Formation of the ZnFe2O4 phase in an electric arc furnace off-gas treatment system.

Science.gov (United States)

Suetens, T; Guo, M; Van Acker, K; Blanpain, B

2015-04-28

To better understand the phenomena of ZnFe2O4 spinel formation in electric arc furnace dust, the dust was characterized with particle size analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA). Different ZnFe2O4 formation reaction extents were observed for iron oxide particles with different particle sizes. ZnO particles were present as both individual particles and aggregated on the surface of larger particles. Also, the slag particles found in the off-gas were shown not to react with the zinc vapor. After confirming the presence of a ZnFe2O4 formation reaction, the thermodynamic feasibility of in-process separation - a new electric arc furnace dust treatment technology - was reevaluated. The large air intake and the presence of iron oxide particles in the off-gas were included into the thermodynamic calculations. The formation of the stable ZnFe2O4 spinel phase was shown to be thermodynamically favorable in current electric arc furnace off-gas ducts conditions even before reaching the post combustion chamber. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Visible light photocatalytic activities of ZnFe_2O_4/ZnO nanoparticles for the degradation of organic pollutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rameshbabu, R.; Kumar, Niraj; Karthigeyan, A.; Neppolian, B.

2016-01-01

ZnFe_2O_4/ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized by co-precipitation method using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as surfactant. The phase formation of synthesized products was systematically investigated from powder X-ray diffraction. Cubic ZnFe_2O_4 and hexagonal ZnO were identified in accordance with different molar concentrations of Fe"3"+ ions. The morphology and functionality were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The optical properties and change in the band gap from UV to visible region upon increasing molar concentration of Fe"3"+ ions were analyzed from diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). Superparamagnetic property was observed for synthesized ZnFe_2O_4/ZnO nanoparticles using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The methylene blue and methyl orange were taken as model dyes to illustrate the photocatalytic activity of synthesized products under visible light irradiation. Maximum degradation of 99% for methyl orange (MO) was achieved by the use of 13 nm sized ZnFe_2O_4/ZnO nanoparticles as catalyst and a minutely less activity was observed for the methylene blue (MB) degradation (98%), when the photocatalytic processes were carried out for 5 h and 6 h, respectively. - Highlights: • Co-precipitation method is proposed to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles. • Modifications in the molar concentration lead to the shift in absorption edge. • Superparamagnetic property is demonstrated for the nanoparticles. • Two dye pollutants are utilized to demonstrate the photocatalytic activity.

Evaluation of Antioxidant and Cytotoxicity Activities of Copper Ferrite (CuFe2O4 and Zinc Ferrite (ZnFe2O4 Nanoparticles Synthesized by Sol-Gel Self-Combustion Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samikannu Kanagesan

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Spinel copper ferrite (CuFe2O4 and zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol-gel self-combustion technique. The structural, functional, morphological and magnetic properties of the samples were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM. XRD patterns conform to the copper ferrite and zinc ferrite formation, and the average particle sizes were calculated by using a transmission electron microscope, the measured particle sizes being 56 nm for CuFe2O4 and 68 nm for ZnFe2O4. Both spinel ferrite nanoparticles exhibit ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization of 31 emug−1 for copper ferrite (50.63 Am2/Kg and 28.8 Am2/Kg for zinc ferrite. Both synthesized ferrite nanoparticles were equally effective in scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH free radicals. ZnFe2O4 and CuFe2O4 nanoparticles showed 30.57% ± 1.0% and 28.69% ± 1.14% scavenging activity at 125 µg/mL concentrations. In vitro cytotoxicity study revealed higher concentrations (>125 µg/mL of ZnFe2O4 and CuFe2O4 with increased toxicity against MCF-7 cells, but were found to be non-toxic at lower concentrations suggesting their biocompatibility.

In-situ synthesized ZnFe2O4 firmly anchored to the surface of MWCNTs as a long-life anode material with high lithium storage performance

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Tianbo; Zhang, Wanxi; Li, Linlin; Jin, Bo; Jin, Enmei; Jeong, Sangmoon; Jiang, Qing

2017-12-01

Because of two different metal cations in the crystal structures, binary transition metal oxides possess a lot of unique properties. ZnFe2O4 emerges from these transition metal oxides on account of its high theoretical capacity (1072 mAh g-1). One-dimensional multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) would be a desirable conductive additive for ZnFe2O4, thereby improving the electrochemical performance of ZnFe2O4. In this work, we prepare ZnFe2O4/MWCNTs by solvothermal method with further heat-treatment. ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles are firmly anchored to the surface of MWCNTs. ZnFe2O4/MWCNTs nanocomposite displays high specific capacity (1278 mAh g-1 at a current density of 200 mA g-1 after 200 cycles, and 565 mAh g-1 at a current density of 1500 mA g-1 after 500 cycles), and good rate performance (367 mAh g-1 even at a current density of 6000 mAh g-1 after 80 cycles). The superior electrochemical performance may promote ZnFe2O4 to be a promising alternative anode in lithium-ion batteries.

Preparation of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} cathode thin films for thin film lithium secondary batteries by a mist CVD process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tadanaga, Kiyoharu, E-mail: tadanaga@chem.osakafu-u.ac.jp [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8531 (Japan); Yamaguchi, Akihiro; Sakuda, Atsushi; Hayashi, Akitoshi; Tatsumisago, Masahiro [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8531 (Japan); Duran, Alicia; Aparacio, Mario [Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Kelsen 5 (Campus de Cantoblanco), Madrid, 28049 (Spain)

2014-05-01

Highlights: • LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films were prepared by using the mist CVD process. • An aqueous solution of lithium and manganese acetates is used for the precursor solution. • The cell with the LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films exhibited a capacity of about 80 mAh/g. • The cell showed good cycling performance during 10 cycles. - Abstract: LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} cathode thin films for thin film lithium secondary batteries were prepared by using so-called the “mist CVD process”, employing an aqueous solution of lithium acetate and manganese acetate, as the source of Li and Mn, respectively. The aqueous solution of starting materials was ultrasonically atomized to form mist particles, and mists were transferred by nitrogen gas to silica glass substrate to form thin films. FE-SEM observation revealed that thin films obtained by this process were dense and smooth, and thin films with a thickness of about 750 nm were obtained. The electrochemical cell with the thin films obtained by sintering at 700 °C exhibited a capacity of about 80 mAh/g, and the cell showed good cycling performance during 10 cycles.

Enhanced photocatalytic performances and magnetic recovery capacity of visible-light-driven Z-scheme ZnFe2O4/AgBr/Ag photocatalyst

Science.gov (United States)

He, Jie; Cheng, Yahui; Wang, Tianzhao; Feng, Deqiang; Zheng, Lingcheng; Shao, Dawei; Wang, Weichao; Wang, Weihua; Lu, Feng; Dong, Hong; Zheng, Rongkun; Liu, Hui

2018-05-01

High efficiency, high stability and easy recovery are three key factors for practical photocatalysts. Z-scheme heterostructure is one of the most promising photocatalytic systems to meet all above requirements. However, efficient Z-scheme photocatalysts which could absorb visible light are still few and difficult to implement at present. In this work, the composite photocatalysts ZnFe2O4/AgBr/Ag were prepared through a two-step method. A ∼92% photodegradation rate on methyl orange was observed within 30 min under visible light, which is much better than that of individual ZnFe2O4 or AgBr/Ag. The stability was also greatly improved compared with AgBr/Ag. The increased performance is resulted from the suitable band alignment of ZnFe2O4 and AgBr, and it is defined as Z-scheme mechanism which was demonstrated by detecting active species and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Besides, ZnFe2O4/AgBr/Ag is ferromagnetic and can be recycled by magnet. These results show that ZnFe2O4/AgBr/Ag is a potential magnetically recyclable photocatalyst which can be driven by visible light.

Improved electrochemical performances of oxygen plasma treated LiMn2O4 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, C C; Chiu, K-F; Lin, K M; Lin, H C; Yang, C-R; Wang, F M

2007-01-01

LiMn 2 O 4 spinel thin films were deposited by radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering followed by annealing at 600 0 C in air.The films were then post-treated with an rf driven oxygen plasma. The crystallization and surface morphology of LiMn 2 O 4 thin films were seen to change with rf power. The treated samples were tested under harsh conditions such as deep discharge to 1.5 V and cycling at elevated temperature of 60 0 C to verify the electrochemical performances of LiMn 2 O 4 cathodes. The oxygen plasma treatments improved the electrochemical properties of LiMn 2 O 4 thin films significantly. As the cells were cycled in the range of 4.5-2.0 V at 60 0 C, the samples treated at a proper rf power of 50 W exhibited an initial capacity greater than ∼400 mAh g -1 with reasonable cycling stability. The results were attributed to the change of morphology and the formation of a surface layer induced by the oxygen plasma irradiation

Nanocrystalline Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films: A selective ethanol gas sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rao, Pratibha; Godbole, R.V.; Bhagwat, Sunita, E-mail: smb.agc@gmail.com

2016-10-15

In this work, Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films were investigated for the detection of reducing gases. These films were fabricated using spray pyrolysis technique and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm the crystal structure. The surface morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Magnetization measurements were carried out using SQUID VSM, which shows ferrimagnetic behavior of the samples. These thin film sensors were tested against methanol, ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and liquid petroleum gas, where they were found to be more selective to ethanol. The fabricated thin film sensors exhibited linear response signal for all the gases with concentrations up to 5 w/o Pd. Reduction in optimum operating temperature and enhancement in response was also observed. Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films exhibited faster response and recovery characteristic. These sensors have potential for industrial applications because of their long-term stability, low power requirement and low production cost. - Highlights: • Ethanol gas sensors based on Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticle thin film were fabricated. • Pd incorporation in NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} matrix inhibits grain growth. • The sensors were more selective to ethanol gas. • Sensors exhibited fast response and recovery when doped with palladium. • Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin film sensor displays excellent long–term stability.

Nanocrystalline Pd:NiFe2O4 thin films: A selective ethanol gas sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Pratibha; Godbole, R. V.; Bhagwat, Sunita

2016-10-01

In this work, Pd:NiFe2O4 thin films were investigated for the detection of reducing gases. These films were fabricated using spray pyrolysis technique and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm the crystal structure. The surface morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Magnetization measurements were carried out using SQUID VSM, which shows ferrimagnetic behavior of the samples. These thin film sensors were tested against methanol, ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and liquid petroleum gas, where they were found to be more selective to ethanol. The fabricated thin film sensors exhibited linear response signal for all the gases with concentrations up to 5 w/o Pd. Reduction in optimum operating temperature and enhancement in response was also observed. Pd:NiFe2O4 thin films exhibited faster response and recovery characteristic. These sensors have potential for industrial applications because of their long-term stability, low power requirement and low production cost.

TiO2 and Cu/TiO2 Thin Films Prepared by SPT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. S. Roy

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Titanium oxide (TiO2 and copper (Cu doped titanium oxide (Cu/TiO2 thin films have been prepared by spray pyrolysis technique. Titanium chloride (TiCl4 and copper acetate (Cu(CH3COO2.H2O were used as source of Ti and Cu. The doping concentration of Cu was varied from 1-10 wt. %. The X-ray diffraction studies show that TiO2 thin films are tetragonal structure and Cu/TiO2 thin films implies CuO has present with monoclinic structure. The optical properties of the TiO2 thin films have been investigated as a function of Cu-doping level. The optical transmission of the thin films was found to increase from 88 % to 94 % with the addition of Cu up to 8 % and then decreases for higher percentage of Cu doping. The optical band gap (Eg for pure TiO2 thin film is found to be 3.40 eV. Due to Cu doping, the band gap is shifted to lower energies and then increases further with increasing the concentration of Cu. The refractive index of the TiO2 thin films is found to be 2.58 and the variation of refractive index is observed due to Cu doped. The room temperature resistivity of the films decreases with increasing Cu doping and is found to be 27.50 - 23.76 W·cm. It is evident from the present study that the Cu doping promoted the thin film morphology and thereby it is aspect for various applications.

MOCVD growth of transparent conducting Cd2SnO4 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metz, A.W.; Poeppelmeier, K.R.; Marks, T.J.; Lane, M.A.; Kannewurt, C.R.

2004-01-01

The first preparation of transparent conducting Cd 2 SnO 4 thin films by a simple MOCVD process is described. As-deposited films using Cd(hfa) 2 (TMEDA) (Figure), at 365 C are found to be highly crystalline with a relatively wide range of grain size of 100-300 nm. XRD indicates a cubic spinel Cd 2 SnO 4 crystal structure and the possible presence of a small amount of CdO. The films exhibit conductivities of 2170 S/cm and a bandgap of 3.3 eV, rivaling those of commercial tin-doped indium oxide. (Abstract Copyright [2004], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Structural and corrosive properties of ZrO2 thin films on zircaloy-4 by RF reactive magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Soo Ho; Lee, Kwang Hoon; Ko, Jae Hwan; Yoon, Young Soo; Baek, Jong Hyuk; Lee, Sang Jin

2006-01-01

Zirconium-oxide (ZrO 2 ) thin films as protective layers were grown on a Zircaloy-4 (Z-4) cladding material as a substrate by RF reactive magnetron sputtering at room temperature. To investigate the effect of plasma immersion on the structural and the corrosive properties of the as-grown ZrO 2 thin film, we immersed Z-4 in plasma during the deposition process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed that the as-grown ZrO 2 thin films immersed in plasma had cubic, well as monoclinic and tetragonal, phases whereas those immersed in the plasma had monoclinic and tetragonal phases only. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements of the surface morphology showed that the surface roughness of the as-grown ZrO 2 thin films immersed in plasma was larger than that of the films not immersed in plasma. In addition, the corrosive property of the as-grown ZrO 2 thin films immersed in the plasma was characterized using the weight gains of Z-4 after the corrosion test. Compared with the non-immersed films, the weight gains of the immersed films were larger. These results indicate that the ZrO 2 films immersed in plasma cannot protect Z-4 from corrosive phenomena.

Synthesis and characterization of multilayered BaTiO3/NiFe2O4 thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Branimir Bajac

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Presented research was focused on the fabrication of multiferroic thin film structures, composed of ferrielectric barium titanate perovskite phase and magnetostrictive nickel ferrite spinel phase. The applicability of different, solution based, deposition techniques (film growth from solution, dip coating and spin coating for thefabrication of multilayered BaTiO3 /NiFe2O4 thin films was investigated. It was shown that only spin coating produces films of desired nanostructure, thickness and smooth and crackfree surfaces.

Nanocrystalline LiMn2O4 thin film cathode material prepared by polymer spray pyrolysis method for Li-ion battery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karthick, S.N.; Richard Prabhu Gnanakan, S.; Subramania, A.; Kim, Hee-Je

2010-01-01

Nanocrystalline cubic spinel lithium manganese oxide thin film was prepared by a polymer spray pyrolysis method using lithium acetate and manganese acetate precursor solution and polyethylene glycol-4000 as a polymeric binder. The substrate temperature was selected from the thermogravimetric analysis by finding the complete crystallization temperature of LiMn 2 O 4 precursor sample. The deposited LiMn 2 O 4 thin films were annealed at 450, 500 and 600 o C for 30 min. The thin film annealed at 600 o C was found to be the sufficient temperature to form high phase pure nanocrystalline LiMn 2 O 4 thin film. The formation of cubic spinel thin film was confirmed by X-ray diffraction study. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy analysis revealed that the thin film annealed at 600 o C was found to be nanocrystalline in nature and the surface of the films were uniform without any crack. The electrochemical charge/discharge studies of the prepared LiMn 2 O 4 film was found to be better compared to the conventional spray pyrolysed thin film material.

Influence of Zn/Fe Molar Ratio on Optical and Magnetic Properties of ZnO and ZnFe2O4 Nanocrystal as Calcined Products of Layered Double Hydroxides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah Ahmed Ali Ahmed

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The coprecipitation method has been used to synthesize layered double hydroxide (Zn-Fe-LDH nanostructure at different Zn2+/Fe3+ molar ratios. The structural properties of samples were studied using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD. LDH samples were calcined at 600°C to produce mixed oxides (ZnO and ZnFe2O4. The crystallite size of mixed oxide was found in the nanometer scale (18.1 nm for ZnFe2O4 and 43.3 nm for ZnO. The photocatalytic activity of the calcination products was investigated using ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-VIS-NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The magnetic properties of calcined LDHs were investigated using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM. The calcined samples showed a paramagnetic behavior for all Zn2+/Fe3+ molar ratios. The effect of molar ratio on magnetic susceptibility of the calcined samples was also studied.

Improved photoelectrochemical performance of BiVO4/MoO3 heterostructure thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Kodan, Nisha; Mehta, B. R.

2018-05-01

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) and Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) thin films have been prepared by RF sputtering technique. BiVO4 thin films were deposited on indium doped tin oxide (In: SnO2; ITO) substrates at room temperature and 80W applied rf power. The prepared BiVO4 thin films were further annealed at 450°C for 2 hours in air to obtain crystalline monoclinic phase and successively coated with MoO3 thin films deposited at 150W rf power and 400°C for 30 minutes. The effect of coupling BiVO4 and MoO3 on the structural, optical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties have been studied. Optical studies reveal that coupling of BiVO4 and MoO3 results in improvement of optical absorption in visible region of solar spectrum. PEC study shows approximate 3-fold and 38-fold increment in photocurrent values of BiVO4/MoO3 (0.38 mA/cm2) heterostructure thin film as compared to MoO3 (0.15 mA/cm2) and BiVO4 (10 µA/cm2) thin films at applied bias of 1 V vs Ag/AgCl in 0.5 M Na2SO4 (pH=7) electrolyte.

Structural and magnetic properties of [001] CoCr2O4 thin films

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guzman, Roger; Heuver, Jeroen; Matzen, Sylvia; Magen, Cesar; Noheda, Beatriz

2017-01-01

The spinel CoCr2O4 (CCO) is one of the few bulk multiferroics with net magnetic moment. However, studies on the properties of CCO thin films are scarce. Here, we investigate the interplay between microstructure and magnetism of a series of CCO epitaxial thin films by means of x-ray diffraction,

Inverse spinel ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized by ion implantation and post-annealing: An investigation using X-ray spectroscopy and magneto-transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Shengqiang; Potzger, K.; Buerger, D.; Kuepper, K.; Helm, M.; Fassbender, J.; Schmidt, H.

2009-01-01

Noncrystalline ZnFe 2 O 4 has been investigated intensively due to the drastic difference in cation distribution compared with bulk materials. We previously synthesized ZnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles by ion implantation and post-annealing [S. Zhou, K. Potzger, H. Reuther, G. Talut, F. Eichhorn, J. von Borany, W. Skorupa, M. Helm, J. Fassbender, J. Phys. D - Appl. Phys. 40 (2007) 964]. These ZnFe 2 O 4 nanocrystals are crystallographically oriented inside the ZnO matrix and show a hysteretic behavior upon magnetization reversal at 5 K. Their magnetic properties are explained by assuming that Fe 3+ ions partially occupy tetrahedral sites. In this paper an X-ray spectroscopic and magneto-transport investigation on ZnFe 2 O 4 nanocrystals in a ZnO matrix will be presented. The occupation of Fe 3+ at tetrahedral sites has been directly proved. A positive magnetoresistance (MR) effect is observed and is attributed to ordinary MR.

Photoluminescence properties of BaMoO4 amorphous thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marques, Ana Paula Azevedo; Melo, Dulce M.A. de; Longo, Elson; Paskocimas, Carlos A.; Pizani, Paulo S.; Leite, Edson R.

2005-01-01

BaMoO 4 amorphous and crystalline thin films were prepared from polymeric precursors. The BaMoO 4 was deposited onto Si wafers by means of the spinning technique. The structure and optical properties of the resulting films were characterized by FTIR reflectance spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical reflectance. The bond Mo-O present in BaMoO 4 was confirmed by FTIR reflectance spectra. XRD characterization showed that thin films heat-treated at 600 and 200 deg. C presented the scheelite-type crystalline phase and amorphous, respectively. AFM analyses showed a considerable variation in surface morphology by comparing samples heat-treated at 200 and 600 deg. C. The reflectivity spectra showed two bands, positioned at 3.38 and 4.37 eV that were attributed to the excitonic state of Ba 2+ and electronic transitions within MoO 2- 4 , respectively. The optical band gaps of BaMoO 4 were 3.38 and 2.19 eV, for crystalline (600 deg. C/2 h) and amorphous (200 deg. C/8 h) films, respectively. The room-temperature luminescence spectra revealed an intense single-emission band in the visible region. The PL intensity of these materials was increased upon heat-treatment. The excellent optical properties observed for BaMoO 4 amorphous thin films suggested that this material is a highly promising candidate for photoluminescent applications

Photocatalytic properties of porous TiO2/Ag thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, C.-C.; Chen, J.-Y.; Hsu, T.-L.; Lin, C.-K.; Chan, C.-C.

2008-01-01

In this study, nanocrystalline TiO 2 /Ag composite thin films were prepared by a sol-gel spin-coating technique. By introducing polystyrene (PS) spheres into the precursor solution, porous TiO 2 /Ag thin films were prepared after calcination at a temperature of 500 deg. C for 4 h. Three different sizes (50, 200, and 400 nm) of PS spheres were used to prepare porous TiO 2 films. The as-prepared TiO 2 and TiO 2 /Ag thin films were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and by scanning electron microscopy to reveal structural and morphological differences. In addition, the photocatalytic properties of these films were investigated by degrading methylene blue under UV irradiation. When PS spheres of different sizes were introduced after calcination, the as-prepared TiO 2 films exhibited different porous structures. XRD results showed that all TiO 2 /Ag films exhibited a major anatase phase. The photodegradation of porous TiO 2 thin films prepared with 200 nm PS spheres and doped with 1 mol% Ag exhibited the best photocatalytic efficiency where ∼ 100% methylene blue was decomposed within 8 h under UV exposure

Thin film fabrication and transport properties of the heavy Fermion oxide LiV{sub 2}O{sub 4}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niemann, Ulrike [Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart (Germany); Hirai, Daigorou [University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Takagi, Hidenori [Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart (Germany); University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Institute for Functional Matter and Quantum Technologies, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart (Germany)

2016-07-01

The spinel compound LiV{sub 2}O{sub 4} is well-known for its heavy fermion behaviour, although it contains no f-electron bands. This unexpected behaviour has been a subject of several studies, but the origin of it is still not fully understood. In this study, we successfully fabricated single crystalline epitaxial thin film of LiV{sub 2}O{sub 4} on SrTiO{sub 3}, LSAT and MgO substrates, using a pulsed laser deposition technique. By changing film thickness and substrate materials, dimensionality and epitaxial strain was controlled. The formation of an epitaxially grown LiV{sub 2}O{sub 4} phase has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements. LiV{sub 2}O{sub 4} films on MgO were found to be strained, due to the small lattice mismatch, in contrast to fully relaxed films on SrTiO{sub 3}.The heavy fermion behaviour of bulk LiV{sub 2}O{sub 4} at low temperatures is well reproduced in thick enough (∼ 7 nm) films on SrTiO{sub 3} substrates. In contrast, an insulating phase was found in strained LiV{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films on MgO substrates, revealing the key role of the lattice in stabilising the metallic ground state. In this presentation, we discuss the thin film fabrication and the effect of epitaxial strain on heavy fermion behaviour in LiV{sub 2}O{sub 4}.

Synthesis of nanocrystalline nickel-zinc ferrite (Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4) thin films by chemical bath deposition method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pawar, D.K.; Pawar, S.M.; Patil, P.S.; Kolekar, S.S.

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Research highlights: → We have successfully synthesized nickel-zinc ferrite (Ni 0.8 Zn 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 ) thin films on stainless steel substrates using a low temperature chemical bath deposition method. → The surface morphological study showed the compact flakes like morphology. → The as-deposited thin films are hydrophilic (10 o o ) whereas the annealed thin films are super hydrophilic (θ o ) in nature. → Ni 0.8 Zn 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 thin films could be used in supercapacitor. - Abstract: The nickel-zinc ferrite (Ni 0.8 Zn 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 ) thin films have been successfully deposited on stainless steel substrates using a chemical bath deposition method from alkaline bath. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), static water contact angle and cyclic voltammetry measurements. The X-ray diffraction pattern shows that deposited Ni 0.8 Zn 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 thin films were oriented along (3 1 1) plane. The FTIR spectra showed strong absorption peaks around 600 cm -1 which are typical for cubic spinel crystal structure. SEM study revealed compact flakes like morphology having thickness ∼1.8 μm after air annealing. The annealed films were super hydrophilic in nature having a static water contact angle (θ) of 5 o .The electrochemical supercapacitor study of Ni 0.8 Zn 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 thin films has been carried out in 6 M KOH electrolyte. The values of interfacial and specific capacitances obtained were 0.0285 F cm -2 and 19 F g -1 , respectively.

Electrodeposited ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4} onto TiO{sub 2} thin films for semiconductor-sensitized photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assaker, Ibtissem Ben, E-mail: ibtissem.ben-assaker@laposte.net [Laboratoire Photovoltaïque, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l’Energie Technopole borj cedria, Bp 95, Hammamm lif 2050 (Tunisia); Gannouni, Mounir; Naceur, Jamila Ben [Laboratoire Photovoltaïque, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l’Energie Technopole borj cedria, Bp 95, Hammamm lif 2050 (Tunisia); Almessiere, Munirah Abdullah; Al-Otaibi, Amal Lafy; Ghrib, Taher [Laboratory of Physical Alloys (LPA), College of Science, University of Dammam (Saudi Arabia); Shen, Shouwen [Advanced Analysis Unit, Technical Service Division Research & Development Center Saudi Aramco, Dhahran (Saudi Arabia); Chtourou, Radhouane [Laboratoire Photovoltaïque, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l’Energie Technopole borj cedria, Bp 95, Hammamm lif 2050 (Tunisia)

2015-10-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4} thin films was grown using electrodeposition route onto TiO{sub 2}/ITO coated glass substrate. • Study of the heterostructure ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4}/TiO{sub 2} thin films. • Photocatalytic activity of ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4}/TiO{sub 2} heterostructure under visible light irradiation. • High performance of Photoelectrochemical properties in the presence of the junction ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4}/TiO{sub 2}. - Abstract: In this study, ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4}/TiO{sub 2} heterostructure was successfully synthesized on ITO-coated glass substrates via a facile two-step process from aqueous solution. First, TiO{sub 2} thin film was prepared by sol–gel and deposited onto ITO coated glass substrate by spin-coating method. Then the zinc indium sulfide semiconductor was fabricated via electrodeposition technique onto TiO{sub 2}/ITO coated glass electrode. The X-ray diffraction patterns confirm that the heterostructure is mixed of both Anatase TiO{sub 2} and Rhombohedric ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4}. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that the morphology change with the deposition of ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4} over TiO{sub 2} thin film and a total coverage of the electrode surface was obtained. Optical absorption spectroscopy study of ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4}/TiO{sub 2} heterostructure exhibits a remarkable red-shift compared to the TiO{sub 2} and ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4} achieve the best efficiency of visible light absorption. Therefore, it is expected to apply to visible-light photocatalysis and solar cells. To investigate the effect of the heterojunction on the photocatalytic activity of ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4}/TiO{sub 2} thin films, photodegradation of methylene blue in the presence of ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4} was performed. ZnIn{sub 2}S{sub 4}/TiO{sub 2} heterostructure exhibited strong photocatalytic activity, and the degradation of methylene blue eached 91% after irradiation only for 4 h. Also, the study of the photocurrent density produced

Epitaxial integration of CoFe2O4 thin films on Si (001) surfaces using TiN buffer layers

Science.gov (United States)

Prieto, Pilar; Marco, José F.; Prieto, José E.; Ruiz-Gomez, Sandra; Perez, Lucas; del Real, Rafael P.; Vázquez, Manuel; de la Figuera, Juan

2018-04-01

Epitaxial cobalt ferrite thin films with strong in-plane magnetic anisotropy have been grown on Si (001) substrates using a TiN buffer layer. The epitaxial films have been grown by ion beam sputtering using either metallic, CoFe2, or ceramic, CoFe2O4, targets. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rutherford spectrometry (RBS) in random and channeling configuration have been used to determine the epitaxial relationship CoFe2O4 [100]/TiN [100]/Si [100]. Mössbauer spectroscopy, in combination with XRD and RBS, has been used to determine the composition and structure of the cobalt ferrite thin films. The TiN buffer layer induces a compressive strain in the cobalt ferrite thin films giving rise to an in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The degree of in-plane anisotropy depends on the lattice mismatch between CoFe2O4 and TiN, which is larger for CoFe2O4 thin films grown on the reactive sputtering process with ceramic targets.

Structural, optical and magnetic studies of CuFe2O4, MgFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles prepared by hydrothermal/solvothermal method

Science.gov (United States)

Kurian, Jessyamma; Mathew, M. Jacob

2018-04-01

In this paper we report the structural, optical and magnetic studies of three spinel ferrites namely CuFe2O4, MgFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4 prepared in an autoclave under the same physical conditions but with two different liquid medium and different surfactant. We use water as the medium and trisodium citrate as the surfactant for one method (Hydrothermal method) and ethylene glycol as the medium and poly ethylene glycol as the surfactant for the second method (solvothermal method). The phase identification and structural characterization are done using XRD and morphological studies are carried out by TEM. Cubical and porous spherical morphologies are obtained for hydrothermal and solvothermal process respectively without any impurity phase. The optical studies are carried out using FTIR and UV-Vis reflectance spectra. In order to elucidate the nonlinear optical behaviour of the prepared nanomaterial, open aperture z-scan technique is used. From the fitted z-scan curves nonlinear absorption coefficient and the saturation intensity are determined. The magnetic characterization of the samples is performed at room temperature using vibrating sample magnetometer measurements. The M-H curves obtained are fitted using theoretical equation and the different components of magnetization are determined. Nanoparticles with high saturation magnetization are obtained for MgFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4 prepared under solvothermal reaction. The magnetic hyperfine parameters and the cation distribution of the prepared materials are determined using room temperature Mössbauer spectroscopy. The fitted spectra reveal the difference in the magnetic hyperfine parameters owing to the change in size and morphology.

Growth and giant coercive field of spinel-structured Co3- x Mn x O4 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Yongsu; Song, Jonghyun; Koo, Taeyeong

2016-08-01

We grew epitaxial thin films of CoMn2O4 and Co2MnO4 on Nb-doped SrTiO3(011) and SrTiO3(001) single crystal substrates using pulsed laser deposition. The magnetic Curie temperature ( T c ) of the Co2MnO4 thin films was ~176 K, which is higher than that of the bulk whereas CoMn2O4 thin films exhibited a value of T c (~151 K) lower than that of the bulk. For the Co2MnO4 thin films, the M - H loop showed a coercive field of ~0.7 T at 10 K, similar to the value for the bulk. However, the M -H loop of the CoMn2O4(0 ll) thin film grown on a Nb-doped SrTiO3(011) substrate exhibited a coercive field of ~4.5 T at 30 K, which is significantly higher than those of the Co2MnO4 thin film and bulk. This giant coercive field, only observed for the CoMn2O4(0 ll) thin film, can be attributed to the shape anisotropy and strong spin-orbit coupling.

Magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles produced by a low-temperature solid-state reaction method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Fashen; Wang Haibo; Wang Li; Wang Jianbo

2007-01-01

ZnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles with average grain size ranging from 40 to 60 nm behaving superparamagnetic at room temperature have been produced using a low-temperature solid-state reaction (LTSSR) method without ball-milling process. Abnormal magnetic properties such as S-shape hysteresis loops and non-zero magnetic moments were observed. ZnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles were also synthesized using a NaOH coprecipitation method and a PVA sol-gel method to study the relationship between the preparation processes and the magnetic properties. Spin-glass behavior was observed in the low temperature solid-state reaction produced Zn ferrite in the zero-field cooled (ZFC) measurement. Our work proves that the various preparation methods will to some extent determine the properties of magnetic nanoparticles

Optoelectronic properties of R-F magnetron sputtered Cadmium Tin Oxide (Cd2SnO4) thin films for CdS/CdTe thin film solar cell applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeyadheepan, K.; Thamilselvan, M.; Kim, Kyunghae; Yi, Junsin; Sanjeeviraja, C.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Characterization of “as-prepared” Cd 2 SnO 4 thin films ideal for thin film solar cells. • Lowest value of resistivity with high mobility attained for the as-prepared Cd 2 SnO 4 films. • Maximum transmittance of 93% in the visible range for the as-prepared films. • Effect of substrate temperature on the scattering mechanism of TCO. - Abstract: The influence of substrate temperature on the microstructural behavior, optical, electrical properties and on the scattering mechanism of charge carriers were studied for the as-prepared radio-frequency (R-F) magnetron sputtered Cadmium Tin Oxide (Cd 2 SnO 4 ) thin films. Films prepared at the substrate temperature of 300 °C were found to be polycrystalline in nature with preferential orientation along (3 1 1) plane. Well pronounced Moss–Burstein shift, in the transmittance spectra with dispersions in the optical band gap from 3.07 to 3.30 eV, was observed at substrate temperatures between 25 and 300 °C. Optical property of high visible transmittance was retained by the films. Analysis of the electrical properties on the prepared crystalline Cd 2 SnO 4 films showed a calculated resistivity of 10 −3 –10 −4 Ω cm, with n-type carrier density in the range of 10 19 –10 20 cm −3 and the charge carrier mobility in the range of 63–30 cm 2 /V s. The effects of structural, compositional and optical properties on the scattering mechanism of charge carrier are elaborated and reported to be an experimental evidence for the theoretical predictions. The results revealed the essential DC electrical conduction behavior, which is ideal for the fabrication of Cd 2 SnO 4 -based CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells

Magnetic and bioactivity evaluation of ferrimagnetic ZnFe2O4 containing glass ceramics for the hyperthermia treatment of cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Saqlain A.; Hashmi, M.U.; Alam, S.; Shamim, A.

2010-01-01

Glass ceramics of the composition xZnO.25Fe 2 O 3 .(40-x)SiO 2 .25CaO.7P 2 O 5 .3Na 2 O were prepared by the melt-quench method using oxy-acetylene flame. Glass-powder compacts were sintered at 1100 deg. C for 3 h and then rapidly cooled at -10 deg. C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed 3 prominent crystalline phases: ZnFe 2 O 4 , CaSiO 3 and Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 . Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) data at 10 KOe and 500 Oe showed that saturation magnetization, coercivity and hence hysteresis area increased with the increase in ZnO content. Nano-sized ZnFe 2 O 4 crystallites were of pseudo-single domain structure and thus coercivity increased with the increase in crystallite size. ZnFe 2 O 4 exhibited ferrimagnetism due to the random distribution of Zn 2+ and Fe 3+ cations at tetrahedral A sites and octahedral B sites. This inversion/random distribution of cations was probably due to the surface effects of nano-ZnFe 2 O 4 and rapid cooling of the material from 1100 deg. C (thus preserving the high temperature state of the random distribution of cations). Calorimetric measurements were carried out using magnetic induction furnace at 500 Oe magnetic field and 400 KHz frequency. The data showed that maximum specific power loss and temperature increase after 2 min were 26 W/g and 37 deg. C, respectively for the sample containing 10% ZnO. The samples were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 3 weeks. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and XRD results confirmed the growth of precipitated hydroxyapatite phase after immersion in SBF, suggesting that the ferrimagnetic glass ceramics were bioactive and could bond to the living tissues in physiological environment.

Optical and structural properties of natural MnSeO{sub 4} mineral thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kariper, Ishak Afsin, E-mail: akariper@gmail.com [Erciyes University, Education Faculty, Kayseri (Turkey)

2017-05-15

Manganese selenite (MnSeO{sub 4}) crystalline thin film has been produced with chemical bath deposition on substrates (commercial glass). Properties of the thin film, such as transmittance, absorption, and optical band gap and refraction index have been investigated via UV/VIS Spectrum. The structural properties of orthorhombic form have been observed in XRD. The structural and optical properties of MnSeO{sub 4} thin films, deposited at different pH levels were analyzed. Some properties of the films have been changed with the change of pH level, which has been deeply investigated. The grain size of MnSeO{sub 4} thin film has reached its highest value at pH 9. The refraction index and extinction coefficient of MnSeO{sub 4} thin films were measured to be 1.53, 2.86, 2.07, 1.53 (refraction index) and 0.005, 0.029, 0.014, 0.005 (extinction coefficient) for grain sizes 21, 13, 26, and 5 nm respectively. The band gaps (Eg) of the films were measured to be 2.06, 2.57, 2.04, and 2.76 eV for the grain sizes mentioned above. The value of dielectric constant at pH 10 was calculated as 1.575. (author)

Magnetic and bioactivity evaluation of ferrimagnetic ZnFe 2O 4 containing glass ceramics for the hyperthermia treatment of cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Saqlain A.; Hashmi, M. U.; Alam, S.; Shamim, A.

2010-02-01

Glass ceramics of the composition xZnO·25Fe 2O 3·(40- x)SiO 2·25CaO·7P 2O 5·3Na 2O were prepared by the melt-quench method using oxy-acetylene flame. Glass-powder compacts were sintered at 1100 °C for 3 h and then rapidly cooled at -10 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed 3 prominent crystalline phases: ZnFe 2O 4, CaSiO 3 and Ca 10(PO 4) 6(OH) 2. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) data at 10 KOe and 500 Oe showed that saturation magnetization, coercivity and hence hysteresis area increased with the increase in ZnO content. Nano-sized ZnFe 2O 4 crystallites were of pseudo-single domain structure and thus coercivity increased with the increase in crystallite size. ZnFe 2O 4 exhibited ferrimagnetism due to the random distribution of Zn 2+ and Fe 3+ cations at tetrahedral A sites and octahedral B sites. This inversion/random distribution of cations was probably due to the surface effects of nano-ZnFe 2O 4 and rapid cooling of the material from 1100 °C (thus preserving the high temperature state of the random distribution of cations). Calorimetric measurements were carried out using magnetic induction furnace at 500 Oe magnetic field and 400 KHz frequency. The data showed that maximum specific power loss and temperature increase after 2 min were 26 W/g and 37 °C, respectively for the sample containing 10% ZnO. The samples were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 3 weeks. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and XRD results confirmed the growth of precipitated hydroxyapatite phase after immersion in SBF, suggesting that the ferrimagnetic glass ceramics were bioactive and could bond to the living tissues in physiological environment.

Folic acid-functionalized magnetic ZnFe2O4 hollow microsphere core/mesoporous silica shell composite particles: synthesis and application in drug release.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Dandan; Wei, Kaiwei; Liu, Qi; Yang, Yong; Guo, Xue; Rong, Hongren; Cheng, Mei-Ling; Wang, Guoxiu

2013-07-01

A drug delivery system was designed by deliberately combining the useful functions into one entity, which was composed of magnetic ZnFe2O4 hollow microsphere as the core, and mesoporous silica with folic acid molecules as the outer shell. Amine groups coated magnetic ZnFe2O4 hollow microsphere core/mesoporous silica shell (MZHM-MSS-NH2) composite particles were first synthesized by a one-pot direct co-condensation method. Subsequently a novel kind of folic acid-functionalized magnetic ZnFe2O4 hollow microsphere core/mesoporous silica shell (MZHM-MSS-NHFA) composite particles were synthesized by conjugating folic acid as targeted molecule to MZHM-MSS-NH2. Ibuprofen, a well-known antiphlogistic drug, was used as a model drug to assess the loading and releasing behavior of the composite microspheres. The results show that the MZHM-MSS-NHFA system has the higher capacity of drug storage and good sustained drug-release property. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Facial synthesis of carbon-coated ZnFe2O4/graphene and their enhanced lithium storage properties

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Libing; Su, Qingmei; Xiao, Yanling; Huang, Min; Li, Haojie; Deng, Huihui; Du, Gaohui

2017-07-01

Carbon-coated ZnFe2O4 spheres with sizes of 110-180 nm anchored on graphene nanosheets (ZF@C/G) are successfully prepared and applied as anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The obtained ZF@C/G presents an initial discharge capacity of 1235 mAh g-1 and maintains a reversible capacity of 775 mAh g-1 after 150 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g-1. After being tested at 2 A g-1 for 700 cycles, the capacity still retains 617 mAh g-1. The enhanced electrochemical performances can be attributed to the synergetic role of graphene and uniform carbon coating ( 3-6 nm), which can inhibit the volume expansion, prevent the pulverization/aggregation upon prolonged cycling, and facilitate the electron transfer between carbon-coated ZnFe2O4 spheres. The electrochemical results suggest that the synthesized ZF@C/G nanostructures are promising electrode materials for high-performance lithium ion batteries. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Nanostructural origin of semiconductivity and large magnetoresistance in epitaxial NiCo2O4/Al2O3 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Congmian; Zhang, XiaoZhe; Wei, Wengang; Guo, Wenzhe; Pant, Ankit; Xu, Xiaoshan; Shen, Jian; Ma, Li; Hou, Denglu

2018-04-01

Despite low resistivity (~1 mΩ cm), metallic electrical transport has not been commonly observed in inverse spinel NiCo2O4, except in certain epitaxial thin films. Previous studies have stressed the effect of valence mixing and the degree of spinel inversion on the electrical conduction of NiCo2O4 films. In this work, we studied the effect of nanostructural disorder by comparing the NiCo2O4 epitaxial films grown on MgAl2O4 (1 1 1) and on Al2O3 (0 0 1) substrates. Although the optimal growth conditions are similar for the NiCo2O4 (1 1 1)/MgAl2O4 (1 1 1) and the NiCo2O4 (1 1 1)/Al2O3 (0 0 1) films, they show metallic and semiconducting electrical transport, respectively. Post-growth annealing decreases the resistivity of NiCo2O4 (1 1 1)/Al2O3 (0 0 1) films, but the annealed films are still semiconducting. While the semiconductivity and the large magnetoresistance in NiCo2O4 (1 1 1)/Al2O3 (0 0 1) films cannot be accounted for in terms of non-optimal valence mixing and spinel inversion, the presence of anti-phase boundaries between nano-sized crystallites, generated by the structural mismatch between NiCo2O4 and Al2O3, may explain all the experimental observations in this work. These results reveal nanostructural disorder as being another key factor for controlling the electrical transport of NiCo2O4, with potentially large magnetoresistance for spintronics applications.

A photochemical proposal for the preparation of ZnAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} and MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films from β-diketonate complex precursors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabello, G., E-mail: gerardocabelloguzman@hotmail.com [Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán (Chile); Lillo, L.; Caro, C.; Seguel, M.; Sandoval, C. [Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán (Chile); Buono-Core, G.E. [Instituto de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso (Chile); Chornik, B.; Flores, M. [Deparamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8370415 (Chile)

2016-05-15

Highlights: • ZnAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} and MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films were prepared by photo-chemical method. • The Zn(II), Mg(II) and Al(III) β-diketonate complexes were used as precursors. • The photochemical reaction was monitored by UV–vis and FT-IR spectroscopy. • The results reveal spinel oxide formation and the generation of intermediate products. - Abstract: ZnAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} and MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films were grown on Si(100) and quartz plate substrates using a photochemical method in the solid phase with thin films of β-diketonate complexes as the precursors. The films were deposited by spin-coating and subsequently photolyzed at room temperature using 254 nm UV light. The photolysis of these films results in the deposition of metal oxide thin films and fragmentation of the ligands from the coordination sphere of the complexes. The obtained samples were post-annealed at different temperatures (350–1100 °C) for 2 h and characterized by FT-Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force miscroscopy (AFM), and UV–vis spectroscopy. The results indicate the formation of spinel-type structures and other phases. These characteristics determined the quality of the films, which were obtained from the photodeposition of ternary metal oxides.

Size dependent electrical and magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized by the combustion method: Comparison between aspartic acid and glycine as fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shanmugavani, A.; Kalai Selvan, R.; Layek, Samar; Sanjeeviraja, C.

2014-01-01

Using two different fuels such as aspartic acid and glycine, the spinel zinc ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized by the combustion method at different pH values. The thermochemical calculations for both the fuel assisted materials and its adiabatic flame temperature were calculated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern revealed the formation of single phase ZnFe 2 O 4 with high crystallinity. The characteristic functional groups of Fe3O and Zn3O were identified through FTIR analysis. Uniform size distribution of spherical particle in the average size range of 35–100 nm was inferred from SEM images. The room temperature DC conductivities of ZnFe 2 O 4 particles prepared by using aspartic and glycine are in the order of 10 −7 and 10 −8 respectively. The dielectric spectral analysis inferred that the obtained dielectric constant is high at low frequency and decreases with increase in frequency. This dielectric behavior is in accordance with the Maxwell–Wagner interfacial polarization. VSM and Mössbauer analysis revealed that the prepared material exhibits paramagnetic behavior and Fe 3+ state of iron content in ZnFe 2 O 4 at room temperature. - Highlights: • For the first time aspartic acid is used as a fuel to synthesize ZnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles. • Theoretical adiabatic flame temperature for the formation of ZnFe 2 O 4 is calculated. • Individual spherical shape particles are achieved by combustion synthesis. • Enhanced room temperature conductivity for aspartic acid assisted particles are revealed. • Size dependent electrical and magnetic properties are demonstrated

Fe3O4 thin films sputter deposited from iron oxide targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Yingguo; Park, Chandro; Laughlin, David E.

2003-01-01

Fe 3 O 4 thin films have been directly sputter deposited from a target consisting of a mixture of Fe 3 O 4 and Fe 2 O 3 onto Si and glass substrates. The magnetic properties and microstructures of the films have been characterized and correlated. The columnar growth of the Fe 3 O 4 grains was found to be initialized from the substrate surface without any critical thickness. Substrate bias was found to be a very effective means of improving the crystal quality and magnetic properties of the thin films. The crystallographic defects revealed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy seem to be a characteristic of the films prepared by this method

Structural and optical properties of (Sr,Ba)2SiO4:Eu2+ thin films grown by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Leliang; Zheng, Jun; Zuo, Yuhua; Cheng, Buwen; Wang, Qiming

2014-01-01

(Sr,Ba) 2 SiO 4 :Eu 2+ thin films were deposited on Si at different substrate temperatures by magnetron sputtering. The morphology and crystalline phases of the films were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, respectively. The silicate crystal phase was presented when films were annealed above 900 °C and the annealing temperature had great impact on the film morphology. The samples annealed at 1000 °C in a non-reducing atmosphere for 30 s show intense room temperature Eu 2+ emission. These findings may open a promising way to prepare efficient phosphor thin films for on-chip light emitting diodes application. - Highlights: • The (Sr, Ba) 2 SiO 4 :Eu 2+ films are fabricated by magnetron sputtering. • A very strong RT PL emission at 540 nm is achieved. • The morphology and optical properties dependent on temperature are studied

Nanocrystalline Sr2CeO4 thin films grown on silicon by laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perea, Nestor; Hirata, G.A.

2006-01-01

Blue-white luminescent Sr 2 CeO 4 thin films were deposited by using pulsed laser ablation (λ = 248 nm wavelength) on 500 deg. C silicon (111) substrates under an oxygen pressure of 55 mTorr. High-resolution electron transmission microscopy, electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the films were composed of nanocrystalline Sr 2 CeO 4 grains of the order of 20-30 nm with a preferential orientation in the (130) crystallographic direction. The excitation and photoluminescence spectra measured on the films maintained the characteristic emission of bulk Sr 2 CeO 4 however, the emission peak appeared narrower and blue-shifted as compared to the luminescence spectrum of the target. The blue-shift and a preferential crystallographic orientation during the growth formation of the film is related to the nanocrystalline nature of the grains due to the quantum confinement behavior and surface energy minimization in nanostructured systems

Synthesis of Cu2O from CuO thin films: Optical and electrical properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhanya S. Murali

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Hole conducting, optically transparent Cu2O thin films on glass substrates have been synthesized by vacuum annealing (5×10−6 mbar at 700 K for 1 hour of magnetron sputtered (at 300 K CuO thin films. The Cu2O thin films are p-type and show enhanced properties: grain size (54.7 nm, optical transmission 72% (at 600 nm and Hall mobility 51 cm2/Vs. The bulk and surface Valence band spectra of Cu2O and CuO thin films are studied by temperature dependent Hall effect and Ultra violet photo electron Spectroscopy (UPS. CuO thin films show a significant band bending downwards (due to higher hole concentration than Cu2O thin films.

Photocatalytic activity of galvanically synthesized nanostructure SnO{sub 2} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jana, Sumanta, E-mail: sumantajana85@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Botanic Garden, Howrah 711103, WB (India); Mitra, Bibhas Chandra [Department of Physics, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Botanic Garden, Howrah 711103, WB (India); Bera, Pulakesh [Department of Chemistry, Panskura Banamali College, Purba Medinipur, Panskura 721152, WB (India); Sikdar, Moushumi [Department of Chemistry, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Botanic Garden, Howrah 711103, WB (India); Mondal, Anup, E-mail: anupmondal2000@yahoo.co.in [Department of Chemistry, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Botanic Garden, Howrah 711103, WB (India)

2014-07-25

Graphical abstract: Nanostructured porous tin dioxide (SnO{sub 2}) thin films have been synthesized by simple and cost effective galvanic technique. The synthesized porous SnO{sub 2} thin films show excellent photocatalytic activity for degrading methyl orange (MO) dye under light irradiation. The porous morphological grain growth due to annealing is likely to play an active role for this degradation. - Highlights: • SnO{sub 2} thin films have been successfully synthesized by galvanic technique. • A drastic morphological change occurs after annealing as deposited SnO{sub 2} thin films. • Morphological advantage results enhanced photodegradation of dye. - Abstract: The study demonstrates an approach to synthesize nanostructure SnO{sub 2} thin films on TCO (transparent conducting oxide) coated glass substrates by galvanic technique. Aqueous solution of hydrated stannic chloride (SnCl{sub 4}⋅5H{sub 2}O) in potassium nitrate (KNO{sub 3}) solution was used as the working solution. The process involves no sophisticated reactor or toxic chemicals, and proceeds continuously under ambient condition; it provides an economic way of synthesizing nanostructure SnO{sub 2} semiconductor thin films. The influence of sintering temperature on crystalline structure, morphology, electrical and dielectric properties has been studied. A detail analysis of I−V, C−V and dielectrics for annealed SnO{sub 2} thin films have been carried out. The morphological advantage i.e. nanoporous flake like structure allows more efficient transport of reactant molecules to the active interfaces and results a strong photocatalytic activity for degrading methyl orange (MO) dye.

Effect of metal cation ratio on chemical properties of ZnFe2O4/AC composite and adsorption of organic contaminant

Science.gov (United States)

Meilia, Demara; Misbah Khunur, Mochamad; Setianingsih, Tutik

2018-01-01

Porous woody char is biochar prepared through pyrolisis. The biochar can be used as adsorbent. In this research, ZnFe2O4/AC composite was synthesized through imregnation of the woody biochar with ZnFe2O4 to study effect of mol ratio of Fe(III) and Zn(II) toward their physicochemistry and adsorption of drug wastewater. Paracetamol was used as adsorbate model. This research was conducted in several steps, including activation of the woody biochar using KOH activator at temperatur 500 °C for 15 min to produce the activated carbon, fungsionalization of the carbon using H2SO4 oxidator (6M) at temperature of 80 °C for 3 h, impregnation of the oxidized activated carbon with Zn-Fe-LDH (Layered Double Hydroxide) at various mol ratio of Fe(III) and Zn(III), including 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4 using NaOH solution (5M) for coprecipitation, and calcination of Zn-Fe-LDH/AC at 950 °C for 5 min to produce ZnFe2O4/AC. FTIR diffraction characterization indicated existence of M-O (M = Zn(II), Fe(III)) and OH functional groups. FTIR spectra showed increasing of bands connected to -OH by increasing of the ratio till the ratio was achieved at 1:4, then decreased again. The ratio mol showed effect on the adsorption of paracetamol. Profile of adsorption value was fit with changing of functional groups. The highest adsorption was achieved at the ratio of 1:4. After calcination it gave the adsorption value of 17,66 mg/g.

Magnetic and transport properties of Zn0.4Fe2.6O4 thin films with highly preferential orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Z.L.; Zou, W.Q.; Liu, X.C.; Lin, Y.B.; Lu, Z.H.; Wang, J.F.; Xu, J.P.; Lv, L.Y.; Zhang, F.M.; Du, Y.W.

2007-01-01

Highly preferentially oriented Zn 0.4 Fe 2.6 O 4 thin films have been fabricated on Si, SrTiO 3 and ZrO 2 substrates, respectively, using RF magnetron sputtering. All the films show a large saturation magnetization of about 4.2μ B and low coercive field at 300 K and a spin (cluster) glass transition at about 60 K due to the non-magnetic Zn 2+ ions substitution. Moreover, the fairly high spin polarization of the carrier at 300 K has been confirmed by both the giant magnetoresistance and anomalous Hall coefficient measurements

Ordered mesoporous MFe(2)O(4) (M = Co, Cu, Mg, Ni, Zn) thin films with nanocrystalline walls, uniform 16 nm diameter pores and high thermal stability: template-directed synthesis and characterization of redox active trevorite.

Science.gov (United States)

Haetge, Jan; Suchomski, Christian; Brezesinski, Torsten

2010-12-20

In this paper, we report on ordered mesoporous NiFe(2)O(4) thin films synthesized via co-assembly of hydrated ferric nitrate and nickel chloride with an amphiphilic diblock copolymer, referred to as KLE. We establish that the NiFe(2)O(4) samples are highly crystalline after calcination at 600 °C, and that the conversion of the amorphous inorganic framework comes at little cost to the ordering of the high quality cubic network of pores averaging 16 nm in diameter. We further show that the synthesis method employed in this work can be readily extended to other ferrites, such as CoFe(2)O(4), CuFe(2)O(4), MgFe(2)O(4), and ZnFe(2)O(4), which could pave the way for innovative device design. While this article focuses on the self-assembly and characterization of these materials using various state-of-the-art techniques, including electron microscopy, grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy, we also examine the electrochemical properties and show the benefits of combining a continuous mesoporosity with nanocrystalline films. KLE-templated NiFe(2)O(4) electrodes exhibit reasonable levels of lithium ion storage at short charging times which stem from facile pseudocapacitance.

Preparation of acid salt M(HPO4)2.nH2 O thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassem, M.

1998-01-01

The layered crystalline powders of Titanium Phosphate with the formula Ti(HPO 4 ) 2 .nH 2 O (phase α when n=2, phase γ when n=1) were prepared by reaction of titanium three chloride with phosphoric acid under specific thermal conditions. Starting from these powders thin films have been prepared using some methods such as: Thermal evaporation, sol-gel and vapor phase transport. The results of X-ray diffraction and differential thermal deferential analysis show that the temperature plays an important role in the determination of the crystalline phases and the phase transition of the prepared films. (author). 7 refs

Synthesis of nanocrystalline nickel-zinc ferrite (Ni{sub 0.8}Zn{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4}) thin films by chemical bath deposition method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pawar, D.K. [Department of Chemistry, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416 004 (M.S.) (India); Pawar, S.M. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, 500 757 (Korea, Republic of); Patil, P.S. [Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416 004 (M.S.) (India); Kolekar, S.S., E-mail: kolekarss2003@yahoo.co.in [Department of Chemistry, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416 004 (M.S.) (India)

2011-02-24

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Research highlights: > We have successfully synthesized nickel-zinc ferrite (Ni{sub 0.8}Zn{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4}) thin films on stainless steel substrates using a low temperature chemical bath deposition method. > The surface morphological study showed the compact flakes like morphology. > The as-deposited thin films are hydrophilic (10{sup o} < {theta} < 90{sup o}) whereas the annealed thin films are super hydrophilic ({theta} < 10{sup o}) in nature. > Ni{sub 0.8}Zn{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films could be used in supercapacitor. - Abstract: The nickel-zinc ferrite (Ni{sub 0.8}Zn{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4}) thin films have been successfully deposited on stainless steel substrates using a chemical bath deposition method from alkaline bath. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), static water contact angle and cyclic voltammetry measurements. The X-ray diffraction pattern shows that deposited Ni{sub 0.8}Zn{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films were oriented along (3 1 1) plane. The FTIR spectra showed strong absorption peaks around 600 cm{sup -1} which are typical for cubic spinel crystal structure. SEM study revealed compact flakes like morphology having thickness {approx}1.8 {mu}m after air annealing. The annealed films were super hydrophilic in nature having a static water contact angle ({theta}) of 5{sup o}.The electrochemical supercapacitor study of Ni{sub 0.8}Zn{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films has been carried out in 6 M KOH electrolyte. The values of interfacial and specific capacitances obtained were 0.0285 F cm{sup -2} and 19 F g{sup -1}, respectively.

Solar control on irradiated Ta2O2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baydogan, N. D.; Zayim, E. Oe.

2007-01-01

Thin films consisting of Ta 2 O 5 have been used in industry in applications related to thin-film capacitors, optical waveguides, and antireflection coatings on solar cells. Ta 2 O 5 films are used for several special applications as highly refractive material and show different optical properties depending on the deposition methods. Sol-gel technique has been used for the preparation of Ta 2 O 5 thin films. Ta 2 O 5 thin films were prepared by sol-gel proses on glass substrates to obtain good quality films. These films were exposed to gamma radiation from Co-60 radioisotope. Ta 2 O 5 coated thin films were placed against the source and irradiated for 8 different gamma doses; between 0.35 and 21.00 kGy at room temperature. Energetic gamma ray can affect the samples and change its colour. On the other hand some of the Ta 2 O 5 coated thin films were irradiated with beta radiation from Sr-90 radioisotope. The effect of gamma irradiation on the solar properties of Ta 2 O 5 films is compared with that of beta irradiation. The solar properties of the irradiated thin films differ significantly from those of the unirradiated ones. After the irradiation of the samples transmittance and reflectance are measured for solar light between 300 and 2100 nm, by using Perkin Elmer Lambda 9 UV/VIS/NIR Spectrophotometer. Change in the direct solar transmittance, reflectance and absorptance with absorbed dose are determined. Using the optical properties, the redistribution of the absorbed component of the solar radiation and the shading coefficient (SC) are calculated as a function of the convective heat-transfer coefficient. Solar parameters are important for the determination of the shading coefficient. When the secondary internal heat transfer factor (qi), direct solar transmittance (□ e ), and solar factor (g) are known, it is possible to determine shading coefficient via the dose rates. The shading coefficient changes as the dose rate is increased. In this study, the shading

Modified voltammetric, impedimetric and optical behavior of polymer- assisted sol-gel MgFe2O4 nanostructured thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bazhan, Z.; Ghodsi, F.E.; Mazloom, J.

2017-01-01

Highlights: •Electrochemical properties of spinel PEG/PVP MgFe 2 O 4 thin films prepared by spin coating technique have been investigated. •PSD analysis indicated that spectral roughness of films decreased by polymer incorporation. •Optical calculations exhibited a blue shift on optical band gap by polymer addition. •CV curves revealed that ion storage capacitance of PEG/MgFe 2 O 4 is two times higher than MgFe 2 O 4 thin films. •EIS analysis confirmed that incorporation of appropriate amount of PEG reduced the charge transfer resistance. -- Abstract: The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on physical properties of sol-gel prepared magnesium ferrite (MF) thin films was investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed the formation of cubic spinel magnesium ferrite for all samples. The surface morphology of films changed and average surface roughness decreased by polymer addition. The height-height correlation function and fractal dimension were evaluated using cube counting and triangulation methods from atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of MF thin films decreased by adding polymer while the band gap value increased from 2.24 to 2.72 eV. The PEG addition enhanced the electrochemical performance while PVP addition didn’t have significant effect on cyclic voltammetry (CV) of magnesium ferrite thin films. The sample with highest value of PEG showed the maximum specific capacitance (68.5 mF cm −2 ) and the smallest charge transfer resistance (565 Ω) among all samples.

Preparation and luminescence of green-emitting ZnAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Mn{sup 2+} phosphor thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Ing-Bang [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Formosa University, Huwei, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China); Chang, Yee-Shin [Department of Electronic Engineering, National Formosa University, Huwei, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China); Chen, Hao-Long [Department of Electronic Engineering, Kao Yuan University, Lujhu, Kaohsiung 821, Taiwan (China); Hwang, Ching Chiang [Department of Biotechnology, Mingdao University, Chang-Hua 52345, Taiwan (China); Jian, Chen-Jhu; Chen, Yu-Shiang [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Formosa University, Huwei, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China); Tsai, Mu-Tsun, E-mail: mttsai@ms23.hinet.net [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Formosa University, Huwei, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China)

2014-11-03

Nanocrystalline Mn{sup 2+}-doped zinc spinel (ZnAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Mn{sup 2+}) green-emitting phosphor films were deposited on silicon substrate by sol–gel spin coating and subsequent heat treatment up to 1000 °C. The effects of dopant concentration and heat treatment on the optical and structural properties were investigated. The variations in sol viscosity with time, film thickness with number of layers were also examined. Thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence spectrum. Single-phase ZnAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} started to crystallize at around 600 °C, with a normal spinel structure. On annealing at 1000 °C, the films had smooth surfaces with a nanocrystalline structure. Under UV or visible light excitation, the phosphor films exhibited an intense green emission band peaking at around 512 nm, corresponding to the typical {sup 4}T{sub 1} → {sup 6}A{sub 1} transition of tetrahedral Mn{sup 2+} ions. The most intense green emission was obtained by exciting at 456 nm. The emission intensity of films was highly dependent upon the excitation wavelength, crystallinity, dopant content, and deposition conditions. The results show that the ZnAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Mn{sup 2+} films have good potential for use as a green phosphor for displays and/or white light-emitting diodes. - Highlights: • ZnAl2O4:Mn2 + thin film phosphors have been synthesized by a sol–gel process. • The most intense green emission was obtained by exciting at 456 nm. • Photoluminescence is highly dependent on the crystallinity and doping content. • Emission intensity can also be modulated by controlling the film thickness.

Investigation of various properties of HfO2-TiO2 thin film composites deposited by multi-magnetron sputtering system

Science.gov (United States)

Mazur, M.; Poniedziałek, A.; Kaczmarek, D.; Wojcieszak, D.; Domaradzki, J.; Gibson, D.

2017-11-01

In this work the properties of hafnium dioxide (HfO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2) and mixed HfO2-TiO2 thin films with various amount of titanium addition, deposited by magnetron sputtering were described. Structural, surface, optical and mechanical properties of deposited coatings were analyzed. Based on X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measuremets it was observed that there was a significant influence of titanium concentration in mixed TiO2-HfO2 thin films on their microstructure. Increase of Ti content in prepared mixed oxides coatings caused, e.g. a decrease of average crystallite size and amorphisation of the coatings. As-deposited hafnia and titania thin films exhibited nanocrystalline structure of monoclinic phase and mixed anatase-rutile phase for HfO2 and TiO2 thin films, respectively. Atomic force microscopy investigations showed that the surface of deposited thin films was densely packed, crack-free and composed of visible grains. Surface roughness and the value of water contact angle decreased with the increase of Ti content in mixed oxides. Results of optical studies showed that all deposited thin films were well transparent in a visible light range. The effect of the change of material composition on the cut-off wavelength, refractive index and packing density was also investigated. Performed measurements of mechanical properties revealed that hardness and Young's elastic modulus of thin films were dependent on material composition. Hardness of thin films increased with an increase of Ti content in thin films, from 4.90 GPa to 13.7 GPa for HfO2 and TiO2, respectively. The results of the scratch resistance showed that thin films with proper material composition can be used as protective coatings in optical devices.

Zirconium doped TiO{sub 2} thin films deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Juma, A. [Laboratory of Thin Film Chemical Technologies, Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Department of Physics and Astronomy, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Private bag 16, Palapye (Botswana); Oja Acik, I., E-mail: ilona.oja@ttu.ee [Laboratory of Thin Film Chemical Technologies, Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Oluwabi, A.T.; Mere, A. [Laboratory of Thin Film Chemical Technologies, Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Mikli, V.; Danilson, M. [Chair of Semiconductor Materials Technology, Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Krunks, M. [Laboratory of Thin Film Chemical Technologies, Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia)

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Mean crystallite size of TiO{sub 2}:Zr film decreases with increasing [Zr] in the solution. • Zr doping supresses the anatase to rutile transformation process in TiO{sub 2} films. • Band gap of TiO{sub 2}:Zr film is 3.4 eV irrespective of the annealing temperature. - Abstract: Chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) is a flexible deposition technique that allows for mixing of the precursor solutions in different proportions suitable for doping thin films. The CSP method was used to dope TiO{sub 2} thin films with Zr by adding zirconium(IV) acetylacetonate into a solution of titanium(IV) isopropoxide in ethanol stabilized by acetylacetone at [Zr]/[Ti] of 0, 5, 10 and 20 at%. The Zr-doped TiO{sub 2} thin films were uniform and homogeneous showing much smaller grains than the undoped TiO{sub 2} films. Zr stabilized the anatase phase to temperatures above 800 °C depending on Zr concentration in the spray solution. The concentration of Zr determined by XPS was 6.4 at% for the thin film deposited from the 20 at% solution. According to AFM studies, Zr doping decreased the root mean square roughness of TiO{sub 2} film from 5.9 to 1.1 nm. An XRD study of samples with the highest Zr amount showed the ZrTiO{sub 4} phase started forming after annealing at 800 °C. The optical band gap for TiO{sub 2} decreased from 3.3 eV to 3.0 eV after annealing at 800 °C but for the TiO{sub 2}:Zr(20) film it remained at 3.4 eV. The dielectric constant increased by more than four times with Zr-doping and this was associated with the change in the bond formations caused by substitution of Ti by Zr in the lattice.

Growth and in-plane magnetic anisotropy of inverse spinel Co{sub 2}MnO{sub 4} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koo, Taeyeong; Kim, Jaeyeong [Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Song, Jonghyun [Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-11-15

Epitaxial Co{sub 2}MnO{sub 4} thin films were grown on Nb(0.1wt.)-doped SrTiO{sub 3} single-crystal substrates with (100) and (110) crystal orientations by using pulsed laser deposition. Their crystal structures and magnetic properties were investigated. Both samples exhibited ferrimagnetic transitions with enhanced transition temperatures. Isotropic M-H loops were observed on the in-plane surface of Co{sub 2}MnO{sub 4}(00l) grown on Nb(0.1wt)-doped SrTiO{sub 3}(100). Strong magnetic anisotropy was observed on the in-plane surface for Co{sub 2}MnO{sub 4} (ll0) grown on Nb(0.1wt)-doped SrTiO{sub 3}(110). A magnetic easy axis existed along the elongated tetragonal direction. This was attributed to the strong interplay between the spin and lattice degrees of freedom in the Co{sub 2}MnO{sub 4} thin film.

Preparation and properties of KCl-doped Cu2O thin film by electrodeposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Xiaojiao; Li, Xinming; Zheng, Gang; Wei, Yuchen; Zhang, Ama; Yao, Binghua

2013-01-01

With the indium tin oxide-coated glass as working electrode, cuprous oxide thin film is fabricated by means of electrodeposition. The effects of KCl doped and annealing treatment upon Cu 2 O thin film morphology, surface resistivity, open-circuit voltage, electric conduction types and visible light response are studied. The research results indicate that KCl doped has a great effect upon Cu 2 O crystal morphology, thus, making Cu 2 O thin film surface resistivity drop, and the open-circuit voltage increase and that electric conduction types are transformed from p type into n type, and the visible light (400–500 nm) absorption rate is slightly reduced. Annealing treatment can obviously decrease Cu 2 O thin film surface resistivity and improve its open-circuit voltage. When KCl concentration in electrolytic solution reaches 7 mmol/L, Cu 2 O thin film morphology can be changed from the dendritic crystal into the cubic crystal and Cu 2 O thin film surface resistivity decreases from the initial 2.5 × 10 6 Ω cm to 8.5 × 10 4 Ω cm. After annealing treatment at 320 °C for 30 min, the surface resistivity decreases to 8.5 × 10 2 Ω cm, and the open-circuit voltage increases from the initial 3.1 mV to 79.2 mV.

Growth of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films by pulsed-laser deposition and their electrochemical properties in lithium microbatteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Julien, C. [Univ. Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (France). LMDH; Haro-Poniatowski, E. [Laboratorio de Optica Cuantica, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Apdo. Postal 55-534, Mexico (Mexico); Camacho-Lopez, M.A. [LMDH, UMR 7603, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, 75252, Paris (France); Escobar-Alarcon, L. [Departamento de Fisica, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Apdo. Postal 18-1027, Mexico (Mexico); Jimenez-Jarquin, J. [Laboratorio de Optica Cuantica, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Apdo. Postal 55-534, Mexico (Mexico)

2000-03-01

Films of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} were grown by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) onto silicon wafers using sintered targets which consisted in the mixture of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} and Li{sub 2}O powders. The film formation has been studied as a function of the preparation conditions, i.e. composition of the target, substrate temperature, and oxygen partial pressure in the deposition chamber. Composition, morphology and structural properties of PLD films have been investigated using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The films deposited from target LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}+15% Li{sub 2}O have an excellent crystallinity when deposited onto silicon substrate maintained at 300 C in an oxygen partial pressure of 100 mTorr. It is found that such a film crystallizes in the spinel structure (Fd3m symmetry) as evidenced by X-ray diffraction. Well-textured polycrystalline films exhibit crystallite size of 300 nm. Pulsed-laser deposited LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films obtained with a polycrystalline morphology were successfully used as cathode materials in lithium microbatteries. The Li//LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin film cells have been tested by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge techniques in the potential range 3.0-4.2 V. Specific capacity as high as 120 mC/cm{sup 2} {mu}m was measured on polycrystalline films. The chemical diffusion coefficients for the Li{sub x}Mn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films appear to be in the range of 10{sup -11}-10{sup -12} cm{sup 2}/s. Electrochemical measurements show a good cycleability of PLD films when cells are charged-discharged at current densities of 5-25 {mu}A/cm{sup 2}. (orig.)

Novel ternary composites: Preparation, performance and application of ZnFe2O4/TiO2/polyaniline

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Juanbi; Xiao, Qiushi; Li, Liangchao; Shen, Junhai; Hu, Diqiong

2015-03-01

A series of ZnFe2O4/TiO2/polyaniline ternary composites with excellent photocatalytic activity were successfully synthesized by chemical method. The phase composition, morphology, conductivity, electrical and magnetic performances of the as-samples were characterized by means of modern measurement technology. And the photocatalytic degradation activity tests for the samples were estimated using rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) as targeted pollutants. The results indicated that there existed some interactions between each component in the ternary composites, and the electrical conductivities and photocatalytic degradation activities of the ternary composites were improved due to the coating of polyaniline. Moreover, when the mass fraction of aniline was up to 50%, the ternary composite exhibited a great decontaminating (including photocatalytic degradation and adsorption) activity of on both MO and RhB and displayed an excellent reusability.

Nanocrystalline Cobalt-doped SnO2 Thin Film: A Sensitive Cigarette Smoke Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patil Shriram B.

2011-11-01

Full Text Available This article discusses a sensitive cigarette smoke sensor based on Cobalt doped Tin oxide (Co-SnO2 thin films deposited on glass substrate by a conventional Spray Pyrolysis technique. The Co-SnO2 thin films have been characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDAX. The XRD spectrum shows polycrystalline nature of the film with a mixed phase comprising of SnO2 and Co3O4. The SEM image depicts uniform granular morphology covering total substrate surface. The compositional analysis derived using EDAX confirmed presence of Co in addition to Sn and O in the film. Cigarette smoke sensing characteristics of the Co-SnO2 thin film have been studied under atmospheric condition at different temperatures and smoke concentration levels. The sensing parameters such as sensitivity, response time and recovery time are observed to be temperature dependent, exhibiting better results at 330 oC.

Synthesis of nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films by liquid phase ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

WINTEC

goes degradation efficiently in presence of TiO2 thin films by exposing its aqueous solution to .... Figure 6. Photodegradation of IGOR organic dye by a. bare TiO2 thin film and b. ... Meng L-J and Dos Santos M P 1993 Thin Solid Films 226 22.

The Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films solar cells synthesized by electrodeposition route

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ji; Ma, Tuteng; Wei, Ming; Liu, Weifeng; Jiang, Guoshun; Zhu, Changfei

2012-06-01

An electrodeposition route for preparing Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films for thin film solar cell absorber layers is demonstrated. The Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films are prepared by co-electrodeposition Cu-Zn-Sn metallic precursor and subsequently annealing in element selenium atmosphere. The structure, composition and optical properties of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometry, energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. The Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin film with high crystalline quality was obtained, the band gap and absorption coefficient were 1.0 eV and 10-4 cm-1, which is quite suitable for solar cells fabrication. A solar cell with the structure of ZnO:Al/i-ZnO/CdS/Cu2ZnSnSe4/Mo/glass was fabricated and achieved an conversion efficiency of 1.7%.

Electrical and optical properties of thermally-evaporated thin films from A2[TiO(C2O4)2] (A = K, PPh4) and 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carbia-Ruelas, E.; Sanchez-Vergara, M.E.; Garcia-Montalvo, V.; Morales-Saavedra, O.G.; Alvarez-Bada, J.R.

2011-01-01

In this work, the synthesis of molecular materials formed from A 2 [TiO(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ] (A = K, PPh4) and 1,8 dihydroxyanthraquinone is reported. The synthesized materials were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), infrared (IR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. IR spectroscopy showed that the molecular-material thin-films, deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation, exhibit the same intra-molecular vibration modes as the starting powders, which suggests that the thermal evaporation process does not alter the initial chemical structures. Electrical transport properties were studied by dc conductivity measurements. The electrical activation energies of the complexes, which were in the range of 0.003-1.16 eV, were calculated from Arrhenius plots. Optical absorption studies in the wavelength range of 190-1090 nm at room temperature showed that the optical band gaps of the thin films were around 1.9-2.3 eV for direct transitions Eg d . The cubic NLO effects were substantially enhanced for materials synthesized from K 2 [TiO(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ], where χ (3) (-3ω; ω, ω, ω) values in the promising range of 10 -12 esu have been evaluated.

New Method for Fabrication of Co3O4 Thin Film Sensors: Structural, Morphological and Optoelectronic Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vikas PATIL

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Nanocrystalline Co3O4 thin films have been deposited by spin coating technique and then have been analyzed to test their application in NH3 gas-sensing technology. In particular, spectrophotometric and conductivity measurements have been performed in order to determine the optical and electrical properties of Co3O4 thin films. The structure and the morphology of such material have been investigated by X ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscopy. The X-ray diffraction studies confirmed that the films grown by this technique have good crystalline cubic spinel structure and present a random orientation. The morphology of the sol gel derived Co3O4 shows nanocrystalline grains with some overgrown clusters .The optical band gap has been determined from the absorption coefficient. We found that the optical band gap energy decreases from 2.58 eV to 2.07 eV with increasing annealing temperature between 400-700 oC. These mean that the optical quality of Co3O4 films is improved by annealing. The dc electrical conductivity of Co3O4 thin films were increased from 10-4 to 10-2(Ω cm-1 with increase in annealing temperature. The electron carrier concentration (n and mobility (μ of Co3O4 films annealed at 400-700 oC were estimated to be of the order of 2.4 to 4.5 x 1019 cm-3 and 5.2 to 7.0 x 10-5 cm2 V-1 s-1 respectively. It is observed that Co3O4 thin film annealing at 700 oC after deposition provide a smooth and flat texture suited for optoelectronic applications. Gas sensing properties showed that the Co3O4 films (at 700 oC were sensitive as well as fast in responding to NH3. A high sensitivity for ammonia indicates that the Co3O4 films are selective for this gas.

Regulating effect of SiO2 interlayer on optical properties of ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Linhua; Zheng, Gaige; Miao, Juhong; Su, Jing; Zhang, Chengyi; Shen, Hua; Zhao, Lilong

2013-01-01

ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films with periodic structure were prepared by electron beam evaporation technique. Regulating effect of SiO 2 interlayer with various thicknesses on the optical properties of ZnO/SiO 2 thin films was investigated deeply. The analyses of X-ray diffraction show that the ZnO layers in ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films have a wurtzite structure and are preferentially oriented along the c-axis while the SiO 2 layers are amorphous. The scanning electron microscope images display that the ZnO layers are composed of columnar grains and the thicknesses of ZnO and SiO 2 layers are all very uniform. The SiO 2 interlayer presents a significant modulation effect on the optical properties of ZnO thin films, which is reflected in the following two aspects: (1) the transmittance of ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films is increased; (2) the photoluminescence (PL) of ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films is largely enhanced compared with that of pure ZnO thin films. The ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films have potential applications in light-emitting devices and flat panel displays. -- Highlights: ► ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films with periodic structure were prepared by electron beam evaporation technique. ► The SiO 2 interlayer presents a significant modulation effect on the optical properties of ZnO thin films. ► The photoluminescence of ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films is largely enhanced compared with that of pure ZnO thin films. ► The ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films have potential applications in light-emitting devices and flat panel displays

Electrochemical Behavior of TiO2 Nanoparticle Doped WO3 Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suvarna R. Bathe

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nanoparticle TiO2 doped WO3 thin films by pulsed spray pyrolysis technique have been studied on fluorine tin doped (FTO and glass substrate. XRD shows amorphous nature for undoped and anatase phase of TiO2 having (101 plane for nanoparticle TiO2 doped WO3 thin film. SEM shows microfibrous reticulated porous network for WO3 with 600 nm fiber diameter and nanocrystalline having size 40 nm for TiO2 nanoparticle doped WO3 thin film. TiO2 nanoparticle doped WO3 thin film shows ~95% reversibility due to may be attributed to nanocrystalline nature of the film, which helpful for charge insertion and deinsertion process. The diffusion coefficient for TiO2 nanoparticle doped WO3 film is less than undoped WO3.

Liquid flow deposited spinel (Ni,Mn){sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films for microbolometer applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le, Duc Thang, E-mail: ducthang36@skku.edu [Intelligent Electronic Component Team, Electronic Materials Convergence Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology, Seoul 153-801 (Korea, Republic of); School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Jeon, Chang Jun; Lee, Kui Woong; Jeong, Young Hun; Yun, Ji Sun [Intelligent Electronic Component Team, Electronic Materials Convergence Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology, Seoul 153-801 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Dae Ho, E-mail: dhyoon@skku.edu [School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Jeong Ho, E-mail: goedc@kicet.re.kr [Intelligent Electronic Component Team, Electronic Materials Convergence Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology, Seoul 153-801 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-03-01

Highlights: • Highly quality (Ni,Mn){sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films were grown using liquid flow deposited (LFD) technique. • It is possible to deposit multi–component manganite–oxide thin films by LFD at low temperatures. • Nickel–manganite films showed a good negative temperature coefficient (NTC) characteristic. • Liquid flow deposited (Ni,Mn){sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films are very potential for microbolometer applications. - Abstract: A liquid flow deposition (LFD) technique was initially used for the fabrication of single-component Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films onto Si wafer substrates at a range of substrate temperatures of 30–80 °C, with the introduction of an oxidizing reagent (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}). As a result, solid thin films were well formed from an aqueous solution. An X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed typical characteristics of hausmannite Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} with a spinel tetragonal phase. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) observations revealed nano-sized grains arranged uniformly on a dense and smooth surface for all of the as-deposited films. On the other hand, the LFD method was then extended to prepare two-component nickel–manganite films according to the binary chemical composition of Ni{sub x}Mn{sub 3−x}O{sub 4} with x = 0.02–0.2. The as-grown nickel–manganite films showed a surface with a good quality with a spherical bead-like architecture when x ≤ 0.10, while a conversion from spherical grains into highly porous nanowalls in the microstructure was noted in films when x ≥ 0.12. These results signify that it is possible to fabricate various multi-component manganite-oxide thin films at a low temperature. In addition, the dependences of the room-temperature electrical resistivity (ρ) and the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) on the Ni substitution level (x) were investigated on films annealed at 400 °C.

Structural and electrical characteristics of ZrO2-TiO2 thin films by sol-gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, Cheng-Hsing; Tseng, Ching-Fang; Lai, Chun-Hung; Tung, Hsin-Han; Lin, Shih-Yao

2010-01-01

In this paper, we investigated electrical properties and microstructures of ZrTiO 4 (ZrO 2 -TiO 2 ) thin films prepared by the sol-gel method on ITO substrates at different annealing temperatures. All films exhibited ZrTiO 4 (1 1 1) and (1 0 1) orientations perpendicular to the substrate surface, and the grain size increased with increase in the annealing temperature. A low leakage current density of 2.06 x 10 -6 A/cm 2 was obtained for the prepared films. Considering the primary memory switching behavior of ZrTiO 4 , ReRAM based on ZrTiO 4 shows promise for future nonvolatile memory applications.

Nanocrystalline Sr{sub 2}CeO{sub 4} thin films grown on silicon by laser ablation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perea, Nestor [Posgrado en Fisica de Materiales, CICESE-UNAM, Km. 107 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada, B.C., 22860 (Mexico); Hirata, G.A. [Centro de Ciencias de la Materia Condensada-UNAM, Km. 107 Carretera Tijuana Ensenada, Ensenada, B.C. 22860 (Mexico)]. E-mail: hirata@ccmc.unam.mx

2006-02-21

Blue-white luminescent Sr{sub 2}CeO{sub 4} thin films were deposited by using pulsed laser ablation ({lambda} = 248 nm wavelength) on 500 deg. C silicon (111) substrates under an oxygen pressure of 55 mTorr. High-resolution electron transmission microscopy, electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the films were composed of nanocrystalline Sr{sub 2}CeO{sub 4} grains of the order of 20-30 nm with a preferential orientation in the (130) crystallographic direction. The excitation and photoluminescence spectra measured on the films maintained the characteristic emission of bulk Sr{sub 2}CeO{sub 4} however, the emission peak appeared narrower and blue-shifted as compared to the luminescence spectrum of the target. The blue-shift and a preferential crystallographic orientation during the growth formation of the film is related to the nanocrystalline nature of the grains due to the quantum confinement behavior and surface energy minimization in nanostructured systems.

Optical properties of CeO 2 thin films

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Cerium oxide (CeO2) thin films have been prepared by electron beam evaporation technique onto glass substrate at a pressure of about 6 × 10-6 Torr. The thickness of CeO2 films ranges from 140–180 nm. The optical properties of cerium oxide films are studied in the wavelength range of 200–850 nm. The film is highly ...

Electrical transport properties of spray deposited transparent conducting ortho-Zn2SnO4 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Ramarajan, R.; Thangaraju, K.; Babu, R. Ramesh; Joseph, D. Paul

2018-04-01

Ortho Zinc Stannate (Zn2SnO4) exhibits excellent electrical and optical properties to serve as alternate transparent electrode in optoelectronic devices. Here we have optimized ortho-Zn2SnO4 thin film by spray pyrolysis method. Deposition was done onto a pre-heated glass substrate at a temperature of 400 °C. The XRD pattern indicated films to be polycrystalline with cubic structure. The surface of films had globular and twisted metal sheet like morphologies. Films were transparent in the visible region with band gap around 3.6 eV. Transport properties were studied by Hall measurements at 300 K. Activation energies were calculated from Arrhenius's plot from temperature dependent electrical measurements and the conduction mechanism is discussed.

AFM study of growth of Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haitao Yang; Hongjie Tao; Yingzi Zhang; Duogui Yang; Lin Li; Zhongxian Zhao

1997-01-01

c-axis-oriented Bi 2 Sr 1.6 La 0.4 CuO 6 thin films deposited on flat planes of (100)SrTiO 3 , (100)LaAlO 3 and (100)MgO substrates and vicinal planes (off-angle ∼ 6 deg.) of SrTiO 3 substrates by RF magnetron sputtering were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). T c of these films reached 29 K. Film thickness ranged from 15 nm to 600 nm. Two typical growth modes have been observed. AFM images of thin films on flat planes of substrates showed a terraced-island growth mode. By contrast, Bi-2201 thin films on vicinal planes of substrates showed a step-flow growth mode. The growth unit is a half-unit-cell in the c-axis for both growth modes. No example of spiral growth, which was thought to be the typical structure of YBCO thin films, was found in either of these kinds of thin films. (author)

Preferential orientation relationships in Ca2MnO4 Ruddlesden-Popper thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacotte, M.; David, A.; Prellier, W.; Rohrer, G. S.; Salvador, P. A.

2015-01-01

A high-throughput investigation of local epitaxy (called combinatorial substrate epitaxy) was carried out on Ca 2 MnO 4 Ruddlesden-Popper thin films of six thicknesses (from 20 to 400 nm), all deposited on isostructural polycrystalline Sr 2 TiO 4 substrates. Electron backscatter diffraction revealed grain-over-grain local epitaxial growth for all films, resulting in a single orientation relationship (OR) for each substrate-film grain pair. Two preferred epitaxial ORs accounted for more than 90% of all ORs on 300 different microcrystals, based on analyzing 50 grain pairs for each thickness. The unit cell over unit cell OR ([100][001] film ∥ [100][001] substrate , or OR1) accounted for approximately 30% of each film. The OR that accounted for 60% of each film ([100][001] film ∥ [100][010] substrate , or OR2) corresponds to a rotation from OR1 by 90° about the a-axis. OR2 is strongly favored for substrate orientations in the center of the stereographic triangle, and OR1 is observed for orientations very close to (001) or to those near the edge connecting (100) and (110). While OR1 should be lower in energy, the majority observation of OR2 implies kinetic hindrances decrease the frequency of OR1. Persistent grain over grain growth and the absence of variations of the OR frequencies with thickness implies that the growth competition is finished within the first few nm, and local epitaxy persists thereafter during growth

Influence of film thickness on structural, optical, and electrical properties of spray deposited antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yadav, Abhijit A., E-mail: aay_physics@yahoo.co.in

2015-09-30

Transparent conducting antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films with varying thickness were deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique from non-aqueous solvent Propan-2-ol. The effect of film thickness on the properties of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films have been studied. X-ray diffraction measurements showed tetragonal crystal structure of as-deposited antimony doped SnO{sub 2} films irrespective of film thickness. The surface morphology of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin film is spherical with the continuous distribution of grains. Electrical and optical properties were investigated by Hall Effect and optical measurements. The average optical transmittance of films decreased from 89% to 73% within the visible range (350–850 nm) with increase in film thickness. The minimum value of sheet resistance observed is 4.81 Ω/cm{sup 2}. The lowest resistivity found is 3.76 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm at 660 nm film thickness. - Highlights: • Effect of film thickness on the properties of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films • Crystalline size in the range of 34–37 nm • Average transmittance decreased from 89% to 73% in the visible region. • Minimum sheet resistance of 4.81 Ω/cm{sup 2} • Lowest resistivity is found to be 3.76 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm at 660 nm film thickness.

Hydrogen irradiation on TiO{sub 2} nano-thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heidari, Sh.; Mohammadizadeh, M.R. [University of Tehran, Superconductivity Research Laboratory (SRL), Department of Physics, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mahjour-Shafiei, M. [University of Tehran, Department of Physics, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Larijani, M.M.; Malek, M. [Science and Technology Research Institute, Agricultural, Medical and Industrial Research School, Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-10-15

Titanium dioxide thin films were coated on soda-lime glass substrates using spray pyrolysis method with a thickness of 152 ± 10 nm. The films were irradiated with hydrogen ions at room temperature at various beam energies and fluences. Optimized incident beam energy and beam fluence were obtained to improve photocatalytic and hydrophilicity properties of TiO{sub 2} thin films by narrowing the band gap. Samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy to study the surface morphology and by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy to measure the band gap. The optical band gap of H-doped anatase TiO{sub 2} thin films irradiated with hydrogen beam with energies of 2 and 4 keV and a fluence of 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2} was narrowed from 3.34 eV (before irradiation) to 3.04 and 2.92 eV (after irradiation), respectively. The irradiated sample with energy of 4 keV with a fluence of 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2} has the best improvement. This is attributed to the contraction of the band gap and to the increase in surface active site. Furthermore, it was observed that photocatalytic and hydrophilicity properties of this sample were improved, as well. (orig.)

Preparation and properties of KCl-doped Cu{sub 2}O thin film by electrodeposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Xiaojiao, E-mail: yxjw@xaut.edu.cn [Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048 (China); Li, Xinming [Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048 (China); Zheng, Gang [Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048 (China); Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072 (China); Wei, Yuchen [The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Zhang, Ama; Yao, Binghua [Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048 (China)

2013-04-01

With the indium tin oxide-coated glass as working electrode, cuprous oxide thin film is fabricated by means of electrodeposition. The effects of KCl doped and annealing treatment upon Cu{sub 2}O thin film morphology, surface resistivity, open-circuit voltage, electric conduction types and visible light response are studied. The research results indicate that KCl doped has a great effect upon Cu{sub 2}O crystal morphology, thus, making Cu{sub 2}O thin film surface resistivity drop, and the open-circuit voltage increase and that electric conduction types are transformed from p type into n type, and the visible light (400–500 nm) absorption rate is slightly reduced. Annealing treatment can obviously decrease Cu{sub 2}O thin film surface resistivity and improve its open-circuit voltage. When KCl concentration in electrolytic solution reaches 7 mmol/L, Cu{sub 2}O thin film morphology can be changed from the dendritic crystal into the cubic crystal and Cu{sub 2}O thin film surface resistivity decreases from the initial 2.5 × 10{sup 6} Ω cm to 8.5 × 10{sup 4} Ω cm. After annealing treatment at 320 °C for 30 min, the surface resistivity decreases to 8.5 × 10{sup 2} Ω cm, and the open-circuit voltage increases from the initial 3.1 mV to 79.2 mV.

Growth and characterization of thin oriented Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} (111) films obtained by decomposition of layered cobaltates Na{sub x}CoO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buršík, Josef, E-mail: bursik@iic.cas.cz [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., 250 68, Husinec-Řež 1001 (Czech Republic); Soroka, Miroslav, E-mail: soroka@iic.cas.cz [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., 250 68, Husinec-Řež 1001 (Czech Republic); Kužel, Radomír, E-mail: kuzel@karlov.mff.cuni.cz [Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, Ke Karlovu 5, 121 16 Praha 2 (Czech Republic); Mika, Filip, E-mail: filip.mika@isibrno.cz [Institute of Scientific Instruments, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 147, 612 64 Brno (Czech Republic)

2015-07-15

The formation and structural characterization of highly (111)-oriented Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} films prepared by a novel procedure from weakly (001)-oriented Na{sub x}CoO{sub 2} is reported. The Na{sub x}CoO{sub 2} films were deposited on both single crystal and amorphous substrates by chemical solution deposition (CSD) method and crystallized at 700 °C. Subsequently they were transformed into (111)-oriented Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} phase during post-growth annealing at 900 °C. The degree of preferred orientation in Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}, which was determined by phi-scan and pole figure measurements, depends on the content of Na in the starting Na{sub x}CoO{sub 2} phase. Surface morphology of the films was investigated using electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. - Graphical abstract: Structure of growth twins and possible O{sup 2−} stacking sequences in (111)-oriented Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films on α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(001) prepared by chemical solution deposition through the transformation of (001)-oriented Na{sub x}CoO{sub 2} thin film. - Highlights: • Single phase Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films was prepared by means of chemical solution deposition. • Conditions for γ-Na{sub x}CoO{sub 2} to Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} transformation were optimized. • Growth twinning of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} films due to two possible O{sup 2−} stacking sequences. • Growth with (pseudo)epitaxial relation Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} (111)[−121]//α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (001)[10−10].

Characterization of nanostructured Mn3O4 thin films grown by SILAR method at room temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ubale, A.U.; Belkhedkar, M.R.; Sakhare, Y.S.; Singh, Arvind; Gurada, Chetan; Kothari, D.C.

2012-01-01

A novel successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method has been successfully employed to grow nanostructured conducting nearly transparent thin films of Mn 3 O 4 on to glass substrates at room temperature using MnCl 2 and NaOH as cationic and anionic precursors. The structural and morphological characterizations of the as deposited Mn 3 O 4 films have been carried out by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Micrograph (FESEM), EDAX, Atomic Fore Microscopy (AFM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrum (FTIR) analysis. The optical absorption and electrical resistivity measurements were carried out to investigate optical band gap and activation energy of Mn 3 O 4 films deposited by SILAR method. The optical band gap and activation energy of the as deposited film is found to be 2.70 and 0.14 eV respectively. The thermo-emf measurements of Mn 3 O 4 thin film confirm its p-type semiconducting nature. Highlights: ► Nanostructured Mn 3 O 4 thin film is prepared by SILAR method at room temperature. ► The film is nanocrystalline with orthorhombic structure of Mn 3 O 4 . ► The XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDX and AFM characterization confirms nanocrystalline nature. ► Optical band gap, electrical resistivity and activation energy of film is reported. ► A thermo-emf measurement confirms p-type conductivity of Mn 3 O 4 films.

Growth and Characteristic of Amorphous Nano-Granular TeO2-V2O5-NiO Thin Films

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseinzadeh, Sh.; Rahmati, A.; Bidadi, H.

2016-12-01

TeO2-V2O5-NiO thin films were deposited using thermal evaporation from 40TeO2-(60-y)V2O5-yNiO (y=0-30mol%) target. Structural analysis of the films was identified by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amorphous TeO2-V2O5-NiO films have nanosized clear grain structure and sharp grain boundaries. DC conductivity and current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of TeO2-V2O5-NiO thin films were measured in the temperature range of 300-423K. As nickel oxide (NiO) content increases, the DC conductivity decreases up to two orders in value (10-9-10-11Sṡcm-1). Temperature dependence of conductivity is described using the small polaron hopping (SPH) model as well. Poole-Frenkel effect is observed at high external electric field. The optical absorption spectra of the TeO2-V2O5-NiO thin films were recorded in the wavelength range of 380-1100nm. The absorption coefficient revealed bandgap shrinkage (3.01-2.3eV) and band tail widening, due to an increase in NiO content. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was used to determine elemental composition. In TeO2-V2O5-NiO thin films, the NiO content is around fifth of the initial target.

QCM gas sensor characterization of ALD-grown very thin TiO2 films

Science.gov (United States)

Boyadjiev, S.; Georgieva, V.; Vergov, L.; Szilágyi, I. M.

2018-03-01

The paper presents a technology for preparation and characterization of titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films suitable for gas sensor applications. Applying atomic layer deposition (ALD), very thin TiO2 films were deposited on quartz resonators, and their gas sensing properties were studied using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method. The TiO2 thin films were grown using Ti(iOPr)4 and water as precursors. The surface of the films was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) used for a composition study. The research was focused on the gas-sensing properties of the films. Films of 10-nm thickness were deposited on quartz resonators with Au electrodes and the QCMs were used to build highly sensitive gas sensors, which were tested for detecting NO2. Although very thin, these ALD-grown TiO2 films were sensitive to NO2 already at room temperature and could register as low concentrations as 50 ppm, while the sorption was fully reversible, and the sensors could be fully recovered. With the technology presented, the manufacturing of gas sensors is simple, fast and cost-effective, and suitable for energy-effective portable equipment for real-time environmental monitoring of NO2.

Photoemission Spectroscopy Characterization of Attempts to Deposit MoO2 Thin Film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irfan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Attempts to deposit molybdenum dioxide (MoO2 thin films have been described. Electronic structure of films, deposited by thermal evaporation of MoO2 powder, had been investigated with ultraviolet photoemission and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (UPS and XPS. The thermally evaporated films were found to be similar to the thermally evaporated MoO3 films at the early deposition stage. XPS analysis of MoO2 powder reveals presence of +5 and +6 oxidation states in Mo 3d core level along with +4 state. The residue of MoO2 powder indicates substantial reduction in higher oxidation states while keeping +4 oxidation state almost intact. Interface formation between chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (AlPc-Cl and the thermally evaporated film was also investigated.

Preparation of YBa2Cu3O7-δ epitaxial thin films by pulsed ion-beam evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sorasit, S.; Yoshida, G.; Suzuki, T.; Suematsu, H.; Jiang, W.; Yatsui, K.

2001-01-01

Thin films of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (Y-123) grown epitaxially have been successfully deposited by ion-beam evaporation (IBE). The c-axis oriented YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ thin films were successfully deposited on MgO and SrTiO 3 substrates. The Y-123 thin films which were prepared on the SrTiO 3 substrates were confirmed to be epitaxially grown, by X-ray diffraction analysis. The instantaneous deposition rate of the Y-123 thin films was estimated as high as 4 mm/s. (author)

Chemical solution deposition of CaCu3Ti4O12 thin film

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

CaCu3Ti4O12; thin film; chemical solution deposition; dielectric properties. 1. Introduction. The CaCu3Ti4O12. (CCTO) compound has recently attracted considerable ... and Kelvin probe force microscopy (Chung et al 2004). Intrinsic .... SEM images of CCTO thin films as a function of sintering temperature. silicon based ...

Electrical and optical properties of nitrogen doped SnO2 thin films deposited on flexible substrates by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Feng; Zhang, Yeyu; Wu, Xiaoqin; Shao, Qiyue; Xie, Zonghan

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: The best SnO 2 :N TCO film: about 80% transmittance and 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm. - Highlights: • Nitrogen-doped tin oxide film was deposited on PET by RF-magnetron sputtering. • Effects of oxygen partial pressure on the properties of thin films were investigated. • For SnO 2 :N film, visible light transmittance was 80% and electrical resistivity was 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm. - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped tin oxide (SnO 2 :N) thin films were deposited on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates at room temperature by RF-magnetron sputtering. Effects of oxygen partial pressure (0–4%) on electrical and optical properties of thin films were investigated. Experimental results showed that SnO 2 :N films were amorphous state, and O/Sn ratios of SnO 2 :N films were deviated from the standard stoichiometry 2:1. Optical band gap of SnO 2 :N films increased from approximately 3.10 eV to 3.42 eV as oxygen partial pressure increased from 0% to 4%. For SnO 2 :N thin films deposited on PET, transmittance was about 80% in the visible light region. The best transparent conductive oxide (TCO) deposited on flexible PET substrates was SnO 2 :N thin films preparing at 2% oxygen partial pressure, the transmittance was about 80% and electrical conductivity was about 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm

Semiconductor thin films directly from minerals—study of structural, optical, and transport characteristics of Cu2O thin films from malachite mineral and synthetic CuO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balasubramaniam, K.R.; Kao, V.M.; Ravichandran, J.; Rossen, P.B.; Siemons, W.; Ager, J.W.

2012-01-01

We demonstrate the proof-of-concept of using an abundantly occurring natural ore, malachite (Cu 2 CO 3 (OH) 2 ) to directly yield the semiconductor Cu 2 O to be used as an active component of a functional thin film based device. Cu 2 O is an archetype hole-conducting semiconductor that possesses several interesting characteristics particularly useful for solar cell applications, including low cost, non-toxicity, good hole mobility, large minority carrier diffusion length, and a direct energy gap ideal for efficient absorption. In this article, we compare the structural, optical, and electrical transport characteristics of Cu 2 O thin films grown from the natural mineral malachite and synthetic CuO targets. Growth from either source material results in single-phase, fully epitaxial cuprous oxide thin films as determined by x-ray diffraction. The films grown from malachite have strong absorption coefficients ( 10 4 cm −1 ), a direct allowed optical bandgap ( 2.4 eV), and majority carrier hole mobilities ( 35 cm 2 V −1 s −1 at room temperature) that compare well with films grown from the synthetic target as well as with previously reported values. Our work demonstrates that minerals could be useful to directly yield the active components in functional devices and suggests a route for the exploration of low cost energy conversion and storage technologies. - Highlights: ► Semiconductor thin films directly from minerals ► Chemistry and structure evolution of the films obtained from mineral target is very similar to that films obtained from high-purity synthetic targets. ► Quite interestingly, transport and optical characteristics are also found to be similar.

Thin-Film Photoluminescent Properties and the Atomistic Model of Mg2TiO4 as a Non-rare Earth Matrix Material for Red-Emitting Phosphor

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chieh-Szu; Chang, Ming-Chuan; Huang, Cheng-Liang; Lin, Shih-kang

2016-12-01

Thin-film electroluminescent devices are promising solid-state lighting devices. Red light-emitting phosphor is the key component to be integrated with the well-established blue light-emitting diode chips for stimulating natural sunlight. However, environmentally hazardous rare-earth (RE) dopants, e.g. Eu2+ and Ce2+, are commonly used for red-emitting phosphors. Mg2TiO4 inverse spinel has been reported as a promising matrix material for "RE-free" red light luminescent material. In this paper, Mg2TiO4 inverse spinel is investigated using both experimental and theoretical approaches. The Mg2TiO4 thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates using either spin-coating with the sol-gel process, or radio frequency sputtering, and annealed at various temperatures ranging from 600°C to 900°C. The crystallinity, microstructures, and photoluminescent properties of the Mg2TiO4 thin films were characterized. In addition, the atomistic model of the Mg2TiO4 inverse spinel was constructed, and the electronic band structure of Mg2TiO4 was calculated based on density functional theory. Essential physical and optoelectronic properties of the Mg2TiO4 luminance material as well as its optimal thin-film processing conditions were comprehensively reported.

Enhancement of room temperature ferromagnetic behavior of rf sputtered Ni-CeO_2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murugan, R.; Vijayaprasath, G.; Mahalingam, T.; Ravi, G.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Ni-CeO_2 thin films deposited by using rf Magnetron sputtering with different concentrations of Ni. • Deposited thin films have single crystalline and uniform surface morphology. • Photoluminescence and micro-Raman spectra were interpreted for Ni-CeO_2 thin films. • XPS spectra confirmed Ni ions were present in the doped CeO_2 thin films. • Ni ions induced ferromagnetic behavior of Ni-CeO_2 films were confirmed through VSM. - Abstract: Ni-doped CeO_2 thin films were prepared under Ar"+ atmosphere on glass substrates using rf magnetron sputtering. To assess the properties of the prepared thin films, the influence of various amounts of Ni dopant on structural, morphological, optical, vibrational, compositional and magnetic properties of the CeO_2 films were studied by using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), photoluminescence (PL), micro-Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). XRD patterns for all the samples revealed the expected CeO_2 cubic fluorite-type structure and Ni ions were uniformly distributed in the samples. AFM images of the prepared samples indicate high dense, columnar structure with uniform distribution of CeO_2. Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and micro-Raman spectroscopic studies revealed an increase of oxygen vacancies with higher concentration of Ni in CeO_2. XPS results confirm the presence of Ni_2_p, O_1_s and Ce and depict that cerium is present as both Ce"4"+ and Ce"3"+ oxidation states in Ce_1_−_xNi_xO_2 (x = 15%) thin film. Field dependent magnetization measurements revealed a paramagnetic behavior for pure CeO_2, while a ferromagnetic behavior appeared when Ni is doped in CeO_2 films. Doping dependent magnetization measurements suggest that the observed ferromagnetism is due to the presence of metallic Ni clusters with nanometric size and broad size distribution.

Magnetic and optical properties of MgAl2O4-(Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takeshi Misu, Naonori Sakamoto, Kazuo Shinozaki, Nobuyasu Adachi, Hisao Suzuki and Naoki Wakiya

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Thin films composed of MgAl2O4 and (Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 ([MA(100-x-NZFx] films were grown on fused SiO2 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the films were polycrystalline, and that their lattice constant varied linearly with composition, indicating the formation of a solid solution. The film with x=60 was paramagnetic and those with x ≥ 70 were ferromagnetic. The films had a transparency above 75% in the visible range, but the transparency decreased with the x value. The optical band gaps were 2.95, 2.55, 2.30 and 1.89 eV for x=20, 40, 60, 80 and 100, respectively. The Faraday rotation angle increased with x in the visible range, and the film with x=70 exhibited a value of 2000 degrees cm-1 at 570 nm, which is comparable to the rotation angle of Y3Fe5O12. Owing to their high transparency, which extends into the visible range, the [MA(100-x-NZFx] films can be used in novel magneto-optical devices.

Magnetoelectric effect in Cr2O3 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xi; Wang, Yi; Sahoo, Sarbeswar; Binek, Christian

2008-03-01

Magnetoelectric materials experienced a recent revival as promising components of novel spintronic devices [1, 2, 3]. Since the magnetoelectric (ME) effect is relativistically small in traditional antiferromagnetic compounds like Cr2O3 (max. αzz 4ps/m ) and also cross- coupling between ferroic order parameters is typically small in the modern multiferroics, it is a challenge to electrically induce sufficient magnetization required for the envisioned device applications. A straightforward approach is to increase the electric field at constant voltage by reducing the thickness of the ME material to thin films of a few nm. Since magnetism is known to be affected by geometrical confinement thickness dependence of the ME effect in thin film Cr2O3 is expected. We grow (111) textured Cr2O3 films with various thicknesses below 500 nm and study the ME effect for various ME annealing conditions as a function of temperature with the help of Kerr-magnetometry. [1] P. Borisov et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 117203 (2005). [2] Ch. Binek, B.Doudin, J. Phys. Condens. Matter 17, L39 (2005). [3] R. Ramesh and Nicola A. Spaldin 2007 Nature Materials 6 21.

Thin (111) oriented CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} films prepared by decomposition of layered cobaltates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buršík, Josef, E-mail: bursik@iic.cas.cz [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., 250 68 Husinec-Řež 1001 (Czech Republic); Soroka, Miroslav, E-mail: soroka@iic.cas.cz [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., 250 68 Husinec-Řež 1001 (Czech Republic); Uhrecký, Róbert, E-mail: uhrecky@iic.cas.cz [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., 250 68 Husinec-Řež 1001 (Czech Republic); Kužel, Radomír, E-mail: kuzel@karlov.mff.cuni.cz [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Ke Karlovu 5, 121 16 Praha 2 (Czech Republic); Mika, Filip, E-mail: filip.mika@isibrno.cz [Institute of Scientific Instruments, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Královopolská 147, 612 64 Brno (Czech Republic); Huber, Štěpán, E-mail: stepan.huber@vscht.cz [University of Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6 (Czech Republic)

2016-07-15

Graphical abstract: Pole figures of NaCoO{sub 2} (left) and of CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (right) films formed through the transformation of O3-type NaCoO{sub 2} phase in consequence of sodium deintercalation occurring at 800 °C. Films were prepared by chemical solution deposition on MgO(111) substrate. - Highlights: • Epitaxial Na(CoFe)O{sub 2} thin films by means of chemical solution deposition were prepared. • Oriented spinel films through transformation of Na(CoFe)O{sub 2} were obtained. • Orientation relation to MgO, SrTiO{sub 3} and Zr(Y)O{sub 2} substrates were determined. • Structural aspects of Na(CoFe)O{sub 2} → CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} transformation pathway were elucidated. - Abstract: The formation and structural characterization of highly (111)-oriented Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} and CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} films prepared by a novel procedure from 00l-oriented NaCoO{sub 2} and Na(CoFe)O{sub 2} is reported. The Na(CoFe)O{sub 2} films were deposited on MgO, SrTiO{sub 3}, LaAlO{sub 3}, and Zr(Y)O{sub 2} single crystals with (100) and (111) orientations by chemical solution deposition method and crystallized at 700 °C. Subsequently they were transformed into (111)-oriented spinel phase during post-growth annealing at 800–1000 °C. Morphology and structure of the films was investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. While all spinel films exhibit pronounced out-of-plane orientation irrespective of substrate, the rate of in-plane orientation strongly depend on lattice misfit values. Different epitaxial phenomena ranging from true one-to-one epitaxy to the existence of many-to-one epitaxy involving two or more orientations were determined by full 3D texture analysis.

Analyses of desorbed H2O with temperature programmed desorption technique in sol-gel derived HfO2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, H.; Nemoto, D.; Ikeda, M.; Nishide, T.

2009-01-01

Hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) is a promising material for the gate insulator in highly miniaturized silicon (Si) ultra-large-scale-integration (ULSI) devices (32 nm and beyond). In the field chemistry, a sol-gel processing has been used to fabricate HfO 2 thin film with the advantages of low cost, relative simplicity, and easy control of the composition of the layers formed. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) has been used not only for analyzing adsorbed gases on the surfaces of bulk sol-gel-derived HfO 2 of sol-gel-derived HfO 2 thin film fired at 350, 450, 550 and 700 deg C in sol-gel derived HfO 2 films in air is investigated using TPD, and also the material characterization of HfO 2 thin films is evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The dielectric constant of the films was also estimated using the capacitance-voltage (C-V) method. TPD is essentially a method of analyzing desorped gases from samples heated by infra-red light as a function of temperature under vacuum conditions using a detector of quadruple mass spectroscopy (QMS). Sol-gel-derived HfO 2 films were fabricated on 76-mm-diameter Si(100) wafers as follows. Hafnia sol solutions were prepared by dissolving HfCl 4 in NH 4 OH solution, followed by the of HCOOH. (author)

Nano structured TiO2 thin films by polymeric precursor method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroppa, Daniel Grando; Giraldi, Tania Regina; Leite, Edson Roberto; Varela, Jose Arana; Longo, Elson

2008-01-01

This work focuses in optimizing setup for obtaining TiO 2 thin films by polymeric precursor route due to its advantages on stoichiometric and morphological control. Precursor stoichiometry, synthesis pH, solids concentration and rotation speed at deposition were optimized evaluating thin films morphology and thickness. Thermogravimetry and NMR were applied for precursor's characterization and AFM, XRD and ellipsometry for thin films evaluation. Results showed successful attainment of homogeneous nanocrystalline anatase TiO 2 thin films with outstanding control over morphological characteristics, mean grain size of 17 nm, packing densities between 57 and 75%, estimated surface areas of 90 m 2 /g and monolayers thickness within 20 and 128 nm. (author)

Optoelectronic properties of SnO2 thin films sprayed at different deposition times

Science.gov (United States)

Allag, Abdelkrim; Saâd, Rahmane; Ouahab, Abdelouahab; Attouche, Hafida; Kouidri, Nabila

2016-04-01

This article presents the elaboration of tin oxide (SnO2) thin films on glass substrates by using a home-made spray pyrolysis system. Effects of film thickness on the structural, optical, and electrical film properties are investigated. The films are characterized by several techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) transmission, and four-probe point measurements, and the results suggest that the prepared films are uniform and well adherent to the substrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that SnO2 film is of polycrystal with cassiterite tetragonal crystal structure and a preferential orientation along the (110) plane. The calculated grain sizes are in a range from 32.93 nm to 56.88 nm. Optical transmittance spectra of the films show that their high transparency average transmittances are greater than 65% in the visible region. The optical gaps of SnO2 thin films are found to be in a range of 3.64 eV-3.94 eV. Figures of merit for SnO2 thin films reveal that their maximum value is about 1.15 × 10-4 Ω-1 at λ = 550 nm. Moreover, the measured electrical resistivity at room temperature is on the order of 10-2 Ω·cm.

Solid phase crystallisation of HfO2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Modreanu, M.; Sancho-Parramon, J.; O'Connell, D.; Justice, J.; Durand, O.; Servet, B.

2005-01-01

In this paper, we report on the solid phase crystallisation of carbon-free HfO 2 thin films deposited by plasma ion assisted deposition (PIAD). After deposition, the HfO 2 films were annealed in N 2 ambient for 3 h at 350, 550 and 750 deg. C. Several characterisation techniques including X-ray reflectometry (XRR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used for the physical characterisation of as-deposited and annealed HfO 2 . XRD has revealed that the as-deposited HfO 2 film is in an amorphous-like state with only traces of crystalline phase and that the annealed films are in a highly crystalline state. These results are in good agreement with the SE results showing an increase of refractive index by increasing the annealing temperature. XRR results show a significant density gradient over the as-deposited film thickness, which is characteristic of the PIAD method. The AFM measurements show that the HfO 2 layers have a smooth surface even after annealing at 750 deg. C. The present study demonstrates that the solid phase crystallisation of HfO 2 PIAD thin films starts at a temperature as low as 550 deg. C

CuAlO2 and CuAl2O4 thin films obtained by stacking Cu and Al films using physical vapor deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo-Hernández, G.; Mayén-Hernández, S.; Castaño-Tostado, E.; DeMoure-Flores, F.; Campos-González, E.; Martínez-Alonso, C.; Santos-Cruz, J.

2018-06-01

CuAlO2 and CuAl2O4 thin films were synthesized by the deposition of the precursor metals using the physical vapor deposition technique and subsequent annealing. Annealing was carried out for 4-6 h in open and nitrogen atmospheres respectively at temperatures of 900-1000 °C with control of heating and cooling ramps. The band gap measurements ranged from 3.3 to 4.5 eV. Electrical properties were measured using the van der Pauw technique. The preferred orientations of CuAlO2 and CuAl2O4 were found to be along the (1 1 2) and (3 1 1) planes, respectively. The phase percentages were quantified using a Rietveld refinement simulation and the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated that the composition is very close to the stoichiometry of CuAlO2 samples and with excess of aluminum and deficiency of copper for CuAl2O4 respectively. High resolution transmission electron microscopy identified the principal planes in CuAlO2 and in CuAl2O4. Higher purities were achieved in nitrogen atmosphere with the control of the cooling ramps.

Dielectric properties of DC reactive magnetron sputtered Al2O3 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasanna, S.; Mohan Rao, G.; Jayakumar, S.; Kannan, M.D.; Ganesan, V.

2012-01-01

Alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) thin films were sputter deposited over well-cleaned glass and Si substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering under various oxygen gas pressures and sputtering powers. The composition of the films was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and an optimal O/Al atomic ratio of 1.59 was obtained at a reactive gas pressure of 0.03 Pa and sputtering power of 70 W. X-ray diffraction results revealed that the films were amorphous until 550 °C. The surface morphology of the films was studied using scanning electron microscopy and the as-deposited films were found to be smooth. The topography of the as-deposited and annealed films was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and a progressive increase in the rms roughness of the films from 3.2 nm to 4.53 nm was also observed with increase in the annealing temperature. Al-Al 2 O 3 -Al thin film capacitors were then fabricated on glass substrates to study the effect of temperature and frequency on the dielectric property of the films. Temperature coefficient of capacitance, AC conductivity and activation energy were determined and the results are discussed. - Highlights: ► Al 2 O 3 thin films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. ► The films were found to be amorphous up to annealing temperature of 550 C. ► An increase in rms roughness of the films was observed with annealing. ► Al-Al 2 O 3 -Al thin film capacitors were fabricated and dielectric constant was 7.5. ► The activation energy decreased with increase in frequency.

Influence of film thickness and Fe doping on LPG sensing properties of Mn3O4 thin film grown by SILAR method

Science.gov (United States)

Belkhedkar, M. R.; Ubale, A. U.

2018-05-01

Nanocrystalline Fe doped and undoped Mn3O4 thin films have been deposited by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method onto glass substrates using MnCl2 and NaOH as cationic and anionic precursors. The grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM)) have been carried out to analyze structural and surface morphological properties of the films. The LPG sensing performance of Mn3O4thin films have been studied by varying temperature, concentration of LPG, thickness of the film and doping percentage of Fe. The LPG response of the Mn3O4thin films were found to be enhances with film thickness and decreases with increased Fe doping (0 to 8 wt. %) at 573 K temperature.

Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline porous TiO2/WO3 composite thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, C.-S.; Lin, C.-K.; Chan, C.-C.; Chang, C.-C.; Tsay, C.-Y.

2006-01-01

TiO 2 materials possessing not only photocatalytic but also electrochromic properties have attracted many research and development interests. Though WO 3 exhibits excellent electrochromic properties, the much higher cost and water-sensitivity of WO 3 as compared with the TiO 2 may restrict the practical application of WO 3 materials. In the present study, the feasibility of preparing nanocrystalline porous TiO 2 /WO 3 composite thin films was investigated. Precursors of sols TiO 2 and/or WO 3 and polystyrene microspheres were used to prepare nanocrystalline pure TiO 2 , WO 3 , and composite TiO 2 /WO 3 thin films by spin coating. The spin-coated thin films were amorphous and, after heat treating at a temperature of 500 o C, nanocrystalline TiO 2 , TiO 2 /WO 3 , and WO 3 thin films with or without pores were prepared successfully. The heat-treated thin films were colorless and coloration-bleaching phenomena can be observed during cyclic voltammetry tests. The heat-treated thin films exhibited good reversible electrochromic behavior while the porous TiO 2 /WO 3 composite film exhibited improved electrochromic properties

Performance Investigation of Automobile Radiator Operated with ZnFe2O4 Nano Fluid based Coolant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tripathi Ajay

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The cooling system of an Automobile plays an important role in its performance, consists of two main parts, known as radiator and fan. Improving thermal efficiency of engine leads to increase the engine's performance, decline the fuel consumption and decrease the pollution emissions. Water and ethylene glycol as conventional coolants have been widely used in radiators of an automotive industry for many years. These heat transfer fluids offer low thermal conductivity. With the advancement of nanotechnology, the new generation of heat transfer fluids called, “nanofluids” have been developed and researchers found that these fluids offer higher thermal conductivity compared to that of conventional coolants. This study focused on the preparation of Zinc based nanofluids (ZnFe2O4 using chemical co-precipitation method and its application in an automotive cooling system along with mixture of ethylene glycol and water (50:50. Relevant input data, nanofluids properties and empirical correlations were obtained from literatures to investigate the heat transfer enhancement of an automotive car radiator operated with nano fluid-based coolants. It was observed that, overall heat transfer coefficient and heat transfer rate in engine cooling system increased with the usage of nanofluids (with ethylene glycol the base-fluid compared to ethylene glycol (i.e. base-fluid alone. It is observed that, about 78% of heat transfer enhancement could be achieved with the addition of 1% ZnFe2O4 particles in a base fluid at the Reynolds number of 84.4x103 and 39.5x103 for air and coolant respectively

Structural, electrical and optical properties of nanostructured ZrO2 thin film deposited by SILAR method

Science.gov (United States)

Salodkar, R. V.; Belkhedkar, M. R.; Nemade, S. D.

2018-05-01

Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method has been employed to deposit nanocrystalline ZrO2 thin film of thickness 91 nm onto glass substrates using ZrOCl2.8H2O and NaOH as cationic and anionic precursors respectively. The structural and surface morphological characterizations have been carried out by means of X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy confirms the nanocrystalline nature of ZrO2 thin film. The direct optical band gap and activation energy of the ZrO2 thin film are found to be 4.74 and 0.80eV respectively.

Synthesis of visible light active Gd3+-substituted ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles for photocatalytic and antibacterial activities

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, S. B.; Bhojya Naik, H. S.; Nagaraju, G.; Viswanath, R.; Rashmi, S. K.

2017-08-01

In the present analysis, we study the assembly of a low-cost and visible light active ZnFe2-xGdxO4 ( x = 0 , 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7) nanoparticles (NPs) photocatalyst. The synthesized samples were characterized by several physicochemical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The phase transition from cubic to orthorhombic was confirmed by XRD patterns. The increase in the concentration of Gd3+ substitution in ZnFe2O4 NPs enhances the redshift of absorption in the visible region of UV-Vis absorption spectra and reduces the band gap. In the photo-Fenton-type reaction, the gadolinium-substituted zinc ferrite (ZGF) NPs exhibit a significant catalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (99% in 90 minutes) under visible light (500W xenon lamp) with respect to bare samples (95% in 240 minutes) and they also show an excellent reusability nature. These materials were also screened for antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria strains ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli).

Structural, morphological and optical properties of spray deposited Mn-doped CeO2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavan Kumar, CH.S.S.; Pandeeswari, R.; Jeyaprakash, B.G.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Spray deposited undoped and Mn-doped CeO 2 thin films were polycrystalline. • Complete changeover of surface morphology upon 4 wt% Mn doping. • 4 wt% Mn-doped CeO 2 thin film exhibited a hydrophobic nature. • Optical band-gap decreases beyond 2 wt% Mn doping. - Abstract: Cerium oxide and manganese (Mn) doped cerium oxide thin films on glass substrates were prepared by home built spray pyrolysis system. The effect of Mn doping on the structural, morphological and optical properties of CeO 2 films were studied. It was found that both the undoped and doped CeO 2 films were polycrystalline in nature but the preferential orientation and grain size changed upon doping. Atomic force micrograph showed a complete changeover of surface morphology from spherical to flake upon doping. A water contact angle result displayed the hydrophobic nature of the doped CeO 2 film. Optical properties indicated an increase in band-gap and a decrease in transmittance upon doping owing to Moss–Burstein effect and inverse Moss–Burstein effects. Other optical properties such as refractive index, extinction coefficient and dielectric constant as a function of doping were analysed and reported

Ferroelectric properties of sandwich structured (Bi, La)4T3O12/Pb(Zr, Ti)O3/ (Bi, La)4Ti3O12 thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bao Dinghua; Wakiya, Naoki; Shinozaki, Kazuo; Mizutani, Nobuyasu

2002-01-01

Sandwich structured (Bi, La) 4 Ti 3 O 12 /Pb(Zr, Ti)O 3 /(Bi, La) 4 Ti 3 O 12 thin films were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrates, with the intention of simultaneously utilizing the advantages of both (Bi, La) 4 Ti 3 O 12 (BLT) and Pb(Zr, Ti)O 3 (PZT) thin films such as non-fatigue behaviours of BLT and good ferroelectric properties of PZT. Both BLT and PZT layers were prepared by a chemical solution deposition technique. The experiments demonstrated that the sandwich structure showed fatigue-free characteristics at least up to 10 10 switching bipolar pulse cycles under 8 V and excellent retention properties. The sandwich structured thin films also exhibited well-defined hysteresis loops with a remanent polarization (2P r ) of 8.8 μC cm -2 and a coercive field (E c ) of 47 kV cm -1 . The room-temperature dielectric constant and dissipation factor were 210 and 0.031, respectively, at a frequency of 100 kHz. These results suggest that this sandwich structure is a promising material combination for ferroelectric memory applications. (author)

Reliability assessment of ultra-thin HfO2 films deposited on silicon wafer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Wei-En; Chang, Chia-Wei; Chang, Yong-Qing; Yao, Chih-Kai; Liao, Jiunn-Der

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Nano-mechanical properties on annealed ultra-thin HfO 2 film are studied. ► By AFM analysis, hardness of the crystallized HfO 2 film significantly increases. ► By nano-indention, the film hardness increases with less contact stiffness. ► Quality assessment on the annealed ultra-thin films can thus be achieved. - Abstract: Ultra-thin hafnium dioxide (HfO 2 ) is used to replace silicon dioxide to meet the required transistor feature size in advanced semiconductor industry. The process integration compatibility and long-term reliability for the transistors depend on the mechanical performance of ultra-thin HfO 2 films. The criteria of reliability including wear resistance, thermal fatigue, and stress-driven failure rely on film adhesion significantly. The adhesion and variations in mechanical properties induced by thermal annealing of the ultra-thin HfO 2 films deposited on silicon wafers (HfO 2 /SiO 2 /Si) are not fully understood. In this work, the mechanical properties of an atomic layer deposited HfO 2 (nominal thickness ≈10 nm) on a silicon wafer were characterized by the diamond-coated tip of an atomic force microscope and compared with those of annealed samples. The results indicate that the annealing process leads to the formation of crystallized HfO 2 phases for the atomic layer deposited HfO 2 . The HfSi x O y complex formed at the interface between HfO 2 and SiO 2 /Si, where the thermal diffusion of Hf, Si, and O atoms occurred. The annealing process increases the surface hardness of crystallized HfO 2 film and therefore the resistance to nano-scratches. In addition, the annealing process significantly decreases the harmonic contact stiffness (or thereafter eliminate the stress at the interface) and increases the nano-hardness, as measured by vertically sensitive nano-indentation. Quality assessments on as-deposited and annealed HfO 2 films can be thereafter used to estimate the mechanical properties and adhesion of ultra-thin HfO 2

Superhydrophilicity of TiO2 nano thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammadizadeh, M.R.; Ashkarran, A.A.

2007-01-01

Full text: Among the several oxide semiconductors, titanium dioxide has a more helpful role in our environmental purification due to its photocatalytic activity, photo-induced superhydrophilicity, and as a result of them non-toxicity, self cleaning, and antifogging effects. After the discovery of superhydrophilicity of titanium dioxide in 1997, several researches have been performed due to its nature and useful applications. The superhydrophilicity property of the surface allows water to spread completely across the surface rather than remains as droplets, thus making the surface antifog and easy-to-clean. The distinction of photo-induced catalytic and hydrophilicity properties of TiO 2 thin films has been accepted although, the origin of hydrophilicity property has not been recognized completely yet. TiO 2 thin films on soda lime glass were prepared by the sol-gel method and spin coating process. The calcination temperature was changed from 100 to 550 C. XRD patterns show increasing the content of polycrystalline anatase phase with increasing the calcination temperature. The AFM results indicate granular morphology of the films, which particle size changes from 22 to 166 nm by increasing the calcination temperature. The RBS, EDX and Raman spectroscopy of the films show the ratio of Ti:O∼0.5, and diffusion of sodium ions from substrate into the layer, by increasing the calcination temperature. The UV/Vis. spectroscopy of the films indicates a red shift by increasing the calcination temperature. The contact angle meter experiment shows that superhydrophilicity of the films depends on the formation of anatase crystal structure and diffused sodium content from substrate to the layer. The best hydrophilicity property was observed at 450 C calcination temperature, where the film is converted to a superhydrophilic surface after 10 minutes under 2mW/cm 2 UV irradiation. TiO 2 thin film on Si(111), Si(100), and quartz substrates needs less time to be converted to

TI--CR--AL--O thin film resistors

Science.gov (United States)

Jankowski, Alan F.; Schmid, Anthony P.

2000-01-01

Thin films of Ti--Cr--Al--O are used as a resistor material. The films are rf sputter deposited from ceramic targets using a reactive working gas mixture of Ar and O.sub.2. Resistivity values from 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.10 Ohm-cm have been measured for Ti--Cr--Al--O film Ti--Cr--Al--O as a thin film resistor has been found to be thermodynamically stable, unlike other metal-oxide films. The Ti--Cr--Al--O film can be used as a vertical or lateral resistor, for example, as a layer beneath a field emission cathode in a flat panel display; or used to control surface emissivity, for example, as a coating on an insulating material such as vertical wall supports in flat panel displays.

Properties of pulsed electrodeposited CdIn2S4 thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hankare, P.P.; Kokate, A.V.; Asabe, M.R.; Delekar, S.D.; Chougule, B.K.

2006-01-01

CdIn 2 S 4 thin films are prepared by pulsed electrodeposition technique over F:SnO 2 glass and stainless steel substrates in galvanostatic mode from an aqueous acidic bath containing CdSO 4 , InCl 3 and Na 2 S 2 O 3 . The growth kinetics of the film was studied and the deposition parameters such as electrolyte bath concentration, bath temperature, time of deposition, deposition current, and pH of the electrolyte bath are optimized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the as deposited and annealed films showed the presence of polycrystalline nature. Energy dispersive analysis (EDAX) spectrum of the surface composition confirms the nearly stoichiometric CdIn 2 S 4 nature of the film. Surface morphology studies by scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows that, the deposited films are well adherent and grains are uniformly distributed over the surface of substrate. The optical transmission spectra show a direct band gap value of 2.16 eV

Phase transitions in LiCoO2 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Rong; Hitosugi, Taro; Fisher, Craig A.J.; Ikuhara, Yumi H.; Moriwake, Hiroki; Oki, Hideki; Ikuhara, Yuichi

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Epitaxial LiCoO 2 thin films were formed on the Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) substrate by PLD at room temperature and annealed at 600 °C in air. ► The orientation relationship between film and substrate is revealed. ► Crystalline phases in the RT deposited and annealed thin films are clearly identified. ► Atomic level interface structure indicates an interface reaction during annealing. ► A phase transition mechanism from fully disordered LiCoO 2 to fully ordered LiCoO 2 is proposed. - Abstract: Microstructures of epitaxial LiCoO 2 thin films formed on the (0 0 0 1) surface of sapphire (α-Al 2 O 3 ) substrates by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature and annealed at 600 °C in air were investigated by a combination of selected-area electron diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, spherical-aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. As-deposited LiCoO 2 thin films consisted of epitaxial grains of the fully cation-disordered phase (γ) with a cubic rock-salt structure. During annealing, this cubic-structured phase transformed into the fully ordered trigonal (α) phase oriented with its basal plane parallel to the surface of the sapphire substrate. Although overall the film appeared to be a single crystal, a small number of Co 3 O 4 grains were also observed in annealed thin films, indicating that some Li and O had been lost during processing. The atomically sharp interface between the film and substrate also became rougher during annealing, with step defects being formed, suggesting that a localized reaction occurred at the interface.

Photoelectrochemical enhancement of ZnO/BiVO4/ZnFe2O4/rare earth oxide hetero-nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

She, Xuefeng; Zhang, Zhuo; Baek, Minki; Yong, Kijung

2018-01-01

Over the decades, researchers have made great efforts to turn the world into a cleaner place through efficient recycling of industrial waste and developing of green energy. Here we demonstrate a prototype heterostructure photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell fabricated using recycled industrial waste. ZnFe2O4 (ZFO) nanorod (NR) clusters were synthesized on the BiVO4@ZnO hetero-nanostructures using recycled rare earth oxide (REO) slags as Fe source. The NR-based PEC cell exhibited a significantly enhanced photon to hydrogen conversion efficiency over the entire UV and visible spectrum. Further study demonstrates that the photo-carrier separation and migration processes can be facilitated by the cascade band alignment of the heterostructure and the clustered nanostructure network. In addition, the life-time of the photo-carriers can be enhanced by the REO passivation layer, leading to a further increased PEC performance. Our results present a novel approach for high efficiency PEC cells, and offer great promises to the efficient recycling of industrial waste for clean renewable energy applications.

Room-temperature synthesis and characterization of porous CeO2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, Dewei; Masuda, Yoshitake; Ohji, Tatsuki; Kato, Kazumi

2012-01-01

CeO 2 thin films with hexagonal-shaped pores were successfully prepared by a facile electrodeposition at room temperature combined with an etching process. By using electrodeposited ZnO nanorods as a soft template, the morphology, and microstructure of the CeO 2 could be controlled. TEM observation indicated that as-prepared CeO 2 film is composed of nanocrystals with average size of several nanometers, while XPS analysis showed the coexistence of Ce 3+ and Ce 4+ in the film. The photoluminescence properties of CeO 2 films were measured, which showed much higher sensitivity compared to bare substrate. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Preparation of anatase TiO2 thin films by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyata, Toshihiro; Tsukada, Satoshi; Minami, Tadatsugu

2006-01-01

Anatase titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) thin films with high photocatalytic activity have been prepared with deposition rates as high as 16 nm/min by a newly developed vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) method using sintered TiO 2 pellets as the source material. Highly transparent TiO 2 thin films prepared at substrate temperatures from room temperature to 400 deg. C exhibited photocatalytic activity, regardless whether oxygen (O 2 ) gas was introduced during the VAPE deposition. The highest photocatalytic activity and photo-induced hydrophilicity were obtained in anatase TiO 2 thin films prepared at 300 deg. C, which correlated to the best crystallinity of the films, as evidenced from X-ray diffraction. In addition, a transparent and conductive anatase TiO 2 thin film with a resistivity of 2.6 x 10 -1 Ω cm was prepared at a substrate temperature of 400 deg. C without the introduction of O 2 gas

Thickness-modulated anisotropic ferromagnetism in Fe-doped epitaxial HfO2 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wenlong; Liu, Ming; Zhang, Ruyi; Ma, Rong; Wang, Hong

2017-10-01

Epitaxial tetragonal Fe-doped Hf0.95Fe0.05O2 (FHO) thin films with various thicknesses were deposited on (001)-oriented NdCaAlO4 (NCAO) substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. The crystal structure and epitaxial nature of the FHO thin films were confirmed by typical x-ray diffraction (XRD) θ-2θ scan and reciprocal space mapping (RSM). The results indicate that two sets of lattice sites exist with two different crystal orientations [(001) and (100)] in the thicker FHO thin films. Further, the intensity of the (100) direction increases with the increase in thicknesses, which should have a significant effect on the anisotropic magnetization of the FHO thin films. Meanwhile, all the FHO thin films possess a tetragonal phase structure. An anisotropy behavior in magnetization has been observed in the FHO thin films. The anisotropic magnetization of the FHO thin films is slowly weakened as the thickness increases. Meanwhile, the saturation magnetization (Ms) of both in-plane and out-of-plane decreases with the increase in the thickness. The change in the anisotropic magnetization and Ms is attributed to the crystal lattice and the variation in the valence of Fe ions. These results indicate that the thickness-modulated anisotropic ferromagnetism of the tetragonal FHO epitaxial thin films is of potential use for the integration of metal-oxide semiconductors with spintronics.

Optoelectronic properties of SnO2 thin films sprayed at different deposition times

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdelkrim, Allag; Rahmane, Saâd; Abdelouahab, Ouahab; Hafida, Attouche; Nabila, Kouidri

2016-01-01

This article presents the elaboration of tin oxide (SnO 2 ) thin films on glass substrates by using a home-made spray pyrolysis system. Effects of film thickness on the structural, optical, and electrical film properties are investigated. The films are characterized by several techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) transmission, and four-probe point measurements, and the results suggest that the prepared films are uniform and well adherent to the substrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that SnO 2 film is of polycrystal with cassiterite tetragonal crystal structure and a preferential orientation along the (110) plane. The calculated grain sizes are in a range from 32.93 nm to 56.88 nm. Optical transmittance spectra of the films show that their high transparency average transmittances are greater than 65% in the visible region. The optical gaps of SnO 2 thin films are found to be in a range of 3.64 eV–3.94 eV. Figures of merit for SnO 2 thin films reveal that their maximum value is about 1.15 × 10 −4 Ω −1 at λ = 550 nm. Moreover, the measured electrical resistivity at room temperature is on the order of 10 −2 Ω·cm. (paper)

Visible-light photocatalytic activity of nitrided TiO2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camps, Enrique; Escobar-Alarcon, L.; Camacho-Lopez, Marco Antonio; Casados, Dora A. Solis

2010-01-01

TiO 2 thin films have been applied in UV-light photocatalysis. Nevertheless visible-light photocatalytic activity would make this material more attractive for applications. In this work we present results on the modification of titanium oxide (anatase) sol-gel thin films, via a nitriding process using a microwave plasma source. After the treatment in the nitrogen plasma, the nitrogen content in the TiO 2 films varied in the range from 14 up to 28 at%. The titanium oxide films and the nitrided ones were characterized by XPS, micro-Raman spectroscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity tests were done using a Methylene Blue dye solution, and as catalyst TiO 2 and nitrided TiO 2 films. The irradiation of films was carried out with a lamp with emission in the visible (without UV). The results showed that the nitrided TiO 2 films had photocatalytic activity, while the unnitrided films did not.

A Novel Ternary CoFe2O4/CuO/CoFe2O4 as a Giant Magnetoresistance Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramli

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the results of a study relating to the synthesis of a novel ternary CoFe2O4/CuO/CoFe2O4 thin film as a giant magnetoresistance (GMR sensor. The CoFe2O4/CuO/CoFe2O4 thin film was prepared onto silicon substrate via DC magnetron sputtering with the targets facing each other. X-ray diffraction was used to determine the structure of the thin film and a 4-point method was used to measure the MR ratio. The GMR ratio is highly dependent on the ferrimagnetic (CoFe2O4 and nonmagnetic (CuO layer thickness. The maximum GMR ratio at room temperature obtained in the CoFe2O4/CuO/CoFe2O4 thin film was 70% when the CoFe2O4 and the CuO layer had a thickness of 62.5 nm and 14.4 nm respectively.

Josephson effectss in bicrystalline Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amrein, T.

1994-08-01

A pulsed laser deposition process is developed for preparing high quality thin films of Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O x on different substrates. Both microstructural and electrical properties of the superconducting films are well characterized, e.g. by SEM, TEM and AFM. The high reproducability of the thin film quality facilitated a detailed study of Josephson effects in bicrystalline grain boundary junctions (GBJs). Thin films are deposited on commercially available (001) SrTiO 3 bicrystalls and patterned by standard photolithography using wet-etching or Ar + -ion milling. The width of the micobridges ranges from 2 to 111 μm. The critical current densities across grain boundaries of thin film bicrystals have been measured as a function of the tilt angle Θ. For Θ=0 to 45 , the ratio of the grain boundary critical current density to the bulk critical current density decreases exponentially with increasing tilt angle. Microstructure investigations show a rough grain boundary of the superconductor (roughness 100 nm-1 μm) which is not determined by the roughness of the substrate grain boundary (1-3 nm) but by the island-plus-layer growth of the twin domains. The electrical properties are well described by the resistively shunted junction (RSJ) model. The I c R n -product reaches values of 2.2 mV at 4.2 K and 60 μV at 77 K. An optimized design for dc SQUIDs (Θ=24 ) is developed relating to the results of single GBJs. The values of the transfer function (∂V/∂Φ) run up to 74 μV/Φ o . The equivalent flux noise which is measured in a flux-locked loop mode amounts 4.5 to 25 μPhi o Hz in the white noise region for Φ≥25-50 Hz and 13 to 150 μΦ o Hz at 1 Hz. In conclusion, microstructural as well as electrical properties of bicrystalline Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O x and YBa 2 Cu 3 O y GBJs are more or less equal. (orig.)

Influences of annealing temperature on sprayed CuFeO2 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelwahab, H. M.; Ratep, A.; Abo Elsoud, A. M.; Boshta, M.; Osman, M. B. S.

2018-06-01

Delafossite CuFeO2 thin films were successfully prepared onto quartz substrates using simple spray pyrolysis technique. Post annealing under nitrogen atmosphere for 2 h was necessary to form delafossite CuFeO2 phase. The effect of alteration in annealing temperature (TA) 800, 850 and 900 °C was study on structural, morphology and optical properties. The XRD results for thin film annealed at TA = 850 °C show single phase CuFeO2 with rhombohedral crystal system and R 3 bar m space group with preferred orientation along (0 1 2). The prepared copper iron oxide thin films have an optical transmission ranged ∼40% in the visible region. The optical direct optical band gap of the prepared thin films was ranged ∼2.9 eV.

High-Throughput Synthesis and Characterization of Eu Doped Ba xSr2- xSiO4 Thin Film Phosphors.

Science.gov (United States)

Frost, Sara; Guérin, Samuel; Hayden, Brian E; Soulié, Jean-Philippe; Vian, Chris

2018-06-20

High-throughput techniques have been employed for the synthesis and characterization of thin film phosphors of Eu-doped Ba x Sr 2- x SiO 4 . Direct synthesis from evaporation of the constituent elements under a flux of atomic oxygen on a sapphire substrate at 850 °C was used to directly produce thin film libraries (415 nm thickness) of the crystalline orthosilicate phase with the desired compositional variation (0.24 > x > 1.86). The orthosilicate phase could be synthesized as a pure, or predominantly pure, phase. Annealing the as synthesized library in a reducing atmosphere resulted in the reduction of the Eu while retaining the orthosilicate phase, and resulted in a materials thin film library where fluorescence excited by blue light (450 nm) was observable by the naked eye. Parallel screening of the fluorescence from the combinatorial libraries of Eu doped Ba x Sr 2- x SiO 4 has been implemented by imaging the fluorescent radiation over the library using a monochrome digital camera using a series of color filters. Informatics tools have been developed to allow the 1931 CIE color coordinates and the relative quantum efficiencies of the materials library to be rapidly assessed and mapped against composition, crystal structure and phase purity. The range of compositions gave values of CIE x between 0.17 and 0.52 and CIE y between 0.48 and 0.69 with relative efficiencies in the range 2.0 × 10 -4 -7.6 × 10 -4 . Good agreement was obtained between the thin film phosphors and the fluorescence characteristics of a number of corresponding bulk phosphor powders. The thermal quenching of fluorescence in the thin film libraries was also measured in the temperature range 25-130 °C: The phase purity of the thin film was found to significantly influence both the relative quantum efficiency and the thermal quenching of the fluorescence.

Processing of La(1.8)Sr(0.2)CuO4 and YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting thin films by dual-ion-beam sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Madakson, P.; Cuomo, J. J.; Yee, D. S.; Roy, R. A.; Scilla, G.

1988-03-01

High-quality La(1.8)Sr(0.2)CuO4 and YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting thin films, with zero resistance at 88 K, have been made by dual-ion-beam sputtering of metal and oxide targets at elevated temperatures. The films are about 1.0 micron thick and are single phase after annealing. The substrates investigated are Nd-YAP, MgO, SrF2, Si, CaF2, ZrO2-(9 pct)Y2O3, BaF2, Al2O3, and SrTiO3. Characterization of the films was carried out using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, resistivity measurements, TEM, X-ray diffraction, and SIMS. Substrate/film interaction was observed in every case. This generally involves diffusion of the substrate into the film, which is accompanied by, for example, the replacement of Ba by Sr in the YBa2Cu2O7 structure, in the case of SrTiO3 substrate. The best substrates were those that did not significantly diffuse into the film and which did not react chemically with the film.

Preparation of TiO2 thin films from autoclaved sol containing needle-like anatase crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ge Lei; Xu Mingxia; Fang Haibo; Sun Ming

2006-01-01

A new inorganic sol-gel method was introduced in this paper to prepare TiO 2 thin films. The autoclaved sol with needle-like anatase crystals was synthesized using titanyl sulfate (TiOSO 4 ) and peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) as starting materials. The transparent anatase TiO 2 thin films were prepared on glass slides from the autoclaved sol by sol-gel dip-coating method. A wide range of techniques such as Fourier transform infrared transmission spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), scanning electron microscopes, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet-visible spectrum were applied to characterize the autoclaved sol and TiO 2 thin films. The results indicate that the autoclaved sol is flavescent, semitransparent and stable at room temperature. The anatase crystals of TiO 2 films connect together to form net-like structure after calcined and the films become uniform with increasing heating temperature. The surface of the TiO 2 films contain not only Ti and O elements, but also a small amount of N and Na elements diffused from substrates during heat treatment. The TiO 2 films are transparent and their maximal light transmittances exceed 80% under visible light region

Structural transformation of sputtered o-LiMnO2 thin-film cathodes induced by electrochemical cycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, J.; Chang, K.; Ye, J.; Ulrich, S.; Ziebert, C.; Music, D.; Hallstedt, B.; Seifert, H.J.

2013-01-01

Orthorhombic LiMnO 2 (o-LiMnO 2 ) thin films were produced by non-reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering in combination with thermal post-annealing. Oxide phase formation was investigated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. In order to assign the X-ray signals and estimate the grain size, a simulation of the diffraction pattern was performed and compared with experimental data. The density of the films was determined to be 3.39 g/cm 3 using X-ray reflectivity. Electrochemical characterization was carried out by galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry of Li/o-LiMnO 2 half cells. There are distinct redox reactions at approx. 3 V and 4 V, whereas the latter splits into multiple peaks. Using ab initio calculations and thermodynamic models, Gibbs energies of o-LiMnO 2 and c-LiMn 2 O 4 were determined. The relation between these energies explains the irreversible phase transformation that has been observed during the cycling of the Li/o-LiMnO 2 half cell. - Highlights: • Quantitative, thermodynamic modeling of the o-LiMnO 2 /c-LiMn 2 O 4 phase transformation • First CV-investigations on magnetron sputtered nanocrystalline o-LiMnO 2 thin films • Synthesis of o-LiMnO 2 planar model systems for protective coating and SEI development

Electrical conductivity and oxygen exchange kinetics of La2NiO4+delta thin films grown by chemical vapor deposition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garcia, G.; Burriel, M.; Bonanos, Nikolaos

2008-01-01

Epitaxial c-axis oriented La2NiO4+delta films were deposited onto SrTiO3 and NdGaO3 substrates by the pulsed injection metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique. Experimental conditions were optimized in order to accurately control the composition, thickness, and texture of the layers. X......-ray diffraction was used to confirm the high crystalline quality of the obtained material. Electrical characterizations were performed on thin (50 nm) and thick (335 nm) layers. The total specific conductivity, which is predominantly electronic, was found to be larger for the thinner films measured (50 nm......), probably due to the effect of the strain present in the layers. Those thin films (50 nm) showed values even larger than those observed for single crystals and, to our knowledge, are the largest conductivity values reported to date for the La2NiO4+delta material. The oxygen exchange kinetics was studied...

TiO2 thin-films on polymer substrates and their photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Jae-Hun; Han, Yang-Su; Choy, Jin-Ho

2006-01-01

We have developed dip-coating process for TiO 2 -thin film on polymer substrates (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymer: ABS, polystyrene: PS). At first, a monodispersed and transparent TiO 2 nano-sol solution was prepared by the controlled hydrolysis of titanium iso-propoxide in the presence of acetylacetone and nitric acid catalyst at 80 deg. C. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns of the dried particles are indicative of crystalline TiO 2 with anatase-type structure. According to the XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies, the mean particle size was estimated to be ca. 5 nm. The transparent thin films on ABS and PS substrates were fabricated by dip-coating process by changing the processing variables, such as the number of dip-coating and TiO 2 concentration in nano-sol solution. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis for the thin film samples reveals that the acetylacetone-modified TiO 2 nano-sol particles are effective for enhancing the interfacial adherence between films and polymeric substrates compared to the unmodified one. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) on the TiO 2 thin-films has also been systematically investigated

Investigation of SiO2 thin films dielectric constant using ellipsometry technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P Sangpour

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we studied the optical behavior of SiO2 thin films prepared via sol-gel route using spin coating deposition from tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS as precursor. Thin films were annealed at different temperatures (400-600oC. Absorption edge and band gap of thin layers were measured using UV-Vis spectrophotometery. Optical refractive index and dielectric constant were measured by ellipsometry technique. Based on our atomic force microscopic (AFM and ellipsometry results, thin layers prepared through this method showed high surface area, and high porosity ranging between 4.9 and 16.9, low density 2 g/cm, and low dielectric constant. The dielectric constant and porosity of layers increased by increasing the temperature due to the changes in surface roughness and particle size.

Preparation and optical properties of ZnGa{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Cr{sup 3+} thin films derived by sol-gel process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Weiwei [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, No. 37 XueYuan Road, HaiDian District, Beijing 100191 (China); Zhang Junying, E-mail: zjy@buaa.edu.cn [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, No. 37 XueYuan Road, HaiDian District, Beijing 100191 (China); Li Yuan; Chen Ziyu; Wang Tianmin [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, No. 37 XueYuan Road, HaiDian District, Beijing 100191 (China)

2010-05-01

ZnGa{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Cr{sup 3+} thin films with bright red emission were synthesized using a sol-gel process, characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and UV-vis and fluorescence spectrophotometry measurements. Effects of calcining temperature, film thickness, calcining duration and substrates on the crystal structure and photoluminescent property have been investigated. It is found that the crystallinity, Ga/Zn ratio and band gap energy (E{sub g}) are significant factors influencing optical characteristics, while the nature of substrates affect the surface morphologies of ZnGa{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Cr{sup 3+} thin films.

PROPERTIES OF ORGANIC COATINGS CONTAINING PIGMENTS WITH SURFACE MODIFIED WITH A LAYER OF ZnFe2O4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kateřina Nechvílová

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This work is focussed on the properties of organic coatings containing pigments whose surface was chemically coated with zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4 layer. Four silicate types with different particle shapes were selected as the cores: diatomite, talc, kaolin and wollastonite. The untreated particles exhibit a barrier effect. The aim of this project was to apply the surface treatment approach with a view to enhancing not only the model paint films’ anticorrosion properties but also their resistance to physico- mechanical tests pursuant to ISO standards (cupping, bending, impact, adhesion. Other parameters examined included: particle size and morphology, density of the modified pigment, oil consumption, pH, conductivity, and electrochemical properties of the paint film. A solvent-based epoxy-ester resin was used as the binder and also served as the reference material. The pigment volume concentration (PVC was 1% and 10%. During the last stage of the experiment, the paint films were exposed to a corrosive environment stimulating seaside conditions or conditions roads treated with rock salt. The accelerated cyclic corrosion test in a neutral salt mist atmosphere was conducted for 864 hours. The results served to ascertain a suitable environment for organic coatings.

The Influence of Doping with Transition Metal Ions on the Structure and Magnetic Properties of Zinc Oxide Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenica Neamtu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Zn1−xNixO (x=0.03÷0.10 and Zn1−xFexO (x=0.03÷0.15 thin films were synthesized by sol-gel method. The structure and the surface morphology of zinc oxide thin films doped with transition metal (TM ions have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD and atomic force microscopy (AFM. The magnetic studies were done using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM at room temperature. Experimental results revealed that the substitution of Ni ions in ZnO wurtzite lattice for the contents x=0.03÷0.10 (Ni2+ leads to weak ferromagnetism of thin films. For Zn1-xFexO with x=0.03÷0.05, the Fe3+ ions are magnetic coupling by superexchange interaction via oxygen ions in wurtzite structure. For x=0.10÷0.15 (Fe3+ one can observe the increasing of secondary phase of ZnFe2O4 spinel. The Zn0.9Fe0.1O film shows a superparamagnetic behavior due to small crystallite sizes and the net spin magnetic moments arisen from the interaction between the iron ions through an oxygen ion in the spinel structure.

Microstructure and Electrical Properties of Fe,Cu Substituted (Co,Mn)3O4 Thin Films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Szymczewska, Dagmara; Molin, Sebastian; Hendriksen, Peter Vang

2017-01-01

In this work, thin films (~1000 nm) of a pure MnCo2O4 spinel together with its partially substituted derivatives (MnCo1.6Cu0.2Fe0.2O4, MnCo1.6Cu0.4O4, MnCo1.6Fe0.4O4) were prepared by spray pyrolysis and were evaluated for electrical conductivity. Doping by Cu increases the electrical conductivit...

Structural and optical properties of ZnO–SnO{sub 2} mixed thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tharsika, T., E-mail: tharsika@siswa.um.edu.my; Haseeb, A.S.M.A., E-mail: haseeb@um.edu.my; Sabri, M.F.M., E-mail: faizul@um.edu.my

2014-05-02

Nanocrystalline ZnO–SnO{sub 2} mixed thin films were deposited by the spray pyrolysis technique at various substrate temperatures during deposition. The mixed films were prepared in the range of 20.9 at.% to 73.4 at.% by altering the Zn/(Sn + Zn) atomic ratio in the starting solution. Morphology, crystal structures, and optical properties of the films were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and ultraviolet–visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. XRD analysis reveals that the crystallinity of the Sn-rich mixed thin films increases with increasing substrate temperatures. FESEM images show that the grain size of mixed thin films is smaller compared to that of pure ZnO and SnO{sub 2} thin films. A drop in the thickness and optical bandgap of the film was observed for films fabricated at high temperatures, which coincided with the increased crystallinity of the films. The average optical transmission of mixed thin films increased from 70% to 95% within the visible range (400–800 nm) as the substrate temperature increases. Optical bandgap of the films was determined to be in the range of 3.21–3.96 eV. The blue shift in the PL spectra from the films was supported by the fact that grain size of the mixed thin films is much smaller than that of the pure ZnO and SnO{sub 2} thin films. Due to the improved transmission and reduced grain size, the ZnO–SnO{sub 2} mixed thin films can have potential use in photovoltaic and gas sensing applications. - Highlights: • ZnO–SnO{sub 2} mixed thin films were deposited on glass substrate by spray pyrolysis. • Crystallinity of the thin films increases with substrate temperature. • Grain size of the mixed thin films is smaller than that of the pure thin films. • Reduction of grain size depends on mixed atomic ratios of precursor solution. • Optical band gap of films could be engineered by changing substrate temperature.

Photocatalytic activity of Al2O3-doped TiO2 thin films activated with visible light on the bacteria Escherichia coli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barajas-Ledesma, E.; Garcia-Benjume, M.L.; Espitia-Cabrera, I.; Bravo-Patino, A.; Espinoza-Beltran, F.J.; Mostaghimi, J.; Contreras-Garcia, M.E.

2010-01-01

Al 2 O 3 -doped TiO 2 thin films were prepared by combining electrophoretic deposition (EPD) with sputtering. A Corning* glass was used as a substrate, in which a titanium film was deposited by sputtering. Then, a precursor sol was prepared with Ti(n-OBu) 4 and Al(s-OBu) 3 and used as the medium for EPD. Next, the thin films were sintered and, finally, characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Several cultures of Escherichia coli, strain XL1-Blue, were prepared. Nine experiments were carried out. In three of them, an inoculum (a low amount of a product that contains bacteria) was prepared without a film; in the other six Al 2 O 3 -doped TiO 2 film-coated glass substrates were irradiated with visible light before they were introduced in the inoculum. The SEM and EDS results showed that TiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 films were obtained, covering all the glass substrate and with uniform size of particles forming them, and that the aluminium was distributed uniformly on the film. XRD results showed that rutile phase was obtained. By TEM, the structure of TiO 2 was demonstrated. Al 2 O 3 -doped TiO 2 thin films were successful at eliminating E. coli.

Characterization of nanostructured Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films grown by SILAR method at room temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ubale, A.U., E-mail: ashokuu@yahoo.com [Nanostructure Thin Film Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Govt. Vidarbha Institute of Science and Humanities, VMV Road, Amravati 444604, Maharashtra (India); Belkhedkar, M.R. [Department of Physics, Shri Shivaji College, Akola 444003, Maharashtra (India); Sakhare, Y.S. [Nanostructure Thin Film Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Govt. Vidarbha Institute of Science and Humanities, VMV Road, Amravati 444604, Maharashtra (India); Singh, Arvind [National Centre for Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, University of Mumbai, Santacruz, Mumbai, Maharashtra (India); Gurada, Chetan; Kothari, D.C. [Department of Physics, University of Mumbai, Santacruz, Mumbai, Maharashtra (India)

2012-10-15

A novel successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method has been successfully employed to grow nanostructured conducting nearly transparent thin films of Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} on to glass substrates at room temperature using MnCl{sub 2} and NaOH as cationic and anionic precursors. The structural and morphological characterizations of the as deposited Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} films have been carried out by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Micrograph (FESEM), EDAX, Atomic Fore Microscopy (AFM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrum (FTIR) analysis. The optical absorption and electrical resistivity measurements were carried out to investigate optical band gap and activation energy of Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} films deposited by SILAR method. The optical band gap and activation energy of the as deposited film is found to be 2.70 and 0.14 eV respectively. The thermo-emf measurements of Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin film confirm its p-type semiconducting nature. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanostructured Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin film is prepared by SILAR method at room temperature. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The film is nanocrystalline with orthorhombic structure of Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDX and AFM characterization confirms nanocrystalline nature. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Optical band gap, electrical resistivity and activation energy of film is reported. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A thermo-emf measurement confirms p-type conductivity of Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} films.

Visible photoenhanced current-voltage characteristics of Au : TiO2 nanocomposite thin films as photoanodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naseri, N; Amiri, M; Moshfegh, A Z

2010-01-01

In this investigation, the effect of annealing temperature and concentration of gold nanoparticles on the photoelectrochemical properties of sol-gel deposited Au : TiO 2 nanocomposite thin films is studied. Various gold concentrations have been added to the TiO 2 thin films and their properties are compared. All the deposited samples are annealed at different temperatures. The optical density spectra of the films show the formation of gold nanoparticles in the films. The optical bandgap energy of the Au : TiO 2 films decreases with increasing Au concentration. The crystalline structure of the nanocomposite films is studied by x-ray diffractometry indicating the formation of gold nanocrystals in the anatase TiO 2 nanocrystalline thin films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the presence of gold in the metallic state and the formation of TiO 2 are stoichiometric. The photoelectrochemical properties of the Au : TiO 2 samples are characterized using a compartment cell containing H 2 SO 4 and KOH as cathodic and anodic electrolytes, respectively. It is found that the addition of Au nanoparticles in TiO 2 films enhances the photoresponse of the layer and the addition of gold nanocrystals with an optimum value of 5 mol% resulted in the highest photoelectrochemical activity. Moreover, the photoresponse of the samples is also enhanced with an increase in the annealing temperature.

A novel chemical synthesis and characterization of Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films for supercapacitor application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dubal, D.P.; Dhawale, D.S.; Salunkhe, R.R. [Thin Film Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416004 (M.S) (India); Pawar, S.M. [Photonic and Electronic Thin Film Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, 300 Yongbong-Dong, Puk-Gu, Gwangju 500-757 (Korea, Republic of); Lokhande, C.D., E-mail: l_chandrakant@yahoo.com [Thin Film Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416004 (M.S) (India)

2010-05-01

Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films have been prepared by novel chemical successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. Further these films were characterized for their structural, morphological and optical properties by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), wettability test and optical absorption studies. The XRD pattern showed that the Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} films exhibit tetragonal hausmannite structure. Formation of manganese oxide compound was confirmed from FTIR studies. The optical absorption showed existence of direct optical band gap of energy 2.30 eV. Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} film surface showed hydrophilic nature with water contact angle of 55{sup o}. The supercapacitive properties of Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin film investigated in 1 M Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} electrolyte showed maximum supercapacitance of 314 F g{sup -1} at scan rate 5 mV s{sup -1}.

Li4SiO4-Based Artificial Passivation Thin Film for Improving Interfacial Stability of Li Metal Anodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ji Young; Kim, A-Young; Liu, Guicheng; Woo, Jae-Young; Kim, Hansung; Lee, Joong Kee

2018-03-14

An amorphous SiO 2 (a-SiO 2 ) thin film was developed as an artificial passivation layer to stabilize Li metal anodes during electrochemical reactions. The thin film was prepared using an electron cyclotron resonance-chemical vapor deposition apparatus. The obtained passivation layer has a hierarchical structure, which is composed of lithium silicide, lithiated silicon oxide, and a-SiO 2 . The thickness of the a-SiO 2 passivation layer could be varied by changing the processing time, whereas that of the lithium silicide and lithiated silicon oxide layers was almost constant. During cycling, the surface of the a-SiO 2 passivation layer is converted into lithium silicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ), and the portion of Li 4 SiO 4 depends on the thickness of a-SiO 2 . A minimum overpotential of 21.7 mV was observed at the Li metal electrode at a current density of 3 mA cm -2 with flat voltage profiles, when an a-SiO 2 passivation layer of 92.5 nm was used. The Li metal with this optimized thin passivation layer also showed the lowest charge-transfer resistance (3.948 Ω cm) and the highest Li ion diffusivity (7.06 × 10 -14 cm 2 s -1 ) after cycling in a Li-S battery. The existence of the Li 4 SiO 4 artificial passivation layer prevents the corrosion of Li metal by suppressing Li dendritic growth and improving the ionic conductivity, which contribute to the low charge-transfer resistance and high Li ion diffusivity of the electrode.

Nanoporous MnO{sub x} thin-film electrodes synthesized by electrochemical lithiation/delithiation for supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xia, Hui; Lai, Man On; Lu, Li [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117576 (Singapore)

2011-02-15

Nanoporous MnO{sub x} thin-film electrodes are synthesized using a combination of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and electrochemical lithiation/delithiation methods. A dense Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin-film deposited by PLD can transform into a nanoporous MnO{sub x} thin-film after electrochemical lithiation/delithiation. A nanoporous MnO{sub x} thin-film electrode exhibits significantly improved supercapacitive performance compared with an as-deposited Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin-film electrode. A MnO{sub x} thin-film finally transforms into a MnO{sub 2} thin-film through an electrochemical oxidation process during continuous cyclic voltammetry scanning. (author)

Photo-induced hydrophilicity of TiO2-xNx thin films on PET plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chou, H.-Y.; Lee, E.-K.; You, J.-W.; Yu, S.-S.

2007-01-01

TiO 2-x N x thin films were deposited on PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plates by sputtering a TiN target in a N 2 /O 2 plasma and without heating. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) was used to investigate the N 1s, Ti 2p core levels and the nitrogen composition in the TiO 2-x N x films. The results indicate that Ti-O-N bonds are formed in the thin films. Two nitrogen states, substitution and interstitial nitrogen atoms, were attributed to peaks at 396 and 399 eV, respectively. It was observed that the nitrogen atoms occupy both the substitutive and interstitial sites in respective of the nitrogen content in the thin films. UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy of PET coated thin films shows a significant shift of the absorption edge to lower energy in the visible-light region. UV and visible-light irradiation are used to activate PET coated thin films for the development of hydrophilicity. The photo-induced surface wettability conversion reaction of the thin films has been investigated by means of water contact angle measurement. PET plates coated with TiO 2-x N x thin films are found to exhibit lower water contact angle than non-coated plates when the surface is illuminated with UV and visible light. The effects of nitrogen doping on photo-generated hydrophilicity of the thin films are investigated in this work

Preparation of anatase TiO{sub 2} thin films by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyata, Toshihiro [Optoelectronic Device System R and D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 7-1 Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan)]. E-mail: tmiyata@neptune.kanazawa-it.ac.jp; Tsukada, Satoshi [Optoelectronic Device System R and D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 7-1 Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan); Minami, Tadatsugu [Optoelectronic Device System R and D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 7-1 Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan)

2006-02-01

Anatase titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) thin films with high photocatalytic activity have been prepared with deposition rates as high as 16 nm/min by a newly developed vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) method using sintered TiO{sub 2} pellets as the source material. Highly transparent TiO{sub 2} thin films prepared at substrate temperatures from room temperature to 400 deg. C exhibited photocatalytic activity, regardless whether oxygen (O{sub 2}) gas was introduced during the VAPE deposition. The highest photocatalytic activity and photo-induced hydrophilicity were obtained in anatase TiO{sub 2} thin films prepared at 300 deg. C, which correlated to the best crystallinity of the films, as evidenced from X-ray diffraction. In addition, a transparent and conductive anatase TiO{sub 2} thin film with a resistivity of 2.6 x 10{sup -1} {omega} cm was prepared at a substrate temperature of 400 deg. C without the introduction of O{sub 2} gas.

Room-temperature synthesis and characterization of porous CeO{sub 2} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Dewei; Masuda, Yoshitake; Ohji, Tatsuki; Kato, Kazumi [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Anagahora, Shimoshidami, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya (Japan)

2012-01-15

CeO{sub 2} thin films with hexagonal-shaped pores were successfully prepared by a facile electrodeposition at room temperature combined with an etching process. By using electrodeposited ZnO nanorods as a soft template, the morphology, and microstructure of the CeO{sub 2} could be controlled. TEM observation indicated that as-prepared CeO{sub 2} film is composed of nanocrystals with average size of several nanometers, while XPS analysis showed the coexistence of Ce{sup 3+} and Ce{sup 4+} in the film. The photoluminescence properties of CeO{sub 2} films were measured, which showed much higher sensitivity compared to bare substrate. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Characterization of thin CeO{sub 2} films electrochemically deposited on HOPG

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faisal, Firas [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Toghan, Arafat, E-mail: arafat.toghan@yahoo.com [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, 83523 Qena (Egypt); Khalakhan, Ivan; Vorokhta, Mykhailo; Matolin, Vladimír [Department of Surface and Plasma Science, Charles University in Prague, V Holešovičkách 747/2, 180 00 Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Libuda, Jörg [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Erlangen Catalysis Resource Center, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany)

2015-09-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Preparation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells catalyst using electrochemical thin film deposition. • Electrodeposition thin films of CeO{sub 2} on HOPG substrates. • The samples were characterized by in-situ AFM and ex-situ XPS. • XPS results reveal that the electrochemically deposited cerium oxide films are stoichiometric. • Exposing the films to ambient air, cracking structures are formed. - Abstract: Electrodeposition is widely used for industrial applications to deposit thin films, coatings, and adhesion layers. Herein, CeO{sub 2} thin films were deposited on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate by cathodic electrodeposition. The influence of the deposition parameters on the yield and on the film morphology is studied and discussed. Morphology and composition of the electrodeposited films were characterized by in-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). By AFM we show that the thickness of CeO{sub 2} films can be controlled via the Ce{sup 3+} concentration in solution and the deposition time. After exposing the films to ambient air, cracking structures are formed, which were analyzed by AFM in detail. The chemical composition of the deposits was analyzed by XPS indicating the formation of nearly stoichiometric CeO{sub 2}.

Molybdenum Doped SnO2 Thin Films as a Methanol Vapor Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patil Shriram B.

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The molybdenum doped SnO2 thin films were synthesized by conventional spray pyrolysis route and has been investigated for the methanol vapor sensing. The structural and elemental composition analysis of thin films was carried out by X- ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX.The XRD spectrum revealed that the thin films have the polycrystalline nature with a mixed phase comprising of SnO2 and MoO3. The scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM clears that the surface morphology observed to be granular, uniformly covering the entire surface area of the thin film. The methanol vapor sensing studies were performed in dry air at the different temperatures. The influence of the concentration of Molybdenum and operating temperature on the sensor performance has been investigated.

Structural, morphological and optical properties of spray deposited Mn-doped CeO{sub 2} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pavan Kumar, CH.S.S.; Pandeeswari, R.; Jeyaprakash, B.G., E-mail: jp@ece.sastra.edu

2014-07-25

Highlights: • Spray deposited undoped and Mn-doped CeO{sub 2} thin films were polycrystalline. • Complete changeover of surface morphology upon 4 wt% Mn doping. • 4 wt% Mn-doped CeO{sub 2} thin film exhibited a hydrophobic nature. • Optical band-gap decreases beyond 2 wt% Mn doping. - Abstract: Cerium oxide and manganese (Mn) doped cerium oxide thin films on glass substrates were prepared by home built spray pyrolysis system. The effect of Mn doping on the structural, morphological and optical properties of CeO{sub 2} films were studied. It was found that both the undoped and doped CeO{sub 2} films were polycrystalline in nature but the preferential orientation and grain size changed upon doping. Atomic force micrograph showed a complete changeover of surface morphology from spherical to flake upon doping. A water contact angle result displayed the hydrophobic nature of the doped CeO{sub 2} film. Optical properties indicated an increase in band-gap and a decrease in transmittance upon doping owing to Moss–Burstein effect and inverse Moss–Burstein effects. Other optical properties such as refractive index, extinction coefficient and dielectric constant as a function of doping were analysed and reported.

Reliability assessment of ultra-thin HfO{sub 2} films deposited on silicon wafer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Wei-En [Center for Measurement Standards, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Room 216, Building 8, 321 Kuang Fu Road Sec. 2, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Chang, Chia-Wei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Chang, Yong-Qing [Center for Measurement Standards, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Room 216, Building 8, 321 Kuang Fu Road Sec. 2, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Yao, Chih-Kai [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Liao, Jiunn-Der, E-mail: jdliao@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China)

2012-09-01

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nano-mechanical properties on annealed ultra-thin HfO{sub 2} film are studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer By AFM analysis, hardness of the crystallized HfO{sub 2} film significantly increases. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer By nano-indention, the film hardness increases with less contact stiffness. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Quality assessment on the annealed ultra-thin films can thus be achieved. - Abstract: Ultra-thin hafnium dioxide (HfO{sub 2}) is used to replace silicon dioxide to meet the required transistor feature size in advanced semiconductor industry. The process integration compatibility and long-term reliability for the transistors depend on the mechanical performance of ultra-thin HfO{sub 2} films. The criteria of reliability including wear resistance, thermal fatigue, and stress-driven failure rely on film adhesion significantly. The adhesion and variations in mechanical properties induced by thermal annealing of the ultra-thin HfO{sub 2} films deposited on silicon wafers (HfO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2}/Si) are not fully understood. In this work, the mechanical properties of an atomic layer deposited HfO{sub 2} (nominal thickness Almost-Equal-To 10 nm) on a silicon wafer were characterized by the diamond-coated tip of an atomic force microscope and compared with those of annealed samples. The results indicate that the annealing process leads to the formation of crystallized HfO{sub 2} phases for the atomic layer deposited HfO{sub 2}. The HfSi{sub x}O{sub y} complex formed at the interface between HfO{sub 2} and SiO{sub 2}/Si, where the thermal diffusion of Hf, Si, and O atoms occurred. The annealing process increases the surface hardness of crystallized HfO{sub 2} film and therefore the resistance to nano-scratches. In addition, the annealing process significantly decreases the harmonic contact stiffness (or thereafter eliminate the stress at the interface) and increases the nano-hardness, as measured by vertically

Photocatalytic properties of nanocrystalline TiO2 thin film with Ag additions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, C.-C.; Lin, C.-K.; Chan, C.-C.; Hsu, C.-S.; Chen, C.-Y.

2006-01-01

In the present study, nanocrystalline TiO 2 /Ag composite thin films were prepared by a sol-gel spin coating technique. While, by introducing polystyrene (PS) microspheres, porous TiO 2 /Ag films were obtained after calcining at a temperature of 500 o C. The as-prepared TiO 2 and TiO 2 /Ag thin films were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, and scanning electron microscopy to reveal the structural and morphological differences. In addition, the photocatalytic properties of these films were investigated by degrading methylene blue under UV irradiation. After 500 o C calcination, the microstructure of PS-TiO 2 film without Ag addition exhibited a sponge-like microstructure while significant sintering effect was noticed with Ag additions and the films exhibited a porous microstructure. Meanwhile, coalescence of nanocrystalline anatase-phase TiO 2 can be observed with respect to the sharpening of XRD diffraction peaks. The photodegradation of porous TiO 2 doped with 1 mol% Ag exhibited the best photocatalytic efficiency where 72% methylene blue can be decomposed after UV exposure for 12 h

Characteristics of rapid-thermal-annealed LiCoO2 cathode film for an all-solid-state thin film microbattery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Han-Ki; Yoon, Young Soo

2004-01-01

We report on the fabrication of a LiCoO 2 film for an all-solid-state thin film microbattery by using a rapid-thermal-annealing (RTA) process. The LiCoO 2 films were grown by rf magnetron sputtering using a synthesized LiCoO 2 target in a [O 2 /(Ar+O 2 )] ratio of 10%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis results showed that the surface layer on the as-deposited LiCoO 2 film was completely removed by rapid thermal annealing process in oxygen ambient for 20 min. In addition, the thin film microbattery fabricated with the annealed LiCoO 2 film shows fairly stable cyclability with a specific discharge capacity of 56.49 μAh/cm2 μm. These results show the possibility of the RTA LiCoO 2 film and rapid thermal annealing process being a promising cathode material and annealing process for thin film microbatteries, respectively

Preferential orientation relationships in Ca{sub 2}MnO{sub 4} Ruddlesden-Popper thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lacotte, M.; David, A.; Prellier, W., E-mail: wilfrid.prellier@ensicaen.fr [Laboratoire CRISMAT, CNRS UMR 6508, ENSICAEN, Université de Basse-Normandie, 6 Bd Maréchal Juin, F-14050 Caen Cedex 4 (France); Rohrer, G. S.; Salvador, P. A. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 (United States)

2015-07-28

A high-throughput investigation of local epitaxy (called combinatorial substrate epitaxy) was carried out on Ca{sub 2}MnO{sub 4} Ruddlesden-Popper thin films of six thicknesses (from 20 to 400 nm), all deposited on isostructural polycrystalline Sr{sub 2}TiO{sub 4} substrates. Electron backscatter diffraction revealed grain-over-grain local epitaxial growth for all films, resulting in a single orientation relationship (OR) for each substrate-film grain pair. Two preferred epitaxial ORs accounted for more than 90% of all ORs on 300 different microcrystals, based on analyzing 50 grain pairs for each thickness. The unit cell over unit cell OR ([100][001]{sub film} ∥ [100][001]{sub substrate}, or OR1) accounted for approximately 30% of each film. The OR that accounted for 60% of each film ([100][001]{sub film} ∥ [100][010]{sub substrate}, or OR2) corresponds to a rotation from OR1 by 90° about the a-axis. OR2 is strongly favored for substrate orientations in the center of the stereographic triangle, and OR1 is observed for orientations very close to (001) or to those near the edge connecting (100) and (110). While OR1 should be lower in energy, the majority observation of OR2 implies kinetic hindrances decrease the frequency of OR1. Persistent grain over grain growth and the absence of variations of the OR frequencies with thickness implies that the growth competition is finished within the first few nm, and local epitaxy persists thereafter during growth.

A chemical route to room-temperature synthesis of nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pathan, Habib M.; Kim, Woo Young; Jung, Kwang-Deog; Joo, Oh-Shim

2005-01-01

A lot of methods are developed for the deposition of TiO 2 thin films; however, in each of these methods as-deposited films are amorphous and need further heat treatment at high temperature. In the present article, a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method was used for the preparation of TiO 2 thin films. We investigated nanocrystalline TiO 2 thin films using CBD at room temperature onto glass and ITO coated glass substrate. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. The chemically synthesized films were nanocrystalline and composed of crystal grains of 2-3 nm

Regulation of the forming process and the set voltage distribution of unipolar resistance switching in spin-coated CoFe2O4 thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Mustaqima, Millaty; Yoo, Pilsun; Huang, Wei; Lee, Bo Wha; Liu, Chunli

2015-01-01

We report the preparation of (111) preferentially oriented CoFe2O4 thin films on Pt(111)/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates using a spin-coating process. The post-annealing conditions and film thickness were varied for cobalt ferrite (CFO) thin films, and Pt/CFO/Pt structures were prepared to investigate the resistance switching behaviors. Our results showed that resistance switching without a forming process is preferred to obtain less fluctuation in the set voltage, which can be regulated directly from the preparation conditions of the CFO thin films. Therefore, instead of thicker film, CFO thin films deposited by two times spin-coating with a thickness about 100 nm gave stable resistance switching with the most stable set voltage. Since the forming process and the large variation in set voltage have been considered as serious obstacles for the practical application of resistance switching for non-volatile memory devices, our results could provide meaningful insights in improving the performance of ferrite material-based resistance switching memory devices.

Room temperature ferromagnetism in undoped and Ni doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishna, N. Sai; Kaleemulla, S., E-mail: skaleemulla@gmail.com; Rao, N. Madhusudhana; Krishnamoorthi, C.; Begam, M. Rigana [Thin Films Laboratory, School of Advanced Sciences, VIT University, Vellore – 632014 (India); Amarendra, G. [Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam – 603102 (India); UGC-DAE-CSR, Kalpakkam Node, Kokilamedu-603104 (India)

2015-06-24

Undoped and Ni (5 at.%) doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films were deposited on glass substrate using electron beam evaporation technique and Ni doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films were annealed at 450 oC. A systematic study was carried out on the structural, chemical and magnetic properties of the as deposited and annealed thin films. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all the films were cubic in structure and exhibied ferromagnetism at room temperature. The undoped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films exhibited a saturation magnetization of 24.01 emu/cm3. Ni doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films annealed at 450 oC showed a saturation magnetization of 53.81 emu/cm3.

Superconductivity in Na{sub 1-x}CoO{sub 2}.yH{sub 2}O thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hildebrandt, Sandra; Komissinkiy, Philipp; Alff, Lambert [Institute for Materials Science, TU Darmstadt (Germany); Fritsch, Ingo; Habermeier, Hanns-Ulrich [Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart (Germany); Lemmens, Peter [Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, TU Braunschweig (Germany)

2010-07-01

Sodium cobaltate (Na{sub 1-x}CoO{sub 2}) is a novel material with thermoelectric behavior, charge and spin ordered states dependent on the sodium content in the composition. A superconducting phase was found in water intercalated sodium cobaltate (Na{sub 1-x}CoO{sub 2}.yH{sub 2}O) with x=0.65-0.7 and y=0.9-1.3. The pairing state is still under debate, but there are some indications for a spin-triplet or p-wave superconducting pairing state. First films of Na{sub 1-x}CoO{sub 2}.yH{sub 2}O with a superconducting transition temperature near 5 K have been successfully grown. Here we report on thin films of Na{sub 1-x}CoO{sub 2} grown by pulsed laser deposition technique. The deposition parameters, sodium deintercalation and water intercalation conditions are tuned in order to obtain the superconducting phase. The instability of this phase might be an indication for triplet superconductivity, which is known to be affected strongly by impurities and defects.This observation is in agreement with the fact that so far also no superconducting thin films of the most famous triplet superconductor Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} have been reported.

Laser damage properties of TiO2/Al2O3 thin films grown by atomic layer deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Yaowei; Liu Hao; Sheng Ouyang; Liu Zhichao; Chen Songlin; Yang Liming

2011-01-01

Research on thin film deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for laser damage resistance is rare. In this paper, it has been used to deposit TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 films at 110 deg. C and 280 deg. C on fused silica and BK7 substrates. Microstructure of the thin films was investigated by x-ray diffraction. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of samples was measured by a damage test system. Damage morphology was studied under a Nomarski differential interference contrast microscope and further checked under an atomic force microscope. Multilayers deposited at different temperatures were compared. The results show that the films deposited by ALD had better uniformity and transmission; in this paper, the uniformity is better than 99% over 100 mm Φ samples, and the transmission is more than 99.8% at 1064 nm. Deposition temperature affects the deposition rate and the thin film microstructure and further influences the LIDT of the thin films. As to the TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 films, the LIDTs were 6.73±0.47 J/cm 2 and 6.5±0.46 J/cm 2 at 110 deg. C on fused silica and BK7 substrates, respectively. The LIDTs at 110 deg. C are notably better than 280 deg. C.

SnO2 thin film synthesis for organic vapors sensing at ambient temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.H. Touidjen

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The present work is a study of tin dioxide (SnO2 based thin sensitive layer dedicated to organic vapors detection at ambient temperature. SnO2 thin film was deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique. The glass substrate temperature was kept to 400 °C, using a starting solution of 0.1 M tin (II dichloride dihydrate (SnCl2, 2H2O. Films structural and morphological properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM and atomic force microscope (AFM respectively. Films optical characteristics were studied using UV-VIS spectrophotometer. XRD revealed the presence of pure SnO2 polycrystalline thin film with a tetragonal rutile structure. The SEM and AFM observations confirmed the granular morphology with presence of pores in the film surface. The prepared film was tested in various organic vapors (ethanol, methanol and acetone at ambient operating temperature (25 °C ± 2 °C. The obtained results suggested that SnO2 is more sensitive to ethanol vapor with a maximum sensitivity of 35% higher than to methanol and acetone vapors (1% and 3%. The realized SnO2 based sensor demonstrated fast response and recovery times as revealed by the values of 2 s to 3 s towards 47 ppm of ethanol vapor. Keywords: SnO2 thin film, Sensitivity, XRD, SEM, AFM, UV–visible

Heterojunction bipolar assembly with CrxTi1-xO2 thin films and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Soumen; Kim, Sang-Hoon; Park, Yong-Kyu; Choi, Cheol-Min; Kim, Dae-Young; Hahn, Yoon-Bong

2010-01-01

Polycrystalline and homogeneous Cr x Ti 1-x O 2 thin films were deposited on silicon (Si) substrates and on indium doped tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates by spin coating technique. We report the p-type conductivity in Cr x Ti 1-x O 2 thin films (x = 0.005, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2) and variable turn-on voltages (V O ) in heterojunction ZnO-nanorod/Cr x Ti 1-x O 2 /ITO bipolar device. Results showed that V O varies substantially from ∼0.8 V (x = 0.005) to ∼0.53 (x = 0.2) for the bipolar assembly. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that chemical state of Ti is the +4 valence state and Cr remains in three different oxidation states of +3. XPS in the valence band region showed a shift in the binding energy towards the lower energy side with increasing Cr intake confirming more p-type conductivity in Cr x Ti 1-x O 2 thin films.

Crystallographic Investigation of Ag (4 mol%) Doped ZnO (SZO) Thin Films by XRD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lwin Lwin Nwe; Sandar Dwe; Khant Khant Lin; Khin Thuzar; Than Than Win; Ko Ko Kyaw Soe

2008-03-01

Silver doped ZnO(SZO) thin films are prepared by sol-based method. The silver dopant concentration is 4 mol % in this case. XRD analysis carried out to determine, crystallographic properties such as lattice parameters and crystallite size of SZO thin films.

Methylene blue photocatalytic mineralization under visible irradiation on TiO{sub 2} thin films doped with chromium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diaz-Uribe, Carlos; Vallejo, William, E-mail: williamvallejo@mail.uniatlantico.edu.co; Ramos, Wilkendry

2014-11-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We used an easy and inexpensive technique to dope thin films of TiO{sub 2}. • We proved that hydroxyl radicals were generated under visible light irradiation by Cr:TiO{sub 2}. • We used a Haber–Weiss reaction through Cr:TiO{sub 2} catalyst to improve the photo-mineralization process. - Abstract: We studied changes in structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO{sub 2} thin films due to doping process with chromium. Powders of undoped TiO{sub 2} and chromium-doped TiO{sub 2} (Cr:TiO{sub 2}) were synthesized by sol–gel method and, thin films were deposited by doctor blade method. The properties of the thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and diffuse reflectance. The XRD patterns indicated that doping process changed the crystalline phases radio of TiO{sub 2} thin films, furthermore, the optical analysis showed that band gap value of Cr:TiO{sub 2} thin films was 31% fewer than undoped TiO{sub 2} thin films. Along, Langmuir–Hinshelwood model was used to obtain kinetic information of the photo-mineralization process; results indicated that photocatalytic activity of Cr:TiO{sub 2} thin films were four times better than undoped TiO{sub 2} thin films; finally the synergic effect was tested by addition of the H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, photocatalytic yield was improved from 26% to 61% when methylene blue photo-mineralization was assisted with slightly amount of H{sub 2}O{sub 2}.

Optimization of time on CF_4/O_2 etchant for inductive couple plasma reactive ion etching of TiO_2 thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adzhri, R.; Fathil, M. F. M.; Ruslinda, A. R.; Gopinath, Subash C. B.; Voon, C. H.; Foo, K. L.; Nuzaihan, M. N. M.; Azman, A. H.; Zaki, M.; Arshad, M. K. Md.; Hashim, U.; Ayub, R. M.

2016-01-01

In this work, we investigate the optimum etching of titanium dioxide (TiO_2) using inductive couple plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) on our fabricated devices. By using a combination of CF_4/O_2 gases as plasma etchant with ratio of 3:1, three samples of TiO_2 thin film were etched with different time duration of 10 s, 15 s and 20 s. The ion bombardment of CF_4 gases with plasma enhancement by O_2 gas able to break the oxide bond of TiO_2 and allow anisotropic etch profile with maximum etch rate of 18.6 nm/s. The sample was characterized by using optical profilometer to determine the depth of etched area and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for etch profile characterization.

Preparation and Characterization of PbO-SrO-Na2O-Nb2O5-SiO2 Glass Ceramics Thin Film for High-Energy Storage Application

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Feihu; Zhang, Qingmeng; Zhao, Hongbin; Wei, Feng; Du, Jun

2018-03-01

PbO-SrO-Na2O-Nb2O5-SiO2 (PSNNS) glass ceramic thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition technology on heavily doped silicon substrates. The influence of annealing temperatures on microstructures, dielectric properties and energy storage performances of the as-prepared films were investigated in detail. X-ray diffraction studies indicate that Pb2Nb2O7 crystallizes at 800°C and disappears at 900°C, while NaNbO3 and PbNb2O6 are formed at the higher temperature of 900°C. The dielectric properties of the glass ceramics thin films have a strong dependence on the phase assemblages that are developed during heat treatment. The maximum dielectric constant value of 171 was obtained for the film annealed at 800°C, owing to the high electric breakdown field strength, The energy storage densities of the PSNNS films annealed at 800°C were as large as 36.9 J/cm3, These results suggest that PSNNS thin films are promising for energy storage applications.

Properties of SrBi2Nb2O9 thin films on Pt-coated Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avila, R.E.; Navarro, P.O.; Martin, V. del C.; Fernandez, L.M.; Sylvester, G.; Retuert, P.J.; Gramsch, E.

2002-01-01

SrBi 2 Nb 2 O 9 powders and thin films, on Pt-coated Si, were synthesised by the sol-gel method. Three-layer thin films appear homogeneous down to the 100 nm scale, polycrystalline in the tetragonal Aurivillius phase, at a average thickness of 40 nm per layer. The index of refraction at the center of the visible range increases with the sintering temperature from roughly 2.1 (at 400 Centigrade) to 2.5 (at 700 Centigrade). The expression n 2 -1 increases linearly with the relative density of the thin films, in similar fashion as previous studies in PbTiO 3 thin films. The dielectric constant in quasistatic and high frequency (1 MHz) modes, is between 160 and 230. (Author)

Shape controlled synthesis of CaMoO4 thin films and their photoluminescence property

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marques, Ana Paula de Azevedo; Longo, Valeria M.; Melo, Dulce M.A. de; Pizani, Paulo S.; Leite, Edson R.; Varela, Jose Arana; Longo, Elson

2008-01-01

CaMoO 4 (CMO) disordered and ordered thin films were prepared by the complex polymerization method (CPM). The films were annealed at different temperatures and time in a conventional resistive furnace (RF) and in a microwave (MW) oven. The microstructure and surface morphology of the structure were monitored by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM). Order and disorder were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical reflectance. A strong photoluminescence (PL) emission was observed in the disordered thin films and was attributed to complex cluster vacancies. The experimental results were compared with density functional and Hartree-Fock calculations. - Graphical abstract: CaMoO 4 thin films were prepared by the complex polymerization method (CPM). The films were annealed at different temperatures and time in a conventional resistive furnace and in a microwave oven. A strong photoluminescence emission was observed in the disordered thin films and was attributed to complex cluster vacancies. The experimental results were confirmed by high level first principle calculations

Biocompatibility and Surface Properties of TiO2 Thin Films Deposited by DC Magnetron Sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

López-Huerta, Francisco; Cervantes, Blanca; González, Octavio; Hernández-Torres, Julián; García-González, Leandro; Vega, Rosario; Herrera-May, Agustín L.; Soto, Enrique

2014-01-01

We present the study of the biocompatibility and surface properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering. These films are deposited on a quartz substrate at room temperature and annealed with different temperatures (100, 300, 500, 800 and 1100 °C). The biocompatibility of the TiO2 thin films is analyzed using primary cultures of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of Wistar rats, whose neurons are incubated on the TiO2 thin films and on a control substrate during 18 to 24 h. These neurons are activated by electrical stimuli and its ionic currents and action potential activity recorded. Through X-ray diffraction (XRD), the surface of TiO2 thin films showed a good quality, homogeneity and roughness. The XRD results showed the anatase to rutile phase transition in TiO2 thin films at temperatures between 500 and 1100 °C. This phase had a grain size from 15 to 38 nm, which allowed a suitable structural and crystal phase stability of the TiO2 thin films for low and high temperature. The biocompatibility experiments of these films indicated that they were appropriated for culture of living neurons which displayed normal electrical behavior. PMID:28788667

Structural transformation of sputtered o-LiMnO{sub 2} thin-film cathodes induced by electrochemical cycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fischer, J., E-mail: Julian.Fischer@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials – Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Chang, K. [RWTH Aachen University, Materials Chemistry, Kopernikusstrasse 10, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Ye, J.; Ulrich, S.; Ziebert, C. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials – Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Music, D.; Hallstedt, B. [RWTH Aachen University, Materials Chemistry, Kopernikusstrasse 10, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Seifert, H.J. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials – Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

2013-12-31

Orthorhombic LiMnO{sub 2} (o-LiMnO{sub 2}) thin films were produced by non-reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering in combination with thermal post-annealing. Oxide phase formation was investigated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. In order to assign the X-ray signals and estimate the grain size, a simulation of the diffraction pattern was performed and compared with experimental data. The density of the films was determined to be 3.39 g/cm{sup 3} using X-ray reflectivity. Electrochemical characterization was carried out by galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry of Li/o-LiMnO{sub 2} half cells. There are distinct redox reactions at approx. 3 V and 4 V, whereas the latter splits into multiple peaks. Using ab initio calculations and thermodynamic models, Gibbs energies of o-LiMnO{sub 2} and c-LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} were determined. The relation between these energies explains the irreversible phase transformation that has been observed during the cycling of the Li/o-LiMnO{sub 2} half cell. - Highlights: • Quantitative, thermodynamic modeling of the o-LiMnO{sub 2}/c-LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} phase transformation • First CV-investigations on magnetron sputtered nanocrystalline o-LiMnO{sub 2} thin films • Synthesis of o-LiMnO{sub 2} planar model systems for protective coating and SEI development.

Growth and characterisation of potentiostatically electrodeposited Cu2O and Cu thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijesundera, R.P.; Hidaka, M.; Koga, K.; Sakai, M.; Siripala, W.

2006-01-01

Cuprous oxide and copper thin films were potentiostatically electrodeposited in an acetate bath. Voltammetric curves were used to investigate the growth parameters; deposition potential, pH and temperature of the bath. Deposition potential dependency on the structural, morphological, optical and electronic properties of the films were investigated by the X-ray diffraction measurements, scanning electron micrographs, absorption measurements and dark and light current-voltage characterisations. It was observed that single phase polycrystalline Cu 2 O can be deposited from 0 to - 300 mV Vs saturated calomel electrode (SCE) and co-deposition of Cu and Cu 2 O starts at - 400 mV Vs SCE. Further increase in deposition potential from - 700 mV Vs SCE produces single phase Cu thin films. Single phase polycrystalline Cu 2 O thin films with cubic grains of 1-2 μm can be possible within the very narrow potential domain around - 200 mV Vs SCE. Enhanced photoresponse in a photoelectrochemical cell is produced by the Cu 2 O thin film prepared at - 400 mV Vs SCE, where Cu is co-deposited with Cu 2 O with random distribution of Cu spheres on the Cu 2 O surface. This study reveals that a single deposition bath can be used to deposit both Cu and Cu 2 O separately and an admixture of Cu-Cu 2 O by controlling the deposition parameters

Swift heavy ion irradiated SnO_2 thin film sensor for efficient detection of SO_2 gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyagi, Punit; Sharma, Savita; Tomar, Monika; Singh, Fouran; Gupta, Vinay

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Response of Ni"7"+ ion irradiated (100 MeV) SnO_2 film have been performed. • Effect of irradiation on the structural and optical properties of SnO_2 film is studied. • A decrease in operating temperature and increased response is seen after irradiation. - Abstract: Gas sensing response studies of the Ni"7"+ ion irradiated (100 MeV) and non-irradiated SnO_2 thin film sensor prepared under same conditions have been performed towards SO_2 gas (500 ppm). The effect of irradiation on the structural, surface morphological, optical and gas sensing properties of SnO_2 thin film based sensor have been studied. A significant decrease in operating temperature (from 220 °C to 60 °C) and increased sensing response (from 1.3 to 5.0) is observed for the sample after irradiation. The enhanced sensing response obtained for the irradiated SnO_2 thin film based sensor is attributed to the desired modification in the surface morphology and material properties of SnO_2 thin film by Ni"7"+ ions.

Electrical and optical properties of thermally-evaporated thin films from A{sub 2}[TiO(C{sub 2}O{sub 4}){sub 2}] (A = K, PPh{sub 4}) and 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carbia-Ruelas, E. [Coordinacion de Ingenieria Mecatronica. Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte. Avenida Universidad Anahuac 46, Col. Lomas Anahuac, 52786, Huixquilucan (Mexico); Sanchez-Vergara, M.E., E-mail: elena.sanchez@anahuac.mx [Coordinacion de Ingenieria Mecatronica. Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte. Avenida Universidad Anahuac 46, Col. Lomas Anahuac, 52786, Huixquilucan (Mexico); Garcia-Montalvo, V. [Instituto de Quimica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico, D. F (Mexico); Morales-Saavedra, O.G. [Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnologico, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, CCADET-UNAM. A. P. 70-186, Coyoacan, 04510, Mexico, D. F (Mexico); Alvarez-Bada, J.R. [Coordinacion de Ingenieria Mecatronica. Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte. Avenida Universidad Anahuac 46, Col. Lomas Anahuac, 52786, Huixquilucan (Mexico)

2011-02-01

In this work, the synthesis of molecular materials formed from A{sub 2}[TiO(C{sub 2}O{sub 4}){sub 2}] (A = K, PPh4) and 1,8 dihydroxyanthraquinone is reported. The synthesized materials were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), infrared (IR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. IR spectroscopy showed that the molecular-material thin-films, deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation, exhibit the same intra-molecular vibration modes as the starting powders, which suggests that the thermal evaporation process does not alter the initial chemical structures. Electrical transport properties were studied by dc conductivity measurements. The electrical activation energies of the complexes, which were in the range of 0.003-1.16 eV, were calculated from Arrhenius plots. Optical absorption studies in the wavelength range of 190-1090 nm at room temperature showed that the optical band gaps of the thin films were around 1.9-2.3 eV for direct transitions Eg{sub d}. The cubic NLO effects were substantially enhanced for materials synthesized from K{sub 2}[TiO(C{sub 2}O{sub 4}){sub 2}], where {chi}{sup (3)} (-3{omega}; {omega}, {omega}, {omega}) values in the promising range of 10{sup -12} esu have been evaluated.

Surfactant assisted electrodeposition of MnO2 thin films: Improved supercapacitive properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dubal, D.P.; Kim, W.B.; Lokhande, C.D.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Effect of Triton X-100 on physico-chemical properties of MnO 2 films. → High supercapacitance of 345 F g -1 . → Charge-discharge, impedance spectroscopy. - Abstract: In order to obtain a high specific capacitance, MnO 2 thin films have been electrodeposited in the presence of a neutral surfactant (Triton X-100). These films were further characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and contact angle measurement. The XRD studies revealed that the electrodeposited MnO 2 films are amorphous and addition of Triton X-100 does not change its amorphous nature. The electrodeposited films of MnO 2 in the presence of the Triton X-100 possess greater porosity and hence greater surface area in relation to the films prepared in the absence of the surfactant. Wettability test showed that the MnO 2 film becomes superhydrophilic from hydrophilic due to Triton X-100. Supercapacitance properties of MnO 2 thin films studied by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling and impedance spectroscopy showed maximum supercapacitance for MnO 2 films deposited in presence of Triton X-100 is 345 F g -1 .

Effect of composition on properties of In2O3-Ga2O3 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Demin, I. E.; Kozlov, A. G.

2017-06-01

The In2O3-Ga2O3 mixed oxide polycrystalline thin films with various ratios of components were obtained by pulsed laser deposition. The effect of films composition on surface morphology, electrophysical and gas sensing properties and energies of adsorption and desorption of combustible gases was studied. The films with50%In2O3-50%Ga2O3 composition showed maximum gas response (˜25 times) combined with minimum optimal working temperature (˜530 °C) as compared with the other films. The optical transmittance of the films in visible range was investigated. For 50%In2O3-50%Ga2O3 films, the transmittance is higher in comparison with the other films. The explanation of the dependency of films behaviors on their composition was presented.The In2O3-Ga2O3 films were assumed to have perspectives as gas sensing material for semiconducting gas sensors.

TiO 2 Thin Films Prepared via Adsorptive Self-Assembly for Self-Cleaning Applications

KAUST Repository

Xi, Baojuan

2012-02-22

Low-cost controllable solution-based processes for preparation of titanium oxide (TiO 2) thin films are highly desirable, because of many important applications of this oxide in catalytic decomposition of volatile organic compounds, advanced oxidation processes for wastewater and bactericidal treatments, self-cleaning window glass for green intelligent buildings, dye-sensitized solar cells, solid-state semiconductor metal-oxide solar cells, self-cleaning glass for photovoltaic devices, and general heterogeneous photocatalysis for fine chemicals etc. In this work, we develop a solution-based adsorptive self-assembly approach to fabricate anatase TiO 2 thin films on different glass substrates such as simple plane glass and patterned glass at variable compositions (normal soda lime glass or solar-grade borofloat glass). By tuning the number of process cycles (i.e., adsorption-then-heating) of TiO 2 colloidal suspension, we could facilely prepare large-area TiO 2 films at a desired thickness and with uniform crystallite morphology. Moreover, our as-prepared nanostructured TiO 2 thin films on glass substrates do not cause deterioration in optical transmission of glass; instead, they improve optical performance of commercial solar cells over a wide range of incident angles of light. Our as-prepared anatase TiO 2 thin films also display superhydrophilicity and excellent photocatalytic activity for self-cleaning application. For example, our investigation of photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange indicates that these thin films are indeed highly effective, in comparison to other commercial TiO 2 thin films under identical testing conditions. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Magnetism in spin-coated pristine TiO{sub 2} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hassini, Awatef [IUT de Blois, 3 place Jean Jaures, C.S. 2903, 41029 Blois (France); Sakai, Joe [Laboratoire LEMA, UMR 6157 CNRS/CEA, Universite Francois Rabelais, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours (France); Lopez, Josep Santiso [Institut de Ciencia de Materials de Barcelona, CSIC, Campus UAB, Bellaterra 08193 (Spain); Nguyen Hoa Hong [Laboratoire LEMA, UMR 6157 CNRS/CEA, Universite Francois Rabelais, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours (France)], E-mail: nguyen.hoahong@univ-tours.fr

2008-04-28

Spin coated pristine TiO{sub 2} thin films show magnetic behaviors that are similar to those of pulsed laser ablated TiO{sub 2} thin films that were reported previously. It seems that in this kind of material, ferromagnetism (FM) is indeed intrinsic, and it can be achieved by various deposition techniques. The fact that oxygen annealing degrades the magnetic moment implies that the observed magnetism is likely due to defects or/and oxygen vacancies. Moreover, thick films that were deposited under the same growth conditions have the magnetic ordering degraded enormously. It is found that as for FM in undoped TiO{sub 2} films made by the chemical solution deposition, not only do defects/oxygen vacancies play a role, but also the confinement effects seem to be important.

Dielectric properties of DC reactive magnetron sputtered Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prasanna, S. [Thin Film Center, Department of Physics, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 004 (India); Mohan Rao, G. [Department of Instrumentation, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, 560 012 (India); Jayakumar, S., E-mail: s_jayakumar_99@yahoo.com [Thin Film Center, Department of Physics, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 004 (India); Kannan, M.D. [Thin Film Center, Department of Physics, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 004 (India); Ganesan, V. [Low Temperature Lab, UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research (CSR), Indore, 452 017 (India)

2012-01-31

Alumina (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) thin films were sputter deposited over well-cleaned glass and Si < 100 > substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering under various oxygen gas pressures and sputtering powers. The composition of the films was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and an optimal O/Al atomic ratio of 1.59 was obtained at a reactive gas pressure of 0.03 Pa and sputtering power of 70 W. X-ray diffraction results revealed that the films were amorphous until 550 Degree-Sign C. The surface morphology of the films was studied using scanning electron microscopy and the as-deposited films were found to be smooth. The topography of the as-deposited and annealed films was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and a progressive increase in the rms roughness of the films from 3.2 nm to 4.53 nm was also observed with increase in the annealing temperature. Al-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al thin film capacitors were then fabricated on glass substrates to study the effect of temperature and frequency on the dielectric property of the films. Temperature coefficient of capacitance, AC conductivity and activation energy were determined and the results are discussed. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The films were found to be amorphous up to annealing temperature of 550 C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An increase in rms roughness of the films was observed with annealing. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Al-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al thin film capacitors were fabricated and dielectric constant was 7.5. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The activation energy decreased with increase in frequency.

Annealing effect on the structural, morphological and electrical properties of TiO2/ZnO bilayer thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, M. I.; Imran, S.; Shahnawaz; Saleem, Muhammad; Ur Rehman, Saif

2018-03-01

The effect of annealing temperature on the structural, morphological and electrical properties of TiO2/ZnO (TZ) thin films has been observed. Bilayer thin films of TiO2/ZnO are deposited on FTO glass substrate by spray pyrolysis method. After deposition, these films are annealed at 573 K, 723 K and 873 K. XRD shows that TiO2 is present in anatase phase only and ZnO is present in hexagonal phase. No other phases of TiO2 and ZnO are present. Also, there is no evidence of other compounds like Zn-Ti etc. It also shows that the average grain size of TiO2/ZnO films is increased by increasing annealing temperature. AFM (Atomic force microscope) showed that the average roughness of TiO2/ZnO films is decreased at temperature 573-723 K and then increased at 873 K. The calculated average sheet resistivity of thin films annealed at 573 K, 723 K and 873 K is 152.28 × 102, 75.29 × 102 and 63.34 × 102 ohm-m respectively. This decrease in sheet resistivity might be due to the increment of electron concentration with increasing thickness and the temperature of thin films.

Chemical vapor deposition of ZrO{sub 2} thin films using Zr(NEt{sub 2}){sub 4} as precursor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bastianini, A. [CNR, Padova (Italy). Ist. di Chimica e Tecnologie Inorganiche e dei Materiali Avanzati; Battiston, G.A. [CNR, Padova (Italy). Ist. di Chimica e Tecnologie Inorganiche e dei Materiali Avanzati; Gerbasi, R. [CNR, Padova (Italy). Ist. di Chimica e Tecnologie Inorganiche e dei Materiali Avanzati; Porchia, M. [CNR, Padova (Italy). Ist. di Chimica e Tecnologie Inorganiche e dei Materiali Avanzati; Daolio, S. [CNR, Padova (Italy). Ist. di Chimica e Tecnologie Inorganiche e dei Materiali Avanzati]|[CNR, Ist. di Polarografia ed Elettrochimica Preparativa, Padova (Italy)

1995-06-01

By using tetrakis(diethylamido) zirconium [Zr(NEt{sub 2}){sub 4}], excellent quality ZrO{sub 2} thin films were deposited with high growth rates on alumina and glass substrates by chemical vapor deposition. The depositions were carried out in a hot wall reactor at reduced pressure (200 Pa) in the temperature range 500-580 C and in the presence of oxygen. The as-grown films are colourless, smooth and well-adherent to the substrates. SIMS analysis evidenced pure ZrO{sub 2} with a slight superficial contamination of hydrocarbons and nitrogen. The films have a tapered polycrystalline columnar structure well visible in SEM micrographs. From X-ray diffraction analysis, the monoclinic phase resulted as the major phase together with a small variable amount of tetragonal zirconia. Under 550 C the as-grown films resulted highly textured and were dominated by the (020) orientation. The films were annealed in the range 600-1000 C and the effect of annealing on the texture and on the phase and dimensions of the crystallites have been studied. (orig.).

Growth of TiO2 Thin Film on Various Substrates using RF Magnetron Sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Riyaz Ahmad Mohamed; Nayan, Nafarizal

2011-01-01

The conductivity of Titanium Dioxide (TiO 2 ) thin film fabricated using Radio Frequency (RF) Magnetron Sputtering on Silicon (Si), Indium doped--Tin Oxide (ITO) and microscope glass (M) substrates is presented in this paper. The dependant of thin film thickness and type of substrate been discussed. TiO 2 was deposited using Ti target in Ar+O 2 (45:10) mixture at 250 W for 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 120 minute. Resultant thickness varies from 295 nm to 724 nm with deposition rate 6.4 nm/min. On the other hand, resistivity, Rs value for ITO substrate is between 5.72x10 -7 to 1.54x10 -6 Ω.m, Si substrate range is between 3.52x10 -6 to 1.76x10 -5 Ω.m and M substrate range is between 99 to 332 Ω.m. The value of resistivity increases with the thickness of the thin film.

A short literature survey on iron and cobalt ion doped TiO2 thin films and photocatalytic activity of these films against fungi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tatlıdil, İlknur; Bacaksız, Emin; Buruk, Celal Kurtuluş; Breen, Chris; Sökmen, Münevver

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Co or Fe doped TiO 2 thin films were prepared by sol–gel method. ► We obtained lower E g values for Fe-doped and Co-TiO 2 thin films. ► Doping greatly affected the size and shape of the TiO 2 nanoparticles. ► Photocatalytic killing effect of the doped TiO 2 thin films on C. albicans and A. niger was significantly higher than undoped TiO 2 thin film for short exposure periods. - Abstract: In this study, a short recent literature survey which concentrated on the usage of Fe 3+ or Co 2+ ion doped TiO 2 thin films and suspensions were summarized. Additionally, a sol–gel method was used for preparation of the 2% Co or Fe doped TiO 2 thin films. The surface of the prepared materials was characterised using scanning-electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and band gap of the films were calculated from the transmission measurements that were taken over the range of 190 and 1100 nm. The E g value was 3.40 eV for the pure TiO 2 , 3.00 eV for the Fe-doped TiO 2 film and 3.25 eV for Co-TiO 2 thin film. Iron or cobalt doping at lower concentration produce more uniformed particles and doping greatly affected the size and shape of the TiO 2 nanoparticles. Photocatalytic killing effect of the 2% Co doped TiO 2 thin film on Candida albicans was significantly higher than Fe doped TiO 2 thin film for short and long exposure periods. Doped thin films were more effective on Aspergillus niger for short exposure periods.

Properties of nanostructured undoped ZrO{sub 2} thin film electrolytes by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition for thin film solid oxide fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Gu Young; Noh, Seungtak; Lee, Yoon Ho; Cha, Suk Won, E-mail: ybkim@hanyang.ac.kr, E-mail: swcha@snu.ac.kr [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Ji, Sanghoon [Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Iui-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 443-270 (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Soon Wook; Koo, Bongjun; Kim, Young-Beom, E-mail: ybkim@hanyang.ac.kr, E-mail: swcha@snu.ac.kr [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); An, Jihwan [Manufacturing Systems and Design Engineering Programme, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 232 Gongneung-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-743 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-01-15

Nanostructured ZrO{sub 2} thin films were prepared by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) and by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). The effects of the deposition conditions of temperature, reactant, plasma power, and duration upon the physical and chemical properties of ZrO{sub 2} films were investigated. The ZrO{sub 2} films by PEALD were polycrystalline and had low contamination, rough surfaces, and relatively large grains. Increasing the plasma power and duration led to a clear polycrystalline structure with relatively large grains due to the additional energy imparted by the plasma. After characterization, the films were incorporated as electrolytes in thin film solid oxide fuel cells, and the performance was measured at 500 °C. Despite similar structure and cathode morphology of the cells studied, the thin film solid oxide fuel cell with the ZrO{sub 2} thin film electrolyte by the thermal ALD at 250 °C exhibited the highest power density (38 mW/cm{sup 2}) because of the lowest average grain size at cathode/electrolyte interface.

Silver loaded WO3−x/TiO2 composite multifunctional thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunnill, Charles W.; Noimark, Sacha; Parkin, Ivan P.

2012-01-01

Multifunctional WO 3−x –TiO 2 composite thin films have been prepared by sol–gel synthesis and shown to be good visible light photocatalysts whilst retaining a desirable underlying blue colouration. The WO 3−x –TiO 2 composite thin films were further enhanced using silver nanoparticles synthesised in-situ on the surface from the photo-degradation of silver nitrate solution. Thin films were characterised using X-ray diffraction, Raman, Scanning electron microscopy and UV–visible spectroscopy and shown to photo degrade stearic acid, using white light λ = 420–800 nm. - Highlights: ► WO 3−X TiO 2 composite thin films were synthesised by sol–gel methods. ► Blue tinted glass is desirable for the value added glass industry. ► Silver nanoparticle island formation enhances the activity of the films. ► Blue tinted “value added” coated glass is now possible.

Synthesis and characterization of binary ZnO-SnO2 (ZTO) thin films by e-beam evaporation technique

Science.gov (United States)

Bibi, Shagufta; Shah, A.; Mahmood, Arshad; Ali, Zahid; Raza, Qaisar; Aziz, Uzma; Haneef; Waheed, Abdul; Shah, Ziaullah

2018-04-01

The binary ZnO-SnO2 (ZTO) thin films with varying SnO2 concentrations (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) were grown on glass substrate by e-beam evaporation technique. The prepared ZTO films were annealed at 400 °C in air. These films were then characterized to investigate their structural, optical, and electrical properties as a function of SnO2 concentration. XRD analysis reveals that the crystallinity of the film decreases with the addition of SnO2 and it transforms to an amorphous structure at a composition of 40% SnO2 and 60% ZnO. Morphology of the films was examined by atomic force microscopy which points out that surface roughness of the films decreases with the increasing of SnO2 in the film. Optical properties such as optical transparency, band-gap energy, and optical constants of these films were examined by spectrophotometer and spectroscopic Ellipsometer. It was observed that the average optical transmission of mixed films improves with incorporation of SnO2. In addition, the band-gap energy of the films was determined to be in the range of 3.37-3.7 eV. Furthermore, it was found that the optical constants (n and k) decrease with the addition of SnO2. Similarly, it is observed that the electrical resistivity increases nonlinearly with the increase in SnO2 in ZnO-SnO2 thin films. However, it is noteworthy that the highest figure of merit (FOM) value, i.e., 55.87 × 10-5 Ω-1, is obtained for ZnO-SnO2 (ZTO) thin film with 40 wt% of SnO2 composition. Here, we suggest that ZnO-SnO2 (ZTO) thin film with composition of 60:40 wt% can be used as an efficient TCO film due to the improved transmission, and reduced RMS value and highest FOM value.

Structural Modification of Sol-Gel Synthesized V2O5 and TiO2 Thin Films with/without Erbium Doping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatma Pınar Gökdemir

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Comparative work of with/without erbium- (Er- doped vanadium pentoxide (V2O5 and titanium dioxide (TiO2 thin films were carried out via sol-gel technique by dissolving erbium (III nitrate pentahydrate (Er(NO33·5H2O in vanadium (V oxoisopropoxide (OV[OCH(CH32]3 and titanium (IV isopropoxide (Ti[OCH(CH32]4. Effect of Er doping was traced by Fourier transform IR (FTIR, thermogravimetric/differential thermal (TG/DTA, and photoluminescence measurements. UV-Vis transmission/absorption measurement indicated a blue shift upon Er doping in V2O5 film due to the softening of V=O bond while appearance of typical absorption peaks in Er-doped TiO2 film. Granule size of the films increased (reduced upon Er substitution on host material compared to undoped V2O5 and TiO2 films, respectively.

Combined sonochemical/CVD method for preparation of nanostructured carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rasoulnezhad, Hossein [Semiconductor Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Kavei, Ghassem, E-mail: kaveighassem@gmail.com [Semiconductor Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ahmadi, Kamran [Semiconductor Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rahimipour, Mohammad Reza [Ceramic Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-06-30

Highlights: • Combination of sonochemical and CVD methods for preparation of nanostructured carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin film on glass substrate, for the first time. • High transparency, monodispersity and homogeneity of the prepared thin films. • Preparation of the carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin films with nanorod and nanosphere morphologies. - Abstract: The present work reports the successful synthesis of the nanostructured carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin films on glass substrate by combination of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and ultrasonic methods, for the first time. In this method the ultrasound waves act as nebulizer for converting of sonochemically prepared TiO{sub 2} sol to the mist particles. These mist particles were thermally decomposed in subsequent CVD chamber at 320 °C to produce the carbon-doped TiO{sub 2} thin films. The obtained thin films were characterized by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The results show that the prepared thin films have anatase crystal structure and nanorod morphology, which calcination of them at 800 °C results in the conversion of nanorods to nanoparticles. In addition, the prepared samples have high transparency, monodispersity and homogeneity. The presence of the carbon element in the structure of the thin films causes the narrowing of the band-gap energy of TiO{sub 2} to about 2.8 eV, which results in the improvement of visible light absorption capabilities of the thin film.

Spray pyrolysed Ru:TiO2 thin film electrodes prepared for electrochemical supercapacitor

Science.gov (United States)

Fugare, B. Y.; Thakur, A. V.; Kore, R. M.; Lokhande, B. J.

2018-04-01

Ru doped TiO2 thin films are prepared by using 0.06 M aqueous solution of potassium titanium oxalate (pto), and 0.005 M aqueous solution of ruthenium tri chloride (RuCl3) precursors. The deposition was carried on stainless steel (SS) by using well known ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique (USPT) at 723° K by maintaining the spray rate 12 cc/min and compressed air flow rate 10 Lmin-1. Prepared Ru:TiO2 thin films were characterized by structurally, morphologically and electrochemically. Deposited RuO2 shows amorphous structure and TiO2 shows tetragonal crystal structure with rutile as prominent phase at very low decomposition temperature. SEM micrographs of RuO2 exhibits porous, interconnected, spherical grains type morphology and TiO2 shows porous, nanorods and nanoplates like morphology and also Ru doped TiO2 shows porous, spherical, granular and nanorods type morphology. The electrochemical cyclic voltammetery shows mixed capacitive behavior. The achieved highest value of specific capacitance 2692 F/g was Ru doped TiO2 electrode in 0.5 M H2SO4.

Magnetically tunable dielectric, impedance and magnetoelectric response in MnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}/(Pb{sub 1−x}Sr{sub x})TiO{sub 3} composites thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bala, Kanchan, E-mail: bala.kanchan1987@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla 171005 (India); Kotnala, R.K. [CSIR, National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012 (India); Negi, N.S., E-mail: nsn_phy_hpu@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla 171005 (India)

2017-02-15

We have synthesized piezomagnetic–piezoelectric composites thin films MnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}/(Pb{sub 1−x}Sr{sub x})TiO{sub 3}, where x=0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, using the metalorganic deposition (MOD) reaction method. The structural and microstructural analysis using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), AFM, and SEM reveals the presence of homogenous growth of both pervoskite and spinel phases in the composite films. Our results show that all the composites films exhibit good multiferroic as well as considerable magnetoelectric coupling. The impedance (Z′ and Z″) and electrical modulus (M′ and M″) Nyquist plots show distinct electrical responses with the magnetic field. Our analyses suggest that this electrical response arises due to the coexistence of the high resistive phase and the comparatively conductive phase in the MFO/PST composite films. The maximum magnetoelectric coefficient (α) is found to be 4.29 V Oe{sup −1} cm{sup −1} and 2.82 V Oe{sup −1} cm{sup −1} for compositions x=0.1 and 0.2. These values are substantially larger than those reported for bilayer composites thin films in literature and make them interesting for room temperature device applications. - Highlights: • Influence of Sr doping on multiferroic and magnetoelectric properties composites thin films of MnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and (Pb, Sr)TiO{sub 3}. • Dielectric constant and dielectric loss with application of magnetic field. • Magnetically tunable AC electrical properties. • Magnetoelectric coupling in MnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}/(Pb, Sr)TiO{sub 3} composite films by passive method.

Characterization of TiO2 Thin Films on Glass Substrate Growth Using DC Sputtering Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agus Santoso; Tjipto Sujitno; Sayono

2002-01-01

It has been fabricated and characterization a TiO 2 thin films deposited on glass substrate using DC sputtering technique. Fabrication of TiO 2 thin films were carried out at electrode voltage 4 kV, sputtering current 5 mA, vacuum pressure 5 x 10 -4 torr, deposition time 150 minutes, and temperature of the substrate were varied from 150 -350 o C, while as a gas sputter was argon. The results was tested their micro structure using SEM, and crystal structure using XRD and found that the crystal structure of TiO 2 powder before deposited on glass substrate was rutile and anatase with orientation (110) and (200) for anatase and (100) and (111) rutile structure. While the crystal structure which deposited at temperature 150 o C and deposition time 2.5 hours was anatase with orientation (001) and (200). (author)

Simultaneous ultra-long data retention and low power based on Ge10Sb90/SiO2 multilayer thin films

Science.gov (United States)

You, Haipeng; Hu, Yifeng; Zhu, Xiaoqin; Zou, Hua; Song, Sannian; Song, Zhitang

2018-02-01

In this article, Ge10Sb90/SiO2 multilayer thin films were prepared to improve thermal stability and data retention for phase change memory. Compared with Ge10Sb90 monolayer thin film, Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) multilayer thin film had higher crystallization temperature and resistance contrast between amorphous and crystalline states. Annealed Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) had uniform grain with the size of 15.71 nm. After annealing, the root-mean-square surface roughness for Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) thin film increased slightly from 0.45 to 0.53 nm. The amorphization time for Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) thin film (2.29 ns) is shorter than Ge2Sb2Te5 (3.56 ns). The threshold voltage of a cell based on Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) (3.57 V) was smaller than GST (4.18 V). The results indicated that Ge10Sb90/SiO2 was a promising phase change thin film with high thermal ability and low power consumption for phase change memory application.

Study and fabrication of ZnNb2O6 thin films by sol-gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, Cheng-Hsing; Yang, Pai-Chuan; Yang, Hsi-Wen; Yan, Shu-Fong; Tung, Hsin-Han

2011-01-01

Zinc niobium oxide (ZnNb 2 O 6 ) thin films were grown on ITO/glass substrate by sol-gel process. Microstructure and surface morphology of the ZnNb 2 O 6 thin films have been studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Optical properties of the ZnNb 2 O 6 thin films were obtained by UV-visible recording spectrophotometer. The dependence of the microstructure, optical transmittance spectra, optical band gap on annealing temperature was also investigated.

Temperature Effects on a-IGZO Thin Film Transistors Using HfO2 Gate Dielectric Material

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Hsien Lin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the temperature effect on amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO thin film transistors (TFTs using hafnium oxide (HfO2 gate dielectric material. HfO2 is an attractive candidate as a high-κ dielectric material for gate oxide because it has great potential to exhibit superior electrical properties with a high drive current. In the process of integrating the gate dielectric and IGZO thin film, postannealing treatment is an essential process for completing the chemical reaction of the IGZO thin film and enhancing the gate oxide quality to adjust the electrical characteristics of the TFTs. However, the hafnium atom diffused the IGZO thin film, causing interface roughness because of the stability of the HfO2 dielectric thin film during high-temperature annealing. In this study, the annealing temperature was optimized at 200°C for a HfO2 gate dielectric TFT exhibiting high mobility, a high ION/IOFF ratio, low IOFF current, and excellent subthreshold swing (SS.

SURFACE MODIFICATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR THIN FILM OF TiO2 ON GRAPHITE SUBSTRATE BY Cu-ELECTRODEPOSITION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fitria Rahmawati

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Surface modification of graphite/TiO2 has been done by mean of Cu electrodeposition. This research aims to study the effect of Cu electrodeposition on photocatalytic enhancing of TiO2. Electrodeposition has been done using CuSO4 0,4 M as the electrolyte at controlled current. The XRD pattern of modified TiO2 thin film on graphite substrate exhibited new peaks at 2θ= 43-44o and 2θ= 50-51o that have been identified as Cu with crystal cubic system, face-centered crystal lattice and crystallite size of 26-30 nm. CTABr still remains in the material as impurities. Meanwhile, based on morphological analysis, Cu particles are dissipated in the pore of thin film. Graphite/TiO2/Cu has higher photoconversion efficiency than graphite/TiO2.   Keywords: semiconductor, graphite/TiO2, Cu electrodeposition