding ZrO2 nanoparticle, the friction of DLC coating could be reduced about 32% compared to non-additive base oil scenario, but specific wear rate increases by 40%. When CeO2 nanoparticle is used, friction increases by 22% compared to non-additive base oil scenario, however wear decreases by nearly 77%.

  19. Iron-based amorphous alloys and methods of synthesizing iron-based amorphous alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saw, Cheng Kiong; Bauer, William A.; Choi, Jor-Shan; Day, Dan; Farmer, Joseph C.

    2016-05-03

    A method according to one embodiment includes combining an amorphous iron-based alloy and at least one metal selected from a group consisting of molybdenum, chromium, tungsten, boron, gadolinium, nickel phosphorous, yttrium, and alloys thereof to form a mixture, wherein the at least one metal is present in the mixture from about 5 atomic percent (at %) to about 55 at %; and ball milling the mixture at least until an amorphous alloy of the iron-based alloy and the at least one metal is formed. Several amorphous iron-based metal alloys are also presented, including corrosion-resistant amorphous iron-based metal alloys and radiation-shielding amorphous iron-based metal alloys.

  20. Neutron diffraction and thermal studies of amorphous CS{sub 2} realised by low-temperature vapour deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamamuro, O.; Matsuo, T. [Osaka Univ., Dept. of Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences (Japan); Onoda-Yamamuro, N. [Tokyo Denki Univ., College of Sciences and Technology (Japan); Takeda, K. [Naruto Univ., Dept. of Chemistry, Tokushima (Japan); Munemura, H.; Tanaka, S.; Misawa, M. [Niigata Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Science

    2003-08-01

    We have succeeded in preparing amorphous carbon disulphide (CS{sub 2}) by depositing its vapour on a cold substrate at 10 K. Complete formation of the amorphous state has been confirmed by neutron diffraction and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The amorphous sample crystallized at ca. 70 K, which is lower than the hypothetical glass transition temperature (92 K) estimated from the DTA data of the (CS{sub 2}){sub x}(S{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}){sub 1-x} binary mixture. CS{sub 2}, a symmetric linear tri-atomic molecule, is the simplest of the amorphized molecular substances whose structural and thermal information has been reported so far. Comparison of the static structure factors S(Q) has shown that the orientational correlation of CS{sub 2} molecules may be much stronger in the amorphous state than in the liquid state at higher temperature. (authors)

  1. A comparative chemical network study of HWCVD deposited amorphous silicon and carbon based alloys thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Swain, Bibhu P., E-mail: bibhuprasad.swain@gmail.com [Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology, Majitar, Rangpo Sikkim (India); Swain, Bhabani S.; Hwang, Nong M. [Thin Films and Microstructure Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-03-05

    Highlights: • a-SiC:H, a-SiN:H, a-C:H and a-SiCN:H films were deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition. • Evolution of microstructure of a-SiCN:H films deposited at different NH{sub 3} flow rate were analyzed. • The chemical network of Si and C based alloys were studied by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. -- Abstract: Silicon and carbon based alloys were deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD). The microstructure and chemical bonding of these films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The electron microscopy revealed various microstructures were observed for a-C:H, a-SiC:H, a-SiN:H, a-CN:H and a-SiCN:H films. The microstructure of SiN:H films showed agglomerate spherical grains while a-C:H films showed more fractal surface with branched microstructure. However, a-SiC:H, a-CN:H and a-SiCN:H indicated uniform but intermediate surface fractal microstructure. A series of a-SiCN:H films were deposited with variation of NH{sub 3} flow rate. The nitrogen incorporation in a-SiCN:H films alter the carbon network from sp{sup 2} to sp{sup 3} bonding The detail chemical bonding of amorphous films was analyzed by curve fitting method.

  2. Encapsulated Vanadium-Based Hybrids in Amorphous N-Doped Carbon Matrix as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Bei; Balogun, Muhammad-Sadeeq; Luo, Lei; Luo, Yang; Qiu, Weitao; Song, Shuqin; Zhang, Lei; Tong, Yexiang

    2017-11-01

    Recently, researchers have made significant advancement in employing transition metal compound hybrids as anode material for lithium-ion batteries and developing simple preparation of these hybrids. To this end, this study reports a facile and scalable method for fabricating a vanadium oxide-nitride composite encapsulated in amorphous carbon matrix by simply mixing ammonium metavanadate and melamine as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. By tuning the annealing temperature of the mixture, different hybrids of vanadium oxide-nitride compounds are synthesized. The electrode material prepared at 700 °C, i.e., VM-700, exhibits excellent cyclic stability retaining 92% of its reversible capacity after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g -1 and attractive rate performance (220 mAh g -1 ) under the current density of up to 2 A g -1 . The outstanding electrochemical properties can be attributed to the synergistic effect from heterojunction form by the vanadium compound hybrids, the improved ability of the excellent conductive carbon for electron transfer, and restraining the expansion and aggregation of vanadium oxide-nitride in cycling. These interesting findings will provide a reference for the preparation of transition metal oxide and nitride composites as well. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Large-scale and patternable graphene: direct transformation of amorphous carbon film into graphene/graphite on insulators via Cu mediation engineering and its application to all-carbon based devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yu-Ze; Medina, Henry; Lin, Hung-Chiao; Tsai, Hung-Wei; Su, Teng-Yu; Chueh, Yu-Lun

    2015-01-01

    Chemical vapour deposition of graphene was the preferred way to synthesize graphene for multiple applications. However, several problems related to transfer processes, such as wrinkles, cleanness and scratches, have limited its application at the industrial scale. Intense research was triggered into developing alternative synthesis methods to directly deposit graphene on insulators at low cost with high uniformity and large area. In this work, we demonstrate a new concept to directly achieve growth of graphene on non-metal substrates. By exposing an amorphous carbon (a-C) film in Cu gaseous molecules after annealing at 850 °C, the carbon (a-C) film surprisingly undergoes a noticeable transformation to crystalline graphene. Furthermore, the thickness of graphene could be controlled, depending on the thickness of the pre-deposited a-C film. The transformation mechanism was investigated and explained in detail. This approach enables development of a one-step process to fabricate electrical devices made of all carbon material, highlighting the uniqueness of the novel approach for developing graphene electronic devices. Interestingly, the carbon electrodes made directly on the graphene layer by our approach offer a good ohmic contact compared with the Schottky barriers usually observed on graphene devices using metals as electrodes.Chemical vapour deposition of graphene was the preferred way to synthesize graphene for multiple applications. However, several problems related to transfer processes, such as wrinkles, cleanness and scratches, have limited its application at the industrial scale. Intense research was triggered into developing alternative synthesis methods to directly deposit graphene on insulators at low cost with high uniformity and large area. In this work, we demonstrate a new concept to directly achieve growth of graphene on non-metal substrates. By exposing an amorphous carbon (a-C) film in Cu gaseous molecules after annealing at 850 °C, the carbon (a

  4. Electron stimulated reactions of methyl iodide coadsorbed with amorphous solid water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perry, C. C.; Faradzhev, N. S.; Madey, T. E.; Fairbrother, D. H.

    2007-01-01

    The electron stimulated reactions of methyl iodide (MeI) adsorbed on and suspended within amorphous solid water (ice) were studied using a combination of postirradiation temperature programmed desorption and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy. For MeI adsorbed on top of amorphous solid water (ice), electron beam irradiation is responsible for both structural and chemical transformations within the overlayer. Electron stimulated reactions of MeI result principally in the formation of methyl radicals and solvated iodide anions. The cross section for electron stimulated decomposition of MeI is comparable to the gas phase value and is only weakly dependent upon the local environment. For both adsorbed MeI and suspended MeI, reactions of methyl radicals within MeI clusters lead to the formation of ethane, ethyl iodide, and diiodomethane. In contrast, reactions between the products of methyl iodide and water dissociation are responsible for the formation of methanol and carbon dioxide. Methane, formed as a result of reactions between methyl radicals and either parent MeI molecules or hydrogen atoms, is also observed. The product distribution is found to depend on the film's initial chemical composition as well as the electron fluence. Results from this study highlight the similarities in the carbon-containing products formed when monohalomethanes coadsorbed with amorphous solid water are irradiated by either electrons or photons

  5. Hydrogen in amorphous silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peercy, P.S.

    1980-01-01

    The structural aspects of amorphous silicon and the role of hydrogen in this structure are reviewed with emphasis on ion implantation studies. In amorphous silicon produced by Si ion implantation of crystalline silicon, the material reconstructs into a metastable amorphous structure which has optical and electrical properties qualitatively similar to the corresponding properties in high-purity evaporated amorphous silicon. Hydrogen studies further indicate that these structures will accomodate less than or equal to 5 at.% hydrogen and this hydrogen is bonded predominantly in a monohydride (SiH 1 ) site. Larger hydrogen concentrations than this can be achieved under certain conditions, but the excess hydrogen may be attributed to defects and voids in the material. Similarly, glow discharge or sputter deposited amorphous silicon has more desirable electrical and optical properties when the material is prepared with low hydrogen concentration and monohydride bonding. Results of structural studies and hydrogen incorporation in amorphous silicon were discussed relative to the different models proposed for amorphous silicon

  6. Amorphous nanophotonics

    CERN Document Server

    Scharf, Toralf

    2013-01-01

    This book represents the first comprehensive overview over amorphous nano-optical and nano-photonic systems. Nanophotonics is a burgeoning branch of optics that enables many applications by steering the mould of light on length scales smaller than the wavelength with devoted nanostructures. Amorphous nanophotonics exploits self-organization mechanisms based on bottom-up approaches to fabricate nanooptical systems. The resulting structures presented in the book are characterized by a deterministic unit cell with tailored geometries; but their spatial arrangement is not controlled. Instead of periodic, the structures appear either amorphous or random. The aim of this book is to discuss all aspects related to observable effects in amorphous nanophotonic material and aspects related to their design, fabrication, characterization and integration into applications. The book has an interdisciplinary nature with contributions from scientists in physics, chemistry and materials sciences and sheds light on the topic fr...

  7. Synthesis of Carbon nano structures by plasma discharge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jimenez L, M.L.

    2007-01-01

    Due to the great quantity of applications of the carbon nano structures (NEC) in diverse areas like: synthesis of super-resistant materials, hydrogen storage, nano sensors generation and nano catalysts, it has seen the necessity to generate new processes of synthesis of this materials as well as to already improve those existent. The present work has as objective to optimize the NEC synthesis process by means of the electric arc method which uses alternating current to high frequencies (HF), obtaining relatively clean products; that is to say, it hardly presents amorphous material neither sludges. They stand out the obtaining of carbon nano fibers (NFC) by means of a luminescent-arch discharge, in a gas mixture of He-CH 4 with 34% at. Ni/10.32% at.Y like catalyst; at a frequency of 42 kHz and low power (300 W). This method benefits the amass of the particles in both electrodes due to the high frequencies. The time of duration of the process oscillates between 5 and 20 minutes. The obtained product was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (MEB), transmission electron microscopy (MET) to determine the NEC type obtained and by X-ray diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy for determining the purity of the samples. The NFC is relatively free of amorphous coal. The surface and structural analysis indicates that the fibers have a half diameter of 80 nm. It is also made, a study by optical emission spectroscopy of plasma using the Swan band for determining the temperature. (Author)

  8. Synthesis of carbon nano structures by plasma discharge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jimenez L, M.L.

    2007-01-01

    Due to the great quantity of applications of carbon neocarcinostatin (NEC) in diverse areas like: synthesis of super-resistant materials, hydrogen storage, nano sensors generation and nano catalysts, one has seen the necessity to generate new synthesis processes of these materials as well as to already improve those existent. The present work has as objective to optimize the NEC synthesis process by means of the electric arc method which uses alternating current to high frequencies (HF), obtaining relatively clean products; that is to say, it hardly presents amorphous material neither impurities. They stand out the obtaining of carbon nano fibers (NFC) by means of a luminescent-arc discharge, in a gas mixture He-CH 4 with 34% at.Ni/10.32%at.Y like catalyst; to a frequency of 42 k Hz and low power (300 W). This method benefits the agglomeration of the particles in both electrodes due to the high frequencies. The time of duration of the process oscillates between 5 and 20 minutes. The obtained product was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (MEB), transmission electron microscopy (MET) to determine the type of obtained NEC and by X-ray diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy to determine the purity of the samples. The NFC are relatively free of amorphous coal. The surface and structural analysis indicates that the fibers have a half diameter of 80 nm. It is also made, a study by optical emission spectroscopy of the plasma using the Swan band to determine the temperature. (Author)

  9. Origin of temperature-induced low friction of sputtered Si-containing amorphous carbon coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jantschner, O.; Field, S.K.; Holec, D.; Fian, A.; Music, D.; Schneider, J.M.; Zorn, K.; Mitterer, C.

    2015-01-01

    This work reports on a tribological study of magnetron-sputtered silicon-containing amorphous carbon thin films vs. their alumina counterparts. Temperature cycling during ball-on-disk tests in humid air revealed a decrease in the coefficient of friction from 0.3 to <0.02 beyond 240 ± 15 °C. Systematic variation of the environment confirmed oxygen to be responsible for the low friction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the wear tracks indicates oxidation of Si-C bonds and formation of Si-O-C bonds, followed by further oxidation to SiO 2 above 450 °C. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of gas interactions with the a-C surface revealed dissociation of O 2 and the formation of oxides. Additional density functional theory calculations of Si incorporation into a graphene layer, resembling the surface of the film, showed preferential attraction of gaseous species (H, O, -OH, H 2 O), to Si-sites as compared to C-sites. Hence, the temperature- and atmosphere-induced changes in friction coefficient can be understood based on correlative X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio data: the formation of Si-O-C bonds stemming from a reaction of the as-deposited coating with atmosphere in the tribological contact is observed by theory and experiment

  10. Tribological properties, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of magnetron sputtered titanium-amorphous carbon coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhandapani, Vishnu Shankar; Subbiah, Ramesh; Thangavel, Elangovan; Arumugam, Madhankumar; Park, Kwideok; Gasem, Zuhair M.; Veeraragavan, Veeravazhuthi; Kim, Dae-Eun

    2016-05-01

    Amorphous carbon incorporated with titanium (a-C:Ti) was coated on 316L stainless steel (SS) by magnetron sputtering technique to attain superior tribological properties, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. The morphology, topography and functional groups of the nanostructured a-C:Ti coatings in various concentrations were analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Raman and XPS analyses confirmed the increase in sp2 bonds with increasing titanium content in the a-C matrix. TEM analysis confirmed the composite nature of the coating and the presence of nanostructured TiC for Ti content of 2.33 at.%. This coating showed superior tribological properties compared to the other a-C:Ti coatings. Furthermore, electrochemical corrosion studies were performed against stimulated body fluid medium in which all the a-C:Ti coatings showed improved corrosion resistance than the pure a-C coating. Preosteoblasts proliferation and viability on the specimens were tested and the results showed that a-C:Ti coatings with relatively high Ti (3.77 at.%) content had better biocompatibility. Based on the results of this work, highly durable coatings with good biocompatibility could be achieved by incorporation of optimum amount of Ti in a-C coatings deposited on SS by magnetron sputtering technique.

  11. A study of the nanostructure and hardness of electron beam evaporated TiAlBN Coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baker, M.A., E-mail: m.baker@surrey.ac.u [The Surface Analysis Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Monclus, M.A. [National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, TW11 0LW (United Kingdom); Rebholz, C. [Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, 1678 Nicosia (Cyprus); Gibson, P.N. [Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Joint Research Centre, I-21027 Ispra (Italy); Leyland, A.; Matthews, A. [Department of Engineering Materials, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

    2010-05-31

    TiAlBN coatings have been deposited by electron beam (EB) evaporation from a single TiAlBN material source onto AISI 316 stainless steel substrates at a temperature of 450 {sup o}C and substrate bias of - 100 V. The stoichiometry and nanostructure have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The hardness and elastic modulus were determined by nanoindentation. Five coatings have been deposited, three from hot-pressed TiAlBN material and two from hot isostatically pressed (HIPped) material. The coatings deposited from the hot-pressed material exhibited a nanocomposite nc-(Ti,Al)N/a-BN/a-(Ti,Al)B{sub 2} structure, the relative phase fraction being consistent with that predicted by the equilibrium Ti-B-N phase diagram. Nanoindentation hardness values were in the range of 22 to 32 GPa. Using the HIPped material, coating (Ti,Al)B{sub 0.29}N{sub 0.46} was found to have a phase composition of 72-79 mol.% nc-(Ti,Al)(N,B){sub 1-x}+ 21-28 mol.% amorphous titanium boride and a hardness of 32 GPa. The second coating, (Ti,Al)B{sub 0.66}N{sub 0.25}, was X-ray amorphous with a nitride+boride multiphase composition and a hardness of 26 GPa. The nanostructure and structure-property relationships of all coatings are discussed in detail. Comparisons are made between the single-EB coatings deposited in this work and previously deposited twin-EB coatings. Twin-EB deposition gives rise to lower adatom mobilities, leading to (111) (Ti,Al)N preferential orientation, smaller grain sizes, less dense coatings and lower hardnesses.

  12. Physical–chemical and biological behavior of an amorphous calcium phosphate thin film produced by RF-magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Euler A. dos; Moldovan, Simona; Mateescu, Mihaela; Faerber, Jacques; Acosta, Manuel; Pelletier, Hervé; Anselme, Karine; Werckmann, Jacques

    2012-01-01

    This work evaluates the thermal reactivity and the biological reactivity of an amorphous calcium phosphate thin film produced by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering onto titanium substrates. The analyses showed that the sputtering conditions used in this work led to the deposition of an amorphous calcium phosphate. The thermal treatment of this amorphous coating in the presence of H 2 O and CO 2 promoted the formation of a carbonated HA crystalline coating with the entrance of CO 3 2− ions into the hydroxyl HA lattice. When immersed in culture medium, the amorphous and carbonated coatings exhibited a remarkable instability. The presence of proteins increased the dissolution process, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. Moreover, the carbonated HA coating induced precipitation independently of the presence of proteins under dynamic conditions. Despite this surface instability, this reactive calcium phosphate significantly improved the cellular behavior. The cell proliferation was higher on the Ticp than on the calcium phosphate coatings, but the two coatings increased cellular spreading and stress fiber formation. In this sense, the presence of reactive calcium phosphate coatings can stimulate cellular behavior. - Highlights: ► Functionalization of Ti with reactive CaP thin film by RF-magnetron sputtering. ► De-hydroxylation facilitating the insertion of CO 3 2− into the HA lattice. ► High surface reactivity in the presence of culture medium. ► Cell behavior improved by the presence of reactive films.

  13. Induced anisotropy in amorphous Sm-Co sputtered films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, K.; Hegde, H.; Cadieu, F.J.

    1992-01-01

    The variation of the in-the-film-plane anisotropy constant, K u , with composition and the magnitude of the field, H s , applied in plane during the sputter deposition of amorphous Sm x Co 1-x , 0.08≤x≤0.40, thin films has been studied. We demonstrate here that with a large H s , 5.0 kOe, a well defined and large in-the-film-plane anisotropy can be obtained. An exceptionally high value of K u =3.3x10 6 erg/cm 3 has been obtained. For the loop measured along the in-plane hard direction, the opening of the loop was undetectable, and the loop along the easy axis was a perfect rectangle. For certain conditions, the anisotropy field measured perpendicular to the film plane when corrected for demagnetization (N d =4π) was the same as that for the in-plane measurements. It is concluded that surface induced short range ordering was the origin of the anisotropy observed in amorphous films deposited in a magnetic field. The formation mechanism is different from that of the short range ordering induced by field annealing

  14. Evolution of sp2 networks with substrate temperature in amorphous carbon films: Experiment and theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gago, R.; Vinnichenko, M.; Jaeger, H.U.; Maitz, M.F.; Belov, A.Yu.; Jimenez, I.; Huang, N.; Sun, H.

    2005-01-01

    The evolution of sp 2 hybrids in amorphous carbon (a-C) films deposited at different substrate temperatures was studied experimentally and theoretically. The bonding structure of a-C films prepared by filtered cathodic vacuum arc was assessed by the combination of visible Raman spectroscopy, x-ray absorption, and spectroscopic ellipsometry, while a-C structures were generated by molecular-dynamics deposition simulations with the Brenner interatomic potential to determine theoretical sp 2 site distributions. The experimental results show a transition from tetrahedral a-C (ta-C) to sp 2 -rich structures at ∼500 K. The sp 2 hybrids are mainly arranged in chains or pairs whereas graphitic structures are only promoted for sp 2 fractions above 80%. The theoretical analysis confirms the preferred pairing of isolated sp 2 sites in ta-C, the coalescence of sp 2 clusters for medium sp 2 fractions, and the pronounced formation of rings for sp 2 fractions >80%. However, the dominance of sixfold rings is not reproduced theoretically, probably related to the functional form of the interatomic potential used

  15. XMCD study of CoPt nanoparticles embedded in MgO and amorphous carbon matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tournus, F.; Blanc, N.; Tamion, A.; Ohresser, P.; Perez, A.; Dupuis, V.

    2008-01-01

    We report the synthesis and characterization of CoPt nanoparticles, using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Co L 2,3 edges. Clusters are produced in ultra-high vacuum conditions, following a physical route, and embedded in non-metallic matrices: MgO and amorphous carbon (a-C). In MgO, Co atoms are partially oxidized, which goes with a μ L /μ S enhancement. On the contrary, a-C appears as a very suitable matrix. In particular, annealing of CoPt cluster embedded in a-C is able to promote L 1 0 chemical order, without alteration of the sample. This transformation, which has been directly evidenced by transmission electron microscopy observations, is accompanied by a striking augmentation of μ S , μ L and the μ L /μ S ratio of Co. The presence of Pt leads to an enhanced Co magnetic moment, as compared to Co bulk, even for the chemically disordered alloy. Moreover, the high value of 1.91μ B /at. measured for μ S is unusual for Co and must be a signature of chemical order in CoPt alloy nanoparticles

  16. Electrochemical properties of N-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon films fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanaka, Yoriko; Furuta, Masahiro; Kuriyama, Koichi; Kuwabara, Ryosuke; Katsuki, Yukiko [Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi-shi, Yamaguchi 753-8512 (Japan); Kondo, Takeshi [Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda 278-8510 (Japan); Fujishima, Akira [Kanagawa Advanced Science and Technology (KAST), 3-2-1, Sakato, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 213-0012 (Japan); Honda, Kensuke, E-mail: khonda@yamaguchi-u.ac.j [Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi-shi, Yamaguchi 753-8512 (Japan)

    2011-01-01

    Nitrogen-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films (a-C:N:H, N-doped DLC) were synthesized with microwave-assisted plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition widely used for DLC coating such as the inner surface of PET bottles. The electrochemical properties of N-doped DLC surfaces that can be useful in the application as an electrochemical sensor were investigated. N-doped DLC was easily fabricated using the vapor of nitrogen contained hydrocarbon as carbon and nitrogen source. A N/C ratio of resulting N-doped DLC films was 0.08 and atomic ratio of sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2}-bonded carbons was 25/75. The electrical resistivity and optical gap were 0.695 {Omega} cm and 0.38 eV, respectively. N-doped DLC thin film was found to be an ideal polarizable electrode material with physical stability and chemical inertness. The film has a wide working potential range over 3 V, low double-layer capacitance, and high resistance to electrochemically induced corrosion in strong acid media, which were the same level as those for boron-doped diamond (BDD). The charge transfer rates for the inorganic redox species, Fe{sup 2+/3+} and Fe(CN){sub 6}{sup 4-/3-} at N-doped DLC were sufficiently high. The redox reaction of Ce{sup 2+/3+} with standard potential higher than H{sub 2}O/O{sub 2} were observed due to the wider potential window. At N-doped DLC, the change of the kinetics of Fe(CN){sub 6}{sup 3-/4-} by surface oxidation is different from that at BDD. The rate of Fe(CN){sub 6}{sup 3-/4-} was not varied before and after oxidative treatment on N-doped DLC includes sp{sup 2} carbons, which indicates high durability of the electrochemical activity against surface oxidation.

  17. Ultrathin Carbon with Interspersed Graphene/Fullerene-like Nanostructures: A Durable Protective Overcoat for High Density Magnetic Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dwivedi, Neeraj; Satyanarayana, Nalam; Yeo, Reuben J; Xu, Hai; Ping Loh, Kian; Tripathy, Sudhiranjan; Bhatia, Charanjit S

    2015-06-25

    One of the key issues for future hard disk drive technology is to design and develop ultrathin (Forming carbon overcoats (COCs) having interspersed nanostructures by the filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) process can be an effective approach to achieve the desired target. In this work, by employing a novel bi-level surface modification approach using FCVA, the formation of a high sp(3) bonded ultrathin (~1.7 nm) amorphous carbon overcoat with interspersed graphene/fullerene-like nanostructures, grown on magnetic hard disk media, is reported. The in-depth spectroscopic and microscopic analyses by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, and Raman spectroscopy support the observed findings. Despite a reduction of ~37% in COC thickness, the FCVA-processed thinner COC (~1.7 nm) shows promising functional performance in terms of lower coefficient of friction (~0.25), higher wear resistance, lower surface energy, excellent hydrophobicity and similar/better oxidation corrosion resistance than current commercial COCs of thickness ~2.7 nm. The surface and tribological properties of FCVA-deposited COC was further improved after deposition of lubricant layer.

  18. Amorphous structure evolution of high power diode laser cladded Fe–Co–B–Si–Nb coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Yanyan; Li Zhuguo; Huang Jian; Li Min; Li Ruifeng; Wu Yixiong

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Fabricated amorphous composited coating by high power diode laser cladding with single track. ► Lower dilution and higher scanning speed are desired to obtain higher amorphous phase fraction. ► White spots phase with high content of Nb embedded in the amorphous matrix. - Abstract: Fe–Co–B–Si–Nb coatings were fabricated on the surface of low carbon steel using high power diode laser cladding of [(Fe 0.5 Co 0.5 ) 0.75 B 0.2 Si 0.05 ] 95.7 Nb 4.3 amorphous powders at three different scanning speeds of 6, 17 and 50 m/s. At each scanning speed, laser power was optimized to obtain low dilution ratio. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometer and electron probe micro analysis were carried out to characterize the microstructure and chemical composition of the cladded coatings. Differential scanning calorimetry was also carried out to investigate the fraction of the amorphous phase. The results showed that dilution ratio and scanning speed were the two main factors for fabricating Fe–Co–B–Si–Nb amorphous coating by high power diode laser cladding. Low dilution ratio was crucial for the formation of amorphous phase. When the dilution ratio was low, the fraction of amorphous phase in the cladded coatings increased upon increasing the scanning speed.

  19. Characterization of carbon ion implantation induced graded microstructure and phase transformation in stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feng, Kai; Wang, Yibo [Shanghai Key laboratory of Materials Laser Processing and Modification, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Li, Zhuguo, E-mail: lizg@sjtu.edu.cn [Shanghai Key laboratory of Materials Laser Processing and Modification, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Chu, Paul K. [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

    2015-08-15

    Austenitic stainless steel 316L is ion implanted by carbon with implantation fluences of 1.2 × 10{sup 17} ions-cm{sup −} {sup 2}, 2.4 × 10{sup 17} ions-cm{sup −} {sup 2}, and 4.8 × 10{sup 17} ions-cm{sup −} {sup 2}. The ion implantation induced graded microstructure and phase transformation in stainless steel is investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The corrosion resistance is evaluated by potentiodynamic test. It is found that the initial phase is austenite with a small amount of ferrite. After low fluence carbon ion implantation, an amorphous layer and ferrite phase enriched region underneath are formed. Nanophase particles precipitate from the amorphous layer due to energy minimization and irradiation at larger ion implantation fluence. The morphology of the precipitated nanophase particles changes from circular to dumbbell-like with increasing implantation fluence. The corrosion resistance of stainless steel is enhanced by the formation of amorphous layer and graphitic solid state carbon after carbon ion implantation. - Highlights: • Carbon implantation leads to phase transformation from austenite to ferrite. • The passive film on SS316L becomes thinner after carbon ion implantation. • An amorphous layer is formed by carbon ion implantation. • Nanophase precipitate from amorphous layer at higher ion implantation fluence. • Corrosion resistance of SS316L is improved by carbon implantation.

  20. Preparation of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films using a microsecond-pulsed DC capacitive-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition system operated at high frequency up to 400 kHz

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mamun, Md Abdullah Al; Furuta, Hiroshi; Hatta, Akimitsu

    2018-06-01

    Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films are deposited on silicon (Si) substrates using a high-repetition microsecond-pulsed DC plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system from acetylene (C2H2) at a gas pressure of 15 Pa inside a custom-made vacuum chamber. The plasma discharge characteristics, hydrocarbon species, and the microstructure of the resulting films are examined at various pulse repetition rates from 50 to 400 kHz and a fixed duty cycle of 50%. The optical emission spectra confirmed the increase in electron excitation energy from 1.09 to 1.82 eV and the decrease in the intensity ratio of CH/C2 from 1.04 to 0.75 with increasing pulse frequency, indicating the enhanced electron impact dissociation of C2H2 gas. With increasing pulse frequency, the deposition rate gradually increased, reaching a maximum rate of 60 nm/min at 200 kHz, after which a progressive decrease was noted, whereas the deposition area was almost uniform for all the prepared films. Clear trends of increasing sp3 content (amorphization) and decreasing hydrogen (H) content in the films were observed as the pulse repetition rate increased, while most of the hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms by sp3 hybridization rather than by sp2 hybridization.

  1. Reciprocating sliding behaviour of self-mated amorphous diamond-like carbon coatings on Si3N4 ceramics under tribological stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vila, M.; Abreu, C.S.; Salgueiredo, E.; Almeida, F.A.; Fernandes, A.J.S.; Costa, F.M.; Gomes, J.R.; Silva, R.F.

    2006-01-01

    Amorphous diamond-like carbon films grown by magnetron sputtering have been deposited on silicon nitride based substrates for tribological purposes. A conductive Si 3 N 4 /30% vol.TiN composite was produced for bias substrate application. Friction and wear properties of carbon coated self-mated pairs were assessed using a reciprocal motion ball-on-flat setup in unlubricated conditions with applied normal loads of 3 N and 5 N. The worn surfaces were studied by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in order to identify the prevalent wear mechanism. Unbiased and biased substrates behaved differently, the former undergoing premature delamination while the latter endured the tribological test conditions (3 N, ∼ 43 m). Very low friction coefficient values of ∼ 0.015 were sustained assuring remarkable wear behaviour. Surface grooving and wear debris accumulation in the sliding track lead to a roughness increase from the nominal rms value of ∼ 12 nm to ∼ 97 nm, although no weight loss and surface profile modification was quantifiable

  2. Biomimetic mineralization of CaCO3 on a phospholipid monolayer: from an amorphous calcium carbonate precursor to calcite via vaterite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Junwu; Wang, Zhining; Tang, Yecang; Yang, Shihe

    2010-04-06

    A phospholipid monolayer, approximately half the bilayer structure of a biological membrane, can be regarded as an ideal model for investigating biomineralization on biological membranes. In this work on the biomimetic mineralization of CaCO(3) under a phospholipid monolayer, we show the initial heterogeneous nucleation of amorphous calcium carbonate precursor (ACC) nanoparticles at the air-water interface, their subsequent transformation into the metastable vaterite phase instead of the most thermodynamically stable calcite phase, and the ultimate phase transformation to calcite. Furthermore, the spontaneity of the transformation from vaterite to calcite was found to be closely related to the surface tension; high surface pressure could inhibit the process, highlighting the determinant of surface energy. To understand better the mechanisms for ACC formation and the transformation from ACC to vaterite and to calcite, in situ Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), ex situ scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis were employed. This work has clarified the crystallization process of calcium carbonate under phospholipid monolayers and therefore may further our understanding of the biomineralization processes induced by cellular membranes.

  3. Characterization of carbonated serpentine using XPS and TEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulze, Roland K.; Hill, Mary Ann; Field, Robert D.; Papin, Pallas A.; Hanrahan, Robert J.; Byler, Darrin D.

    2004-01-01

    With the increasing concentration volume of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, there has been an increasing interest in carbon dioxide sequestration. One method is to store the carbon dioxide in mineral form, reacting solution dissolved CO 2 to precipitate carbonates. In order to understand whether or not such an endeavor is feasible, the carbonation reaction must first be understood. In this study, the surface of ground serpentine, untreated, heat treated and following a carbonation experiment, has been characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that the mechanism for the reaction involves dissolution of the serpentine through the formation of an amorphous phase and subsequent precipitation of magnesite. The rate limiting step appears to be the diffusion of Mg out of the amorphous phase

  4. Enhanced efficiency of hybrid amorphous silicon solar cells based on single-walled carbon nanotubes/polymer composite thin film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajanna, Pramod Mulbagal; Gilshteyn, Evgenia; Yagafarov, Timur; Alekseeva, Alena; Anisimov, Anton; Sergeev, Oleg; Neumueller, Alex; Bereznev, Sergei; Maricheva, Jelena; Nasibulin, Albert

    2018-01-09

    We report a simple approach to fabricate hybrid solar cells (HSCs) based on a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) film and a thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). Randomly oriented high quality SWCNTs with an enhanced conductivity by means of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate are used as a window layer and a front electrode. A series of HSCs are fabricated in ambient conditions with different SWCNT film thicknesses. The polymethylmethacrylate layer drop-casted on fabricated HSCs reduces the reflection fourfold and enhances the short-circuit Jsc, open-circuit Voc, and efficiency by nearly 10%. A state-of-the-art J-V performance is shown for SWCNT/a-Si HSC with an open-circuit voltage of 900 mV and efficiency of 3.4% under simulated one-sun AM 1.5G direct illumination. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  5. Abrasion resistant low friction and ultra-hard magnetron sputtered AlMgB14 coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grishin, A. M.

    2016-04-01

    Hard aluminum magnesium boride films were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering from a single stoichiometric AlMgB14 ceramic target. X-ray amorphous AlMgB14 films are very smooth. Their roughness does not exceed the roughness of Si wafer and Corning glass used as the substrates. Dispersion of refractive index and extinction coefficient were determined within 300 to 2500 nm range for the film deposited onto Corning glass. Stoichiometric in-depth compositionally homogeneous 2 μm thick films on the Si(100) wafer possess the peak values of nanohardness 88 GPa and Young’s modulus 517 GPa at the penetration depth of 26 nm and, respectively, 35 GPa and 275 GPa at 200 nm depth. Friction coefficient was found to be 0.06. The coating scratch adhesion strength of 14 N was obtained as the first chipping of the coating whereas its spallation failure happened at 21 N. These critical loads and the work of adhesion, estimated as high as 18.4 J m-2, surpass characteristics of diamond like carbon films deposited onto tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) substrates.

  6. Formation of apatite on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Xuanyong; Chu, Paul K.; Ding Chuanxian

    2007-01-01

    Hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were fabricated on p-type, 100 mm diameter silicon wafers by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using silane and hydrogen. The structure and composition of the hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were investigated using micro-Raman spectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). The hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were subsequently soaked in simulated body fluids to evaluate apatite formation. Carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite (bone-like apatite) was formed on the surface suggesting good bone conductivity. The amorphous structure and presence of surface Si-H bonds are believed to induce apatite formation on the surface of the hydrogenated amorphous silicon film. A good understanding of the surface bioactivity of silicon-based materials and means to produce a bioactive surface is important to the development of silicon-based biosensors and micro-devices that are implanted inside humans

  7. Formation of apatite on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu Xuanyong [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 200050 (China) and Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)]. E-mail: xyliu@mail.sic.ac.cn; Chu, Paul K. [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)]. E-mail: paul.chu@cityu.edu.hk; Ding Chuanxian [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 200050 (China)

    2007-01-15

    Hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were fabricated on p-type, 100 mm diameter <1 0 0> silicon wafers by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using silane and hydrogen. The structure and composition of the hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were investigated using micro-Raman spectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). The hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were subsequently soaked in simulated body fluids to evaluate apatite formation. Carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite (bone-like apatite) was formed on the surface suggesting good bone conductivity. The amorphous structure and presence of surface Si-H bonds are believed to induce apatite formation on the surface of the hydrogenated amorphous silicon film. A good understanding of the surface bioactivity of silicon-based materials and means to produce a bioactive surface is important to the development of silicon-based biosensors and micro-devices that are implanted inside humans.

  8. Observation of largely enhanced hardness in nanomultilayers of the Ag-Nb system with positive enthalpy of formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai, W. S.; Yang, M. J.

    2007-01-01

    Ag/Nb nanomultilayers with different modulation wavelengths Λ were prepared on silicon wafers by electron beam evaporation. Nanoindenter measurements show that with decreasing Λ of the multilayers, the nanohardness increases up to ∼80% for Λ=4 nm, whereas the modulus is almost unchanged. This unusual behavior originates from a unique microstructure where amorphous Ag-Nb alloys form at the interfaces and grain boundaries of silver nanoparticles, as observed by cross-section high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The amorphous phases favor hardness enhancement by preventing dislocation emission and movement, whereas they have a negative contribution to the modulus because of their free volume

  9. Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon, Methods Of Making Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon, And Methods Of Using Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon

    KAUST Repository

    Chaieb, Sahraoui

    2015-04-09

    Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, methods of making a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, methods of using a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, and the like.

  10. Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon, Methods Of Making Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon, And Methods Of Using Colloidal Photoluminescent Amorphous Porous Silicon

    KAUST Repository

    Chaieb, Saharoui; Mughal, Asad Jahangir

    2015-01-01

    Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, methods of making a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, methods of using a colloidal photoluminescent amorphous porous silicon particle suspension, and the like.

  11. FIRST INFRARED BAND STRENGTHS FOR AMORPHOUS CO{sub 2}, AN OVERLOOKED COMPONENT OF INTERSTELLAR ICES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerakines, Perry A.; Hudson, Reggie L., E-mail: Reggie.Hudson@NASA.gov [Astrochemistry Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

    2015-08-01

    Solid carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) has long been recognized as a component of both interstellar and solar system ices, but a recent literature search has revealed significant qualitative and quantitative discrepancies in the laboratory spectra on which the abundances of extraterrestrial CO{sub 2} are based. Here we report new infrared (IR) spectra of amorphous CO{sub 2}-ice along with band intensities (band strengths) of four mid-IR absorptions, the first such results in the literature. A possible thickness dependence for amorphous-CO{sub 2} IR band shapes and positions also is investigated, and the three discordant reports of amorphous CO{sub 2} spectra in the literature are addressed. Applications of our results are discussed with an emphasis on laboratory investigations and results from astronomical observations. A careful comparison with earlier work shows that the IR spectra calculated from several databases for CO{sub 2} ices, all ices being made near 10 K, are not for amorphous CO{sub 2}, but rather for crystalline CO{sub 2} or crystalline-amorphous mixtures.

  12. Influence of Magnesium Content on the Local Structure of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate (ACC): Real Time Determination by In Situ PDF Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mergelsberg, S. T.; Ulrich, R. N.; Michel, F. M.; Dove, P. M.

    2016-12-01

    Calcium carbonate minerals are an essential component in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and mollusks. The onset of exoskeleton mineralization includes the precipitation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) as a reactive intermediate that later transforms to produce diverse structures. Despite the importance of ACC as a critical phase during skeleton formation, the chemical and physical properties are not well characterized at conditions that approximate biological environments. Of particular interest are the solubility of ACC, the short-range structure at the time of formation, and the evolution of ACC structure to final products. Recent advances showing the widespread occurrence of multistep pathways to mineralization in biological and geological settings (De Yoreo et al., 2015) underline the importance of understanding amorphous intermediates. Using quantitative laboratory techniques developed by our research group (Blue et al., 2013; Blue and Dove, 2015; Blue et al., in press), this experimental study quantifies the solubility of ACC in parallel with the physical characterization of the corresponding structure. We measured ACC solubility at specific time points during the precipitation and during its subsequent evolution under the mild pH conditions that approximate biological and environmental conditions. In parallel experiments, structural data were collected from in situ pair distribution function (PDF) analyses were conducted to follow the evolution of individual samples from initial precipitation to final product. The measurements are leading to a quantitative solubility function for ACC with variable Mg contents and an x-ray based understanding of ACC structure in the same particles. We are also finding temporal changes in the short-range order of ACC after precipitation and this order is dependent upon Mg content. Moreover, the data show Mg distribution through the ACC particles is dependent upon total alkalinity. Insights from this study hold promise

  13. Phase transitions of doped carbon in CrCN coatings with modified mechanical and tribological properties via filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guan, J.J. [Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Wang, H.Q. [College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Qin, L.Z., E-mail: qin8394@163.com [Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Liao, B.; Liang, H. [College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Li, B. [Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China)

    2017-04-15

    The CrCN coatings were fabricated onto Si (1 1 1) wafers and SUS304 stainless steel plates using filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD) technique under different flow ratios of N{sub 2}/C{sub 2}H{sub 2} gas mixture. The morphology, crystalline structure and chemical composition of the coatings were characterized. It was found that the grain size reduce with increasing carbon content, which makes the CrCN coatings refined and smooth. The quasi-one-dimensional carbolite phase was also found in CrN host lattice with C{sub 2}H{sub 2} content ranging from 5% to 20%, and it will be evolved into amorphous carbon and amorphous CN{sub x} phases as C{sub 2}H{sub 2} content exceeds 20%. Moreover, we examined the mechanical and tribological properties of the CrCN coatings, and the experimental results confirmed that the friction coefficient of the coatings descend to the lowest value as 0.39 with 30% C{sub 2}H{sub 2} content, due to the graphite (sp{sup 2} C−C) phase embed in CrN host lattice; while the chromium carbon (Cr{sub 3}C{sub 2}) and diamond (sp{sup 3} C−C) phases may give rise to the increase of the coating hardness with the highest value at 23.97 GPa under 20% C{sub 2}H{sub 2} content.

  14. Low-cost carbon-based counter electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barberio, M; Imbrogno, A; Bonanno, A; Xu, F; Grosso, D R

    2015-01-01

    In this work, we present the realization of four carbon-based counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells. The photovoltaic behaviours of counter electrodes realized with graphene, multiwalled carbon nanotubes, and nanocomposites of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and metal nanoparticles are compared with those of classical electrodes (amorphous carbon and platinum). Our results show an increase of about 50% in PCE for graphene and Ag/carbon nanotube electrodes with respect to amorphous carbon and of 25% in comparison to platinum. An improvement in cell stability is also observed; in fact, the PCE of all carbon-based cells assumes a constant value during a period of one month while that with the Pt electrode decreases by 50% in one week. (paper)

  15. Effects of annealing on the microstructure and magnetic property of the mechanically alloyed FeSiBAlNiM (M=Co, Cu, Ag) amorphous high entropy alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, Xiaoxia; Zhou, Xuan; Yu, Shuaishuai; Wei, Congcong; Xu, Jing; Wang, Yan, E-mail: mse_wangy@ujn.edu.cn

    2017-05-15

    The effects of annealing treatment on the microstructure, thermal stability, and magnetic properties of the mechanical alloyed FeSiBAlNiM (M=Co, Cu, Ag) amorphous high entropy alloys (HEAs) have been investigated in this project. The simple crystallization products in FeSiBAlNi amorphous HEAs with Co and Ag addition reveal the high phase stability during heating process. At high annealing treatment, the crystallized HEAs possess the good semi-hard magnetic property. It can conclude that crystallization products containing proper FeSi-rich and FeB-rich phases are beneficial to improve the magnetic property. Annealing near the exothermic peak temperature presents the best enhancing effect on the semi-hard magnetic property of FeSiBAlNiCo. It performs both large saturated magnetization and remanence ratio of 13.0 emu/g and near 45%, which exhibit 465% and 105% enhancement compared with as-milled state, respectively. - Highlights: • Co, Cu, Ag additions affect crystallization behavior of FeSiBAlNi amorphous HEAs. • Crystallization products in FeSiBAlNi Co/Ag reveal high phase stability. • Proper FeSi-rich and FeB-rich phases are beneficial to improve magnetic property. • Annealing treatment improves semi-hard magnetic property compared to as-milled state. • Annealing near exothermic peak temperature shows best enhancing effect on magnetism.

  16. Controllable Electrochemical Activities by Oxidative Treatment toward Inner-Sphere Redox Systems at N-Doped Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoriko Tanaka

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The electrochemical activity of the surface of Nitrogen-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films (a-CNH, N-doped DLC toward the inner sphere redox species is controllable by modifying the surface termination. At the oxygen plasma treated N-doped DLC surface (O-DLC, the surface functional groups containing carbon doubly bonded to oxygen (C=O, which improves adsorption of polar molecules, were generated. By oxidative treatment, the electron-transfer rate for dopamine (DA positively charged inner-sphere redox analyte could be improved at the N-doped DLC surface. For redox reaction of 2,4-dichlorophenol, which induces an inevitable fouling of the anode surface by forming passivating films, the DLC surfaces exhibited remarkably higher stability and reproducibility of the electrode performance. This is due to the electrochemical decomposition of the passive films without the interference of oxygen evolution by applying higher potential. The N-doped DLC film can offer benefits as the polarizable electrode surface with the higher reactivity and higher stability toward inner-sphere redox species. By making use of these controllable electrochemical reactivity at the O-DLC surface, the selective detection of DA in the mixed solution of DA and uric acid could be achieved.

  17. Structural investigation of two carbon nitride solids produced by cathodic arc deposition and nitrogen implantation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merchant, A R; McCulloch, D; McKenzie, D R; Yin, Y; Gerstner, E G [New South Wales Univ., Kensington, NSW (Australia)

    1997-12-31

    Carbon nitride materials have been the focus of research efforts worldwide. Most materials studied have been amorphous, with only a few groups claiming to have found a crystalline material. In this paper, carbon nitride materials prepared by two different techniques are analysed, and found to be remarkably similar in bonding and structure. The materials appear to have a primarily sp{sup 2} bonded carbon structure with a lower bond length than found in an amorphous carbon. This is explained by nitrogen substituting into `rings` to a saturation level of about one nitrogen per three carbon atoms. No evidence was found for a crystalline structure of formula C{sub 3}N{sub 4}, or any amorphous derivative of it. 16 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

  18. Structural investigation of two carbon nitride solids produced by cathodic arc deposition and nitrogen implantation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merchant, A.R.; McCulloch, D.; McKenzie, D.R.; Yin, Y.; Gerstner, E.G. [New South Wales Univ., Kensington, NSW (Australia)

    1996-12-31

    Carbon nitride materials have been the focus of research efforts worldwide. Most materials studied have been amorphous, with only a few groups claiming to have found a crystalline material. In this paper, carbon nitride materials prepared by two different techniques are analysed, and found to be remarkably similar in bonding and structure. The materials appear to have a primarily sp{sup 2} bonded carbon structure with a lower bond length than found in an amorphous carbon. This is explained by nitrogen substituting into `rings` to a saturation level of about one nitrogen per three carbon atoms. No evidence was found for a crystalline structure of formula C{sub 3}N{sub 4}, or any amorphous derivative of it. 16 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

  19. Structural investigation of two carbon nitride solids produced by cathodic arc deposition and nitrogen implantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merchant, A.R.; McCulloch, D.; McKenzie, D.R.; Yin, Y.; Gerstner, E.G.

    1996-01-01

    Carbon nitride materials have been the focus of research efforts worldwide. Most materials studied have been amorphous, with only a few groups claiming to have found a crystalline material. In this paper, carbon nitride materials prepared by two different techniques are analysed, and found to be remarkably similar in bonding and structure. The materials appear to have a primarily sp 2 bonded carbon structure with a lower bond length than found in an amorphous carbon. This is explained by nitrogen substituting into 'rings' to a saturation level of about one nitrogen per three carbon atoms. No evidence was found for a crystalline structure of formula C 3 N 4 , or any amorphous derivative of it. 16 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs

  20. Light emission in forward and reverse bias operation in OLED with amorphous silicon carbon nitride thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyes, R.; Cremona, M.; Achete, C. A.

    2011-01-01

    Amorphous silicon carbon nitride (a-SiC:N) thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering were used in the structure of an organic light emitting diode (OLED), obtaining an OLED operating in forward and reverse bias mode. The device consist of the heterojunction structure ITO/a-SiC:N/Hole Transport Layer (HTL)/ Electron Transport Layer (ETL)/a-SiC:N/Al. As hole transporting layer was used a thin film of 1-(3-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,4 tetrahydroquinoline - 6 - carboxyaldehyde - 1,1'- diphenylhydrazone (MTCD), while the tris(8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum) (Alq3) is used as electron transport and emitting layer. A significant increase in the voltage operation compared to the conventional ITO/MTCD/Alq3/Al structure was observed, so the onset of electroluminescence occurs at about 22 V in the forward and reverse bias mode of operation. The electroluminescence spectra is similar in both cases, only slightly shifted 0.14 eV to lower energies in relation to the conventional device.

  1. Light emission in forward and reverse bias operation in OLED with amorphous silicon carbon nitride thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reyes, R [Facultad de Ingenieria Quimica y Textil, Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria, Av. Tupac Amaru SN, Lima (Peru); Cremona, M [Departamento de Fisica, PontifIcia Universidade Catolica de Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio, Cx. Postal 38071, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 22453-970 (Brazil); Achete, C A, E-mail: rreyes@uni.edu.pe [Departamento de Engenheria Metalurgica e de Materiais, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cx. Postal 68505, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21945-970 (Brazil)

    2011-01-01

    Amorphous silicon carbon nitride (a-SiC:N) thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering were used in the structure of an organic light emitting diode (OLED), obtaining an OLED operating in forward and reverse bias mode. The device consist of the heterojunction structure ITO/a-SiC:N/Hole Transport Layer (HTL)/ Electron Transport Layer (ETL)/a-SiC:N/Al. As hole transporting layer was used a thin film of 1-(3-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,4 tetrahydroquinoline - 6 - carboxyaldehyde - 1,1'- diphenylhydrazone (MTCD), while the tris(8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum) (Alq{sub 3}) is used as electron transport and emitting layer. A significant increase in the voltage operation compared to the conventional ITO/MTCD/Alq{sub 3}/Al structure was observed, so the onset of electroluminescence occurs at about 22 V in the forward and reverse bias mode of operation. The electroluminescence spectra is similar in both cases, only slightly shifted 0.14 eV to lower energies in relation to the conventional device.

  2. Light emission in forward and reverse bias operation in OLED with amorphous silicon carbon nitride thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyes, R; Cremona, M; Achete, C A

    2011-01-01

    Amorphous silicon carbon nitride (a-SiC:N) thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering were used in the structure of an organic light emitting diode (OLED), obtaining an OLED operating in forward and reverse bias mode. The device consist of the heterojunction structure ITO/a-SiC:N/Hole Transport Layer (HTL)/ Electron Transport Layer (ETL)/a-SiC:N/Al. As hole transporting layer was used a thin film of 1-(3-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,4 tetrahydroquinoline - 6 - carboxyaldehyde - 1,1'- diphenylhydrazone (MTCD), while the tris(8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum) (Alq 3 ) is used as electron transport and emitting layer. A significant increase in the voltage operation compared to the conventional ITO/MTCD/Alq 3 /Al structure was observed, so the onset of electroluminescence occurs at about 22 V in the forward and reverse bias mode of operation. The electroluminescence spectra is similar in both cases, only slightly shifted 0.14 eV to lower energies in relation to the conventional device.

  3. Adsorption Energies of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen Atoms on the Low-temperature Amorphous Water Ice: A Systematic Estimation from Quantum Chemistry Calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimonishi, Takashi; Nakatani, Naoki; Furuya, Kenji; Hama, Tetsuya

    2018-03-01

    We propose a new simple computational model to estimate the adsorption energies of atoms and molecules to low-temperature amorphous water ice, and we present the adsorption energies of carbon (3 P), nitrogen (4 S), and oxygen (3 P) atoms based on quantum chemistry calculations. The adsorption energies were estimated to be 14,100 ± 420 K for carbon, 400 ± 30 K for nitrogen, and 1440 ± 160 K for oxygen. The adsorption energy of oxygen is consistent with experimentally reported values. We found that the binding of a nitrogen atom is purely physisorption, while that of a carbon atom is chemisorption, in which a chemical bond to an O atom of a water molecule is formed. That of an oxygen atom has a dual character, with both physisorption and chemisorption. The chemisorption of atomic carbon also implies the possibility of further chemical reactions to produce molecules bearing a C–O bond, though this may hinder the formation of methane on water ice via sequential hydrogenation of carbon atoms. These properties would have a large impact on the chemical evolution of carbon species in interstellar environments. We also investigated the effects of newly calculated adsorption energies on the chemical compositions of cold dense molecular clouds with the aid of gas-ice astrochemical simulations. We found that abundances of major nitrogen-bearing molecules, such as N2 and NH3, are significantly altered by applying the calculated adsorption energy, because nitrogen atoms can thermally diffuse on surfaces, even at 10 K.

  4. Stabilization of organic matter in soils: role of amorphous mineral phases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zewde Tamrat, Wuhib; Rose, Jérôme; Levard, Clément; Chaurand, Perrine; Basile-Doelsch, Isabelle

    2016-04-01

    Soil organic matter (SOM) globally contributes the largest portion of continental carbon stock. One major issue concerning this large C pool includes its instability by mineralization and erosion due to land use. The main hypothesis of this work is that physicochemical stabilization of SOM is mainly driven by interactions of organic compounds, not with mineral surfaces as classically considered, but with amorphous polymers continuously formed by the alteration of soil minerals(1-3). Our objective is to understand how nano-organomineral complexes (nCOMx) are structured at the nanoscale, assess mechanisms of their formation, and quantify the effects of their occurrence on SOM turnovers. Due to inherent high complexity of natural samples, our methodology is based on the formation of nCOMx from both synthetic systems and natural mineral-weathered components. For the mineral component, biotite (from Bancroft, Canada) was selected. For the organic component, 3,4-Dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine, an amino acid with hydroxyl (pKa=9.95), carboxyl (pKa=2,58), amino (pKa=9,24) and an aromatic functions was chosen. The methodology aimed at developing conditions that generate biotite dissolution and nCOMx precipitation. The second step of the experiment consisted of the precipitation of nCOMx by slowly increasing pH over 3 to 12 hours of hydrolysis. Three final pH conditions were tested (4.2, 5 and 7) with Metal/Carbon ratios of 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 'No Carbon'. The first results of dissolution rates and congruency, AFM imaging, ICPMS, HR-TEM and XRD as well as XAS characterizations (transmission and florescence mode at the Fe K-edge) of nCOMx will be presented. Experiments and analysis techniques were designed to study these synthetic phases with regard to Si, Al, Fe and OM proportions to increase the OM proportion (as in natural soil phases) and also increase the stability of the OM phase (as in increased residence time of OM in the soil). We will focus particularly on the Fe state

  5. Structure and property relationships of amorphous CN sub x a joint experimental and theoretical study

    CERN Document Server

    Santos, M C D

    2000-01-01

    Amorphous CN sub x and CN sub x :H have been prepared by the ion beam assisted deposition technique. Samples were characterized through X-ray and UV photoemission, IR absorption and Raman spectroscopies. These spectra have been interpreted with the aid of quantum chemical calculations based upon the Hartree-Fock theory on several molecular models. The understanding of the electronic and structural properties of the amorphous alloy as a function of nitrogen content could help in the task of synthesizing the metastable silicon-nitride like-phase beta-C sub 3 N sub 4 , a solid which has been predicted to be as hard as diamond. The physical picture emerging from the present study helps to clarify the difficulties in obtaining the crystalline phase of the material, suggesting new experimental directions for syntheses.

  6. Amorphous track models: a numerical comparison study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Greilich, Steffen; Grzanka, Leszek; Hahn, Ute

    in carbon ion treatment at the particle facility HIT in Heidelberg. Apparent differences between the LEM and the Katz model are the way how interactions of individual particle tracks and how extended targets are handled. Complex scenarios, however, can mask the actual effect of these differences. Here, we......Amorphous track models such as Katz' Ion-Gamma-Kill (IGK) approach [1, 2] or the Local Effect Model (LEM) [3, 4] had reasonable success in predicting the response of solid state dosimeters and radiobiological systems. LEM is currently applied in radiotherapy for biological dose optimization...

  7. Ion implantation and amorphous metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hohmuth, K.; Rauschenbach, B.

    1981-01-01

    This review deals with ion implantation of metals in the high concentration range for preparing amorphous layers (>= 10 at%, implantation doses > 10 16 ions/cm 2 ). Different models are described concerning formation of amorphous phases of metals by ion implantation and experimental results are given. The study of amorphous phases has been carried out by the aid of Rutherford backscattering combined with the channeling technique and using transmission electron microscopy. The structure of amorphous metals prepared by ion implantation has been discussed. It was concluded that amorphous metal-metalloid compounds can be described by a dense-random-packing structure with a great portion of metal atoms. Ion implantation has been compared with other techniques for preparing amorphous metals and the adventages have been outlined

  8. Density of states in Mo-Ru amorphous alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyakawa, W.

    1985-01-01

    The density of states is calculated for several compositions of amorphous Mo 1-x Ru x . In order to simulate amorphous clusters, the structures (atomic positions) utilized in the calculations were built from a small dense randomly packed unit of hard spheres with periodic boundary conditions. The density of states is calculated from a tight-binding Hamiltonian with hopping integrals parametrized in terms of the ddσ, ddΠ and ddδ molecular integrals. The results for pure Mo and pure Ru, compared in the canonical band aproximation, agree well with the literature. For binary alloys, the comparison of the calculated density of states with the rigid band aproximation results indicates that a more complex approach than the rigid band model must be used, even when the two atoms have similar bands, with band centers at nearly the same energy. The results also indicate that there is no relation between the peak in the superconducting critical temperature as a function of the number of valence eletrons per atom (e/a) in the region near Mo(e/a=6) and the peak of the density of states at the Fermi level in the same region, as has been sugested by some authors. (Author) [pt

  9. Preparation and characterization of polymer-derived amorphous silicon carbide with silicon-rich stoichiometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Masuda, Takashi, E-mail: mtakashi@jaist.ac.jp [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Iwasaka, Akira [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Takagishi, Hideyuki [Faculty of Symbiotic System Science, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima 960-1296 (Japan); Shimoda, Tatsuya [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan)

    2016-08-01

    Polydihydrosilane with pendant hexyl groups was synthesized to obtain silicon-rich amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) films via the solution route. Unlike conventional polymeric precursors, this polymer requires neither catalysts nor oxidation for its synthesis and cross-linkage. Therefore, the polymer provides sufficient purity for the fabrication of semiconducting a-SiC. Here, we investigated the correlation of Si/C stoichiometry between the polymer and the resultant a-SiC film. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the films with various carbon contents were also explored. Experimental results suggested that the excess carbon that did not participate in Si−C configurations was decomposed and was evaporated during polymer-to-SiC conversion. Consequently, the upper limit of the carbon in resultant a-SiC film was < 50 at.%; namely, the polymer provided silicon-rich a-SiC, whereas the conventionally used polycarbosilane inevitably provides carbon-rich one. These features of this unusual polymer open up a frontier of polymer-derived SiC and solution-processed SiC electronics. - Highlights: • Polymeric precursor solution for silicon carbide (SiC) is synthesized. • Semiconducting amorphous SiC is prepared via solution route. • The excess carbon is decomposed during cross-linking resulting in Si-rich SiC films. • The grown SiC films contain substantial amount of hydrogen atoms as SiH{sub n}/CH{sub n} entities. • Presence of CH{sub n} entities induces dangling bonds, causing poor electrical properties.

  10. Crystalline-Amorphous Core−Shell Silicon Nanowires for High Capacity and High Current Battery Electrodes

    KAUST Repository

    Cui, Li-Feng

    2009-01-14

    Silicon is an attractive alloy-type anode material for lithium ion batteries because of its highest known capacity (4200 mAh/g). However silicon\\'s large volume change upon lithium insertion and extraction, which causes pulverization and capacity fading, has limited its applications. Designing nanoscale hierarchical structures is a novel approach to address the issues associated with the large volume changes. In this letter, we introduce a core-shell design of silicon nanowires for highpower and long-life lithium battery electrodes. Silicon crystalline- amorphous core-shell nanowires were grown directly on stainless steel current collectors by a simple one-step synthesis. Amorphous Si shells instead of crystalline Si cores can be selected to be electrochemically active due to the difference of their lithiation potentials. Therefore, crystalline Si cores function as a stable mechanical support and an efficient electrical conducting pathway while amorphous shells store Li ions. We demonstrate here that these core-shell nanowires have high charge storage capacity (̃1000 mAh/g, 3 times of carbon) with ̃90% capacity retention over 100 cycles. They also show excellent electrochemical performance at high rate charging and discharging (6.8 A/g, ̃20 times of carbon at 1 h rate). © 2009 American Chemical Society.

  11. Synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of an amorphous titanium dioxide derived from a solid state precursor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joyce, Christopher D.; McIntyre, Toni; Simmons, Sade; LaDuca, Holly; Breitzer, Jonathan G.; Lopez, Carmen M.; Jansen, Andrew N.; Vaughey, J. T.

    Titanium oxides are an important class of lithium-ion battery electrodes owing to their good capacity and stability within the cell environment. Although most Ti(IV) oxides are poor electronic conductors, new methods developed to synthesize nanometer scale primary particles have achieved the higher rate capability needed for modern commercial applications. In this report, the anionic water stable titanium oxalate anion [TiO(C 2O 4) 2] 2- was isolated in high yield as the insoluble DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane) salt. Powder X-ray diffraction studies show that the titanium dioxide material isolated after annealing in air is initially amorphous, converts to N-doped anatase above 400 °C, then to rutile above 600 °C. Electrochemical studies indicate that the amorphous titanium dioxide phase within a carbon matrix has a stable cycling capacity of ∼350 mAh g -1. On crystallizing at 400 °C to a carbon-coated anatase the capacity drops to 210 mAh g -1, and finally upon carbon burn-off to 50 mAh g -1. Mixtures of the amorphous titanium dioxide and Li 4Ti 5O 12 showed a similar electrochemical profile and capacity to Li 4Ti 5O 12 but with the addition of a sloping region to the end of the discharge curve that could be advantageous for determining state-of-charge in systems using Li 4Ti 5O 12.

  12. Enhanced efficiency of hybrid amorphous silicon solar cells based on single-walled carbon nanotubes and polymer composite thin film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajanna, Pramod M.; Gilshteyn, Evgenia P.; Yagafarov, Timur; Aleekseeva, Alena K.; Anisimov, Anton S.; Neumüller, Alex; Sergeev, Oleg; Bereznev, Sergei; Maricheva, Jelena; Nasibulin, Albert G.

    2018-03-01

    We report a simple approach to fabricate hybrid solar cells (HSCs) based on a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) film and thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). Randomly oriented high-quality SWCNTs with conductivity enhanced by means of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate are used as a window layer and a front electrode. A series of HSCs are fabricated in ambient conditions with varying SWCNT film thicknesses. The polymethylmethacrylate layer drop-casted on fabricated HSCs reduces the reflection fourfold and enhances the short-circuit J sc , open-circuit V oc , and efficiency by nearly 10%. A state-of-the-art J-V performance is shown for SWCNT/a-Si HSC with an open-circuit voltage of 900 mV and an efficiency of 3.4% under simulated one-sun AM 1.5 G direct illumination.

  13. Nickel–carbon nanocomposites: Synthesis, structural changes and strengthening mechanisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nunes, D.; Vilarigues, M.; Correia, J.B.; Carvalho, P.A.

    2012-01-01

    The present work investigates Ni–nanodiamond and Ni–graphite composites produced by mechanical synthesis and subsequent heat treatments. Processing of nickel–carbon nanocomposites by this powder metallurgy route poses specific challenges, as carbon phases are prone to carbide conversion and amorphization. The processing window for carbide prevention has been established through X-ray diffraction by a systematic variation of the milling parameters. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the absence of carbide and showed homogeneous particle distributions, as well as intimate bonding between the metallic matrix and the carbon phases. Ring diffraction patterns of chemically extracted carbon phases demonstrated that milled nanodiamond preserved crystallinity, while an essentially amorphous nature could be inferred for milled graphite. Raman spectra confirmed that nanodiamond particles remained largely unaffected by mechanical synthesis, whereas the bands of milled graphite were significantly changed into the typical amorphous carbon fingerprint. The results on the annealed nanocomposites showed that milling with Ni accelerated graphitization of the carbon phases during heat treatments at 973 and 1073 K in both composites. At the finer scales, the nanocomposites exhibited a remarkable microhardness enhancement (∼70%) compared with pure nanostructured nickel. The Hall–Petch relation and the Orowan–Ashby equation are used to discuss strengthening mechanisms and the load transfer ability to the reinforcing particles.

  14. Compositions of corrosion-resistant Fe-based amorphous metals suitable for producing thermal spray coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farmer, Joseph C; Wong, Frank M.G.; Haslam, Jeffery J; Ji, Xiaoyan; Day, Sumner D; Blue, Craig A; Rivard, John D.K.; Aprigliano, Louis F; Kohler, Leslie K; Bayles, Robert; Lemieux, Edward J; Yang, Nancy; Perepezko, John H; Kaufman, Larry; Heuer, Arthur; Lavernia, Enrique J

    2013-09-03

    A method of coating a surface comprising providing a source of amorphous metal that contains manganese (1 to 3 atomic %), yttrium (0.1 to 10 atomic %), and silicon (0.3 to 3.1 atomic %) in the range of composition given in parentheses; and that contains the following elements in the specified range of composition given in parentheses: chromium (15 to 20 atomic %), molybdenum (2 to 15 atomic %), tungsten (1 to 3 atomic %), boron (5 to 16 atomic %), carbon (3 to 16 atomic %), and the balance iron; and applying said amorphous metal to the surface by a spray.

  15. Composites of amorphous and nanocrystalline Zr–Cu–Al–Nb bulk materials synthesized by spark plasma sintering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Drescher, P., E-mail: philipp.drescher@uni-rostock.de [Fluidic Technology and Microfluidics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Marine Technology, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock (Germany); Witte, K. [Physics of New Materials, Institute of Physics, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock (Germany); Yang, B. [Polymer Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock (Germany); Steuer, R.; Kessler, O. [Chair of Materials Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Marine Technology, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock (Germany); Burkel, E. [Physics of New Materials, Institute of Physics, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock (Germany); Schick, C. [Polymer Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock (Germany); Seitz, H. [Fluidic Technology and Microfluidics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Marine Technology, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock (Germany)

    2016-05-15

    The fabrication of Zr{sub 70}Cu{sub 24}Al{sub 4}Nb{sub 2} bulk metallic glass composite samples by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process has been successfully realized. The unique characteristics of bulk metallic glasses could lead to the possibility of future applications as new structural and functional materials. The densification of an amorphous Zr{sub 70}Cu{sub 24}Al{sub 4}Nb{sub 2} powder was realized in a systematic study changing the sintering temperature in the SPS process leading to stable composites characteristic of amorphous and nanocrystalline structures. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as well as hardness tests were applied to determine the structural and mechanical properties of the sintered materials. A stable amorphous bulk metallic glass based on Zr{sub 70}Cu{sub 24}Al{sub 4}Nb{sub 2} with a low fraction of crystallites could be fabricated applying a nominal sintering temperature of 400 °C. Higher sintering temperatures lead to composites with high fractions of nanocrystalline material with porosities below 0.5%.

  16. Erosion behavior of soft, amorphous deuterated carbon films by heat treatment in air and under vacuum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maruyama, K.

    1999-01-01

    The erosion of soft a-C:D films by heat treatment in air and under vacuum is studied by ion-beam analysis. When the films are heated in air above 500 K, the film thickness and the areal densities of C and especially D decrease, and oxygen is incorporated in the films. The initial atomic loss rates of carbon and deuterium from the films are 2.6 x 10 17 C atoms cm -2 h -1 and 4.8 x 10 17 D atoms cm -2 h -1 at 550 K. However, after D depletion the films show a resistivity against further erosion due to annealing in air. When the films are heated under vacuum erosion starts at about 600 K and all components including D decrease proportionally to the film thickness. Thermal desorption spectroscopy of the films reveals the evolution of C x D y type hydrocarbons. Infrared analysis shows that the incorporated oxygen is chemically bonded to carbon. The thermally-activated decomposition of the soft a-C:D films is compared to that of hard a-C:D films and a reaction scheme is suggested. (orig.)

  17. Al–Mn coating electrodeposited from ionic liquid on NdFeB magnet with high hardness and corrosion resistance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, Jingjing; Xu, Bajin; Ling, Guoping, E-mail: linggp@zju.edu.cn

    2014-06-01

    Al–Mn coatings were electrodeposited on sintered NdFeB permanent magnet in MnCl{sub 2}–AlCl{sub 3}–1-ethyl-3-methylim-idazolium chloride (MnCl{sub 2}–AlCl{sub 3}–EMIC) ionic liquid at room temperature. The coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The adhesion strength of the coating on NdFeB substrate was evaluated by thermal shock and scratch test. The hardness and corrosion behavior of Al–Mn coating were measured by a Knoop microhardness tester, immersion test and neutral salt spray test respectively. The results showed that the amorphous structure of the deposits was obtained at the current density of 6 mA/cm{sup 2}, while higher current densities resulted in a mixed structure of amorphous and crystalline. The Al–Mn coating showed excellent adhesion strength on NdFeB substrate with the thermal shock test over 30 cycles and L{sub c} > 80 N. The hardness of Al–Mn coating was up to 5.4 GPa. The amorphous Al–Mn coating showed an anodic sacrificial protection with a low corrosion rate for NdFeB. Meanwhile, the magnetic properties measured by an AMT-4 magnetic measurement device showed that Al–Mn coating did not deteriorate the magnetic property of NdFeB.

  18. Al–Mn coating electrodeposited from ionic liquid on NdFeB magnet with high hardness and corrosion resistance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding, Jingjing; Xu, Bajin; Ling, Guoping

    2014-01-01

    Al–Mn coatings were electrodeposited on sintered NdFeB permanent magnet in MnCl 2 –AlCl 3 –1-ethyl-3-methylim-idazolium chloride (MnCl 2 –AlCl 3 –EMIC) ionic liquid at room temperature. The coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The adhesion strength of the coating on NdFeB substrate was evaluated by thermal shock and scratch test. The hardness and corrosion behavior of Al–Mn coating were measured by a Knoop microhardness tester, immersion test and neutral salt spray test respectively. The results showed that the amorphous structure of the deposits was obtained at the current density of 6 mA/cm 2 , while higher current densities resulted in a mixed structure of amorphous and crystalline. The Al–Mn coating showed excellent adhesion strength on NdFeB substrate with the thermal shock test over 30 cycles and L c > 80 N. The hardness of Al–Mn coating was up to 5.4 GPa. The amorphous Al–Mn coating showed an anodic sacrificial protection with a low corrosion rate for NdFeB. Meanwhile, the magnetic properties measured by an AMT-4 magnetic measurement device showed that Al–Mn coating did not deteriorate the magnetic property of NdFeB.

  19. ACBC to Balcite: Bioinspired Synthesis of a Highly Substituted High-Temperature Phase from an Amorphous Precursor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Whittaker, Michael L.; Joester, Derk (NWU)

    2017-04-28

    Energy-efficient synthesis of materials locked in compositional and structural states far from equilibrium remains a challenging goal, yet biomineralizing organisms routinely assemble such materials with sophisticated designs and advanced functional properties, often using amorphous precursors. However, incorporation of organics limits the useful temperature range of these materials. Herein, the bioinspired synthesis of a highly supersaturated calcite (Ca0.5Ba0.5CO3) called balcite is reported, at mild conditions and using an amorphous calcium–barium carbonate (ACBC) (Ca1- x Ba x CO3·1.2H2O) precursor. Balcite not only contains 50 times more barium than the solubility limit in calcite but also displays the rotational disorder on carbonate sites that is typical for high-temperature calcite. It is significantly harder (30%) and less stiff than calcite, and retains these properties after heating to elevated temperatures. Analysis of balcite local order suggests that it may require the formation of the ACBC precursor and could therefore be an example of nonclassical nucleation. These findings demonstrate that amorphous precursor pathways are powerfully enabling and provide unprecedented access to materials far from equilibrium, including high-temperature modifications by room-temperature synthesis.

  20. Structure, hardness and fracture features of nanostructural materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noskova, N.I.; Korznikov, A.V.; Idrisova, S.R.

    2000-01-01

    A study is made into nanocrystalline metals Cu and Mo, nanocrystalline intermetallic compound Ni 3 Al produced using severe plastic deformation; nanophase alloys Fe 73.5 Cu 1 Nb 3 Si 1.35 B 9 and Pd 81 Cu 7 Si 12 produced by crystallization from amorphous state as well as nanophase materials TiN and Al 2 O 3 produced by nano powder compacting in the temperature range of 273-573 K. Methods of transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, mechanical testing and microhardness measurement are applied to study structure, internal elastic stress, phase composition, hardness, strength and plastic properties, surface fracture mode of nanostructural materials [ru

  1. Ultra low nanowear in novel chromium/amorphous chromium carbide nanocomposite films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yate, Luis; Martínez-de-Olcoz, Leyre; Esteve, Joan; Lousa, Arturo

    2017-10-01

    In this work, we report the first observation of novel nanocomposite thin films consisting of nanocrystalline chromium embedded in an amorphous chromium carbide matrix (nc-Cr/a-CrC) with relatively high hardness (∼22,3 GPa) and ultra low nanowear. The films were deposited onto silicon substrates using a magnetic filtered cathodic arc deposition system at various negative bias voltages, from 50 to 450 V. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggested the co-existence of chromium and chromium carbide phases, while high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirmed the presence of the nc-Cr/a-CrC structure. The friction coefficient measured with the ball-on disk technique and the nanowear results showed a strong correlation between the macro and nano-tribological properties of the samples. These novel nanocomposite films show promising properties as solid lubricant and wear resistant coatings with relatively high hardness, low friction coefficient and ultra low nanowear.

  2. A supercritical carbon dioxide plasma process for preparing tungsten oxide nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawashima, Ayato; Nomura, Shinfuku; Toyota, Hiromichi; Takemori, Toshihiko; Mukasa, Shinobu; Maehara, Tsunehiro

    2007-01-01

    A supercritical carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) plasma process for fabricating one-dimensional tungsten oxide nanowires coated with amorphous carbon is presented. High-frequency plasma was generated in supercritical carbon dioxide at 20 MPa by using tungsten electrodes mounted in a supercritical cell, and subsequently an organic solvent was introduced with supercritical carbon dioxide into the plasma. Electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy investigations of the deposited materials showed the production of tungsten oxide nanowires with or without an outer layer. The nanowires with an outer layer exhibited a coaxial structure with an outer concentric layer of amorphous carbon and an inner layer of tungsten oxide with a thickness and diameter of 20-30 and 10-20 nm, respectively

  3. Structure and properties of carbon black particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Wei

    Structure and properties of carbon black particles were investigated using atomic force microscopy, gas adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Supplementary information was obtained using TEM and neutron scattering. The AFM imaging of carbon black aggregates provided qualitative visual information on their morphology, complementary to that obtained by 3-D modeling based on TEM images. Our studies showed that carbon black aggregates were relatively flat. The surface of all untreated carbon black particles was found to be rough and its fractal dimension was 2.2. Heating reduced the roughness and fractal dimension for all samples heat treated at above 1300 K to 2.0. Once the samples were heat treated rapid cooling did not affect the surface roughness. However, rapid cooling reduced crystallite sizes, and different Raman spectra were obtained for carbon blacks of various history of heat treatment. By analyzing the Raman spectra we determined the crystallite sizes and identified amorphous carbon. The concentration of amorphous carbon depends on hydrogen content. Once hydrogen was liberated at increased temperature, the concentration of amorphous carbon was reduced and crystallites started to grow. Properties of carbon blacks at high pressure were also studied. Hydrostatic pressure did not affect the size of the crystallites in carbon black particles. The pressure induced shift in Raman frequency of the graphitic component was a result of increased intermolecular forces and not smaller crystallites. Two methods of determining the fractal dimension, the FHH model and the yardstick technique based on the BET theory were used in the literature. Our study proved that the FHH model is sensitive to numerous assumptions and leads to wrong conclusions. On the other hand the yardstick method gave correct results, which agreed with the AFM results.

  4. Thermal Conductivity and Wear Behavior of HVOF-Sprayed Fe-Based Amorphous Coatings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haihua Yao

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available To protect aluminum parts in vehicle engines, metal-based thermal barrier coatings in the form of Fe59Cr12Nb5B20Si4 amorphous coatings were prepared by high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF spraying under two different conditions. The microstructure, thermal transport behavior, and wear behavior of the coatings were characterized simultaneously. As a result, this alloy shows high process robustness during spraying. Both Fe-based coatings present dense, layered structure with porosities below 0.9%. Due to higher amorphous phase content, the coating H-1 exhibits a relatively low thermal conductivity, reaching 2.66 W/(m·K, two times lower than the reference stainless steel coating (5.85 W/(m·K, indicating a good thermal barrier property. Meanwhile, the thermal diffusivity of amorphous coatings display a limited increase with temperature up to 500 °C, which guarantees a steady and wide usage on aluminum alloy. Furthermore, the amorphous coating shows better wear resistance compared to high carbon martensitic GCr15 steel at different temperatures. The increased temperature accelerating the tribological reaction, leads to the friction coefficient and wear rate of coating increasing at 200 °C and decreasing at 400 °C.

  5. Positrons in amorphous alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moser, Pierre.

    1981-07-01

    Positron annihilation techniques give interesting informations about ''empty spaces'' in amorphous alloys. The results of an extensive research work on the properties of either pre-existing or irradiation induced ''empty spaces'' in four amorphous alloys are presented. The pre-existing empty spaces appear to be small vacancy-like defects. The irradiation induced defects are ''close pairs'' with widely distributed configurations. There is a strong interaction between vacancy like and interstitial like components. A model is proposed, which explains the radiation resistance mechanism of the amorphous alloys. An extensive joint research work to study four amorphous alloys, Fe 80 B 20 ,Fe 40 Ni 40 P 14 B 6 , Cu 50 Ti 50 , Pd 80 Si 20 , is summarized

  6. Focused ion beam milling of carbon fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huson, Mickey G.; Church, Jeffrey S.; Hillbrick, Linda K.; Woodhead, Andrea L.; Sridhar, Manoj; Van De Meene, Allison M.L.

    2015-01-01

    A focused ion beam has been used to mill both individual carbon fibres as well as fibres in an epoxy composite, with a view to preparing flat surfaces for nano-indentation. The milled surfaces have been assessed for damage using scanning probe microscopy nano-indentation and Raman micro-probe analysis, revealing that FIB milling damages the carbon fibre surface and covers surrounding areas with debris of disordered carbon. The debris is detected as far as 100 μm from the milling site. The energy of milling as well as the orientation of the beam was varied and shown to have an effect when assessed by Raman spectroscopy. - Highlights: • Focused ion beam (FIB) milling was used to mill flat surfaces on carbon fibres. • Raman spectroscopy showed amorphous carbon was generated during FIB milling. • The amorphous debris is detected as far as 100 μm from the milling site. • This surface degradation was confirmed by nano-indentation experiments.

  7. Comparative evaluation of Nano-hydroxyapatite and casein Phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate on the remineralization potential of early enamel lesions: An in vitro study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anshul Sharma

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Benefits of remineralizing agents in a wide variety of formulations have been proved beneficial in caries management. Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP–ACP nanocomplex has been recommended and used as remineralizing agent. Nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HAp is one of the most biocompatible and bioactive material having wide range of application in dentistry, but does it excel better compared to CPP-ACP. Aims: To evaluate and compare the remineralizing efficiency of the paste containing hydroxyapatite and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate. Settings and Design: The study was an in vitro single blinded study with lottery method of randomization approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Materials and methods: 30 non carious premolar teeth. The teeth were demineralized and divided into 2 groups and subjected to remineralization. The samples were analysed for surface hardness and mineral content. Statistical Analysis: Student t’ test and repeated measures of ANOVA was applied. Results: Average hardness in Nano-hydroxyapatite group increased to 340 ± 31.70 SD and 426 ± 50.62 SD for 15 and 30 days respectively and that of (CPP–ACP, 355.83 ± 38.55 SD and 372.67 ± 53.63 SD. The change in the hardness values was not statistically significant with P value of 0.39 (P > 0.05. Calcium and Phosphorous levels increased in both the groups but was not significant. Conclusion: Both the agents used are effective in causing remineralization of enamel. Nano-hydroxyapatite is more effective as compared to Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate, in increasing the Calcium and Phosphorus content of enamel, and this effect is more evident over a longer treatment period. Key Message: Remineralizing agents are a boon for caries management. With the advent of many formulations it is difficult to clinically select the agent. This study compares the remineralizing potential of Casein

  8. Eelectrochemical properties and corrosion resistance of carbon-ion-implanted magnesium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Ruizhen; Yang, Xiongbo; Li, Penghui; Suen, Kai Wong; Wu, Guosong; Chu, Paul K.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Carbon, as a biocompatible benign element, was implanted into Mg. • A protective amorphous carbon layer was formed after implantation. • Treated sample exhibits good corrosion resistance in two solutions. - Abstract: The corrosion resistance of magnesium-based biomaterials is critical to clinical applications. In this work, carbon as a biocompatible and benign nonmetallic element with high chemical inertness is implanted into pure magnesium to improve the corrosion behavior. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and Raman scattering reveal the formation of an amorphous carbon layer after ion implantation. Electrochemical studies demonstrate remarkable improvement in the corrosion resistance of magnesium in simulated body fluids (SBF) and Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)

  9. Preparation of iron oxide-impregnated spherical granular activated carbon-carbon composite and its photocatalytic removal of methylene blue in the presence of oxalic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadirova, Zukhra C; Hojamberdiev, Mirabbos; Katsumata, Ken-Ichi; Isobe, Toshihiro; Matsushita, Nobuhiro; Nakajima, Akira; Sharipov, Khasan; Okada, Kiyoshi

    2014-01-01

    The spherical granular activated carbon-carbon composites (GAC-Fe) with different iron oxide contents (Fe mass% = 0.6-10) were prepared by a pore volume impregnation method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N2-adsorption results confirm the presence of amorphous iron oxide, pyrolytic carbon, and graphitized globular carbon nanoparticles covered with amorphous carbon in the CAG-Fe. The rate of photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under UV light in the presence of oxalic acid correlates with porosity of the prepared materials. The total MB removal includes the combination of adsorption and photodegradation without the addition of H2O2. The results of total organic carbon (TOC) analysis reveal that the decolorization of MB in aqueous solution containing oxalic acid corresponds to the decomposition of organic compounds to CO2 and H2O.

  10. Microstructure and Hardness Distribution of Resistance Welded Advanced High Strength Steels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Kim Richardt; Harthøj, Anders; Friis, Kasper Leth

    2008-01-01

    In this work a low carbon steel and two high strength steels (DP600 and TRIP700) have been resistance lap welded and the hardness profiles were measured by micro hardness indentation of cross sections of the joint. The resulting microstructure of the weld zone of the DP-DP and TRIP-TRIP joints were...... found to consist of a martensitic structure with a significant increase in hardness. Joints of dissimilar materials mixed completely in the melted region forming a new alloy with a hardness profile lying in between the hardness measured in joints of the similar materials. Furthermore the joints were...

  11. From spent graphite to amorphous sp2+sp3 carbon-coated sp2 graphite for high-performance lithium ion batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Zhen; Zhuang, Yuchan; Deng, Yaoming; Song, Xiaona; Zuo, Xiaoxi; Xiao, Xin; Nan, Junmin

    2018-02-01

    Today, with the massive application of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) in the portable devices and electric vehicles, to supply the active materials with high-performances and then to recycle their wastes are two core issues for the development of LIBs. In this paper, the spent graphite (SG) in LIBs is used as raw materials to fabricate two comparative high-capacity graphite anode materials. Based on a microsurgery-like physical reconstruction, the reconstructed graphite (RG) with a sp2+sp3 carbon surface is prepared through a microwave exfoliation and subsequent spray drying process. In contrast, the neural-network-like amorphous sp2+sp3 carbon-coated graphite (AC@G) is synthesized using a self-reconfigurable chemical reaction strategy. Compared with SG and commercial graphite (CG), both RG and AC@G have enhanced specific capacities, from 311.2 mAh g-1 and 360.7 mAh g-1 to 409.7 mAh g-1 and 420.0 mAh g-1, at 0.1C after 100 cycles. In addition, they exhibit comparable cycling stability, rate capability, and voltage plateau with CG. Because the synthesis of RG and AC@G represents two typical physical and chemical methods for the recycling of SG, these results on the sp2+sp3 carbon layer coating bulk graphite also reveal an approach for the preparation of high-performance graphite anode materials derived from SG.

  12. Cu incorporated amorphous diamond like carbon (DLC) composites: An efficient electron field emitter over a wide range of temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Sk Faruque; Alam, Md Shahbaz; Mukherjee, Nillohit

    2018-03-01

    The effect of temperature on the electron field emission properties of copper incorporated amorphous diamond like carbon (a-Cu:DLC) thin films have been reported. The a-Cu:DLC thin films have been deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass and silicon substrate by the radio frequency sputtering process. The chemical composition of the films was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the micro structure was established using high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The sp2 and sp3 bonding ratio in the a-Cu:DLC have been analyzed by the Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy studies. The material showed excellent electron field emission properties; which was optimized by varying the copper atomic percentage and temperature of the films. It was found that the threshold field and effective emission barrier were reduced significantly by copper incorporation as well as temperature and a detailed explanation towards emission mechanism has been provided.

  13. Thermal treatment of the Fe78Si9B13 alloy in it amorphous phase studied by means of Moessbauer spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cabral P, A.; Lopez, A.; Garcia S, F.

    2003-01-01

    The magnetic and microhardness changes, dependents of the temperature that occur in the Fe 78 Si 9 B 13 alloy in it amorphous state were studied by means of the Moessbauer spectroscopy and Vickers microhardness. According to the Moessbauer parameters and in particular that of the hyperfine magnetic field, this it changes according to the changes of the microhardness; i.e. if the microhardness increases, the hyperfine magnetic field increases. The registered increment of hardness in the amorphous state of this alloy should be considered as anomalous, according to the prediction of the Hall-Petch equation, the one that relates negative slopes with grain sizes every time but small. (Author)

  14. Conductivity enhancement of ion tracks in tetrahedral amorphous carbon by doping with N, B, Cu and Fe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krauser, J.; Nix, A.-K.; Gehrke, H.-G.; Hofsäss, H.; Trautmann, C.; Weidinger, A.

    2012-01-01

    Conducting ion tracks are formed when high-energy heavy ions (e.g. 1 GeV Au) pass through tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C). These nanowires with a diameter of about 8 nm are embedded in the insulating ta-C matrix and of interest for various nanotechnological applications. Usually the overall conductivity of the tracks and the current/voltage characteristics (Ohmic or non-Ohmic) vary strongly from track to track, even when measured on the same sample, indicating that the track formation is neither complete nor homogeneous. To improve the track conductivity, doping of ta-C with N, B, Cu, or Fe is investigated. Beneficial changes in track conductivity after doping compete with a conductivity increase of the surrounding matrix material. Best results are achieved by incorporation of 1 at.% Cu, while for different reasons, the improvement of the tracks remains moderate for N, B, and Fe doping. Conductivity enhancement of the tracks is assumed to develop during the ion track formation process by an increased number of localized states which contribute to the current transport.

  15. Charged Nanowire-Directed Growth of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Nanosheets in a Mixed Solvent for Biomimetic Composite Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yangyi; Liu, Lei; Chen, Si-Ming; Chang, Fu-Jia; Mao, Li-Bo; Gao, Huai-Ling; Ma, Tao; Yu, Shu-Hong

    2018-04-19

    Bio-inspired mineralization is an effective way for fabricating complicated inorganic materials, which inspires us to develop new methods to synthesize materials with fascinating properties. In this article, we report that the charged tellurium nanowires (TeNWs) can be used as bio-macromolecule analogues to direct the formation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) nanosheets (ACCNs) in a mixed solvent. The effects of surface charges and the concentration of the TeNWs on the formation of ACCNs have been investigated. Particularly, the produced ACCNs can be functionalized by Fe3O4 nanoparticles to produce magnetic ACC/Fe3O4 hybrid nanosheets, which can be used to construct ACC/Fe3O4 composite films through a self-evaporation process. Moreover, sodium alginate-ACC nanocomposite films with remarkable toughness and good transmittance can also be fabricated by using such ACCNs as nanoscale building blocks. This mineralization approach in a mixed solvent using charged tellurium nanowires as bio-macromolecule analogues provides a new way for the synthesis of ACCNs, which can be used as nanoscale building blocks for fabrication of biomimetic composite films.

  16. The transformation of amorphous calcium carbonate, ACC, to crystalline phases as function of time and temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gies, Hermann; Happel, Marian; Niedermayr, Andrea; Immenhauser, Adrian

    2017-04-01

    We present results from a structural study of the transformation of freeze dried amorphous calcium carbonate, ACC, in crystalline material using pair distribution function analysis, PDF analysis, of X-ray powder diffraction data, XPD data. PDF analysis allows for the analysis of local order of structural subunit in the range between molecular unit (1. and 2. coordination sphere) and long range periodicity as in crystalline materials. ACC was precipitated from aqueous solutions at 298 K and 278 K using different amounts of Mg cations as stabilizer. The samples were immediately separated from the solution and freeze dried. For the transformation study, the samples were heated and analysed using XPD until they were crystallized. The radial distribution obtained from the XPD data were compared to simulated radial distributions of the calcium carbonate polymorphs and their hydrated phases. An ACC precipitated from a solution with Ca:Mg:CO3 = 1:5:4 at 298 K (ration in mmol, pH = 8.2) and freeze dried right after isolation from the solution revealed a close resemblance with ikaite in its local order. Another ACC with Ca:Mg:CO3 = 1:10:1.4 (T = 298, pH = 8.7) showed distinctly different local order resembling monohydrocalcite. Both ACC, however, still had considerable amounts of water dominating the Ca-coordination sphere. During the transformation to calcite, the structural changes in the sample concerned the hydrate water coordinating Ca which was removed and replaced by the carbonate oxygens. The study shows that ACC obtained from different starting solutions show specific local order. Freeze drying leads to solid ACC powder which still contain considerable amounts of hydrate water. Structural subunits are distinct in ACC and different from the crystalline phase. The study supplements recent reports presented by Konrad et al., Purgstaller et al., and Tobler et al.. F. Konrad et al., Cryst. Growth Des. 16, 6310-6317(2016) B. Purgstaller et al., Geochimica et Cosmochimica

  17. Face-specific Replacement of Calcite by Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liesegang, M.; Milke, R.; Neusser, G.; Mizaikoff, B.

    2016-12-01

    Amorphous silica, composed of nanoscale spheres, is an important biomineral, alteration product of silicate rocks on the Earth's surface, and precursor material for stable silicate minerals. Despite constant progress in silica sphere synthesis, fundamental knowledge of natural silica particle interaction and ordering processes leading to colloidal crystals is absent so far. To understand the formation pathways of silica spheres in a geologic environment, we investigated silicified Cretaceous mollusk shell pseudomorphs from Coober Pedy (South Australia) using focused ion beam (FIB)-SEM tomography, petrographic microscopy, µ-XRD, and EMPA. The shells consist of replaced calcite crystals (ionic strength remain constant throughout the replacement process, permitting continuous silica nanoparticle formation and diffusion-limited colloid aggregation. Our study provides a natural example of the transformation of an atomic crystal to an amorphous, mesoscale ordered material; thus, links the research fields of natural colloidal crystal formation, carbonate-silica replacement, and crystallization by oriented particle aggregation (CPA).

  18. Photodecomposition of Hg - Photo - CVD monosilane. Application to hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aka, B.

    1989-04-01

    The construction of a Hg-photo-CVD device is discussed. The system enables the manufacturing of hydrogenous thin films of amorphous silicon from monosilane compound. The reaction mechanisms taking place in the gaseous phase and at the surface, and the optimal conditions for the amorphous silicon film growth are studied. The analysis technique is based on the measurement of the difference between the condensation points of the gaseous components of the mixture obtained from the monosilane photolysis. A kinetic simplified model is proposed. Conductivity measurements are performed and the heat treatment effects are analyzed. Trace amounts of oxygen and carbon are found in the material. No Hg traces are detected by SIMS analysis [fr

  19. An Amorphous Carbon Nitride Composite Derived from ZIF-8 as Anode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jing-Min; Chen, Jia-Jia; Zhang, Qian; Chen, Bin-Bin; Zang, Jun; Zheng, Ming-Sen; Dong, Quan-Feng

    2015-06-08

    An composite comprising amorphous carbon nitride (ACN) and zinc oxide is derived from ZIF-8 by pyrolysis. The composite is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries. The nitrogen content of the ACN composite is as high as 20.4 %, and the bonding state of nitrogen is mostly pyridinic, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The composite exhibits an excellent Na(+) storage performance with a reversible capacity of 430 mA h g(-1) and 146 mA h g(-1) at current densities of 83 mA g(-1) and 8.33 A g(-1) , respectively. A specific capacity of 175 mA h g(-1) was maintained after 2000 cycles at 1.67 A g(-1) , with only 0.016 % capacity degradation per cycle. Moreover, an accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) test demonstrates the excellent thermal stability of the composite, with a low self heating rate and high onset temperature (210 °C). These results shows its promise as a candidate material for high-capacity, high-rate anodes for sodium-ion batteries. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Structural amorphous steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Z.P.; Liu, C.T.; Porter, W.D.; Thompson, J.R.

    2004-01-01

    Recent advancement in bulk metallic glasses, whose properties are usually superior to their crystalline counterparts, has stimulated great interest in fabricating bulk amorphous steels. While a great deal of effort has been devoted to this field, the fabrication of structural amorphous steels with large cross sections has remained an alchemist's dream because of the limited glass-forming ability (GFA) of these materials. Here we report the discovery of structural amorphous steels that can be cast into glasses with large cross-section sizes using conventional drop-casting methods. These new steels showed interesting physical, magnetic, and mechanical properties, along with high thermal stability. The underlying mechanisms for the superior GFA of these materials are discussed

  1. The effect of iron catalyzed graphitization on the textural properties of carbonized cellulose : Magnetically separable graphitic carbon bodies for catalysis and remediation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoekstra, Jacco; Beale, Andrew M.; Soulimani, Fouad; Versluijs-Helder, Marjan; Van De Kleut, Dirk; Koelewijn, Jacobus M.; Geus, John W.; Jenneskens, Leonardus W.

    2016-01-01

    Whereas pyrolysis of pristine microcrystalline cellulose spheres yields nonporous amorphous carbon bodies, pyrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose spheres loaded with iron salts leads to the formation of magnetically separable mesoporous graphitic carbon bodies. The microcrystalline cellulose

  2. [Study on influence between activated carbon property and immobilized biological activated carbon purification effect].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guang-zhi; Li, Wei-guang; He, Wen-jie; Han, Hong-da; Ding, Chi; Ma, Xiao-na; Qu, Yan-ming

    2006-10-01

    By means of immobilizing five kinds of activated carbon, we studied the influence between the chief activated carbon property items and immobilized bioactivated carbon (IBAC) purification effect with the correlation analysis. The result shows that the activated carbon property items which the correlation coefficient is up 0.7 include molasses, abrasion number, hardness, tannin, uniform coefficient, mean particle diameter and effective particle diameter; the activated carbon property items which the correlation coefficient is up 0.5 include pH, iodine, butane and tetrachloride. In succession, the partial correlation analysis shows that activated carbon property items mostly influencing on IBAC purification effect include molasses, hardness, abrasion number, uniform coefficient, mean particle diameter and effective particle diameter. The causation of these property items bringing influence on IBAC purification is that the activated carbon holes distribution (representative activated carbon property item is molasses) provides inhabitable location and adjust food for the dominance bacteria; the mechanical resist-crash property of activated carbon (representative activated carbon property items: abrasion number and hardness) have influence on the stability of biofilm; and the particle diameter size and distribution of activated carbon (representative activated carbon property items: uniform coefficient, mean particle diameter and effective particle diameter) can directly affect the force of water in IBAC filter bed, which brings influence on the dominance bacteria immobilizing on activated carbon.

  3. Micro-raman and tip-enhanced raman spectroscopy of carbon allotropes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoffmann, G.G.; With, de G.; Loos, J.

    2008-01-01

    Raman spectroscopic data are obtained on various carbon allotropes like diamond, amorphous carbon, graphite, graphene and single wall carbon nanotubes by micro-Raman spectroscopy, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy imaging, and the potentials of these techniques for

  4. Structural, nanomechanical and variable range hopping conduction behavior of nanocrystalline carbon thin films deposited by the ambient environment assisted filtered cathodic jet carbon arc technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Panwar, O.S., E-mail: ospanwar@mail.nplindia.ernet.in [Polymorphic Carbon Thin Films Group, Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi - 110 012 (India); Rawal, Ishpal; Tripathi, R.K. [Polymorphic Carbon Thin Films Group, Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi - 110 012 (India); Srivastava, A.K. [Electron and Ion Microscopy, Sophisticated and Analytical Instruments, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi - 110 012 (India); Kumar, Mahesh [Ultrafast Opto-Electronics and Tetrahertz Photonics Group, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi - 110 012 (India)

    2015-04-15

    Highlights: • Nanocrystalline carbon thin films are grown by filtered cathodic jet carbon arc process. • Effect of gaseous environment on the properties of carbon films has been studied. • The structural and nanomechanical properties of carbon thin films have been studied. • The VRH conduction behavior in nanocrystalline carbon thin films has been studied. - Abstract: This paper reports the deposition and characterization of nanocrystalline carbon thin films by filtered cathodic jet carbon arc technique assisted with three different gaseous environments of helium, nitrogen and hydrogen. All the films are nanocrystalline in nature as observed from the high resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) measurements, which suggests that the nanocrystallites of size ∼10–50 nm are embedded though out the amorphous matrix. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies suggest that the film deposited under the nitrogen gaseous environment has the highest sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} ratio accompanied with the highest hardness of ∼18.34 GPa observed from the nanoindentation technique. The film deposited under the helium gaseous environment has the highest ratio of the area under the Raman D peak to G peak (A{sub D}/A{sub G}) and the highest conductivity (∼2.23 S/cm) at room temperature, whereas, the film deposited under the hydrogen environment has the lowest conductivity value (2.27 × 10{sup −7} S/cm). The temperature dependent dc conduction behavior of all the nanocrystalline carbon thin films has been analyzed in the light of Mott’s variable range hopping (VRH) conduction mechanism and observed that all the films obey three dimension VRH conduction mechanism for the charge transport.

  5. Rolling contact fatigue of low hardness steel for slewing ring application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knuth, Jason A.

    This thesis discusses the rolling contact fatigue of steel utilized in anti-friction bearings, also referred to as slewing bearings. These slewing bearings are utilized in cranes, excavators, wind turbines and other similar applications. Five materials composed of two different material types were tested. The two material types were high carbon steel and medium carbon alloy steel. The test specimens were processed from forged rolled rings. Two machines were evaluated a ZF-RCF and 3-Ball test machine. The evaluation was to determine which machine can best simulate the application in which the slewing bearing is utilized. Initially, each specimen will be pretested to determine the appropriate testing direction from within the forged rolled rings. Pretesting is needed in order to establish consistent failure modes between samples. The primary goal of the test is to understand the life differences and failure modes between high carbon steel and medium carbon alloy steel. The high carbon steel ring was cut into two sections, one of which was stress relieved and the other was quenched and tempered. The medium carbon alloy steel was cut into three sections, all of which were quenched and tempered to different hardness levels. The test program was dynamically adjusted based upon the previous sample's life and load. An S-N curve was then established from the 5 materials tested at two target loads. The samples were run until the first sign of a crack was detected by an eddy current. At the completion of the rolling contact test, select sample's microstructure was evaluated for crack initiation location. The selected samples were divided into four groups which represent different maximum shear stress levels. These samples displayed indications of material deformation in which the high carbon steel experienced an increased amount of cold work when compared to medium carbon alloy steel. The life of the high carbon steel was nearly equivalent to the expected life of the medium

  6. Characterization of Amorphous and Co-Amorphous Simvastatin Formulations Prepared by Spray Drying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goedele Craye

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this study, spray drying from aqueous solutions, using the surface-active agent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS as a solubilizer, was explored as a production method for co-amorphous simvastatin–lysine (SVS-LYS at 1:1 molar mixtures, which previously have been observed to form a co-amorphous mixture upon ball milling. In addition, a spray-dried formulation of SVS without LYS was prepared. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS revealed that SLS coated the SVS and SVS-LYS particles upon spray drying. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC showed that in the spray-dried formulations the remaining crystallinity originated from SLS only. The best dissolution properties and a “spring and parachute” effect were found for SVS spray-dried from a 5% SLS solution without LYS. Despite the presence of at least partially crystalline SLS in the mixtures, all the studied formulations were able to significantly extend the stability of amorphous SVS compared to previous co-amorphous formulations of SVS. The best stability (at least 12 months in dry conditions was observed when SLS was spray-dried with SVS (and LYS. In conclusion, spray drying of SVS and LYS from aqueous surfactant solutions was able to produce formulations with improved physical stability for amorphous SVS.

  7. Characterization of Amorphous and Co-Amorphous Simvastatin Formulations Prepared by Spray Drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craye, Goedele; Löbmann, Korbinian; Grohganz, Holger; Rades, Thomas; Laitinen, Riikka

    2015-12-03

    In this study, spray drying from aqueous solutions, using the surface-active agent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as a solubilizer, was explored as a production method for co-amorphous simvastatin-lysine (SVS-LYS) at 1:1 molar mixtures, which previously have been observed to form a co-amorphous mixture upon ball milling. In addition, a spray-dried formulation of SVS without LYS was prepared. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed that SLS coated the SVS and SVS-LYS particles upon spray drying. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that in the spray-dried formulations the remaining crystallinity originated from SLS only. The best dissolution properties and a "spring and parachute" effect were found for SVS spray-dried from a 5% SLS solution without LYS. Despite the presence of at least partially crystalline SLS in the mixtures, all the studied formulations were able to significantly extend the stability of amorphous SVS compared to previous co-amorphous formulations of SVS. The best stability (at least 12 months in dry conditions) was observed when SLS was spray-dried with SVS (and LYS). In conclusion, spray drying of SVS and LYS from aqueous surfactant solutions was able to produce formulations with improved physical stability for amorphous SVS.

  8. Hydrogen in disordered and amorphous solids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bambakidis, G; Bowman, R.C.

    1986-01-01

    This book presents information on the following topoics: elements of the theory of amorphous semiconductors; electronic structure of alpha-SiH; fluctuation induced gap states in amorphous hydrogenated silicon; hydrogen on semiconductor surfaces; the influence of hydrogen on the defects and instabilities in hydrogenated amorphous silicon; deuteron magnetic resonance in some amorphous semiconductors; formation of amorphous metals by solid state reactions of hydrogen with an intermetallic compound; NMR studies of the hydrides of disordered and amorphous alloys; neutron vibrational spectroscopy of disordered metal-hydrogen system; dynamical disorder of hydrogen in LaNi /SUB 5-y/ M /SUB y/ hydrides studied by quasi-elastic neutron scattering; recent studies of intermetallic hydrides; tritium in Pd and Pd /SUB 0.80/ Sg /SUB 0.20/ ; and determination of hydrogen concentration in thin films of absorbing materials

  9. Synthesis of hydrogen-carbon clathrate material and hydrogen evolution therefrom at moderate temperatures and pressures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lueking, Angela [State College, PA; Narayanan, Deepa [Redmond, WA

    2011-03-08

    A process for making a hydrogenated carbon material is provided which includes forming a mixture of a carbon source, particularly a carbonaceous material, and a hydrogen source. The mixture is reacted under reaction conditions such that hydrogen is generated and/or released from the hydrogen source, an amorphous diamond-like carbon is formed, and at least a portion of the generated and/or released hydrogen associates with the amorphous diamond-like carbon, thereby forming a hydrogenated carbon material. A hydrogenated carbon material including a hydrogen carbon clathrate is characterized by evolution of molecular hydrogen at room temperature at atmospheric pressure in particular embodiments of methods and compositions according to the present invention.

  10. Work Hard / Play Hard

    OpenAIRE

    Burrows, J.; Johnson, V.; Henckel, D.

    2016-01-01

    Work Hard / Play Hard was a participatory performance/workshop or CPD experience hosted by interdisciplinary arts atelier WeAreCodeX, in association with AntiUniversity.org. As a socially/economically engaged arts practice, Work Hard / Play Hard challenged employees/players to get playful, or go to work. 'The game changes you, you never change the game'. Employee PLAYER A 'The faster the better.' Employer PLAYER B

  11. Formation of carbon quantum dots and nanodiamonds in laser ablation of a carbon film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sidorov, A. I.; Lebedev, V. F.; Kobranova, A. A.; Nashchekin, A. V.

    2018-01-01

    We have experimentally shown that nanosecond near-IR pulsed laser ablation of a thin amorphous carbon film produces carbon quantum dots with a graphite structure and nanodiamonds with a characteristic size of 20 - 500 nm on the substrate surface. The formation of these nanostructures is confirmed by electron microscopic images, luminescence spectra and Raman spectra. The mechanisms explaining the observed effects are proposed.

  12. Fundamentals of amorphous solids structure and properties

    CERN Document Server

    Stachurski, Zbigniew H

    2014-01-01

    Long awaited, this textbook fills the gap for convincing concepts to describe amorphous solids. Adopting a unique approach, the author develops a framework that lays the foundations for a theory of amorphousness. He unravels the scientific mysteries surrounding the topic, replacing rather vague notions of amorphous materials as disordered crystalline solids with the well-founded concept of ideal amorphous solids. A classification of amorphous materials into inorganic glasses, organic glasses, glassy metallic alloys, and thin films sets the scene for the development of the model of ideal amorph

  13. Hard Surface Layers by Pack Boriding and Gaseous Thermo-Reactive Deposition and Diffusion Treatments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Thomas Lundin; Bottoli, Federico; Dahl, Kristian Vinter

    2017-01-01

    ) layers with hardnesses up to 1800 HV. Titanizing of ARNE tool steel results in a surface layer consisting of TiC with a hardness of approximately 4000 HV. Duplex treatments, where boriding is combined with subsequent (TRD) titanizing, result in formation of hard TiB2 on top of a thick layer of Fe......Thermo-reactive deposition and diffusion (TRD) and boriding are thermochemical processes that result in very high surface hardness by conversion of the surface into carbides/nitrides and borides, respectively. These treatments offer significant advantages in terms of hardness, adhesion, tribo...... subjected to TRD (chromizing and titanizing) and boriding treatments. For the steels with low carbon content, chromizing results in surface alloying with chromium, i.e., formation of a (soft) “stainless” surface zone. Steels containing higher levels of carbon form chromium carbide (viz. Cr23C6, Cr7C3...

  14. Physics of amorphous metals

    CERN Document Server

    Kovalenko, Nikolai P; Krey, Uwe

    2008-01-01

    The discovery of bulk metallic glasses has led to a large increase in the industrial importance of amorphous metals, and this is expected to continue. This book is the first to describe the theoretical physics of amorphous metals, including the important theoretical development of the last 20 years.The renowned authors stress the universal aspects in their description of the phonon or magnon low-energy excitations in the amorphous metals, e.g. concerning the remarkable consequences of the properties of these excitations for the thermodynamics at low and intermediate temperatures. Tunneling

  15. Amorphous surface layer versus transient amorphous precursor phase in bone - A case study investigated by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Von Euw, Stanislas; Ajili, Widad; Chan-Chang, Tsou-Hsi-Camille; Delices, Annette; Laurent, Guillaume; Babonneau, Florence; Nassif, Nadine; Azaïs, Thierry

    2017-09-01

    The presence of an amorphous surface layer that coats a crystalline core has been proposed for many biominerals, including bone mineral. In parallel, transient amorphous precursor phases have been proposed in various biomineralization processes, including bone biomineralization. Here we propose a methodology to investigate the origin of these amorphous environments taking the bone tissue as a key example. This study relies on the investigation of a bone tissue sample and its comparison with synthetic calcium phosphate samples, including a stoichiometric apatite, an amorphous calcium phosphate sample, and two different biomimetic apatites. To reveal if the amorphous environments in bone originate from an amorphous surface layer or a transient amorphous precursor phase, a combined solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiment has been used. The latter consists of a double cross polarization 1 H→ 31 P→ 1 H pulse sequence followed by a 1 H magnetization exchange pulse sequence. The presence of an amorphous surface layer has been investigated through the study of the biomimetic apatites; while the presence of a transient amorphous precursor phase in the form of amorphous calcium phosphate particles has been mimicked with the help of a physical mixture of stoichiometric apatite and amorphous calcium phosphate. The NMR results show that the amorphous and the crystalline environments detected in our bone tissue sample belong to the same particle. The presence of an amorphous surface layer that coats the apatitic core of bone apatite particles has been unambiguously confirmed, and it is certain that this amorphous surface layer has strong implication on bone tissue biogenesis and regeneration. Questions still persist on the structural organization of bone and biomimetic apatites. The existing model proposes a core/shell structure, with an amorphous surface layer coating a crystalline bulk. The accuracy of this model is still debated because amorphous calcium

  16. Amorphous nanoparticles — Experiments and computer simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoang, Vo Van; Ganguli, Dibyendu

    2012-01-01

    The data obtained by both experiments and computer simulations concerning the amorphous nanoparticles for decades including methods of synthesis, characterization, structural properties, atomic mechanism of a glass formation in nanoparticles, crystallization of the amorphous nanoparticles, physico-chemical properties (i.e. catalytic, optical, thermodynamic, magnetic, bioactivity and other properties) and various applications in science and technology have been reviewed. Amorphous nanoparticles coated with different surfactants are also reviewed as an extension in this direction. Much attention is paid to the pressure-induced polyamorphism of the amorphous nanoparticles or amorphization of the nanocrystalline counterparts. We also introduce here nanocomposites and nanofluids containing amorphous nanoparticles. Overall, amorphous nanoparticles exhibit a disordered structure different from that of corresponding bulks or from that of the nanocrystalline counterparts. Therefore, amorphous nanoparticles can have unique physico-chemical properties differed from those of the crystalline counterparts leading to their potential applications in science and technology.

  17. Research Progress on Fe-based Amorphous Coatings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LIANG Xiu-bing

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The latest research progresses on Fe-based amorphous coatings were reviewed. The typical alloy system and the classification of Fe-based amorphous coatings were clarified. The status, progress and development of the Fe-based amorphous coatings prepared by thermal spray processing and laser cladding process were discussed. The main mechanical properties and potential applications of the Fe-based amorphous coatings were also described. Furthermore, based on the main problems mentioned above, the future development of the Fe-based amorphous coatings was discussed, including the exploitation preparation technologies of high amorphous content of the Fe-based coatings, the development of the low cost and high performance Fe-based coating alloys system, the broadening application of Fe-based amorphous coatings, and so on.

  18. Amorphous drugs and dosage forms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grohganz, Holger; Löbmann, K.; Priemel, P.

    2013-01-01

    The transformation to an amorphous form is one of the most promising approaches to address the low solubility of drug compounds, the latter being an increasing challenge in the development of new drug candidates. However, amorphous forms are high energy solids and tend to recry stallize. New...... formulation principles are needed to ensure the stability of amorphous drug forms. The formation of solid dispersions is still the most investigated approach, but additional approaches are desirable to overcome the shortcomings of solid dispersions. Spatial separation by either coating or the use of micro-containers...... before single molecules are available for the formation of crystal nuclei, thus stabilizing the amorphous form....

  19. Accounting for nanometer-thick adventitious carbon contamination in X-ray absorption spectra of carbon-based materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangolini, Filippo; McClimon, J Brandon; Rose, Franck; Carpick, Robert W

    2014-12-16

    Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for characterizing the composition and bonding state of nanoscale materials and the top few nanometers of bulk and thin film specimens. When coupled with imaging methods like photoemission electron microscopy, it enables chemical imaging of materials with nanometer-scale lateral spatial resolution. However, analysis of NEXAFS spectra is often performed under the assumption of structural and compositional homogeneity within the nanometer-scale depth probed by this technique. This assumption can introduce large errors when analyzing the vast majority of solid surfaces due to the presence of complex surface and near-surface structures such as oxides and contamination layers. An analytical methodology is presented for removing the contribution of these nanoscale overlayers from NEXAFS spectra of two-layered systems to provide a corrected photoabsorption spectrum of the substrate. This method relies on the subtraction of the NEXAFS spectrum of the overlayer adsorbed on a reference surface from the spectrum of the two-layer system under investigation, where the thickness of the overlayer is independently determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This approach is applied to NEXAFS data acquired for one of the most challenging cases: air-exposed hard carbon-based materials with adventitious carbon contamination from ambient exposure. The contribution of the adventitious carbon was removed from the as-acquired spectra of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) and hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) to determine the intrinsic photoabsorption NEXAFS spectra of these materials. The method alters the calculated fraction of sp(2)-hybridized carbon from 5 to 20% and reveals that the adventitious contamination can be described as a layer containing carbon and oxygen ([O]/[C] = 0.11 ± 0.02) with a thickness of 0.6 ± 0.2 nm and a fraction of sp(2)-bonded carbon of 0.19 ± 0.03. This

  20. Synthesis of Porous Carbon Monoliths Using Hard Templates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klepel, Olaf; Danneberg, Nina; Dräger, Matti; Erlitz, Marcel; Taubert, Michael

    2016-03-21

    The preparation of porous carbon monoliths with a defined shape via template-assisted routes is reported. Monoliths made from porous concrete and zeolite were each used as the template. The porous concrete-derived carbon monoliths exhibited high gravimetric specific surface areas up to 2000 m²·g -1 . The pore system comprised macro-, meso-, and micropores. These pores were hierarchically arranged. The pore system was created by the complex interplay of the actions of both the template and the activating agent as well. On the other hand, zeolite-made template shapes allowed for the preparation of microporous carbon monoliths with a high volumetric specific surface area. This feature could be beneficial if carbon monoliths must be integrated into technical systems under space-limited conditions.