Coaxial carbon plasma gun deposition of amorphous carbon films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1984-01-01

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

Surface and corrosion characteristics of carbon plasma implanted and deposited nickel-titanium alloy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poon, R.W.Y.; Liu, X.Y.; Chung, C.Y.

2005-05-01

Nickel-titanium shape memory alloys (NiTi) are potentially useful in orthopedic implants on account of their super-elastic and shape memory properties. However, the materials are prone to surface corrosion and the most common problem is out-diffusion of harmful Ni ions from the substrate into body tissues and fluids. In order to improve the corrosion resistance and related surface properties, we used the technique of plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition to deposit an amorphous hydrogenated carbon coating onto NiTi and implant carbon into NiTi. Both the deposited amorphous carbon film and carbon plasma implanted samples exhibit much improved corrosion resistances andmore » surface mechanical properties and possible mechanisms are suggested.« less

The effect of grooves in amorphous substrates on the orientation of metal deposits. I - Carbon substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anton, R.; Poppa, H.; Flanders, D. C.

1982-01-01

The graphoepitaxial alignment of vapor-deposited discrete metal crystallites is investigated in the nucleation and growth stages and during annealing by in situ UHV/TEM techniques. Various stages of nucleation, growth and coalescence of vapor deposits of Au, Ag, Pb, Sn, and Bi on amorphous, topographically structured C substrates are analyzed by advanced dark-field techniques to detect preferred local orientations. It is found that the topography-induced orientation of metal crystallites depends strongly on their mobility and their respective tendency to develop pronounced crystallographic shapes. Lowering of the average surface free energies and increasing the crystallographic surface energy anisotropies cause generally improved graphoepitaxial alignments.

Method of chemical vapor deposition of boron nitride using polymeric cyanoborane

DOEpatents

Maya, Leon

1994-01-01

Polymeric cyanoborane is volatilized, decomposed by thermal or microwave plasma energy, and deposited on a substrate as an amorphous film containing boron, nitrogen and carbon. Residual carbon present in the film is removed by ammonia treatment at an increased temperature, producing an adherent, essentially stoichiometric boron nitride film.

Apparatus and process for deposition of hard carbon films

DOEpatents

Nyaiesh, Ali R.; Garwin, Edward L.

1989-01-01

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

Apparatus and process for deposition of hard carbon films

DOEpatents

Nyaiesh, Ali R.; Garwin, Edward L.

1989-01-03

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

Template-assisted mineral formation via an amorphous liquid phase precursor route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amos, Fairland F.

The search for alternative routes to synthesize inorganic materials has led to the biomimetic route of producing ceramics. In this method, materials are manufactured at ambient temperatures and in aqueous solutions with soluble additives and insoluble matrix, similar to the biological strategy for the formation of minerals by living organisms. Using this approach, an anionic polypeptide additive was used to induce an amorphous liquid-phase precursor to either calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate. This precursor was then templated on either organic or inorganic substrates. Non-equilibrium morphologies, such as two-dimensional calcium carbonate films, one-dimensional calcium carbonate mesostructures and "molten" calcium phosphate spherulites were produced, which are not typical of the traditional (additive-free) solution grown crystals in the laboratory. In the study of calcium carbonate, the amorphous calcium carbonate mineral formed via the liquid-phase precursor, either underwent a dissolution-recrystallization event or a pseudo-solid-state transformation to produce different morphologies and polymorphs of the mineral. Discrete or aggregate calcite crystals were formed via the dissolution of the amorphous phase to allow the reprecipitation of the stable crystal. Non-equilibrium morphologies, e.g., films, mesotubules and mesowires were templated using organic and inorganic substrates and compartments. These structures were generated via an amorphous solid to crystalline solid transformation. Single crystalline tablets and mesowires of aragonite, which are reported to be found only in nature as skeletal structures of marine organisms, such as mollusk nacre and echinoderm teeth, were successfully synthesized. These biomimetic structures were grown via the polymer-induced liquid-phase precursor route in the presence of magnesium. Only low magnesium-bearing calcite was formed in the absence of the polymer. A similar approach of using a polymeric additive was implemented in calcium phosphate. Spherulitic crystals and films, seemingly formed from a molten state, were produced. These structures served as nucleating surfaces for the radial formation of calcium oxalate minerals. The composite calcium phosphate-calcium oxalate assemblies are similar to the core-shell structures found in certain kidney stones.

Deposition of amorphous carbon nitride films on flexible substrates by reactive sputtering for applications in light-driven active devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aono, Masami; Harata, Tomo; Odawara, Taku; Asai, Shinnosuke; Orihara, Dai; Nogi, Masaya

2018-01-01

Amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN x ) thin films deposited by reactive sputtering have great potential for driving source applications of light-driven active devices. We demonstrate, for the first time, the photoinduced deformation of a-CN x deposited on flexible substrates, namely, poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) films and transparent cellulose nanopaper. a-CN x films without delamination were obtained on both substrates. By decreasing the thickness of PEN films, the photoinduced deformation became extremely large. A light-driven pump was fabricated using a-CN x -coated PEN films, and then the pumping motion was observed up to 10 Hz. When a He-Ne laser traced the surface of a-CN x films deposited on the nanopaper, the sample moved to the opposite side of the laser spot. The motion involved repeated expansions and contractions similar to the motion of caterpillars occurring owing to the temporary photoinduced deformation of a-CN x films.

Field emission from amorphous carbon films grown by electrochemical deposition using methanol liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiyota, H.; Higashi, M.; Kurosu, T.; Iida, M.

2006-05-01

The field emission from an amorphous carbon (a-C) film grown by electrochemical deposition has been studied. The deposition of the a-C film was accomplished by applying a direct-current potential to a substrate that was immersed in methanol. Both scanning electron microscopy and Raman results indicate that smooth and homogeneous a-C films are grown on specific substrates such as Ti and Al. Field emission measurements demonstrate excellent emission properties such as threshold fields as low as 5 V/μm. Enhancement factors are estimated to be in the range of 1300-1500; these are attributed to local field enhancements around sp2 carbon clusters that are embedded in the a-C films. Emission properties of a-C films grown on Si exhibit a current saturation under higher applied fields. These saturation characteristics are explained by effects of a potential barrier at the interface between the a-C film and the substrate. The interface barrier is reduced by formation of the Ti interfacial layer, suggesting that the formation of TiC decreases the contact resistance between the substrate and the a-C film. Therefore, an approach to use carbide formation at the interface is verified as useful to improve the emission properties of a-C films.

High conductivity a-C:N thin films prepared by electron gun evaporation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rebollo-Plata, B.; Lozada-Morales, R.; Palomino-Merino, R.

2007-08-15

By employing electron beam evaporation, amorphous carbon nitride (a-C:N) thin films, with a low nitrogen content ({approx} 1%), were prepared on Si(110) and glass substrates at about 150 deg. C. The source was a graphite target and an ambient of N{sub 2} was introduced into the growing chamber. The source-substrate distance (SSD) was the main parameter that was intentionally varied. Electron dispersion spectroscopy measurements indicate the nitrogen concentration in the layer as {approx} 1%. The dark electrical conductivity ({sigma}) of layers was very sensitive to SSD variation, changing up to six orders of magnitude when this parameter was varied frommore » 10.5 to 23.5 cm. A maximum value of {sigma} = 1 x 10{sup 3} {omega}{sup -1} cm{sup -1} at room temperature was obtained when the SSD was equal to 15.5 cm. We have deduced that, in accordance with the Ferrari-Robertson model (FRM), our samples are localized in the second stage of the amorphization trajectory of FRM. When the SSD increases the C atoms have more probability to collide with N{sub 2} molecules, and the content of nitrogen in the a-C film increases. The amorphization trajectory followed by the films with an SSD increase is from nanocrystalline graphite to amorphous carbon. The changes in the amorphization are due to the nitrogen content in the layers.« less

Piezoresistive effect observed in flexible amorphous carbon films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-05-01

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

Method of chemical vapor deposition of boron nitride using polymeric cyanoborane

DOEpatents

Maya, L.

1994-06-14

Polymeric cyanoborane is volatilized, decomposed by thermal or microwave plasma energy, and deposited on a substrate as an amorphous film containing boron, nitrogen and carbon. Residual carbon present in the film is removed by ammonia treatment at an increased temperature, producing an adherent, essentially stoichiometric boron nitride film. 11 figs.

Adsorption and self-assembly of M13 phage into directionally organized structures on C and SiO2 films.

PubMed

Moghimian, Pouya; Srot, Vesna; Rothenstein, Dirk; Facey, Sandra J; Harnau, Ludger; Hauer, Bernhard; Bill, Joachim; van Aken, Peter A

2014-09-30

A versatile method for the directional assembly of M13 phage using amorphous carbon and SiO2 thin films was demonstrated. A high affinity of the M13 phage macromolecules for incorporation into aligned structures on an amorphous carbon surface was observed at the concentration range, in which the viral nanofibers tend to disorder. In contrast, the viral particles showed less freedom to adopt an aligned orientation on SiO2 films when deposited in close vicinity. Here an interpretation of the role of the carbon surface in significant enhancement of adsorption and generation of viral arrays with a high orientational order was proposed in terms of surface chemistry and competitive electrostatic interactions. This study suggests the use of amorphous carbon substrates as a template for directional organization of a closely-packed and two-dimensional M13 viral film, which can be a promising route to mineralize a variety of smooth and homogeneous inorganic nanostructure layers.

Formation of Amorphous Carbon Nanoparticles by the Laser Electrodispersion Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurevich, S. A.; Gorokhov, M. V.; Kozhevin, V. M.; Kukushkin, M. V.; Levitskii, V. S.; Markov, L. K.; Yavsin, D. A.

2018-03-01

Experimental results on the laser ablation of the highly oriented pyrolytic graphite by using light pulses of an Nd:YAG laser (pulse width 25 ns, pulse energy 220 mJ) are presented. Analysis of the surface profile of the carbon target shows that the target material melts in the course of the laser ablation. As a result of ablation, a coating consisting of carbon nanoparticles about 10 nm in size is formed on the substrate placed at a distance of 4 cm from the target. It is assumed that such particles are formed as a result of the electrodispersion of carbon droplets detached from the target surface and charged to an unstable state in the laser plasma plume. Raman spectra of the coatings indicate that the carbon nanoparticles being formed have an amorphous structure.

Modification of the amorphous carbon films by the ns-laser irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigonis, Alfonsas; Marcinauskas, Liutauras; Vinciunaite, Vinga; Raciukaitis, Gediminas

2011-10-01

The effect of a nanosecond laser irradiation of thin (60 and 145 nm) amorphous, diamond-like carbon films deposited on Si substrate by an ion beam deposition (IBD) from pure acetylene and acetylene/hydrogen (1:2) gas mixture was analyzed in this work. The films were irradiated with the infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation of the nanosecond Nd:YAG lasers working at the first (1.16 eV) and the third (3.48 eV) harmonics, using a multi-shot regime. The IR laser irradiation stimulated a minor increase in the fraction of sp2 bonds, causing a slight decrease in the hardness of the films and initiated SiC formation. Irradiation with the UV laser caused the formation of carbides and increased hydrogenization of the Si substrate and the fraction of sp2 sites. Spalliation and ablation were observed at a higher energy density and with a large number of laser pulses per spot.

Power and Thermal Technologies for Air and Space - Scientific Research Program. Delivery Order 0020: Advanced Conductors and Thermal Science

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

4.31. Thermal conductivity of CNT/Carbon foam substrate 4.4.3.3 Post-growth Nickel Coating Plating CNTs/carbon foam samples with nickel provides a...will be necessary to conduct large scale synthesis of textured Ca-Co-O on the amorphous- buffered n-type oxide substrate using sol-gel spin- coating and... Conductors and Thermal Science Evan L. Thomas, Qiuhong N. Zhang, Helen Shen, Serhiy N. Leontsev, John P. Murphy, Jack L. Burke, Lyle Brunke, and

Nanostructural characterization of amorphous diamondlike carbon films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

SIEGAL,MICHAEL P.; TALLANT,DAVID R.; MARTINEZ-MIRANDA,L.J.

2000-01-27

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

Mixed-mode high-power impulse magnetron sputter deposition of tetrahedral amorphous carbon with pulse-length control of ionization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tucker, M. D.; Marks, N. A.; Ganesan, R.

2016-04-21

High-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) is used to deposit amorphous carbon thin films with sp{sup 3} fractions of 13% to 82%. Increasing the pulse length results in a transition from conventional HiPIMS deposition to a “mixed-mode” in which an arc triggers on the target surface, resulting in a large flux of carbon ions. The films are characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, ellipsometry, nanoindentation, elastic recoil detection analysis, and measurements of stress and contact angle. All properties vary in a consistent manner, showing a high tetrahedral character only for long pulses, demonstrating that mixed-mode deposition is the source ofmore » the high carbon ion flux. Varying the substrate bias reveals an “energy window” effect, where the sp{sup 3} fraction of the films is greatest for a substrate bias around −100 V and decreases for higher or lower bias values. In the absence of bias, the films' properties show little dependence on the pulse length, showing that energetic ions are the origin of the highly tetrahedral character.« less

On-chip purification via liquid immersion of arc-discharge synthesized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hokkanen, Matti J.; Lautala, Saara; Shao, Dongkai; Turpeinen, Tuomas; Koivistoinen, Juha; Ahlskog, Markus

2016-07-01

Arc-discharge synthesized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (AD-MWNT) have been proven to be of high quality, but their use is very limited due to difficulties in obtaining them in a clean and undamaged form. Here, we present a simple method that purifies raw AD-MWNT material in laboratory scale without damage, and that in principle can be scaled up. The method consists of depositing raw AD-MWNT material on a flat substrate and immersing the substrate slowly in water, whereby the surface tension force of the liquid-substrate contact line selectively sweeps away the larger amorphous carbon debris and leaves relatively clean MWNTs on the substrate. We demonstrate the utility of the method by preparing clean individual MWNTs for measurement of their Raman spectra. The spectra exhibit the characteristics of high-quality tubes free from contaminants. We also show how one concomitantly with the purification process can obtain large numbers of clean suspended MWNTs.

Catalytic crystallization of ices by small silicate smokes at temperatures less than 20K

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, M.; Ferrante, R.; Hudson, R.; Tanabe, T.; Nuth, J.

1993-01-01

Samples of methanol and water ices condensed from the vapor onto aluminum substrates at low temperatures (below approximately 80 K) form amorphous ices; annealing at temperatures in excess of 140-155 K is usually required to convert such amorphous samples to crystalline ices. However, we have found that when either methanol or water vapor is deposited on to aluminum substrates that have been coated with a thin (0.1-0.5 mm) layer of amorphous silicate smoke, the ices condense in crystalline form. We believe that crystalline ice forms as the result of energy liberated at the ice/silicate interface perhaps due to weak bonding of the ice at defect sites on the grains and the very high surface to volume ratio and defect density of these smokes. Annealing of amorphous water ice mixed with more volatile components such as methane, carbon monoxide, etc., has been suggested as an efficient way to produce clatherates in the outer solar nebula and thus explain the volatile content of comets and icy satellites of the outer planets. This hypothesis may need to be re-examined if amorphous ice does not form on cold silicate grains.

Ab Initio Study of Interfacial Structure Transformation of Amorphous Carbon Catalyzed by Ti, Cr, and W Transition Layers.

PubMed

Li, Xiaowei; Li, Lei; Zhang, Dong; Wang, Aiying

2017-11-29

Amorphous carbon (a-C) films composited with transition layers exhibit the desirable improvement of adhesion strength between films and substrate, but the further understanding on the interfacial structure transformation of a-C structure induced by transition layers is still lacked. In this paper, using ab initio calculations, we comparatively studied the interfacial structure between Ti, Cr, or W transition layers and a-C film from the atomic scale, and demonstrated that the addition of Ti, Cr, or W catalyzed the graphitic transformation of a-C structure at different levels, which provided the theoretical guidance for designing a multilayer nanocomposite film for renewed application.

Radiation Synthesis of Carbon Dioxide in Ice-coated Carbon: Implications for Interstellar Grains and Icy Moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raut, U.; Fulvio, D.; Loeffler, M. J.; Baragiola, R. A.

2012-06-01

We report the synthesis of carbon dioxide on an amorphous carbon-13 substrate coated with amorphous water ice from irradiation with 100 keV protons at 20 K and 120 K. The quantitative studies show that the CO2 is dispersed in the ice; its column density increases with ion fluence to a maximum value (in 1015 molecules cm-2) of ~1 at 20 K and ~3 at 120 K. The initial yield is 0.05 (0.1) CO2 per incident H+ at 20 (120) K. The CO2 destruction process, which limits the maximum column density, occurs with an effective cross section of ~2.5 (4.1) × 10-17 cm2 at 20 (120) K. We discuss radiation-induced oxidation by reactions of radicals in water with the carbon surface and demonstrate that these reactions can be a significant source of condensed carbon dioxide in interstellar grains and in icy satellites in the outer solar system.

Influence of surface morphology on adsorption of potassium stearate molecules on diamond-like carbon substrate: A molecular dynamics study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Shusen; Cao, Yongzhi; Sun, Tao; Zhang, Junjie; Gu, Le; Zhang, Chuanwei; Xu, Zhiqiang

2018-05-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to provide insights into the influence of nano-scale surface morphology on adsorptive behavior of Potassium stearate molecules on diamond-like carbon (DLC) substrates. Particular focus was given to explain that how the distinctive geometric properties of different surface morphologies affect the equilibrium structures and substrate-molecules interactions of monolayers, which was achieved through adsorptive analysis methods including adsorptive process, density profile, density distribution and surface potential energy. Analysis on surface potential energy demonstrated that the adsorptivity of amorphous smooth substrate is uniformly distributed over the surface, while DLC substrates with different surface morphologies appear to be more potentially corrugated, which improves the adsorptivity significantly. Because of the large distance of molecules from carbon atoms located at the square groove bottom, substrate-molecules interactions vanish significantly, and thus potassium stearate molecules cannot penetrate completely into the square groove. It can be observed that the equilibrium substrate-molecules interactions of triangle groove and semi-circle groove are much more powerful than that of square groove due to geometrically advantageous properties. These findings provided key information of optimally design of solid substrates with controllable adsorptivity.

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

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Y. C.; Gao, J., E-mail: jugao@hku.hk

2016-08-22

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

Acetic acid effects on enhancement of growth rate and reduction of amorphous carbon deposition on CNT arrays along a growth window in a floating catalyst reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maghrebi, Morteza; Khodadadi, Abbas Ali; Mortazavi, Yadollah; Sane, Ali; Rahimi, Mohsen; Shirazi, Yaser; Tsakadze, Zviad; Mhaisalkar, Subodh

2009-11-01

The mm-long carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays were grown in a floating catalyst reactor, using xylene-ferrocene and a small amount of acetic acid as the feed. The CNT arrays deposited on a quartz substrate at several positions along the reactor were extensively characterized using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and optical microscopy. Various characterization methods consistently reveal that the acetic acid additive to the feed alleviates deposition of amorphous carbon layer, which gradually thickens CNTs along the reactor. The acetic acid also resulted in a higher growth rate along the so-called growth window, where CNT arrays are deposited on the quartz substrate. High-performance liquid chromatography of extracted byproducts (PAHs) confirmed the presence of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The solid weight of PAHs decreased upon addition of ferrocene as the catalyst precursor, as well as of acetic acid to xylene feed. The results suggest that primary light products of xylene pyrolysis can be competitive reactants for both catalytic and subsequent pyrolytic reactions. They may also be more efficient feeds for CNT growth than xylene itself.

The comparison of phosphate-titanate-silicate layers on the titanium and Ti6Al4V alloy base.

PubMed

Rokita, M

2011-08-15

The studied layers were composed of two parts: titanate-silicate underlayer for better adhesion and titanate-phosphate-silicate layers for potential bioparameters. The layers with different amounts of hydroxyapatite were deposited on titanium and Ti6Al4V alloy substrates using dipping sol-gel method and electrophoresis. The selection of sol/suspension composition, deposition time and heat treatment conditions have the decisive influence on the layers parameters. The obtained layers should be very thin and almost amorphous. The specific nature of ceramic layers on the metal substrates excludes the use of some measurements methods or makes it difficult to interpret the measurement results. All the obtained samples were compared using XRD analysis data (GID technique), SEM with EDX measurements and FTIR spectroscopy (transmission and reflection techniques) before and after soaking in simulated body fluid. FTIR spectroscopy with mathematical treatment of the spectra (BIO-RAD Win-IR program, Arithmetic-subtract function) was used to detect the increase or decrease of any phosphate phases during SBF soaking. Based on the FTIR results the processes of hydroxyapatite (HAp) growth or layer dissolution were estimated. The layers deposited on titanium substrate are more crystalline then the ones deposited on Ti6Al4V. During SBF soaking process the growth of small amount of microcrystalline carbonate hydroxyapatite was observed on titanium substrate. The layer on Ti6Al4V base contained amorphous carbonate apatite. During heating treatment above about 870-920 K this apatite transforms into carbonate hydroxyapatite. The Ti6Al4V substrate seems to be more advantageous in context of potentially bioactive materials obtaining. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The comparison of phosphate-titanate-silicate layers on the titanium and Ti6Al4V alloy base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rokita, M.

2011-08-01

The studied layers were composed of two parts: titanate-silicate underlayer for better adhesion and titanate-phosphate-silicate layers for potential bioparameters. The layers with different amounts of hydroxyapatite were deposited on titanium and Ti6Al4V alloy substrates using dipping sol-gel method and electrophoresis. The selection of sol/suspension composition, deposition time and heat treatment conditions have the decisive influence on the layers parameters. The obtained layers should be very thin and almost amorphous. The specific nature of ceramic layers on the metal substrates excludes the use of some measurements methods or makes it difficult to interpret the measurement results. All the obtained samples were compared using XRD analysis data (GID technique), SEM with EDX measurements and FTIR spectroscopy (transmission and reflection techniques) before and after soaking in simulated body fluid. FTIR spectroscopy with mathematical treatment of the spectra (BIO-RAD Win-IR program, Arithmetic-subtract function) was used to detect the increase or decrease of any phosphate phases during SBF soaking. Based on the FTIR results the processes of hydroxyapatite (HAp) growth or layer dissolution were estimated. The layers deposited on titanium substrate are more crystalline then the ones deposited on Ti6Al4V. During SBF soaking process the growth of small amount of microcrystalline carbonate hydroxyapatite was observed on titanium substrate. The layer on Ti6Al4V base contained amorphous carbonate apatite. During heating treatment above about 870-920 K this apatite transforms into carbonate hydroxyapatite. The Ti6Al4V substrate seems to be more advantageous in context of potentially bioactive materials obtaining.

Diamondlike carbon as a moisture barrier and antireflecting coating on optical materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woollam, John A.; De, Bhola N.; Chen, L. Y.; Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.

1990-01-01

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) is amorphous, hard, semitransparent, and is under consideration for use as a coating material for infrared optics. DLC is also designated as a-C:H to indicate its amorphous nature as well as to indicate the presence of large (20 to 55 percent) amounts of hydrogen in the film. Two important questions arise with respect to use of DLC in infrared optics. Will the lack of grain boundaries help to keep moisture from penetrating the film. Secondly, application as an antireflection coating places restrictions on the allowed values of the index of refraction of the film relative to the particular substrate material being used. Will DLC have the correct index range. These two questions are addressed in this paper.

Electronic states and band lineups in c-Si(100)/a-Si1-xCx:H heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, T. M.; Bittencourt, C.; Sebastiani, M.; Evangelisti, F.

1997-04-01

Heterostructures formed by depositing in situ amorphous hydrogenated silicon-carbon alloys on Si(100) substrates were characterized by photoelectric-yield spectroscopy, UPS, and XPS. It is shown that both substrate and overlayer valence-band tops can be identified on the photoelectric-yield spectrum, thus allowing a direct and precise determination of the band lineup. We find a valence-band discontinuity varying from 0.44 eV to 1.00 eV for carbon content ranging from 0 to 50%. The present data can be used as a test for the lineup theories and strongly support the interface dipole models.

Ultrathin diamond-like carbon film coated silver nanoparticles-based substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

PubMed

Liu, Fanxin; Cao, Zhishen; Tang, Chaojun; Chen, Ling; Wang, Zhenlin

2010-05-25

We have demonstrated that by coating with a thin dielectric layer of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C), a biocompatible and optical transparent material in the visible range, the Ag nanoparticle-based substrate becomes extremely suitable for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Our measurements show that a 10 A or thicker ta-C layer becomes efficient to protect the oxygen-free Ag in air and prevent Ag ionizing in aqueous solutions. Furthermore, the Ag nanoparticles substrate coated with a 10 A ta-C film shows a higher enhancement of Raman signals than the uncoated substrate. These observations are further supported by our numerical simulations. We suggest that biomolecule detections in analytic assays could be easily realized using ta-C-coated Ag-based substrate for SERS especially in the visible range. The coated substrate also has higher mechanical stability, chemical inertness, and technological compliance, and may be useful, for example, to enhance TiO(2) photocatalysis and solar-cell efficiency by the surface plasmons.

Enhancement of Ti-containing hydrogenated carbon (Tisbnd C:H) films by high-power plasma-sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwo, Jyh; Chu, Chun-Lin; Tsai, Ming-Jui; Lee, Shyong

2012-02-01

Ti-containing amorphous hydrogenated carbon (Tisbnd C:H) thin films were deposited on stainless steel SS304 substrates by high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) in an atmosphere of mixed Ar and C2H2 gases using titanium metal as the cathodic material. The multilayer structure of the deposited film had a Tisbnd TiCsbnd DLC gradient to improve adhesion and reduce residual stress. This study investigates the effects of substrate bias and target-to-substrate distance on the mechanical properties of Tisbnd C:H films. Film properties, including composition, morphology, microstructure, mechanical, and tribology, were examined by glow discharge spectroscopy (GDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and a nanoindenter and a pin-on-disk tribometer. Experiments revealed impressive results.

Raman and PEELS studies of magnetron sputtered a-C

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, S.; Jen, T.M.; Zeng, X.

Amorphous carbon coatings (a-C, a-C:H) of less than 100 nm thick were deposited on KBr pellets and silicon wafer substrate via magnetron sputtering of graphic target in argon, argon/hydrogen and argon/nitrogen atmosphere. Parallel electron energy loss spectroscopy (PEELS) analysis was used to quantify the sp{sup 2}/sp{sup 3} bonding in carbon films. Stand-alone films of amorphous carbon were produced by sputtering onto compressed KBr pellets and then floating off in distilled water for PEELS study. Raman spectroscopy was used to measure the peak intensity ratio of D-band to that of the G-band (I{sub d}/I{sub g}). It shows that higher sp{sup 3}more » fraction often associates with Raman peak ratio I{sub d}/I{sub g}. At the same time, G-band peak position P{sub g} decreases while sp{sup 3} fraction increases.« less

Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Matrix-isolated Amorphous Carbon Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnaiter, M.; Mutschke, H.; Henning, Th.; Lindackers, D.; Strecker, M.; Roth, P.

1996-06-01

In view of the interstellar 217.5 nm and the circumstellar 230--250 nm extinction features, the UV extinction behavior of small matrix-isolated amorphous carbon grains is investigated experimentally. The particles were produced in a flame by burning acetylene with oxygen at low pressure. To prevent coagulation, the condensing primary soot grains (average diameter ~6 nm) were extracted by a molecular beam technique into a high-vacuum chamber. There they were deposited into a layer of solid argon, isolated from each other. The particle mass and size were controlled using a particle mass spectrometer. The measured UV extinction of the matrix-isolated particles is compared with measurements on samples produced in the conventional way by collecting carbon smoke on substrate as well as with scattering calculations for small spheres and ellipsoides. The laboratory data give a good representation of the circumstellar extinction feature observed in the spectrum of V348 Sgr.

Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2013-06-01

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

In silico carbon molecular beam epitaxial growth of graphene on the h-BN substrate: carbon source effect on van der Waals epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jonghoon; Varshney, Vikas; Park, Jeongho; Farmer, Barry L.; Roy, Ajit K.

2016-05-01

Against the presumption that hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) should provide an ideal substrate for van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy to grow high quality graphene films, carbon molecular beam epitaxy (CMBE) techniques using solid carbon sublimation have reported relatively poor quality of the graphene. In this article, the CMBE growth of graphene on the h-BN substrate is numerically studied in order to identify the effect of the carbon source on the quality of the graphene film. The carbon molecular beam generated by the sublimation of solid carbon source materials such as graphite and glassy carbon is mostly composed of atomic carbon, carbon dimers and carbon trimers. Therefore, the graphene film growth becomes a complex process involving various deposition characteristics of a multitude of carbon entities. Based on the study of surface adsorption and film growth characteristics of these three major carbon entities comprising graphite vapour, we report that carbon trimers convey strong traits of vdW epitaxy prone to high quality graphene growth, while atomic carbon deposition is a surface-reaction limited process accompanied by strong chemisorption. The vdW epitaxial behaviour of carbon trimers is found to be substantial enough to nucleate and develop into graphene like planar films within a nanosecond of high flux growth simulation, while reactive atomic carbons tend to impair the structural integrity of the crystalline h-BN substrate upon deposition to form an amorphous interface between the substrate and the growing carbon film. The content of reactive atomic carbons in the molecular beam is suspected to be the primary cause of low quality graphene reported in the literature. A possible optimization of the molecular beam composition towards the synthesis of better quality graphene films is suggested.Against the presumption that hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) should provide an ideal substrate for van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy to grow high quality graphene films, carbon molecular beam epitaxy (CMBE) techniques using solid carbon sublimation have reported relatively poor quality of the graphene. In this article, the CMBE growth of graphene on the h-BN substrate is numerically studied in order to identify the effect of the carbon source on the quality of the graphene film. The carbon molecular beam generated by the sublimation of solid carbon source materials such as graphite and glassy carbon is mostly composed of atomic carbon, carbon dimers and carbon trimers. Therefore, the graphene film growth becomes a complex process involving various deposition characteristics of a multitude of carbon entities. Based on the study of surface adsorption and film growth characteristics of these three major carbon entities comprising graphite vapour, we report that carbon trimers convey strong traits of vdW epitaxy prone to high quality graphene growth, while atomic carbon deposition is a surface-reaction limited process accompanied by strong chemisorption. The vdW epitaxial behaviour of carbon trimers is found to be substantial enough to nucleate and develop into graphene like planar films within a nanosecond of high flux growth simulation, while reactive atomic carbons tend to impair the structural integrity of the crystalline h-BN substrate upon deposition to form an amorphous interface between the substrate and the growing carbon film. The content of reactive atomic carbons in the molecular beam is suspected to be the primary cause of low quality graphene reported in the literature. A possible optimization of the molecular beam composition towards the synthesis of better quality graphene films is suggested. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Three movie files: 3mer-physorption.mpg and 3mer-chemisorption.mpg feature examples of the adsorption state sampling of a carbon trimer on the heated h-BN substrate as mentioned in the ``Single Molecule Adsorption Study'' section. In 3mer-film-growth.mpg, an instance of honey comb formation during the initial phase of graphene growth simulation using a carbon trimer beam is captured. An initially sp hybridized carbon atom (red colored) becomes sp2 hybridized as a result of additional covalent bonding with the impinging carbon trimer. As the bond angle around the red carbon changes from 180 degree (sp) to 120 degree (sp2), nearby carbon atoms enclose to form a hexagon structure composed of 6 carbon atoms. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01396a

Ultrafine Pt Nanoparticles and Amorphous Nickel Supported on 3D Mesoporous Carbon Derived from Cu-Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient Methanol Oxidation and Nitrophenol Reduction.

PubMed

Wu, Xue-Qian; Zhao, Jun; Wu, Ya-Pan; Dong, Wen-Wen; Li, Dong-Sheng; Li, Jian-Rong; Zhang, Qichun

2018-04-18

The development of novel strategy to produce new porous carbon materials is extremely important because these materials have wide applications in energy storage/conversion, mixture separation, and catalysis. Herein, for the first time, a novel 3D carbon substrate with hierarchical pores derived from commercially available Cu-MOF (metal-organic framework) (HKUST-1) through carbonization and chemical etching has been employed as the catalysts' support. Highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles and amorphous nickel were evenly dispersed on the surface or embedded within carbon matrix. The corresponding optimal composite catalyst exhibits a high mass-specific peak current of 1195 mA mg -1 Pt and excellent poison resistance capacity ( I F / I B = 1.58) for methanol oxidation compared to commercial Pt/C (20%). Moreover, both composite catalysts manifest outstanding properties in the reduction of nitrophenol and demonstrate diverse selectivities for 2/3/4-nitrophenol, which can be attributed to different integrated forms between active species and carbon matrix. This attractive route offers broad prospects for the usage of a large number of available MOFs in fabricating functional carbon materials as well as highly active carbon-based electrocatalysts and heterogeneous organic catalysts.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2008-10-01

The structural properties of nitrogenated amorphous carbon deposited by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering of graphite in pure N2 plasma are investigated as a function of the substrate temperature and radiofrequency discharge power. The film composition is derived from x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, nuclear reaction analysis and elastic recoil detection measurements and the film microstructure is discussed using infrared, Raman, x-ray photoemission and near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic results. At low deposition temperature and low radiofrequency power, the films are soft, porous, and easily contaminated with water vapor and other atmospheric components. The concentration of nitrogen in the films is very large for low deposition temperatures (˜33.6at.% N at 150°C) but decreases strongly when the synthesis temperature increases (˜15at.% N at 450°C). With increasing deposition temperature and discharge power values, the main observed effects in amorphous carbon nitride alloys are a loss of nitrogen atoms, a smaller hydrogen and oxygen contamination related to the film densification, an increased order of the aromatic sp2 phase, and a strong change in the nitrogen distribution within the carbon matrix. Structural changes are well correlated with modifications of the optical and transport properties.

Fabricating amorphous silicon solar cells by varying the temperature _of the substrate during deposition of the amorphous silicon layer

DOEpatents

Carlson, David E.

1982-01-01

An improved process for fabricating amorphous silicon solar cells in which the temperature of the substrate is varied during the deposition of the amorphous silicon layer is described. Solar cells manufactured in accordance with this process are shown to have increased efficiencies and fill factors when compared to solar cells manufactured with a constant substrate temperature during deposition of the amorphous silicon layer.

Graphene Carbon Nanotube Carpets Grown Using Binary Catalysts for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Capacitors.

PubMed

Salvatierra, Rodrigo Villegas; Zakhidov, Dante; Sha, Junwei; Kim, Nam Dong; Lee, Seoung-Ki; Raji, Abdul-Rahman O; Zhao, Naiqin; Tour, James M

2017-03-28

Here we show that a versatile binary catalyst solution of Fe 3 O 4 /AlO x nanoparticles enables homogeneous growth of single to few-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) carpets from three-dimensional carbon-based substrates, moving past existing two-dimensional limited growth methods. The binary catalyst is composed of amorphous AlO x nanoclusters over Fe 3 O 4 crystalline nanoparticles, facilitating the creation of seamless junctions between the CNTs and the underlying carbon platform. The resulting graphene-CNT (GCNT) structure is a high-density CNT carpet ohmically connected to the carbon substrate, an important feature for advanced carbon electronics. As a demonstration of the utility of this approach, we use GCNTs as anodes and cathodes in binder-free lithium-ion capacitors, producing stable devices with high-energy densities (∼120 Wh kg -1 ), high-power density capabilities (∼20,500 W kg -1 at 29 Wh kg -1 ), and a large operating voltage window (4.3 to 0.01 V).

Multilayer graphene on insulator formed by Co-induced layer exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murata, Hiromasa; Toko, Kaoru; Suemasu, Takashi

2017-05-01

The direct synthesis of multilayer graphene (MLG) on arbitrary substrates is essential for incorporating carbon wirings and heat spreaders into electronic devices. Here, we applied the metal-induced layer exchange (MILE) technique, developed for group-IV semiconductors, to a sputtered amorphous carbon (a-C) thin film using Co as a catalyst. MLG was formed on a SiO2 substrate at 800 °C for 10 min; however, it disappeared during wet etching for removing Co. This behavior was attributed to the small contact area between MLG and SiO2 caused by the deformation of the Co layer during annealing. By preparing the Co layer at 200 °C, its thermal stability was improved, resulting in the synthesis of MLG on the substrate through MILE. Raman measurements indicated good crystal quality of the MLG compared with that obtained by conventional metal-induced solid-phase crystallization. MILE was thus proven to be useful not only for group-IV semiconductors but also for carbon materials on insulators.

The Metastable Persistence of Vapor-Deposited Amorphous Ice at Anomalously High Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, David F.; Jenniskens, Peter; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Studies of the gas release, vaporization behavior and infrared (IR) spectral properties of amorphous and crystalline water ice have direct application to cometary and planetary outgassing phenomena and contribute to an understanding of the physical properties of astrophysical ices. Several investigators report anomalous phenomena related to the warming of vapor-deposited astrophysical ice analogs. However gas release, ice volatilization and IR spectral features are secondary or tertiary manifestations of ice structure or morphology. These observations are useful in mimicking the bulk physical and chemical phenomena taking place in cometary and other extraterrestrial ices but do not directly reveal the structural changes which are their root cause. The phenomenological interpretation of spectral and gas release data is probably the cause of somewhat contradictory explanations invoked to account for differences in water ice behavior in similar temperature regimes. It is the microstructure, micromorphology and microchemical heterogeneity of astrophysical ices which must be characterized if the mechanisms underlying the observed phenomena are to be understood. We have been using a modified Transmission Electron Microscope to characterize the structure of vapor-deposited astrophysical ice analogs as a function of their deposition, temperature history and composition. For the present experiments, pure water vapor is deposited at high vacuum onto a 15 K amorphous carbon film inside an Hitachi H-500H TEM. The resulting ice film (approx. 0.05 micrometers thick) is warmed at the rate of 1 K per minute and diffraction patterns are collected at 1 K intervals. These patterns are converted into radial intensity distributions which are calibrated using patterns of crystalline gold deposited on a small part of the carbon substrate. The small intensity contributed by the amorphous substrate is removed by background subtraction. The proportions of amorphous and crystalline material in each pattern are determined by subtracting a percentage of crystalline component relative to amorphous and pure crystalline endmembers. Vapor-deposited water ice undergoes two amorphous to amorphous structural transformations in the temperature range 15-130 K with important astrophysical implications. The onset of cubic crystallization occurs at 142-160 K (at 1K per minute heating rates) during which the 220 and 311 diffraction maxima appear and 0.1 micrometer crystallites can be seen in bright field images. This transition is time dependent.

Deposition of defected graphene on (001) Si substrates by thermal decomposition of acetone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milenov, T. I.; Avramova, I.; Valcheva, E.; Avdeev, G. V.; Rusev, S.; Kolev, S.; Balchev, I.; Petrov, I.; Pishinkov, D.; Popov, V. N.

2017-11-01

We present results on the deposition and characterization of defected graphene by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The source of carbon/carbon-containing radicals is thermally decomposed acetone (C2H6CO) in Ar main gas flow. The deposition takes place on (001) Si substrates at about 1150-1160 °C. We established by Raman spectroscopy the presence of single- to few- layered defected graphene deposited on two types of interlayers that possess different surface morphology and consisted of mixed sp2 and sp3 hybridized carbon. The study of interlayers by XPS, XRD, GIXRD and SEM identifies different phase composition: i) a diamond-like carbon dominated film consisting some residual SiC, SiO2 etc.; ii) a sp2- dominated film consisting small quantities of C60/C70 fullerenes and residual Si-O-, Cdbnd O etc. species. The polarized Raman studies confirm the presence of many single-layered defected graphene areas that are larger than few microns in size on the predominantly amorphous carbon interlayers.

Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition of Ruthenium-Doped Diamond like Carbon Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sunkara, M. K.; Ueno, M.; Lian, G.; Dickey, E. C.

2001-01-01

We investigated metalorganic precursor deposition using a Microwave Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma for depositing metal-doped diamondlike carbon films. Specifically, the deposition of ruthenium doped diamondlike carbon films was investigated using the decomposition of a novel ruthenium precursor, Bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)-ruthenium (Ru(C5H4C2H5)2). The ruthenium precursor was introduced close to the substrate stage. The substrate was independently biased using an applied RF power. Films were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Four Point Probe. The conductivity of the films deposited using ruthenium precursor showed strong dependency on the deposition parameters such as pressure. Ruthenium doped sample showed the presence of diamond crystallites with an average size of approx. 3 nm while un-doped diamondlike carbon sample showed the presence of diamond crystallites with an average size of 11 nm. TEM results showed that ruthenium was atomically dispersed within the amorphous carbon network in the films.

Metallic coatings on silicon substrates, and methods of forming metallic coatings on silicon substrates

DOEpatents

Branagan, Daniel J [Idaho Falls, ID; Hyde, Timothy A [Idaho Falls, ID; Fincke, James R [Los Alamos, NM

2008-03-11

The invention includes methods of forming a metallic coating on a substrate which contains silicon. A metallic glass layer is formed over a silicon surface of the substrate. The invention includes methods of protecting a silicon substrate. The substrate is provided within a deposition chamber along with a deposition target. Material from the deposition target is deposited over at least a portion of the silicon substrate to form a protective layer or structure which contains metallic glass. The metallic glass comprises iron and one or more of B, Si, P and C. The invention includes structures which have a substrate containing silicon and a metallic layer over the substrate. The metallic layer contains less than or equal to about 2 weight % carbon and has a hardness of at least 9.2 GPa. The metallic layer can have an amorphous microstructure or can be devitrified to have a nanocrystalline microstructure.

Influence of Cobalt on the Adhesion Strength of Polycrystalline Diamond Coatings on WC-Co Hard Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linnik, S. A.; Gaidaichuk, A. V.; Okhotnikov, V. V.

2018-02-01

The influence of cobalt on the phase composition and adhesion strength of polycrystalline diamond coatings has been studied using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray microanalysis. The coatings have been deposited on WC-Co hard alloy substrates in glow discharge plasma. It has been found that the catalytic amorphization of carbon only takes place during the direct synthesis of the diamond coating, when the cobalt vapor pressure over the substrate is high and the cobalt-related degradation of the synthesized diamond is absent.

Titanyl phthalocyanine ambipolar thin film transistors making use of carbon nanotube electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coppedè, Nicola; Valitova, Irina; Mahvash, Farzaneh; Tarabella, Giuseppe; Ranzieri, Paolo; Iannotta, Salvatore; Santato, Clara; Martel, Richard; Cicoira, Fabio

2014-12-01

The capability of efficiently injecting charge carriers into organic films and finely tuning their morphology and structure is crucial to improve the performance of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). In this work, we investigate OTFTs employing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the source-drain electrodes and, as the organic semiconductor, thin films of titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) grown by supersonic molecular beam deposition (SuMBD). While CNT electrodes have shown an unprecedented ability to improve charge injection in OTFTs, SuMBD is an effective technique to tune film morphology and structure. Varying the substrate temperature during deposition, we were able to grow both amorphous (low substrate temperature) and polycrystalline (high substrate temperature) films of TiOPc. Regardless of the film morphology and structure, CNT electrodes led to superior charge injection and transport performance with respect to benchmark Au electrodes. Vacuum annealing of polycrystalline TiOPc films with CNT electrodes yielded ambipolar OTFTs.

Evolution of sp{sup 2} networks with substrate temperature in amorphous carbon films: Experiment and theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gago, R.; Centro de Micro-Analisis de Materiales, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid; Vinnichenko, M.

2005-07-01

The evolution of sp{sup 2} hybrids in amorphous carbon (a-C) films deposited at different substrate temperatures was studied experimentally and theoretically. The bonding structure of a-C films prepared by filtered cathodic vacuum arc was assessed by the combination of visible Raman spectroscopy, x-ray absorption, and spectroscopic ellipsometry, while a-C structures were generated by molecular-dynamics deposition simulations with the Brenner interatomic potential to determine theoretical sp{sup 2} site distributions. The experimental results show a transition from tetrahedral a-C (ta-C) to sp{sup 2}-rich structures at {approx}500 K. The sp{sup 2} hybrids are mainly arranged in chains or pairs whereas graphitic structures aremore » only promoted for sp{sup 2} fractions above 80%. The theoretical analysis confirms the preferred pairing of isolated sp{sup 2} sites in ta-C, the coalescence of sp{sup 2} clusters for medium sp{sup 2} fractions, and the pronounced formation of rings for sp{sup 2} fractions >80%. However, the dominance of sixfold rings is not reproduced theoretically, probably related to the functional form of the interatomic potential used.« less

Compensated amorphous silicon solar cell

DOEpatents

Devaud, Genevieve

1983-01-01

An amorphous silicon solar cell including an electrically conductive substrate, a layer of glow discharge deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon over said substrate and having regions of differing conductivity with at least one region of intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon has opposed first and second major surfaces where the first major surface contacts the electrically conductive substrate and an electrode for electrically contacting the second major surface. The intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon region is deposited in a glow discharge with an atmosphere which includes not less than about 0.02 atom percent mono-atomic boron. An improved N.I.P. solar cell is disclosed using a BF.sub.3 doped intrinsic layer.

Rapid thermal annealing of Amorphous Hydrogenated Carbon (a-C:H) films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Pouch, John J.; Warner, Joseph D.

1987-01-01

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films were deposited on silicon and quartz substrates by a 30 kHz plasma discharge technique using methane. Rapid thermal processing of the films was accomplished in nitrogen gas using tungsten halogen light. The rapid thermal processing was done at several fixed temperatures (up to 600 C), as a function of time (up to 1800 sec). The films were characterized by optical absorption and by ellipsometry in the near UV and the visible. The bandgap, estimated from extrapolation of the linear part of a Tauc plot, decreases both with the annealing temperature and the annealing time, with the temperature dependence being the dominating factor. The density of states parameter increases up to 25 percent and the refractive index changes up to 20 percent with temperature increase. Possible explanations of the mechanisms involved in these processes are discussed.

Nanotribological performance of fullerene-like carbon nitride films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores-Ruiz, Francisco Javier; Enriquez-Flores, Christian Ivan; Chiñas-Castillo, Fernando; Espinoza-Beltrán, Francisco Javier

2014-09-01

Fullerene-like carbon nitride films exhibit high elastic modulus and low friction coefficient. In this study, thin CNx films were deposited on silicon substrate by DC magnetron sputtering and the tribological behavior at nanoscale was evaluated using an atomic force microscope. Results show that CNx films with fullerene-like structure have a friction coefficient (CoF ∼ 0.009-0.022) that is lower than amorphous CNx films (CoF ∼ 0.028-0.032). Analysis of specimens characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that films with fullerene-like structure have a higher number of sp3 CN bonds and exhibit the best mechanical properties with high values of elastic modulus (E > 180 GPa) and hardness (H > 20 GPa). The elastic recovery determined on specimens with a fullerene-like CNx structure was of 95% while specimens of amorphous CNx structure had only 75% elastic recovery.

Impact of pretreated Switchgrass and biomass carbohydrates on Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405 cellulosome composition: a quantitative proteomic analysis.

PubMed

Raman, Babu; Pan, Chongle; Hurst, Gregory B; Rodriguez, Miguel; McKeown, Catherine K; Lankford, Patricia K; Samatova, Nagiza F; Mielenz, Jonathan R

2009-01-01

Economic feasibility and sustainability of lignocellulosic ethanol production requires the development of robust microorganisms that can efficiently degrade and convert plant biomass to ethanol. The anaerobic thermophilic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum is a candidate microorganism as it is capable of hydrolyzing cellulose and fermenting the hydrolysis products to ethanol and other metabolites. C. thermocellum achieves efficient cellulose hydrolysis using multiprotein extracellular enzymatic complexes, termed cellulosomes. In this study, we used quantitative proteomics (multidimensional LC-MS/MS and (15)N-metabolic labeling) to measure relative changes in levels of cellulosomal subunit proteins (per CipA scaffoldin basis) when C. thermocellum ATCC 27405 was grown on a variety of carbon sources [dilute-acid pretreated switchgrass, cellobiose, amorphous cellulose, crystalline cellulose (Avicel) and combinations of crystalline cellulose with pectin or xylan or both]. Cellulosome samples isolated from cultures grown on these carbon sources were compared to (15)N labeled cellulosome samples isolated from crystalline cellulose-grown cultures. In total from all samples, proteomic analysis identified 59 dockerin- and 8 cohesin-module containing components, including 16 previously undetected cellulosomal subunits. Many cellulosomal components showed differential protein abundance in the presence of non-cellulose substrates in the growth medium. Cellulosome samples from amorphous cellulose, cellobiose and pretreated switchgrass-grown cultures displayed the most distinct differences in composition as compared to cellulosome samples from crystalline cellulose-grown cultures. While Glycoside Hydrolase Family 9 enzymes showed increased levels in the presence of crystalline cellulose, and pretreated switchgrass, in particular, GH5 enzymes showed increased levels in response to the presence of cellulose in general, amorphous or crystalline. Overall, the quantitative results suggest a coordinated substrate-specific regulation of cellulosomal subunit composition in C. thermocellum to better suit the organism's needs for growth under different conditions. To date, this study provides the most comprehensive comparison of cellulosomal compositional changes in C. thermocellum in response to different carbon sources. Such studies are vital to engineering a strain that is best suited to grow on specific substrates of interest and provide the building blocks for constructing designer cellulosomes with tailored enzyme composition for industrial ethanol production.

High quality boron carbon nitride/ZnO-nanorods p-n heterojunctions based on magnetron sputtered boron carbon nitride films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qian, J. C.; Department of Engineering Physics, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H3A 3A7; Jha, S. K., E-mail: skylec@gmail.com, E-mail: apwjzh@cityu.edu.hk

2014-11-10

Boron carbon nitride (BCN) films were synthesized on Si (100) and fused silica substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering from a B{sub 4}C target in an Ar/N{sub 2} gas mixture. The BCN films were amorphous, and they exhibited an optical band gap of ∼1.0 eV and p-type conductivity. The BCN films were over-coated with ZnO nanorod arrays using hydrothermal synthesis to form BCN/ZnO-nanorods p-n heterojunctions, exhibiting a rectification ratio of 1500 at bias voltages of ±5 V.

New developments using carbon dioxide as a solvent: Monolayers and nanocomposites. 1. Reactions of organosilanes with oxidized silicon surfaces in carbon dioxide. 2. Polymer/polymer nanocomposites synthesized in carbon dioxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Chuntao

The aim of this research was to explore new directions for carbon dioxide. The first project emphasized silyl monolayer synthesis. Silylation reactions were performed in both liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide. Different monofunctional organosilanes reacted with silica surfaces, forming covalently attached monolayers. These monolayers were characterized using contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ellipsometry. Reaction kinetics were established, and compared with silylations in organic solvents. The reaction rate in CO2 is higher than that in conventional solvents while the final coverage is slightly lower than the optimized conditions for conventional solvents. Other multi-functional silanes were also studied. The silylation of nanoporous silica surfaces showed bonding densities almost as high as the maximum value reported in literature for small-pore substrates. Overall, CO2 is a good solvent for silylations on silica surfaces. The second project was to synthesize polymer/polymer nanocomposites using a CO2-assisted templating method. Semicrystalline polymers are composed of tens-of-nanometer thick crystalline lamellae and an amorphous matrix. CO2 normally swells only the amorphous and interlamellar regions. The goal of this research was to selectively bring monomers to the amorphous and interlamellar regions with the help of CO2. In situ polymerization and precipitation fixes the structure, replicating the nano-structure of the semicrystalline polymer substrate. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization was performed inside of CO2-swollen poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP) of high crystallinity. Several polymer/polymer nanocomposites were successfully produced using this method. They were characterized by a variety of techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). Infrared studies and TEM indicated that one type of composite, polynorbomene/PMP, had a gradient distribution of polynorbornene inside of the PMP matrix. Another composite, polyoctenamer/PMP prepared by cis-cyclooctene polymerization, exhibited very interesting mechanical properties. The poly(dicyclopentadiene)/PMP composites are unique nanometer-scale blends of a highly crosslinked thermoset with a thermoplastic polymer.

Toughening Fe-based Amorphous Coatings by Reinforcement of Amorphous Carbon.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Zhang, Cheng; Zhang, Zhi-Wei; Li, Yi-Cheng; Yasir, Muhammad; Wang, Hai-Tao; Liu, Lin

2017-06-22

Toughening of Fe-based amorphous coatings meanwhile maintaining a good corrosion resistance remains challenging. This work reports a novel approach to improve the toughness of a FeCrMoCBY amorphous coating through in-situ formation of amorphous carbon reinforcement without reducing the corrosion resistance. The Fe-based composite coating was prepared by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying using a pre-mixed Fe-based amorphous/nylon-11 polymer feedstock powders. The nylon-11 powders were in-situ carbonized to amorphous carbon phase during thermal spraying process, which homogeneously distributed in the amorphous matrix leading to significant enhancement of toughness of the coating. The mechanical properties, including hardness, impact resistance, bending and fatigue strength, were extensively studied by using a series of mechanical testing techniques. The results revealed that the composite coating reinforced by amorphous carbon phase exhibited enhanced impact resistance and nearly twice-higher fatigue strength than that of the monolithic amorphous coating. The enhancement of impact toughness and fatigue properties is owed to the dumping effect of the soft amorphous carbon phase, which alleviated stress concentration and decreased crack propagation driving force.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of amorphous silica gel adsorbed on gold substrates for optical fiber sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degioanni, S.; Jurdyc, A. M.; Cheap, A.; Champagnon, B.; Bessueille, F.; Coulm, J.; Bois, L.; Vouagner, D.

2015-10-01

Two kinds of gold substrates are used to produce surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of amorphous silica obtained via the sol-gel route using tetraethoxysilane Si(OC2H5)4 (TEOS) solution. The first substrate consists of a gold nanometric film elaborated on a glass slide by sputter deposition, controlling the desired gold thickness and sputtering current intensity. The second substrate consists of an array of micrometer-sized gold inverted pyramidal pits able to confine surface plasmon (SP) enhancing electric field, which results in a distribution of electromagnetic energy inside the cavities. These substrates are optically characterized to observe SPR with, respectively, extinction and reflectance spectrometries. Once coated with thin layers of amorphous silica (SiO2) gel, these samples show Raman amplification of amorphous SiO2 bands. This enhancement can occur in SERS sensors using amorphous SiO2 gel as shells, spacers, protective coatings, or waveguides, and represents particularly a potential interest in the field of Raman distributed sensors, which use the amorphous SiO2 core of optical fibers as a transducer to make temperature measurements.

Chemical Evolution of Interstellar Methanol Ice Analogs upon Ultraviolet Irradiation: The Role of the Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciaravella, A.; Jiménez-Escobar, A.; Cosentino, G.; Cecchi-Pestellini, C.; Peres, G.; Candia, R.; Collura, A.; Barbera, M.; Di Cicca, G.; Varisco, S.; Venezia, A. M.

2018-05-01

An important issue in the chemistry of interstellar ices is the role of dust materials. In this work, we study the effect of an amorphous water-rich magnesium silicate deposited onto ZnSe windows on the chemical evolution of ultraviolet-irradiated methanol ices. For comparison, we also irradiate similar ices deposited onto bare ZnSe windows. Silicates are produced at relatively low temperatures exploiting a sol–gel technique. The chemical composition of the synthesized material reflects the forsterite stoichiometry. Si–OH groups and magnesium carbonates are incorporated during the process. The results show that the substrate material does affect the chemical evolution of the ice. In particular, the CO2/CO ratio within the ice is larger for methanol ices deposited onto the silicate substrate as a result of concurrent effects: the photolysis of carbonates present in the adopted substrate as a source of CO2, CO, and carbon and oxygen atoms; reactions of water molecules and hydroxyl radicals released from the substrate with the CO formed in the ice by the photolysis of the methanol ice; and changes in the structure and energy of the silicate surface by ultraviolet irradiation, leading to more favorable conditions for chemical reactions or catalysis at the grain surface. The results of our experiments allow such chemical effects contributed by the various substrate material components to be disentangled.

Substrate independent approach for synthesis of graphene platelet networks.

PubMed

Shashurin, A; Fang, X; Zemlyanov, D; Keidar, M

2017-06-23

Graphene platelet networks (GPNs) comprised of randomly oriented graphene flakes two to three atomic layers thick are synthesized using a novel plasma-based approach. The approach uses a substrate capable of withstanding synthesis temperatures around 800 °C, but is fully independent of the substrate material. The synthesis occurs directly on the substrate surface without the necessity of any additional steps. GPNs were synthesized on various substrate materials including silicon (Si), thermally oxidized Si (SiO 2 ), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), nickel-chromium (NiCr) alloy and alumina ceramics (Al 2 O 3 ). The mismatch between the atomic structures of sp 2 honeycomb carbon networks and the substrate material is fully eliminated shortly after the synthesis initiation, namely when about 100 nm thick deposits are formed on the substrate. GPN structures synthesized on a substrate at a temperature of about 800 °C are significantly more porous in comparison to the much denser packed amorphous carbon deposits synthesized at lower temperatures. The method proposed here can potentially revolutionize the area of electrochemical energy storage by offering a single-step direct approach for the manufacture of graphene-based electrodes for non-Faradaic supercapacitors. Mass production can be achieved using this method if a roll-to-roll system is utilized.

Substrate independent approach for synthesis of graphene platelet networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shashurin, A.; Fang, X.; Zemlyanov, D.; Keidar, M.

2017-06-01

Graphene platelet networks (GPNs) comprised of randomly oriented graphene flakes two to three atomic layers thick are synthesized using a novel plasma-based approach. The approach uses a substrate capable of withstanding synthesis temperatures around 800 °C, but is fully independent of the substrate material. The synthesis occurs directly on the substrate surface without the necessity of any additional steps. GPNs were synthesized on various substrate materials including silicon (Si), thermally oxidized Si (SiO2), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), nickel-chromium (NiCr) alloy and alumina ceramics (Al2O3). The mismatch between the atomic structures of sp2 honeycomb carbon networks and the substrate material is fully eliminated shortly after the synthesis initiation, namely when about 100 nm thick deposits are formed on the substrate. GPN structures synthesized on a substrate at a temperature of about 800 °C are significantly more porous in comparison to the much denser packed amorphous carbon deposits synthesized at lower temperatures. The method proposed here can potentially revolutionize the area of electrochemical energy storage by offering a single-step direct approach for the manufacture of graphene-based electrodes for non-Faradaic supercapacitors. Mass production can be achieved using this method if a roll-to-roll system is utilized.

Electron beam recrystallization of amorphous semiconductor materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, J. C., Jr.

1968-01-01

Nucleation and growth of crystalline films of silicon, germanium, and cadmium sulfide on substrates of plastic and glass were investigated. Amorphous films of germanium, silicon, and cadmium sulfide on amorphous substrates of glass and plastic were converted to the crystalline condition by electron bombardment.

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

PubMed

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

2017-02-15

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

Investigations into polymer and carbon nanomaterial separations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owens, Cherie Nicole

The work of this thesis follows a common theme of research focused on innovative separation science. Polyhydroxyalkanoates are biodegradable polyesters produced by bacteria that can have a wide distribution in molecular weight and monomer composition. This large distribution often leads to unpredictable physical properties making commercial applications challenging. To improve polymer homogeneity and obtain samples with a clear set of physical characteristics, poly-3-hydroxyvalerate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate copolymers were fractionated using gradient polymer elution chromatography (GPEC) with carefully optimized gradients. The resulting fractions were analyzed using Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) and NMR. As the percentage of “good” solvent was increased in the mobile phase, the polymers eluted with decreasing percentage of 3-hydroxyvalerate and increasing molecular weight, which indicates the importance of precipitation/redissolution in the separation. As such, GPEC is an excellent choice to provide polyhydroxyalkanoate samples with a narrower distribution in composition than the original bulk copolymer. Additionally, the critical condition was found for 3-hydroxybutyrate to erase its effects on retention of the copolymer. Copolymer samples were then separated using Liquid Chromatography at the Critical Condition (LCCC) and it was determined that poly(3-hydroxvalerate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate) is a statistically random copolymer. The second project uses ultra-thin layer chromatography (UTLC) to study the performance and behavior of polyhydroxybutyrate (P3HB) as a chromatographic substrate. One specific polyhydroxyalkanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate, is a liquid crystalline polymer that can be electrospun. Electrospinning involves the formation of nanofibers though the application of an electric potential to a polymer solution. Precisely controlled optimization of electrospinning parameters was conducted to achieve the smallest diameter PHA nanofibers to date to utilize as novel UTLC substrates. Additionally, aligned electrospun UTLC (AE-UTLC) substrates were developed to compare to the randomly oriented electrospun (E-UTLC) devices. The PHB plates were compared to commercially available substrates for the separation of biological samples: nucleotides and steroids. The electrospun substrates show lower band broadening and higher reproducibility in a smaller development distance than commercially available TLC plates, conserving both resources and time. The AE-UTLC plates provided further enhancement of reproducibility and development time compared to E-UTLC plates. Thus, the P3HB E-UTLC phases are an excellent sustainable option for TLC as they are biodegradable and perform better than commercial phases. A third topic of interest is the study of ordered carbon nanomaterials. The typical amorphous carbon used as a stationary phase in Hypercarb ® is known to consist of basal- and edge-plane oriented sites. This heterogeneity of the stationary phase can lead to peak broadening that may be improved by using homogeneous carbon throughout. Amorphous, basal-plane, and edge-plane carbons were produced in-house through membrane template synthesis. Amorphous, basal-plane, and edge-plane carbons were then used separately as chromatographic phases in capillary electrochomatography (CEC). Differences in chromatographic performance between these species were assessed by modeling retention data for test solutes to determine Linear Solvation Energy Relationships (LSER). The LSER study for the three carbon phases indicates that the main difference is in the polarizability, and hydrogen bonding character of the surface leading to unique solute interactions. These results highlight the possible usefulness of using these phases independently.

Development of large diameter carbon monofilament

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacob, B.; Neltri, R. D.

1973-01-01

A process for preparing large diameter carbon-boron monofilament was developed. The process involves chemical vapor depositing a carbon-boron alloy monofilament from a BCl3, CH4, and H2 gas mixture onto a carbon substrate. Amorphous alloys were formed when gaseous mixtures containing greater than 20 percent methane (80 percent BCl3) were used. The longest uninterrupted lengths of carbon-boron monofilament were produced using a CH4/BCl3 gas ratio of 2.34. It was found that the properties of the carbon-boron alloy monofilament improved when the carbon substrate was precleaned in chlorine. The highest strength monofilament was attained when a CH4/BCl3 gas volume ratio of 0.44 was 28 million N/sq cm (40 million psi). While the highest strengths were attained in this run, the 0.44 gas ratio and other CH4/BCl3 ratios less than 2.34 would not yield long runs. Runs using these ratios were usually terminated because of a break in the monofilament within the reactor. It is felt better process control could probably be achieved by varying the amount of hydrogen; the BCl3/H2 ratio was kept constant in these studies.

Engineering Graphene Films from Coal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijapur, Santosh H.

Graphene is a unique material with remarkable properties suitable for a wide array of applications. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a simple technique for synthesis of large area and high quality graphene films on various metal substrates. Among the metal substrates, copper has been shown to be an excellent support for the growth of graphene films. Traditionally, hydrocarbon gases are used for the graphene synthesis via CVD. Unconventional solid carbon sources such as various polymers and food waste have also shown great potential for synthesis of graphene films. Coal is one such carbon enriched and abundantly available unconventional source. Utilization of coal as a carbon source to synthesize large area, transparent, and high quality few-layer graphene films via CVD has been demonstrated in the present work. Hydrocarbon gases are released as products of coal pyrolysis at temperatures ≥400 °C. This study hypothesized that, these hydrocarbon gases act as precursors for the synthesis of graphene films on the copper substrate. Hence, atmospheric pressure CVD and low temperature of 400 °C were utilized initially for the production of graphene films. These conditions were suitable for the formation of amorphous carbon (a-C) films but not crystalline graphene films that were the objective of this work. The synthesized a-C films on the copper substrate were shown to be uniform and transparent with large surface area. The thickness and surface roughness of the a-C films were determined to have typical values of 5 nm and 0.55 nm, respectively. The a-C film has >95 % optical transmittance and sheet resistivity of 0.6 MO sq-1. These values are comparable to other carbon thin films synthesized at higher temperatures. Further, the a-C films were transferred onto any type of substrate such as silicon wafer and titanium foil, and can be utilized for diverse applications. However, crystalline graphene films were not produced by implementing atmospheric pressure CVD and low temperature operation. Annealing of copper support was required to remove the oxide layer present on its surface and low pressure operation was demonstrated to be suitable for crystalline graphene film formation. The CVD system and the synthesis procedure were modified to address these issues. This was done by increasing the synthesis temperature, incorporating a vacuum pump for low pressure operation, and implementing two step procedure of annealing the copper substrate followed by subsequent coal pyrolysis for the synthesis of crystalline graphene films. The synthesized few layer graphene films were uniform and continuous with thickness in the range of 3-7 nm. The optical transmittance and electrical conductivity measurements demonstrated that the graphene films have >95 % transparency and sheet resistivity of 5.0 kO sq-1, respectively. An investigation of growth mechanism of coal derived graphene films synthesized via CVD was conducted utilizing spectroscopy, microscopy, and chromatography techniques. Gas collection was performed at the graphene synthesis conditions utilizing the CVD reactor without vacuum in operation. Various gases released as products of coal pyrolysis in the CVD reactor were collected and analyzed using gas chromatography. The analysis showed the presence of methane, ethane, ethene, propane, propene, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide as coal pyrolysis products. The hydrocarbon gases act as precursors for graphene growth. Raman spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the formation of crystalline graphene films at 1055 °C and 18-30 min synthesis. The growth mechanism involves copper catalyzed reaction to produce amorphous carbon film within the first few minutes of synthesis. Raman spectroscopy and SAED validated that lower synthesis times (6-12 min) produced hybrid amorphous carbon films. This is followed by hydrogen catalyzed graphitization of the underlying carbon film to form graphene domains. Optical microscopy and Raman spectra demonstrated the formation of these oval shaped graphene domains as synthesis time was increased (18-30 min). The graphene films are formed by growth and merging of these graphene domains on the copper substrate. The growth mechanism of coal derived crystalline graphene films is presented in the current work.

Laser-Induced Graphene by Multiple Lasing: Toward Electronics on Cloth, Paper, and Food.

PubMed

Chyan, Yieu; Ye, Ruquan; Li, Yilun; Singh, Swatantra Pratap; Arnusch, Christopher J; Tour, James M

2018-03-27

A simple and facile method for obtaining patterned graphene under ambient conditions on the surface of diverse materials ranging from renewable precursors such as food, cloth, paper, and cardboard to high-performance polymers like Kevlar or even on natural coal would be highly desirable. Here, we report a method of using multiple pulsed-laser scribing to convert a wide range of substrates into laser-induced graphene (LIG). With the increased versatility of the multiple lase process, highly conductive patterns can be achieved on the surface of a diverse number of substrates in ambient atmosphere. The use of a defocus method results in multiple lases in a single pass of the laser, further simplifying the procedure. This method can be implemented without increasing processing times when compared with laser induction of graphene on polyimide (Kapton) substrates as previously reported. In fact, any carbon precursor that can be converted into amorphous carbon can be converted into graphene using this multiple lase method. This may be a generally applicable technique for forming graphene on diverse substrates in applications such as flexible or even biodegradable and edible electronics.

RF Sputtering for preparing substantially pure amorphous silicon monohydride

DOEpatents

Jeffrey, Frank R.; Shanks, Howard R.

1982-10-12

A process for controlling the dihydride and monohydride bond densities in hydrogenated amorphous silicon produced by reactive rf sputtering of an amorphous silicon target. There is provided a chamber with an amorphous silicon target and a substrate therein with the substrate and the target positioned such that when rf power is applied to the target the substrate is in contact with the sputtering plasma produced thereby. Hydrogen and argon are fed to the chamber and the pressure is reduced in the chamber to a value sufficient to maintain a sputtering plasma therein, and then rf power is applied to the silicon target to provide a power density in the range of from about 7 watts per square inch to about 22 watts per square inch to sputter an amorphous silicon hydride onto the substrate, the dihydride bond density decreasing with an increase in the rf power density. Substantially pure monohydride films may be produced.

Preparation of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films using a microsecond-pulsed DC capacitive-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition system operated at high frequency up to 400 kHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamun, Md Abdullah Al; Furuta, Hiroshi; Hatta, Akimitsu

2018-06-01

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films are deposited on silicon (Si) substrates using a high-repetition microsecond-pulsed DC plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system from acetylene (C2H2) at a gas pressure of 15 Pa inside a custom-made vacuum chamber. The plasma discharge characteristics, hydrocarbon species, and the microstructure of the resulting films are examined at various pulse repetition rates from 50 to 400 kHz and a fixed duty cycle of 50%. The optical emission spectra confirmed the increase in electron excitation energy from 1.09 to 1.82 eV and the decrease in the intensity ratio of CH/C2 from 1.04 to 0.75 with increasing pulse frequency, indicating the enhanced electron impact dissociation of C2H2 gas. With increasing pulse frequency, the deposition rate gradually increased, reaching a maximum rate of 60 nm/min at 200 kHz, after which a progressive decrease was noted, whereas the deposition area was almost uniform for all the prepared films. Clear trends of increasing sp3 content (amorphization) and decreasing hydrogen (H) content in the films were observed as the pulse repetition rate increased, while most of the hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms by sp3 hybridization rather than by sp2 hybridization.

Amorphous-Metal-Film Diffusion Barriers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicolet, M. A.

1987-01-01

Incorporation of N into Ni/W films reduces reactivity with Si substrate. Paper describes reactions between Si substrates and deposited amorphous Ni/W or Ni/N/W films. Thermal stability of amorphous Ni/W films as diffusion barriers in Si markedly improved by introduction of N into Ni/W films during deposition.

Optical properties of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films grown from methane plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pouch, J. J.; Alterovitz, S. A.; Warner, J. D.; Liu, D. C.; Lanford, W. A.

1985-01-01

A 30 kHz ac glow discharge formed from methane gas was used to grow carbon films on InP substrates. Both the growth rate, and the realitive Ar ion sputtering rate at 3 keV varied monotonically with deposition power. Results from the N-15 nuclear reaction profile experiments indicated a slight drop in the hydrogen concentration as more energy was dissipated in the ac discharge. Values for the index of refraction and extinction coefficient ranged from 1.721 to 1.910 and 0 to -0.188, respectively. Optical bandgaps as high as 2.34 eV were determined.

Deposition of diamond-like films by ECR microwave plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shing, Yuh-Han (Inventor); Pool, Frederick S. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

Hard amorphous hydrogenated carbon, diamond-like films are deposited using an electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma with a separate radio frequency power bias applied to a substrate stage. The electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma yields low deposition pressure and creates ion species otherwise unavailable. A magnetic mirror configuration extracts special ion species from a plasma chamber. Different levels of the radio frequency power bias accelerate the ion species of the ECR plasma impinging on a substrate to form different diamond-like films. During the deposition process, a sample stage is maintained at an ambient temperature of less than 100.degree. C. No external heating is applied to the sample stage. The deposition process enables diamond-like films to be deposited on heat-sensitive substrates.

Synthesis and Characterization of Quenched and Crystalline Phases: Q-Carbon, Q-BN, Diamond and Phase-Pure c-BN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaumik, Anagh; Narayan, Jagdish

2018-04-01

We report the synthesis and characterization of quenched (Q-carbon and Q-BN) and crystalline (diamond and c-BN) phases using a non-equilibrium technique. These phases are formed as a result of the melting and subsequent quenching of amorphous carbon and nanocrystalline h-BN in a super undercooled state by using high-power nanosecond laser pulses. Pulsed laser annealing also leads to the formation of nanoneedles, microneedles and single-crystal thin films of diamond and c-BN. This formation is dependent on the nucleation and growth times, which are controlled by laser energy density and thermal conductivities of substrate and as-deposited thin film. The diamond nuclei present in the Q-carbon structure ( 80% sp 3) can also be grown to larger sizes using the equilibrium hot filament chemical vapor deposition process. The texture of diamond and c-BN crystals is <111> under epitaxial growth and <110> under rapid unseeded crystallization. Our nanosecond laser processing opens up a roadmap to the fabrication of novel phases on heat-sensitive substrates.

Infrared emission from hydrogenated amorphous carbon and amorphous carbon grains in the interstellar medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duley, W. W.; Jones, A. P.; Taylor, S. D.; Williams, D. A.

1993-01-01

The correlations deduced by Boulanger et al. (1990) from IRAS maps of the Chamaeleon, Taurus and Ursa Major molecular cloud complexes are interpreted in terms of the evolutionary hydrogenated amorphous carbon model of interstellar dust. In particular, regions of relatively strong 12-micron emission may be regions where recently accreted carbon is being converted by ambient UV to small PAHs in situ. Regions of weak 12-micron emission are probably quiescent regions where carbon has been annealed to amorphous carbon. Observational consequences of these inferences are briefly described.

Pyrolytic carbon coated black silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Ali; Stenberg, Petri; Karvonen, Lasse; Ali, Rizwan; Honkanen, Seppo; Lipsanen, Harri; Peyghambarian, N.; Kuittinen, Markku; Svirko, Yuri; Kaplas, Tommi

2016-05-01

Carbon is the most well-known black material in the history of man. Throughout the centuries, carbon has been used as a black material for paintings, camouflage, and optics. Although, the techniques to make other black surfaces have evolved and become more sophisticated with time, carbon still remains one of the best black materials. Another well-known black surface is black silicon, reflecting less than 0.5% of incident light in visible spectral range but becomes a highly reflecting surface in wavelengths above 1000 nm. On the other hand, carbon absorbs at those and longer wavelengths. Thus, it is possible to combine black silicon with carbon to create an artificial material with very low reflectivity over a wide spectral range. Here we report our results on coating conformally black silicon substrate with amorphous pyrolytic carbon. We present a superior black surface with reflectance of light less than 0.5% in the spectral range of 350 nm to 2000 nm.

Cu incorporated amorphous diamond like carbon (DLC) composites: An efficient electron field emitter over a wide range of temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Sk Faruque; Alam, Md Shahbaz; Mukherjee, Nillohit

2018-03-01

The effect of temperature on the electron field emission properties of copper incorporated amorphous diamond like carbon (a-Cu:DLC) thin films have been reported. The a-Cu:DLC thin films have been deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass and silicon substrate by the radio frequency sputtering process. The chemical composition of the films was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the micro structure was established using high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The sp2 and sp3 bonding ratio in the a-Cu:DLC have been analyzed by the Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy studies. The material showed excellent electron field emission properties; which was optimized by varying the copper atomic percentage and temperature of the films. It was found that the threshold field and effective emission barrier were reduced significantly by copper incorporation as well as temperature and a detailed explanation towards emission mechanism has been provided.

Preparation and analysis of particulate metal deposits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poppa, H.; Moorhead, D.; Heinemann, K.

1985-01-01

Small particles and clusters of palladium were grown by deposition from the vapor phase under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Amorphous and crystalline support films of Al2O3 and ultrathin amorphous carbon films were used as substrate materials. The growth of the metal deposit was monitored in situ by scanning transmission diffraction of energy-filtered 100 kV electrons and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis was performed in a separate instrument. It was established by in situ TEM, however, that the transfer of specimens in this case did not unduly affect the size and distribution of deposit particles. It was found that the cleanness, stoichiometry, crystallinity and structural perfection of the support surface play an essential role in determining the crystalline perfection and structure of the particles. The smallest palladium clusters reproducibly prepared contained not more than six atoms but size determinations below 1 nm average particle diameter are very problematic with conventional TEM. Palladium particles grown on carbon supports feature an impurity-stabilized mosaic structure.

Nature and origin of interstellar diamond from the Allende CV3 meteorite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, David; Freund, Friedemann; Bunch, Ted; Krishnan, Kannan; Stampfer, Mitch; Chang, Sherwood; Tielens, Alexander G. G. M.

1990-01-01

Data and experimental evidence which support the contention that the C delta diamonds may result from grain-grain collisions in supernova shocks in the interstellar medium are presented. Fragments of the Allende CV3 chondrite were acid-treated. A whitish powder was obtained. For the Analytical Electron Microscopy (AEM) a small drop of ethanol suspension was transferred onto holey carbon support films on 3 mm EM grids. The AEM was performed on transmission-thin fragments of the material which overlay holes in the film, to eliminate interference from the substrate. Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) was performed on a large aliquot of C. Diamond was identified by selected area electron diffraction. Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope / Energy Dispersive X-ray (STEM-EDS) microanalyses of the C delta diamond, using a light-element detector, show that oxygen and possibly nitrogen are the only impurities consistently present. ESCA spectra from bulk C delta material confirm the presence of N at a level of 0.35 percent or less. Under UV irradiation a yellow-red fluorescence is observed, consistent with that of natural diamonds containing substitutional N. Electron Energy Loss Spectra (EELS) were recorded at 2 eV resolution from the C delta diamond, high pressure synthetic diamond, a diamond film produced in a low pressure plasma by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a heated silicon substrate (Roy, 1987), graphite, and amorphous arc sputtered carbon. Comparison of the carbon K edge shape and fine structure shows the Allende C delta phase to be largely diamond, but with a significant pre-edge absorption feature indicative of transitions of C 1s electrons into pi asterisk orbitals which are absent in the purely sp(3)-bonded diamond but present in graphite and amorphous carbon.

Impact of laser power density on tribological properties of Pulsed Laser Deposited DLC films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gayathri, S.; Kumar, N.; Krishnan, R.; AmirthaPandian, S.; Ravindran, T. R.; Dash, S.; Tyagi, A. K.; Sridharan, M.

2013-12-01

Fabrication of wear resistant and low friction carbon films on the engineered substrates is considered as a challenging task for expanding the applications of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. In this paper, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique is used to deposit DLC films on two different types of technologically important class of substrates such as silicon and AISI 304 stainless steel. Laser power density is one of the important parameter used to tailor the fraction of sp2 bonded amorphous carbon (a-C) and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) made by sp3 domain in the DLC film. The I(D)/I(G) ratio decreases with the increasing laser power density which is associated with decrease in fraction of a-C/ta-C ratio. The fraction of these chemical components is quantitatively analyzed by EELS which is well supported to the data obtained from the Raman spectroscopy. Tribological properties of the DLC are associated with chemical structure of the film. However, the super low value of friction coefficient 0.003 is obtained when the film is predominantly constituted by a-C and sp2 fraction which is embedded within the clusters of ta-C. Such a particular film with super low friction coefficient is measured while it was deposited on steel at low laser power density of 2 GW/cm2. The super low friction mechanism is explained by low sliding resistance of a-C/sp2 and ta-C clusters. Combination of excellent physical and mechanical properties of wear resistance and super low friction coefficient of DLC films is desirable for engineering applications. Moreover, the high friction coefficient of DLC films deposited at 9GW/cm2 is related to widening of the intergrain distance caused by transformation from sp2 to sp3 hybridized structure.

RF sputtering for controlling dihydride and monohydride bond densities in amorphous silicon hydride

DOEpatents

Jeffery, F.R.; Shanks, H.R.

1980-08-26

A process is described for controlling the dihydride and monohydride bond densities in hydrogenated amorphous silicone produced by reactive rf sputtering of an amorphous silicon target. There is provided a chamber with an amorphous silicon target and a substrate therein with the substrate and the target positioned such that when rf power is applied to the target the substrate is in contact with the sputtering plasma produced thereby. Hydrogen and argon are fed to the chamber and the pressure is reduced in the chamber to a value sufficient to maintain a sputtering plasma therein, and then rf power is applied to the silicon target to provide a power density in the range of from about 7 watts per square inch to about 22 watts per square inch to sputter an amorphous solicone hydride onto the substrate, the dihydride bond density decreasing with an increase in the rf power density. Substantially pure monohydride films may be produced.

Fabrication of thickness controllable free-standing sandwich-structured hybrid carbon film for high-rate and high-power supercapacitor

PubMed Central

Wei, Helin; Wei, Sihang; Tian, Weifeng; Zhu, Daming; Liu, Yuhao; Yuan, Lili; Li, Xin

2014-01-01

Hybrid carbon films composed of graphene film and porous carbon film may give full play to the advantages of both carbon materials, and have great potential for application in energy storage and conversion devices. Unfortunately, there are very few reports on fabrication of hybrid carbon films. Here we demonstrate a simple approach to fabricate free-standing sandwich-structured hybrid carbon film composed of porous amorphous carbon film and multilayer graphene film by chemical vapor deposition in a controllable and scalable way. Hybrid carbon films reveal good electrical conductivity, excellent flexibility, and good compatibility with substrate. Supercapacitors assembled by hybrid carbon films exhibit ultrahigh rate capability, wide frequency range, good capacitance performance, and high-power density. Moreover, this approach may provide a general path for fabrication of hybrid carbon materials with different structures by using different metals with high carbon solubility, and greatly expands the application scope of carbon materials. PMID:25394410

Evolution of optical properties and band structure from amorphous to crystalline Ga2O3 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fabi; Li, Haiou; Cui, Yi-Tao; Li, Guo-Ling; Guo, Qixin

2018-04-01

The optical properties and band structure evolution from amorphous to crystalline Ga2O3 films was investigated in this work. Amorphous and crystalline Ga2O3 films were obtained by changing the growth substrate temperatures of pulsed laser deposition and the crystallinity increase with the rising of substrate temperature. The bandgap value and ultraviolet emission intensity of the films increase with the rising of crystallinity as observed by means of spectrophotometer and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Abrupt bandgap value and CL emission variations were observed when amorphous to crystalline transition took place. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy core level spectra reveal that more oxygen vacancies and disorders exist in amorphous Ga2O3 film grown at lower substrate temperature. The valence band spectra of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy present the main contribution from Ga 4sp for crystalline film deposited at substrate temperature of 500 oC, while extra subgap states has been observed in amorphous film deposited at 300 oC. The oxygen vacancy and the extra subgap density of states are suggested to be the parts of origin of bandgap and CL spectra variations. The experimental data above yields a realistic picture of optical properties and band structure variation for the amorphous to crystalline transition of Ga2O3 films.

Interface amorphization in hexagonal boron nitride films on sapphire substrate grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xu; Nitta, Shugo; Pristovsek, Markus; Liu, Yuhuai; Nagamatsu, Kentaro; Kushimoto, Maki; Honda, Yoshio; Amano, Hiroshi

2018-05-01

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films directly grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by pulsed-mode metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy exhibit an interlayer for growth temperatures above 1200 °C. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy shows that this interlayer is amorphous, while the crystalline h-BN layer above has a distinct orientational relationship with the sapphire substrate. Electron energy loss spectroscopy shows the energy-loss peaks of B and N in both the amorphous interlayer and the overlying crystalline h-BN layer, while Al and O signals are also seen in the amorphous interlayer. Thus, the interlayer forms during h-BN growth through the decomposition of the sapphire at elevated temperatures.

Filtered cathodic arc deposition with ion-species-selective bias.

PubMed

Anders, André; Pasaja, Nitisak; Sansongsiri, Sakon

2007-06-01

A dual-cathode arc plasma source was combined with a computer-controlled bias amplifier to synchronize substrate bias with the pulsed production of plasma. In this way, bias can be applied in a material-selective way. The principle has been applied to the synthesis of metal-doped diamondlike carbon films, where the bias was applied and adjusted when the carbon plasma was condensing and the substrate was at ground when the metal was incorporated. In doing so, excessive sputtering by energetic metal ions can be avoided while the sp(3)sp(2) ratio can be adjusted. It is shown that the resistivity of the film can be tuned by this species-selective bias; Raman spectroscopy was used to confirm expected changes of the amorphous ta-C:Mo films. The species-selective bias principle could be extended to multiple material plasma sources and complex materials.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popescu, C.; Dorcioman, G.; Bita, B.; Besleaga, C.; Zgura, I.; Himcinschi, C.; Popescu, A. C.

2016-12-01

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

Sea urchin tooth mineralization: calcite present early in the aboral plumula.

PubMed

Stock, Stuart R; Veis, Arthur; Xiao, Xianghui; Almer, Jonathan D; Dorvee, Jason R

2012-11-01

In both vertebrate bone, containing carbonated hydroxyapatite as the mineral phase, and in invertebrate hard tissue comprised of calcium carbonate, a popular view is that the mineral phase develops from a long-lived amorphous precursor which later transforms into crystal form. Important questions linked to this popular view are: when and where is the crystallized material formed, and is amorphous solid added subsequently to the crystalline substrate? Sea urchin teeth, in which the earliest mineral forms within isolated compartments, in a time and position dependent manner, allow direct investigation of the timing of crystallization of the calcite primary plates. Living teeth of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus, in their native coelomic fluid, were examined by high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The diffraction data show that calcite is present in the most aboral portions of the plumula, representing the very earliest stages of mineralization, and that this calcite has the same crystal orientation as in the more mature adoral portions of the same tooth. Raman spectroscopy of the aboral plumula confirms the initial primary plate mineral material is calcite and does not detect amorphous calcium carbonate; in the more mature adoral incisal flange, it does detect a broader calcite peak, consistent with two or more magnesium compositions. We hypothesize that some portion of each syncytial membrane in the plumula provides the information for nucleation of identically oriented calcite crystals that subsequently develop to form the complex geometry of the single crystal sea urchin tooth. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sea urchin tooth mineralization: Calcite present early in the aboral plumula

PubMed Central

Stock, Stuart R.; Veis, Arthur; Xiao, Xianghui; Almer, Jonathan D.; Dorvee, Jason R.

2012-01-01

In both vertebrate bone, containing carbonated hydroxyapatite as the mineral phase, and in invertebrate hard tissue comprised of calcium carbonate, a popular view is that the mineral phase develops from a long-lived amorphous precursor which later transforms into crystal form. Important questions linked to this popular view are: When and where is the crystallized material formed, and is amorphous solid added subsequently to the crystalline substrate? Sea urchin teeth, in which the earliest mineral forms within isolated compartments, in a time and position dependent manner, allow direct investigation of the timing of crystallization of the calcite primary plates. Living teeth of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus, in their native coelomic fluid, were examined by high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The diffraction data show that calcite is present in the most aboral portions of the plumula, representing the very earliest stages of mineralization, and that this calcite has the same crystal orientation as in the more mature adoral portions of the same tooth. Raman spectroscopy of the aboral plumula confirms the initial primary plate mineral material is calcite and does not detect amorphous calcium carbonate; in the more mature adoral incisal flange, it does detect a broader calcite peak, consistent with two or more magnesium compositions. We hypothesize that some portion of each syncytial membrane in the plumula provides the information for nucleation of identically oriented calcite crystals that subsequently develop to form the complex geometry of the single crystal sea urchin tooth. PMID:22940703

Between Scylla and Charybdis: Hydrophobic Graphene-Guided Water Diffusion on Hydrophilic Substrates

PubMed Central

Kim, Jin-Soo; Choi, Jin Sik; Lee, Mi Jung; Park, Bae Ho; Bukhvalov, Danil; Son, Young-Woo; Yoon, Duhee; Cheong, Hyeonsik; Yun, Jun-Nyeong; Jung, Yousung; Park, Jeong Young; Salmeron, Miquel

2013-01-01

The structure of water confined in nanometer-sized cavities is important because, at this scale, a large fraction of hydrogen bonds can be perturbed by interaction with the confining walls. Unusual fluidity properties can thus be expected in the narrow pores, leading to new phenomena like the enhanced fluidity reported in carbon nanotubes. Crystalline mica and amorphous silicon dioxide are hydrophilic substrates that strongly adsorb water. Graphene, on the other hand, interacts weakly with water. This presents the question as to what determines the structure and diffusivity of water when intercalated between hydrophilic substrates and hydrophobic graphene. Using atomic force microscopy, we have found that while the hydrophilic substrates determine the structure of water near its surface, graphene guides its diffusion, favouring growth of intercalated water domains along the C-C bond zigzag direction. Molecular dynamics and density functional calculations are provided to help understand the highly anisotropic water stripe patterns observed. PMID:23896759

Conformal coating of amorphous silicon and germanium by high pressure chemical vapor deposition for photovoltaic fabrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Xiaoyu; Cheng, Hiu Yan; Grede, Alex J.; Molina, Alex; Talreja, Disha; Mohney, Suzanne E.; Giebink, Noel C.; Badding, John V.; Gopalan, Venkatraman

2018-04-01

Conformally coating textured, high surface area substrates with high quality semiconductors is challenging. Here, we show that a high pressure chemical vapor deposition process can be employed to conformally coat the individual fibers of several types of flexible fabrics (cotton, carbon, steel) with electronically or optoelectronically active materials. The high pressure (˜30 MPa) significantly increases the deposition rate at low temperatures. As a result, it becomes possible to deposit technologically important hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) from silane by a simple and very practical pyrolysis process without the use of plasma, photochemical, hot-wire, or other forms of activation. By confining gas phase reactions in microscale reactors, we show that the formation of undesired particles is inhibited within the microscale spaces between the individual wires in the fabric structures. Such a conformal coating approach enables the direct fabrication of hydrogenated amorphous silicon-based Schottky junction devices on a stainless steel fabric functioning as a solar fabric.

Large-deformation and high-strength amorphous porous carbon nanospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-04-01

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

Novel phase of carbon, ferromagnetism, and conversion into diamond

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Narayan, Jagdish, E-mail: narayan@ncsu.edu; Bhaumik, Anagh

2015-12-07

We report the discovery of a new phase of carbon (referred to as Q-carbon) and address fundamental issues related to direct conversion of carbon into diamond at ambient temperatures and pressures in air without any need for catalyst and presence of hydrogen. The Q-carbon is formed as result of quenching from super undercooled state by using high-power nanosecond laser pulses. We discuss the equilibrium phase diagram (P vs. T) of carbon and show that by rapid quenching kinetics can shift thermodynamic graphite/diamond/liquid carbon triple point from 5000 K/12 GPa to super undercooled carbon at atmospheric pressure in air. It is shown thatmore » nanosecond laser heating of diamond-like amorphous carbon on sapphire, glass, and polymer substrates can be confined to melt carbon in a super undercooled state. By quenching the carbon from the super undercooled state, we have created a new state of carbon (Q-carbon) from which nanodiamond, microdiamond, microneedles, and single-crystal thin films are formed depending upon the nucleation and growth times allowed for diamond formation. The Q-carbon quenched from liquid is a new state of solid carbon with a higher mass density than amorphous carbon and a mixture of mostly fourfold sp{sup 3} (75%–85%) with the rest being threefold sp{sup 2} bonded carbon (with distinct entropy). It is expected to have new and improved mechanical hardness, electrical conductivity, chemical, and physical properties, including room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) and enhanced field emission. Here we present interesting results on RTFM, enhanced electrical conductivity and surface potential of Q-carbon to emphasize its unique properties. The Q-carbon exhibits robust bulk ferromagnetism with estimated Curie temperature of about 500 K and saturation magnetization value of 20 emu g{sup −1}. From the Q-carbon, diamond phase is nucleated and a variety of micro- and nanostructures and large-area single-crystal diamond sheets are grown by allowing growth times as needed. Subsequent laser pulses can be used to grow nanodiamond into microdiamond and nucleate other nanostructures of diamond on the top of existing microdiamond and create novel nanostructured materials. The microstructural details provide insights into the mechanism of formation of nanodiamond, microdiamond, nanoneedles, microneedles, and single-crystal thin films. This process allows carbon-to-diamond conversion and formation of useful nanostructures and microstructures at ambient temperatures in air at atmospheric pressure on practical and heat-sensitive substrates in a controlled way without need for any catalysts and hydrogen to stabilize sp{sup 3} bonding for diamond formation.« less

Novel phase of carbon, ferromagnetism, and conversion into diamond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayan, Jagdish; Bhaumik, Anagh

2015-12-01

We report the discovery of a new phase of carbon (referred to as Q-carbon) and address fundamental issues related to direct conversion of carbon into diamond at ambient temperatures and pressures in air without any need for catalyst and presence of hydrogen. The Q-carbon is formed as result of quenching from super undercooled state by using high-power nanosecond laser pulses. We discuss the equilibrium phase diagram (P vs. T) of carbon and show that by rapid quenching kinetics can shift thermodynamic graphite/diamond/liquid carbon triple point from 5000 K/12 GPa to super undercooled carbon at atmospheric pressure in air. It is shown that nanosecond laser heating of diamond-like amorphous carbon on sapphire, glass, and polymer substrates can be confined to melt carbon in a super undercooled state. By quenching the carbon from the super undercooled state, we have created a new state of carbon (Q-carbon) from which nanodiamond, microdiamond, microneedles, and single-crystal thin films are formed depending upon the nucleation and growth times allowed for diamond formation. The Q-carbon quenched from liquid is a new state of solid carbon with a higher mass density than amorphous carbon and a mixture of mostly fourfold sp3 (75%-85%) with the rest being threefold sp2 bonded carbon (with distinct entropy). It is expected to have new and improved mechanical hardness, electrical conductivity, chemical, and physical properties, including room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) and enhanced field emission. Here we present interesting results on RTFM, enhanced electrical conductivity and surface potential of Q-carbon to emphasize its unique properties. The Q-carbon exhibits robust bulk ferromagnetism with estimated Curie temperature of about 500 K and saturation magnetization value of 20 emu g-1. From the Q-carbon, diamond phase is nucleated and a variety of micro- and nanostructures and large-area single-crystal diamond sheets are grown by allowing growth times as needed. Subsequent laser pulses can be used to grow nanodiamond into microdiamond and nucleate other nanostructures of diamond on the top of existing microdiamond and create novel nanostructured materials. The microstructural details provide insights into the mechanism of formation of nanodiamond, microdiamond, nanoneedles, microneedles, and single-crystal thin films. This process allows carbon-to-diamond conversion and formation of useful nanostructures and microstructures at ambient temperatures in air at atmospheric pressure on practical and heat-sensitive substrates in a controlled way without need for any catalysts and hydrogen to stabilize sp3 bonding for diamond formation.

Synthesis of quenchable amorphous diamond

DOE PAGES

Zeng, Zhidan; Yang, Liuxiang; Zeng, Qiaoshi; ...

2017-08-22

Diamond owes its unique mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, chemical, and biocompatible materials properties to its complete sp 3-carbon network bonding. Crystallinity is another major controlling factor for materials properties. Although other Group-14 elements silicon and germanium have complementary crystalline and amorphous forms consisting of purely sp 3 bonds, purely sp 3-bonded tetrahedral amorphous carbon has not yet been obtained. In this letter, we combine high pressure and in situ laser heating techniques to convert glassy carbon into “quenchable amorphous diamond”, and recover it to ambient conditions. Our X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy experiments on themore » recovered sample and computer simulations confirm its tetrahedral amorphous structure and complete sp 3 bonding. This transparent quenchable amorphous diamond has, to our knowledge, the highest density among amorphous carbon materials, and shows incompressibility comparable to crystalline diamond.« less

Synthesis of quenchable amorphous diamond

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zeng, Zhidan; Yang, Liuxiang; Zeng, Qiaoshi

Diamond owes its unique mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, chemical, and biocompatible materials properties to its complete sp 3-carbon network bonding. Crystallinity is another major controlling factor for materials properties. Although other Group-14 elements silicon and germanium have complementary crystalline and amorphous forms consisting of purely sp 3 bonds, purely sp 3-bonded tetrahedral amorphous carbon has not yet been obtained. In this letter, we combine high pressure and in situ laser heating techniques to convert glassy carbon into “quenchable amorphous diamond”, and recover it to ambient conditions. Our X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy experiments on themore » recovered sample and computer simulations confirm its tetrahedral amorphous structure and complete sp 3 bonding. This transparent quenchable amorphous diamond has, to our knowledge, the highest density among amorphous carbon materials, and shows incompressibility comparable to crystalline diamond.« less

Fluorination of amorphous thin-film materials with xenon fluoride

DOEpatents

Weil, R.B.

1987-05-01

A method is disclosed for producing fluorine-containing amorphous semiconductor material, preferably comprising amorphous silicon. The method includes depositing amorphous thin-film material onto a substrate while introducing xenon fluoride during the film deposition process.

Fluorination of amorphous thin-film materials with xenon fluoride

DOEpatents

Weil, Raoul B.

1988-01-01

A method is disclosed for producing fluorine-containing amorphous semiconductor material, preferably comprising amorphous silicon. The method includes depositing amorphous thin-film material onto a substrate while introducing xenon fluoride during the film deposition process.

Neutron irradiation and high temperature effects on amorphous Fe-based nano-coatings on steel - A macroscopic assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simos, N.; Zhong, Z.; Dooryhee, E.; Ghose, S.; Gill, S.; Camino, F.; Şavklıyıldız, İ.; Akdoğan, E. K.

2017-06-01

The study revealed that loss of ductility in an amorphous Fe-alloy coating on a steel substrate composite structure was essentially prevented from occurring, following radiation with modest neutron doses of ∼2 × 1018 n/cm2. At the higher neutron dose of ∼2 × 1019, macroscopic stress-strain analysis showed that the amorphous Fe-alloy nanostructured coating, while still amorphous, experienced radiation-induced embrittlement, no longer offering protection against ductility loss in the coating-substrate composite structure. Neutron irradiation in a corrosive environment revealed exemplary oxidation/corrosion resistance of the amorphous Fe-alloy coating, which is attributed to the formation of the Fe2B phase in the coating. To establish the impact of elevated temperatures on the amorphous-to-crystalline transition in the amorphous Fe-alloy, electron microscopy was carried out which confirmed the radiation-induced suppression of crystallization in the amorphous Fe-alloy nanostructured coating.

Large-scale and patternable graphene: direct transformation of amorphous carbon film into graphene/graphite on insulators via Cu mediation engineering and its application to all-carbon based devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yu-Ze; Medina, Henry; Lin, Hung-Chiao; Tsai, Hung-Wei; Su, Teng-Yu; Chueh, Yu-Lun

2015-01-01

Chemical vapour deposition of graphene was the preferred way to synthesize graphene for multiple applications. However, several problems related to transfer processes, such as wrinkles, cleanness and scratches, have limited its application at the industrial scale. Intense research was triggered into developing alternative synthesis methods to directly deposit graphene on insulators at low cost with high uniformity and large area. In this work, we demonstrate a new concept to directly achieve growth of graphene on non-metal substrates. By exposing an amorphous carbon (a-C) film in Cu gaseous molecules after annealing at 850 °C, the carbon (a-C) film surprisingly undergoes a noticeable transformation to crystalline graphene. Furthermore, the thickness of graphene could be controlled, depending on the thickness of the pre-deposited a-C film. The transformation mechanism was investigated and explained in detail. This approach enables development of a one-step process to fabricate electrical devices made of all carbon material, highlighting the uniqueness of the novel approach for developing graphene electronic devices. Interestingly, the carbon electrodes made directly on the graphene layer by our approach offer a good ohmic contact compared with the Schottky barriers usually observed on graphene devices using metals as electrodes.Chemical vapour deposition of graphene was the preferred way to synthesize graphene for multiple applications. However, several problems related to transfer processes, such as wrinkles, cleanness and scratches, have limited its application at the industrial scale. Intense research was triggered into developing alternative synthesis methods to directly deposit graphene on insulators at low cost with high uniformity and large area. In this work, we demonstrate a new concept to directly achieve growth of graphene on non-metal substrates. By exposing an amorphous carbon (a-C) film in Cu gaseous molecules after annealing at 850 °C, the carbon (a-C) film surprisingly undergoes a noticeable transformation to crystalline graphene. Furthermore, the thickness of graphene could be controlled, depending on the thickness of the pre-deposited a-C film. The transformation mechanism was investigated and explained in detail. This approach enables development of a one-step process to fabricate electrical devices made of all carbon material, highlighting the uniqueness of the novel approach for developing graphene electronic devices. Interestingly, the carbon electrodes made directly on the graphene layer by our approach offer a good ohmic contact compared with the Schottky barriers usually observed on graphene devices using metals as electrodes. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental methods; pictures of a new quartz tube and an aged quartz tube before and after annealing Cu foil at 1025 °C for 2 h; Raman spectrum of as-deposited a-C layer; XPS depth profiles of 25 nm-thick pre-deposited a-C film after annealing in the presence of Cu gaseous molecules and the corresponding transformation ratios; ICP-MS results of Cu gaseous molecules captured by the formation of the Ni-Cu alloy; SEM-EDS results of samples with different thicknesses of pre-deposited a-C films; UV-Vis spectrum of the graphene directly transformed from the 5 nm-thick pre-deposited a-C film on quartz substrate. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr04627g

Re-crystallization of ITO films after carbon irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usman, Muhammad; Khan, Shahid; Khan, Majid; Abbas, Turab Ali

2017-01-01

2.0 MeV carbon ion irradiation effects on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) thin films on glass substrate are investigated. The films are irradiated with carbon ions in the fluence range of 1 × 1013 to 1 × 1015 ions/cm2. The irradiation induced effects in ITO are compared before and after ion bombardment by systematic study of structural, optical and electrical properties of the films. The XRD results show polycrystalline nature of un-irradiated ITO films which turns to amorphous state after 1 × 1013 ions/cm2 fluence of carbon ions. Further increase in ion fluence to 1 × 1014 ions/cm2 re-crystallizes the structure and retains for even higher fluences. A gradual decrease in the electrical conductivity and transmittance of irradiated samples is observed with increasing ion fluence. The band gap of the films is observed to be decreased after carbon irradiation.

Cluster adsorption on amorphous and crystalline surfaces - A molecular dynamics study of model Pt on Cu and model Pd on Pt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garofalini, S. H.; Halicioglu, T.; Pound, G. M.

1981-01-01

Molecular dynamics was used to study the structure, dispersion and short-time behavior of ten-atom clusters adsorbed onto amorphous and crystalline substrates, in which the cluster atoms differed from the substrate atoms. Two adatom-substrate model systems were chosen; one, in which the interaction energy between adatom pairs was greater than that between substrate pairs, and the other, in which the reverse was true. At relatively low temperature ranges, increased dispersion of cluster atoms occurred: (a) on the amorphous substrate as compared to the FCC(100) surface, (b) with increasing reduced temperature, and (c) with adatom-substrate interaction energy stronger than adatom-adatom interaction. Two-dimensional clusters (rafts) on the FCC(100) surface displayed migration of edge atoms only, indicating a mechanism for the cluster rotation and shape changes found in experimental studies.

Effects of argon addition on a-CNx film deposition by hot carbon filament chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Yoshihisa; Aono, Masami; Yamazaki, Ayumi; Kitazawa, Nobuaki; Nakamura, Yoshikazu

2002-07-01

Using a carbon filament which supplies carbon and heat, amorphous carbon nitride (a-CNx) films were prepared on Si (100) substrates by hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Deposition was performed in a low-pressure atmosphere of pure nitrogen and a gas mixture of nitrogen and argon. Effects of argon additions to the nitrogen atmosphere on the film microstructure and interface composition between the film and substrate were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). FESEM observations reveal that the film prepared in a pure nitrogen atmosphere has uniform nucleation and a densely packed columnar pieces structure. The film prepared in the nitrogen and argon gas mixture exhibits preferential nucleation and a tapered structure with macroscopic voids. Depth analyses using XPS reveal that the film prepared in pure nitrogen possesses a broad interface, which includes silicon carbide as well as a-CNx, whereas a sharp interface is discerned in the film prepared in the mixed nitrogen and argon gas. We observed that silicon carbide formation is suppressed by an argon addition to the nitrogen atmosphere during deposition. copyright 2002 American Vacuum Society.

Electron field emission from phase pure nanotube films grown in a methane/hydrogen plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Küttel, Olivier M.; Groening, Oliver; Emmenegger, Christoph; Schlapbach, Louis

1998-10-01

Phase pure nanotube films were grown on silicon substrates by a microwave plasma under conditions which normally are used for the growth of chemical vapor deposited diamond films. However, instead of using any pretreatment leading to diamond nucleation we deposited metal clusters on the silicon substrate. The resulting films contain only nanotubes and also onion-like structures. However, no other carbon allotropes like graphite or amorphous clustered material could be found. The nanotubes adhere very well to the substrates and do not need any further purification step. Electron field emission was observed at fields above 1.5 V/μm and we observed an emission site density up to 104/cm2 at 3 V/μm. Alternatively, we have grown nanotube films by the hot filament technique, which allows to uniformly cover a two inch wafer.

Influence of Silicate Concentration in Electrolyte on the Growth and Performance of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Coatings Prepared on Low Carbon Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wenbin; Peng, Zhenjun; Liu, Baixing; Liu, Weimin; Liang, Jun

2018-04-01

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings were prepared on low carbon steel from electrolytes with different silicate concentrations. The microstructure, elemental and phase compositions of the PEO coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectrometer, and x-ray diffraction, respectively. The adhesion of PEO coatings with low carbon steel substrate was qualitatively examined by thermal shock tests. The tribological properties were evaluated by a reciprocating tribometer sliding against a Si3N4 ceramic ball. The corrosion behaviors of PEO coatings were investigated in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution by electrochemical impedance spectra and potentiodynamic polarization. Results indicated that all the PEO coatings were comprised of amorphous SiO2 and Fe-containing oxides; however, the silicate concentration in electrolyte showed significant influence on the growth and the performance of PEO coatings. The PEO coating prepared from the electrolyte with silicate concentration of 30 g/L had the highest Fe content because the substrate was more readily oxidized and showed a dense structure, resulting in the best comprehensive performance of adhesion, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance.

Influence of Silicate Concentration in Electrolyte on the Growth and Performance of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Coatings Prepared on Low Carbon Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wenbin; Peng, Zhenjun; Liu, Baixing; Liu, Weimin; Liang, Jun

2018-05-01

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings were prepared on low carbon steel from electrolytes with different silicate concentrations. The microstructure, elemental and phase compositions of the PEO coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectrometer, and x-ray diffraction, respectively. The adhesion of PEO coatings with low carbon steel substrate was qualitatively examined by thermal shock tests. The tribological properties were evaluated by a reciprocating tribometer sliding against a Si3N4 ceramic ball. The corrosion behaviors of PEO coatings were investigated in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution by electrochemical impedance spectra and potentiodynamic polarization. Results indicated that all the PEO coatings were comprised of amorphous SiO2 and Fe-containing oxides; however, the silicate concentration in electrolyte showed significant influence on the growth and the performance of PEO coatings. The PEO coating prepared from the electrolyte with silicate concentration of 30 g/L had the highest Fe content because the substrate was more readily oxidized and showed a dense structure, resulting in the best comprehensive performance of adhesion, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance.

Amorphous ZnO Quantum Dot/Mesoporous Carbon Bubble Composites for a High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery Anode.

PubMed

Tu, Zhiming; Yang, Gongzheng; Song, Huawei; Wang, Chengxin

2017-01-11

Due to its high theoretical capacity (978 mA h g -1 ), natural abundance, environmental friendliness, and low cost, zinc oxide is regarded as one of the most promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). A lot of research has been done in the past few years on this topic. However, hardly any research on amorphous ZnO for LIB anodes has been reported despite the fact that the amorphous type could have superior electrochemical performance due to its isotropic nature, abundant active sites, better buffer effect, and different electrochemical reaction details. In this work, we develop a simple route to prepare an amorphous ZnO quantum dot (QDs)/mesoporous carbon bubble composite. The composite consists of two parts: mesoporous carbon bubbles as a flexible skeleton and monodisperse amorphous zinc oxide QDs (smaller than 3 nm) encapsulated in an amorphous carbon matrix as a continuous coating tightly anchored on the surface of mesoporous carbon bubbles. With the benefits of abundant active sites, amorphous nature, high specific surface area, buffer effect, hierarchical pores, stable interconnected conductive network, and multidimensional electron transport pathways, the amorphous ZnO QD/mesoporous carbon bubble composite delivers a high reversible capacity of nearly 930 mA h g -1 (at current density of 100 mA g -1 ) with almost 90% retention for 85 cycles and possesses a good rate performance. This work opens the possibility to fabricate high-performance electrode materials for LIBs, especially for amorphous metal oxide-based materials.

Selective Oxidation of Amorphous Carbon Layers without Damaging Embedded Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Bundles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young Chul; Lim, Seong Chu

2013-11-01

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were synthesized by arc discharge, and then purified by selective oxidation of amorphous carbon layers that were found to encase SWCNT bundles and catalyst metal particles. In order to remove selectively the amorphous carbon layers with SWCNTs being intact, we have systematically investigated the thermal treatment conditions; firstly, setting the temperature by measuring the activation energies of SWCNTs and amorphous carbon layers, and then, secondly, finding the optimal process time. As a consequence, the optimal temperature and time for the thermal treatment was found to be 460 °C and 20 min, respectively. The complete elimination of surrounding amorphous carbon layers makes it possible to efficiently disperse the SWCNT bundles, resulting in high absorbance of SWCNT-ink. The SWCNTs which were thermal-treated at optimized temperature (460 °C) and duration (20 min) showed much better crystallinity, dispersibility, and transparent conducting properties, compared with as-synthesized and the nanotubes thermal-treated at different experimental conditions.

High efficiency organic-electrolyte DSSC based on hydrothermally deposited titanium carbide-carbon counter electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towannang, Madsakorn; Kumlangwan, Pantiwa; Maiaugree, Wasan; Ratchaphonsaenwong, Kunthaya; Harnchana, Viyada; Jarenboon, Wirat; Pimanpang, Samuk; Amornkitbamrung, Vittaya

2015-07-01

Pt-free TiC based electrodes were hydrothermally deposited onto FTO/glass substrates and used as dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) counter electrodes. A promising efficiency of 3.07% was obtained from the annealed hydrothermal TiC DSSCs based on a disulfide/thiolate electrolyte. A pronounced improvement in performance of 3.59% was achieved by compositing TiC with carbon, compared to that of a Pt DSSC, 3.84%. TEM analysis detected that the TiC particle surfaces were coated by thin carbon layer (7 nm). The SAED pattern and Raman spectrum of TiC-carbon films suggested that the carbon layer was composed of amorphous and graphite carbon. The formation of graphite on the TiC nanoparticles plays a crucial role in enhancing the film's reduction current to 10.12 mA/cm2 and in reducing the film impedance to 237.63 Ω, resulting in a high efficiency of the TiC-carbon DSSC. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Pyrolytic carbon coated black silicon

PubMed Central

Shah, Ali; Stenberg, Petri; Karvonen, Lasse; Ali, Rizwan; Honkanen, Seppo; Lipsanen, Harri; Peyghambarian, N.; Kuittinen, Markku; Svirko, Yuri; Kaplas, Tommi

2016-01-01

Carbon is the most well-known black material in the history of man. Throughout the centuries, carbon has been used as a black material for paintings, camouflage, and optics. Although, the techniques to make other black surfaces have evolved and become more sophisticated with time, carbon still remains one of the best black materials. Another well-known black surface is black silicon, reflecting less than 0.5% of incident light in visible spectral range but becomes a highly reflecting surface in wavelengths above 1000 nm. On the other hand, carbon absorbs at those and longer wavelengths. Thus, it is possible to combine black silicon with carbon to create an artificial material with very low reflectivity over a wide spectral range. Here we report our results on coating conformally black silicon substrate with amorphous pyrolytic carbon. We present a superior black surface with reflectance of light less than 0.5% in the spectral range of 350 nm to 2000 nm. PMID:27174890

An atomic carbon source for high temperature molecular beam epitaxy of graphene.

PubMed

Albar, J D; Summerfield, A; Cheng, T S; Davies, A; Smith, E F; Khlobystov, A N; Mellor, C J; Taniguchi, T; Watanabe, K; Foxon, C T; Eaves, L; Beton, P H; Novikov, S V

2017-07-26

We report the use of a novel atomic carbon source for the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of graphene layers on hBN flakes and on sapphire wafers at substrate growth temperatures of ~1400 °C. The source produces a flux of predominantly atomic carbon, which diffuses through the walls of a Joule-heated tantalum tube filled with graphite powder. We demonstrate deposition of carbon on sapphire with carbon deposition rates up to 12 nm/h. Atomic force microscopy measurements reveal the formation of hexagonal moiré patterns when graphene monolayers are grown on hBN flakes. The Raman spectra of the graphene layers grown on hBN and sapphire with the sublimation carbon source and the atomic carbon source are similar, whilst the nature of the carbon aggregates is different - graphitic with the sublimation carbon source and amorphous with the atomic carbon source. At MBE growth temperatures we observe etching of the sapphire wafer surface by the flux from the atomic carbon source, which we have not observed in the MBE growth of graphene with the sublimation carbon source.

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon coatings on implants drastically reduce biofilm formation and water permeation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernsmann, Falk; Laube, Norbert; Baldsiefen, Gerhard; Castellucci, Mattia

2014-11-01

Inflammations and crystalline bacterial biofilms (encrustations) remain a major complication in long-term artificial urinary tract drainage. To solve this problem we present urological implants with coatings made of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) that show excellent protection from encrustation in-vitro as well as in-vivo. Part of the success of a-C:H coatings is attributed to their ability to act as a diffusion barrier between an implant and the body, which prevents leaching of solvents from polymeric implants. To further enhance their barrier properties a-C:H coatings are combined with parylene coatings to develop diffusion-barrier multilayer coatings with a total thickness between 0.2 μm and 0.8 μm. The combination of the two types of coatings leads to a reduction of water diffusion by a factor of up to ten with respect to uncoated 25 μm thick polyimide sub-strates. The diffusion of water vapour from a controlled atmospheric pressure chamber through coated foils to a vacuum chamber is measured in a custom-built device.

Direct fabrication of 3D graphene on nanoporous anodic alumina by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

PubMed Central

Zhan, Hualin; Garrett, David J.; Apollo, Nicholas V.; Ganesan, Kumaravelu; Lau, Desmond; Prawer, Steven; Cervenka, Jiri

2016-01-01

High surface area electrode materials are of interest for a wide range of potential applications such as super-capacitors and electrochemical cells. This paper describes a fabrication method of three-dimensional (3D) graphene conformally coated on nanoporous insulating substrate with uniform nanopore size. 3D graphene films were formed by controlled graphitization of diamond-like amorphous carbon precursor films, deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). Plasma-assisted graphitization was found to produce better quality graphene than a simple thermal graphitization process. The resulting 3D graphene/amorphous carbon/alumina structure has a very high surface area, good electrical conductivity and exhibits excellent chemically stability, providing a good material platform for electrochemical applications. Consequently very large electrochemical capacitance values, as high as 2.1 mF for a sample of 10 mm3, were achieved. The electrochemical capacitance of the material exhibits a dependence on bias voltage, a phenomenon observed by other groups when studying graphene quantum capacitance. The plasma-assisted graphitization, which dominates the graphitization process, is analyzed and discussed in detail. PMID:26805546

Evolution of the secondary electron emission during the graphitization of thin C films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larciprete, Rosanna; Grosso, Davide Remo; Di Trolio, Antonio; Cimino, Roberto

2015-02-01

The relation between the atomic hybridization and the secondary electron emission yield (SEY) in carbon materials has been investigated during the thermal graphitization of thin amorphous carbon layers deposited by magnetron sputtering on Cu substrates. C1s core level, valence band and Raman spectroscopy were used to follow the sp3→sp2 structural reorganization while the SEY curves as a function of the kinetic energy of the incident electron beam were measured in parallel. We found that an amorphous C layer with a thickness of a few tens of nanometers is capable to modify the secondary emission properties of the clean copper surface, reducing the maximum yield from 1.4 to 1.2. A further SEY decrease observed with the progressive conversion of sp3 hybrids into six-fold aromatic domains was related to the electronic structure close to the Fermi level of the C-films. We found that a moderate structural quality of the C layer is sufficient to notably decrease the SEY as aromatic clusters of limited size approach the secondary emission properties of graphite.

Direct fabrication of 3D graphene on nanoporous anodic alumina by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

PubMed

Zhan, Hualin; Garrett, David J; Apollo, Nicholas V; Ganesan, Kumaravelu; Lau, Desmond; Prawer, Steven; Cervenka, Jiri

2016-01-25

High surface area electrode materials are of interest for a wide range of potential applications such as super-capacitors and electrochemical cells. This paper describes a fabrication method of three-dimensional (3D) graphene conformally coated on nanoporous insulating substrate with uniform nanopore size. 3D graphene films were formed by controlled graphitization of diamond-like amorphous carbon precursor films, deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). Plasma-assisted graphitization was found to produce better quality graphene than a simple thermal graphitization process. The resulting 3D graphene/amorphous carbon/alumina structure has a very high surface area, good electrical conductivity and exhibits excellent chemically stability, providing a good material platform for electrochemical applications. Consequently very large electrochemical capacitance values, as high as 2.1 mF for a sample of 10 mm(3), were achieved. The electrochemical capacitance of the material exhibits a dependence on bias voltage, a phenomenon observed by other groups when studying graphene quantum capacitance. The plasma-assisted graphitization, which dominates the graphitization process, is analyzed and discussed in detail.

Revealing the 1 nm/s extensibility of nanoscale amorphous carbon in a scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei

2013-01-01

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

In Situ Hydrothermally Grown TiO2@C Core-Shell Nanowire Coating for Highly Sensitive Solid Phase Microextraction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Wang, Fuxin; Zheng, Juan; Qiu, Junlang; Liu, Shuqin; Chen, Guosheng; Tong, Yexiang; Zhu, Fang; Ouyang, Gangfeng

2017-01-18

Nanostructured materials have great potential for solid phase microextraction (SPME) on account of their tiny size, distinct architectures and superior physical and chemical properties. Herein, a core-shell TiO 2 @C fiber for SPME was successfully fabricated by the simple hydrothermal reaction of a titanium wire and subsequent amorphous carbon coating. The readily hydrothermal procedure afforded in situ synthesis of TiO 2 nanowires on a titanium wire and provided a desirable substrate for further coating of amorphous carbon. Benefiting from the much larger surface area of subsequent TiO 2 and good adsorption property of the amorphous carbon coating, the core-shell TiO 2 @C fiber was utilized for the SPME device for the first time and proved to have better performance in extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In comparison to the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and PDMS/divinylbenzene (DVB) fiber for commercial use, the TiO 2 @C fiber obtained gas chromatography responses 3-8 times higher than those obtained by the commercial 100 μm PDMS and 1-9 times higher than those obtained by the 65 μm PDMS/DVB fiber. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the low detection limits were obtained in the range of 0.4-7.1 ng L -1 with wider linearity in the range of 10-2000 ng L -1 . Moreover, the fiber was successfully used for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Pearl River water, which demonstrated the applicability of the core-shell TiO 2 @C fiber.

Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Based-Microparticles for Peptide Pulmonary Delivery.

PubMed

Tewes, Frederic; Gobbo, Oliviero L; Ehrhardt, Carsten; Healy, Anne Marie

2016-01-20

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is known to interact with proteins, for example, in biogenic ACC, to form stable amorphous phases. The control of amorphous/crystalline and inorganic/organic ratios in inhalable calcium carbonate microparticles may enable particle properties to be adapted to suit the requirements of dry powders for pulmonary delivery by oral inhalation. For example, an amorphous phase can immobilize and stabilize polypeptides in their native structure and amorphous and crystalline phases have different mechanical properties. Therefore, inhalable composite microparticles made of inorganic (i.e., calcium carbonate and calcium formate) and organic (i.e., hyaluronan (HA)) amorphous and crystalline phases were investigated for peptide and protein pulmonary aerosol delivery. The crystalline/amorphous ratio and polymorphic form of the inorganic component was altered by changing the microparticle drying rate and by changing the ammonium carbonate and HA initial concentration. The bioactivity of the model peptide, salmon calcitonin (sCT), coprocessed with alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), a model protein with peptidase inhibitor activity, was maintained during processing and the microparticles had excellent aerodynamic properties, making them suitable for pulmonary aerosol delivery. The bioavailability of sCT after aerosol delivery as sCT and AAT-loaded composite microparticles to rats was 4-times higher than that of sCT solution.

Spectroscopic characterization of Greek dolomitic marble surface interacted with uranium and thorium in aqueous solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godelitsas, A.; Kokkoris, M.; Chatzitheodoridis, E.; Misaelides, P.

2008-05-01

The surface of a typical Greek (Thassian) dolomitic marble was studied after interaction with U- and Th-containing aqueous solutions (1000 mg/L, free-drift experiments for 1 week at atmospheric PCO2), using 12C-RBS and Laser μ-Raman spectroscopy. Powder-XRD and SEM-EDS were also applied to investigate the phases deposited on the surface of the interacted samples. The obtained results indicated a considerable removal of U from the aqueous medium mainly due to massive surface precipitation of amorphous UO2-hydroxide phases forming a relatively thick (μm-sized) coating on the carbonate substrate. The interaction of Th with dolomitic marble surface is also intense leading to a formation of an amorphous Th-hydroxide layer of similar thickness but of significantly lower elemental atomic proportion.

Effects of bias voltage on diamond like carbon coatings deposited using titanium isopropoxide (TIPOT) and acetylene/argon mixtures onto various substrate materials.

PubMed

Said, R; Ghumman, C A A; Teodoro, M N D; Ahmed, W; Abuazza, A; Gracio, J

2010-04-01

RF-PECVD was used to prepare amorphous of carbon (DLC) onto stainless steel 316 and glass substrates. The substrates were negatively biased at between 100 V to 400 V. Thin films of DLC have been deposited using C2H2 and titanium isopropoxide (TIPOT). Argon was used to generate the plasma in the PECVD system chamber. DEKTAK 8 surface stylus profilometer was used to measure the film thickness and the deposition rate was calculated. Micro Raman spectroscopy was employed to determine the chemical structure and bonding present in the films. Composition analysis of the samples was carried out using VGTOF SIMS (IX23LS) instrument. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the composition and chemical state of the films. The wettability of the films was examined using the optical contact angle meter (CAM200) system. Two types of liquids with different polarities were used to study changes in the surface energy. The as-grown films were in the thickness range of 200-400 nm. Raman spectroscopy results showed that the I(D)/I(G) ratio decreased when the bias voltage on the stainless steel substrates was increased. This indicates an increase in the graphitic nature of the film deposited. In contrast, on the glass substrates the I(D)/I(G) ratio increased when the bias voltage was increased indicates a greater degree of diamond like character. Chemical composition determined using XPS showed the presence of carbon and oxygen in both samples on glass and stainless steel substrates. Both coatings the contact angle of the films decreased except for 400 V which showed a slight increase. The oxygen is thought to play an important role on the polar component of a-C.

Neutron irradiation and high temperature effects on amorphous Fe-based nano-coatings on steel – A macroscopic assessment

DOE PAGES

Simos, N.; Zhong, Z.; Dooryhee, E.; ...

2017-03-23

Here, this study revealed that loss of ductility in an amorphous Fe-alloy coating on a steel substrate composite structure was essentially prevented from occurring, following radiation with modest neutron doses of ~2 x 10 18 n/cm 2. At the higher neutron dose of ~2 x 10 19, macroscopic stress-strain analysis showed that the amorphous Fe-alloy nanostructured coating, while still amorphous, experienced radiation-induced embrittlement, no longer offering protection against ductility loss in the coating-substrate composite structure. Neutron irradiation in a corrosive environment revealed exemplary oxidation/corrosion resistance of the amorphous Fe-alloy coating, which is attributed to the formation of the Fe 2Bmore » phase in the coating. To establish the impact of elevated temperatures on the amorphous-to-crystalline transition in the amorphous Fe-alloy, electron microscopy was carried out which confirmed the radiation-induced suppression of crystallization in the amorphous Fe-alloy nanostructured coating.« less

Substrate and Passivation Techniques for Flexible Amorphous Silicon-Based X-ray Detectors

PubMed Central

Marrs, Michael A.; Raupp, Gregory B.

2016-01-01

Flexible active matrix display technology has been adapted to create new flexible photo-sensing electronic devices, including flexible X-ray detectors. Monolithic integration of amorphous silicon (a-Si) PIN photodiodes on a flexible substrate poses significant challenges associated with the intrinsic film stress of amorphous silicon. This paper examines how altering device structuring and diode passivation layers can greatly improve the electrical performance and the mechanical reliability of the device, thereby eliminating one of the major weaknesses of a-Si PIN diodes in comparison to alternative photodetector technology, such as organic bulk heterojunction photodiodes and amorphous selenium. A dark current of 0.5 pA/mm2 and photodiode quantum efficiency of 74% are possible with a pixelated diode structure with a silicon nitride/SU-8 bilayer passivation structure on a 20 µm-thick polyimide substrate. PMID:27472329

Substrate and Passivation Techniques for Flexible Amorphous Silicon-Based X-ray Detectors.

PubMed

Marrs, Michael A; Raupp, Gregory B

2016-07-26

Flexible active matrix display technology has been adapted to create new flexible photo-sensing electronic devices, including flexible X-ray detectors. Monolithic integration of amorphous silicon (a-Si) PIN photodiodes on a flexible substrate poses significant challenges associated with the intrinsic film stress of amorphous silicon. This paper examines how altering device structuring and diode passivation layers can greatly improve the electrical performance and the mechanical reliability of the device, thereby eliminating one of the major weaknesses of a-Si PIN diodes in comparison to alternative photodetector technology, such as organic bulk heterojunction photodiodes and amorphous selenium. A dark current of 0.5 pA/mm² and photodiode quantum efficiency of 74% are possible with a pixelated diode structure with a silicon nitride/SU-8 bilayer passivation structure on a 20 µm-thick polyimide substrate.

Formation of ultrathin Ni germanides: solid-phase reaction, morphology and texture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Stiphout, K.; Geenen, F. A.; De Schutter, B.; Santos, N. M.; Miranda, S. M. C.; Joly, V.; Detavernier, C.; Pereira, L. M. C.; Temst, K.; Vantomme, A.

2017-11-01

The solid-phase reaction of ultrathin (⩽10 nm) Ni films with different Ge substrates (single-crystalline (1 0 0), polycrystalline, and amorphous) was studied. As thickness goes down, thin film texture becomes a dominant factor in both the film’s phase formation and morphological evolution. As a consequence, certain metastable microstructures are epitaxially stabilized on crystalline substrates, such as the ɛ-Ni5Ge3 phase or a strained NiGe crystal structure on the single-crystalline substrates. Similarly, the destabilizing effect of axiotaxial texture on the film’s morphology becomes more pronounced as film thicknesses become smaller. These effects are contrasted by the evolution of germanide films on amorphous substrates, on which neither epitaxy nor axiotaxy can form, i.e. none of the (de)stabilizing effects of texture are observed. The crystallization of such amorphous substrates however, drives the film breakup.

Influences of ultra-thin Ti seed layers on the dewetting phenomenon of Au films deposited on Si oxide substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamiko, Masao; Kim, So-Mang; Jeong, Young-Seok; Ha, Jae-Ho; Koo, Sang-Mo; Ha, Jae-Geun

2018-05-01

The influences of a Ti seed layer (1 nm) on the dewetting phenomenon of Au films (5 nm) grown onto amorphous SiO2 substrates have been studied and compared. Atomic force microscopy results indicated that the introduction of Ti between the substrate and Au promoted the dewetting phenomenon. X-ray diffraction measurements suggested that the initial deposition of Ti promoted crystallinity of Au. A series of Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results revealed that Ti transformed to a Ti oxide layer by reduction of the amorphous SiO2 substrate surface, and that the Ti seed layer remained on the substrate, without going through the dewetting process during annealing. We concluded that the enhancement of Au dewetting and the improvement in crystallinity of Au by the insertion of Ti could be attributed to the fact that Au location was changed from the surface of the amorphous SiO2 substrate to that of the Ti oxide layer.

Disseminated flake graphite and amorphous graphite deposit types. An analysis using grade and tonnage models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sutphin, David M.; Bliss, James D.

1990-01-01

On the basis of differences derived from genetic, descriptive, and grade-tonnage data, graphite deposits are classified here into three deposit types: disseminated flake, amorphous (microcrystalline), or graphite veins. Descriptive models have been constructed for each of these deposit types, and grade-tonnage models are constructed for disseminated flake and amorphous deposit types. Grade and tonnage data are used also to construct grade-tonnage models that assist in predicting the size and grade of undiscovered graphite deposits. The median tonnage and carbon grade of disseminated flake deposits are 240 000 tonnes and 9% carbon and for amorphous deposits, 130 000 tonnes and 40% carbon. The differences in grade between disseminated flake and amorphous deposit types are statistically significant, whereas the differences in amount of contained carbon are not.

Direct-current cathodic vacuum arc system with magnetic-field mechanism for plasma stabilization.

PubMed

Zhang, H-S; Komvopoulos, K

2008-07-01

Filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition is characterized by plasma beam directionality, plasma energy adjustment via substrate biasing, macroparticle filtering, and independent substrate temperature control. Between the two modes of FCVA deposition, namely, direct current (dc) and pulsed arc, the dc mode yields higher deposition rates than the pulsed mode. However, maintaining the dc arc discharge is challenging because of its inherent plasma instabilities. A system generating a special configuration of magnetic field that stabilizes the dc arc discharge during film deposition is presented. This magnetic field is also part of the out-of-plane magnetic filter used to focus the plasma beam and prevent macroparticle film contamination. The efficiency of the plasma-stabilizing magnetic-field mechanism is demonstrated by the deposition of amorphous carbon (a-C) films exhibiting significantly high hardness and tetrahedral carbon hybridization (sp3) contents higher than 70%. Such high-quality films cannot be produced by dc arc deposition without the plasma-stabilizing mechanism presented in this study.

The use of metalorganics in the preparation of semiconductor materials. VIII - Feasibility studies of the growth of Group III-Group V compounds of boron by MOCVD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manasevit, H. M.; Hewitt, W. B.; Nelson, A. J.; Mason, A. R.

1989-01-01

The MOCVD growth of B-As and B-P films on Si, sapphire, and Si-on-sapphire substrates is described; in this process, trimethylborane (TMB) or triethylborane (TEB) is pyrolyzed in the presence of AsH3 or PH3 in an H2 atmosphere. The procedures employed are outlined, and the results are presented in graphs, tables, and micrographs. It is found that the growth rate of the primarily amorphous films is dependent on the TMB or TEB concentration but approximately constant for TEB and AsH3 at 550-900 C. The nominal compositions of films grown using TMB are given as B(12-16)As2 and B(1-1.3)P. Carbon impurities and significant stress, bowing, and crazing are observed in the films grown on Si substrates, with the highest carbon content in the films grown from TMB and PH3.

Molecular dynamics study of interfacial thermal transport between silicene and substrates.

PubMed

Zhang, Jingchao; Hong, Yang; Tong, Zhen; Xiao, Zhihuai; Bao, Hua; Yue, Yanan

2015-10-07

In this work, the interfacial thermal transport across silicene and various substrates, i.e., crystalline silicon (c-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si), crystalline silica (c-SiO2) and amorphous silica (a-SiO2) are explored by classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A transient pulsed heating technique is applied in this work to characterize the interfacial thermal resistance in all hybrid systems. It is reported that the interfacial thermal resistances between silicene and all substrates decrease nearly 40% with temperature from 100 K to 400 K, which is due to the enhanced phonon couplings from the anharmonicity effect. Analysis of phonon power spectra of all systems is performed to interpret simulation results. Contradictory to the traditional thought that amorphous structures tend to have poor thermal transport capabilities due to the disordered atomic configurations, it is calculated that amorphous silicon and silica substrates facilitate the interfacial thermal transport compared with their crystalline structures. Besides, the coupling effect from substrates can improve the interface thermal transport up to 43.5% for coupling strengths χ from 1.0 to 2.0. Our results provide fundamental knowledge and rational guidelines for the design and development of the next-generation silicene-based nanoelectronics and thermal interface materials.

Corrosion-resistant amorphous metallic films of Mo49Cr33B18 alloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramesham, R.; Distefano, S.; Fitzgerald, D.; Thakoor, A. P.; Khanna, S. K.

1987-01-01

Corrosion-resistant amorphous metallic alloy films of Mo49Cr33B18 with a crystallization temperature of 590 C were deposited onto glass and quartz substrates by magnetron sputter-quench technique. The amorphous nature of the films was confirmed by their diffuse X-ray diffraction patterns. The deposited films are densely packed (zone T) and exhibit low stress and good adhesion to the substrate. Corrosion current of as-deposited coating of MoCrB amorphous metallic alloy is approximately three orders of magnitude less than the corrosion current of 304 stainless steel in 1N H2SO4 solution.

Effect of pH, Surfactant, and Heat Treatment on Morphology, Structure, and Hardness of Electrodeposited Co-P Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeinali-Rad, M.; Allahkaram, S. R.; Mahdavi, S.

2015-09-01

Nano-crystalline and amorphous Co-P coatings were deposited on plain carbon steel substrates by using direct current. Effects of electrolyte pH on morphology, current efficiency, phosphorus content, hardness, and preferred orientation of the nano-crystalline coatings were investigated. Moreover, the effects of heat treatment on microstructure and hardness of the nano-crystalline and the amorphous coatings were studied. The results showed that, phosphorus content and hardness of the nano-crystalline coatings were decreased by increasing of the pH, in spite of a current efficiency enhancement to as much as 98%. Grain size and preferred orientation were also changed from 13 to 31 nm and from mostly [002] to [100] by increasing the pH from 1 to 4, respectively. Smoother coatings and higher current efficiencies were obtained by the addition of 1 g/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to the bath. Highest hardness of the nano-crystalline and the amorphous coatings was about 600 and 750 HV, which increased and reached 760 and 1090 HV after heat treatment, respectively.

Study for new hardmask process scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Daeyoup; Tatti, Phillip; Lee, Richard; Chang, Jack; Cho, Winston; Bae, Sanggil

2017-03-01

Hardmask processes are a key technique to enable low-k semiconductors, but they can have an impact on patterning control, influencing defectivity, alignment, and overlay. Specifically, amorphous carbon layer (ACL) hardmask schemes can negatively affect overlay by creating distorted alignment signals. A new scheme needs to be developed that can be inserted where amorphous carbon is used but provide better alignment performance. Typical spin-on carbon (SOC) materials used in other hardmask schemes have issues with DCD-FCD skew. In this paper we will evaluate new spin-on carbon material with a higher carbon content that could be a candidate to replace amorphous carbon.

Near single-crystalline, high-carrier-mobility silicon thin film on a polycrystalline/amorphous substrate

DOEpatents

Findikoglu, Alp T [Los Alamos, NM; Jia, Quanxi [Los Alamos, NM; Arendt, Paul N [Los Alamos, NM; Matias, Vladimir [Santa Fe, NM; Choi, Woong [Los Alamos, NM

2009-10-27

A template article including a base substrate including: (i) a base material selected from the group consisting of polycrystalline substrates and amorphous substrates, and (ii) at least one layer of a differing material upon the surface of the base material; and, a buffer material layer upon the base substrate, the buffer material layer characterized by: (a) low chemical reactivity with the base substrate, (b) stability at temperatures up to at least about 800.degree. C. under low vacuum conditions, and (c) a lattice crystal structure adapted for subsequent deposition of a semiconductor material; is provided, together with a semiconductor article including a base substrate including: (i) a base material selected from the group consisting of polycrystalline substrates and amorphous substrates, and (ii) at least one layer of a differing material upon the surface of the base material; and, a buffer material layer upon the base substrate, the buffer material layer characterized by: (a) low chemical reactivity with the base substrate, (b) stability at temperatures up to at least about 800.degree. C. under low vacuum conditions, and (c) a lattice crystal structure adapted for subsequent deposition of a semiconductor material, and, a top-layer of semiconductor material upon the buffer material layer.

Near-infrared–driven decomposition of metal precursors yields amorphous electrocatalytic films

PubMed Central

Salvatore, Danielle A.; Dettelbach, Kevan E.; Hudkins, Jesse R.; Berlinguette, Curtis P.

2015-01-01

Amorphous metal-based films lacking long-range atomic order have found utility in applications ranging from electronics applications to heterogeneous catalysis. Notwithstanding, there is a limited set of fabrication methods available for making amorphous films, particularly in the absence of a conducting substrate. We introduce herein a scalable preparative method for accessing oxidized and reduced phases of amorphous films that involves the efficient decomposition of molecular precursors, including simple metal salts, by exposure to near-infrared (NIR) radiation. The NIR-driven decomposition process provides sufficient localized heating to trigger the liberation of the ligand from solution-deposited precursors on substrates, but insufficient thermal energy to form crystalline phases. This method provides access to state-of-the-art electrocatalyst films, as demonstrated herein for the electrolysis of water, and extends the scope of usable substrates to include nonconducting and temperature-sensitive platforms. PMID:26601148

Conformal coating of highly structured surfaces

DOEpatents

Ginley, David S.; Perkins, John; Berry, Joseph; Gennett, Thomas

2012-12-11

Method of applying a conformal coating to a highly structured substrate and devices made by the disclosed methods are disclosed. An example method includes the deposition of a substantially contiguous layer of a material upon a highly structured surface within a deposition process chamber. The highly structured surface may be associated with a substrate or another layer deposited on a substrate. The method includes depositing a material having an amorphous structure on the highly structured surface at a deposition pressure of equal to or less than about 3 mTorr. The method may also include removing a portion of the amorphous material deposited on selected surfaces and depositing additional amorphous material on the highly structured surface.

Synthesis of amorphous carbon from bio-products by drying method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pamungkas, Diajeng I.; Haikal, Anas; Baqiya, Malik A.; Cahyono, Yoyok; Darminto

2018-04-01

Amorphous carbon (a-C) has extensively been studied in the last two decades due to many superior properties. Amorphous carbon was successfully prepared by carbonization of organic compounds exposed up to 200°C. Organic compounds that used in this research were coconut sap, lontar palm sap and their derivatives. The X-ray diffraction pattern shows that carbonization of organic compounds produce amorphous carbon phase at 2θ =20°. The infrared absorption in the region from 500 to 4000 cm-1 were resolved into several peaks, which were assigned to C-H, C=C, C-O, C=O and O-H. Four point probe method was also used to measure the conductivity and band gap of each material, resulting in 1.73 - 29.6 S/m and 0.08 - 0.49 eV respectively.

Investigations of YBa2Cu3O y films sputtered onto a substrate of amorphous quartz with a platinum buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blinova, Yu. V.; Snigirev, O. V.; Porokhov, N. V.; Evlashin, S. A.

2017-10-01

Results of investigations using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy of composite materials made from YBa2Cu3O y films sputtered (using various regimes) onto a substrate of amorphous quartz with a platinum buffer layer, have been given.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2003-06-01

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

Amorphous Carbon-Boron Nitride Nanotube Hybrids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Jae Woo (Inventor); Siochi, Emilie J. (Inventor); Wise, Kristopher E. (Inventor); Lin, Yi (Inventor); Connell, John (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A method for joining or repairing boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). In joining BNNTs, the nanotube structure is modified with amorphous carbon deposited by controlled electron beam irradiation to form well bonded hybrid a-C/BNNT structures. In repairing BNNTs, the damaged site of the nanotube structure is modified with amorphous carbon deposited by controlled electron beam irradiation to form well bonded hybrid a-C/BNNT structures at the damage site.

Synthesis and Electrochemical Properties of Amorphous Carbon Coated Sn Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries and Sodium Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Choi, Ji-Seub; Lee, Hoi-Jin; Ha, Jong-Keun; Cho, Kwon-Koo

2018-09-01

Sn is one of the promising anode material for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries because of Sn has many advantages such as a high theoretical capacity of 994 mAh/g, inexpensive, abundant and nontoxic. However, Sn-based anodes have a critical problem from pulverization of the particles due to large volume change (>300% in lithium-ion battery and 420% in the sodium-ion battery) during alloying/dealloying reaction. To overcome this problem, we fabricate Sn/C particle of core/shell structure. Sn powder was produced by pulsed wire explosion in liquid media, and amorphous carbon coating process was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. The charge capacity of Sn electrode and amorphous carbon coated Sn electrode was 413 mAh/g and 452 mAh/g after 40 cycles in lithium half-cell test. The charge capacity of Sn electrode and amorphous carbon coated Sn electrode was 240 mAh/g and 487 mAh/g after 40 cycles in sodium half-cell test. Amorphous carbon coating contributed to the improvement of capacity in lithium and sodium battery systems. And the effect of amorphous carbon coating in sodium battery system was superior to that in lithium battery system.

The dual exo/endo-type mode and the effect of ionic strength on the mode of catalysis of chitinase 60 (CHI60) from Serratia sp. TU09 and its mutants.

PubMed

Kuttiyawong, K; Nakapong, S; Pichyangkura, R

2008-11-03

Mutations of the tryptophan residues in the tryptophan-track of the N-terminal domain (W33F/Y and W69F/Y) and in the catalytic domain (W245F/Y) of Serratia sp. TU09 Chitinase 60 (CHI60) were constructed, as single and double point substitutions to either phenylalanine or tyrosine. The enzyme-substrate interaction and mode of catalysis, exo/endo-type, of wild type CHI60 and mutant enzymes on soluble (partially N-acetylated chitin), amorphous (colloidal chitin), and crystalline (β-chitin) substrates were studied. All CHI60 mutants exhibited a reduced substrate binding activity on colloidal chitin. CHI60 possesses a dual mode of catalysis with both exo- and endo-type activities allowing the enzyme to work efficiently on various substrate types. CHI60 preferentially uses the endo-type mode on soluble and amorphous substrates and the exo-type mode on crystalline substrate. However, the prevalent mode of hydrolysis mediated by CHI60 is regulated by ionic strength. Slightly elevated ionic strength, 0.1-0.2M NaCl, which promotes enzyme-substrate interactions, enhances CHI60 hydrolytic activity on amorphous substrate and, interestingly, on partially N-acetylated chitin. High ionic strength, 0.5-2.0M NaCl, prevents the enzyme from dissociating from amorphous substrate, occupying the enzyme in an enzyme-substrate non-productive complex. However, on crystalline substrates, the activity of CHI60 was only inhibited approximately 50% at high ionic strength, suggesting that the enzyme hydrolyzes crystalline substrates with an exo-type mode processively while remaining tightly bound to the substrate. Moreover, substitution of Trp-33 to either phenylalanine or tyrosine reduced the activity of the enzyme at high ionic strength, suggesting an important role of Trp-33 on enzyme processivity.

Optical properties of amorphous Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 thin films obtained by metal organic decomposition technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Fei; Xu, Zhimou

2009-08-01

In this study, the amorphous Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 (BST0.7) thin films were grown onto fused quartz and silicon substrates at low temperature by using a metal organic decomposition (MOD)-spin-coating procedure. The optical transmittance spectrum of amorphous BST0.7 thin films on fused quartz substrates has been recorded in the wavelength range 190~900 nm. The films were highly transparent for wavelengths longer than 330 nm; the transmission drops rapidly at 330 nm, and the cutoff wavelength occurs at about 260 nm. In addition, we also report the amorphous BST0.7 thin film groove-buried type waveguides with 90° bent structure fabricated on Si substrates with 1.65 μm thick SiO2 thermal oxide layer. The design, fabrication and optical losses of amorphous BST0.7 optical waveguides were presented. The amorphous BST0.7 thin films were grown onto the SiO2/Si substrates by using a metal organic decomposition (MOD)-spin-coating procedure. The optical propagation losses were about 12.8 and 9.4 dB/cm respectively for the 5 and 10 μm wide waveguides at the wavelength of 632.8 nm. The 90° bent structures with a small curvature of micrometers were designed on the basis of a double corner mirror structure. The bend losses were about 1.2 and 0.9 dB respectively for 5 and 10 μm wide waveguides at the wavelength of 632.8 nm. It is expected for amorphous BST0.7 thin films to be used not only in the passive optical interconnection in monolithic OEICs but also in active waveguide devices on the Si chip.

High rate chemical vapor deposition of carbon films using fluorinated gases

DOEpatents

Stafford, Byron L.; Tracy, C. Edwin; Benson, David K.; Nelson, Arthur J.

1993-01-01

A high rate, low-temperature deposition of amorphous carbon films is produced by PE-CVD in the presence of a fluorinated or other halide gas. The deposition can be performed at less than 100.degree. C., including ambient room temperature, with a radio frequency plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition process. With less than 6.5 atomic percent fluorine incorporated into the amorphous carbon film, the characteristics of the carbon film, including index of refraction, mass density, optical clarity, and chemical resistance are within fifteen percent (15%) of those characteristics for pure amorphous carbon films, but the deposition rates are high.

The kinetic friction of ZnO nanowires on amorphous SiO2 and SiN substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Aditi; Xie, Hongtao; Wang, Shiliang; Huang, Han

2016-12-01

ZnO nanowires were bent on amorphous SiO2 and SiN substrates in an ambient atmosphere using optical nanomanipulation. The kinetic friction between the nanowires and substrate was determined from the bent shape of the nanowires. The kinetic friction force per unit area, i.e. frictional shear stress, for the ZnO/SiO2 and ZnO/SiN nanowire/substrate systems being measured were 1.05 ± 0.28 and 2.08 ± 0.33 MPa, respectively. The surface roughness and the Hamaker constant of SiO2 and SiN substrates had significant effect on the frictional stresses.

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

PubMed Central

Popescu, Andrei C.; Stan, George E.; Duta, Liviu; Nita, Cristina; Popescu, Camelia; Surdu, Vasile-Adrian; Husanu, Marius-Adrian; Bita, Bogdan; Ghisleni, Rudy; Himcinschi, Cameliu; Craciun, Valentin

2015-01-01

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

Enamel-like apatite crown covering amorphous mineral in a crayfish mandible

PubMed Central

Bentov, Shmuel; Zaslansky, Paul; Al-Sawalmih, Ali; Masic, Admir; Fratzl, Peter; Sagi, Amir; Berman, Amir; Aichmayer, Barbara

2012-01-01

Carbonated hydroxyapatite is the mineral found in vertebrate bones and teeth, whereas invertebrates utilize calcium carbonate in their mineralized organs. In particular, stable amorphous calcium carbonate is found in many crustaceans. Here we report on an unusual, crystalline enamel-like apatite layer found in the mandibles of the arthropod Cherax quadricarinatus (freshwater crayfish). Despite their very different thermodynamic stabilities, amorphous calcium carbonate, amorphous calcium phosphate, calcite and fluorapatite coexist in well-defined functional layers in close proximity within the mandible. The softer amorphous minerals are found primarily in the bulk of the mandible whereas apatite, the harder and less soluble mineral, forms a wear-resistant, enamel-like coating of the molar tooth. Our findings suggest a unique case of convergent evolution, where similar functional challenges of mastication led to independent developments of structurally and mechanically similar, apatite-based layers in the teeth of genetically remote phyla: vertebrates and crustaceans. PMID:22588301

Direct growth of single-crystalline III–V semiconductors on amorphous substrates

DOE PAGES

Chen, Kevin; Kapadia, Rehan; Harker, Audrey; ...

2016-01-27

The III–V compound semiconductors exhibit superb electronic and optoelectronic properties. Traditionally, closely lattice-matched epitaxial substrates have been required for the growth of high-quality single-crystal III–V thin films and patterned microstructures. To remove this materials constraint, here we introduce a growth mode that enables direct writing of single-crystalline III–V’s on amorphous substrates, thus further expanding their utility for various applications. The process utilizes templated liquid-phase crystal growth that results in user-tunable, patterned micro and nanostructures of single-crystalline III–V’s of up to tens of micrometres in lateral dimensions. InP is chosen as a model material system owing to its technological importance. Themore » patterned InP single crystals are configured as high-performance transistors and photodetectors directly on amorphous SiO 2 growth substrates, with performance matching state-of-the-art epitaxially grown devices. In conclusion, the work presents an important advance towards universal integration of III–V’s on application-specific substrates by direct growth.« less

Direct growth of single-crystalline III–V semiconductors on amorphous substrates

PubMed Central

Chen, Kevin; Kapadia, Rehan; Harker, Audrey; Desai, Sujay; Seuk Kang, Jeong; Chuang, Steven; Tosun, Mahmut; Sutter-Fella, Carolin M.; Tsang, Michael; Zeng, Yuping; Kiriya, Daisuke; Hazra, Jubin; Madhvapathy, Surabhi Rao; Hettick, Mark; Chen, Yu-Ze; Mastandrea, James; Amani, Matin; Cabrini, Stefano; Chueh, Yu-Lun; Ager III, Joel W.; Chrzan, Daryl C.; Javey, Ali

2016-01-01

The III–V compound semiconductors exhibit superb electronic and optoelectronic properties. Traditionally, closely lattice-matched epitaxial substrates have been required for the growth of high-quality single-crystal III–V thin films and patterned microstructures. To remove this materials constraint, here we introduce a growth mode that enables direct writing of single-crystalline III–V's on amorphous substrates, thus further expanding their utility for various applications. The process utilizes templated liquid-phase crystal growth that results in user-tunable, patterned micro and nanostructures of single-crystalline III–V's of up to tens of micrometres in lateral dimensions. InP is chosen as a model material system owing to its technological importance. The patterned InP single crystals are configured as high-performance transistors and photodetectors directly on amorphous SiO2 growth substrates, with performance matching state-of-the-art epitaxially grown devices. The work presents an important advance towards universal integration of III–V's on application-specific substrates by direct growth. PMID:26813257

Light-induced V{sub oc} increase and decrease in high-efficiency amorphous silicon solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stuckelberger, M., E-mail: michael.stuckelberger@epfl.ch; Riesen, Y.; Despeisse, M.

High-efficiency amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells were deposited with different thicknesses of the p-type amorphous silicon carbide layer on substrates of varying roughness. We observed a light-induced open-circuit voltage (V{sub oc}) increase upon light soaking for thin p-layers, but a decrease for thick p-layers. Further, the V{sub oc} increase is enhanced with increasing substrate roughness. After correction of the p-layer thickness for the increased surface area of rough substrates, we can exclude varying the effective p-layer thickness as the cause of the substrate roughness dependence. Instead, we explain the observations by an increase of the dangling-bond density in both themore » p-layer—causing a V{sub oc} increase—and in the intrinsic absorber layer, causing a V{sub oc} decrease. We present a mechanism for the light-induced increase and decrease, justified by the investigation of light-induced changes of the p-layer and supported by Advanced Semiconductor Analysis simulation. We conclude that a shift of the electron quasi-Fermi level towards the conduction band is the reason for the observed V{sub oc} enhancements, and poor amorphous silicon quality on rough substrates enhances this effect.« less

High Mobility Flexible Amorphous IGZO Thin-Film Transistors with a Low Thermal Budget Ultra-Violet Pulsed Light Process.

PubMed

Benwadih, M; Coppard, R; Bonrad, K; Klyszcz, A; Vuillaume, D

2016-12-21

Amorphous, sol-gel processed, indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) transistors on plastic substrate with a printable gate dielectric and an electron mobility of 4.5 cm 2 /(V s), as well as a mobility of 7 cm 2 /(V s) on solid substrate (Si/SiO 2 ) are reported. These performances are obtained using a low temperature pulsed light annealing technique. Ultraviolet (UV) pulsed light system is an innovative technique compared to conventional (furnace or hot-plate) annealing process that we successfully implemented on sol-gel IGZO thin film transistors (TFTs) made on plastic substrate. The photonic annealing treatment has been optimized to obtain IGZO TFTs with significant electrical properties. Organic gate dielectric layers deposited on this pulsed UV light annealed films have also been optimized. This technique is very promising for the development of amorphous IGZO TFTs on plastic substrates.

Sputtered carbon as a corrosion barrier for x-ray detector windows

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rowley, Joseph; Pei, Lei; Davis, Robert C., E-mail: davis@byu.edu

Sputtered amorphous carbon thin films were explored as corrosion resistant coatings on aluminum thin films to be incorporated into x-ray detector windows. The requirements for this application include high corrosion resistance, low intrinsic stress, high strains at failure, and high x-ray transmission. Low temperature sputtering was used because of its compatibility with the rest of the window fabrication process. Corrosion resistance was tested by exposure of carbon coated and uncoated Al thin films to humidity. Substrate curvature and bulge testing measurements were used to determine intrinsic stress and ultimate strain at failure. The composition and bonding of the carbon filmsmore » were further characterized by electron energy loss spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen elemental analyses. Samples had low compressive stress (down to.08 GPa), a high strain at failure (3%), and a low fraction of sp{sup 3} carbon–carbon bonds (less than 5%). The high breaking strain and excellent x-ray transmission of these sputtered carbon films indicate that they will work well as corrosion barriers in this application.« less

Femtosecond pulsed laser deposition of amorphous, ultrahard boride thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stock, Michael; Molian, Pal

2004-05-01

Amorphous thin films (300-500 nm) of ultrahard AlMgB10 with oxygen and carbon impurities were grown on Si (100) substrates at 300 K using a solid target of AlMgB14 containing a spinel phase (MgAl2O4) and using a 120 fs pulsed, 800 nm wavelength Ti:sapphire laser. The films were subsequently annealed in argon gas up to 1373 K for 2 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the particulate formation, atomic force microscopy was employed to characterize the film surface topography, x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to determine the microstructure, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed to examine the film composition, and nanoindentation was employed to study the hardness of thin films. The as-deposited and postannealed films (up to 1273 K) had a stochiometry of AlMgB10 with a significant amount of oxygen and carbon impurities and exhibited amorphous structures for a maximum hardness of 40+/-3 GPa. However, postannealing at higher temperatures led to crystallization and transformation of the film to SiB6 with a substantial loss in hardness. Results are also compared with our previous study on 23 ns, 248 nm wavelength (KrF excimer) pulsed laser deposition of AlMgB14 reported in this journal [Y. Tian, A. Constant, C. C. H. Lo, J. W. Anderegg, A. M. Russell, J. E. Snyder, and P. A. Molian, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 21, 1055 (2003)]. .

High-quality multilayer graphene on an insulator formed by diffusion controlled Ni-induced layer exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murata, H.; Saitoh, N.; Yoshizawa, N.; Suemasu, T.; Toko, K.

2017-12-01

The Ni-induced layer-exchange growth of amorphous carbon is a unique method used to fabricate uniform multilayer graphene (MLG) directly on an insulator. To improve the crystal quality of MLG, we prepare AlOx or SiO2 interlayers between amorphous C and Ni layers, which control the extent of diffusion of C atoms into the Ni layer. The growth morphology and Raman spectra observed from MLG formed by layer exchange strongly depend on the material type and thickness of the interlayers; a 1-nm-thick AlOx interlayer is found to be ideal for use in experiments. Transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectra reveal that the crystal quality of the resulting MLG is much higher than that of a sample without an interlayer. The grain size reaches a few μm, leading to an electrical conductivity of 1290 S/cm. The grain size and the electrical conductivity are the highest among MLG synthesized using a solid-phase reaction including metal-induced crystallization. The direct synthesis of uniform, high-quality MLG on arbitrary substrates will pave the way for advanced electronic devices integrated with carbon materials.

Cytocompatibility of amorphous hydrogenated carbon nitride films deposited by CH4/N2 dielectric barrier discharge plasmas with respect to cell lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majumdar, Abhijit; Schröder, Karsten; Hippler, Rainer

2008-10-01

Special amorphous hydrogenated carbon nitride (a-H-CNx) films have been prepared on glass substrates for the investigation of adhesion and proliferation of different mammalian cell lines. CH4/N2 dielectric barrier discharge plasmas were applied to deposit a-H-CNx coatings at half of the atmospheric pressure. Film quality was modified by varying the CH4:N2 ratio and deposition duration. Chemical composition was determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The N/C ratio was in the range of 0.20-0.55. A very small surface roughness was verified by atomic force microscopy. Human embryonic kidney (HEK) and rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were cultivated on the a-H-CNx films to investigate the cytocompatibility of these surfaces. The microscopic images show that both kinds of cells lines were unable to survive. The cells did not adhere to the surfaces, and most of the cells died after certain time spans. Increased amounts of nitrogen in the film induce an accelerated cell death. It is concluded, that the deposited CNx film behaves cytotoxic to HEK and PC12 cell lines.

Electrolytic etch for preventing electrical shorts in solar cells on polymer surfaces

DOEpatents

Weber, Michael F.

1991-10-08

A method for preventing shorts and shunts in solar cells having in order, an insulating substrate, a conductive metal layer on the substrate, an amorphous silicon layer and a transparent conductive layer. The method includes anodic etching of exposed portions of the metal layer after deposition of the amorphous silicon and prior to depositing the transparent conductive layer.

Formation of carbon nitride — a novel hard coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chubaci, J. F. D.; Ogata, K.; Fujimoto, F.; Watanabe, S.; Biersack, J. P.

1996-08-01

Increasing efforts have been reported on the formation of carbon nitride. Vapor deposition and simultaneous ion bombardment from accelerators or plasmas (IBAD) proved to be a successful technique for the preparation of this material. In our preparation, the properties of the films were controlled by varying the nitrogen ion energy and the flux composition ratio {C}/{N}. The deposited films with high nitrogen incorporation ( {C}/{N} = 0.6 ˜ 0.7 ) and low implantation energies (< 1.0 keV) showed high Knoop hardnesses of up to 63 GPa. XPS and FT-IR measurements indicated a high fraction of triple bonded CN. X-ray diffraction showed an amorphous structure. Computer simulations by the dynamic TRIM code are used to study the formation parameters, nitrogen ion energy and {C}/{N} ratio. This turned on to be useful in understanding the formation process of the carbon nitride films grown on silicon wafers, fused silica and tungsten carbide substrates.

Electromechanical properties of amorphous In-Zn-Sn-O transparent conducting film deposited at various substrate temperatures on polyimide substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Young Sung; Lee, Eun Kyung; Eun, Kyoungtae; Choa, Sung-Hoon

2015-09-01

The electromechanical properties of the amorphous In-Zn-Sn-O (IZTO) film deposited at various substrate temperatures were investigated by bending, stretching, twisting, and cyclic bending fatigue tests. Amorphous IZTO films were grown on a transparent polyimide substrate using a pulsed DC magnetron sputtering system at different substrate temperatures ranging from room temperature to 200 °C. A single oxide alloyed ceramic target (In2O3: 80 wt %, ZnO: 10 wt %, SnO2: 10 wt % composition) was used. The amorphous IZTO film deposited at 150 °C exhibited an optimized electrical resistivity of 5.8 × 10-4 Ω cm, optical transmittance of 87%, and figure of merit of 8.3 × 10-3 Ω-1. The outer bending tests showed that the critical bending radius decreased as substrate temperature increased. On the other hand, in the inner bending tests, the critical bending radius increased with an increase in substrate temperature. The differences in the bendability of IZTO films for the outer and inner bending tests could be attributed to the internal residual stress of the films. The uniaxial stretching tests also showed the effects of the internal stress on the mechanical flexibility of the film. The bending and stretching test results demonstrated that the IZTO film had higher bendability and stretchability than the conventional ITO film. The IZTO film could withstand 10,000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 10 mm. The effect of the surface roughness on the mechanical durability of all IZTO films was very small due to their very smooth surfaces.

Low-Temperature Growth of Amorphous Silicon Films and Direct Fabrication of Solar Cells on Flexible Polyimide and Photo-Paper Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madaka, Ramakrishna; Kanneboina, Venkanna; Agarwal, Pratima

2018-05-01

Direct deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films and fabrication of solar cells on polyimide (PI) and photo-paper (PP) substrates using a rf-plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique is reported. Intrinsic amorphous silicon films were deposited on PI and PP substrates by varying the substrate temperature (T s) over 70-150°C to optimize the deposition parameters for best quality films. The films deposited on both PI and PP substrates at a temperature as low as 70°C showed a photosensitivity (σ ph/σ d) of nearly 4 orders of magnitude which increased to 5-6 orders of magnitude when the substrate temperature was increased to 130-150°C. The increase in σ ph/σ d is due to the presence of a few nanometer-sized crystallites embedded in the film. Solar cells (n-i-p) were fabricated directly on PI, PP and Corning 1737 glass (Corning) at 150°C for different thicknesses of an intrinsic amorphous silicon layer (i-layer). With the increase in i-layer thickness from 330 nm to 700 nm, the solar cell efficiency was found to increase from 3.81% to 5.02% on the Corning substrate whereas on the flexible PI substrate an increase from 3.38% to 4.38% was observed. On the other hand, in the case of cells on PP, the i-layer thickness was varied from 200 nm to 700 nm and the best cell efficiency 1.54% was obtained for the 200-nm-thick i-layer. The fabrication of a-Si (n-i-p) solar cells on photo-paper is presented for the first time.

Crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films deposited by PECVD on nickel-metalized porous silicon.

PubMed

Ben Slama, Sonia; Hajji, Messaoud; Ezzaouia, Hatem

2012-08-17

Porous silicon layers were elaborated by electrochemical etching of heavily doped p-type silicon substrates. Metallization of porous silicon was carried out by immersion of substrates in diluted aqueous solution of nickel. Amorphous silicon thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on metalized porous layers. Deposited amorphous thin films were crystallized under vacuum at 750°C. Obtained results from structural, optical, and electrical characterizations show that thermal annealing of amorphous silicon deposited on Ni-metalized porous silicon leads to an enhancement in the crystalline quality and physical properties of the silicon thin films. The improvement in the quality of the film is due to the crystallization of the amorphous film during annealing. This simple and easy method can be used to produce silicon thin films with high quality suitable for thin film solar cell applications.

Crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films deposited by PECVD on nickel-metalized porous silicon

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Porous silicon layers were elaborated by electrochemical etching of heavily doped p-type silicon substrates. Metallization of porous silicon was carried out by immersion of substrates in diluted aqueous solution of nickel. Amorphous silicon thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on metalized porous layers. Deposited amorphous thin films were crystallized under vacuum at 750°C. Obtained results from structural, optical, and electrical characterizations show that thermal annealing of amorphous silicon deposited on Ni-metalized porous silicon leads to an enhancement in the crystalline quality and physical properties of the silicon thin films. The improvement in the quality of the film is due to the crystallization of the amorphous film during annealing. This simple and easy method can be used to produce silicon thin films with high quality suitable for thin film solar cell applications. PMID:22901341

A Tunable Molten-Salt Route for Scalable Synthesis of Ultrathin Amorphous Carbon Nanosheets as High-Performance Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Wang, Yixian; Tian, Wei; Wang, Luhai; Zhang, Haoran; Liu, Jialiang; Peng, Tingyue; Pan, Lei; Wang, Xiaobo; Wu, Mingbo

2018-02-14

Amorphous carbon is regarded as a promising alternative to commercial graphite as the lithium-ion battery anode due to its capability to reversibly store more lithium ions. However, the structural disorder with a large number of defects can lead to low electrical conductivity of the amorphous carbon, thus limiting its application for high power output. Herein, ultrathin amorphous carbon nanosheets were prepared from petroleum asphalt through tuning the carbonization temperature in a molten-salt medium. The amorphous nanostructure with expanded carbon interlayer spacing can provide substantial active sites for lithium storage, while the two-dimensional (2D) morphology can facilitate fast electrical conductivity. As a result, the electrodes deliver a high reversible capacity, outstanding rate capability, and superior cycling performance (579 and 396 mAh g -1 at 2 and 5 A g -1 after 900 cycles). Furthermore, full cells consisting of the carbon anodes coupled with LiMn 2 O 4 cathodes exhibit high specific capacity (608 mAh g -1 at 50 mA g -1 ) and impressive cycling stability with slow capacity loss (0.16% per cycle at 200 mA g -1 ). The present study not only paves the way for industrial-scale synthesis of advanced carbon materials for lithium-ion batteries but also deepens the fundamental understanding of the intrinsic mechanism of the molten-salt method.

Endothelialization of TiO2 Nanorods Coated with Ultrathin Amorphous Carbon Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hongpeng; Tang, Nan; Chen, Min; Chen, Dihu

2016-03-01

Carbon plasma nanocoatings with controlled fraction of sp3-C bonding were deposited on TiO2 nanorod arrays (TNAs) by DC magnetic-filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD). The cytocompatibility of TNA/carbon nanocomposites was systematically investigated. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured on the nanocomposites for 4, 24, and 72 h in vitro. It was found that plasma-treated TNAs exhibited excellent cell viability as compared to the untreated. Importantly, our results show that cellular responses positively correlate with the sp3-C content. The cells cultured on high sp3-C-contented substrates exhibit better attachment, shape configuration, and proliferation. These findings indicate that the nanocomposites with high sp3-C content possessed superior cytocompatibility. Notably, the nanocomposites drastically reduced platelet adhesion and activation in our previous studies. Taken together, these findings suggest the TNA/carbon scaffold may serve as a guide for the design of multi-functionality devices that promotes endothelialization and improves hemocompatibility.

Correlation study of nanocrystalline carbon doped thin films prepared by a thermionic vacuum arc deposition technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinca-Balan, Virginia; Vladoiu, Rodica; Mandes, Aurelia; Prodan, Gabriel

2017-11-01

The synthesis of Ag, Mg and Si nanocrystalline, embedded in a hydrogen-free amorphous carbon (a-C) matrix, deposited by a high vacuum and free buffer gas technique, were investigated. The films with compact structures and extremely smooth surfaces were prepared using the thermionic vacuum arc method in one electron gun configuration, on glass and silicon substrates. The surface morphology and wettability of the obtained multifunctional thin films were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and free surface energy (FSE) by See System. The results from the TEM measurements show how the Ag, Mg and Si interacted with carbon and the influence these materials have on the thin film structure formation and the grain size distribution. SEM correlated with EDX results reveal a very precise comparative study, regarding the quantity of the elements that morphed into carbides nanostructures. Also, the FSE results prove how different materials in combination with carbon can make changes to the surface properties.

N-doped amorphous carbon coated Fe3O4/SnO2 coaxial nanofibers as a binder-free self-supported electrode for lithium ion batteries.

PubMed

Xie, Wenhe; Li, Suyuan; Wang, Suiyan; Xue, Song; Liu, Zhengjiao; Jiang, Xinyu; He, Deyan

2014-11-26

N-doped amorphous carbon coated Fe3O4/SnO2 coaxial nanofibers were prepared via a facile approach. The core composite nanofibers were first made by electrospinning technology, then the shells were conformally coated using the chemical bath deposition and subsequent carbonization with polydopamine as a carbon source. When applied as a binder-free self-supported anode for lithium ion batteries, the coaxial nanofibers displayed an enhanced electrochemical storage capacity and excellent rate performance. The morphology of the interwoven nanofibers was maintained even after the rate cycle test. The superior electrochemical performance originates in the structural stability of the N-doped amorphous carbon shells formed by carbonizing polydopamine.

Amorphous Diamond for MEMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, J. P.

2002-03-01

Pure carbon films can exhibit surprising complexity in structure and properties. Amorphous diamond (tetrahedrally-coordinated amorphous carbon) is an amorphous quasi-two phase mixture of four-fold and three-fold coordinated carbon which is produced by pulsed excimer laser deposition, an energetic deposition process that leads to film growth by sub-surface carbon implantation and the creation of local metastability in carbon bonding. Modest annealing, < 900K, produces significant irreversible strain relaxation which is thermally activated with activation energies ranging from < 1 eV to > 2 eV. During annealing the material remains amorphous, but there is a detectable increase in medium-range order as measured by fluctuation microscopy. The strain relaxation permits the residual strain in the films to be reduced to < 0.00001, which is a critical requirement for the fabrication of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Amorphous diamond MEMS have been fabricated in order to evaluate the mechanical properties of this material under tension and flexure, and this has enabled the determination of elastic modulus (800 GPa), tensile strength (8 GPa), and fracture toughness (8 MPa m^1/2). In addition, amorphous diamond MEMS structures have been fabricated to measure internal dissipation and surface adhesion. The high hardness and strength and hydrophobic nature of the surface makes this material particularly suitable for the fabrication of high wear resistance and low stiction MEMS. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., for the U.S. Dept. of Energy under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

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

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zobir, S. A. M.; Nano-SciTech Centre,; Zainal, Z.

2011-03-30

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

Characterization of carbon ion implantation induced graded microstructure and phase transformation in stainless steel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feng, Kai; Wang, Yibo; Li, Zhuguo, E-mail: lizg@sjtu.edu.cn

Austenitic stainless steel 316L is ion implanted by carbon with implantation fluences of 1.2 × 10{sup 17} ions-cm{sup −} {sup 2}, 2.4 × 10{sup 17} ions-cm{sup −} {sup 2}, and 4.8 × 10{sup 17} ions-cm{sup −} {sup 2}. The ion implantation induced graded microstructure and phase transformation in stainless steel is investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The corrosion resistance is evaluated by potentiodynamic test. It is found that the initial phase is austenite with a small amount of ferrite. After low fluence carbon ion implantation, an amorphous layer and ferrite phase enrichedmore » region underneath are formed. Nanophase particles precipitate from the amorphous layer due to energy minimization and irradiation at larger ion implantation fluence. The morphology of the precipitated nanophase particles changes from circular to dumbbell-like with increasing implantation fluence. The corrosion resistance of stainless steel is enhanced by the formation of amorphous layer and graphitic solid state carbon after carbon ion implantation. - Highlights: • Carbon implantation leads to phase transformation from austenite to ferrite. • The passive film on SS316L becomes thinner after carbon ion implantation. • An amorphous layer is formed by carbon ion implantation. • Nanophase precipitate from amorphous layer at higher ion implantation fluence. • Corrosion resistance of SS316L is improved by carbon implantation.« less

Elastic Measurements of Amorphous Silicon Films at mK Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fefferman, Andrew; Maldonado, Ana; Collin, Eddy; Liu, Xiao; Metcalf, Tom; Jernigan, Glenn

2017-06-01

The low-temperature properties of glass are distinct from those of crystals due to the presence of poorly understood low-energy excitations. The tunneling model proposes that these are atoms tunneling between nearby equilibria, forming tunneling two-level systems (TLSs). This model is rather successful, but it does not explain the remarkably universal value of the mechanical dissipation Q^{-1} near 1 K. The only known exceptions to this universality are the Q^{-1} of certain thin films of amorphous silicon, carbon and germanium. Recently, it was found that Q^{-1} of amorphous silicon (a-Si) films can be reduced by two orders of magnitude by increasing the temperature of the substrate during deposition. According to the tunneling model, the reduction in Q^{-1} at 1 K implies a reduction in P0γ 2, where P0 is the density of TLSs and γ is their coupling to phonons. In this preliminary report, we demonstrate elastic measurements of a-Si films down to 20 mK. This will allow us, in future work, to determine whether P0 or γ is responsible for the reduction in Q^{-1} with deposition temperature.

Size and shape dependence of CO adsorption sites on sapphire supported Fe microcrystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Papageorgopoulos, C.; Heinemann, K.

1985-01-01

The surface structure and stoichiometry of alumina substrates, as well as the size, growth characteristics, and shape of Fe deposits on sapphire substrates have been investigated by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), as well as work function measurements, in conjunction with transition electron microscopy observations. The substrates used in this work were the following: (1) new, clean Al2O3; (2) same surface amorphized by Ar ion bombardment; (3) same surface regenerated by 650 C annealing; (4) amorphous alumina films on Ta slab; and (5) polycrystal alumina films, obtained by heating amorphous films to 600 C. Substrate cleaning was found to be most effective in producing a reproducible surface upon oxygen RF plasma treatment. The Fe nucleation and growth process was found to depend strongly on the type of substrate surface and deposition conditions. Ar ion bombardment under beam flooding, and subsequent annealing at 650 C was found an effective means to restore the original Al2O3 (1102) surface for renewed Fe deposition.

High-resolution electron microscope observation of voids in amorphous Ge.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donovan, T. M.; Heinemann, K.

1971-01-01

Electron micrographs have been obtained which clearly show the existence of a void network in amorphous Ge films formed at substrate temperatures of 25 and 150 C, and the absence of a void network in films formed at higher substrate temperatures of 200 and 250 C. These results correlate quite well with density measurements and predictions of void densities by indirect methods.

Synthesis of Poly-Silicon Thin Films on Glass Substrate Using Laser Initiated Metal Induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon for Space Power Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abu-Safe, Husam H.; Naseem, Hameed A.; Brown, William D.

2007-01-01

Poly-silicon thin films on glass substrates are synthesized using laser initiated metal induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films. These films can be used to fabricate solar cells on low cost glass and flexible substrates. The process starts by depositing 200 nm amorphous silicon films on the glass substrates. Following this, 200 nm of sputtered aluminum films were deposited on top of the silicon layers. The samples are irradiated with an argon ion cw laser beam for annealing. Laser power densities ranging from 4 to 9 W/cm2 were used in the annealing process. Each area on the sample is irradiated for a different exposure time. Optical microscopy was used to examine any cracks in the films and loss of adhesion to the substrates. X-Ray diffraction patterns from the initial results indicated the crystallization in the films. Scanning electron microscopy shows dendritic growth. The composition analysis of the crystallized films was conducted using Energy Dispersive x-ray Spectroscopy. The results of poly-silicon films synthesis on space qualified flexible substrates such as Kapton are also presented.

Amorphous silicon solar cell allowing infrared transmission

DOEpatents

Carlson, David E.

1979-01-01

An amorphous silicon solar cell with a layer of high index of refraction material or a series of layers having high and low indices of refraction material deposited upon a transparent substrate to reflect light of energies greater than the bandgap energy of the amorphous silicon back into the solar cell and transmit solar radiation having an energy less than the bandgap energy of the amorphous silicon.

Carbon Nanotubes/Nanofibers by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teo, K. B. K.; Hash, D. B.; Bell, M. S.; Chhowalla, M.; Cruden, B. A.; Amaratunga, G. A. J.; Meyyappan, M.; Milne, W. I.

2005-01-01

Plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) has been recently used for the production of vertically aligned carbon nanotubedfibers (CN) directly on substrates. These structures are potentially important technologically as electron field emitters (e.g. microguns, microwave amplifiers, displays), nanoelectrodes for sensors, filter media, superhydrophobic surfaces and thermal interface materials for microelectronics. A parametric study on the growth of CN grown by glow discharge dc-PECVD is presented. In this technique, a substrate containing thin film Ni catalyst is exposed to C2H2 and NH3 gases at 700 C. Without plasma, this process is essentially thermal CVD which produces curly spaghetti-like CN as seen in Fig. 1 (a). With the plasma generated by biasing the substrate at -6OOV, we observed that the CN align vertically during growth as shown in Fig. l(b), and that the magnitude of the applied substrate bias affects the degree of alignment. The thickness of the thin film Ni catalyst was found to determine the average diameter and inversely the length of the CN. The yield and density of the CN were controlled by the use of different diffusion barrier materials under the Ni catalyst. Patterned CN growth [Fig. l(c)], with la variation in CN diameter of 4.1% and 6.3% respectively, is achieved by lithographically defining the Ni thin film prior to growth. The shape of the structures could be varied from very straight nanotube-like to conical tip-like nanofibers by increasing the ratio of C2H2 in the gas flow. Due to the plasma decomposition of C2H2, amorphous carbon (a-C) is an undesirable byproduct which could coat the substrate during CN growth. Using a combination of depth profiled Auger electron spectroscopy to study the substrate and in-situ mass spectroscopy to examine gas phase neutrals and ions, the optimal conditions for a-C free growth of CN is determined.

Understanding the corrosion behavior of amorphous multiple-layer carbon coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Lei; Gao, Ying; Xu, Yongxian; Zhang, Renhui; Madkour, Loutfy H.; Yang, Yingchang

2018-04-01

The corrosion behavior of multiple-layer carbon coating that contained hydrogen, fluorine and silicon, possessed dual amorphous structure with sutured interfaces was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedances (ETS) in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The coating exhibited good resistance to corrosion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution due to its amorphous and dense structures.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Cheng; Fan, Xue; Diao, Dongfeng

2016-10-01

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

Amorphous metallizations for high-temperature semiconductor device applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiley, J. D.; Perepezko, J. H.; Nordman, J. E.; Kang-Jin, G.

1981-01-01

The initial results of work on a class of semiconductor metallizations which appear to hold promise as primary metallizations and diffusion barriers for high temperature device applications are presented. These metallizations consist of sputter-deposited films of high T sub g amorphous-metal alloys which (primarily because of the absence of grain boundaries) exhibit exceptionally good corrosion-resistance and low diffusion coefficients. Amorphous films of the alloys Ni-Nb, Ni-Mo, W-Si, and Mo-Si were deposited on Si, GaAs, GaP, and various insulating substrates. The films adhere extremely well to the substrates and remain amorphous during thermal cycling to at least 500 C. Rutherford backscattering and Auger electron spectroscopy measurements indicate atomic diffussivities in the 10 to the -19th power sq cm/S range at 450 C.

Increased calcium absorption from synthetic stable amorphous calcium carbonate: Double-blind randomized crossover clinical trial in post-menopausal women

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Calcium supplementation is a widely recognized strategy for achieving adequate calcium intake. We designed this blinded, randomized, crossover interventional trial to compare the bioavailability of a new stable synthetic amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) with that of crystalline calcium carbonate (C...

Epitaxial growth of mosaic diamond: Mapping of stress and defects in crystal junction with a confocal Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Guoyang; Dai, Bing; Ralchenko, V. G.; Khomich, A. A.; Ashkinazi, E. E.; Bolshakov, A. P.; Bokova-Sirosh, S. N.; Liu, Kang; Zhao, Jiwen; Han, Jiecai; Zhu, Jiaqi

2017-04-01

We studied defects and stress distributions in mosaic epitaxial diamond film using a confocal Raman spectroscopy, with a special attention to the junction area between the crystals. The mosaics was grown by microwave plasma CVD on closely arranged (1 0 0)-oriented HPHT type Ib substrates. The width of stress affected and defect enriched region around the junction show a tendency of extending with the film thickness, from ≈40 μm on the film-substrate interface to ≈250 μm in the layer 500 μm above the substrate, as found from the mosaics analysis in cross-section. The stress field around the junction demonstrates a complex pattern, with mixed domains of tensile and compressive stress, with maximum value of σ ≈ 0.6 GPa. A similar non-uniform pattern was observed for defect distribution as well. No sign of amorphous sp2 carbon in the junction zone was revealed.

Thermal stability of trapped hydrogen in amorphous carbon thin films on Si substrate using ion beam scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, A.; Tecos, G.; Nandasiri, M. I.; Garratt, E.; Wickey, K. J.; Gao, X.; Kayani, A.

2009-11-01

Unbalanced magnetron sputtering deposition of C-H films has been performed with various levels of negative substrate bias and with a fixed flow rate of hydrogen. Argon was used as a sputtering gas and formed the majority of the gas in the plasma. The effect of hydrogenation on the final concentration of trapped elements and their thermal stability with respect to hydrogen content is studied using ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques. The elemental concentrations of the films were measured in samples deposited on silicon substrates with a 3.3 MeV of He++ beam used to perform Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), Non-Rutherford backscattering Spectroscopy (NRBS) and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA). Thermal stability with respect to trapped hydrogen in the film has been studied. As the films were heated in-situ in the vacuum using a o non-gassy button heater, hydrogen was found to be decreasing around 400° C.

Synthesis and Characterization of Zr-BASED Amorphous and Crystalline Composite Coating on Ti Substrate by Laser Cladding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, D. M.; Zhang, D. C.; Peng, W.; Luo, Z. C.; Wu, X. Q.; Wang, Y. M.; Lin, J. G.

2014-02-01

A thin strip of a Zr-based alloy with a composition of Zr60Cu25Fe5Al10 (in atom percent) was used as a raw material, and the composite coatings containing Zr-based amorphous phase and crystallites on Ti substrate were fabricated by a one-step laser cladding method without protection. The microstructure, phase constitution, microhardness and wear properties of the coatings were investigated. The results indicate that the microstructure of the coatings is strongly dependent on the laser scanning speed under the conditions of the laser power of 1300 W and laser beam diameter of 6 mm, and the composite coating mainly containing amorphous phase with a small amount of the crystallites can be obtained at the laser scanning speed of 10 mm/s. The composite coating exhibits much higher microhardness than the pure Ti substrate, and thus it behaves superior wear resistance in comparison with the substrate.

Direct observation of small cluster mobility and ripening. [during annealing of metal films on amorphous substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinemann, K.; Poppa, H.

1975-01-01

Direct evidence is reported for the simultaneous occurrence of Ostwald ripening and short-distance cluster mobility during annealing of discontinuous metal films on clean amorphous substrates. The annealing characteristics of very thin particulate deposits of silver on amorphized clean surfaces of single crystalline thin graphite substrates were studied by in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) under controlled environmental conditions (residual gas pressure of 10 to the minus 9th power torr) in the temperature range from 25 to 450 C. Sputter cleaning of the substrate surface, metal deposition, and annealing were monitored by TEM observation. Pseudostereographic presentation of micrographs in different annealing stages, the observation of the annealing behavior at cast shadow edges, and measurements with an electronic image analyzing system were employed to aid the visual perception and the analysis of changes in deposit structure recorded during annealing. Slow Ostwald ripening was found to occur in the entire temperature range, but the overriding surface transport mechanism was short-distance cluster mobility.

Low-Temperature Synthesis of Hierarchical Amorphous Basic Nickel Carbonate Particles for Water Oxidation Catalysis.

PubMed

Yang, Yisu; Liang, Fengli; Li, Mengran; Rufford, Thomas E; Zhou, Wei; Zhu, Zhonghua

2015-07-08

Amorphous nickel carbonate particles are catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which plays a critical role in the electrochemical splitting of water. The amorphous nickel carbonate particles can be prepared at a temperature as low as 60 °C by an evaporation-induced precipitation (EIP) method. The products feature hierarchical pore structures. The mass-normalized activity of the catalysts, measured at an overpotential of 0.35 V, was 55.1 A g(-1) , with a Tafel slope of only 60 mV dec(-1) . This catalytic activity is superior to the performance of crystalline NiOx particles and β-Ni(OH)2 particles, and compares favorably to state-of-the-art RuO2 catalysts. The activity of the amorphous nickel carbonate is remarkably stable during a 10 000 s chronoamperometry test. Further optimization of synthesis parameters reveals that the amorphous structure can be tuned by adjusting the H2 O/Ni ratio in the precursor mixture. These results suggest the potential application of easily prepared hierarchical basic nickel carbonate particles as cheap and robust OER catalysts with high activity. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Thermally activated diffusion of copper into amorphous carbon

DOE PAGES

Appy, David; Wallingford, Mark; Jing, Dapeng; ...

2017-07-11

Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the authors characterize the thermally activated changes that occur when Cu is deposited on amorphous carbon supported on Si at 300 K, then heated to 800 K. The authors compare data for Cu on the basal plane of graphite with pinning defects, where scanning tunneling microscopy reveals that coarsening is the main process in this temperature range. Coarsening begins at 500–600 K and causes moderate attenuation of the Cu photoelectron signal. For Cu on amorphous carbon, heating to 800 K causes Cu to diffuse into the bulk of the film, based on the strong attenuation ofmore » the Cu signal. Diffusion into the bulk of the amorphous carbon film is confirmed by changes in the shape of the Cu 2 p inelastic tail, and by comparison of attenuation between Cu 2 p and Cu 3 p lines. The magnitude of the photoelectron signal attenuation is compatible with Cu distributed homogeneously throughout the amorphous carbon film, and is not compatible with Cu at or below the C–Si interface under the conditions of our experiments. As a result, desorption is not significant at temperatures up to 800 K.« less

Transformation mechanism of amorphous calcium carbonate into calcite in the sea urchin larval spicule.

PubMed

Politi, Yael; Metzler, Rebecca A; Abrecht, Mike; Gilbert, Benjamin; Wilt, Fred H; Sagi, Irit; Addadi, Lia; Weiner, Steve; Gilbert, P U P A; Gilbert, Pupa

2008-11-11

Sea urchin larval spicules transform amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) into calcite single crystals. The mechanism of transformation is enigmatic: the transforming spicule displays both amorphous and crystalline properties, with no defined crystallization front. Here, we use X-ray photoelectron emission spectromicroscopy with probing size of 40-200 nm. We resolve 3 distinct mineral phases: An initial short-lived, presumably hydrated ACC phase, followed by an intermediate transient form of ACC, and finally the biogenic crystalline calcite phase. The amorphous and crystalline phases are juxtaposed, often appearing in adjacent sites at a scale of tens of nanometers. We propose that the amorphous-crystal transformation propagates in a tortuous path through preexisting 40- to 100-nm amorphous units, via a secondary nucleation mechanism.

Optical and Structural Properties of Microcrystalline GaN on an Amorphous Substrate Prepared by a Combination of Molecular Beam Epitaxy and Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Min, Jung-Wook; Hwang, Hyeong-Yong; Kang, Eun-Kyu

2016-05-01

Microscale platelet-shaped GaN grains were grown on amorphous substrates by a combined epitaxial growth method of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). First, MBE GaN was grown on an amorphous substrate as a pre-orienting layer and its structural properties were investigated. Second, MOCVD grown GaN samples using the different growth techniques of planar and selective area growth (SAG) were comparatively investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cathodoluminescence (CL), and photoluminescence (PL). In MOCVD planar GaN, strong bound exciton peaks dominated despite the high density of the threading dislocations (TDs). In MOCVD SAG GaN, on the othermore » hand, TDs were clearly reduced with bending, but basal stacking fault (BSF) PL peaks were observed at 3.42 eV. The combined epitaxial method not only provides a deep understanding of the growth behavior but also suggests an alternative approach for the growth of GaN on amorphous substances.« less

Trace metal bioavailability: Modeling chemical and biological interactions of sediment-bound zinc

USGS Publications Warehouse

Luoma, S. N.; Bryan, G.W.; Jenne, Everett A.

1979-01-01

Extractable concentrations of sediment-bound Zn, as modified by the physicochemical form of the metal in the sediments, controlled Zn concentrations in the deposit-feeding bivalvesScrobicularia plana (collected from 40 stations in 17 estuaries in southwest England) andMacoma balthica (from 28 stations in San Francisco Bay). Over a wide range of concentrations, a significant correlation was found between ammonium acetate-soluble concentrations of Zn in sediments and Zn concentrations in Scrobicularia. This correlation was insufficiently precise to be of predictive value for Scrobicularia, and did not hold for Macoma over the narrower range of Zn concentrations observed in San Francisco Bay. Strong correlation of Zn concentrations inScrobicularia and the bioavailability of sediment-bound Zn to Macoma with ratios of sorption substrate (oxides of iron and manganese, organic carbon, carbonates, humic materials) concentrations in sediments were found in both the English and San Francisco Bay study areas. These correlations were attributed to substrate competition for sorption of Zn within sediments, assuming: 1) competition for sorption of Zn was largely controlled by the relative concentrations of substrates present in the sediments and 2) the bioavailability of Zn to the deposit feeders was determined by the partitioning of Zn among the substrates. The correlations indicated that the availability of Zn to the bivalves increased when concentrations of either amorphous inorganic oxides or humic substances increased in sediments. Availability was reduced at increased concentrations of organic carbon and, in San Francisco Bay, ammonium acetate-soluble Mn. Concentrations of biologically available Zn in solution and low salinities may also have enhanced Zn uptake, although the roles of these variables were less obvious from the statistical analysis.

Preferred orientations of laterally grown silicon films over amorphous substrates using the vapor-liquid-solid technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeBoeuf, J. L.; Brodusch, N.; Gauvin, R.; Quitoriano, N. J.

2014-12-01

A novel method has been optimized so that adhesion layers are no longer needed to reliably deposit patterned gold structures on amorphous substrates. Using this technique allows for the fabrication of amorphous oxide templates known as micro-crucibles, which confine a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) catalyst of nominally pure gold to a specific geometry. Within these confined templates of amorphous materials, faceted silicon crystals have been grown laterally. The novel deposition technique, which enables the nominally pure gold catalyst, involves the undercutting of an initial chromium adhesion layer. Using electron backscatter diffraction it was found that silicon nucleated in these micro-crucibles were 30% single crystals, 45% potentially twinned crystals and 25% polycrystals for the experimental conditions used. Single, potentially twinned, and polycrystals all had an aversion to growth with the {1 0 0} surface parallel to the amorphous substrate. Closer analysis of grain boundaries of potentially twinned and polycrystalline samples revealed that the overwhelming majority of them were of the 60° Σ3 coherent twin boundary type. The large amount of coherent twin boundaries present in the grown, two-dimensional silicon crystals suggest that lateral VLS growth occurs very close to thermodynamic equilibrium. It is suggested that free energy fluctuations during growth or cooling, and impurities were the causes for this twinning.

Nucleation and Epitaxy-Mediated Phase Transformation of a Precursor Cadmium Carbonate Phase at the Calcite/Water Interface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riechers, Shawn L.; Rosso, Kevin M.; Kerisit, Sebastien N.

Mineral nucleation can be catalyzed by the presence of mineral substrates; however, the mechanisms of heterogeneous nucleation remain poorly understood. A combination of in situ time-sequenced measurements and nano-manipulation experiments were performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe the mechanisms of heteroepitaxial nucleation of otavite (CdCO3) on calcite (CaCO3) single crystals that exposed the (10-14) surface. Otavite and calcite are isostructural carbonates that display a 4% lattice mismatch, based on their (10-14) surface areas. AFM observations revealed a two-stage process in the nucleation of cadmium carbonate surface precipitates. As evidenced by changes in height, shape, growth behavior, and frictionmore » signal of the precipitates, a precursor phase was observed to initially form on the surface and subsequently undergo an epitaxy-mediated phase transformation to otavite, which then grew epitaxially. Nano-manipulation experiments, in which the applied force was increased progressively until precipitates were removed from the surface, showed that adhesion of the precursor phase to the substrate was distinctively weaker than that of the epitaxial phase, consistent with that of an amorphous phase. These findings demonstrate for the first time that heterogeneous mineral nucleation can follow a non-classical pathway like that found in homogenous aqueous conditions.« less

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2007-12-01

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

The mineral phase in the cuticles of two species of Crustacea consists of magnesium calcite, amorphous calcium carbonate, and amorphous calcium phosphate.

PubMed

Becker, Alexander; Ziegler, Andreas; Epple, Matthias

2005-05-21

The cuticules (shells) of the woodlice Porcellio scaber and Armadillidium vulgare were analysed with respect to their content of inorganic material. It was found that the cuticles consist of crystalline magnesium calcite, amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), besides small amounts of water and an organic matrix. It is concluded that the cuticle, which constitutes a mineralized protective organ, is chemically adapted to the biological requirements by this combination of different materials.

Creation and formation mechanism of new carbon phases constructed by amorphous carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Mingguang; Cui, Wen; Liu, Bingbing

Our recent effort is focusing on the creation of new hard/superhard carbon phases constructed by disordered carbons or amorphous carbon clusters under high pressure. We showed that the pressure-induced amorphous hard carbon clusters from collapsed fullerenes can be used as building blocks (BBs) for constructing novel carbon structures. This new strategy has been verified by compressing a series of intercalated fullerides, pre-designed by selecting various dopants with special features. We demonstrate that the boundaries of the amorphous BBs are mediated by intercalated dopants and several new superhard materials have been prepared. We also found that the dopant-mediated BBs can be arranged in either ordered or disordered structures, both of which can be hard enough to indent the diamond anvils. The hardening mechanisms of the new phases have also been discussed. For the glassy carbon (GC) constructructed by disordered fullerene-like nanosized fragments, we also found that these disordered fragments can bond and the compressed GC transformed into a transparent superhard phase. Such pressure-induced transformation has been discovered to be driven by a novel mechanism (unpublished). By understanding the mechanisms we can clarify the controversial results on glassy carbon reported recently. The authors would like to thank the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11474121, 51320105007).

Amorphous calcium carbonate controls avian eggshell mineralization: A new paradigm for understanding rapid eggshell calcification.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Navarro, Alejandro B; Marie, Pauline; Nys, Yves; Hincke, Maxwell T; Gautron, Joel

2015-06-01

Avian eggshell mineralization is the fastest biogenic calcification process known in nature. How this is achieved while producing a highly crystalline material composed of large calcite columnar single crystals remains largely unknown. Here we report that eggshell mineral originates from the accumulation of flat disk-shaped amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) particles on specific organic sites on the eggshell membrane, which are rich in proteins and sulfated proteoglycans. These structures known as mammillary cores promote the nucleation and stabilization of a amorphous calcium carbonate with calcitic short range order which predetermine the calcite composition of the mature eggshell. The amorphous nature of the precursor phase was confirmed by the diffuse scattering of X-rays and electrons. The nascent calcitic short-range order of this transient mineral phase was revealed by infrared spectroscopy and HRTEM. The ACC mineral deposited around the mammillary core sites progressively transforms directly into calcite crystals without the occurrence of any intermediate phase. Ionic speciation data suggest that the uterine fluid is equilibrated with amorphous calcium carbonate, throughout the duration of eggshell mineralization process, supporting that this mineral phase is constantly forming at the shell mineralization front. On the other hand, the transient amorphous calcium carbonate mineral deposits, as well as the calcite crystals into which they are converted, form by the ordered aggregation of nanoparticles that support the rapid mineralization of the eggshell. The results of this study alter our current understanding of avian eggshell calcification and provide new insights into the genesis and formation of calcium carbonate biominerals in vertebrates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shih-Jye; Hsu, Hua-Shu; Ovchinnikov, Sergei; Chen, Guan-Long

2017-06-01

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

Transformation mechanism of amorphous calcium carbonate into calcite in the sea urchin larval spicule

PubMed Central

Politi, Yael; Metzler, Rebecca A.; Abrecht, Mike; Gilbert, Benjamin; Wilt, Fred H.; Sagi, Irit; Addadi, Lia; Weiner, Steve; Gilbert, P. U. P. A.

2008-01-01

Sea urchin larval spicules transform amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) into calcite single crystals. The mechanism of transformation is enigmatic: the transforming spicule displays both amorphous and crystalline properties, with no defined crystallization front. Here, we use X-ray photoelectron emission spectromicroscopy with probing size of 40–200 nm. We resolve 3 distinct mineral phases: An initial short-lived, presumably hydrated ACC phase, followed by an intermediate transient form of ACC, and finally the biogenic crystalline calcite phase. The amorphous and crystalline phases are juxtaposed, often appearing in adjacent sites at a scale of tens of nanometers. We propose that the amorphous-crystal transformation propagates in a tortuous path through preexisting 40- to 100-nm amorphous units, via a secondary nucleation mechanism. PMID:18987314

Hydrogenation effects on carrier transport in boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond/amorphous carbon films prepared by coaxial arc plasma deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Katamune, Yūki, E-mail: yuki-katamune@kyudai.jp; Takeichi, Satoshi; Ohmagari, Shinya

2015-11-15

Boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond/hydrogenated amorphous carbon composite (UNCD/a-C:H) films were deposited by coaxial arc plasma deposition with a boron-blended graphite target at a base pressure of <10{sup −3} Pa and at hydrogen pressures of ≤53.3 Pa. The hydrogenation effects on the electrical properties of the films were investigated in terms of chemical bonding. Hydrogen-scattering spectrometry showed that the maximum hydrogen content was 35 at. % for the film produced at 53.3-Pa hydrogen pressure. The Fourier-transform infrared spectra showed strong absorptions by sp{sup 3} C–H bonds, which were specific to the UNCD/a-C:H, and can be attributed to hydrogen atoms terminating the dangling bondsmore » at ultrananocrystalline diamond grain boundaries. Temperature-dependence of the electrical conductivity showed that the films changed from semimetallic to semiconducting with increasing hydrogen pressure, i.e., with enhanced hydrogenation, probably due to hydrogenation suppressing the formation of graphitic bonds, which are a source of carriers. Carrier transport in semiconducting hydrogenated films can be explained by a variable-range hopping model. The rectifying action of heterojunctions comprising the hydrogenated films and n-type Si substrates implies carrier transport in tunneling.« less

Carbon atom clusters in random covalent networks: PAHs as an integral component of interstellar HAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, A. P.

1990-11-01

Using a random covalent network (RCN) model for the structure of hydrogenated amorphorous carbon (HAC) and the available laboratory data, it is shown that aromatic species are a natural consequence of the structure of amorphous carbons formed in the laboratory. Amorphous carbons in the interstellar medium are therefore likely to contain a significant fraction of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) species within the 'amorphous' matrix making up these materials. This aromatic component can be produced in situ during the accretion of gas phase carbon species on to grains in the interstellar medium under hydrogen-poor conditions, or subsequent to deposition as a result of photolysis (photodarkening). The fraction of interstellar carbon present in HAC in the form of PAHs, based upon a RCN model, is consistent with the observed Unidentified infrared (UIR) emission features.

Hydrogenated nanostructure boron doped amorphous carbon films by DC bias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishak, A.; Dayana, K.; Saurdi, I.; Malek, M. F.; Rusop, M.

2018-03-01

Hydrogenated nanostructure-boron doped amorphous carbon thin film carbon was deposited at different negative bias using custom-made deposition bias assisted-CVD. Solid of boron and palm oil were used as dopant and carbon source, respectively. The hydrogenated nanostructure amorphous films were characterized by Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, while the photo-response studies of thin film is done by I-V measurement under light measurement. The results showed the carbon film were in nanostructure with hydrogen and boron might be incorporated in the film. The Raman spectra observed the increase of upward shift of D and G peaks as negative bias increased which related to the structural change as boron incorporated in carbon network. These structural changes were further correlated with photo-response study and the results obtained are discussed and compared.

Amorphous metal alloy

DOEpatents

Wang, R.; Merz, M.D.

1980-04-09

Amorphous metal alloys of the iron-chromium and nickel-chromium type have excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature stability and are suitable for use as a protective coating on less corrosion resistant substrates. The alloys are stabilized in the amorphous state by one or more elements of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, and tungsten. The alloy is preferably prepared by sputter deposition.

Fabrication and characterization of DLC coated microdimples on hip prosthesis heads.

PubMed

Choudhury, Dipankar; Ay Ching, Hee; Mamat, Azuddin Bin; Cizek, Jan; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan; Vrbka, Martin; Hartl, Martin; Krupka, Ivan

2015-07-01

Diamond like carbon (DLC) is applied as a thin film onto substrates to obtain desired surface properties such as increased hardness and corrosion resistance, and decreased friction and wear rate. Microdimple is an advanced surface modification technique enhancing the tribological performance. In this study, DLC coated microdimples were fabricated on hip prosthesis heads and their mechanical, material and surface properties were characterized. An Electro discharge machining (EDM) oriented microdrilling was utilized to fabricate a defined microdimple array (diameter of 300 µm, depth of 70 µm, and pitch of 900 µm) on stainless steel (SS) hip prosthesis heads. The dimpled surfaces were then coated by hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (Ta-C) layers by using a magnetron sputtering technology. A preliminary tribology test was conducted on these fabricated surfaces against a ceramic ball in simulated hip joint conditions. It was found that the fabricated dimples were perpendicular to the spherical surfaces and no cutting-tools wear debris was detected inside the individual dimples. The a-C:H and Ta-C coatings increased the hardness at both the dimple edges and the nondimpled region. The tribology test showed a significant reduction in friction coefficient for coated surfaces regardless of microdimple arrays: the lowest friction coefficient was found for the a-C:H samples (µ = 0.084), followed by Ta-C (µ = 0.119), as compared to the SS surface (µ = 0.248). © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers supported Ru nanoparticles for flexible Li-O2 battery: A combined DFT and experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jingbo; Mi, Hongwei; Luo, Shan; Li, Yongliang; Zhang, Peixin; Deng, Libo; Sun, Lingna; Ren, Xiangzhong

2017-11-01

Flexible Li-O2 batteries have attracted worldwide research interests and been considered to be potential alternatives for the next-generation flexible devices. Nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (N-CNFs) prepared by electrospinning are used as flexible substrate and an amorphous TiO2 layer is coated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and then decorated with Ru nanoparticles. The Ru/N-CNFs@TiO2 composite is directly used as a free-standing electrode for Li-O2 batteries and the electrode delivers a high specific capacity, improved round-trip efficiency and good cycling ability. The superior electrochemical performance can be attributed to the amorphous TiO2 protecting layer and superior catalytic activity of Ru nanoparticles. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations from first principles, the carbon electrode after coating with TiO2 is more stable during discharge/charge process. The analysis of Li2O2 on three different interfaces (Li2O2/N-CNFs, Li2O2/TiO2, and Li2O2/Ru) indicates that the electron transport capacity was higher on Ru and TiO2 compared with N-CNFs, therefore, Li2O2 could be formed and decomposed more easily on the Ru/N-CNFs@TiO2 cathode. This work paves a way to develop the free-standing cathode materials for the future development of high-performance flexible energy storage systems.

Surface modification by carbon ion implantation for the application of ni-based amorphous alloys as bipolar plate in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Min-Uk; Kim, Do-Hyang; Han, Seung-hee; Fleury, Eric; Seok, Hyun-Kwang; Cha, Pil-Ryung; Kim, Yu-Chan

2011-04-01

Ni-based amorphous alloys with surface modification by carbon ion implantation are proposed as an alternative bipolar plate material for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Both Ni60Nb20Ti10Zr10 alloys with and without carbon ion implantation have corrosion resistance as good as graphite as well as much lower contact resistance than 316L stainless steel in the PEMFC environment. The formation of conductive surface carbide due to carbon ion implantation results in a decrease in the contact resistance to a level comparable to that of graphite. This combination of excellent properties indicates that carbon ion implanted Ni-based amorphous alloys can be potential candidate materials for bipolar plates in PEMFCs.

Structural Coloration of a Colloidal Amorphous Array is Intensified by Carbon Nanolayers.

PubMed

Takeoka, Yukikazu; Iwata, Masanori; Seki, Takahiro; Nueangnoraj, Khanin; Nishihara, Hirotomo; Yoshioka, Shinya

2018-04-10

In this study, we introduce the possibility of applying a colloidal amorphous array composed of fine silica particles as a structural-color material to invisible information technology. The appearance of a thick filmlike colloidal amorphous array formed from fine silica particles is considerably influenced by incoherent light scattering across the entire visible region. Therefore, regardless of the diameter of the fine silica particles, the thick colloidal amorphous array exhibits a white color to the naked eye. When carbon is uniformly deposited in the colloidal amorphous array by a pressure-pulsed chemical vapor deposition method, incoherent light scattering in the colloidal amorphous array is suppressed. As a result, coherent light scattering due to the short-range order in the colloidal amorphous array becomes conspicuous and the array exhibits a vivid structural color. As structures, such as letters and pictures, can be drawn using this technology, the colloidal amorphous array as a structural-colored material may also be applicable for invisible information technology.

Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanofilms for chemical sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Vivek

Carbon nanofilms obtained by high temperature graphitization of diamond surface in inert atmospheres or vacuum are modified by treatment in plasma of different precursor gases. At temperatures above 1000 °C, a stable conductive film of thickness between 10 - 100 nm and specific resistivity 10-3-10-4 Ωm, depending upon the heating conditions and the growth atmosphere, is formed on diamond surface. A gray, thin film of high surface resistivity is obtained in high vacuum, while at low vacuum (below 10-4 mbar), a thick black film of low surface resistivity forms. It is observed that the exposure to plasma reduces the surface conductance of carbon nanofilms as result of a partial removal of carbon and the plasma-stimulated amorphization. The rate of the reduction of conductance and hence the etching ability of plasma depends on the type of precursor gas. Hydrogen reveals the strongest etching ability, followed by oxygen and argon, whereas SF6 is ineffective. The carbon nanofilms show significant sensitivity of their electrical conductance to temperature and exposure to the vapors of common organic compounds. The oxygen plasma treated films exhibit selective response to acetone and water vapors. The fast response and recovery of the conductance are the features of the carbon nanofilms. The plasma-treated carbon nanofilm on graphitized diamond surface is discussed as a promising sensing material for development of all-carbon chemical sensors, which may be suitable for biological and medical applications. An alternative approach of fabrication of temperature and chemical sensitive carbon nanofilms on insulating substrates is proposed. The films are obtained by direct deposition of sputtered carbon on highly polished quartz substrates followed by subsequent annealing at temperatures above 400 °C. It is observed that the as-deposited films are essentially amorphous, while the heating induces irreversible structural ordering and gradual conversion of amorphous carbon in disordered graphite. This evolution is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and electrical measurements. The carbon nanofilms grown on diamond and deposited on quartz both show similar exponential dependence of their conductance on temperature, which is essentially different from the usual behavior of the thermally activated conduction and the conduction due to variable range hopping of charge carriers. The observed exponential dependence of conductance is explained by a model based on the thermally vibrating energy barriers. The as-grown nanofilms on diamond surface show a negative response (decrease in conductance) to the vapors of acetone, toluene and hexane, and a positive response (increase in conductance) to the water vapor. Sensitivity (relative change in conductance) to toluene is greater than to water, acetone, and hexane, in that order. Plasma exposure alters the sensitivity to positive for all the organic vapors. Overall, an increase in sensitivity is observed with the plasma exposure time. For acetone and water, an increased exponential dependence on vapor concentration is also observed. The exposure to oxygen plasma renders the carbon films on diamond selectively sensitive to acetone and water vapors. The hydrogen plasma exposure makes the films selectively sensitive to toluene vapor. It is found that the carbon nanofilms on quartz have p-type conductivity, as indicated by the opposite response to NO2 and NH3 analytes. NO2, a known electron acceptor, increases the conductance. NH3, a known electron donor, decreases the conductance. The phenomenological description of the chemical sensitivity of the carbon nanofilms σ = β/τ is proposed as a function of two main parameters: the time constant τ and the maximum relative change in conductance β. τ and β are described as the parameters related to the surface and bulk material properties of the films, respectively.

High performance n-channel thin-film transistors with an amorphous phase C60 film on plastic substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Na, Jong H.; Kitamura, M.; Arakawa, Y.

2007-11-01

We fabricated high mobility, low voltage n-channel transistors on plastic substrates by combining an amorphous phase C60 film and a high dielectric constant gate insulator titanium silicon oxide (TiSiO2). The transistors exhibited high performance with a threshold voltage of 1.13V, an inverse subthreshold swing of 252mV/decade, and a field-effect mobility up to 1cm2/Vs at an operating voltage as low as 5V. The amorphous phase C60 films can be formed at room temperature, implying that this transistor is suitable for corresponding n-channel transistors in flexible organic logic devices.

Deposition of device quality low H content, amorphous silicon films

DOEpatents

Mahan, A.H.; Carapella, J.C.; Gallagher, A.C.

1995-03-14

A high quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film is deposited by passing a stream of silane gas (SiH{sub 4}) over a high temperature, 2,000 C, tungsten (W) filament in the proximity of a high temperature, 400 C, substrate within a low pressure, 8 mTorr, deposition chamber. The silane gas is decomposed into atomic hydrogen and silicon, which in turn collides preferably not more than 20--30 times before being deposited on the hot substrate. The hydrogenated amorphous silicon films thus produced have only about one atomic percent hydrogen, yet have device quality electrical, chemical, and structural properties, despite this lowered hydrogen content. 7 figs.

Deposition of device quality low H content, amorphous silicon films

DOEpatents

Mahan, Archie H.; Carapella, Jeffrey C.; Gallagher, Alan C.

1995-01-01

A high quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film is deposited by passing a stream of silane gas (SiH.sub.4) over a high temperature, 2000.degree. C., tungsten (W) filament in the proximity of a high temperature, 400.degree. C., substrate within a low pressure, 8 mTorr, deposition chamber. The silane gas is decomposed into atomic hydrogen and silicon, which in turn collides preferably not more than 20-30 times before being deposited on the hot substrate. The hydrogenated amorphous silicon films thus produced have only about one atomic percent hydrogen, yet have device quality electrical, chemical, and structural properties, despite this lowered hydrogen content.

Molecular dynamics study about the effect of substrate temperature on a-Si:H structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Yaorong; Gong, Hongyong; Zhou, Naigen; Huang, Haibin; Zhou, Lang

2018-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulation of the microstructure of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film with different substrate temperatures has been performed based on the Tersoff potential. The results showed that: the silicon thin film maintained amorphous structure in the substrate temperature range from 200 to 1000 K; high substrate temperature could smooth the surface. The first neighbour Voronoi polyhedron was dominated by the tetrahedron. When the substrate temperature increased, the content of tetrahedrons increased due to the transition from pentahedrons and hexahedrons to tetrahedrons. The change of the second neighbour Voronoi polyhedron could be classified into two cases: one case with low medium coordination number decreased as temperature increased, while the other one with high medium coordination number showed an opposite change tendency. It indicated that the local paracrystalline structure arrangement of the second neighbour atoms had been enhanced as substrate temperature rose.

Tetrahedral bonding in amorphous carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, D. R.

1996-12-01

Electron configurations close to the tetrahedral 0034-4885/59/12/002/img1 hybridization are found in pure amorphous carbon at a concentration which depends on preparation conditions. Tetrahedral bonding at levels of approximately 80% is found in amorphous carbons formed from beams of carbon ions with energies in a `window' between 20 eV and approximately 500 eV. Suitable techniques for its formation include cathodic arc deposition, ion beam deposition and laser ablation. Similar material appears to be formed by pressure treatment of fullerene precursors and by displacement damage in diamond. Highly tetrahedral forms of amorphous carbon (ta-C) show electronic, optical and mechanical properties which approach those of diamond and are quite different from amorphous carbons with low 0034-4885/59/12/002/img1 content. Useful techniques for determining the 0034-4885/59/12/002/img1 content include electron energy loss spectroscopy, electron and neutron diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Considerable progress has been made in the understanding of this material by simulating its structure in the computer with a range of techniques from empirical potentials to ab initio quantum mechanics. The structure shows departures from an idealized glassy state of diamond which would have a random tetrahedral network structure as used to describe amorphous silicon and germanium. A surprising feature of the structure simulated using ab initio methods is the presence of small rings containing three or four 0034-4885/59/12/002/img1 carbon atoms. The electronic and optical properties are strongly influenced by the residual of 0034-4885/59/12/002/img5 carbon. Applications to electronic devices are at an early stage with the demonstration of photoconductivity and some simple junction devices. Applications as a wear resistant coating are promising, since the theoretically predicted high values of elastic constants, comparable to but less than those of diamond, are achieved experimentally, together with low friction coefficients.

Boron nitride - Composition, optical properties, and mechanical behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Warner, Joseph D.

1987-01-01

A low energy ion beam deposition technique was used to grow boron nitride films on quartz, germanium, silicon, gallium arsenide, and indium phosphate. The film structure was amorphous with evidence of a hexagonal phase. The peak boron concentration was 82 at. percent. The carbon and oxygen impurities were in the 5 to 8 at. percent range. Boron-nitrogen and boron-boron bonds were revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The index of refraction varied from 1.65 to 1.67 for films deposited on III-V compound semiconductors. The coefficient of friction for boron nitride in sliding contact with diamond was less than 0.1. The substrate was silicon.

Boron nitride: Composition, optical properties and mechanical behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Warner, Joseph D.

1987-01-01

A low energy ion beam deposition technique was used to grow boron nitride films on quartz, germanium, silicon, gallium arsenide, and indium phosphate. The film structure was amorphous with evidence of a hexagonal phase. The peak boron concentration was 82 at %. The carbon and oxygen impurities were in the 5 to 8 at % range. Boron-nitrogen and boron-boron bonds were revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The index of refraction varied from 1.65 to 1.67 for films deposited on III-V compound semiconductors. The coefficient of friction for boron nitride in sliding contact with diamond was less than 0.1. The substrate was silicon.

Thin films deposited by femtosecond pulsed laser ablation of tungsten carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Bonis, A.; Teghil, R.; Santagata, A.; Galasso, A.; Rau, J. V.

2012-09-01

Ultra-short Pulsed Laser Deposition has been applied to the production of thin films from a tungsten carbide target. The gaseous phase obtained by the laser ablation shows a very weak primary plume, in contrast with a very strong secondary one. The deposited films, investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction, present a mixture of WC and other phases with lower carbon content. All films are amorphous, independently from the substrate temperature. The characteristics of the deposits have been explained in terms of thermal evaporation and cooling rate of molten particles ejected from the target.

Electrooptical properties and structural features of amorphous ITO

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amosova, L. P., E-mail: l-amosova@mail.ru

2015-03-15

Thin indium-tin oxide (ITO) films are deposited onto cold substrates by magnetron-assisted sputtering. The dependences of the structural, electrical, and optical properties of the films on the oxygen content in the atmosphere of sputtering and the growth rate are studied. It is shown that, if the substrate temperature is no higher than the ITO crystallization temperature and the conditions of growth deviate from the optimal relationship between the oxygen pressure and the growth rate, the resistance of the layers can be six or seven orders of magnitude higher than the resistance of conducting amorphous layers and reach hundreds of megaohms.more » At the same time, the optical properties of insulating layers in the visible spectral region are completely identical to the properties of the conducing amorphous modification. A conceptual model of defects responsible for the insulating properties of amorphous ITO is proposed.« less

Tritiated amorphous silicon for micropower applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kherani, N.P.; Kosteski, T.; Zukotynski, S.

1995-10-01

The application of tritiated amorphous silicon as an intrinsic energy conversion semiconductor for radioluminescent structures and betavoltaic devices is presented. Theoretical analysis of the betavoltaic application shows an overall efficiency of 18% for tritiated amorphous silicon. This is equivalent to a 330 Ci intrinsic betavoltaic device producing 1 mW of power for 12 years. Photoluminescence studies of hydrogenated amorphous silicon, a-Si:H, show emission in the infra-red with a maximum quantum efficiency of 7.2% at 50 K; this value drops by 3 orders of magnitude at a temperature of 300 K. Similar studies of hydrogenated amorphous carbon show emission in themore » visible with an estimated quantum efficiency of 1% at 300 K. These results suggest that tritiated amorphous carbon may be the more promising candidate for room temperature radioluminescence in the visible. 18 refs., 5 figs.« less

Preferred orientations of laterally grown silicon films over amorphous substrates using the vapor–liquid–solid technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LeBoeuf, J. L., E-mail: jerome.leboeuf@mail.mcgill.ca; Brodusch, N.; Gauvin, R.

2014-12-28

A novel method has been optimized so that adhesion layers are no longer needed to reliably deposit patterned gold structures on amorphous substrates. Using this technique allows for the fabrication of amorphous oxide templates known as micro-crucibles, which confine a vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) catalyst of nominally pure gold to a specific geometry. Within these confined templates of amorphous materials, faceted silicon crystals have been grown laterally. The novel deposition technique, which enables the nominally pure gold catalyst, involves the undercutting of an initial chromium adhesion layer. Using electron backscatter diffraction it was found that silicon nucleated in these micro-crucibles were 30%more » single crystals, 45% potentially twinned crystals and 25% polycrystals for the experimental conditions used. Single, potentially twinned, and polycrystals all had an aversion to growth with the (1 0 0) surface parallel to the amorphous substrate. Closer analysis of grain boundaries of potentially twinned and polycrystalline samples revealed that the overwhelming majority of them were of the 60° Σ3 coherent twin boundary type. The large amount of coherent twin boundaries present in the grown, two-dimensional silicon crystals suggest that lateral VLS growth occurs very close to thermodynamic equilibrium. It is suggested that free energy fluctuations during growth or cooling, and impurities were the causes for this twinning.« less

Amorphous metal alloy and composite

DOEpatents

Wang, Rong; Merz, Martin D.

1985-01-01

Amorphous metal alloys of the iron-chromium and nickel-chromium type have excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature stability and are suitable for use as a protective coating on less corrosion resistant substrates. The alloys are stabilized in the amorphous state by one or more elements of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, and tungsten. The alloy is preferably prepared by sputter deposition.

Dual-ion-beam deposition of carbon films with diamond-like properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mirtich, M. J.; Swec, D. M.; Angus, J. C.

1985-01-01

A single and dual ion beam system was used to generate amorphous carbon films with diamond like properties. A methane/argon mixture at a molar ratio of 0.28 was ionized in the low pressure discharge chamber of a 30-cm-diameter ion source. A second ion source, 8 cm in diameter was used to direct a beam of 600 eV Argon ions on the substrates (fused silica or silicon) while the deposition from the 30-cm ion source was taking place. Nuclear reaction and combustion analysis indicate H/C ratios for the films to be 1.00. This high value of H/C, it is felt, allowed the films to have good transmittance. The films were impervious to reagents which dissolve graphitic and polymeric carbon structures. Although the measured density of the films was approximately 1.8 gm/cu cm, a value lower than diamond, the films exhibited other properties that were relatively close to diamond. These films were compared with diamond like films generated by sputtering a graphite target.

Dual ion beam deposition of carbon films with diamondlike properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mirtich, M. J.; Swec, D. M.; Angus, J. C.

1984-01-01

A single and dual ion beam system was used to generate amorphous carbon films with diamond like properties. A methane/argon mixture at a molar ratio of 0.28 was ionized in the low pressure discharge chamber of a 30-cm-diameter ion source. A second ion source, 8 cm in diameter was used to direct a beam of 600 eV Argon ions on the substrates (fused silica or silicon) while the deposition from the 30-cm ion source was taking place. Nuclear reaction and combustion analysis indicate H/C ratios for the films to be 1.00. This high value of H/C, it is felt, allowed the films to have good transmittance. The films were impervious to reagents which dissolve graphitic and polymeric carbon structures. Although the measured density of the films was approximately 1.8 gm/cu cm, a value lower than diamond, the films exhibited other properties that were relatively close to diamond. These films were compared with diamondlike films generated by sputtering a graphite target.

Improved switching reliability achieved in HfOx based RRAM with mountain-like surface-graphited carbon layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Ye; Ding, Wentao; Wang, Zhongqiang; Xu, Haiyang; Zhao, Xiaoning; Li, Xuhong; Liu, Weizhen; Ma, Jiangang; Liu, Yichun

2018-05-01

In this work, we demonstrated an effective method to improve the switching reliability of HfOx based RRAM device by inserting mountain-like surface-graphited carbon (MSGC) layer. The MSGC layer was fabricated through thermal annealing of amorphous carbon (a-C) film with high sp2 proportion (49.7%) under 500 °C on Pt substrate, whose characteristics were validated by XPS and Raman spectrums. The local electric-field (LEF) was enhanced around the nanoscale tips of MSGC layer due to large surface curvature, which leads to simplified CFs and localization of resistive switching region. It takes responsibility to the reduction of high/low resistance states (HRS/LRS) fluctuation from 173.8%/64.9% to 23.6%/6.5%, respectively. In addition, the resulting RRAM devices exhibited fast switching speed (<65 ns), good retention (>104 s at 85 °C) and low cycling degradation. This method could be promising to develop reliable and repeatable high-performance RRAM for practical applications.

Tailoring the optical and hydrophobic property of zinc oxide nanorod by coating with amorphous graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pahari, D.; Das, N. S.; Das, B.; Chattopadhyay, K. K.; Banerjee, D.

2016-09-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized at room temperature on potassium permanganate activated silicon and glass substrate by simple chemical method using zinc acetate as precursor. To modify the surface energy of the as prepared ZnO thin films the samples were coated with amorphous graphene (a-G) synthesized by un-zipping of chemically synthesized amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs). All the pure and coated samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The roughness analysis of the as prepared samples was done by atomic force microscopic analysis. The detail optical properties of all the samples were studied with the help of a UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The surface energy of the as prepared pure and coated samples was calculated by measuring the contact angle of two different liquids. It is seen that the water repellence of ZnO nanorods got increased after they are being coated with a-Gs. Also even after UV irradiation the contact angle remain same unlike the case for the uncoated sample where the contact angle gets decreased significantly after UV irradiation. Existing Cassie-Wenzel model has been employed along with the Owen's approach to determine the different components of surface energy.

Thermally induced evolution of hydrogenated amorphous carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangolini, Filippo; Rose, Franck; Hilbert, James; Carpick, Robert W.

2013-10-01

The thermally induced structural evolution of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films was investigated in situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for annealing temperatures up to 500 °C. A model for the conversion of sp3- to sp2-hybridized carbon in a-C:H vs. temperature and time was developed and applied to determine the ranges of activation energies for the thermally activated processes occurring. The energies are consistent with ordering and clustering of sp2 carbon, scission of sp3 carbon-hydrogen bonds and formation of sp2 carbon, and direct transformation of sp3- to sp2-hybridized carbon.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-04-01

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

Effects of temperature dependent pre-amorphization implantation on NiPt silicide formation and thermal stability on Si(100)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ozcan, Ahmet S.; Wall, Donald; Jordan-Sweet, Jean

Using temperature controlled Si and C ion implantation, we studied the effects of pre-amorphization implantation on NiPt alloy silicide phase formation. In situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction and resistance measurements were used to monitor phase and morphology evolution in silicide films. Results show that substrate amorphization strongly modulate the nucleation of silicide phases, regardless of implant species. However, morphological stability of the thin films is mainly enhanced by C addition, independently of the amorphization depth.

The role of amorphous precursors in the crystallization of La and Nd carbonates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallina, Beatriz; Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego; Brown, Andrew P.; Blanco, Jesus A.; Benning, Liane G.

2015-07-01

Crystalline La and Nd carbonates can be formed from poorly-ordered nanoparticulate precursors, termed amorphous lanthanum carbonate (ALC) and amorphous neodymium carbonate (ANC). When reacted in air or in aqueous solutions these precursors show highly variable lifetimes and crystallization pathways. We have characterized these precursors and the crystallization pathways and products with solid-state, spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to explain the differences in crystallization mechanisms between the La and Nd systems. ALC and ANC consist of highly hydrated, 10-20 nm spherical nanoparticles with a general formula of REE2(CO3)3.5H2O (REE = La, Nd). The stabilities differ by ~2 orders of magnitude, with ANC being far more stable than ALC. This difference is due to the Nd3+ ion having a far higher hydration energy compared to the La3+ ion. This, together with temperature and reaction times, leads to clear differences not only in the kinetics and mechanisms of crystallization of the amorphous precursor La- and Nd-carbonate phases but also in the resulting crystallite sizes and morphologies of the end products. All crystalline La and Nd carbonates developed spherulitic morphologies when crystallization occurred from hydrous phases in solution at temperatures above 60 °C (La system) and 95 °C (Nd system). We suggest that spherulitic growth occurs due to a rapid breakdown of the amorphous precursors and a concurrent rapid increase in supersaturation levels in the aqueous solution. The kinetic data show that the crystallization pathway for both La and Nd carbonate systems is dependent on the reaction temperature and the ionic potential of the REE3+ ion.Crystalline La and Nd carbonates can be formed from poorly-ordered nanoparticulate precursors, termed amorphous lanthanum carbonate (ALC) and amorphous neodymium carbonate (ANC). When reacted in air or in aqueous solutions these precursors show highly variable lifetimes and crystallization pathways. We have characterized these precursors and the crystallization pathways and products with solid-state, spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to explain the differences in crystallization mechanisms between the La and Nd systems. ALC and ANC consist of highly hydrated, 10-20 nm spherical nanoparticles with a general formula of REE2(CO3)3.5H2O (REE = La, Nd). The stabilities differ by ~2 orders of magnitude, with ANC being far more stable than ALC. This difference is due to the Nd3+ ion having a far higher hydration energy compared to the La3+ ion. This, together with temperature and reaction times, leads to clear differences not only in the kinetics and mechanisms of crystallization of the amorphous precursor La- and Nd-carbonate phases but also in the resulting crystallite sizes and morphologies of the end products. All crystalline La and Nd carbonates developed spherulitic morphologies when crystallization occurred from hydrous phases in solution at temperatures above 60 °C (La system) and 95 °C (Nd system). We suggest that spherulitic growth occurs due to a rapid breakdown of the amorphous precursors and a concurrent rapid increase in supersaturation levels in the aqueous solution. The kinetic data show that the crystallization pathway for both La and Nd carbonate systems is dependent on the reaction temperature and the ionic potential of the REE3+ ion. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr01497b

Method of controllong the deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon and apparatus therefor

DOEpatents

Hanak, Joseph J.

1985-06-25

An improved method and apparatus for the controlled deposition of a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon on a substrate. Means is provided for the illumination of the coated surface of the substrate and measurement of the resulting photovoltage at the outermost layer of the coating. Means is further provided for admixing amounts of p type and n type dopants to the reactant gas in response to the measured photovoltage to achieve a desired level and type of doping of the deposited layer.

Aluminum induced crystallization of amorphous Ge thin films on insulating substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, Ch. Kishan, E-mail: kisn@igcar.gov.in; Tah, T.; Sunitha, D. T.

2016-05-23

Aluminium (metal) induced crystallization of amorphous Ge in bilayer and multilayer Ge/Al thin films deposited on quartz substrate at temperature well below the crystallization temperature of bulk Ge is reported. The crystallization of poly-Ge proceeds via formations of dendritic crystalline Ge grains in the Al matrix. The observed phases were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The microstructure of Al thin film layer was found to have a profound influence on such crystallization process and formation of dendritic grains.

Pair distribution functions of amorphous organic thin films from synchrotron X-ray scattering in transmission mode

DOE PAGES

Shi, Chenyang; Teerakapibal, Rattavut; Yu, Lian; ...

2017-07-10

Using high-brilliance high-energy synchrotron X-ray radiation, for the first time the total scattering of a thin organic glass film deposited on a strongly scattering inorganic substrate has been measured in transmission mode. The organic thin film was composed of the weakly scattering pharmaceutical substance indomethacin in the amorphous state. The film was 130 µm thick atop a borosilicate glass substrate of equal thickness. The atomic pair distribution function derived from the thin-film measurement is in excellent agreement with that from bulk measurements. This ability to measure the total scattering of amorphous organic thin films in transmission will enable accurate in situmore » structural studies for a wide range of materials.« less

Pair distribution functions of amorphous organic thin films from synchrotron X-ray scattering in transmission mode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi, Chenyang; Teerakapibal, Rattavut; Yu, Lian

2017-07-10

Using high-brilliance high-energy synchrotron X-ray radiation, for the first time the total scattering of a thin organic glass film deposited on a strongly scattering inorganic substrate has been measured in transmission mode. The organic thin film was composed of the weakly scattering pharmaceutical substance indomethacin in the amorphous state. The film was 130 µm thick atop a borosilicate glass substrate of equal thickness. The atomic pair distribution function derived from the thin-film measurement is in excellent agreement with that from bulk measurements. This ability to measure the total scattering of amorphous organic thin films in transmission will enable accuratein situstructuralmore » studies for a wide range of materials.« less

Toward optimizing dental implant performance: Surface characterization of Ti and TiZr implant materials.

PubMed

Murphy, M; Walczak, M S; Thomas, A G; Silikas, N; Berner, S; Lindsay, R

2017-01-01

Targeting understanding enhanced osseointegration kinetics, the goal of this study was to characterize the surface morphology and composition of Ti and TiZr dental implant substrates subjected to one of two surface treatments developed by Straumann. These two treatments are typically known as SLA and SLActive, with the latter resulting in more rapid osseointegration. A range of techniques was applied to characterize four different substrate/surface treatment combinations (Ti SLA , Ti SLActive , TiZr SLA , and TiZr SLActive ). Contact angle measurements established their hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature. Surface morphology was probed with scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction, Raman μ-spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to elucidate the composition of the near-surface region. Consistent with previous work, surface morphology was found to differ only at the nanoscale, with both SLActive substrates displaying nano-protrusions. Spectroscopic data indicate that all substrates exhibit surface films of titanium oxide displaying near TiO 2 stoichiometry. Raman μ-spectroscopy reveals that amorphous TiO 2 is most likely the only phase present on Ti SL A , whilst rutile-TiO 2 is also evidenced on Ti SLActive , TiZr SLA , and TiZr SLActive . For TiZr alloy substrates, there is no evidence of discrete phases of oxidized Zr. X-ray photoelectron spectra demonstrate that all samples are terminated by adventitious carbon, with it being somewhat thicker (∼1nm) on Ti SL A and TiZr SLA . Given previous in vivo studies, acquired data suggest that both nanoscale protrusions, and a thinner layer of adventitious carbon contribute to the more rapid osseointegration of SLActive dental implants. Composition of the surface oxide layer is apparently less important in determining osseointegration kinetics. Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solution-grown silicon nanowires for lithium-ion battery anodes.

PubMed

Chan, Candace K; Patel, Reken N; O'Connell, Michael J; Korgel, Brian A; Cui, Yi

2010-03-23

Composite electrodes composed of silicon nanowires synthesized using the supercritical fluid-liquid-solid (SFLS) method mixed with amorphous carbon or carbon nanotubes were evaluated as Li-ion battery anodes. Carbon coating of the silicon nanowires using the pyrolysis of sugar was found to be crucial for making good electronic contact to the material. Using multiwalled carbon nanotubes as the conducting additive was found to be more effective for obtaining good cycling behavior than using amorphous carbon. Reversible capacities of 1500 mAh/g were observed for 30 cycles.

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

PubMed

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

2008-09-01

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

Amorphous calcium carbonate: A precursor phase for aragonite in shell disease of the pearl oyster.

PubMed

Huang, Jingliang; Liu, Chuang; Xie, Liping; Zhang, Rongqing

2018-02-26

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) has long been shown to act as an important constituent or precursor phase for crystalline material in mollusks. However, the presence and the role of ACC in bivalve shell formation are not fully studied. In this study, we found that brown deposits containing heterogeneous calcium carbonates were precipitated when a shell disease occurred in the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata. Calcein-staining of the brown deposits indicated that numerous amorphous calcium deposits were present, which was further confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectrum and X-ray difraction (XRD) analyses. So we speculate that ACC plays an important role in rapid calcium carbonate precipitation during shell repair process in diseased oysters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The IR emission features - Emission from PAH molecules and amorphous carbon particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1987-01-01

Techniques for the assessment of the importance of the various forms of PAHs, and recent infrared observations concerning the PAH problem, are considered. Spectroscopic data suggest that the observed interstellar spectrum is due to both free molecule-sized PAHs producing the narrow features, and amorphous carbon particles contributing to the broad underlying components. Explanations for the multicomponent emission spectrum are discussed. A model of the emission mechanism for the example of chrysene is presented, and an exact treatment of the IR fluorescence from highly vibrationally excited large molecules shows that species containing 20-30 carbon atoms are responsible for the narrow features, although the spectra more closely resemble those of amorphous carbon particles. It is suggested that future emphasis should be placed on the spatial characteristics of the component spectra.

Synthesis of Ag and Au nanoparticles embedded in carbon film: Optical, crystalline and topography analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholamali, Hediyeh; Shafiekhani, Azizollah; Darabi, Elham; Elahi, Seyed Mohammad

2018-03-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images give valuable information about surface roughness of thin films based on the results of power spectral density (PSD) through the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms. In the present work, AFM data are studied for silver and gold nanoparticles (Ag NPs a-C: H and Au NPs a-C: H) embedded in amorphous hydrogenated carbon films and co-deposited on glass substrate via of RF-Sputtering and RF-Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition methods. Here, the working gas is acetylene and the targets are Ag and Au. While time and power are constant, the only variable parameter in this study is initial pressure. In addition, the crystalline structure of Ag NPs a-C: H and Au NPs a-C: H are studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). UV-visible spectrophotometry will also investigate optical properties and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of samples.

Toward a mechanistic understanding of patterns in biomineralization and new insights for old dogmas in geological settings (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dove, P. M.; Hamm, L.; Giuffre, A. J.; Han, N.; De Yoreo, J. J.

2013-12-01

The ability of organisms to mineralize tissues into skeletons and other functional structures is a remarkable achievement of biology. Yet, the physical basis for how macromolecules regulate the placement and onset of mineral formation is not well established. Efforts to understand nucleation onto organic substrates have produced two, seemingly contradictory, lines of thought: The biomineralization community widely assumes the organic matrix promotes nucleation through stereochemical matching to guide the organization of solute ions, while materials synthesis groups use simple binding assays to correlate high binding strength with good promoters of nucleation. This study reconciles the two views and provides a mechanistic explanation for template-directed nucleation by correlating heterogeneous nucleation barriers with crystal-substrate binding free energies. Using surface assembled monolayers (SAM) as simple model systems, we first measure the kinetics of calcite nucleation onto model substrates that present different functional group chemistries (carboxyl, thiol, phosphate, hydroxyl) and conformations (C11, C16 chain lengths). We find rates are substrate-specific and obey predictions of classical nucleation theory at supersaturations that extend above the solubility of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC). Analysis of the kinetic data shows the thermodynamic barrier to nucleation is reduced by minimizing the interfacial free energy of the system, γ. We then use dynamic force spectroscopy to independently measure calcite-substrate binding free energies, ΔGb. Moreover, we show that within the classical theory of nucleation, γ and ΔGb should be linearly related. The results bear out this prediction and demonstrate that low energy barriers to nucleation correlate with strong crystal-substrate binding. This relationship is general to all functional group chemistries and conformations. These findings reconcile the long-standing concept of templated nucleation through stereochemical matching with the conventional wisdom that ';good binders are good nucleators'. Alternative perspectives become internally consistent when viewed through the lens of crystal-substrate binding and provide a physical basis for how organic chemistry can direct temporal and spatial patterns of carbonate nucleation.

Pt- and Pd-decorated MWCNTs for vapour and gas detection at room temperature

PubMed Central

Baccar, Hamdi; Clément, Pierrick; Abdelghani, Adnane

2015-01-01

Summary Here we report on the gas sensing properties of multiwalled carbon nanotubes decorated with sputtered Pt or Pd nanoparticles. Sputtering allows for an oxygen plasma treatment that removes amorphous carbon from the surface of the carbon nanotubes and creates oxygenated surface defects in which metal nanoparticles nucleate within a few minutes. The decoration with the 2 nm Pt or the 3 nm Pd nanoparticles is very homogeneous. This procedure is performed at the device level (i.e., for carbon nanotubes deposited onto sensor substrates) for many devices in one batch, which illustrates the scalability for the mass production of affordable nanosensors. The response to selected aromatic and non-aromatic volatile organic compounds, as well as pollutant gases has been studied. Pt- and Pd-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes show a fully reversible response to the non-aromatic volatile organic compounds tested when operated at room temperature. In contrast, these nanomaterials were not responsive to the aromatic compounds studied (measured at concentrations up to 50 ppm). Therefore, these sensors could be useful in a small, battery-operated alarm detector, for example, which is able to discriminate aromatic from non-aromatic volatile organic compounds in ambient. PMID:25977863

A shear localization mechanism for lubricity of amorphous carbon materials

PubMed Central

Ma, Tian-Bao; Wang, Lin-Feng; Hu, Yuan-Zhong; Li, Xin; Wang, Hui

2014-01-01

Amorphous carbon is one of the most lubricious materials known, but the mechanism is not well understood. It is counterintuitive that such a strong covalent solid could exhibit exceptional lubricity. A prevailing view is that lubricity of amorphous carbon results from chemical passivation of dangling bonds on surfaces. Here we show instead that lubricity arises from shear induced strain localization, which, instead of homogeneous deformation, dominates the shearing process. Shear localization is characterized by covalent bond reorientation, phase transformation and structural ordering preferentially in a localized region, namely tribolayer, resulting in shear weakening. We further demonstrate an anomalous pressure induced transition from stick-slip friction to continuous sliding with ultralow friction, due to gradual clustering and layering of graphitic sheets in the tribolayer. The proposed shear localization mechanism sheds light on the mechanism of superlubricity, and would enrich our understanding of lubrication mechanism of a wide variety of amorphous materials. PMID:24412998

Phase transitions in biogenic amorphous calcium carbonate.

PubMed

Gong, Yutao U T; Killian, Christopher E; Olson, Ian C; Appathurai, Narayana P; Amasino, Audra L; Martin, Michael C; Holt, Liam J; Wilt, Fred H; Gilbert, P U P A

2012-04-17

Crystalline biominerals do not resemble faceted crystals. Current explanations for this property involve formation via amorphous phases. Using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM), here we examine forming spicules in embryos of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus sea urchins, and observe a sequence of three mineral phases: hydrated amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC · H(2)O) → dehydrated amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) → calcite. Unexpectedly, we find ACC · H(2)O-rich nanoparticles that persist after the surrounding mineral has dehydrated and crystallized. Protein matrix components occluded within the mineral must inhibit ACC · H(2)O dehydration. We devised an in vitro, also using XANES-PEEM, assay to identify spicule proteins that may play a role in stabilizing various mineral phases, and found that the most abundant occluded matrix protein in the sea urchin spicules, SM50, stabilizes ACC · H(2)O in vitro.

Phase transitions in biogenic amorphous calcium carbonate

PubMed Central

Gong, Yutao U. T.; Killian, Christopher E.; Olson, Ian C.; Appathurai, Narayana P.; Amasino, Audra L.; Martin, Michael C.; Holt, Liam J.; Wilt, Fred H.; Gilbert, P. U. P. A.

2012-01-01

Crystalline biominerals do not resemble faceted crystals. Current explanations for this property involve formation via amorphous phases. Using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM), here we examine forming spicules in embryos of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus sea urchins, and observe a sequence of three mineral phases: hydrated amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC·H2O) → dehydrated amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) → calcite. Unexpectedly, we find ACC·H2O-rich nanoparticles that persist after the surrounding mineral has dehydrated and crystallized. Protein matrix components occluded within the mineral must inhibit ACC·H2O dehydration. We devised an in vitro, also using XANES-PEEM, assay to identify spicule proteins that may play a role in stabilizing various mineral phases, and found that the most abundant occluded matrix protein in the sea urchin spicules, SM50, stabilizes ACC·H2O in vitro. PMID:22492931

Phase transitions in biogenic amorphous calcium carbonate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Yutao

Geological calcium carbonate exists in both crystalline phases and amorphous phases. Compared with crystalline calcium carbonate, such as calcite, aragonite and vaterite, the amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is unstable. Unlike geological calcium carbonate crystals, crystalline sea urchin spicules (99.9 wt % calcium carbonate and 0.1 wt % proteins) do not present facets. To explain this property, crystal formation via amorphous precursors was proposed in theory. And previous research reported experimental evidence of ACC on the surface of forming sea urchin spicules. By using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM), we studied cross-sections of fresh sea urchin spicules at different stages (36h, 48h and 72h after fertilization) and observed the transition sequence of three mineral phases: hydrated ACC → dehydrated ACC → biogenic calcite. In addition, we unexpectedly found hydrated ACC nanoparticles that are surrounded by biogenic calcite. This observation indicates the dehydration from hydrated ACC to dehydrated ACC is inhibited, resulting in stabilization of hydrated ACC nanoparticles. We thought that the dehydration was inhibited by protein matrix components occluded within the biomineral, and we designed an in vitro assay to test the hypothesis. By utilizing XANES-PEEM, we found that SM50, the most abundant occluded matrix protein in sea urchin spicules, has the function to stabilize hydrated ACC in vitro.

Self-Organization of Amorphous Carbon Nanocapsules into Diamond Nanocrystals Driven by Self-Nanoscopic Excessive Pressure under Moderate Electron Irradiation without External Heating.

PubMed

Wang, Chengbing; Ling, San; Yang, Jin; Rao, Dewei; Guo, Zhiguang

2018-01-01

Phase transformation between carbon allotropes usually requires high pressures and high temperatures. Thus, the development of low-temperature phase transition approaches between carbon allotropes is highly desired. Herein, novel amorphous carbon nanocapsules are successfully synthesized by pulsed plasma glow discharge. These nanocapsules are comprised of highly strained carbon clusters encapsulated in a fullerene-like carbon matrix, with the formers serving as nucleation sites. These nucleation sites favored the formation of a diamond unit cell driven by the self-nanoscopic local excessive pressure, thereby significantly decreasing the temperature required for its transformation into a diamond nanocrystal. Under moderate electron beam irradiation (10-20 A cm -2 ) without external heating, self-organization of the energetic carbon clusters into diamond nanocrystals is achieved, whereas the surrounding fullerene-like carbon matrix remains nearly unchanged. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that the defective rings as the active sites dominate the phase transition of amorphous carbon to diamond nanocrystal. The findings may open a promising route to realize phase transformation between carbon allotropes at a lower temperature. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Quality-enhanced In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As film grown on GaAs substrate with an ultrathin amorphous In{sub 0.6}Ga{sub 0.4}As buffer layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Fangliang; Li, Guoqiang, E-mail: msgli@scut.edu.cn

2014-01-27

Using low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy, amorphous In{sub 0.6}Ga{sub 0.4}As layers have been grown on GaAs substrates to act as buffer layers for the subsequent epitaxial growth of In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As films. It is revealed that the crystallinity of as-grown In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As films is strongly affected by the thickness of the large-mismatched amorphous In{sub 0.6}Ga{sub 0.4}As buffer layer. Given an optimized thickness of 2 nm, this amorphous In{sub 0.6}Ga{sub 0.4}As buffer layer can efficiently release the misfit strain between the In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As epi-layer and the GaAs substrate, trap the threading and misfit dislocations from propagating to the following In{sub 0.3}Ga{submore » 0.7}As epi-layer, and reduce the surface fluctuation of the as-grown In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As, leading to a high-quality In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As film with competitive crystallinity to that grown on GaAs substrate using compositionally graded In{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As metamorphic buffer layers. Considering the complexity of the application of the conventional In{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As graded buffer layers, this work demonstrates a much simpler approach to achieve high-quality In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As film on GaAs substrate and, therefore, is of huge potential for the InGaAs-based high-efficiency photovoltaic industry.« less

Magnetic Properties and the Giant Magnetoimpedance of Amorphous Co-Based Wires with a Carbon Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golubeva, E. V.; Stepanova, E. A.; Balymov, K. G.; Volchkov, S. O.; Kurlyandskaya, G. V.

2018-04-01

A comparative analysis of the magnetic properties and specific features of the giant magnetoimpedance has been carried out for amorphous rapidly quenched wires with a composition of (Co0.94Fe0.06)72.5Si12.5B15 in the initial state and after the deposition of a carbon coating. The deposition of the defective graphene-like carbon layer was carried out under normal conditions during the exposure in toluene (methylbenzene). The method of the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy made it possible to reliably show that after the modification in toluene, the carbon content on the surface significantly exceeds the natural amount of carbon. The deposition of the carbon coating induced changes in the distribution of the initial quenching stresses in the near-surface layer of amorphous wires. A comparative analysis of the magnetic and magnetoimpedance properties of the samples before and after exposure in the aromatic solvent confirms the occurrence of changes in the effective magnetic anisotropy as a result of this surface treatment.

Fabrication of hierarchical porous hollow carbon spheres with few-layer graphene framework and high electrochemical activity for supercapacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jing; Hong, Min; Chen, Jiafu; Hu, Tianzhao; Xu, Qun

2018-06-01

Porous amorphous carbons with large number of defects and dangling bonds indicate great potential application in energy storage due to high specific surface area and strong adsorption properties, but poor conductivity and pore connection limit their practical application. Here few-layer graphene framework with high electrical conductivity is embedded and meanwhile hierarchical porous structure is constructed in amorphous hollow carbon spheres (HCSs) by catalysis of Fe clusters of angstrom scale, which are loaded in the interior of crosslinked polystyrene via a novel method. These unique HCSs effectively integrate the inherent properties from two-dimensional sp2-hybridized carbon, porous amorphous carbon, hierarchical pore structure and thin shell, leading to high specific capacitance up to 561 F g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1 as an electrode of supercapacitor with excellent recyclability, which is much higher than those of other reported porous carbon materials up to present.

Biogenic Fish-gut Calcium Carbonate is a Stable Amorphous Phase in the Gilt-head Seabream, Sparus aurata

PubMed Central

Foran, Elizabeth; Weiner, Steve; Fine, Maoz

2013-01-01

The main source of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the ocean comes from the shells of calcifying planktonic organisms, but substantial amounts of CaCO3 are also produced in fish intestines. The precipitation of CaCO3 assists fish in intestinal water absorption and aids in whole body Ca2+ homeostasis. Here we report that the product formed in the intestinal lumen of the gilt-head seabream, Sparus aurata, is an amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) phase. With FTIR spectroscopy and SEM imaging, our study shows that the fish-derived carbonates from S. aurata are maintained as a stable amorphous phase throughout the intestinal tract. Moreover, intestinal deposits contained up to 54 mol% Mg2+, the highest concentration yet reported in biogenic ACC. Mg is most likely responsible for stabilizing this inherently unstable mineral. The fish carbonates also displayed initial rapid dissolution when exposed to seawater, exhibiting a significant increase in carbonate concentration. PMID:23609008

Protein adsorption on thin films of carbon and carbon nitride monitored with in situ ellipsometry.

PubMed

Berlind, T; Tengvall, P; Hultman, L; Arwin, H

2011-03-01

Thin films of amorphous carbon and amorphous, graphitic and fullerene-like carbon nitride were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering and optically characterized with spectroscopic ellipsometry. Complementary studies using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were performed. The films were exposed to human serum albumin (HSA) and the adsorption was monitored in situ using dynamic ellipsometry. From the ellipsometric data the adsorbed amount of proteins was quantified in terms of surface mass density using de Feijter's model. The results indicate larger adsorption of proteins onto the amorphous films compared to the films with a more textured structure. Complementary studies with 125I-labeled HSA showed an apparent protein adsorption up to six times larger compared to the ellipsometry measurement. In addition, the four types of films were incubated in blood plasma followed by exposure to anti-fibrinogen, anti-HMWK or anti-C3c, revealing the materials' response to complement and contact activation. The amorphous and graphitic carbon nitride exhibit rather high immune activity compared to a titanium reference, whereas the amorphous carbon and the fullerene-like CNx show less immune complement deposition. Compared to the reference, all films exhibit indications of a stronger ability to initiate the intrinsic pathway of coagulation. Finally, the surfaces' bone-bonding ability was investigated by examination of their ability to form calcium phosphate crystals in a simulated body fluid, with a-CNx depositing most calcium phosphate after 21 days of incubation. Copyright © 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal decomposition of silane to form hydrogenated amorphous Si

DOEpatents

Strongin, M.; Ghosh, A.K.; Wiesmann, H.J.; Rock, E.B.; Lutz, H.A. III

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon is produced by thermally decomposing silane (SiH/sub 4/) or other gases comprising H and Si, at elevated temperatures of about 1700 to 2300/sup 0/C, in a vacuum of about 10/sup -8/ to 10/sup -4/ torr. A gaseous mixture is formed of atomic hydrogen and atomic silicon. The gaseous mixture is deposited onto a substrate to form hydrogenated amorphous silicon.

Synthesis of hydrogen-carbon clathrate material and hydrogen evolution therefrom at moderate temperatures and pressures

DOEpatents

Lueking, Angela [State College, PA; Narayanan, Deepa [Redmond, WA

2011-03-08

A process for making a hydrogenated carbon material is provided which includes forming a mixture of a carbon source, particularly a carbonaceous material, and a hydrogen source. The mixture is reacted under reaction conditions such that hydrogen is generated and/or released from the hydrogen source, an amorphous diamond-like carbon is formed, and at least a portion of the generated and/or released hydrogen associates with the amorphous diamond-like carbon, thereby forming a hydrogenated carbon material. A hydrogenated carbon material including a hydrogen carbon clathrate is characterized by evolution of molecular hydrogen at room temperature at atmospheric pressure in particular embodiments of methods and compositions according to the present invention.

Electron-beam-induced information storage in hydrogenated amorphous silicon devices

DOEpatents

Yacobi, B.G.

1985-03-18

A method for recording and storing information in a hydrogenated amorphous silicon device, comprising: depositing hydrogenated amorphous silicon on a substrate to form a charge collection device; and generating defects in the hydrogenated amorphous silicon device, wherein the defects act as recombination centers that reduce the lifetime of carriers, thereby reducing charge collection efficiency and thus in the charge collection mode of scanning probe instruments, regions of the hydrogenated amorphous silicon device that contain the defects appear darker in comparison to regions of the device that do not contain the defects, leading to a contrast formation for pattern recognition and information storage.

Amorphous Carbon Nanospheres

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

Amorphous carbon nanosphere used as the anode material for Li-intercalation in Lithium-ion energy storage. This structure was obtained through a thermal annealing process at a temperature of 3000 degree Kelvin, simulated using the LAMMPS molecular dynamics code on the LCRC Fusion resource. Science: Kah Chun Lau and Larry Curtiss Visualization: Aaron Knoll, Mark Hereld and Michael E. Papka

Novel nanometer-level uniform amorphous carbon coating for boron powders by direct pyrolysis of coronene without solvent.

PubMed

Ye, ShuJun; Song, MingHui; Kumakura, Hiroaki

2015-01-30

A 3 nm coronene coating and a 4 nm amorphous carbon coating with a uniform shell-core encapsulation structure for nanosized boron (B) powders are formed by a simple process in which coronene is directly mixed with boron particles without a solvent and heated at 520 °C for 1 h or at 630 °C for 3 h in a vacuum-sealed silica tube. Coronene has a melting point lower than its decomposition temperature, which enables liquid coronene to cover B particles by liquid diffusion and penetration without the need for a solvent. The diffusion and penetration of coronene can extend to the boundaries of particles and to inside the agglomerated nanoparticles to form a complete shell-core encapsulated structure. As the temperature is increased, thermal decomposition of coronene on the B particles results in the formation of a uniform amorphous carbon coating layer. This novel and simple nanometer-level uniform amorphous carbon coating method can possibly be applied to many other powders; thus, it has potential applications in many fields at low cost.

Refractory amorphous metallic (W/0.6/ Re/0.4/)76B24 coatings on steel substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thakoor, A. P.; Lamb, J. L.; Khanna, S. K.; Mehra, M.; Johnson, W. L.

1985-01-01

Refractory metallic coatings of (W/0.6/ Re/0.4/)76B24 (WReB) have been deposited onto glass, quartz, and heat-treated AISI 52100 bearing steel substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. As-deposited WReB films are amorphous, as shown by their diffuse X-ray diffraction patterns; chemically homogeneous, according to secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis; and they exhibit a very high (approximately 1000 C) crystallization temperature. Adhesion strength of these coatings on heat-treated AISI 52100 steel is in excess of approximately 20,000 psi and they possess high microhardness (approximately 2400 HV50). Unlubricated wear resistance of such hard and adherent amorphous metallic coatings on AISI 52100 steel is studied using the pin-on-disc method under various loading conditions. Amorphous metallic WReB coatings, about 4 microns thick, exhibit an improvement of more than two and a half orders of magnitude in the unlubricated wear resistance over that of the uncoated AISI 52100 steel.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Varela, Maria; Scigaj, Mateusz; Gazquez, Jaume

Interfaces between (110) and (111)SrTiO 3 (STO) single crystalline substrates and amorphous oxide layers, LaAlO 3 (a-LAO), Y:ZrO 2 (a-YSZ), and SrTiO 3 (a-STO) become conducting above a critical thickness t c. Here we show that t c for a-LAO does not depend on the substrate orientation, i.e. t c (a-LAO/(110)STO) ≈ t c(a-LAO/(111)STO) interfaces, whereas it strongly depends on the composition of the amorphous oxide: t c(a-LAO/(110)STO) < t c(a-YSZ/(110)STO) < t c(a-STO/(110)STO). It is concluded that the formation of oxygen vacancies in amorphous-type interfaces is mainly determined by the oxygen affinity of the deposited metal ions, rather thanmore » orientation-dependent enthalpy vacancy formation and diffusion. Furthermore, scanning transmission microscopy characterization of amorphous and crystalline LAO/STO(110) interfaces shows much higher amount of oxygen vacancies in the former, providing experimental evidence of the distinct mechanism of conduction in these interfaces.« less

Dilution effect on the formation of amorphous phase in the laser cladded Ni-Fe-B-Si-Nb coatings after laser remelting process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ruifeng; Li, Zhuguo; Huang, Jian; Zhu, Yanyan

2012-08-01

Ni-Fe-B-Si-Nb coatings have been deposited on mild steel substrates using high power diode laser cladding. Scanning laser beam at high speeds was followed to remelt the surface of the coatings. Different laser cladding powers in the range of 700-1000 W were used to obtain various dilution ratios in the coating. The dilution effect on the chemical characterization, phase composition and microstructure is analyzed by energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning-electron microscopy. The microhardness distribution of the coatings after laser processing is also measured. The results reveal that Ni-based amorphous composite coatings have successfully been fabricated on mild steel substrate at low dilution ratio when the cladding power was 700 W, 800 W and 900 W. While at high laser power of 1000 W, no amorphous phase was found. The coatings with low dilution ratio exhibit the highest microhardness of 1200 HV0.5 due to their largest volume fraction of amorphous phase.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of amorphous TiO2 thin films by gold nanostructures: Revealing first layer effect with thickness variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degioanni, S.; Jurdyc, A.-M.; Bessueille, F.; Coulm, J.; Champagnon, B.; Vouagner, D.

2013-12-01

In this paper, amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films have been deposited on a commercially available Klarite substrate using the sol-gel process to produce surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The substrate consists of square arrays of micrometer-sized pyramidal pits in silicon with a gold coating. Several thin TiO2 layers have been deposited on the surface to study the influence of film thickness. Ultimately, we obtained information on SERS of an amorphous TiO2 layer by gold nanostructures, whose range is less than a few nanometers. Mechanisms responsible for the enhancement are the product of concomitant chemical and electromagnetic effects with an important contribution from plasmon-induced charge transfer.

Semitransparent conductive carbon films synthesized by sintering spin-coated sp3-based network polymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanase, Takashi; Uwabe, Hiroaki; Hasegawa, Koki; Nagahama, Taro; Yamaguchi, Makoto; Shimada, Toshihiro

2018-03-01

We synthesized semitransparent conducting thin films of amorphous carbon from sp3-rich network polymer. The films showed a reasonable optical transparency (58-73% transmission in the wavelength range of 380-2200 nm), a low electric resistivity (6.7 × 10-3 Ω cm), and durability against corrosive chemical reagents. The sintering of the amorphous films results in the formation of a carbon honeycomb lattice in the films.

The IR emission features - Emission from PAH molecules and amorphous carbon particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1987-01-01

Given the current understanding of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the spectroscopic data suggest that are at least two components which contribute to the interstellar emission spectrum: (1) free molecule-sized PAHs producing the narrow features and (2) amorphous carbon particles (which are primarily composed of an irregular 'lattice' of PAHs) contributing to the broad underlying components. An exact treatment of the IR fluorescence from highly vibrationally excited large molecules demonstrates that species containing between 20 and 30 carbon atoms are responsible for the narrow features, although the spectra match more closely with the spectra of amorphous carbon particles. It is concluded that, since little is known about the spectroscopic properties of free PAHs and PAH clusters, much laboratory work is required along with an observational program focusing on the spatial characteristics of the spectra.

Oriented niobate ferroelectric thin films for electrical and optical devices

DOEpatents

Wessels, Bruce W.; Nystrom, Michael J.

2001-01-01

Sr.sub.x Ba.sub.1-x Nb.sub.2 O.sub.6, where x is greater than 0.25 and less than 0.75, and KNbO.sub.3 ferroelectric thin films metalorganic chemical vapor deposited on amorphous or cyrstalline substrate surfaces to provide a crystal axis of the film exhibiting a high dielectric susceptibility, electro-optic coefficient, and/or nonlinear optic coefficient oriented preferentially in a direction relative to a crystalline or amorphous substrate surface. Such films can be used in electronic, electro-optic, and frequency doubling components.

Structural characterization and gas reactions of small metal particles by high resolution in-situ TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) and TED (Transmission Electron Diffraction)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinemann, K.

1987-01-01

The detection and size analysis of small metal particles supported on amorphous substrates becomes increasingly difficult when the particle size approaches that of the phase contrast background structures of the support. An approach of digital image analysis, involving Fourier transformation of the original image, filtering, and image reconstruction was studied with respect to the likelihood of unambiguously detecting particles of less than 1 nm diameter on amorphous substrates from a single electron micrograph.

MnO2/carbon nanowalls composite electrode for supercapacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Sameh; Suzuki, Masaaki; Mori, Shinsuke; El-Moneim, Ahmed Abd

2014-03-01

Amorphous MnO2/carbon nanowalls composite films are developed for the supercapacitor applications. Synthesis of carbon nanowalls template is performed by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition in a CO/H2 microwave discharge system. A well dispersion of amorphous MnO2 domains throughout carbon nanowalls template is obtained by potentiostatic anodic deposition technique. Carbon nanowalls enable to improve the capacitive behavior and rate capability of MnO2, a specific capacitance of 851 F g-1 at a current density of 1 mA cm-2 and charge transfer resistance of 1.02 Ω are obtained. MnO2/carbon nanowalls composite film exhibits energy density of 118 wh kg-1, power density of 783 wh kg-1, and capacitance retention of 92% after long cycle life of 2000 cycles by charging and discharging at 3 mA cm-2. The high density of atomic scale graphitic edges and large surface area of carbon nanowalls in conjunction with the presence of amorphous MnO2 domains facilitate rapid electron and ion transport and hence offering the potential of the improved capacitive behavior.

Dependence of electrical and optical properties of amorphous SiC:H thin films grown by rf plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition on annealing temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, M. G.; Choi, W. S.; Hong, B.; Kim, Y. T.; Yoon, D. H.

2002-05-01

In this article, we investigated the dependence of optical and electrical properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) films on annealing temperature (Ta) and radio frequency (rf) power. The substrate temperature (Ts) was 250 °C, the rf power was varied from 30 to 400 W, and the range of Ta was from 400 to 600 °C. The a-SiC:H films were deposited by using the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system on Corning 7059 glasses and p-type Si (100) wafers with a SiH4+CH4 gas mixture. The experimental results have shown that the optical bandgap energy (Eg) of the a-SiC:H thin films changed little on the annealing temperature while Eg increased with the rf power. The Raman spectrum of the thin films annealed at high temperatures showed that graphitization of carbon clusters and microcrystalline silicon occurs. The current-voltage characteristics have shown good electrical properties in relation to the annealed films.

Functionally gradient hard carbon composites for improved adhesion and wear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayan, Roger Jagdish

A new approach is proposed for fabricating biomedical devices that last longer and are more biocompatible than those presently available. In this approach, a bulk material is chosen that has desirable mechanical properties (low modulus, high strength, high ductility and high fatigue strength). This material is coated with corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant, hard, and biocompatible hard carbon films. One of the many forms of carbon, tetrahedral amorphous carbon, consists mainly of sp3-bonded atoms. Tetrahedral amorphous carbon possesses properties close to diamond in terms of hardness, atomic smoothness, and inertness. Tetrahedral amorphous carbon and diamond films usually contain large amounts of compressive and sometimes tensile stresses; adhesive failure from these stresses has limited widespread use of these materials. This research involves processing, characterization and modeling of functionally gradient tetrahedral amorphous carbon and diamond composite films on metals (cobalt-chromium and titanium alloys) and polymers (polymethylmethacrylate and polyethylene) used in biomedical applications. Multilayer discontinuous thin films of titanium carbide, titanium nitride, aluminum nitride, and tungsten carbide have been developed to control stresses and graphitization in diamond films. A morphology of randomly interconnected micron sized diamond crystallites provides increased toughness and stress reduction. Internal stresses in tetrahedral amorphous carbon were reduced via incorporation of carbide forming elements (silicon and titanium) and noncarbide forming elements (copper, platinum, and silver). These materials were produced using a novel target design during pulsed laser deposition. These alloying atoms reduce hardness and sp3-bonded carbon content, but increase adhesion and wear resistance. Silver and platinum provide the films with antimicrobial properties, and silicon provides bioactivity and aids bone formation. Bilayer coatings were created that couple the adherence, biocompatibility, erosion resistance, and long term release of functional elements from hard carbon coatings with bioactive properties of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite and short term drug release properties of resorbable poly (D,L) lactide-based materials. Finally, these hard carbon coatings have a variety of non-medical applications, including use in microelectronics packaging, sensors, flat panel displays, photodiodes, cutting tools, optical switches, and wear-resistant magnetic disks.

Influence of Impact Conditions on Feedstock Deposition Behavior of Cold-Sprayed Fe-Based Metallic Glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziemian, Constance W.; Wright, Wendelin J.; Cipoletti, David E.

2018-05-01

Cold spray is a promising method by which to deposit dense Fe-based metallic glass coatings on conventional metal substrates. Relatively low process temperatures offer the potential to prevent the crystallization of amorphous feedstock powders while still providing adequate particle softening for bonding and coating formation. In this study, Fe48Mo14Cr15Y2C15B6 powder was sprayed onto a mild steel substrate, using a variety of process conditions, to investigate the feasibility of forming well-bonded amorphous Fe-based coatings. Particle splat adhesion was examined relative to impact conditions, and the limiting values of temperature and velocity associated with successful softening and adhesion were empirically established. Variability of particle sizes, impact temperatures, and impact velocities resulted in splat morphologies ranging from well-adhered deformed particles to substrate craters formed by rebounded particles and a variety of particle/substrate interface conditions. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed the presence of a thin oxide layer between well-adhered particles and the substrate, suggesting that bonding is feasible even with an increased oxygen content at the interface. Results indicate that the proper optimization of cold spray process parameters supports the formation of Fe-based metallic glass coatings that successfully retain their amorphous structure, as well as the superior corrosion and wear-resistant properties of the feedstock powder.

In vitro synthesis and stabilization of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) nanoparticles within liposomes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tester, Chantel C.; Brock, Ryan E.; Wu, Ching-Hsuan

2012-02-07

We show that amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) can be synthesized in phospholipid bilayer vesicles (liposomes). Liposome-encapsulated ACC nanoparticles are stable against aggregation, do not crystallize for at least 20 h, and are ideally suited to investigate the influence of lipid chemistry, particle size, and soluble additives on ACC in situ.

Synthesis and electrochemical property of amorphous carbon nanotubes wrapped sulfur particles as cathode material for lithium-sulfur batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Jingtian; Zhao, Tingkai; Ji, Xianglin; Peng, Xiarong; Jin, Wenbo; Yang, Wenbo; Zhang, Lei; Gao, Junjie; Dang, Alei; Li, Hao; Li, Tiehu

2017-11-01

Amorphous carbon nanotube (ACNT)/sulfur composites were prepared by solution reaction method. The electrochemical results showed that both ACNT/S composite and ACNT/S mixture had a first reversible capacity of 1020 mA h·g-1, and the capacity retention of ACNT/S composite was 77% after 100 cycles while that of ACNT/S mixture was only 35% with the initial capacity being 850 mA h·g-1. The experimental results showed that the reversible lithium insertion capacity of the composite was obviously high and the cycling stability was good, which was mainly due to the solid and uniform dispersion of the sulfur and amorphous carbon nanotube matrix in the composite.

Glycolytic intermediates induce amorphous calcium carbonate formation in crustaceans.

PubMed

Sato, Ai; Nagasaka, Seiji; Furihata, Kazuo; Nagata, Shinji; Arai, Isao; Saruwatari, Kazuko; Kogure, Toshihiro; Sakuda, Shohei; Nagasawa, Hiromichi

2011-04-01

It has been thought that phosphorus in biominerals made of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) might be related to ACC formation, but no such phosphorus-containing compounds have ever been identified. Crustaceans use ACC biominerals in exoskeleton and gastroliths so that they will have easy access to calcium carbonate inside the body before and after molting. We have identified phosphoenolpyruvate and 3-phosphoglycerate, intermediates of the glycolytic pathway, in exoskeleton and gastroliths and found them important for stabilizing ACC.

Application of amorphous carbon based materials as antireflective coatings on crystalline silicon solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, D. S.; Côrtes, A. D. S.; Oliveira, M. H.; Motta, E. F.; Viana, G. A.; Mei, P. R.; Marques, F. C.

2011-08-01

We report on the investigation of the potential application of different forms of amorphous carbon (a-C and a-C:H) as an antireflective coating for crystalline silicon solar cells. Polymeric-like carbon (PLC) and hydrogenated diamond-like carbon films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) was deposited by the filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique. Those three different amorphous carbon structures were individually applied as single antireflective coatings on conventional (polished and texturized) p-n junction crystalline silicon solar cells. Due to their optical properties, good results were also obtained for double-layer antireflective coatings based on PLC or ta-C films combined with different materials. The results are compared with a conventional tin dioxide (SnO2) single-layer antireflective coating and zinc sulfide/magnesium fluoride (ZnS/MgF2) double-layer antireflective coatings. An increase of 23.7% in the short-circuit current density, Jsc, was obtained using PLC as an antireflective coating and 31.7% was achieved using a double-layer of PLC with a layer of magnesium fluoride (MgF2). An additional increase of 10.8% was obtained in texturized silicon, representing a total increase (texturization + double-layer) of about 40% in the short-circuit current density. The potential use of these materials are critically addressed considering their refractive index, optical bandgap, absorption coefficient, hardness, chemical inertness, and mechanical stability.

Hydrogen plasma treatment for improved conductivity in amorphous aluminum doped zinc tin oxide thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morales-Masis, M., E-mail: monica.moralesmasis@epfl.ch; Ding, L.; Dauzou, F.

2014-09-01

Improving the conductivity of earth-abundant transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) remains an important challenge that will facilitate the replacement of indium-based TCOs. Here, we show that a hydrogen (H{sub 2})-plasma post-deposition treatment improves the conductivity of amorphous aluminum-doped zinc tin oxide while retaining its low optical absorption. We found that the H{sub 2}-plasma treatment performed at a substrate temperature of 50 °C reduces the resistivity of the films by 57% and increases the absorptance by only 2%. Additionally, the low substrate temperature delays the known formation of tin particles with the plasma and it allows the application of the process to temperature-sensitivemore » substrates.« less

Effect of silicon and oxygen dopants on the stability of hydrogenated amorphous carbon under harsh environmental conditions

DOE PAGES

Mangolini, Filippo; Krick, Brandon A.; Jacobs, Tevis D. B.; ...

2017-12-27

Harsh environments pose materials durability challenges across the automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing sectors, and beyond. While amorphous carbon materials have been used as coatings in many environmentally-demanding applications owing to their unique mechanical, electrical, and optical properties, their limited thermal stability and high reactivity in oxidizing environments have impeded their use in many technologies. Silicon- and oxygen-containing hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H:Si:O) films are promising for several applications because of their higher thermal stability and lower residual stress compared to hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H). However, an understanding of their superior thermo-oxidative stability compared to a-C:H is lacking, as it has beenmore » inhibited by the intrinsic challenge of characterizing an amorphous, multi-component material. Here, we show that introducing silicon and oxygen in a-C:H slightly enhances the thermal stability in vacuum, but tremendously increases the thermo-oxidative stability and the resistance to degradation upon exposure to the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit (LEO). The latter is demonstrated by having mounted samples of a-C:H:Si:O on the exterior of the International Space Station via the Materials International Space Station (MISSE) mission 7b. Exposing lightly-doped a-C:H:Si:O to elevated temperatures under aerobic conditions or to LEO causes carbon volatilization in the near-surface region, producing a silica surface layer that protects the underlying carbon from further removal. In conclusion, these findings provide a novel physically-based understanding of the superior stability of a-C:H:Si:O in harsh environments compared to a-C:H.« less

Effect of silicon and oxygen dopants on the stability of hydrogenated amorphous carbon under harsh environmental conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mangolini, Filippo; Krick, Brandon A.; Jacobs, Tevis D. B.

Harsh environments pose materials durability challenges across the automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing sectors, and beyond. While amorphous carbon materials have been used as coatings in many environmentally-demanding applications owing to their unique mechanical, electrical, and optical properties, their limited thermal stability and high reactivity in oxidizing environments have impeded their use in many technologies. Silicon- and oxygen-containing hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H:Si:O) films are promising for several applications because of their higher thermal stability and lower residual stress compared to hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H). However, an understanding of their superior thermo-oxidative stability compared to a-C:H is lacking, as it has beenmore » inhibited by the intrinsic challenge of characterizing an amorphous, multi-component material. Here, we show that introducing silicon and oxygen in a-C:H slightly enhances the thermal stability in vacuum, but tremendously increases the thermo-oxidative stability and the resistance to degradation upon exposure to the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit (LEO). The latter is demonstrated by having mounted samples of a-C:H:Si:O on the exterior of the International Space Station via the Materials International Space Station (MISSE) mission 7b. Exposing lightly-doped a-C:H:Si:O to elevated temperatures under aerobic conditions or to LEO causes carbon volatilization in the near-surface region, producing a silica surface layer that protects the underlying carbon from further removal. In conclusion, these findings provide a novel physically-based understanding of the superior stability of a-C:H:Si:O in harsh environments compared to a-C:H.« less

Method of forming semiconducting amorphous silicon films from the thermal decomposition of fluorohydridodisilanes

DOEpatents

Sharp, Kenneth G.; D'Errico, John J.

1988-01-01

The invention relates to a method of forming amorphous, photoconductive, and semiconductive silicon films on a substrate by the vapor phase thermal decomposition of a fluorohydridodisilane or a mixture of fluorohydridodisilanes. The invention is useful for the protection of surfaces including electronic devices.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiaobo; Zhou, Shengguo; Yan, Qingqing

2018-04-01

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

Morphological, structural, and chemical effects in response of novel carbide derived carbon sensor to NH3, N2O, and air.

PubMed

Adu, Kofi W; Li, Qixiu; Desai, Sharvil C; Sidorov, Anton N; Sumanasekera, Gamini U; Lueking, Angela D

2009-01-06

The response of two carbide derived carbons (CDCs) films to NH(3), N(2)O, and room air is investigated by four probe resistance at room temperature and pressures up to 760 Torr. The two CDC films were synthesized at 600 (CDC-600) and 1000 degrees C (CDC-1000) to vary the carbon morphology from completely amorphous to more ordered, and determine the role of structure, surface area, and porosity on sensor response. Sensor response time followed kinetic diameter and indicated a more ordered carbon structure slowed response due to increased tortuosity caused by the formation of graphitic layers at the particle fringe. Steady state sensor response was greater for the less-ordered material, despite its decreased surface area, decreased micropore volume, and less favorable surface chemistry, suggesting carbon structure is a stronger predictor of sensor response than surface chemistry. The lack of correlation between adsorption of the probe gases and sensor response suggests chemical interaction (charge transfer) drive sensor response within the material; N(2)O response, in particular, did not follow simple adsorption behavior. Based on Raman and FTIR characterization, carbon morphology (disorder) appeared to be the determining factor in overall sensor response, likely due to increased charge transfer between gases and carbon defects of amorphous or disordered regions. The response of the amorphous CDC-600 film to NH(3) was 45% without prior oxidation, showing amorphous CDCs have promise as chemical sensors without additional pretreatment common to other carbon sensors.

Enhanced off-resonance magnetoelectric response in laser annealed PZT thick film grown on magnetostrictive amorphous metal substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palneedi, Haribabu; Maurya, Deepam; Kim, Gi-Yeop; Priya, Shashank; Kang, Suk-Joong L.; Kim, Kwang-Ho; Choi, Si-Young; Ryu, Jungho

2015-07-01

A highly dense, 4 μm-thick Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) film is deposited on amorphous magnetostrictive Metglas foil (FeBSi) by granule spray in vacuum process at room temperature, followed by its localized annealing with a continuous-wave 560 nm ytterbium fiber laser radiation. This longer-wavelength laser radiation is able to anneal the whole of thick PZT film layer without any deteriorative effects, such as chemical reaction and/or atomic diffusion, at the interface and crystallization of amorphous Metglas substrate. Greatly enhanced dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the annealed PZT are attributed to its better crystallinity and grain growth induced by laser irradiation. As a result, a colossal off-resonance magnetoelectric (ME) voltage coefficient that is two orders of magnitude larger than previously reported output from PZT/Metglas film-composites is achieved. The present work addresses the problems involved in the fabrication of PZT/Metglas film-composites and opens up emerging possibilities in employing piezoelectric materials with low thermal budget substrates (suitable for integrated electronics) and designing laminate composites for ME based devices.

Kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulation of carbon co-implant on pre-amorphization process.

PubMed

Park, Soonyeol; Cho, Bumgoo; Yang, Seungsu; Won, Taeyoung

2010-05-01

We report our kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) study of the effect of carbon co-implant on the pre-amorphization implant (PAL) process. We employed BCA (Binary Collision Approximation) approach for the acquisition of the initial as-implant dopant profile and kMC method for the simulation of diffusion process during the annealing process. The simulation results implied that carbon co-implant suppresses the boron diffusion due to the recombination with interstitials. Also, we could compare the boron diffusion with carbon diffusion by calculating carbon reaction with interstitial. And we can find that boron diffusion is affected from the carbon co-implant energy by enhancing the trapping of interstitial between boron and interstitial.

Exchange bias and bistable magneto-resistance states in amorphous TbFeCo thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Xiaopu, E-mail: xl6ba@virginia.edu; Ma, Chung T.; Poon, S. Joseph, E-mail: sjp9x@virginia.edu

2016-01-04

Amorphous TbFeCo thin films sputter deposited at room temperature on thermally oxidized Si substrate are found to exhibit strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Atom probe tomography, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping have revealed two nanoscale amorphous phases with different Tb atomic percentages distributed within the amorphous film. Exchange bias accompanied by bistable magneto-resistance states has been uncovered near room temperature by magnetization and magneto-transport measurements. The exchange anisotropy originates from the exchange interaction between the ferrimagnetic and ferromagnetic components corresponding to the two amorphous phases. This study provides a platform for exchange bias and magneto-resistance switchingmore » using single-layer amorphous ferrimagnetic thin films that require no epitaxial growth.« less

Nitrogen anion-decorated cobalt tungsten disulfides solid solutions on the carbon nanofibers for water splitting.

PubMed

Wan, Meng; Li, Jiang; Li, Tao; Zhu, Han; Wu, Weiwei; Du, Mingliang

2018-06-28

A facile method to prepared nitrogen anion-decorated cobalt tungsten disulfides solid solutions retaining ultra-thin WS2-like nanosheet structures (The N-CoxW1-xS2) anchored on carbon nanofibers is developed. The synergistic effect of the WS2 nanosheets provides a secure framework for stabilizing the amorphous Co-S clusters, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) substrate and nitrogen anion-decoration significantly enhances the inherent conductivity of the catalyst, resulting in a significantly promoted hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity and stable performance compared to pure Co9S8 nanoparticles or ultra-thin WS2 nanosheets. The N-CoxW1-xS2 electrode demonstrates the excellent electrocatalytic performance, with current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a low overpotential of 93 mV and Tafel slope of 85 mV dec-1, as well as the long-term stability in acid electrolyte. The present investigation may provide a feasible strategy for incorporating other heteroatoms into transitional metal disulfides (TMDs) materials to design catalysts with highly active and stable performance for water splitting. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

EELS Analysis of Nylon 6 Nanofibers Reinforced with Nitroxide-Functionalized Graphene Oxide.

PubMed

Leyva-Porras, César; Ornelas-Gutiérrez, C; Miki-Yoshida, M; Avila-Vega, Yazmín I; Macossay, Javier; Bonilla-Cruz, José

2014-01-01

A detailed analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) of nitroxide-functionalized graphene oxide layers (GOFT) dispersed in Nylon 6 nanofibers is reported herein. The functionalization and exfoliation process of graphite oxide to GOFT was confirmed by TEM using electron diffraction patterns (EDP), wherein 1 to 4 graphene layers of GOFT were observed. The distribution and alignment of GOFT layers within a sample of Nylon 6 nanofiber reveals that GOFT platelets are mainly within the fiber, but some were partially protruding from it. Furthermore, Nylon 6 nanofibers exhibit an average diameter of 225 nm with several microns in length. GOFT platelets embedded into the fiber, the pristine fiber, and amorphous carbon were analyzed by EELS where each spectra [corresponding to the carbon edge (C-K)] exhibited changes in the fine structure, allowing a clear distinction between: i) GOFT single-layers, ii) Nylon-6 nanofibers, and iii) the carbon substrate. EELS analysis is presented here for the first time as a powerful tool to identify functionalized graphene single-layers (< 4 layers of GOFT) into a Nylon 6 nanofiber composite.

EELS Analysis of Nylon 6 Nanofibers Reinforced with Nitroxide-Functionalized Graphene Oxide

PubMed Central

Leyva-Porras, César; Ornelas-Gutiérrez, C.; Miki-Yoshida, M.; Avila-Vega, Yazmín I.; Macossay, Javier; Bonilla-Cruz, José

2014-01-01

A detailed analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) of nitroxide-functionalized graphene oxide layers (GOFT) dispersed in Nylon 6 nanofibers is reported herein. The functionalization and exfoliation process of graphite oxide to GOFT was confirmed by TEM using electron diffraction patterns (EDP), wherein 1 to 4 graphene layers of GOFT were observed. The distribution and alignment of GOFT layers within a sample of Nylon 6 nanofiber reveals that GOFT platelets are mainly within the fiber, but some were partially protruding from it. Furthermore, Nylon 6 nanofibers exhibit an average diameter of 225 nm with several microns in length. GOFT platelets embedded into the fiber, the pristine fiber, and amorphous carbon were analyzed by EELS where each spectra [corresponding to the carbon edge (C-K)] exhibited changes in the fine structure, allowing a clear distinction between: i) GOFT single-layers, ii) Nylon-6 nanofibers, and iii) the carbon substrate. EELS analysis is presented here for the first time as a powerful tool to identify functionalized graphene single-layers (< 4 layers of GOFT) into a Nylon 6 nanofiber composite. PMID:24634536

Effect of Surface Modification on Corrosion Resistance of Uncoated and DLC Coated Stainless Steel Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scendo, Mieczyslaw; Staszewska-Samson, Katarzyna

2017-08-01

Corrosion resistance of 4H13 stainless steel (EN-X46Cr13) surface uncoated and coated with an amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) film [diamond-like carbon (DLC)] in acidic chloride solution was investigated. The DLC films were deposited on steel surface by a plasma deposition, direct current discharge (PDCD) method. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was used to determine the chemical groups existing on DLC films. The surface of the specimens was observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The tribological properties of the both materials were examined using a ball-on disk tribometer. The microhardness (HV) of diamond-like carbon film increased over five times in relation to the 4H13 stainless steel without of DLC coating. Oxidation kinetic parameters were determined by gravimetric and electrochemical methods. The high value of polarization resistance indicates that the DLC film on substrate was characterized by low electrical conductivity. The corrosion rate of 4H13 stainless steel with of DLC film decreased about eight times in relation to uncoated surface of 4H13 stainless steel.

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

DOEpatents

Farmer, Joseph C.; Wong, Frank M.G.; Haslam, Jeffery J.; Yang, Nancy; Lavernia, Enrique J.; Blue, Craig A.; Graeve, Olivia A.; Bayles, Robert; Perepezko, John H.; Kaufman, Larry; Schoenung, Julie; Ajdelsztajn, Leo

2014-07-15

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

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

DOEpatents

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

2009-11-17

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

High-resolution TEM Studies of Carbon Nanotubes and Catalyst Nanoparticles Produced During CVD from Metal Multilayer Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howe, Jane Y.; Puretzky, Alex A.; Geohegan, David B.; Cui, Hongtao; Eres, Varela; Maria, Alex A.; Lowndes, Douglas H.

2003-03-01

The structure of single-wall and multiwall carbon nanotubes and associated metal catalyst nanoparticles produced during chemical vapor deposition from multilayered metal films deposited on Si and Mo substrates were studied by high-resolution TEM and EDS. Electron beam-evaporated metal multilayer films (e.g. Al-Fe-Mo, typically 11-50 nm total thickness) roughen upon heat treatment to form a variety of catalyst particle sizes suitable for carbon nanotube growth by chemical vapor deposition using acetylene, hydrogen, and argon flow gases. This study investigates these nanoparticles, the type of nanotubes grown, their wall, tip, and basal structures, as well as the associated amounts of amorphous carbon deposited on their walls in different temperature and pressure ranges. Mixtures of SWNT and MWNT are found even for low growth temperatures (650-700 C), while rapid growth of vertically-aligned multiwall nanotubes (VA-MWNTs) predominate in a narrow temperature range at a given pressure. Arrested growth experiments were performed to determine the time periods for SWNT vs. MWNT growth. The nature of the catalyst nanoparticles, their support structure, and insights on the mechanisms of growth will be discussed.

Activation of electrocatalytic properties of a-C films by doping with MoSe x clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigoriev, S. N.; Fominski, V. Y.; Romanov, R. I.; Volosova, M. A.; Fominski, D. V.

2017-12-01

Nanocomposite a-C(Mo/MoSe x ) thin films containing amorphous carbon matrix a-C, nano-Mo and MoSe x ≥2 clusters were obtained by pulsed laser co-deposition of carbon and MoSe2. The deposition was carried out at room temperature onto a graphite substrate. Atomic content of the MoSe x≥2 phase did not exceed 25%. The use of a buffer gas at a pressure of 10 Pa allowed to obtain the maximum Se/Mo ratio in the films and to increase the concentration of sp2-hybridized C atoms for high conductivity realization. The formation of MoSe x≥2 cluster inclusions was the essential factor for activation of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5 M H2SO4 aqueous solution. These clusters also promoted cathodic deposition of Pt nanoparticles on the surface of a-C(Mo/MoSe x ) in a H2SO4/KCl solution when a Pt anode was used as a source of Pt. Hybrid Pt/a-C(Mo/MoSe x ) thin-film coatings with a low Pt loading (~6 μg/cm2) exhibit excellent HER property, which noticeably exceeds that of relatively thick Pt coating prepared on a graphite substrate by pulsed laser deposition.

Continuous method of producing silicon carbide fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnard, Thomas Duncan (Inventor); Nguyen, Kimmai Thi (Inventor); Rabe, James Alan (Inventor)

1999-01-01

This invention pertains to a method for production of polycrystalline ceramic fibers from silicon oxycarbide (SiCO) ceramic fibers wherein the method comprises heating an amorphous ceramic fiber containing silicon and carbon in an inert environment comprising a boron oxide and carbon monoxide at a temperature sufficient to convert the amorphous ceramic fiber to a polycrystalline ceramic fiber. By having carbon monoxide present during the heating of the ceramic fiber, it is possible to achieve higher production rates on a continuous process.

Tunable carbon nanotube-tungsten carbide nanoparticles heterostructures by vapor deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xia, Min; Guo, Hongyan; Ge, Changchun

2014-05-14

A simple, versatile route for the synthesis of carbon nanotube (CNT)-tungsten carbide nanoparticles heterostructures was set up via vapor deposition process. For the first time, amorphous CNTs (α-CNTs) were used to immobilized tungsten carbide nanoparticles. By adjusting the synthesis and annealing temperature, α-CNTs/amorphous tungsten carbide, α-CNTs/W{sub 2}C, and CNTs/W{sub 2}C/WC heterostructures were prepared. This approach provides an efficient method to attach other metal carbides and other nanoparticles to carbon nanotubes with tunable properties.

Spectral characteristics and the extent of paleosols of the Palouse formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frazier, B. E.; Busacca, Alan; Cheng, Yaan; Wherry, David; Hart, Judy; Gill, Steve

1987-01-01

Three spectral models defining the spatial distribution of soil areas by levels of amorphous iron, organic carbon, and the ratio of amorphous iron to organic carbon were developed and field verification studies were conducted. The models used particular Thematic Mapper band ratios selected by statistical correlation with soil chemical data. The ability of the models to indicate erosion severity and to differentiate between iron enriched and carbonate paleosols is discussed. In addition, the effect of vegetation cover on paleosols is addressed.

Template confined synthesis of amorphous carbon nanotubes and its confocal Raman microscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maity, Supratim; Roychowdhury, Tuhin; Chattopadhyay, Kalyan Kumar, E-mail: kalyan-chattopadhyay@yahoo.com

2014-04-24

Amorphous carbon nanotubes (aCNTs) were synthesized by AAO (anodic aluminum oxide) template at a temperature 500 °C in nitrogen atmosphere using the citric acid as a carbon source without the help of any catalyst particles. Morphological analysis of the as prepared samples was carried out by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Confocal Raman imaging has been studied and an attempt has been made to find out the graphitic (sp{sup 2}) and disordered phase of the CNTs.

Sea urchin spine calcite forms via a transient amorphous calcium carbonate phase.

PubMed

Politi, Yael; Arad, Talmon; Klein, Eugenia; Weiner, Steve; Addadi, Lia

2004-11-12

The skeletons of adult echinoderms comprise large single crystals of calcite with smooth convoluted fenestrated morphologies, raising many questions about how they form. By using water etching, infrared spectroscopy, electron diffraction, and environmental scanning electron microscopy, we show that sea urchin spine regeneration proceeds via the initial deposition of amorphous calcium carbonate. Because most echinoderms produce the same type of skeletal material, they probably all use this same mechanism. Deposition of transient amorphous phases as a strategy for producing single crystals with complex morphology may have interesting implications for the development of sophisticated materials.

Thin Bioactive Zn Substituted Hydroxyapatite Coating Deposited on Ultrafine Grained Titanium Substrate: Structure Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prosolov, Konstantin A.; Belyavskaya, Olga A.; Muehle, Uwe; Sharkeev, Yurii P.

2018-02-01

Nanocrystalline Zn substituted hydroxyapatite coatings were deposited by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering on the surface of ultrafine-grained titanium substrates. Cross section transmission electron microscopy provided information about the morphology and texture of the thin film while in-column energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of Zn in the coating. The Zn substituted hydroxyapatite coating was formed by an equiaxed polycrystalline grain structure. Effect of substrate crystallinity on the structure of deposited coating is discussed. An amorphous TiO2 sublayer of 8 nm thickness was detected in the interface between the polycrystalline coating and the Ti substrate. Its appearance in the amorphous state is attributed to prior to deposition etching of the substrate and subsequent condensation of oxygen-containing species sputtered from the target. This layer contributes to the high coating-to-substrate adhesion. The major P-O vibrational modes of high intensity were detected by Raman spectroscopy. The Zn substituted hydroxyapatite could be a material of choice when antibacterial osteoconductive coating with a possibility of withstanding mechanical stress during implantation and service is needed.

A Substrate Bias Effect on Recovery of the Threshold Voltage Shift of Amorphous Silicon Thin-Film Transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Chang-Wook; Han, Min-Koo; Choi, Nack-Bong; Kim, Chang-Dong; Kim, Ki-Yong; Chung, In-Jae

2007-07-01

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated on a flexible stainless-steel (SS) substrate. The stability of the a-Si:H TFT is a key issue for active matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLEDs). The drain current decreases because of the threshold voltage shift (Δ VTH) during OLED driving. A negative voltage at a floated gate can be induced by a negative substrate bias through a capacitor between the substrate and the gate electrode without additional circuits. The negative voltage biased at the SS substrate can recover Δ VTH and reduced drain current of the driving TFT. The VTH of the TFT increased by 2.3 V under a gate bias of +15 V and a drain bias of +15 V at 65 °C applied for 3,500 s. The VTH decreased by -2.3 V and the drain current recovered 97% of its initial value under a substrate bias of -23 V at 65 °C applied for 3,500 s.

Oriented niobate ferroelectric thin films for electrical and optical devices and method of making such films

DOEpatents

Wessels, B.W.; Nystrom, M.J.

1998-05-19

Sr{sub x}Ba{sub 1{minus}x}Nb{sub 2}O{sub 6}, where x is greater than 0.25 and less than 0.75, and KNbO{sub 3} ferroelectric thin films metalorganic chemical vapor deposited on amorphous or crystalline substrate surfaces to provide a crystal axis of the film exhibiting a high dielectric susceptibility, electro-optic coefficient, and/or nonlinear optic coefficient oriented preferentially in a direction relative to a crystalline or amorphous substrate surface are disclosed. Such films can be used in electronic, electro-optic, and frequency doubling components. 8 figs.

Oriented niobate ferroelectric thin films for electrical and optical devices and method of making such films

DOEpatents

Wessels, Bruce W.; Nystrom, Michael J.

1998-01-01

Sr.sub.x Ba.sub.1-x Nb.sub.2 O.sub.6, where x is greater than 0.25 and less than 0.75, and KNbO.sub.3 ferroelectric thin films metalorganic chemical vapor deposited on amorphous or crystalline substrate surfaces to provide a crystal axis of the film exhibiting a high dielectric susceptibility, electro-optic coefficient, and/or nonlinear optic coefficient oriented preferentially in a direction relative to a crystalline or amorphous substrate surface. Such films can be used in electronic, electro-optic, and frequency doubling components.

Flexible amorphous oxide thin-film transistors on polyimide substrate for AMOLED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Zhiping; Li, Min; Xu, Miao; Zou, Jianhua; Gao, Zhuo; Pang, Jiawei; Guo, Ying; Zhou, Lei; Wang, Chunfu; Fu, Dong; Peng, Junbiao; Wang, Lei; Cao, Yong

2014-10-01

We report a flexible amorphous Lanthanide doped In-Zn-O (IZO) thin-film transistor (TFT) backplane on polyimide (PI) substrate. In order to de-bond the PI film from the glass carrier easily after the flexible AMOLED process, a special inorganic film is deposited on the glass before the PI film is coated. The TFT exhibited a field-effect mobility of 6.97 cm2V-1 s-1, a subthreshold swing of 0.248 V dec-1, and an Ion/Ioff ratio of 5.19×107, which is sufficient to drive the OLEDs.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-06-01

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

In Situ Mechanical Property Measurements of Amorphous Carbon-Boron Nitride Nanotube Nanostructures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Jae-Woo; Lin, Yi; Nunez, Jennifer Carpena; Siochi, Emilie J.; Wise, Kristopher E.; Connell, John W.; Smith, Michael W.

2011-01-01

To understand the mechanical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C)/boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) nanostructures, in situ mechanical tests are conducted inside a transmission electron microscope equipped with an integrated atomic force microscope system. The nanotube structure is modified with amorphous carbon deposited by controlled electron beam irradiation. We demonstrate multiple in situ tensile, compressive, and lap shear tests with a-C/BNNT hybrid nanostructures. The tensile strength of the a-C/BNNT hybrid nanostructure is 5.29 GPa with about 90 vol% of a-C. The tensile strength and strain of the end-to-end joint structure with a-C welding is 0.8 GPa and 5.2% whereas the lap shear strength of the side-by-side joint structure with a-C is 0.25 GPa.

A near-wearless and extremely long lifetime amorphous carbon film under high vacuum

PubMed Central

Wang, Liping; Zhang, Renhui; Jansson, Ulf; Nedfors, Nils

2015-01-01

Prolonging wear life of amorphous carbon films under vacuum was an enormous challenge. In this work, we firstly reported that amorphous carbon film as a lubricant layer containing hydrogen, oxygen, fluorine and silicon (a-C:H:O:F:Si) exhibited low friction (~0.1), ultra-low wear rate (9.0 × 10–13 mm3 N–1 mm–1) and ultra-long wear life (>2 × 106 cycles) under high vacuum. We systematically examined microstructure and composition of transfer film for understanding of the underlying frictional mechanism, which suggested that the extraordinarily excellent tribological properties were attributed to the thermodynamically and structurally stable FeF2 nanocrystallites corroborated using first-principles calculations, which were induced by the tribochemical reaction. PMID:26059254

Study of flowability effect on self-planarization performance at SOC materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Huichan; Kim, Jinhyung; Park, Youjung; Kim, Yoona; Jeong, Seulgi; Baek, Jaeyeol; Yoon, Byeri; Lim, Sanghak

2017-03-01

For multilayer process, importance of carbon-based spin-on hardmask material that replaces amorphous carbon layer (ACL) is ever increasing. Carbon-based spin-on hardmask is an organic polymer with high carbon content formulated in organic solvents for spin-coating application that is cured through baking. In comparison to CVD process for ACL, carbon-based spin-on hardmask material can offer several benefits: lower cost of ownership (CoO) and improved process time, as well as better gap-fill and planarization performances. Thus carbon-based spin-on hardmask material of high etch resistance, good gap-fill properties and global planarization performances over various pattern topographies are desired to achieve the fine patterning and high aspect ratio (A/R). In particular, good level of global planarization of spin coated layer over the underlying pattern topographies is important for self-aligned double patterning (SADP) process as it dictates the photolithographic margin. Herein, we report a copolymer carbon-based spin-on hardmask resin formulation that exhibits favorable film shrinkage profile and good etch resistance properties. By combining the favorable characteristics of each resin - one resin with good shrinkage property and the other with excellent etch resistance into the copolymer, it was possible to achieve a carbonbased spin-on hardmask formulation with desirable level of etch resistance and the planarization performances across various underlying substrate pattern topographies.

Fast-moving dislocations trigger flash weakening in carbonate-bearing faults during earthquakes.

PubMed

Spagnuolo, Elena; Plümper, Oliver; Violay, Marie; Cavallo, Andrea; Di Toro, Giulio

2015-11-10

Rupture fronts can cause fault displacement, reaching speeds up to several ms(-1) within a few milliseconds, at any distance away from the earthquake nucleation area. In the case of silicate-bearing rocks the abrupt slip acceleration results in melting at asperity contacts causing a large reduction in fault frictional strength (i.e., flash weakening). Flash weakening is also observed in experiments performed in carbonate-bearing rocks but evidence for melting is lacking. To unravel the micro-physical mechanisms associated with flash weakening in carbonates, experiments were conducted on pre-cut Carrara marble cylinders using a rotary shear apparatus at conditions relevant to earthquakes propagation. In the first 5 mm of slip the shear stress was reduced up to 30% and CO2 was released. Focused ion beam, scanning and transmission electron microscopy investigations of the slipping zones reveal the presence of calcite nanograins and amorphous carbon. We interpret the CO2 release, the formation of nanograins and amorphous carbon to be the result of a shock-like stress release associated with the migration of fast-moving dislocations. Amorphous carbon, given its low friction coefficient, is responsible for flash weakening and promotes the propagation of the seismic rupture in carbonate-bearing fault patches.

Method of depositing wide bandgap amorphous semiconductor materials

DOEpatents

Ellis, Jr., Frank B.; Delahoy, Alan E.

1987-09-29

A method of depositing wide bandgap p type amorphous semiconductor materials on a substrate without photosensitization by the decomposition of one or more higher order gaseous silanes in the presence of a p-type catalytic dopant at a temperature of about 200.degree. C. and a pressure in the range from about 1-50 Torr.

OP-AMPS on Flexible Substrates with Printable Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-10

Zinc Tin Oxide Thin - Film - Transistor Enhancement...II196, 2010. [3] D. Geng, D. H. Kang, and J. Jang, "High-Performance Amorphous Indium-Gallium- Zinc - Oxide Thin - Film Transistor With a Self-Aligned...B., Dodabalapur, A., “Band transport and mobility edge in amorphous solution-processed zinc tin oxide thin - film transistors ”, Applied

Normal and grazing incidence pulsed laser deposition of nanostructured MoSx hydrogen evolution catalysts from a MoS2 target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fominski, V. Yu.; Romanov, R. I.; Fominski, D. V.; Dzhumaev, P. S.; Troyan, I. A.

2018-06-01

Pulsed laser ablation of a MoS2 target causes enhanced splashing of the material. So, for MoSx films obtained by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in the conventional normal incidence (NI) configuration, their typical morphology is characterized by an underlying granular structure with an overlayer of widely dispersed spherical Mo and MoSx particles possessing micro-, sub-micro- and nanometer sizes. We investigated the possibility of using high surface roughness, which occurs due to particle deposition, as a support with a large exposed surface area for thin MoSx catalytic layers for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). For comparison, the HER performance of MoSx layers formed by grazing incidence (GI) PLD was studied. During GI-PLD, a substrate was placed along the direction of laser plume transport and few large particles loaded the substrate. The local structure and composition of thin MoSx layers formed by the deposition of the vapor component of the laser plume were varied by changing the pressure of the buffer gas (argon, Ar). In the case of NI-PLD, an increase in Ar pressure caused the formation of quasi-amorphous MoSx (x ≥ 2) films that possessed highly active catalytic sites on the edges of the layered MoS2 nanophase. At the same time, a decrease in the deposition rate of the MoSx film appeared due to the scattering of the vapor flux by Ar molecules during flux transport from the target to the substrate. This effect prevented uniform deposition of the MoSx catalytic film on the surface of most particles, whose deposition rate was independent of Ar pressure. The scattered vapor flux containing Mo and S atoms was a dominant source for MoSx film growth during GI-PLD. The thickness and composition distribution of the MoSx film on the substrate depended on both the pressure of the buffer gas and the distance from the target. For 1.0-2.5 cm from the target, the deposition rate was quite sufficient to form S-enriched quasi-amorphous MoSx (2.5 < x < 6) catalytic films that consisted of densely packed 30-50 nm nanoparticles. The GI-PLD films possessed a greater density of catalytically active sites with a distinct local atomic configuration including edge sites of the layered MoS2 nanophase and diverse S ligands in the amorphous phase, which contained Mo3-S clusters. At a modest loading of ∼300 μg/cm2 on glassy carbon substrates and an overpotential of -140 mV, these films activated H2 production with geometric current densities up to -10 mA/cm2.

Molecular dynamics simulations of interactions between hydrogen and fusion-relevant materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Rooij, E. D.

2010-02-01

In a thermonuclear reactor fusion between hydrogen isotopes takes place, producing helium and energy. The so-called divertor is the part of the fusion reactor vessel where the plasma is neutralized in order to exhaust the helium. The surface plates of the divertor are subjected to high heat loads and high fluxes of energetic hydrogen and helium. In the next generation fusion device - the tokamak ITER - the expected conditions at the plates are particle fluxes exceeding 1e24 per second and square metre, particle energies ranging from 1 to 100 eV and an average heat load of 10 MW per square metre. Two materials have been identified as candidates for the ITER divertor plates: carbon and tungsten. Since there are currently no fusion devices that can create these harsh conditions, it is unknown how the materials will behave in terms of erosion and hydrogen retention. To gain more insight in the physical processes under these conditions molecular dynamics simulations have been conducted. Since diamond has been proposed as possible plasma facing material, we have studied erosion and hydrogen retention in diamond and amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H). As in experiments, diamond shows a lower erosion yield than a-C:H, however the hydrogen retention in diamond is much larger than in a-C:H and also hardly depending on the substrate temperature. This implies that simple heating of the surface is not sufficient to retrieve the hydrogen from diamond material, whereas a-C:H readily releases the retained hydrogen. So, in spite of the higher erosion yield carbon material other than diamond seems more suitable. Experiments suggest that the erosion yield of carbon material decreases with increasing flux. This was studied in our simulations. The results show no flux dependency, suggesting that the observed reduction is not a material property but is caused by external factors as, for example, redeposition of the erosion products. Our study of the redeposition showed that the sticking probability of small hydrocarbons is highest on material previously subjected to the highest hydrogen flux. This result suggests that redeposition is more effective under high than under low hydrogen fluxes, partly explaining the experimentally observed reduction in the carbon erosion yield. Lastly, we studied amorphous tungsten carbide. Amorphous material with three different carbon percentages (15, 50 and 95%) was subjected to deuterium bombardment and the resulting erosion and deuterium retention was analysed. The 95% carbon sample behaves like doped carbon, the carbon erosion yield is reduced and no tungsten is eroded. Segregation of the materials was observed, resulting in an accumulation of tungsten at the surface. The hydrogen retention was similar to a-C:H. The 15% carbon sample showed no significant erosion or retention. The most interesting was the 50% sample. Here deuterium bubbles formed that burst open after sufficiently long bombardment, thereby removing both carbon and tungsten from the surface. In the context of ITER our MD simulations suggest that tungsten is the better suited material since both the erosion and the hydrogen retention are significantly lower than for carbon.

Thermal decomposition of silane to form hydrogenated amorphous Si film

DOEpatents

Strongin, Myron; Ghosh, Arup K.; Wiesmann, Harold J.; Rock, Edward B.; Lutz, III, Harry A.

1980-01-01

This invention relates to hydrogenated amorphous silicon produced by thermally decomposing silano (SiH.sub.4) or other gases comprising H and Si, at elevated temperatures of about 1700.degree.-2300.degree. C., and preferably in a vacuum of about 10.sup.-8 to 10.sup.-4 torr, to form a gaseous mixture of atomic hydrogen and atomic silicon, and depositing said gaseous mixture onto a substrate outside said source of thermal decomposition to form hydrogenated amorphous silicon.

In-situ composite formation of damage tolerant coatings utilizing laser

DOEpatents

Blue, Craig A [Knoxville, TN; Wong, Frank [Livermore, CA; Aprigliano, Louis F [Berlin, MD; Engleman, Peter G [Knoxville, TN; Peter, William H [Knoxville, TN; Rozgonyi, Tibor G [Golden, CO; Ozdemir, Levent [Golden, CO

2011-05-10

A coating steel component with a pattern of an iron based matrix with crystalline particles metallurgically bound to the surface of a steel substrate for use as disc cutters or other components with one or more abrading surfaces that can experience significant abrasive wear, high point loads, and large shear stresses during use. The coated component contains a pattern of features in the shape of freckles or stripes that are laser formed and fused to the steel substrate. The features can display an inner core that is harder than the steel substrate but generally softer than the matrix surrounding the core, providing toughness and wear resistance to the features. The features result from processing an amorphous alloy where the resulting matrix can be amorphous, partially devitrified or fully devitrified.

In-situ composite formation of damage tolerant coatings utilizing laser

DOEpatents

Blue, Craig A; Wong, Frank; Aprigliano, Louis F; Engleman, Peter G; Rozgonyi, Tibor G; Ozdemir, Levent

2014-03-18

A coating steel component with a pattern of an iron based matrix with crystalline particles metallurgically bound to the surface of a steel substrate for use as disc cutters or other components with one or more abrading surfaces that can experience significant abrasive wear, high point loads, and large shear stresses during use. The coated component contains a pattern of features in the shape of freckles or stripes that are laser formed and fused to the steel substrate. The features can display an inner core that is harder than the steel substrate but generally softer than the matrix surrounding the core, providing toughness and wear resistance to the features. The features result from processing an amorphous alloy where the resulting matrix can be amorphous, partially devitrified or fully devitrified.

Monolithic amorphous silicon modules on continuous polymer substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grimmer, D.P.

This report examines manufacturing monolithic amorphous silicon modules on a continuous polymer substrate. Module production costs can be reduced by increasing module performance, expanding production, and improving and modifying production processes. Material costs can be reduced by developing processes that use a 1-mil polyimide substrate and multilayers of low-cost material for the front encapsulant. Research to speed up a-Si and ZnO deposition rates is needed to improve throughputs. To keep throughput rates compatible with depositions, multibeam fiber optic delivery systems for laser scribing can be used. However, mechanical scribing systems promise even higher throughputs. Tandem cells and production experience canmore » increase device efficiency and stability. Two alternative manufacturing processes are described: (1) wet etching and sheet handling and (2) wet etching and roll-to-roll fabrication.« less

Development of RF sputtered chromium oxide coating for wear application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhushan, B.

1979-01-01

The radio frequency sputtering technique was used to deposite a hard refractory, chromium oxide coating on an Inconel X-750 foil 0.1 mm thick. Optimized sputtering parameters for a smooth and adherent coating were found to be as follows: target-to-substrate spacing, 41.3 mm; argon pressure, 5-10 mTorr; total power to the sputtering module, 400 W (voltage at the target, 1600 V), and a water-cooled substrate. The coating on the annealed foil was more adherent than that on the heat-treated foil. Substrate biasing during the sputter deposition of Cr2O3 adversely affected adherence by removing naturally occurring interfacial oxide layers. The deposited coatings were amorphous and oxygen deficient. Since amorphous materials are extremely hard, the structure was considered to be desirable.

In-situ composite formation of damage tolerant coatings utilizing laser

DOEpatents

Blue, Craig A.; Wong, Frank; Aprigliano, Louis F.; Engleman, Peter G.; Peter, William H.; Rozgonyi, Tibor G.; Ozdemir, Levent

2016-05-24

A coating steel component with a pattern of an iron based matrix with crystalline particles metallurgically bound to the surface of a steel substrate for use as disc cutters or other components with one or more abrading surfaces that can experience significant abrasive wear, high point loads, and large shear stresses during use. The coated component contains a pattern of features in the shape of freckles or stripes that are laser formed and fused to the steel substrate. The features can display an inner core that is harder than the steel substrate but generally softer than the matrix surrounding the core, providing toughness and wear resistance to the features. The features result from processing an amorphous alloy where the resulting matrix can be amorphous, partially devitrified or fully devitrified.

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

PubMed

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

2018-03-30

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

A fast image simulation algorithm for scanning transmission electron microscopy.

PubMed

Ophus, Colin

2017-01-01

Image simulation for scanning transmission electron microscopy at atomic resolution for samples with realistic dimensions can require very large computation times using existing simulation algorithms. We present a new algorithm named PRISM that combines features of the two most commonly used algorithms, namely the Bloch wave and multislice methods. PRISM uses a Fourier interpolation factor f that has typical values of 4-20 for atomic resolution simulations. We show that in many cases PRISM can provide a speedup that scales with f 4 compared to multislice simulations, with a negligible loss of accuracy. We demonstrate the usefulness of this method with large-scale scanning transmission electron microscopy image simulations of a crystalline nanoparticle on an amorphous carbon substrate.

A fast image simulation algorithm for scanning transmission electron microscopy

DOE PAGES

Ophus, Colin

2017-05-10

Image simulation for scanning transmission electron microscopy at atomic resolution for samples with realistic dimensions can require very large computation times using existing simulation algorithms. Here, we present a new algorithm named PRISM that combines features of the two most commonly used algorithms, namely the Bloch wave and multislice methods. PRISM uses a Fourier interpolation factor f that has typical values of 4-20 for atomic resolution simulations. We show that in many cases PRISM can provide a speedup that scales with f 4 compared to multislice simulations, with a negligible loss of accuracy. We demonstrate the usefulness of this methodmore » with large-scale scanning transmission electron microscopy image simulations of a crystalline nanoparticle on an amorphous carbon substrate.« less

Nanopillar arrays of amorphous carbon nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2011-07-01

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

Amorphous Transition Metal Sulfides Anchored on Amorphous Carbon-Coated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Lithium-Ion Storage.

PubMed

Jin, Rencheng; Zhai, Qinghe; Wang, Qingyao

2017-10-09

Cobalt sulfide and molybdenum sulfide, with high theoretical capacities, have been considered as one of most promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the poor cyclability and low rate performances originating from the large volume expansion and poor electrical conductivity extremely inhibit their practical application. Here, the electrochemical performances are effectively improved by growing amorphous cobalt sulfide and molybdenum sulfide onto amorphous carbon-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs@C@CoS 2 and CNTs@C@MoS 2 ). The CNTs@C@CoS 2 presents a high reversible specific capacity of 1252 mAh g -1 at 0.2 Ag -1 , excellent rate performance of 672 mAh g -1 (5 Ag -1 ), and enhanced cycle life of 598 mAh g -1 after 500 cycles at 2 Ag -1 . For CNTs@C@MoS 2 , it exhibits a specific capacity of 1395 mAh g -1 , superior rate performance of 727 mAh g -1 at 5 Ag -1 , and long cycle stability (796 mAh g -1 after 500 cycles at 2 Ag -1 ). The enhanced electrochemical properties of the electrodes are probably ascribed to their amorphous nature, the combination of CNTs@C that adhered and hindered the agglomeration of CoS 2 and MoS 2 as well as the enhanced electronic conductivity. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Direct-patterned optical waveguides on amorphous silicon films

DOEpatents

Vernon, Steve; Bond, Tiziana C.; Bond, Steven W.; Pocha, Michael D.; Hau-Riege, Stefan

2005-08-02

An optical waveguide structure is formed by embedding a core material within a medium of lower refractive index, i.e. the cladding. The optical index of refraction of amorphous silicon (a-Si) and polycrystalline silicon (p-Si), in the wavelength range between about 1.2 and about 1.6 micrometers, differ by up to about 20%, with the amorphous phase having the larger index. Spatially selective laser crystallization of amorphous silicon provides a mechanism for controlling the spatial variation of the refractive index and for surrounding the amorphous regions with crystalline material. In cases where an amorphous silicon film is interposed between layers of low refractive index, for example, a structure comprised of a SiO.sub.2 substrate, a Si film and an SiO.sub.2 film, the formation of guided wave structures is particularly simple.

Silicon crystallization in nanodot arrays organized by block copolymer lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perego, Michele; Andreozzi, Andrea; Seguini, Gabriele; Schamm-Chardon, Sylvie; Castro, Celia; BenAssayag, Gerard

2014-12-01

Asymmetric polystyrene- b-polymethylmethacrylate (PS- b-PMMA) block copolymers are used to fabricate nanoporous PS templates with different pore diameter depending on the specific substrate neutralization protocol. The resulting polymeric templates are used as masks for the subsequent deposition of a thin ( h = 5 nm) amorphous Si layer by electron beam evaporation. After removal of the polymeric film and of the silicon excess, well-defined hexagonally packed amorphous Si nanodots are formed on the substrate. Their average diameter ( d < 20 nm), density (1.2 × 1011 cm-2), and lateral distribution closely mimic the original nanoporous template. Upon capping with SiO2 and high temperature annealing (1050 °C, N2), each amorphous Si nanodot rearranges in agglomerates of Si nanocrystals ( d < 4 nm). The average diameter and shape of these Si nanocrystals strongly depend on the size of the initial Si nanodot.

An early-branching microbialite cyanobacterium forms intracellular carbonates.

PubMed

Couradeau, Estelle; Benzerara, Karim; Gérard, Emmanuelle; Moreira, David; Bernard, Sylvain; Brown, Gordon E; López-García, Purificación

2012-04-27

Cyanobacteria have affected major geochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) on Earth for billions of years. In particular, they have played a major role in the formation of calcium carbonates (i.e., calcification), which has been considered to be an extracellular process. We identified a cyanobacterium in modern microbialites in Lake Alchichica (Mexico) that forms intracellular amorphous calcium-magnesium-strontium-barium carbonate inclusions about 270 nanometers in average diameter, revealing an unexplored pathway for calcification. Phylogenetic analyses place this cyanobacterium within the deeply divergent order Gloeobacterales. The chemical composition and structure of the intracellular precipitates suggest some level of cellular control on the biomineralization process. This discovery expands the diversity of organisms capable of forming amorphous calcium carbonates.

Anomalous electron transport in metal/carbon multijunction devices by engineering of the carbon thickness and selecting metal layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwivedi, Neeraj; Dhand, Chetna; Rawal, Ishpal; Kumar, Sushil; Malik, Hitendra K.; Lakshminarayanan, Rajamani

2017-06-01

A longstanding concern in the research of amorphous carbon films is their poor electrical conductivity at room temperature which constitutes a major barrier for the development of cost effective electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we propose metal/carbon hybrid multijunction devices as a promising facile way to overcome room temperature electron transport issues in amorphous carbon films. By the tuning of carbon thickness and swapping metal layers, we observe giant (upto ˜7 orders) reduction of electrical resistance in metal/carbon multijunction devices with respect to monolithic amorphous carbon device. We engineer the maximum current (electrical resistance) from about 10-7 to 10-3 A (˜107 to 103 Ω) in metal (Cu or Ti)/carbon hybrid multijunction devices with a total number of 10 junctions. The introduction of thin metal layers breaks the continuity of relatively higher resistance carbon layer as well as promotes the nanostructuring of carbon. These contribute to low electrical resistance of metal/carbon hybrid multijunction devices, with respect to monolithic carbon device, which is further reduced by decreasing the thickness of carbon layers. We also propose and discuss equivalent circuit model to explain electrical resistance in monolithic carbon and metal/carbon multijunction devices. Cu/carbon multijunction devices display relatively better electrical transport than Ti/carbon devices owing to low affinity of Cu with carbon that restricts carbide formation. We also observe that in metal/carbon multijunction devices, the transport mechanism changes from Poole-Frenkel/Schottky model to the hopping model with a decrease in carbon thickness. Our approach opens a new route to develop carbon-based inexpensive electronic and optoelectronic devices.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaoqiang; Hao, Junying; Xie, Yuntao

2016-08-01

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

Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Precipitation by Cellular Biomineralization in Mantle Cell Cultures of Pinctada fucata

PubMed Central

Xiang, Liang; Kong, Wei; Su, Jingtan; Liang, Jian; Zhang, Guiyou; Xie, Liping; Zhang, Rongqing

2014-01-01

The growth of molluscan shell crystals is generally thought to be initiated from the extrapallial fluid by matrix proteins, however, the cellular mechanisms of shell formation pathway remain unknown. Here, we first report amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) precipitation by cellular biomineralization in primary mantle cell cultures of Pinctada fucata. Through real-time PCR and western blot analyses, we demonstrate that mantle cells retain the ability to synthesize and secrete ACCBP, Pif80 and nacrein in vitro. In addition, the cells also maintained high levels of alkaline phosphatase and carbonic anhydrase activity, enzymes responsible for shell formation. On the basis of polarized light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, we observed intracellular crystals production by mantle cells in vitro. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses revealed the crystals to be ACC, and de novo biomineralization was confirmed by following the incorporation of Sr into calcium carbonate. Our results demonstrate the ability of mantle cells to perform fundamental biomineralization processes via amorphous calcium carbonate, and these cells may be directly involved in pearl oyster shell formation. PMID:25405357

Plasma-deposited amorphous hydrogenated carbon films and their tribological properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.

1989-01-01

Recent work on the properties of diamondlike carbon films and their dependence on preparation conditions are reviewed. The results of the study indicate that plasma deposition enables one to deposit a variety of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H ) films exhibiting more diamondlike behavior to more graphitic behavior. The plasma-deposited a-C:H can be effectively used as hard, wear-resistant, and protective lubricating films on ceramic materials such as Si(sub 3)N(sub 4) under a variety of environmental conditions such as moist air, dry nitrogrn, and vacuum.

Vapor annealing synthesis of non-epitaxial MgB2 films on glassy carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, A. A.; Bayu Aji, L. B.; Bae, J. H.; Stavrou, E.; Steich, D. J.; McCall, S. K.; Kucheyev, S. O.

2018-05-01

We describe the fabrication and characterization of 25–800 nm thick MgB2 films on glassy carbon substrates by Mg vapor annealing of sputter-deposited amorphous B films. Results demonstrate a critical role of both the initial B film thickness and the temperature–time profile on the microstructure, elemental composition, and superconducting properties of the resultant MgB2 films. Films with thicknesses of 55 nm and below exhibit a smooth surface, with a roughness of 1.1 nm, while thicker films have surface morphology consisting of elongated nano-crystallites. The suppression of the superconducting transition temperature for thin films scales linearly with the oxygen impurity concentration and also correlates with the amount of lattice disorder probed by Raman scattering. The best results are obtained by a rapid (12 min) anneal at 850 °C with large temperature ramp and cooling rates of ∼540 °C min‑1. Such fast processing suppresses the deleterious oxygen uptake.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Makino, Nobuaki; Toshiba Corporation, 33 Shin-Isogo-Cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama 235-0017; Shigeta, Yukichi

The stabilization of the amorphous structure in amorphous silicon film by adding Ge atoms was studied using Raman spectroscopy. Amorphous Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} (x = 0.0, 0.03, 0.14, and 0.27) films were deposited on glass substrates from electron beam evaporation sources and annealed in N{sub 2} atmosphere. The change in the amorphous states and the phase transition from amorphous to crystalline were characterized using the TO, LO, and LA phonons in the Raman spectra. The temperature of the transition from the amorphous phase to the crystalline phase was higher for the a-Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} (x = 0.03, 0.14) films, and the crystallization was hindered.more » The reason why the addition of a suitable quantity of Ge atoms into the three-dimensional amorphous silicon network stabilizes its amorphous structure is discussed based on the changes in the Raman signals of the TO, LO, and LA phonons during annealing. The characteristic bond length of the Ge atoms allows them to stabilize the random network of the amorphous Si composed of quasi-tetrahedral Si units, and obstruct its rearrangement.« less

Superconducting Metallic Glass Transition-Edge-Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hays, Charles C. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A superconducting metallic glass transition-edge sensor (MGTES) and a method for fabricating the MGTES are provided. A single-layer superconducting amorphous metal alloy is deposited on a substrate. The single-layer superconducting amorphous metal alloy is an absorber for the MGTES and is electrically connected to a circuit configured for readout and biasing to sense electromagnetic radiation.

Multilayer Anti-Reflective Coating Development for PMMA Fresnel Lenses

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-07

been sputter deposited on UV transparent polymethylmethacrylate (UVT-PMMA) windows. The amorphous coatings are deposited using reactive sputtering in a...SUBJECT TERMS Anti-reflective coatings, Fresnel lens, polymethylmethacrylate , PMMA 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18...high quality dielectric materials deposited on a variety of substrates including polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)  Highly amorphous films achieved

Microstructural evolution of ion-irradiated sol–gel-derived thin films

DOE PAGES

Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.; ...

2017-07-17

In this paper, the effects of ion irradiation on the microstructural evolution of sol–gel-derived silica-based thin films were examined by combining the results from Fourier transform infrared, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, and elastic recoil detection. Variations in the chemical composition, density, and structure of the constituent phases and interfaces were studied, and the results were used to propose a microstructural model for the irradiated films. It was discovered that the microstructure of the films after ion irradiation and decomposition of the starting organic materials consisted of isolated hydrogenated amorphous carbon clusters within an amorphous and carbon-incorporatedmore » silica network. A decrease in the bond angle of Si–O–Si bonds in amorphous silica network along with an increase in the concentration of carbon-rich SiO x C y tetrahedra were the major structural changes caused by ion irradiation. Finally, in addition, hydrogen release from free carbon clusters was observed with increasing ion energy and fluence.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.

In this paper, the effects of ion irradiation on the microstructural evolution of sol–gel-derived silica-based thin films were examined by combining the results from Fourier transform infrared, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, and elastic recoil detection. Variations in the chemical composition, density, and structure of the constituent phases and interfaces were studied, and the results were used to propose a microstructural model for the irradiated films. It was discovered that the microstructure of the films after ion irradiation and decomposition of the starting organic materials consisted of isolated hydrogenated amorphous carbon clusters within an amorphous and carbon-incorporatedmore » silica network. A decrease in the bond angle of Si–O–Si bonds in amorphous silica network along with an increase in the concentration of carbon-rich SiO x C y tetrahedra were the major structural changes caused by ion irradiation. Finally, in addition, hydrogen release from free carbon clusters was observed with increasing ion energy and fluence.« less

Very low temperature materials and self-alignment technology for amorphous hydrated silicon thin film transistors fabricated on transparent large area plastic substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Chien-Sheng

The purpose of this research has been to (1) explore materials prepared using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at 110sp°C for amorphous silicon thin film transistors (TFT's) fabricated on low temperature compatible, large area flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates, and (2) develop full self-alignment technology using selective area n+ PECVD for source/drain contacts of amorphous silicon TFT's. For item (1), silicon nitride films, as gate dielectrics of TFT's, were deposited using SiHsb4+NHsb3, SiHsb4+NHsb3+Nsb2, SiHsb4+NHsb3+He, or SiHsb4+NHsb3+Hsb2 gases. Good quality silicon nitride films can be deposited using a SiHsb4+NHsb3 gas with high NHsb3/SiHsb4 ratios, or using a SiHsb4+NHsb3+Nsb2 gas with moderate NHsb3/SiHsb4 ratios. A chemical model was proposed to explain the Nsb2 dilution effect. This model includes calculations of (a) the electron energy distribution function in a plasma, (b) rate constants of electron impact dissociation, and (3) the (NHsbx) / (SiHsby) ratio in a plasma. The Nsb2 dilution was shown to have a effect of shifting the electron energy distribution into high energy, thus enhancing the (NHsbx) / (SiHsbyrbrack ratio in a plasma and promoting the deposition of N-rich silicon nitride films, which leads to decreased trap state density and a shift in trap state density to deeper in the gap. Amorphous silicon were formed successfully at 110sp°C on large area glass and plastic(PET) substrates. Linear mobilities are 0.33 and 0.12 cmsp2/Vs for TFT's on glass and plastic substrates, respectively. ON/OFF current ratios exceed 10sp7 for TFT's on glass and 10sp6 for TFT's on PET. For item (2), a novel full self-alignment process was developed for amorphous silicon TFT's. This process includes (1) back-exposure using the bottom gate metal as the mask, and (2) selective area n+ micro-crystalline silicon PECVD for source/drain contacts of amorphous silicon TFT's. TFT's fabricated using the full self-alignment process showed linear mobilities ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 cmsp2/Vs.

A high-performance ternary Si composite anode material with crystal graphite core and amorphous carbon shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sui, Dong; Xie, Yuqing; Zhao, Weimin; Zhang, Hongtao; Zhou, Ying; Qin, Xiting; Ma, Yanfeng; Yang, Yong; Chen, Yongsheng

2018-04-01

Si is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, but suffers from sophisticated engineering structures and complex fabrication processes that pose challenges for commercial application. Herein, a ternary Si/graphite/pyrolytic carbon (SiGC) anode material with a structure of crystal core and amorphous shell using low-cost raw materials is developed. In this ternary SiGC composite, Si component exists as nanoparticles and is spread on the surface of the core graphite flakes while the sucrose-derived pyrolytic carbon further covers the graphite/Si components as the amorphous shell. With this structure, Si together with the graphite contributes to the high specific capacity of this Si ternary material. Also the graphite serves as the supporting and conducting matrix and the amorphous shell carbon could accommodate the volume change effect of Si, reinforces the integrity of the composite architecture, and prevents the graphite and Si from direct exposing to the electrolyte. The optimized ternary SiGC composite displays high reversible specific capacity of 818 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, initial Coulombic efficiency (CE) over 80%, and excellent cycling stability at 0.5 A g-1 with 83.6% capacity retention (∼610 mAh g-1) after 300 cycles.

Buried oxide layer in silicon

DOEpatents

Sadana, Devendra Kumar; Holland, Orin Wayne

2001-01-01

A process for forming Silicon-On-Insulator is described incorporating the steps of ion implantation of oxygen into a silicon substrate at elevated temperature, ion implanting oxygen at a temperature below 200.degree. C. at a lower dose to form an amorphous silicon layer, and annealing steps to form a mixture of defective single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon alone and then silicon oxide from the amorphous silicon layer to form a continuous silicon oxide layer below the surface of the silicon substrate to provide an isolated superficial layer of silicon. The invention overcomes the problem of buried isolated islands of silicon oxide forming a discontinuous buried oxide layer.

Enhanced off-resonance magnetoelectric response in laser annealed PZT thick film grown on magnetostrictive amorphous metal substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Palneedi, Haribabu; Functional Ceramics Group, Korea Institute of Materials Science; Maurya, Deepam

2015-07-06

A highly dense, 4 μm-thick Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} (PZT) film is deposited on amorphous magnetostrictive Metglas foil (FeBSi) by granule spray in vacuum process at room temperature, followed by its localized annealing with a continuous-wave 560 nm ytterbium fiber laser radiation. This longer-wavelength laser radiation is able to anneal the whole of thick PZT film layer without any deteriorative effects, such as chemical reaction and/or atomic diffusion, at the interface and crystallization of amorphous Metglas substrate. Greatly enhanced dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the annealed PZT are attributed to its better crystallinity and grain growth induced by laser irradiation. As a result, amore » colossal off-resonance magnetoelectric (ME) voltage coefficient that is two orders of magnitude larger than previously reported output from PZT/Metglas film-composites is achieved. The present work addresses the problems involved in the fabrication of PZT/Metglas film-composites and opens up emerging possibilities in employing piezoelectric materials with low thermal budget substrates (suitable for integrated electronics) and designing laminate composites for ME based devices.« less

Scanning electron microscopy of the surfaces of ion implanted SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malherbe, Johan B.; van der Berg, N. G.; Kuhudzai, R. J.; Hlatshwayo, T. T.; Thabethe, T. T.; Odutemowo, O. S.; Theron, C. C.; Friedland, E.; Botha, A. J.; Wendler, E.

2015-07-01

This paper gives a brief review of radiation damage caused by particle (ions and neutrons) bombardment in SiC at different temperatures, and its annealing, with an expanded discussion on the effects occurring on the surface. The surface effects were observed using SEM (scanning electron microscopy) with an in-lens detector and EBSD (electron backscatter diffraction). Two substrates were used, viz. single crystalline 6H-SiC wafers and polycrystalline SiC, where the majority of the crystallites were 3C-SiC. The surface modification of the SiC samples by 360 keV ion bombardment was studied at temperatures below (i.e. room temperature), just at (i.e. 350 °C), or above (i.e. 600 °C) the critical temperature for amorphization of SiC. For bombardment at a temperature at about the critical temperature an extra step, viz. post-bombardment annealing, was needed to ascertain the microstructure of bombarded layer. Another aspect investigated was the effect of annealing of samples with an ion bombardment-induced amorphous layer on a 6H-SiC substrate. SEM could detect that this layer started to crystalize at 900 °C. The resulting topography exhibited a dependence on the ion species. EBSD showed that the crystallites forming in the amorphized layer were 3C-SiC and not 6H-SiC as the substrate. The investigations also pointed out the behaviour of the epitaxial regrowth of the amorphous layer from the 6H-SiC interface.

Design of Amorphous Manganese Oxide@Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Fiber for Robust Solid-State Supercapacitor.

PubMed

Shi, Peipei; Li, Li; Hua, Li; Qian, Qianqian; Wang, Pengfei; Zhou, Jinyuan; Sun, Gengzhi; Huang, Wei

2017-01-24

Solid-state fiber-based supercapacitors have been considered promising energy storage devices for wearable electronics due to their lightweight and amenability to be woven into textiles. Efforts have been made to fabricate a high performance fiber electrode by depositing pseudocapacitive materials on the outer surface of carbonaceous fiber, for example, crystalline manganese oxide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MnO 2 /MWCNTs). However, a key challenge remaining is to achieve high specific capacitance and energy density without compromising the high rate capability and cycling stability. In addition, amorphous MnO 2 is actually preferred due to its disordered structure and has been proven to exhibit superior electrochemical performance over the crystalline one. Herein, by incorporating amorphous MnO 2 onto a well-aligned MWCNT sheet followed by twisting, we design an amorphous MnO 2 @MWCNT fiber, in which amorphous MnO 2 nanoparticles are distributed in MWCNT fiber uniformly. The proposed structure gives the amorphous MnO 2 @MWCNT fiber good mechanical reliability, high electrical conductivity, and fast ion-diffusion. Solid-state supercapacitor based on amorphous MnO 2 @MWCNT fibers exhibits improved energy density, superior rate capability, exceptional cycling stability, and excellent flexibility. This study provides a strategy to design a high performance fiber electrode with microstructure control for wearable energy storage devices.

The liquid⟷amorphous transition and the high pressure phase diagram of carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, David R.; Wilson, Mark

2013-04-01

The phase diagram of carbon is mapped to high pressure using a computationally-tractable potential model. The use of a relatively simple (Tersoff-II) potential model allows a large range of phase space to be explored. The coexistence (melting) curve for the diamond crystal/liquid dyad is mapped directly by modelling the solid/liquid interfaces. The melting curve is found to be re-entrant and belongs to a conformal class of diamond/liquid coexistence curves. On supercooling the liquid a phase transition to a tetrahedral amorphous form (ta-C) is observed. The liquid ⟷ amorphous coexistence curve is mapped onto the pT plane and is found to also be re-entrant. The entropy changes for both melting and the amorphous ⟶ liquid transitions are obtained from the respective coexistence curves and the associated changes in molar volume. The structural change on amorphization is analysed at different points on the coexistence curve including for transitions that are both isochoric and isocoordinate (no change in nearest-neighbour coordination number). The conformal nature of the melting curve is highlighted with respect to the known behaviour of Si. The relationship of the observed liquid/amorphous coexistence curve to the Si low- and high-density amorphous (LDA/HDA) transition is discussed.

On sub-T(g) dewetting of nanoconfined liquids and autophobic dewetting of crystallites.

PubMed

Souda, Ryutaro

2012-03-28

The glass transition temperature (T(g)) of thin films is reduced by nanoconfinement, but it is also influenced by the free surface and substrate interface. To gain more insights into their contributions, dewetting behaviors of n-pentane, 3-methylpentane, and toluene films are investigated on various substrates as functions of temperature and film thickness. It is found that monolayers of these molecules exhibit sub-T(g) dewetting on a perfluoro-alkyl modified Ni substrate, which is attributable to the evolution of a 2D liquid. The onset temperature of dewetting increases with film thickness because fluidity evolves via cooperative motion of many molecules; sub-T(g) dewetting is observed for films thinner than 5 monolayers. In contrast, monolayers wet substrates of graphite, silicon, and amorphous solid water until crystallization occurs. The crystallites exhibit autophobic dewetting on the substrate covered with a wetting monolayer. The presence of premelting layers is inferred from the fact that n-pentane crystallites disappear on amorphous solid water via intermixing. Thus, the properties of quasiliquid formed on the crystallite surface differ significantly from those of the 2D liquid formed before crystallization.

Roughness of Ti Substrates for Control of the Preferred Orientation of TiO 2 Nanotube Arrays as a New Orientation Factor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seong, Won Mo; Kim, Dong Hoe; Park, Ik Jae

2015-06-11

We report the surface roughness of a Ti substrate as a critical factor for controlling the degree of the preferred orientation of anatase TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs) which are synthesized by anodization and a subsequent annealing process. The degree of the preferred orientation to the (004) plane of the anatase crystal structure has a strong dependency on the root-mean-square roughness (Sq) of the initial Ti substrate when the roughness-controlled substrates are anodized in an ethylene glycol-based electrolyte containing ~2 wt % of water. Highly preferred oriented NTAs were obtained from low-Sq (<10 nm) substrates, which were accompanied by uniform poremore » distribution and low concentration of hydroxyl ions in as-anodized amorphous NTAs. The mechanism of the preferred oriented crystallization of nanometer-scaled tube walls is explained considering the microscopic geometrical uniformity of the oxide barrier and nanopores at the early stage of anodization, which affected the local electric field and thus the insertion of the hydroxyl group into the amorphous TiO2 tube walls.« less

Fast-moving dislocations trigger flash weakening in carbonate-bearing faults during earthquakes

PubMed Central

Spagnuolo, Elena; Plümper, Oliver; Violay, Marie; Cavallo, Andrea; Di Toro, Giulio

2015-01-01

Rupture fronts can cause fault displacement, reaching speeds up to several ms−1 within a few milliseconds, at any distance away from the earthquake nucleation area. In the case of silicate-bearing rocks the abrupt slip acceleration results in melting at asperity contacts causing a large reduction in fault frictional strength (i.e., flash weakening). Flash weakening is also observed in experiments performed in carbonate-bearing rocks but evidence for melting is lacking. To unravel the micro-physical mechanisms associated with flash weakening in carbonates, experiments were conducted on pre-cut Carrara marble cylinders using a rotary shear apparatus at conditions relevant to earthquakes propagation. In the first 5 mm of slip the shear stress was reduced up to 30% and CO2 was released. Focused ion beam, scanning and transmission electron microscopy investigations of the slipping zones reveal the presence of calcite nanograins and amorphous carbon. We interpret the CO2 release, the formation of nanograins and amorphous carbon to be the result of a shock-like stress release associated with the migration of fast-moving dislocations. Amorphous carbon, given its low friction coefficient, is responsible for flash weakening and promotes the propagation of the seismic rupture in carbonate-bearing fault patches. PMID:26552964

Thon rings from amorphous ice and implications of beam-induced Brownian motion in single particle electron cryo-microscopy.

PubMed

McMullan, G; Vinothkumar, K R; Henderson, R

2015-11-01

We have recorded dose-fractionated electron cryo-microscope images of thin films of pure flash-frozen amorphous ice and pre-irradiated amorphous carbon on a Falcon II direct electron detector using 300 keV electrons. We observe Thon rings [1] in both the power spectrum of the summed frames and the sum of power spectra from the individual frames. The Thon rings from amorphous carbon images are always more visible in the power spectrum of the summed frames whereas those of amorphous ice are more visible in the sum of power spectra from the individual frames. This difference indicates that while pre-irradiated carbon behaves like a solid during the exposure, amorphous ice behaves like a fluid with the individual water molecules undergoing beam-induced motion. Using the measured variation in the power spectra amplitude with number of electrons per image we deduce that water molecules are randomly displaced by a mean squared distance of ∼1.1 Å(2) for every incident 300 keV e(-)/Å(2). The induced motion leads to an optimal exposure with 300 keV electrons of 4.0 e(-)/Å(2) per image with which to observe Thon rings centred around the strong 3.7 Å scattering peak from amorphous ice. The beam-induced movement of the water molecules generates pseudo-Brownian motion of embedded macromolecules. The resulting blurring of single particle images contributes an additional term, on top of that from radiation damage, to the minimum achievable B-factor for macromolecular structure determination. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electron-beam-induced information storage in hydrogenated amorphous silicon device

DOEpatents

Yacobi, Ben G.

1986-01-01

A method for recording and storing information in a hydrogenated amorphous silicon device, comprising: depositing hydrogenated amorphous silicon on a substrate to form a charge-collection device; and generating defects in the hydrogenated amorphous silicon device, wherein the defects act as recombination centers that reduce the lifetime of carriers, thereby reducing charge-collection efficiency; and thus in the charge-collection mode of scanning probe instruments, regions of the hydrogenated amorphous silicon device that contain the defects appear darker in comparison to regions of the device that do not contain the defects, leading to a contrast formation for pattern recognition and information storage, in the device, which darkened areas can be restored to their original charge-collection efficiency by heating the hydrogenated amorphous silicon to a temperature of about 100.degree. C. to 250.degree. C. for a sufficient period of time to provide for such restoration.

Friction, wear, and transfer of carbon and graphite to copper, chromium, and aluminum metal surfaces in vacuum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buckley, D. H.

1973-01-01

Sliding friction experiments were conducted with amorphous and fully graphitized carbons sliding on copper and on films of chromium and aluminum on copper. Auger emission spectroscopy analysis was used to monitor carbon transfer to the metal surfaces. Friction and wear were also measured. Metal surfaces were examined both in the clean state and with normal oxides present. Results indicate that different metals have an important effect on friction, wear, and transfer characteristics. With amorphous carbon, the least chemically active metal gave the highest wear and amount of carbon transfer. Both forms of carbon gave lower friction and wear and lower transfer rates when in contact with clean, as opposed to oxide-covered, chromium surfaces. With copper, the reverse was true; cleaning was detrimental.

Profilometry of thin films on rough substrates by Raman spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Ledinský, Martin; Paviet-Salomon, Bertrand; Vetushka, Aliaksei; Geissbühler, Jonas; Tomasi, Andrea; Despeisse, Matthieu; De Wolf , Stefaan; Ballif , Christophe; Fejfar, Antonín

2016-01-01

Thin, light-absorbing films attenuate the Raman signal of underlying substrates. In this article, we exploit this phenomenon to develop a contactless thickness profiling method for thin films deposited on rough substrates. We demonstrate this technique by probing profiles of thin amorphous silicon stripes deposited on rough crystalline silicon surfaces, which is a structure exploited in high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells. Our spatially-resolved Raman measurements enable the thickness mapping of amorphous silicon over the whole active area of test solar cells with very high precision; the thickness detection limit is well below 1 nm and the spatial resolution is down to 500 nm, limited only by the optical resolution. We also discuss the wider applicability of this technique for the characterization of thin layers prepared on Raman/photoluminescence-active substrates, as well as its use for single-layer counting in multilayer 2D materials such as graphene, MoS2 and WS2. PMID:27922033

Wear and Friction Behavior of Metal Impregnated Microporous Carbon Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goller, Gultekin; Koty, D. P.; Tewari, S. N.; Singh, M.; Tekin, A.

1996-01-01

Metal-matrix composites have been prepared by pressure-infiltration casting of copper-base alloy melts into microporous carbon preforms. The carbon preforms contained varying proportions of amorphous carbon and graphite. Load dependence of the wear and friction behavior of the composite pins has been examined under ambient conditions against cast-iron plates, using a pin-on-plate reciprocating wear tester. The wear resistance of the composite is significantly improved, as compared with the base alloy. Contrary to the normally expected behavior, the addition of graphite to the amorphous carbon does not reduce the friction coefficient, especially at high loads. The wear and friction behavior of the composites is very sensitive to the size and distribution of the microstructural constituents.

A graphene oxide-carbon nanotube grid for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of nanomaterials.

PubMed

Zhang, Lina; Zhang, Haoxu; Zhou, Ruifeng; Chen, Zhuo; Li, Qunqing; Fan, Shoushan; Ge, Guanglu; Liu, Renxiao; Jiang, Kaili

2011-09-23

A novel grid for use in transmission electron microscopy is developed. The supporting film of the grid is composed of thin graphene oxide films overlying a super-aligned carbon nanotube network. The composite film combines the advantages of graphene oxide and carbon nanotube networks and has the following properties: it is ultra-thin, it has a large flat and smooth effective supporting area with a homogeneous amorphous appearance, high stability, and good conductivity. The graphene oxide-carbon nanotube grid has a distinct advantage when characterizing the fine structure of a mass of nanomaterials over conventional amorphous carbon grids. Clear high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images of various nanomaterials are obtained easily using the new grids.

Amorphization induced by focused ion beam milling in metallic and electronic materials.

PubMed

Huh, Yoon; Hong, Ki Jung; Shin, Kwang Soo

2013-08-01

Focused ion beam (FIB) milling using high-energy gallium ions is widely used in the preparation of specimens for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, the energetic ion beam induces amorphization on the edge of specimens during milling, resulting in a mischievous influence on the clearness of high-quality transmission electron micrographs. In this work, the amorphization induced by the FIB milling was investigated by TEM for three kinds of materials, metallic materials in bulk shape, and semiconductive and electronic ceramic materials as a substrate for the deposition of thin films.

Preparation of iron oxide-impregnated spherical granular activated carbon-carbon composite and its photocatalytic removal of methylene blue in the presence of oxalic acid.

PubMed

Kadirova, Zukhra C; Hojamberdiev, Mirabbos; Katsumata, Ken-Ichi; Isobe, Toshihiro; Matsushita, Nobuhiro; Nakajima, Akira; Sharipov, Khasan; Okada, Kiyoshi

2014-01-01

The spherical granular activated carbon-carbon composites (GAC-Fe) with different iron oxide contents (Fe mass% = 0.6-10) were prepared by a pore volume impregnation method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N2-adsorption results confirm the presence of amorphous iron oxide, pyrolytic carbon, and graphitized globular carbon nanoparticles covered with amorphous carbon in the CAG-Fe. The rate of photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under UV light in the presence of oxalic acid correlates with porosity of the prepared materials. The total MB removal includes the combination of adsorption and photodegradation without the addition of H2O2. The results of total organic carbon (TOC) analysis reveal that the decolorization of MB in aqueous solution containing oxalic acid corresponds to the decomposition of organic compounds to CO2 and H2O.

Photo-oxidation of polymer-like amorphous hydrogenated carbon under visible light illumination

DOE PAGES

Baxamusa, Salmaan; Laurence, Ted; Worthington, Matthew; ...

2015-11-10

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H), a polymer-like network typically synthesized by plasma chemical vapor deposition, has long been understood to exhibit optical absorption of visible light (λ > 400 nm). In this report we explain that this absorption is accompanied by rapid photo-oxidation (within minutes) that behaves in most respects like classic polymer photo-oxidation with the exception that it occurs under visible light illumination rather than ultraviolet illumination.

Synthesis and high temperature stability of amorphous Si(B)CN-MWCNT composite nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhandavat, Romil; Singh, Gurpreet

2012-02-01

We demonstrate synthesis of a hybrid nanowire structure consisting of an amorphous polymer-derived silicon boron-carbonitride (Si-B-C-N) shell with a multiwalled carbon nanotube core. This was achieved through a novel process involving preparation of a boron-modified liquid polymeric precursor through a reaction of trimethyl borate and polyureasilazane under atmospheric conditions; followed by conversion of polymer to glass-ceramic on carbon nanotube surfaces through controlled heating. Chemical structure of the polymer was studied by liquid-NMR while evolution of various ceramic phases was studied by Raman spectroscopy, solid-NMR, Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction confirms presence of amorphous Si(B)CN coating on individual nanotubes for all specimen processed below 1400 degree C. Thermogravimetric analysis, followed by TEM revealed high temperature stability of the carbon nanotube core in flowing air up to 1300 degree C.

Silylated functionalized silicon-based composite as anode with excellent cyclic performance for lithium-ion battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiao; Tian, Xiaodong; Yang, Tao; Wang, Wei; Song, Yan; Guo, Quangui; Liu, Zhanjun

2018-05-01

Inferior cycling stability and rate performance respectively caused by rigorous volume change and poor electrical conductivity were the main challenge of state-of-the-art Silicon-based electrode. In this work, silylated functionalized exfoliated graphite oxide (EGO)/silicon@amorphous carbon (3-APTS-EGO/Si@C) was synthesized by adopting silane as intermediate to connect Si particles with EGO sheets followed by introduction of amorphous carbon. The result suggested that 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilan connected the EGO sheets and Si nanoparticles via covalent bonds. Owing to the strong covalent interaction and the synergistic effect between the silicon, EGO sheets and amorphous carbon, 3-APTS-EGO/Si@C composite possessed a high capacity of 774 mAh g-1 even after 450 cycles at 0.4 A g-1 with the retention capacity of 97%. This work also provided an effective strategy to improve the long cycling life performance of Si-based electrode.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-02-01

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

Thermal reaction of sonochemically prepared amorphous Fe/C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyatani, R.; Kobayashi, Y.; Yamada, Y.

2017-11-01

An amorphous iron/carbon mixture was prepared by sonolysis of ferrocene in diphenylmethane. Heating of the amorphous mixture at 900 or 1200 °C produced nanoparticles, which were then analyzed using Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The nanoparticles obtained after heating were spherical with diameters of about 50 nm. The sample obtained after heating at 900 °C consisted of α-Fe and Fe 3C, whereas the sample obtained after heating at 1200 °C consisted of α-Fe and γ-Fe. The reaction of the mixture during the heating process was accompanied by the formation of carbon nanotubes catalyzed by the iron or iron carbide nanoparticles.

Polycrystalline semiconductor processing

DOEpatents

Glaeser, Andreas M.; Haggerty, John S.; Danforth, Stephen C.

1983-01-01

A process for forming large-grain polycrystalline films from amorphous films for use as photovoltaic devices. The process operates on the amorphous film and uses the driving force inherent to the transition from the amorphous state to the crystalline state as the force which drives the grain growth process. The resultant polycrystalline film is characterized by a grain size that is greater than the thickness of the film. A thin amorphous film is deposited on a substrate. The formation of a plurality of crystalline embryos is induced in the amorphous film at predetermined spaced apart locations and nucleation is inhibited elsewhere in the film. The crystalline embryos are caused to grow in the amorphous film, without further nucleation occurring in the film, until the growth of the embryos is halted by imgingement on adjacently growing embryos. The process is applicable to both batch and continuous processing techniques. In either type of process, the thin amorphous film is sequentially doped with p and n type dopants. Doping is effected either before or after the formation and growth of the crystalline embryos in the amorphous film, or during a continuously proceeding crystallization step.

Polycrystalline semiconductor processing

DOEpatents

Glaeser, A.M.; Haggerty, J.S.; Danforth, S.C.

1983-04-05

A process is described for forming large-grain polycrystalline films from amorphous films for use as photovoltaic devices. The process operates on the amorphous film and uses the driving force inherent to the transition from the amorphous state to the crystalline state as the force which drives the grain growth process. The resultant polycrystalline film is characterized by a grain size that is greater than the thickness of the film. A thin amorphous film is deposited on a substrate. The formation of a plurality of crystalline embryos is induced in the amorphous film at predetermined spaced apart locations and nucleation is inhibited elsewhere in the film. The crystalline embryos are caused to grow in the amorphous film, without further nucleation occurring in the film, until the growth of the embryos is halted by impingement on adjacently growing embryos. The process is applicable to both batch and continuous processing techniques. In either type of process, the thin amorphous film is sequentially doped with p and n type dopants. Doping is effected either before or after the formation and growth of the crystalline embryos in the amorphous film, or during a continuously proceeding crystallization step. 10 figs.

The correlation between nano-hardness and elasticity and fullerene-like clusters in hydrogenated amorphous carbon films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongfu; Gao, Kaixiong; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Junyan

2018-01-01

Fullerene-like hydrogenated carbon films have outstanding mechanical and frictional properties, but their structures have never enjoyed elaboration. In this study, we investigate the relation between nano-hardness and elasticity and fullerene-like clusters by changing energy supply form (direct current and pulse) and H2 concentration in the feedstock. It is found that the films have a network of H-rich amorphous carbon and H-poor or -deficient fullerene-like carbon, and the network change can affect hardness and elastic recovery. This is due to the energy minimization process of the film growing system in a very short pulse period at low temperature.

Preparation of Water Suspensions of Nanocalcite for Cultural Heritage Applications.

PubMed

Coltelli, Maria-Beatrice; Paolucci, Dario; Castelvetro, Valter; Bianchi, Sabrina; Mascha, Elisabeth; Panariello, Luca; Pesce, Cecilia; Weber, Johannes; Lazzeri, Andrea

2018-04-19

The consolidation of degraded carbonate stone used in ancient monuments is an important topic for European cultural heritage conservation. The products most frequently used as consolidants are based on tetraalkoxy- or alkylalkoxy-silanes (in particular tetraethyl-orthosilicate, TEOS), resulting in the formation of relatively stable amorphous silica or alkylated (hydrophobic) silica inside the stone pores. However, silica is not chemically compatible with carbonate stones; in this respect, nanocalcite may be a suitable alternative. The present work concerns the preparation of water suspensions of calcite nanoparticles (CCNPs) by controlled carbonation of slaked lime using a pilot-scale reactor. A simplified design of experiment was adopted for product optimization. Calcite nanoparticles of narrow size distribution averaging about 30 nm were successfully obtained, the concentration of the interfacial agent and the size of CaO being the most critical parameters. Primary nanoparticle aggregation causing flocculation could be substantially prevented by the addition of polymeric dispersants. Copolymer-based dispersants were produced in situ by controlled heterophase polymerisation mediated by an amphiphilic macro-RAFT (reversible addition-fragmentation transfer) agent. The stabilized CCNP aqueous dispersions were then applied on carbonate and silicate substrates; Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)analysis of cross-sections allowed the evaluation of pore penetration, interfacial binding, and bridging (gap-filling) properties of these novel consolidants.

Preparation of Water Suspensions of Nanocalcite for Cultural Heritage Applications

PubMed Central

Coltelli, Maria-Beatrice; Paolucci, Dario; Bianchi, Sabrina; Mascha, Elisabeth; Panariello, Luca; Pesce, Cecilia; Weber, Johannes

2018-01-01

The consolidation of degraded carbonate stone used in ancient monuments is an important topic for European cultural heritage conservation. The products most frequently used as consolidants are based on tetraalkoxy- or alkylalkoxy-silanes (in particular tetraethyl-orthosilicate, TEOS), resulting in the formation of relatively stable amorphous silica or alkylated (hydrophobic) silica inside the stone pores. However, silica is not chemically compatible with carbonate stones; in this respect, nanocalcite may be a suitable alternative. The present work concerns the preparation of water suspensions of calcite nanoparticles (CCNPs) by controlled carbonation of slaked lime using a pilot-scale reactor. A simplified design of experiment was adopted for product optimization. Calcite nanoparticles of narrow size distribution averaging about 30 nm were successfully obtained, the concentration of the interfacial agent and the size of CaO being the most critical parameters. Primary nanoparticle aggregation causing flocculation could be substantially prevented by the addition of polymeric dispersants. Copolymer-based dispersants were produced in situ by controlled heterophase polymerisation mediated by an amphiphilic macro-RAFT (reversible addition-fragmentation transfer) agent. The stabilized CCNP aqueous dispersions were then applied on carbonate and silicate substrates; Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)analysis of cross-sections allowed the evaluation of pore penetration, interfacial binding, and bridging (gap-filling) properties of these novel consolidants. PMID:29671800

Corrosion resistant coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khanna, S. K.; Thakoor, A. P.; Williams, R. M. (Inventor)

1985-01-01

A method of coating a substrate with an amorphous metal is described. A solid piece of the metal is bombarded with ions of an inert gas in the presence of a magnetic field to provide a vapor of the metal which is deposited on the substrate at a sufficiently low gas pressure so that there is formed on the substrate a thin, uniformly thick, essentially pinhole-free film of the metal.

Synthesis of triaxial LiFePO4 nanowire with a VGCF core column and a carbon shell through the electrospinning method.

PubMed

Hosono, Eiji; Wang, Yonggang; Kida, Noriyuki; Enomoto, Masaya; Kojima, Norimichi; Okubo, Masashi; Matsuda, Hirofumi; Saito, Yoshiyasu; Kudo, Tetsuichi; Honma, Itaru; Zhou, Haoshen

2010-01-01

A triaxial LiFePO4 nanowire with a multi wall carbon nanotube (VGCF:Vapor-grown carbon fiber) core column and an outer shell of amorphous carbon was successfully synthesized through the electrospinning method. The carbon nanotube core oriented in the direction of the wire played an important role in the conduction of electrons during the charge-discharge process, whereas the outer amorphous carbon shell suppressed the oxidation of Fe2+. An electrode with uniformly dispersed carbon and active materials was easily fabricated via a single process by heating after the electrospinning method is applied. Mossbauer spectroscopy for the nanowire showed a broadening of the line width, indicating a disordered coordination environment of the Fe ion near the surface. The electrospinning method was proven to be suitable for the fabrication of a triaxial nanostructure.

Impact of Substrate Types on Structure and Emission of ZnO Nanocrystalline Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballardo Rodriguez, I. Ch.; El Filali, B.; Díaz Cano, A. I.; Torchynska, T. V.

2018-02-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) films were simultaneously synthesized by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) method on p-type Si (100), silicon carbide polytype [6H-SiC (0001)], porous 6H-SiC and amorphous glass substrates with the aim of studying the impact of substrate types on the structure and emission of ZnO nanocrystalline films. Porous silicon carbide (P-SiC) was prepared by the electrochemical anodization method at a constant potential of 20 V and etching time of 12 min. ZnO films grown on the SiC and P-SiC substrates are characterized by a wurtzite crystal structure with preferential growth along the (002) direction and with grain sizes of 90-180 and 70-160 nm, respectively. ZnO films grown on the Si substrate have just some small irregular hexagonal islands. The amorphous glass substrate did not promote the formation of any regular crystal forms. The obtained x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence (PL) results have shown that the better ZnO film crystallinity and high PL intensity of near-band edge emissions were achieved in the films grown on the porous SiC and SiC substrates. The preferential growth and crystalline nature of ZnO films on the SiC substrate have been discussed from the point of view of the lattice parameter compatibility between ZnO and SiC crystals.

Synthesis and characterization of LPCVD SiC films using novel precursors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaskaran, Mahalingam

A unique low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process has been developed to synthesize amorphous and crystalline SiC films using environmentally benign chemicals. The interrelationships governing the process variables, compositions and select properties of the resulting films were established. Such films can be used to produce high quality mask membrane for x-ray lithography. These films can also be used in fabricating high power electrical devices, and hetrojunction devices in conjunction with silicon. Amorphous SiC films were synthesized using a single precursor, ditertiarybutylsilane, at temperatures below 850sp°C. Compositional analysis performed on these deposits revealed that, in the deposition temperature range of 625 to 750sp°C, the composition of the deposits changed progressively from slightly silicon rich (55% Si) to slightly carbon rich (51%C). Above 750sp°C, there was a rapid increase in the carbon content from the near stoichiometric value to about 75%-C at 850sp°C. The stoichiometric films exhibited high stress values of 700 ± 50 MPa. Attempts to reduce the stress values resulted in films with excess carbon content of about 60%-C. From the high frequency C-V characterization, the dielectric constant for these films was estimated to be 10.1 ± 0.5. Temperature bias stressing studies revealed a trapped charge density of 0.869× 10sp7 cIsp{-2} within the bulk. Crystalline silicon carbide films were grown on silicon substrates using dichlorosilane and acetylene as precursors, in the temperature range of 950sp°C to 1050sp°C. The carbon content in the film was found to be increasing with the deposition temperature, when the flow ratio of precursors was one. The carbon composition was also found to be sharply dependent on acetylene flow, for constant deposition temperature and pressure. Stoichiometric films were achieved for dichlorosilane to acetylene flow ratio of 4:1. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the growth of beta-SiC with $$ orientation in all the cases. The voltage-current relationship for Si-film-metal structure showed a diode behavior with an ideality factor of 4.03 in the diffusion current dominating regime.

Significantly enhanced critical current density in nano-MgB2 grains rapidly formed at low temperature with homogeneous carbon doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yongchang; Lan, Feng; Ma, Zongqing; Chen, Ning; Li, Huijun; Barua, Shaon; Patel, Dipak; Shahriar, M.; Hossain, Al; Acar, S.; Kim, Jung Ho; Xue Dou, Shi

2015-05-01

High performance MgB2 bulks using carbon-coated amorphous boron as a boron precursor were fabricated by Cu-activated sintering at low temperature (600 °C, below the Mg melting point). Dense nano-MgB2 grains with a high level of homogeneous carbon doping were formed in these MgB2 samples. This type of microstructure can provide a stronger flux pinning force, together with depressed volatility and oxidation of Mg owing to the low-temperature Cu-activated sintering, leading to a significant improvement of critical current density (Jc) in the as-prepared samples. In particular, the value of Jc for the carbon-coated (Mg1.1B2)Cu0.05 sample prepared here is even above 1 × 105 A cm-2 at 20 K, 2 T. The results herein suggest that the combination of low-temperature Cu-activated sintering and employment of carbon-coated amorphous boron as a precursor could be a promising technique for the industrial production of practical MgB2 bulks or wires with excellent Jc, as the carbon-coated amorphous boron powder can be produced commercially at low cost, while the addition of Cu is very convenient and inexpensive.

Alumina nanoparticle/polymer nanocomposite dielectric for flexible amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide thin film transistors on plastic substrate with superior stability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lai, Hsin-Cheng; Pei, Zingway, E-mail: zingway@dragon.nchu.edu.tw; Graduate Institute of Optoelectronic Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan

In this study, the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles were incorporated into polymer as a nono-composite dielectric for used in a flexible amorphous Indium-Gallium-Zinc Oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistor (TFT) on a polyethylene naphthalate substrate by solution process. The process temperature was well below 100 °C. The a-IGZO TFT exhibit a mobility of 5.13 cm{sup 2}/V s on the flexible substrate. After bending at a radius of 4 mm (strain = 1.56%) for more than 100 times, the performance of this a-IGZO TFT was nearly unchanged. In addition, the electrical characteristics are less altered after positive gate bias stress at 10 V for 1500 s. Thus, this technology ismore » suitable for use in flexible displays.« less

Buffer layers on metal alloy substrates for superconducting tapes

DOEpatents

Jia, Quanxi; Foltyn, Stephen R.; Arendt, Paul N.; Groves, James R.

2004-06-29

An article including a substrate, a layer of an inert oxide material upon the surface of the substrate, a layer of an amorphous oxide or oxynitride material upon the inert oxide material layer, a layer of an oriented cubic oxide material having a rock-salt-like structure upon the amorphous oxide material layer, and a layer of a SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material upon the oriented cubic oxide material layer is provided together with additional layers such as a HTS top-layer of YBCO directly upon the layer of a SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material layer. With a HTS top-layer of YBCO upon at least one layer of the SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material in such an article, J.sub.c 's of up to 1.3.times.10.sup.6 A/cm.sup.2 have been demonstrated with projected IC's of over 200 Amperes across a sample 1 cm wide.

Solar cells utilizing pulsed-energy crystallized microcrystalline/polycrystalline silicon

DOEpatents

Kaschmitter, J.L.; Sigmon, T.W.

1995-10-10

A process for producing multi-terminal devices such as solar cells wherein a pulsed high energy source is used to melt and crystallize amorphous silicon deposited on a substrate which is intolerant to high processing temperatures, whereby the amorphous silicon is converted into a microcrystalline/polycrystalline phase. Dopant and hydrogenation can be added during the fabrication process which provides for fabrication of extremely planar, ultra shallow contacts which results in reduction of non-current collecting contact volume. The use of the pulsed energy beams results in the ability to fabricate high efficiency microcrystalline/polycrystalline solar cells on the so-called low-temperature, inexpensive plastic substrates which are intolerant to high processing temperatures.

Solar cells utilizing pulsed-energy crystallized microcrystalline/polycrystalline silicon

DOEpatents

Kaschmitter, James L.; Sigmon, Thomas W.

1995-01-01

A process for producing multi-terminal devices such as solar cells wherein a pulsed high energy source is used to melt and crystallize amorphous silicon deposited on a substrate which is intolerant to high processing temperatures, whereby to amorphous silicon is converted into a microcrystalline/polycrystalline phase. Dopant and hydrogenization can be added during the fabrication process which provides for fabrication of extremely planar, ultra shallow contacts which results in reduction of non-current collecting contact volume. The use of the pulsed energy beams results in the ability to fabricate high efficiency microcrystalline/polycrystalline solar cells on the so-called low-temperature, inexpensive plastic substrates which are intolerant to high processing temperatures.

Black GE based on crystalline/amorphous core/shell nanoneedle arrays

DOEpatents

Javey, Ali; Chueh, Yu-Lun; Fan, Zhiyong

2014-03-04

Direct growth of black Ge on low-temperature substrates, including plastics and rubber is reported. The material is based on highly dense, crystalline/amorphous core/shell Ge nanoneedle arrays with ultrasharp tips (.about.4 nm) enabled by the Ni catalyzed vapor-solid-solid growth process. Ge nanoneedle arrays exhibit remarkable optical properties. Specifically, minimal optical reflectance (<1%) is observed, even for high angles of incidence (.about.75.degree.) and for relatively short nanoneedle lengths (.about.1 .mu.m). Furthermore, the material exhibits high optical absorption efficiency with an effective band gap of .about.1 eV. The reported black Ge can have important practical implications for efficient photovoltaic and photodetector applications on nonconventional substrates.

Method of forming buried oxide layers in silicon

DOEpatents

Sadana, Devendra Kumar; Holland, Orin Wayne

2000-01-01

A process for forming Silicon-On-Insulator is described incorporating the steps of ion implantation of oxygen into a silicon substrate at elevated temperature, ion implanting oxygen at a temperature below 200.degree. C. at a lower dose to form an amorphous silicon layer, and annealing steps to form a mixture of defective single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon alone and then silicon oxide from the amorphous silicon layer to form a continuous silicon oxide layer below the surface of the silicon substrate to provide an isolated superficial layer of silicon. The invention overcomes the problem of buried isolated islands of silicon oxide forming a discontinuous buried oxide layer.

Emission of blue light from hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

1994-04-01

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

Mechanically Flexible and High-Performance CMOS Logic Circuits.

PubMed

Honda, Wataru; Arie, Takayuki; Akita, Seiji; Takei, Kuniharu

2015-10-13

Low-power flexible logic circuits are key components required by the next generation of flexible electronic devices. For stable device operation, such components require a high degree of mechanical flexibility and reliability. Here, the mechanical properties of low-power flexible complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic circuits including inverter, NAND, and NOR are investigated. To fabricate CMOS circuits on flexible polyimide substrates, carbon nanotube (CNT) network films are used for p-type transistors, whereas amorphous InGaZnO films are used for the n-type transistors. The power consumption and voltage gain of CMOS inverters are <500 pW/mm at Vin = 0 V (<7.5 nW/mm at Vin = 5 V) and >45, respectively. Importantly, bending of the substrate is not found to cause significant changes in the device characteristics. This is also observed to be the case for more complex flexible NAND and NOR logic circuits for bending states with a curvature radius of 2.6 mm. The mechanical stability of these CMOS logic circuits makes them ideal candidates for use in flexible integrated devices.

Abrasion resistant low friction and ultra-hard magnetron sputtered AlMgB14 coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grishin, A. M.

2016-04-01

Hard aluminum magnesium boride films were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering from a single stoichiometric AlMgB14 ceramic target. X-ray amorphous AlMgB14 films are very smooth. Their roughness does not exceed the roughness of Si wafer and Corning glass used as the substrates. Dispersion of refractive index and extinction coefficient were determined within 300 to 2500 nm range for the film deposited onto Corning glass. Stoichiometric in-depth compositionally homogeneous 2 μm thick films on the Si(100) wafer possess the peak values of nanohardness 88 GPa and Young’s modulus 517 GPa at the penetration depth of 26 nm and, respectively, 35 GPa and 275 GPa at 200 nm depth. Friction coefficient was found to be 0.06. The coating scratch adhesion strength of 14 N was obtained as the first chipping of the coating whereas its spallation failure happened at 21 N. These critical loads and the work of adhesion, estimated as high as 18.4 J m-2, surpass characteristics of diamond like carbon films deposited onto tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) substrates.

Mechanically Flexible and High-Performance CMOS Logic Circuits

PubMed Central

Honda, Wataru; Arie, Takayuki; Akita, Seiji; Takei, Kuniharu

2015-01-01

Low-power flexible logic circuits are key components required by the next generation of flexible electronic devices. For stable device operation, such components require a high degree of mechanical flexibility and reliability. Here, the mechanical properties of low-power flexible complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) logic circuits including inverter, NAND, and NOR are investigated. To fabricate CMOS circuits on flexible polyimide substrates, carbon nanotube (CNT) network films are used for p-type transistors, whereas amorphous InGaZnO films are used for the n-type transistors. The power consumption and voltage gain of CMOS inverters are <500 pW/mm at Vin = 0 V (<7.5 nW/mm at Vin = 5 V) and >45, respectively. Importantly, bending of the substrate is not found to cause significant changes in the device characteristics. This is also observed to be the case for more complex flexible NAND and NOR logic circuits for bending states with a curvature radius of 2.6 mm. The mechanical stability of these CMOS logic circuits makes them ideal candidates for use in flexible integrated devices. PMID:26459882

Directed dewetting of amorphous silicon film by a donut-shaped laser pulse.

PubMed

Yoo, Jae-Hyuck; In, Jung Bin; Zheng, Cheng; Sakellari, Ioanna; Raman, Rajesh N; Matthews, Manyalibo J; Elhadj, Selim; Grigoropoulos, Costas P

2015-04-24

Irradiation of a thin film with a beam-shaped laser is proposed to achieve site-selectively controlled dewetting of the film into nanoscale structures. As a proof of concept, the laser-directed dewetting of an amorphous silicon thin film on a glass substrate is demonstrated using a donut-shaped laser beam. Upon irradiation of a single laser pulse, the silicon film melts and dewets on the substrate surface. The irradiation with the donut beam induces an unconventional lateral temperature profile in the film, leading to thermocapillary-induced transport of the molten silicon to the center of the beam spot. Upon solidification, the ultrathin amorphous silicon film is transformed to a crystalline silicon nanodome of increased height. This morphological change enables further dimensional reduction of the nanodome as well as removal of the surrounding film material by isotropic silicon etching. These results suggest that laser-based dewetting of thin films can be an effective way for scalable manufacturing of patterned nanostructures.

Production and Characterization of Bulk MgB2 Material made by the Combination of Crystalline and Carbon Coated Amorphous Boron Powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiroki, K.; Muralidhar, M.; Koblischka, M. R.; Murakami, M.

2017-07-01

The object of this investigation is to reduce the cost of bulk production and in the same time to increase the critical current performance of bulk MgB2 material. High-purity commercial powders of Mg metal (99.9% purity) and two types of crystalline (99% purity) and 16.5 wt% carbon-coated, nanometer-sized amorphous boron powders (98.5% purity) were mixed in a nominal composition of MgB2 to reduce the boron cost and to see the effect on the superconducting and magnetic properties. Several samples were produced mixing the crystalline boron and carbon-coated, nanometer-sized amorphous boron powders in varying ratios (50:50, 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, 90:10) and synthesized using a single-step process using the solid state reaction around 800 °C for 3 h in pure argon atmosphere. The magnetization measurements exhibited a sharp superconducting transition temperature with T c, onset around 38.6 K to 37.2 K for the bulk samples prepared utilizing the mixture of crystalline boron and 16.5% carbon-coated amorphous boron. The critical current density at higher magnetic field was improved with addition of carbon-coated boron to crystalline boron in a ratio of 80:20. The highest self-field Jc around 215,000 A/cm2 and 37,000 A/cm2 were recorded at 20 K, self-field and 2 T for the sample with a ratio of 80:10. The present results clearly demonstrate that the bulk MgB2 performance can be improved by adding carbon-coated nano boron to crystalline boron, which will be attractive to reduce the cost of bulk MgB2 material for several industrial applications.

Carbide-derived carbons - From porous networks to nanotubes and graphene

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Presser, V.; Heon, M.; Gogotsi, Y.

2011-02-09

Carbide-derived carbons (CDCs) are a large family of carbon materials derived from carbide precursors that are transformed into pure carbon via physical (e.g., thermal decomposition) or chemical (e.g., halogenation) processes. Structurally, CDC ranges from amorphous carbon to graphite, carbon nanotubes or graphene. For halogenated carbides, a high level of control over the resulting amorphous porous carbon structure is possible by changing the synthesis conditions and carbide precursor. The large number of resulting carbon structures and their tunability enables a wide range of applications, from tribological coatings for ceramics, or selective sorbents, to gas and electrical energy storage. In particular, themore » application of CDC in supercapacitors has recently attracted much attention. This review paper summarizes key aspects of CDC synthesis, properties, and applications. It is shown that the CDC structure and properties are sensitive to changes of the synthesis parameters. Understanding of processing–structure–properties relationships facilitates tuning of the carbon material to the requirements of a certain application.« less

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2014-08-01

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

Molecular Characterization of the Gas-Particle Interface of Soot Sampled from a Diesel Engine Using a Titration Method.

PubMed

Tapia, A; Salgado, M S; Martín, María Pilar; Lapuerta, M; Rodríguez-Fernández, J; Rossi, M J; Cabañas, B

2016-03-15

Surface functional groups of two different types of combustion aerosols, a conventional diesel (EN 590) and a hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) soot, have been investigated using heterogeneous chemistry (i.e., gas-particle surface reactions). A commercial sample of amorphous carbon (Printex XE2-B) was analyzed as a reference substrate. A Knudsen flow reactor was used to carry out the experiments under molecular flow conditions. The selected gases for the titration experiments were: N(CH3)3 for the identification of acidic sites, NH2OH for the presence of carbonyl groups, CF3COOH and HCl for basic sites of different strength, and O3 and NO2 for reducing groups. Reactivity with N(CH3)3 indicates a lower density of acidic functionalities for Printex XE2-B in relation to diesel and HVO soot. Results for NH2OH experiments indicates that commercial amorphous carbon exhibits a lower abundance of available carbonyl groups at the interface compared to the results from diesel and HVO soot, the latter being the one with the largest abundance of carbonyl functions. Reactions with acids indicate the presence of weak basic oxides on the particle surface that preferentially interact with the strong acid CF3COOH. Finally, reactions with O3 and NO2 reveal that diesel and especially HVO have a significantly higher reactivity with both oxidizers compared to that of Printex XE2-B because they have more reducing sites by roughly a factor of 10 and 30, respectively. The kinetics of titration reactions have also been investigated.

van der Waals epitaxy of SnS film on single crystal graphene buffer layer on amorphous SiO2/Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Yu; Yang, Yunbo; Guo, Fawen; Sun, Xin; Lu, Zonghuan; Mohanty, Dibyajyoti; Bhat, Ishwara; Washington, Morris; Lu, Toh-Ming; Wang, Gwo-Ching

2018-03-01

Conventional hetero-epitaxial films are typically grown on lattice and symmetry matched single crystal substrates. We demonstrated the epitaxial growth of orthorhombic SnS film (∼500 nm thick) on single crystal, monolayer graphene that was transferred on the amorphous SiO2/Si substrate. Using X-ray pole figure analysis we examined the structure, quality and epitaxy relationship of the SnS film grown on the single crystal graphene and compared it with the SnS film grown on commercial polycrystalline graphene. We showed that the SnS films grown on both single crystal and polycrystalline graphene have two sets of orientation domains. However, the crystallinity and grain size of the SnS film improve when grown on the single crystal graphene. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction measurements show that the near surface texture has more phases as compared with that of the entire film. The surface texture of a film will influence the growth and quality of film grown on top of it as well as the interface formed. Our result offers an alternative approach to grow a hetero-epitaxial film on an amorphous substrate through a single crystal graphene buffer layer. This strategy of growing high quality epitaxial thin film has potential applications in optoelectronics.

Molding mineral within microporous hydrogels by a polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) process.

PubMed

Cheng, Xingguo; Gower, Laurie B

2006-01-01

Natural biominerals often have exquisite morphologies, where the cells exercise a high degree of crystallographic control through secretion of biological macromolecules and regulation of ion transport. One important example is the sea urchin spine. It has recently been shown to be formed through deposition of a transient amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) precursor phase that later transforms to single-crystalline calcite, ultimately forming an elaborate three-dimensional microporous calcium carbonate structure with interconnected pores. Macromolecules associated with the mineral phase are thought to play a key role in regulating this transformation. The work described here mimics this type of morphological control by "molding" an amorphous calcium carbonate precursor within a porous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogel that has been prepared as a negative replica from the void space of an urchin spine. Using an acidic biomimetic polymer as a process-directing agent, we show that polyaspartic acid induces amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) nanoparticles, which have fluidic character and therefore are able to infiltrate the PHEMA hydrogel replica and coalesce into the convoluted morphology that replicates the original microporous structure of the sea urchin spine. By "molding" calcium carbonate into a complex morphology at room temperature, using a precursor process that is induced by a biomimetic acidic macromolecule, the PILP process is a useful in vitro model for examining different aspects of the amorphous-to-crystalline transformation process that is apparently used by a variety of biomineralizing organisms. For example, although we were able to replicate the overall morphology of the spine, it had polycrystalline texture; further studies with this system will focus on controlling the nucleation event, which may help to elucidate how such a convoluted structure can be prepared with single-crystalline texture via an amorphous precursor. Through a better understanding of the mechanisms used by organisms to regulate crystal properties, such biomimetic processes can lead to the synthesis of materials with superior electronic, mechanical, and optical properties.

Transmissive metallic contact for amorphous silicon solar cells

DOEpatents

Madan, A.

1984-11-29

A transmissive metallic contact for amorphous silicon semiconductors includes a thin layer of metal, such as aluminum or other low work function metal, coated on the amorphous silicon with an antireflective layer coated on the metal. A transparent substrate, such as glass, is positioned on the light reflective layer. The metallic layer is preferably thin enough to transmit at least 50% of light incident thereon, yet thick enough to conduct electricity. The antireflection layer is preferably a transparent material that has a refractive index in the range of 1.8 to 2.2 and is approximately 550A to 600A thick.

Application of DFT-Derived Relationships Between Chemical Environment and 29Si Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to Determine Structure in Silicon Oxycarbide Ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nimmo, John Paul, II

Silicon oxycarbide (SiCO) is an amorphous ceramic material widely used in industrial applications, for its useful electronic and biologically-compatible properties. SiCO is resistant to crystallization, remaining amorphous even above temperatures at which amorphous SiO2 would crystallize. Though silica (SiO2) and silicon carbide (SiC) are almost immiscible, it is useful to consider the material as a phase composition of these along with carbon, according to the formula below. The first two terms in braces can be considered as being the "SiCO glass" into which a third term representing excess or "free" carbon is incorporated as graphite-like nano-flakes and bands.

Influence of Molecular Shape on Molecular Orientation and Stability of Vapor-Deposited Organic Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walters, Diane M.; Johnson, Noah D.; Ediger, M. D.

Physical vapor deposition is commonly used to prepare active layers in organic electronics. Recently, it has been shown that molecular orientation and packing can be tuned by changing the substrate temperature during deposition, while still producing macroscopically homogeneous films. These amorphous materials can be highly anisotropic when prepared with low substrate temperatures, and they can exhibit exceptional kinetic stability; films retain their favorable packing when heated to high temperatures. Here, we study the influence of molecular shape on molecular orientation and stability. We investigate disc-shaped molecules, such as TCTA and m-MTDATA, nearly spherical molecules, such as Alq3, and linear molecules covering a broad range of aspect ratios, such as p-TTP and BSB-Cz. Disc-shaped molecules have preferential horizontal orientation when deposited at low substrate temperatures, and their orientation can be tuned by changing the substrate temperature. Alq3 forms stable, amorphous films that are optically isotropic when vapor deposited over a broad range of substrate temperatures. This work may guide the choice of material and deposition conditions for vapor-deposited films used in organic electronics and allow for more efficient devices to be fabricated.

Crystallization and doping of amorphous silicon on low temperature plastic

DOEpatents

Kaschmitter, James L.; Truher, Joel B.; Weiner, Kurt H.; Sigmon, Thomas W.

1994-01-01

A method or process of crystallizing and doping amorphous silicon (a-Si) on a low-temperature plastic substrate using a short pulsed high energy source in a selected environment, without heat propagation and build-up in the substrate. The pulsed energy processing of the a-Si in a selected environment, such as BF3 and PF5, will form a doped micro-crystalline or poly-crystalline silicon (pc-Si) region or junction point with improved mobilities, lifetimes and drift and diffusion lengths and with reduced resistivity. The advantage of this method or process is that it provides for high energy materials processing on low cost, low temperature, transparent plastic substrates. Using pulsed laser processing a high (>900.degree. C.), localized processing temperature can be achieved in thin films, with little accompanying temperature rise in the substrate, since substrate temperatures do not exceed 180.degree. C. for more than a few microseconds. This method enables use of plastics incapable of withstanding sustained processing temperatures (higher than 180.degree. C.) but which are much lower cost, have high tolerance to ultraviolet light, have high strength and good transparency, compared to higher temperature plastics such as polyimide.

Crystallization and doping of amorphous silicon on low temperature plastic

DOEpatents

Kaschmitter, J.L.; Truher, J.B.; Weiner, K.H.; Sigmon, T.W.

1994-09-13

A method or process of crystallizing and doping amorphous silicon (a-Si) on a low-temperature plastic substrate using a short pulsed high energy source in a selected environment, without heat propagation and build-up in the substrate is disclosed. The pulsed energy processing of the a-Si in a selected environment, such as BF3 and PF5, will form a doped micro-crystalline or poly-crystalline silicon (pc-Si) region or junction point with improved mobilities, lifetimes and drift and diffusion lengths and with reduced resistivity. The advantage of this method or process is that it provides for high energy materials processing on low cost, low temperature, transparent plastic substrates. Using pulsed laser processing a high (>900 C), localized processing temperature can be achieved in thin films, with little accompanying temperature rise in the substrate, since substrate temperatures do not exceed 180 C for more than a few microseconds. This method enables use of plastics incapable of withstanding sustained processing temperatures (higher than 180 C) but which are much lower cost, have high tolerance to ultraviolet light, have high strength and good transparency, compared to higher temperature plastics such as polyimide. 5 figs.

Platelet adhesion on phosphorus-incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Aiping; Zhu, Jiaqi; Liu, Meng; Dai, Zhifei; Han, Xiao; Han, Jiecai

2008-11-01

The haemocompatibility of phosphorus-incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C:P) films, synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique with PH 3 as the dopant source, was assessed by in vitro platelet adhesion tests. Results based on scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements reveal that phosphorus incorporation improves the wettability and blood compatibility of ta-C film. Our studies may provide a novel approach for the design and synthesis of doped ta-C films to repel platelet adhesion and reduce thrombosis risk.

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

PubMed

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

2011-12-23

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

MoO2 nanosheets embedded in amorphous carbon matrix for sodium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Hong; Man, Yuhong; Yang, Jingang; Xie, Jiale; Xu, Maowen

2017-10-01

MoO2 nanosheets embedded in the amorphous carbon matrix (MoO2/C) are successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method and investigated as an anode for sodium-ion batteries. Because of the efficient ion transport channels and good volume change accommodation, MoO2/C delivers a discharge/charge capacity of 367.8/367.0 mAh g-1 with high coulombic efficiency (99.4%) after 100 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g-1.

Amorphous calcium carbonate transforms into calcite during sea urchin larval spicule growth

PubMed Central

Beniash, E.; Aizenberg, J.; Addadi, L.; Weiner, S.

1997-01-01

Sea urchin larvae form an endoskeleton composed of a pair of spicules. For more than a century it has been stated that each spicule comprises a single crystal of the CaCO3 mineral, calcite. We show that an additional mineral phase, amorphous calcium carbonate, is present in the sea urchin larval spicule, and that this inherently unstable mineral transforms into calcite with time. This observation significantly changes our concepts of mineral formation in this well-studied organism.

Bond topography and nanostructure of hydrogenated fullerene-like carbon films: A comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongfu; Gao, Kaixiong; Shi, Jing; Zhang, Junyan

2016-09-01

Fullerene-like nanostructural hydrogenated amorphous carbon (FL-C:H) films were prepared by dc- and pulse- plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique (PECVD). Both the films exhibit relatively stresses (0.63 GPa) in spite of their FL features and nanostructural bonding configurations, especially the pentagonal carbon rings. The creation of pentagonal rings is not fully driven by thermodynamics, but is closely related to compressive stress determined by the ion bombardment at the discharged state of the pulse- and dc- discharged plasmas methods. The dc method leads to FL's basal planes which contain less cross-linkages, and causes amorphous strongly hydrogenated structures.

Stable prenucleation mineral clusters are liquid-like ionic polymers

PubMed Central

Demichelis, Raffaella; Raiteri, Paolo; Gale, Julian D.; Quigley, David; Gebauer, Denis

2011-01-01

Calcium carbonate is an abundant substance that can be created in several mineral forms by the reaction of dissolved carbon dioxide in water with calcium ions. Through biomineralization, organisms can harness and control this process to form various functional materials that can act as anything from shells through to lenses. The early stages of calcium carbonate formation have recently attracted attention as stable prenucleation clusters have been observed, contrary to classical models. Here we show, using computer simulations combined with the analysis of experimental data, that these mineral clusters are made of an ionic polymer, composed of alternating calcium and carbonate ions, with a dynamic topology consisting of chains, branches and rings. The existence of a disordered, flexible and strongly hydrated precursor provides a basis for explaining the formation of other liquid-like amorphous states of calcium carbonate, in addition to the non-classical behaviour during growth of amorphous calcium carbonate. PMID:22186886

Bio-Inspired Bright Structurally Colored Colloidal Amorphous Array Enhanced by Controlling Thickness and Black Background.

PubMed

Iwata, Masanori; Teshima, Midori; Seki, Takahiro; Yoshioka, Shinya; Takeoka, Yukikazu

2017-07-01

Inspired by Steller's jay, which displays angle-independent structural colors, angle-independent structurally colored materials are created, which are composed of amorphous arrays of submicrometer-sized fine spherical silica colloidal particles. When the colloidal amorphous arrays are thick, they do not appear colorful but almost white. However, the saturation of the structural color can be increased by (i) appropriately controlling the thickness of the array and (ii) placing the black background substrate. This is similar in the case of the blue feather of Steller's jay. Based on the knowledge gained through the biomimicry of structural colored materials, colloidal amorphous arrays on the surface of a black particle as the core particle are also prepared as colorful photonic pigments. Moreover, a structural color on-off system is successfully built by controlling the background brightness of the colloidal amorphous arrays. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of sputtering parameters on optical and electrical properties of ITO films on PET substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, Kun-San; Lo, Yu-Lung

2013-11-01

The optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films deposited on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering technique are investigated as a function of the deposition time, the argon flow rate and the target-substrate distance. It is found that all of the ITO films contain a high fraction of amorphous phase. The volume fraction of crystallite precipitates in the amorphous host increases with an increasing deposition time or a reducing argon flow rate. The deposition time and argon flow rate have higher effects on the optical transparency of the ITO films than the target-substrate distance has. Increasing film thickness is not the only reason for the transmittance reduced. It is found that an increase of the extinction coefficient by increasing deposition time or an increase of the refractive index by decreasing argon flow rate also reduces the transmittance of thin film. For a constant deposition time, the resistivity of the ITO films reduces with a reducing argon flow rate or a reducing target-substrate distance. For a constant argon flow rate, a critical value of the deposition time exists at which both the resistivity and the effect of the target-substrate distance are minimized. Finally, it is concluded that the film resistivity has low sensitivity to the target-substrate distance if the best deposition conditions which mostly attain the lowest resistivity are matched.

Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates with increased stability using the hot wire filament technique

DOEpatents

Molenbroek, Edith C.; Mahan, Archie Harvin; Gallagher, Alan C.

2000-09-26

A method or producing hydrogenated amorphous silicon on a substrate, comprising the steps of: positioning the substrate in a deposition chamber at a distance of about 0.5 to 3.0 cm from a heatable filament in the deposition chamber; maintaining a pressure in said deposition chamber in the range of about 10 to 100 millitorr and pressure times substrate-filament spacing in the range of about 10 to 100 millitorr-cm, heating the filament to a temperature in the range of about 1,500 to 2,000.degree. C., and heating the substrate to a surface temperature in the range of about 280 to 475.degree. C.; and flowing silicohydride gas into the deposition chamber with said heated filament, decomposing said silicohydride gas into silicon and hydrogen atomic species and allowing products of gas reactions between said atomic species and the silicohydride gas to migrate to and deposit on said substrate while adjusting and maintaining said pressure times substrate-filament spacing in said deposition chamber at a value in said 10 to 100 millitorr range to produce statistically about 3 to 50 atomic collisions between the silicon and hydrogen atomic species migrating to said substrate and undecomposed molecules of the silane or other silicohydride gas in the deposition chamber.

Surface treatment effect on Si (111) substrate for carbon deposition using DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aji, A. S., E-mail: aji.ravazes70@gmail.com; Sahdan, M. F.; Hendra, I. B.

In this work, we studied the effect of HF treatment in silicon (111) substrate surface for depositing thin layer carbon. We performed the deposition of carbon by using DC Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering with carbon pallet (5% Fe) as target. From SEM characterization results it can be concluded that the carbon layer on HF treated substrate is more uniform than on substrate without treated. Carbon deposition rate is higher as confirmed by AFM results if the silicon substrate is treated by HF solution. EDAX characterization results tell that silicon (111) substrate with HF treatment have more carbon fraction than substrate withoutmore » treatment. These results confirmed that HF treatment on silicon Si (111) substrates could enhance the carbon deposition by using DC sputtering. Afterward, the carbon atomic arrangement on silicon (111) surface is studied by performing thermal annealing process to 900 °C. From Raman spectroscopy results, thin film carbon is not changing until 600 °C thermal budged. But, when temperature increase to 900 °C, thin film carbon is starting to diffuse to silicon (111) substrates.« less

Structure and properties of carbon black particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wei

Structure and properties of carbon black particles were investigated using atomic force microscopy, gas adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Supplementary information was obtained using TEM and neutron scattering. The AFM imaging of carbon black aggregates provided qualitative visual information on their morphology, complementary to that obtained by 3-D modeling based on TEM images. Our studies showed that carbon black aggregates were relatively flat. The surface of all untreated carbon black particles was found to be rough and its fractal dimension was 2.2. Heating reduced the roughness and fractal dimension for all samples heat treated at above 1300 K to 2.0. Once the samples were heat treated rapid cooling did not affect the surface roughness. However, rapid cooling reduced crystallite sizes, and different Raman spectra were obtained for carbon blacks of various history of heat treatment. By analyzing the Raman spectra we determined the crystallite sizes and identified amorphous carbon. The concentration of amorphous carbon depends on hydrogen content. Once hydrogen was liberated at increased temperature, the concentration of amorphous carbon was reduced and crystallites started to grow. Properties of carbon blacks at high pressure were also studied. Hydrostatic pressure did not affect the size of the crystallites in carbon black particles. The pressure induced shift in Raman frequency of the graphitic component was a result of increased intermolecular forces and not smaller crystallites. Two methods of determining the fractal dimension, the FHH model and the yardstick technique based on the BET theory were used in the literature. Our study proved that the FHH model is sensitive to numerous assumptions and leads to wrong conclusions. On the other hand the yardstick method gave correct results, which agreed with the AFM results.

Effect of chromium and phosphorus on the physical properties of iron and titanium-based amorphous metallic alloy films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Distefano, S.; Rameshan, R.; Fitzgerald, D. J.

1991-01-01

Amorphous iron and titanium-based alloys containing various amounts of chromium, phosphorus, and boron exhibit high corrosion resistance. Some physical properties of Fe and Ti-based metallic alloy films deposited on a glass substrate by a dc-magnetron sputtering technique are reported. The films were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, stress analysis, SEM, XRD, SIMS, electron microprobe, and potentiodynamic polarization techniques.

Ultra-Low Density Aerogel Mirror Substrates

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-01

Silica aerogel materials were fabricated by both the high temperature and low temperature methods at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in...evaporation techniques were used to planarize the silica aerogel with SiO 2 prior to metalization. The PECVD was performed at the Cornell University...incident hv. Defect Physics Silica aerogel is an amorphous SiO, matrix of high porosity (or a low density disordered material). The amorphous r~ature of

Direct Growth of III-Nitride Nanowire-Based Yellow Light-Emitting Diode on Amorphous Quartz Using Thin Ti Interlayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prabaswara, Aditya; Min, Jung-Wook; Zhao, Chao; Janjua, Bilal; Zhang, Daliang; Albadri, Abdulrahman M.; Alyamani, Ahmed Y.; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.

2018-02-01

Consumer electronics have increasingly relied on ultra-thin glass screen due to its transparency, scalability, and cost. In particular, display technology relies on integrating light-emitting diodes with display panel as a source for backlighting. In this study, we undertook the challenge of integrating light emitters onto amorphous quartz by demonstrating the direct growth and fabrication of a III-nitride nanowire-based light-emitting diode. The proof-of-concept device exhibits a low turn-on voltage of 2.6 V, on an amorphous quartz substrate. We achieved 40% transparency across the visible wavelength while maintaining electrical conductivity by employing a TiN/Ti interlayer on quartz as a translucent conducting layer. The nanowire-on-quartz LED emits a broad linewidth spectrum of light centered at true yellow color ( 590 nm), an important wavelength bridging the green-gap in solid-state lighting technology, with significantly less strain and dislocations compared to conventional planar quantum well nitride structures. Our endeavor highlighted the feasibility of fabricating III-nitride optoelectronic device on a scalable amorphous substrate through facile growth and fabrication steps. For practical demonstration, we demonstrated tunable correlated color temperature white light, leveraging on the broadly tunable nanowire spectral characteristics across red-amber-yellow color regime.

Programmable SERS active substrates for chemical and biosensing applications using amorphous/crystalline hybrid silicon nanomaterial

PubMed Central

Powell, Jeffery Alexander; Venkatakrishnan, Krishnan; Tan, Bo

2016-01-01

We present the creation of a unique nanostructured amorphous/crystalline hybrid silicon material that exhibits surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity. This nanomaterial is an interconnected network of amorphous/crystalline nanospheroids which form a nanoweb structure; to our knowledge this material has not been previously observed nor has it been applied for use as a SERS sensing material. This material is formed using a femtosecond synthesis technique which facilitates a laser plume ion condensation formation mechanism. By fine-tuning the laser plume temperature and ion interaction mechanisms within the plume, we are able to precisely program the relative proportion of crystalline Si to amorphous Si content in the nanospheroids as well as the size distribution of individual nanospheroids and the size of Raman hotspot nanogaps. With the use of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and Crystal Violet (CV) chemical dyes, we have been able to observe a maximum enhancement factor of 5.38 × 106 and 3.72 × 106 respectively, for the hybrid nanomaterial compared to a bulk Si wafer substrate. With the creation of a silicon-based nanomaterial capable of SERS detection of analytes, this work demonstrates a redefinition of the role of nanostructured Si from an inactive to SERS active role in nano-Raman sensing applications. PMID:26785682

Direct Growth of III-Nitride Nanowire-Based Yellow Light-Emitting Diode on Amorphous Quartz Using Thin Ti Interlayer.

PubMed

Prabaswara, Aditya; Min, Jung-Wook; Zhao, Chao; Janjua, Bilal; Zhang, Daliang; Albadri, Abdulrahman M; Alyamani, Ahmed Y; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S

2018-02-06

Consumer electronics have increasingly relied on ultra-thin glass screen due to its transparency, scalability, and cost. In particular, display technology relies on integrating light-emitting diodes with display panel as a source for backlighting. In this study, we undertook the challenge of integrating light emitters onto amorphous quartz by demonstrating the direct growth and fabrication of a III-nitride nanowire-based light-emitting diode. The proof-of-concept device exhibits a low turn-on voltage of 2.6 V, on an amorphous quartz substrate. We achieved ~ 40% transparency across the visible wavelength while maintaining electrical conductivity by employing a TiN/Ti interlayer on quartz as a translucent conducting layer. The nanowire-on-quartz LED emits a broad linewidth spectrum of light centered at true yellow color (~ 590 nm), an important wavelength bridging the green-gap in solid-state lighting technology, with significantly less strain and dislocations compared to conventional planar quantum well nitride structures. Our endeavor highlighted the feasibility of fabricating III-nitride optoelectronic device on a scalable amorphous substrate through facile growth and fabrication steps. For practical demonstration, we demonstrated tunable correlated color temperature white light, leveraging on the broadly tunable nanowire spectral characteristics across red-amber-yellow color regime.

Programmable SERS active substrates for chemical and biosensing applications using amorphous/crystalline hybrid silicon nanomaterial.

PubMed

Powell, Jeffery Alexander; Venkatakrishnan, Krishnan; Tan, Bo

2016-01-20

We present the creation of a unique nanostructured amorphous/crystalline hybrid silicon material that exhibits surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity. This nanomaterial is an interconnected network of amorphous/crystalline nanospheroids which form a nanoweb structure; to our knowledge this material has not been previously observed nor has it been applied for use as a SERS sensing material. This material is formed using a femtosecond synthesis technique which facilitates a laser plume ion condensation formation mechanism. By fine-tuning the laser plume temperature and ion interaction mechanisms within the plume, we are able to precisely program the relative proportion of crystalline Si to amorphous Si content in the nanospheroids as well as the size distribution of individual nanospheroids and the size of Raman hotspot nanogaps. With the use of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and Crystal Violet (CV) chemical dyes, we have been able to observe a maximum enhancement factor of 5.38 × 10(6) and 3.72 × 10(6) respectively, for the hybrid nanomaterial compared to a bulk Si wafer substrate. With the creation of a silicon-based nanomaterial capable of SERS detection of analytes, this work demonstrates a redefinition of the role of nanostructured Si from an inactive to SERS active role in nano-Raman sensing applications.

Programmable SERS active substrates for chemical and biosensing applications using amorphous/crystalline hybrid silicon nanomaterial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Jeffery Alexander; Venkatakrishnan, Krishnan; Tan, Bo

2016-01-01

We present the creation of a unique nanostructured amorphous/crystalline hybrid silicon material that exhibits surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity. This nanomaterial is an interconnected network of amorphous/crystalline nanospheroids which form a nanoweb structure; to our knowledge this material has not been previously observed nor has it been applied for use as a SERS sensing material. This material is formed using a femtosecond synthesis technique which facilitates a laser plume ion condensation formation mechanism. By fine-tuning the laser plume temperature and ion interaction mechanisms within the plume, we are able to precisely program the relative proportion of crystalline Si to amorphous Si content in the nanospheroids as well as the size distribution of individual nanospheroids and the size of Raman hotspot nanogaps. With the use of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and Crystal Violet (CV) chemical dyes, we have been able to observe a maximum enhancement factor of 5.38 × 106 and 3.72 × 106 respectively, for the hybrid nanomaterial compared to a bulk Si wafer substrate. With the creation of a silicon-based nanomaterial capable of SERS detection of analytes, this work demonstrates a redefinition of the role of nanostructured Si from an inactive to SERS active role in nano-Raman sensing applications.

Multi-Step Crystallization of Barium Carbonate: Rapid Interconversion of Amorphous and Crystalline Precursors.

PubMed

Whittaker, Michael L; Smeets, Paul J M; Asayesh-Ardakani, Hasti; Shahbazian-Yassar, Reza; Joester, Derk

2017-12-11

The direct observation of amorphous barium carbonate (ABC), which transforms into a previously unknown barium carbonate hydrate (herewith named gortatowskite) within a few hundred milliseconds of formation, is described. In situ X-ray scattering, cryo-, and low-dose electron microscopy were used to capture the transformation of nanoparticulate ABC into gortatowskite crystals, highly anisotropic sheets that are up to 1 μm in width, yet only about 10 nm in thickness. Recrystallization of gortatowskite to witherite starts within 30 seconds. We describe a bulk synthesis and report a first assessment of the composition, vibrational spectra, and structure of gortatowskite. Our findings indicate that transient amorphous and crystalline precursors can play a role in aqueous precipitation pathways that may often be overlooked owing to their extremely short lifetimes and small dimensions. However, such transient precursors may be integral to the formation of more stable phases. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Room temperature vortex fluidic synthesis of monodispersed amorphous proto-vaterite.

PubMed

Peng, Wenhong; Chen, Xianjue; Zhu, Shenmin; Guo, Cuiping; Raston, Colin L

2014-10-11

Monodispersed particles of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) 90 to 200 nm in diameter are accessible at room temperature in ethylene glycol and water using a vortex fluidic device (VFD). The ACC material is stable for at least two weeks under ambient conditions.

Amorphous nickel boride membrane on a platinum-nickel alloy surface for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction.

PubMed

He, Daping; Zhang, Libo; He, Dongsheng; Zhou, Gang; Lin, Yue; Deng, Zhaoxiang; Hong, Xun; Wu, Yuen; Chen, Chen; Li, Yadong

2016-08-09

The low activity of the oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is a major barrier for electrocatalysis, and hence needs to be optimized. Tuning the surface electronic structure of platinum-based bimetallic alloys, a promising oxygen reduction reaction catalyst, plays a key role in controlling its interaction with reactants, and thus affects the efficiency. Here we report that a dealloying process can be utilized to experimentally fabricate the interface between dealloyed platinum-nickel alloy and amorphous nickel boride membrane. The coating membrane works as an electron acceptor to tune the surface electronic structure of the platinum-nickel catalyst, and this composite catalyst composed of crystalline platinum-nickel covered by amorphous nickel boride achieves a 27-times enhancement in mass activity relative to commercial platinum/carbon at 0.9 V for the oxygen reduction reaction performance. Moreover, this interactional effect between a crystalline surface and amorphous membrane can be readily generalized to facilitate the 3-times higher catalytic activity of commercial platinum/carbon.

Magnetic carbon nanostructures: microwave energy-assisted pyrolysis vs. conventional pyrolysis.

PubMed

Zhu, Jiahua; Pallavkar, Sameer; Chen, Minjiao; Yerra, Narendranath; Luo, Zhiping; Colorado, Henry A; Lin, Hongfei; Haldolaarachchige, Neel; Khasanov, Airat; Ho, Thomas C; Young, David P; Wei, Suying; Guo, Zhanhu

2013-01-11

Magnetic carbon nanostructures from microwave assisted- and conventional-pyrolysis processes are compared. Unlike graphitized carbon shells from conventional heating, different carbon shell morphologies including nanotubes, nanoflakes and amorphous carbon were observed. Crystalline iron and cementite were observed in the magnetic core, different from a single cementite phase from the conventional process.

Memristive effects in oxygenated amorphous carbon nanodevices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-01-01

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

Amorphous and crystalline calcium carbonate distribution in the tergite cuticle of moulting Porcellio scaber (Isopoda, Crustacea).

PubMed

Neues, Frank; Hild, Sabine; Epple, Matthias; Marti, Othmar; Ziegler, Andreas

2011-07-01

The main mineral components of the isopod cuticle consists of crystalline magnesium calcite and amorphous calcium carbonate. During moulting isopods moult first the posterior and then the anterior half of the body. In terrestrial species calcium carbonate is subject to resorption, storage and recycling in order to retain significant fractions of the mineral during the moulting cycle. We used synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, elemental analysis and Raman spectroscopy to quantify the ACC/calcite ratio, the mineral phase distribution and the composition within the anterior and posterior tergite cuticle during eight different stages of the moulting cycle of Porcellio scaber. The results show that most of the amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is resorbed from the cuticle, whereas calcite remains in the old cuticle and is shed during moulting. During premoult resorption of ACC from the posterior cuticle is accompanied by an increase within the anterior tergites, and mineralization of the new posterior cuticle by resorption of mineral from the anterior cuticle. This suggests that one reason for using ACC in cuticle mineralization is to facilitate resorption and recycling of cuticular calcium carbonate. Furthermore we show that ACC precedes the formation of calcite in distal layers of the tergite cuticle. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deduced elasticity of sp3-bonded amorphous diamond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballato, J.; Ballato, A.

2017-11-01

Amorphous diamond was recently synthesized using high temperature and pressure techniques [Z. Zeng, L. Yang, Q. Zeng, H. Lou, H. Sheng, J. Wen, D. J. Miller, Y. Meng, W. Yang, W. L. Mao, and H. K. Mao, Nat. Commun. 8, 322 (2017)]. Here, selected physical properties of this new phase of carbon are deduced using an extension of the Voigt-Reuss-Hill (VRHx) methodology whereby single crystal values are averaged over all orientations to yield values for the amorphous analog. Specifically, the elastic constants were deduced to be c11 = 1156.5 GPa, c12 = 87.6 GPa, and c44 = 534.5 GPa, whereas the Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and Poisson's ratio were also estimated to be 1144.2 GPa, 443.9 GPa, and 0.0704, respectively. These numbers are compared with experimental and theoretical literature values for other allotropic forms, specifically, Lonsdaleite, and two forms each of graphite and amorphous carbon. It is unknown at this time how the high temperature and pressure synthesis approach employed influences the structure, hence properties, of amorphous diamond at room temperature. However, the values provided herein constitute a baseline against which future structure/property/processing analyses can be compared.

Switchable vanadium oxide films by a sol-gel process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partlow, D. P.; Gurkovich, S. R.; Radford, K. C.; Denes, L. J.

1991-07-01

Thin polycrystalline films of VO2 and V2O3 were deposited on a variety of substrates using a sol-gel process. The orientation, microstructure, optical constants, and optical and electrical switching behavior are presented. These films exhibited sharp optical switching behavior even on an amorphous substrate such as fused silica. The method yields reproducible results and is amenable to the coating of large substrates and curved surfaces such as mirrors and lenses.

Interface effects in the dissolution of silicon into thin gold films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sankur, H.; Mccaldin, J. O.

1975-01-01

The dissolution of crystalline Si and amorphous Si substrates into thin films of evaporated Au was studied with an electron microprobe and scanning electron microscopy. The dissolution pattern was found to be nonuniform along the plane of the surface and dependent on the crystalline orientation of the Si substrate. The dissolution is greatly facilitated when a very thin layer of Pd is evaporated between the Si substrate and the Au film.

Tribological synthesis method for producing low-friction surface film coating

DOEpatents

Ajayi, Oyelayo O.; Lorenzo-Martin, Maria De La; Fenske, George R.

2016-10-25

An article of method of manufacture of a low friction tribological film on a substrate. The article includes a substrate of a steel or ceramic which has been tribologically processed with a lubricant containing selected additives and the additives, temperature, load and time of processing can be selectively controlled to bias formation of a film on the substrate where the film is an amorphous structure exhibiting highly advantageous low friction properties.

Formation of boron nitride coatings on silicon carbide fibers using trimethylborate vapor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Mengjiao; Zhou, Tong; He, Jing; Chen, Lifu

2016-09-01

High quality boron nitride (BN) coatings have been grown on silicon carbide (SiC) fibers by carbothermal nitridation and at atmospheric pressure. SiC fibers were first treated in chlorine gas to form CDC (carbide-derived carbon) film on the fiber surface. The CDC-coated SiC fibers were then reacted with trimethylborate vapor and ammonia vapor at high temperature, forming BN coatings by carbothermal reduction. The FT-IR, XPS, XRD, SEM, TEM and AES were used to investigate the formation of the obtained coatings. It has been found that the obtained coatings are composed of phase mixture of h-BN and amorphous carbon, very uniform in thickness, have smooth surface and adhere well with the SiC fiber substrates. The BN-coated SiC fibers retain ∼80% strength of the as-received SiC fibers and show an obvious interfacial debonding and fiber pullout in the SiCf/SiOC composites. This method may be useful for the large scale production of high quality BN coating on silicon carbide fiber.

Compatibility of the totally replaced hip. Reduction of wear by amorphous diamond coating.

PubMed

Santavirta, Seppo

2003-12-01

Particulate wear debris in totally replaced hips causes adverse local host reactions. The extreme form of such a reaction, aggressive granulomatosis, was found to be a distinct condition and different from simple aseptic loosening. Reactive and adaptive tissues around the totally replaced hip were made of proliferation of local fibroblast like cells and activated macrophages. Methylmethacrylate and high-molecular-weight polyethylene were shown to be essentially immunologically inert implant materials, but in small particulate form functioned as cellular irritants initiating local biological reactions leading to loosening of the implants. Chromium-cobalt-molybdenum is the most popular metallic implant material; it is hard and tough, and the bearings of this metal are partially self-polishing. In total hip implants, prerequisites for longevity of the replaced hip are good biocompatibility of the materials and sufficient tribological properties of the bearings. The third key issue is that the bearing must minimize frictional shear at the prosthetic bone-implant interface to be compatible with long-term survival. Some of the approaches to meet these demands are alumina-on-alumina and metal-on-metal designs, as well as the use of highly crosslinked polyethylene for the acetabular component. In order to avoid the wear-based deleterious properties of the conventional total hip prosthesis materials or coatings, the present work included biological and tribological testing of amorphous diamond. Previous experiments had demonstrated that a high adhesion of tetrahedral amorphous carbon coatings to a substrate can be achieved by using mixing layers or interlayers. Amorphous diamond was found to be biologically inert, and simulator testing indicated excellent wear properties for conventional total hip prostheses, in which either the ball or both bearing surfaces were coated with hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous diamond films. Simulator testing with such total hip prostheses showed no measurable wear or detectable delamination after 15,000,000 test cycles corresponding to 15 years of clinical use. The present work clearly shows that wear is one of the basic problems with totally replaced hips. Diamond coating of the bearing surfaces appears to be an attractive solution to improve longevity of the totally replaced hip.

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

PubMed Central

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

2015-01-01

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

Allotropic forms of carbon in the Invar Fe-Ni-C alloy before and after plastic deformation by upsetting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadutov, V. M.; Vashchuk, D. L.; Karbivskii, V. L.; Volosevich, P. Yu.; Davydenko, O. A.

2018-04-01

The effect of cold plastic deformation by upsetting (e = 1.13) on structure and hybridised bonds of carbon in the fcc Invar Fe-30.9%Ni-1.23% C alloy was studied by means of X-ray phase analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Carbon precipitates along grain boundaries and inside of grains in the alloy after annealing and plastic deformation were revealed. The presence of mainly sp2- and sp3-hybridised C-C bonds attributing to graphite and amorphous carbon as well as the carbon bonds with impurity atoms and metallic Fe and Ni atoms in austenitic phase were revealed in the annealed and deformed alloy. It was shown for the first time that plastic deformation of the alloy results in partial destruction of the graphite crystal structure, increasing the relative part of amorphous carbon, and redistribution of carbon between structural elements as well as in a solid solution of austenitic phase.

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

PubMed

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

2015-10-13

We investigate the structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of graphite-like amorphous carbon coating on bulky silicon to examine whether it can improve the durability of the silicon anodes of lithium-ion batteries using molecular dynamics simulations and ab-initio electronic structure calculations. Structural models of carbon coating are constructed using molecular dynamics simulations of atomic carbon deposition with low incident energies (1-16 eV). As the incident energy decreases, the ratio of sp ² carbons increases, that of sp ³ decreases, and the carbon films become more porous. The films prepared with very low incident energy contain lithium-ion conducting channels. Also, those films are electrically conductive to supplement the poor conductivity of silicon and can restore their structure after large deformation to accommodate the volume change during the operations. As a result of this study, we suggest that graphite-like porous carbon coating on silicon will extend the lifetime of the silicon anodes of lithium-ion batteries.

Adsorption of selected volatile organic vapors on multiwall carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Shih, Yang-hsin; Li, Mei-syue

2008-06-15

Carbon nanotubes are expected to play an important role in sensing, pollution treatment and separation techniques. This study examines the adsorption behaviors of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), n-hexane, benzene, trichloroethylene and acetone on two multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), CNT1 and CNT2. Among these VOCs, acetone exhibits the highest adsorption capacity. The highest adsorption enthalpies and desorption energies of acetone were also observed. The strong chemical interactions between acetone and both MWCNTs may be the result from chemisorption on the topological defects. The adsorption heats of trichloroethylene, benzene, and n-hexane are indicative of physisorption on the surfaces of both MWCNTs. CNT2 presents a higher adsorption capacity than CNT1 due to the existence of an exterior amorphous carbon layer on CNT2. The amorphous carbon enhances the adsorption capacity of organic chemicals on carbon nanotubes. The morphological and structure order of carbon nanotubes are the primary affects on the adsorption process of organic chemicals.

In Situ Observations of Phase Transitions in Metastable Nickel (Carbide)/Carbon Nanocomposites

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Nanocomposite thin films comprised of metastable metal carbides in a carbon matrix have a wide variety of applications ranging from hard coatings to magnetics and energy storage and conversion. While their deposition using nonequilibrium techniques is established, the understanding of the dynamic evolution of such metastable nanocomposites under thermal equilibrium conditions at elevated temperatures during processing and during device operation remains limited. Here, we investigate sputter-deposited nanocomposites of metastable nickel carbide (Ni3C) nanocrystals in an amorphous carbon (a-C) matrix during thermal postdeposition processing via complementary in situ X-ray diffractometry, in situ Raman spectroscopy, and in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. At low annealing temperatures (300 °C) we observe isothermal Ni3C decomposition into face-centered-cubic Ni and amorphous carbon, however, without changes to the initial finely structured nanocomposite morphology. Only for higher temperatures (400–800 °C) Ni-catalyzed isothermal graphitization of the amorphous carbon matrix sets in, which we link to bulk-diffusion-mediated phase separation of the nanocomposite into coarser Ni and graphite grains. Upon natural cooling, only minimal precipitation of additional carbon from the Ni is observed, showing that even for highly carbon saturated systems precipitation upon cooling can be kinetically quenched. Our findings demonstrate that phase transformations of the filler and morphology modifications of the nanocomposite can be decoupled, which is advantageous from a manufacturing perspective. Our in situ study also identifies the high carbon content of the Ni filler crystallites at all stages of processing as the key hallmark feature of such metal–carbon nanocomposites that governs their entire thermal evolution. In a wider context, we also discuss our findings with regard to the much debated potential role of metastable Ni3C as a catalyst phase in graphene and carbon nanotube growth. PMID:27746852

Hard X-Ray and Wide Focusing Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, Paul

1998-01-01

Studies are being carried out to compare the performance of several different separation materials used in the replication process. This report presents the results obtained during the second year of a program which consists of replicating smooth, thin substrates, depositing multilayer coatings upon them, and evaluating their performance. Replication and multilayer coatings are both critically important to the development of focussing hard X-ray telescopes that function up to 100 keV. The activities of the current year include extending the comparison between sputtered amorphous carbon and evaporated gold to include sputtered as well as evaporated gold. The figure of merit being the smoothness of the replica which has a direct effect on the specular reflectivity. These results were obtained with epoxy replication, but they should be applicable to electroformed nickel, the process we expect to use for the ultimate replicated optics.

Decomposition of silane on tungsten or other materials

DOEpatents

Wiesmann, H.J.

This invention relates to hydrogenated amorphous silicon produced by thermally decomposing silane (SiH/sub 4/) or other gases comprising H and Si, from a W or foil heated to a temperature of about 1400 to 1600/sup 0/C, in a vacuum of about 10-/sup 6/ to 10-/sup 4/ torr. A gaseous mixture is formed of atomic hydrogen and atomic silicon. The gaseous mixture is deposited onto a substrate independent of and outside the source of thermal decomposition. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon is formed. The presence of an ammonia atmosphere in the vacuum chamber enhances the photoconductivity of the hydrogenated amorphous silicon film.

Intense photoluminescence from amorphous tantalum oxide films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Minmin; Zhang, Zhengjun; Miao, Wei

2006-07-01

Tantalum oxide films were deposited on silicon substrates at a temperature of ˜450°C by heating a pure tantalum foil in a rough vacuum. The films were amorphous in structure and consisted of fully oxidized Ta2O5 and (TaOx, x <2.5) suboxides. This feature resulted in strong visible light emission from the films further oxidized in the air at temperatures of 200-300°C. The mechanism for this photoluminescence behavior of the amorphous tantalum oxide films was also investigated and discussed. This study suggests that wide-band-gap materials could act as effective visible light emitters and provides a simple route to synthesize such materials.

Microwave hydrothermal transformation of amorphous calcium carbonate nanospheres and application in protein adsorption.

PubMed

Qi, Chao; Zhu, Ying-Jie; Chen, Feng

2014-03-26

Calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate are the main components of biominerals. Among all of the forms of biominerals, amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) are the most important forms because they play a pivotal role in the process of biomineralization and are the precursors to the crystalline polymorphs. In this work, we first synthesized ACC in vitro using adenosine 5'-triphosphate disodium salt (ATP) as the stabilizer and investigated the transformation of the ACC under microwave hydrothermal conditions, and ACC/ACP composite nanospheres and carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) nanospheres were successfully prepared. In this novel strategy, ATP has two main functions: it serves as the stabilizer for ACC and the phosphorus source for ACP and CHA. Most importantly, the morphology and the size of the ACC precursor can be well-preserved after microwave heating, so it provides a new method for the preparation of calcium phosphate nanostructured materials using phosphorus-containing biomolecule-stabilized ACC as the precursor. Furthermore, the as-prepared ACC/ACP composite nanospheres have excellent biocompatibility and high protein adsorption capacity, indicating that they are promising for applications in biomedical fields such as drug delivery and protein adsorption.

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

PubMed

Abraham, Anuji; Crull, George

2014-10-06

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

Effect of the metal concentration on the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of self-organized a-C:Cu hard nanocomposite coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pardo, A.; Buijnsters, J. G.; Endrino, J. L.; Gómez-Aleixandre, C.; Abrasonis, G.; Bonet, R.; Caro, J.

2013-09-01

The influence of the metal content (Cu: 0-28 at.%) on the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of amorphous carbon films grown by pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition is investigated. Silicon and AISI 301 stainless steel have been used as substrate materials. The microstructure, composition and bonding structure have been determined by scanning electron microscopy, combined Rutherford backscattered spectroscopy-nuclear reaction analysis, and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The mechanical and tribological properties have been assessed using nanoindentation and reciprocating sliding (fretting tests) and these have been correlated with the elemental composition of the films. A self-organized multilayered structure consisting of alternating carbon and copper metal nanolayers (thickness in the 25-50 nm range), whose formation is enhanced by the Cu content, is detected. The nanohardness and Young’s modulus decrease monotonically with increasing Cu content. A maximum value of the Young’s modulus of about 255 GPa is obtained for the metal-free film, whereas it drops to about 174 GPa for the film with a Cu content of 28 at.%. In parallel, a 50% drop in the nanohardness from about 28 GPa towards 14 GPa is observed for these coatings. An increase in the Cu content also produces an increment of the coefficient of friction in reciprocating sliding tests performed against a corundum ball counterbody. As compared to the metal free film, a nearly four times higher coefficient of friction value is detected in the case of a Cu content of 28 at.%. Nevertheless, the carbon-copper composite coatings produced a clear surface protection of the substrate despite an overall increase in wear loss with increasing Cu content in the range 3-28 at.%.

Synthesis, characterization, and properties of low-dimensional nanostructured materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xianluo

2007-05-01

Nanometer scale structures represent an exciting and rapidly expanding area of research. Studies on new physical/chemical properties and applications of nanomaterials and nanostructures are possible only when nanostructured materials are made available with desired size, morphology, crystal and microstructure, and composition. Thus, controlled synthesis of nanomaterials is the essential aspect of nanotechnology. This thesis describes the development of simple and versatile solution-based approaches to synthesize low-dimensional nanostructures. The first major goal of this research is to design and fabricate morphology-controlled alpha-Fe 2O3 nanoarchitectures in aqueous solution through a programmed microwave-assisted hydrothermal route, taking advantage of microwave irradiation and hydrothermal effects. Free-standing alpha-Fe2O3 nanorings are prepared by hydrolysis of FeCl3 in the presence of phosphate ions. The as-formed architecture of alpha-Fe2O 3 nanorings is an exciting new member in the family of iron oxide nanostructures. Our preliminary results demonstrate that sensors made of the alpha-Fe 2O3 nanorings exhibit high sensitivity not only for bio-sensing of hydrogen peroxide in a physiological solution but also for gas-sensing of alcohol vapor at room temperature. Moreover, monodisperse alpha-Fe 2O3 nanocrystals with continuous aspect-ratio tuning and fine shape control are achieved by controlling the experimental conditions. The as-formed alpha-Fe2O3 exhibits shape-dependent infrared optical properties. The growth process of colloidal alpha-Fe 2O3 crystals in the presence of phosphate ions is discussed. In addition, through an efficient microwave-assisted hydrothermal process, self-assembled hierarchical alpha-Fe2O3 nanoarchitectures are synthesized on a large scale. The second major goal of this research is to develop convenient microwave-hydrothermal approaches for the fabrication of carbon-based nanocomposites: (1) A one-pot solution-phase route, namely microwave-assisted hydrothermal reduction/carbonization (MAHRC), is developed to prepare coaxial Ag/amorphous-carbon (a-C) nanocables. The as-grown Ag/C nanocables can self-assemble in an end-to-end fashion. (2) A novel Se/C nanocomposite with core-shell structures is prepared. The new material consists of a trigonal-Se (t-Se) core and an amorphous-C (a-C) shell. The Se/C composite can be converted to hollow carbon capsules by thermal treatment. (3) A Fe 3O4/C nanocomposite is synthesized by a green wet-chemical approach. The product possesses porous microstructures and exhibits superparamagnetic behavior. The third major goal of this research is develop facile solution-based methods for preparing carbonaceous nano test tubes, thin films of metal iodides, and spherical selenium spheres: (1) Carbonaceous nano test tubes are fabricated by a facile "decoring" route using a core-sheath Te carbon nanocomposite as the precursor. The as-formed carbonaceous material looks like a "test tube" with an average diameter of about 120 nm and lengths up to 5 mum. (2) Tetrahedral-shaped CuI crystals were formed on a variety of copper substrates (e.g. grids, flat/porous foils, and macro-/nano- wires) via an interfacial reaction between a copper substrate and iodine in water at room temperature. This preparation approach can also be used to grow PbI2 and AgI nano- and micro-crystals with different morphologies on corresponding substrates. (3) Colloidal trigonal selenium (t-Se) microspheres are synthesized through a mild hydrothermal reduction reaction, using glucose as a reducing regent and water as an environmentally friendly solvent. Importantly, the resulting t-Se microspheres inherit functional groups from the starting materials and possess hydrophilic and biocompatible surfaces.

Trade-off between Photon Management Efficacy and Material Quality in Thin-Film Solar Cells on Nanostructured Substrates of High Aspect Ratio Structures

DOE PAGES

Chin, Alan; Keshavarz, Majid; Wang, Qi

2018-04-13

Although texturing of the transparent electrode of thin-film solar cells has long been used to enhance light absorption via light trapping, such texturing has involved low aspect ratio features. With the recent development of nanotechnology, nanostructured substrates enable improved light trapping and enhanced optical absorption via resonances, a process known as photon management, in thin-film solar cells. Despite the progress made in the development of photon management in thin-film solar cells using nanostructures substrates, the structural integrity of the thin-film solar cells deposited onto such nanostructured substrates is rarely considered. Here, we report the observation of the reduction in themore » open circuit voltage of amorphous silicon solar cells deposited onto a nanostructured substrate with increasing areal number density of high aspect ratio structures. For a nanostructured substrate with the areal number density of such nanostructures increasing in correlation with the distance from one edge of the substrate, a correlation between the open circuit voltage reduction and the increase of the areal number density of high aspect ratio nanostructures of the front electrode of the small-size amorphous silicon solar cells deposited onto different regions of the substrate with graded nanostructure density indicates the effect of the surface morphology on the material quality, i.e., a trade-off between photon management efficacy and material quality. Lastly, this observed trade-off highlights the importance of optimizing the morphology of the nanostructured substrate to ensure conformal deposition of the thin-film solar cell.« less

Trade-off between Photon Management Efficacy and Material Quality in Thin-Film Solar Cells on Nanostructured Substrates of High Aspect Ratio Structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chin, Alan; Keshavarz, Majid; Wang, Qi

Although texturing of the transparent electrode of thin-film solar cells has long been used to enhance light absorption via light trapping, such texturing has involved low aspect ratio features. With the recent development of nanotechnology, nanostructured substrates enable improved light trapping and enhanced optical absorption via resonances, a process known as photon management, in thin-film solar cells. Despite the progress made in the development of photon management in thin-film solar cells using nanostructures substrates, the structural integrity of the thin-film solar cells deposited onto such nanostructured substrates is rarely considered. Here, we report the observation of the reduction in themore » open circuit voltage of amorphous silicon solar cells deposited onto a nanostructured substrate with increasing areal number density of high aspect ratio structures. For a nanostructured substrate with the areal number density of such nanostructures increasing in correlation with the distance from one edge of the substrate, a correlation between the open circuit voltage reduction and the increase of the areal number density of high aspect ratio nanostructures of the front electrode of the small-size amorphous silicon solar cells deposited onto different regions of the substrate with graded nanostructure density indicates the effect of the surface morphology on the material quality, i.e., a trade-off between photon management efficacy and material quality. Lastly, this observed trade-off highlights the importance of optimizing the morphology of the nanostructured substrate to ensure conformal deposition of the thin-film solar cell.« less

In vitro evaluation of different heat-treated radio frequency magnetron sputtered calcium phosphate coatings.

PubMed

Yonggang, Yan; Wolke, Joop G C; Yubao, Li; Jansen, John A

2007-06-01

Surface chemical compositions, such as calcium/phosphorus ratio and phase content, have a strong influence on the bioactivity and biocompatibility of calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings as applied on orthopedic and dental implants. Hydroxylapatite (HA) and dicalcium pyrophosphate (DCPP) coatings were prepared on titanium substrates by RF magnetron sputter deposition. The surfaces were left as-prepared (amorphous HA coating; A-HA, amorphous DCPP coating; A-DCPP) or heat treated with: infrared (IR) at 550 degrees C (I-HA) or at 650 degrees C (I-DCPP), and a water steam at 140 degrees C (S-HA and S-DCPP). The surface changes of these coatings were determined after incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF). Also, the growth of rat bone marrow cells (RBM) was studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both IR and water steam heat treatment changed the sputter-deposited coatings from the amorphous into the crystalline phase. As-prepared amorphous coatings dissolved partially in SBF within 4 weeks of incubation, while heat-treated coatings supported the deposition of a precipitate, i.e., carbonated apatite on both I-HA and S-HA specimens, and tricalciumphosphate on the I-DCPP and S-DCPP specimens. The Ca/P ratio of the A-HA, I-HA, S-HA, A-DCPP, I-DCPP and S-DCPP coatings changed, respectively, from 1.98 to 1.12, 2.01 to 1.76, 1.91 to 1.68, 0.76 to 1.23, 0.76 to 1.26 and 1.62 to 1.55 after 4 weeks of incubation in SBF. Finally, the RBM cells grew well on all heat-treated coatings, but showed different mineralization morphology during cell culturing. The different heat-treatment procedures for the sputtered HA and DCPP coatings influenced the surface characteristics of these coatings, whereby a combination of crystallinity and specific phase composition (Ca/P ratio) strongly affected their in vitro bioactivity.

HRTEM low dose: the unfold of the morphed graphene, from amorphous carbon to morphed graphenes.

PubMed

Calderon, H A; Okonkwo, A; Estrada-Guel, I; Hadjiev, V G; Alvarez-Ramírez, F; Robles Hernández, F C

We present experimental evidence under low-dose conditions transmission electron microscopy for the unfolding of the evolving changes in carbon soot during mechanical milling. The milled soot shows evolving changes as a function of the milling severity or time. Those changes are responsible for the transformation from amorphous carbon to graphenes, graphitic carbon, and highly ordered structures such as morphed graphenes, namely Rh6 and Rh6-II. The morphed graphenes are corrugated layers of carbon with cross-linked covalently nature and sp 2 - or sp 3 -type allotropes. Electron microscopy and numerical simulations are excellent complementary tools to identify those phases. Furthermore, the TEAM 05 microscope is an outstanding tool to resolve the microstructure and prevent any damage to the sample. Other characterization techniques such as XRD, Raman, and XPS fade to convey a true identification of those phases because the samples are usually blends or mixes of the mentioned phases.

Dangling bond energetics in carbon nitride and phosphorus carbide thin films with fullerene-like and amorphous structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gueorguiev, G. K.; Broitman, E.; Furlan, A.; Stafström, S.; Hultman, L.

2009-11-01

The energy cost for dangling bond formation in Fullerene-like Carbon Nitride (FL-CN x) and Phosphorus carbide (FL-CP x) as well as their amorphous counterparts: a-CN x, a-CP x, and a-C has been calculated within the framework of Density Functional Theory and compared with surface water adsorption measurements. The highest energy cost is found in the FL-CN x (about 1.37 eV) followed by FL-CP x compounds (0.62-1.04 eV).

Synthesis and structure of synthetically pure and deuterated amorphous (basic) calcium carbonates

DOE PAGES

Wang, Hsiu-Wen; Daemen, Luke L.; Cheshire, Michael C.; ...

2017-02-17

It is generally believed that H 2O and OH - are the key species stabilizing and controlling amorphous calcium carbonate “polyamorph” forms, and may in turn control the ultimate crystallization products during synthesis and in natural systems. Yet, the locations and hydrogen-bonding network of these species in ACC have never been measured directly using neutron diffraction. In this paper, we report a synthesis route that overcomes the existing challenges with respect to yield quantities and deuteration, both of which are critically necessary for high quality neutron studies.

Ionic Liquid Activation of Amorphous Metal-Oxide Semiconductors for Flexible Transparent Electronic Devices

DOE PAGES

Pudasaini, Pushpa Raj; Noh, Joo Hyon; Wong, Anthony T.; ...

2016-02-09

To begin this abstract, amorphous metal-oxide semiconductors offer the high carrier mobilities and excellent large-area uniformity required for high performance, transparent, flexible electronic devices; however, a critical bottleneck to their widespread implementation is the need to activate these materials at high temperatures which are not compatible with flexible polymer substrates. The highly controllable activation of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide semiconductor channels using ionic liquid gating at room temperature is reported. Activation is controlled by electric field-induced oxygen migration across the ionic liquid-semiconductor interface. In addition to activation of unannealed devices, it is shown that threshold voltages of a transistormore » can be linearly tuned between the enhancement and depletion modes. Finally, the first ever example of transparent flexible thin film metal oxide transistor on a polyamide substrate created using this simple technique is demonstrated. Finally, this study demonstrates the potential of field-induced activation as a promising alternative to traditional postdeposition thermal annealing which opens the door to wide scale implementation into flexible electronic applications.« less

Photocatalytic performance of highly amorphous titania-silica aerogels with mesopores: The adverse effect of the in situ adsorption of some organic substrates during photodegradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lázár, István; Kalmár, József; Peter, Anca; Szilágyi, Anett; Győri, Enikő; Ditrói, Tamás; Fábián, István

2015-11-01

Titania-silica composite aerogels with 16-29% Ti-content by the mass were synthesized by the sol-gel method from different Ti-precursors, and calcined at 500 °C. These aerogels are highly amorphous as no crystalline TiO2 phase can be detected in them by X-ray diffraction methods, and show the dominating presence of either mesopores or macropores. The incorporation of Ti into the silica structure is shown by the appearance of characteristic IR transitions of Sisbnd Osbnd Ti vibrations. The characteristic band-gap energies of the different aerogels are estimated to be between 3.6 and 3.9 eV from UV reflection spectra. Band-gap energy decreases with decreasing pore-size. When suspended in solution, even these highly amorphous aerogels accelerate the photodegradation of salicylic acid and methylene blue compared to simple photolysis. Kinetic experiments were conducted under illumination, and also in the dark to study the adsorption of the substrates onto the suspended aerogels. We assume that the fast in situ adsorption of the organic substrates mask the suspended aerogel particles from UV photons, which reduces the rate of photocatalysis. We managed to mathematically separate the parallel processes of photocatalysis and adsorption, and develop a simple kinetic model to describe the reaction system.

Amorphous oxides as electron transport layers in Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 superstrate devices: Amorphous oxides in Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 superstrate devices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heinemann, M. D.; van Hest, M. F. A. M.; Contreras, M.

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells in superstrate configuration promise improved light management and higher stability compared to substrate devices, but they have yet to deliver comparable power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Chemical reactions between the CIGS layer and the front contact were shown in the past to deteriorate the p-n junction in superstrate devices, which led to lower efficiencies compared to the substrate-type devices. This work aims to solve this problem by identifying a buffer layer between the CIGS layer and the front contact, acting as the electron transport layer, with an optimized electron affinity, doping density and chemical stability. Using combinatorialmore » material exploration we identified amorphous gallium oxide (a-GaOx) as a potentially suitable buffer layer material. The best results were obtained for a-GaOx with an electron affinity that was found to be comparable to that of CIGS. Based on the results of device simulations, it is assumed that detrimental interfacial acceptor states are present at the interface between CIGS and a-GaOx. However, these initial experiments indicate the potential of a-GaOx in this application, and how to reach performance parity with substrate devices, by further increase of its n-type doping density.« less

Heteroepitaxial growth of Ge films on (100) GaAs by pyrolysis of digermane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eres, Djula; Lowndes, Douglas H.; Tischler, J. Z.; Sharp, J. W.; Geohegan, D. B.; Pennycook, S. J.

1989-08-01

Pyrolysis of high-purity digermane (Ge2 H6 ) has been used to grow epitaxial Ge films of high crystalline quality on (100) GaAs substrates in a low-pressure environment. X-ray double-crystal diffractometry shows that fully commensurate, coherently strained epitaxial Ge films can be grown on (100) GaAs at digermane partial pressures of 0.05-40 mTorr for substrate temperatures of 380-600 °C. Amorphous films also were deposited. Information about the crystalline films surface morphology, growth mode, and microstructure was obtained from scanning electron microscopy, cross-section transmission electron microscopy, and in situ reflectivity measurements. The amorphous-to-crystalline transition temperature and the morphology of the crystalline films were both found to depend on deposition conditions (primarily the incidence rate of Ge-bearing species and the substrate temperature). Epitaxial growth rates using digermane were found to be about two orders of magnitude higher than rates using germane (GeH4 ) under similar experimental conditions.

Phototransformation-Induced Aggregation of Functionalized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: The Importance of Amorphous Carbon

EPA Science Inventory

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with proper functionalization are desirable for applications that require dispersion in aqueous and biological environments, and functionalized SWCNTs also serve as building blocks for conjugation with specific molecules in these applicatio...

Caracterisation des Ondes Radar de Surface par la Simulation Numerique et les Mesures GPR pour l'Auscultation en

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filali, Bilai

Graphene, as an advanced carbon nano-structure, has attracted a deluge of interest of scholars recently because of it's outstanding mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. There are several different ways to synthesis graphene in practical ways, such as Mechanical Exfoliation, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), and Anodic Arc discharge. In this thesis a method of graphene synthesis in plasma will be discussed, in which this synthesis method is supported by the erosion of the anode material. This graphene synthesis method is one of the most practical methods which can provide high production rate. High purity of graphene flakes have been synthesized with an anodic arc method under certain pressure (about 500 torr). Raman spectrometer, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) have been utilized for characterization of the synthesis products. Arc produced graphene and commercially available graphene was compared by those machine and the difference lies in the number of layers, the thicknesses of each layer and the shape of the structure itself. Temperature dependence of the synthesis procedure has been studied. It has been found that the graphene can be produced on a copper foil substrate under temperatures near the melting point of copper. However, with a decrease in substrate temperature yields a transformation of the synthesized graphene into amorphous carbon. Glow discharge was utilized to functionalize grapheme. SEM and EDS observation indicated increases of oxygen content in the graphene after its exposure to glow discharge.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wertsching, Alan Kevin; Trantor, Troy Joseph; Ebner, Matthias Anthony

A method and device for producing secure, high-density tritium bonded with carbon. A substrate comprising carbon is provided. A precursor is intercalated between carbon in the substrate. The precursor intercalated in the substrate is irradiated until at least a portion of the precursor, preferably a majority of the precursor, is transmutated into tritium and bonds with carbon of the substrate forming bonded tritium. The resulting bonded tritium, tritium bonded with carbon, produces electrons via beta decay. The substrate is preferably a substrate from the list of substrates consisting of highly-ordered pyrolytic graphite, carbon fibers, carbon nanotunes, buckministerfullerenes, and combinations thereof.more » The precursor is preferably boron-10, more preferably lithium-6. Preferably, thermal neutrons are used to irradiate the precursor. The resulting bonded tritium is preferably used to generate electricity either directly or indirectly.« less

Grain-size-dependent diamond-nondiamond composite films: characterization and field-emission properties.

PubMed

Pradhan, Debabrata; Lin, I Nan

2009-07-01

Diamond films with grain sizes in the range of 5-1000 nm and grain boundaries containing nondiamond carbon are deposited on a silicon substrate by varying the deposition parameters. The overall morphologies of the as-deposited diamond-nondiamond composite films are examined by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, which show a decrease in the surface roughness with a decrease in the diamond grain size. Although the Raman spectra show predominately nondiamond carbon features in the diamond films with smaller grain sizes, glancing-angle X-ray diffraction spectra show the absence of graphitic carbon features and the presence of very small amorphous carbon diffraction features. The CH4 percentage (%) in Ar and H2 plasma during deposition plays a crucial role in the formation of diamond films with different grain sizes and nondiamond carbon contents, which, in turn, determines the field-emission behavior of the corresponding diamond films. The smaller the grain size of the diamond, the lower is the turn-on field for electron emission. A lower turn-on field is obtained from the diamond films deposited with 2-5% CH4 than from the films deposited with either 1% or 7.5% CH4 in the Ar medium. A current density greater than 1 mA/cm2 (at 50 V/microm) is obtained from diamond films deposited with a higher percentage of CH4. A model is suggested for the field-emission mechanism from the diamond-nondiamond composite films with different diamond grain sizes and nondiamond contents.

Crystallization and growth of Ni-Si alloy thin films on inert and on silicon substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimberg, I.; Weiss, B. Z.

1995-04-01

The crystallization kinetics and thermal stability of NiSi2±0.2 alloy thin films coevaporated on two different substrates were studied. The substrates were: silicon single crystal [Si(100)] and thermally oxidized silicon single crystal. In situ resistance measurements, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy were used. The postdeposition microstructure consisted of a mixture of amorphous and crystalline phases. The amorphous phase, independent of the composition, crystallizes homogeneously to NiSi2 at temperatures lower than 200 °C. The activation energy, determined in the range of 1.4-2.54 eV, depends on the type of the substrate and on the composition of the alloyed films. The activation energy for the alloys deposited on the inert substrate was found to be lower than for the alloys deposited on silicon single crystal. The lowest activation energy was obtained for nonstoichiometric NiSi2.2, the highest for NiSi2—on both substrates. The crystallization mode depends on the structure of the as-deposited films, especially the density of the existing crystalline nuclei. Substantial differences were observed in the thermal stability of the NiSi2 compound on both substrates. With the alloy films deposited on the Si substrate, only the NiSi2 phase was identified after annealing to temperatures up to 800 °C. In the films deposited on the inert substrate, NiSi and NiSi2 phases were identified when the Ni content in the alloy exceeded 33 at. %. The effects of composition and the type of substrate on the crystallization kinetics and thermal stability are discussed.

Formation of amorphous materials

DOEpatents

Johnson, William L.; Schwarz, Ricardo B.

1986-01-01

Metastable amorphous or fine crystalline materials are formed by solid state reactions by diffusion of a metallic component into a solid compound or by diffusion of a gas into an intermetallic compound. The invention can be practiced on layers of metals deposited on an amorphous substrate or by intermixing powders with nucleating seed granules. All that is required is that the diffusion of the first component into the second component be much faster than the self-diffusion of the first component. The method is practiced at a temperature below the temperature at which the amorphous phase transforms into one or more crystalline phases and near or below the temperature at which the ratio of the rate of diffusion of the first component to the rate of self-diffusion is at least 10.sup.4. This anomalous diffusion criteria is found in many binary, tertiary and higher ordered systems of alloys and appears to be found in all alloy systems that form amorphous materials by rapid quenching. The method of the invention can totally convert much larger dimensional materials to amorphous materials in practical periods of several hours or less.

Stabilization of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles at the Surface of Carbon Nanomaterials Promoted by Microwave Heating.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui; Santangelo, Saveria; Fazio, Enza; Neri, Fortunato; D'Arienzo, Massimiliano; Morazzoni, Franca; Zhang, Yihe; Pinna, Nicola; Russo, Patrícia A

2015-10-12

TiO2 is frequently combined with carbon materials, such as reduced graphene oxide (RGO), to produce composites with improved properties, for example for photocatalytic applications. It is shown that heating conditions significantly affect the interface and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 @C, and that microwave irradiation can be advantageous for the synthesis of carbon-based materials. Composites of TiO2 with RGO or amorphous carbon were prepared from reaction of titanium isopropoxide with benzyl alcohol. During the synthesis of the TiO2 nanoparticles, the carbon is involved in reactions that lead to the covalent attachment of the oxide, the extent of which depends on the carbon characteristics, heating rate, and mechanism. TiO2 is more efficiently stabilized at the surface of RGO than amorphous carbon. Rapid heating of the reaction mixture results in a stronger coupling between the nanoparticles and carbon, more uniform coatings, and smaller particles with narrower size distributions. The more efficient attachment of the oxide leads to better photocatalytic performance. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Improvement in Microstructure Performance of the NiCrBSi Reinforced Coating on TA15 Titanium Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Li

2012-10-01

This work is based on the dry sliding wear of NiCrBSi reinforced coating deposited on TA15 titanium alloy using the laser cladding technique, the parameters of which were such as to provide almost crack-free coatings with minimum dilution and very low porosity. SEM results indicated that a laser clad coating with metallurgical joint to the substrate was formed. Compared with TA15 substrate, an improvement of the micro-hardness and wear resistance was observed for this composite coating. Rare earth oxide Y2O3 was beneficial in producing of the amorphous phases in laser clad coating. With addition of Y2O3, more amorphous alloys were produced, which increased the micro-hardness and wear resistance of the coating.

CFA Films in Amorphous Substrate: Structural Phase Induction and Magnetization Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correa, M. A.; Bohn, F.; Escobar, V. M.

We report a systematic study of the structural and quasi-static magnetic properties, as well as of the dynamic magnetic response through MI effect, in Co2FeAl and MgO//Co2FeAl single layers and a MgO//Co2FeAl/Ag/Co2FeAl trilayered film, all grown onto an amorphous substrate. We present a new route to induce the crystalline structure in the Co2FeAl alloy and verify that changes in the structural phase of this material leads to remarkable modifications of the magnetic anisotropy and, consequently, dynamic magnetic behavior. Considering the electrical and magnetic properties of the Co2FeAl, our results open new possibilities for technological applications of this full-Heusler alloy in rigid and flexible spintronic devices.

Annealing pressure induced ions transfer in Cobalt-Ferrite thin films on amorphous SiO2/Si substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shun-Yu; Chong, Cheong-Wei; Chen, Pin-Hui; Li, Hong-Lin; Li, Min-Kai; Huang, J. C. Andrew

2017-11-01

In this work, Cobalt-Ferrite (CFO) films were grown on silicon substrates with 300 nm amorphous silicon dioxide by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) with different annealing conditions. The results of structural analysis prove that the CFO films have high crystalline quality with (1 1 1) preferred orientation. The Raman spectra and X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) indicate that the Co ions can transfer from tetrahedral sites to octahedral sites with increasing the annealing pressure. The site exchange of Co and Fe ions leads to the change of saturation magnetization in the CFO films. Our experiments provide not only a way to control the magnetism of CFO films, but also a suitable magnetic layer to develop silicon and semiconductor based spintronic devices.

Microstructure, hardness and modulus of carbon-ion-irradiated new SiC fiber (601-4)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Qing; Lei, Guanhong; Liu, Renduo; Li, Jianjian; Yan, Long; Li, Cheng; Liu, Weihua; Wang, Mouhua

2018-05-01

Two types of SiC fibers, one is low-oxygen and carbon-rich fiber denoted by 601-4 and the other is low-oxygen and near-stoichiometric Tyranno SA, were irradiated with 450 keV C+ ions at room temperature. The Raman spectra indicate that irradiation induced distortion and amorphization of SiC crystallites in fibers. TEM characterization of Tyranno SA suggests that SiC crystallites undergo a continued fragmentation into smaller crystalline islands and a continued increase of surrounding amorphous structure. The SiC nano-crystallites (<15 nm) in 601-4 fiber are more likely to be amorphized than larger crystallites (∼200 nm) in Tyranno SA. The hardness and modulus of 601-4 continuously decreases with increasing fluence, while that of Tyranno SA first increases and then decreases.

Overview of the amorphous precursor phase strategy in biomineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiner, Steve; Mahamid, Julia; Politi, Yael; Ma, Yurong; Addadi, Lia

2009-06-01

It was assumed for a long time that organisms produce minerals directly from a saturated solution. A few exceptions were known, including the well documented mineralized teeth of the chiton. In 1997 it was demon-strated that sea urchin larvae form their calcitic spicules by first depositing a highly unstable mineral phase called amorphous calcium carbonate. This strategy has since been shown to be used by animals from other phyla and for both aragonite and calcite. Recent evidence shows that vertebrate bone mineral may also be formed via a precursor phase of amorphous calcium carbonate. This strategy thus appears to be widespread. The challenge now is to understand the mechanisms by which these unstable phases are initially formed, how they are temporarily stabilized and how they are destabilized and transform into a crystalline mature product.

Structural Integration of Silicon Solar Cells and Lithium-ion Batteries Using Printed Electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Jin Sung

Inkjet printing of electrode using copper nanoparticle ink is presented. Electrode was printed on a flexible glass epoxy composite substrate using drop on demand piezoelectric dispenser and was sintered at 200°C in N 2 gas condition. The printed electrodes were made with various widths and thicknesses. Surface morphology of electrode was analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Reliable dimensions for printed electronics were found from this study. Single-crystalline silicon solar cells were tested under four-point bending to find the feasibility of directly integrating them onto a carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminate. These solar cells were not able to withstand 0.2% strain. On the other hand, thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells were subjected to flexural fatigue loadings. The current density-voltage curves were analyzed at different cycles, and there was no noticeable degradation on its performance up to 100 cycles. A multifunctional composite laminate which can harvest and store solar energy was fabricated using printed electrodes. The integrated printed circuit board (PCB) was co-cured with a carbon/epoxy composite laminate by the vacuum bag molding process in an autoclave; an amorphous silicon solar cell and a thin-film solid state lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery were adhesively joined and electrically connected to a thin flexible PCB; and then the passive components such as resistors and diodes were electrically connected to the printed circuit board by silver pasting. Since a thin-film solid state Li-ion battery was not able to withstand tensile strain above 0.4%, thin Li-ion polymer batteries were tested under various mechanical loadings and environmental conditions to find the feasibility of using the polymer batteries for our multifunctional purpose. It was found that the Li-ion polymer batteries were stable under pressure and tensile loading without any noticeable degradation on its charge and discharge performances. Also, the active materials did not decompose at 80°C, and the battery was performing well under low temperature of -27°C. Lastly, the batteries were embedded inside a carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminate to characterize their performance under fatigue loading. Finally, an intense pulsed light (IPL) was used to sinter printed silver nanoink patterns. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to find grain size of printed silver nanoink patterns. From these analyses it was confirmed that IPL is able to adequately sinter silver nanoink patterns for printed electronics without degradation of the substrates in less than 30 ms.

Research on silicon-carbon alloys and interfaces. Final subcontract report, 15 February 1991--31 July 1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abelson, J.R.

1995-07-01

This report describes work performed to develop improved p-type wide-band-gap hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloy (a-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x:}H) thin films and interfaces for the ``top junction`` in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)-based p-i-n solar cells. We used direct current reactive magnetron sputtering to deposit undoped a-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x}H films with a Tauc band gap E{sub g} of 1.90 eV, a sub-band-gap absorption of 0.4 (at 1.2 eV), an Urbach energy of 55 MeV, an ambipolar diffusion length of 100 nm, an air-mass-one photoconductivity of 10{sup {minus}6}/{Omega}-cm, and a dark conductivity of 8{times} 1O{sup {minus}11}/{Omega}-cm. p{sup +}a-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x}:H films with a Taucmore » band gap of 1.85 eV have a dark conductivity of 8 {times} 10{sup {minus}6}/{Omega}-cm and thermal activation energy of 0.28 eV. We used in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry and post-growth X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine the relative roles of H and Si in the chemical reduction of SnO{sub 2} in the early stages of film growth. We used in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry to show that a-Si:H can be transformed into {mu}c-Si:H in a subsurface region under appropriate growth conditions. We also determined substrate cleaning and ion bombardment conditions which improve the adhesion of a-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x}:H films.« less

Flexible Electronics Powered by Mixed Metal Oxide Thin Film Transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marrs, Michael

A low temperature amorphous oxide thin film transistor (TFT) and amorphous silicon PIN diode backplane technology for large area flexible digital x-ray detectors has been developed to create 7.9-in. diagonal backplanes. The critical steps in the evolution of the backplane process include the qualification and optimization of the low temperature (200 °C) metal oxide TFT and a-Si PIN photodiode process, the stability of the devices under forward and reverse bias stress, the transfer of the process to flexible plastic substrates, and the fabrication and assembly of the flexible detectors. Mixed oxide semiconductor TFTs on flexible plastic substrates suffer from performance and stability issues related to the maximum processing temperature limitation of the polymer. A novel device architecture based upon a dual active layer improves both the performance and stability. Devices are directly fabricated below 200 ºC on a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrate using mixed metal oxides of either zinc indium oxide (ZIO) or indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) as the active semiconductor. The dual active layer architecture allows for adjustment to the saturation mobility and threshold voltage stability without the requirement of high temperature annealing, which is not compatible with flexible plastic substrates like PEN. The device performance and stability is strongly dependent upon the composition of the mixed metal oxide; this dependency provides a simple route to improving the threshold voltage stability and drive performance. By switching from a single to a dual active layer, the saturation mobility increases from 1.2 cm2/V-s to 18.0 cm2/V-s, while the rate of the threshold voltage shift decreases by an order of magnitude. This approach could assist in enabling the production of devices on flexible substrates using amorphous oxide semiconductors. Low temperature (200°C) processed amorphous silicon photodiodes were developed successfully by balancing the tradeoffs between low temperature and low stress (less than -70 MPa compressive) and device performance. Devices with a dark current of less than 1.0 pA/mm2 and a quantum efficiency of 68% have been demonstrated. Alternative processing techniques, such as pixelating the PIN diode and using organic photodiodes have also been explored for applications where extreme flexibility is desired.

Application of valence-to-core X-ray emission spectroscopy for identification and estimation of amount of carbon covalently bonded to chromium in amorphous Cr-C coatings prepared by magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safonov, V. A.; Habazaki, H.; Glatzel, P.; Fishgoit, L. A.; Drozhzhin, O. A.; Lafuerza, S.; Safonova, O. V.

2018-01-01

Cr-C coatings containing different amount of carbon ranging from ∼5 to 50 at.% were prepared by the direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering on a polished substrate of polycrystalline silicon. The thickness of the samples was about 400 nm. We characterized the composition and the structure of the as-received coatings and those annealed at 500 °C by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and valence-to-core X-ray emission spectroscopy (vtc-XES) methods As follows from XRD measurements, the samples with the carbon content above 35 at.% do not demonstrate any sign of the long-range order and annealing at 500 °C does not change their crystallinity. The vtc-XES curves of the as-prepared and annealed samples can be fitted as a superposition of corresponding spectra of chromium metal and chromium carbide (Cr3C2) phases. After the annealing, the content of carbides in the samples (and, correspondingly, the content of covalently bonded carbon) somewhat increases. This suggests that the as-received coatings contain a certain amount of carbon that is not covalently bonded to chromium (most likely, elemental carbon) and their annealing at 500 °C transforms this carbon into the additional (of the order of 2-5 at.%) amount of chromium carbide compounds. It deserves mentioning that for Cr-C coatings prepared by the electrochemical deposition from Cr(III) electrolytes containing organic compounds we have not observed changes in the vtc-X-ray emission spectra after similar annealing. This suggests that electrochemical deposition method in contrast to magnetron sputtering technique even at low temperatures favors the formation of only covalently bonded carbon.

Carbon-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 phase change material: A candidate for high-density phase change memory application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xilin; Wu, Liangcai; Song, Zhitang; Rao, Feng; Zhu, Min; Peng, Cheng; Yao, Dongning; Song, Sannian; Liu, Bo; Feng, Songlin

2012-10-01

Carbon-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 material is proposed for high-density phase-change memories. The carbon doping effects on electrical and structural properties of Ge2Sb2Te5 are studied by in situ resistance and x-ray diffraction measurements as well as optical spectroscopy. C atoms are found to significantly enhance the thermal stability of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 by increasing the degree of disorder of the amorphous phase. The reversible electrical switching capability of the phase-change memory cells is improved in terms of power consumption with carbon addition. The endurance of ˜2.1 × 104 cycles suggests that C-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 film will be a potential phase-change material for high-density storage application.

A study of selenium nanoparticles as charge storage element for flexible semi-transparent memory devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alotaibi, Sattam; Nama Manjunatha, Krishna; Paul, Shashi

2017-12-01

Flexible Semi-Transparent electronic memory would be useful in coming years for integrated flexible transparent electronic devices. However, attaining such flexibility and semi-transparency leads to the boundaries in material composition. Thus, impeding processing speed and device performance. In this work, we present the use of inorganic stable selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) as a storage element and hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) as an insulating layer in two terminal non-volatile physically flexible and semi-transparent capacitive memory devices (2T-NMDs). Furthermore, a-C:H films can be deposited at very low temperature (<40° C) on a variety of substrates (including many kinds of plastic substrates) by an industrial technique called Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) which is available in many existing fabrication labs. Self-assembled Se-NPs has several unique features including deposition at room temperature by simple vacuum thermal evaporation process without the need for further optimisation. This facilitates the fabrication of memory on a flexible substrate. Moreover, the memory behaviour of the Se-NPs was found to be more distinct than those of the semiconductor and metal nanostructures due to higher work function compared to the commonly used semiconductor and metal species. The memory behaviour was observed from the hysteresis of current-voltage (I-V) measurements while the two distinguishable electrical conductivity states (;0; and "1") were studied by current-time (I-t) measurements.

Amorphization and Directional Crystallization of Metals Confined in Carbon Nanotubes Investigated by in Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy.

PubMed

Tang, Dai-Ming; Ren, Cui-Lan; Lv, Ruitao; Yu, Wan-Jing; Hou, Peng-Xiang; Wang, Ming-Sheng; Wei, Xianlong; Xu, Zhi; Kawamoto, Naoyuki; Bando, Yoshio; Mitome, Masanori; Liu, Chang; Cheng, Hui-Ming; Golberg, Dmitri

2015-08-12

The hollow core of a carbon nanotube (CNT) provides a unique opportunity to explore the physics, chemistry, biology, and metallurgy of different materials confined in such nanospace. Here, we investigate the nonequilibrium metallurgical processes taking place inside CNTs by in situ transmission electron microscopy using CNTs as nanoscale resistively heated crucibles having encapsulated metal nanowires/crystals in their channels. Because of nanometer size of the system and intimate contact between the CNTs and confined metals, an efficient heat transfer and high cooling rates (∼10(13) K/s) were achieved as a result of a flash bias pulse followed by system natural quenching, leading to the formation of disordered amorphous-like structures in iron, cobalt, and gold. An intermediate state between crystalline and amorphous phases was discovered, revealing a memory effect of local short-to-medium range order during these phase transitions. Furthermore, subsequent directional crystallization of an amorphous iron nanowire formed by this method was realized under controlled Joule heating. High-density crystalline defects were generated during crystallization due to a confinement effect from the CNT and severe plastic deformation involved.

Mechanically Induced Graphite-Nanodiamonds-Phase Transformations During High-Energy Ball Milling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Eskandarany, M. Sherif

2017-05-01

Due to their unusual mechanical, chemical, physical, optical, and biological properties, nearly spherical-like nanodiamonds have received much attention as desirable advanced nanomaterials for use in a wide spectrum of applications. Although, nanodiamonds can be successfully synthesized by several approaches, applications of high temperature and/or high pressure may restrict the real applications of such strategic nanomaterials. Distinct from the current preparation approaches used for nanodiamonds preparation, here we show a new process for preparing ultrafine nanodiamonds (3-5 nm) embedded in a homogeneous amorphous-carbon matrix. Our process started from high-energy ball milling of commercial graphite powders at ambient temperature under normal atmospheric helium gas pressure. The results have demonstrated graphite-single wall carbon nanotubes-amorphous-carbon-nanodiamonds phase transformations carried out through three subsequent stages of ball milling. Based on XRD and RAMAN analyses, the percentage of nanodiamond phase + C60 (crystalline phase) produced by ball milling was approximately 81%, while the amorphous phase amount was 19%. The pressure generated on the powder together the with temperature increase upon the ball-powder-ball collision is responsible for the phase transformations occurring in graphite powders.

Cellular control over spicule formation in sea urchin embryos: A structural approach.

PubMed

Beniash, E; Addadi, L; Weiner, S

1999-03-01

The spicules of the sea urchin embryo form in intracellular membrane-delineated compartments. Each spicule is composed of a single crystal of calcite and amorphous calcium carbonate. The latter transforms with time into calcite by overgrowth of the preexisting crystal. Relationships between the membrane surrounding the spiculogenic compartment and the spicule mineral phase were studied in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) using freeze-fracture. In all the replicas observed the spicules were tightly surrounded by the membrane. Furthermore, a variety of structures that are related to the material exchange process across the membrane were observed. The spiculogenic cells were separated from other cell types of the embryo, frozen, and freeze-dried on the TEM grids. The contents of electron-dense granules in the spiculogenic cells were shown by electron diffraction to be composed of amorphous calcium carbonate. These observations are consistent with the notion that the amorphous calcium carbonate-containing granules contain the precursor mineral phase for spicule formation and that the membrane surrounding the forming spicule is involved both in transport of material and in controlling spicule mineralization. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Amorphous calcium carbonate particles form coral skeletons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-09-01

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

Amorphous calcium carbonate particles form coral skeletons.

PubMed

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

2017-09-12

Do corals form their skeletons by precipitation from solution or by attachment of amorphous precursor particles as observed in other minerals and biominerals? The classical model assumes precipitation in contrast with observed "vital effects," that is, deviations from elemental and isotopic compositions at thermodynamic equilibrium. Here, we show direct spectromicroscopy evidence in Stylophora pistillata corals that two amorphous precursors exist, one hydrated and one anhydrous amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC); that these are formed in the tissue as 400-nm particles; and that they attach to the surface of coral skeletons, remain amorphous for hours, and finally, crystallize into aragonite (CaCO 3 ). We show in both coral and synthetic aragonite spherulites that crystal growth by attachment of ACC particles is more than 100 times faster than ion-by-ion growth from solution. Fast growth provides a distinct physiological advantage to corals in the rigors of the reef, a crowded and fiercely competitive ecosystem. Corals are affected by warming-induced bleaching and postmortem dissolution, but the finding here that ACC particles are formed inside tissue may make coral skeleton formation less susceptible to ocean acidification than previously assumed. If this is how other corals form their skeletons, perhaps this is how a few corals survived past CO 2 increases, such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum that occurred 56 Mya.

Amorphous calcium carbonate particles form coral skeletons

PubMed Central

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

2017-01-01

Do corals form their skeletons by precipitation from solution or by attachment of amorphous precursor particles as observed in other minerals and biominerals? The classical model assumes precipitation in contrast with observed “vital effects,” that is, deviations from elemental and isotopic compositions at thermodynamic equilibrium. Here, we show direct spectromicroscopy evidence in Stylophora pistillata corals that two amorphous precursors exist, one hydrated and one anhydrous amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC); that these are formed in the tissue as 400-nm particles; and that they attach to the surface of coral skeletons, remain amorphous for hours, and finally, crystallize into aragonite (CaCO3). We show in both coral and synthetic aragonite spherulites that crystal growth by attachment of ACC particles is more than 100 times faster than ion-by-ion growth from solution. Fast growth provides a distinct physiological advantage to corals in the rigors of the reef, a crowded and fiercely competitive ecosystem. Corals are affected by warming-induced bleaching and postmortem dissolution, but the finding here that ACC particles are formed inside tissue may make coral skeleton formation less susceptible to ocean acidification than previously assumed. If this is how other corals form their skeletons, perhaps this is how a few corals survived past CO2 increases, such as the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum that occurred 56 Mya. PMID:28847944

Study of ultrasound-assisted radio-frequency plasma discharges in n-dodecane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camerotto, Elisabeth; De Schepper, Peter; Nikiforov, Anton Y.; Brems, Steven; Shamiryan, Denis; Boullart, Werner; Leys, Christophe; De Gendt, Stefan

2012-10-01

This paper investigates the generation of a stable plasma phase in a liquid hydrocarbon (n-dodecane) by means of ultrasound (US) and radio-frequency (RF) or electromagnetic radiation. It is demonstrated for the first time that ultrasonic aided RF plasma discharges can be generated in a liquid. Plasma discharges are obtained for different gas mixtures at a pressure of 12 kPa and at low ignition powers (100 W for RF and 2.4 W cm-2 for US). Direct carbon deposition from the liquid precursor on Cu, Ni, SiO2 and Si substrates has been obtained and no apparent compositional or structural difference among the substrate materials was observed. Characterization of the deposited solid phase revealed an amorphous structure. In addition, structural changes in the liquid precursor after plasma treatment have been analysed. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) allowed the estimation of several plasma characteristic temperatures. The plasma excitation temperature was estimated to be about 2.3-2.4 eV. The rotational and vibrational temperatures of the discharge in n-dodecane with Ar as a feed gas were 1400 K and 6500 K, respectively. In Ar/O2 plasma, an increased rotational (1630 K) and vibrational temperature (7200 K) were obtained.

Surface Design and Engineering Toward Wear-Resistant, Self-Lubricant Diamond Films and Coatings. Chapter 10

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa

1999-01-01

This chapter describes three studies on the surface design, surface engineering, and tribology of chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) diamond films and coatings toward wear-resistant, self-lubricating diamond films and coatings. Friction mechanisms and solid lubrication mechanisms of CVD diamond are stated. Effects of an amorphous hydrogenated carbon on CVD diamond, an amorphous, nondiamond carbon surface layer formed on CVD diamond by carbon and nitrogen ion implantation, and a materials combination of cubic boron nitride and CVD diamond on the adhesion, friction, and wear behaviors of CVD diamond in ultrahigh vacuum are described. How surface modification and the selected materials couple improved the tribological functionality of coatings, giving low coefficient of friction and good wear resistance, is explained.

Intrinsic stress evolution during amorphous oxide film growth on Al surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flötotto, D., E-mail: d.floetotto@is.mpg.de; Wang, Z. M.; Jeurgens, L. P. H.

2014-03-03

The intrinsic stress evolution during formation of ultrathin amorphous oxide films on Al(111) and Al(100) surfaces by thermal oxidation at room temperature was investigated in real-time by in-situ substrate curvature measurements and detailed atomic-scale microstructural analyses. During thickening of the oxide a considerable amount of growth stresses is generated in, remarkably even amorphous, ultrathin Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films. The surface orientation-dependent stress evolutions during O adsorption on the bare Al surfaces and during subsequent oxide-film growth can be interpreted as a result of (i) adsorption-induced surface stress changes and (ii) competing processes of free volume generation and structural relaxation, respectively.

Carbon nanotube substrates and catalyzed hot stamp for polishing and patterning the substrates

DOEpatents

Wang, Yuhuang [Evanston, IL; Hauge, Robert H [Houston, TX; Schmidt, Howard K [Houston, TX; Kim, Myung Jong [Houston, TX; Kittrell, W Carter [Houston, TX

2009-09-08

The present invention is generally directed to catalyzed hot stamp methods for polishing and/or patterning carbon nanotube-containing substrates. In some embodiments, the substrate, as a carbon nanotube fiber end, is brought into contact with a hot stamp (typically at 200-800.degree. C.), and is kept in contact with the hot stamp until the morphology/patterns on the hot stamp have been transferred to the substrate. In some embodiments, the hot stamp is made of material comprising one or more transition metals (Fe, Ni, Co, Pt, Ag, Au, etc.), which can catalyze the etching reaction of carbon with H.sub.2, CO.sub.2, H.sub.2O, and/or O.sub.2. Such methods can (1) polish the carbon nanotube-containing substrate with a microscopically smooth finish, and/or (2) transfer pre-defined patterns from the hot stamp to the substrate. Such polished or patterned carbon nanotube substrates can find application as carbon nanotube electrodes, field emitters, and field emitter arrays for displays and electron sources.

The nature and origin of interstellar diamond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, David F.; Freund, Friedemann; Shipp, Ruth; Krishnan, Kannan F. M.; Echer, Charles J.

1988-01-01

The C-delta component of the Allende meteorite is a microscopic diamond some of whose properties seem in conflict with those expected of diamond. High spatial resolution analytical data are presented here which may help explain such results. Surface and interfacial carbon atoms in the component, which may comprise as much as 25 percent of the total, impart an 'amorphous' character to some spectral data. These data support the proposed high-pressure conversion of amorphous carbon and graphite into diamonds due to grain-grain collisions in the ISM, although a low-pressure mechanism of formation cannot be ruled out.

Thermal degradation of hexachlorobenzene in the presence of calcium oxide at 340-400 °C.

PubMed

Yin, Keqing; Gao, Xingbao; Sun, Yifei; Zheng, Lei; Wang, Wei

2013-11-01

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in the milligram range was co-heated with calcium oxide (CaO) powder in sealed glass ampoules at 340-400 °C. The heated samples were characterized and analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, ion chromatography, and thermal/optical carbon analysis. The degradation products of HCB were studied at different temperatures and heated times. The amorphous carbon was firstly quantitatively evaluated and was thought to be important fate of the C element of HCB. The yield of amorphous carbon in products increased with heating time, for samples treated for 8h at 340, 380 °C and 400 °C, the value were 17.5%, 34.8% and 50.2%, respectively. After identification of the dechlorination products, the HCB degradation on CaO at 340-400 °C was supposed to through dechlorination/polymerization pathway, which is induced by electron transfer, generate chloride ions and form high-molecular weight intermediates with significant levels of both hydrogen and chlorine, and finally form amorphous carbon. Higher temperature was beneficial for the dechlorination/polymerization efficiency. The results are helpful for clarifying the reaction mechanism for thermal degradation of chlorinated aromatics in alkaline matrices. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrastable gold substrates: Properties of a support for high-resolution electron cryomicroscopy of biological specimens

PubMed Central

Russo, Christopher J.; Passmore, Lori A.

2016-01-01

Electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) allows structure determination of a wide range of biological molecules and specimens. All-gold supports improve cryo-EM images by reducing radiation-induced motion and image blurring. Here we compare the mechanical and electrical properties of all-gold supports to amorphous carbon foils. Gold supports are more conductive, and have suspended foils that are not compressed by differential contraction when cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures. These measurements show how the choice of support material and geometry can reduce specimen movement by more than an order of magnitude during low-dose imaging. We provide methods for fabrication of all-gold supports and preparation of vitrified specimens. We also analyse illumination geometry for optimal collection of high resolution, low-dose data. Together, the support structures and methods herein can improve the resolution and quality of images from any electron cryomicroscope. PMID:26592474

Pulsed energy synthesis and doping of silicon carbide

DOEpatents

Truher, J.B.; Kaschmitter, J.L.; Thompson, J.B.; Sigmon, T.W.

1995-06-20

A method for producing beta silicon carbide thin films by co-depositing thin films of amorphous silicon and carbon onto a substrate is disclosed, whereafter the films are irradiated by exposure to a pulsed energy source (e.g. excimer laser) to cause formation of the beta-SiC compound. Doped beta-SiC may be produced by introducing dopant gases during irradiation. Single layers up to a thickness of 0.5-1 micron have been produced, with thicker layers being produced by multiple processing steps. Since the electron transport properties of beta silicon carbide over a wide temperature range of 27--730 C is better than these properties of alpha silicon carbide, they have wide application, such as in high temperature semiconductors, including HETEROJUNCTION-junction bipolar transistors and power devices, as well as in high bandgap solar arrays, ultra-hard coatings, light emitting diodes, sensors, etc.

Pulsed energy synthesis and doping of silicon carbide

DOEpatents

Truher, Joel B.; Kaschmitter, James L.; Thompson, Jesse B.; Sigmon, Thomas W.

1995-01-01

A method for producing beta silicon carbide thin films by co-depositing thin films of amorphous silicon and carbon onto a substrate, whereafter the films are irradiated by exposure to a pulsed energy source (e.g. excimer laser) to cause formation of the beta-SiC compound. Doped beta-SiC may be produced by introducing dopant gases during irradiation. Single layers up to a thickness of 0.5-1 micron have been produced, with thicker layers being produced by multiple processing steps. Since the electron transport properties of beta silicon carbide over a wide temperature range of 27.degree.-730.degree. C. is better than these properties of alpha silicon carbide, they have wide application, such as in high temperature semiconductors, including hetero-junction bipolar transistors and power devices, as well as in high bandgap solar arrays, ultra-hard coatings, light emitting diodes, sensors, etc.

Silica substrate or portion formed from oxidation of monocrystalline silicon

DOEpatents

Matzke, Carolyn M.; Rieger, Dennis J.; Ellis, Robert V.

2003-07-15

A method is disclosed for forming an inclusion-free silica substrate using a monocrystalline silicon substrate as the starting material and oxidizing the silicon substrate to convert it entirely to silica. The oxidation process is performed from both major surfaces of the silicon substrate using a conventional high-pressure oxidation system. The resulting product is an amorphous silica substrate which is expected to have superior etching characteristics for microfabrication than conventional fused silica substrates. The present invention can also be used to convert only a portion of a monocrystalline silicon substrate to silica by masking the silicon substrate and locally thinning a portion the silicon substrate prior to converting the silicon portion entirely to silica. In this case, the silica formed by oxidizing the thinned portion of the silicon substrate can be used, for example, as a window to provide optical access through the silicon substrate.

High-Performance and Omnidirectional Thin-Film Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell Modules Achieved by 3D Geometry Design.

PubMed

Yu, Dongliang; Yin, Min; Lu, Linfeng; Zhang, Hanzhong; Chen, Xiaoyuan; Zhu, Xufei; Che, Jianfei; Li, Dongdong

2015-11-01

High-performance thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells are achieved by combining macroscale 3D tubular substrates and nanoscaled 3D cone-like antireflective films. The tubular geometry delivers a series of advantages for large-scale deployment of photovoltaics, such as omnidirectional performance, easier encapsulation, decreased wind resistance, and easy integration with a second device inside the glass tube. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Facile fabrication of CNTs@C@MoSe2@Se hybrids with amorphous structure for high performance anode in lithium-ion batteries.

PubMed

Jin, Rencheng; Cui, Yuming; Wang, Qingyao; Li, Guihua

2017-12-15

Amorphous MoSe 2 and Se anchored on amorphous carbon coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs@C@MoSe 2 @Se) have been synthesized by a facile solvothermal strategy. The one dimensional CNTs@C@MoSe 2 @Se can effectively buffer the volume variation, prohibit the aggregation and facilitate electron and ion transport throughout the electrode. Furthermore, the combination of MoSe 2 and Se also provides buffer spaces for the volumetric change during cycling. Thus, the obtained CNTs@C@MoSe 2 @Se hybrids display the enhanced cycle stability and excellent high rate capacity. The reversible capacity of 1010mAhg -1 can be achieved after 100 cycles at the current density of 0.1Ag -1 . Even after 500 cycles, a reversible capacity of 508mAhg -1 is still retained at 5Ag -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

FTIR spectroscopy of multiwalled carbon nanotubes: a simple approach to study the nitrogen doping.

PubMed

Misra, Abha; Tyagi, Pawan K; Rai, Padmnabh; Misra, D S

2007-06-01

The nitrogen doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were synthesized by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) technique. In this paper, we report the results of FTIR, Raman, and TGA studies to confirm the presence of N-doping inside carbon nanotubes. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies were carried out in the range 400-4000 cm(-1) to study the attachment of nitrogen impurities on carbon nanotubes. FTIR spectra of the virgin sample of MWNTs show dominant peaks which are corresponding to Si-O, C-N, N-CH3, CNT, C-O, and C-Hx, respectively. The Si-O peak has its origin in silicon substrate whereas the other peaks are due to the precursor gases present in the gas mixture. The peaks are sharp and highly intense showing the chemisorption nature of the dipole bond. The intensity of the peaks due to N-CH3, C-N, and C-H reduces after annealing. It is interesting to note that these peaks vanish on annealing at high temperature (900 degrees C). The presence of C-N peak may imply the doping of the MWNTs with N in substitution mode. The position of this intense peak is in agreement with the reported peak in carbon nitride samples prepared by plasma CVD process, since the Raman modes are also expected to be delocalized over both carbon and nitrogen sites it was found that the intensity ratio of the D and G peaks, I(D)/I(G), varies as a function of ammonia concentration. The TGA measurements, carried out under argon flow, show that the dominant weight loss of the sample occurs in the temperature range 400-600 degrees C corresponding to the removal of the impurities and amorphous carbon.

Long-term oxidization and phase transition of InN nanotextures

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The long-term (6 months) oxidization of hcp-InN (wurtzite, InN-w) nanostructures (crystalline/amorphous) synthesized on Si [100] substrates is analyzed. The densely packed layers of InN-w nanostructures (5-40 nm) are shown to be oxidized by atmospheric oxygen via the formation of an intermediate amorphous In-Ox-Ny (indium oxynitride) phase to a final bi-phase hcp-InN/bcc-In2O3 nanotexture. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and selected area electron diffraction are used to identify amorphous In-Ox-Ny oxynitride phase. When the oxidized area exceeds the critical size of 5 nm, the amorphous In-Ox-Ny phase eventually undergoes phase transition via a slow chemical reaction of atomic oxygen with the indium atoms, forming a single bcc In2O3 phase. PMID:21711908

Effect of nitrogen plasma afterglow on the surface charge effect resulted during XPS surface analysis of amorphous carbon nitride thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayed, Kamal

2018-06-01

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the micro structure and the surface charge effect resulted during XPS surface analysis of amorphous carbon nitride thin films prepared by laser ablation method. The study results show that the charge effect coefficient (E) is not just a correction factor. We found that the changes in this coefficient value due to incorporation of nitrogen atoms into the carbon network are related to the spatial configurations of the sp2 bonded carbon atoms, order degree and sp2 clusters size. In addition, results show that the curve E vs. C(sp3)-N is a characteristic curve of the micro structure. This means that using this curve makes it easy to sorting the samples according to the micro structure (hexagonal rings or chains).

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

PubMed

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

2006-02-14

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

Graphene nanocomposites for electrochemical cell electrodes

DOEpatents

Zhamu, Aruna; Jang, Bor Z.; Shi, Jinjun

2015-11-19

A composite composition for electrochemical cell electrode applications, the composition comprising multiple solid particles, wherein (a) a solid particle is composed of graphene platelets dispersed in or bonded by a first matrix or binder material, wherein the graphene platelets are not obtained from graphitization of the first binder or matrix material; (b) the graphene platelets have a length or width in the range of 10 nm to 10 .mu.m; (c) the multiple solid particles are bonded by a second binder material; and (d) the first or second binder material is selected from a polymer, polymeric carbon, amorphous carbon, metal, glass, ceramic, oxide, organic material, or a combination thereof. For a lithium ion battery anode application, the first binder or matrix material is preferably amorphous carbon or polymeric carbon. Such a composite composition provides a high anode capacity and good cycling response. For a supercapacitor electrode application, the solid particles preferably have meso-scale pores therein to accommodate electrolyte.

GaN-on-glass success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2011-12-01

The successful growth of GaN-based LEDs on amorphous glass avoids the size and cost limitations of a sapphire substrate, says Jun Hee Choi from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in South Korea.

Amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin film grown by pulse laser deposition technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mistry, Bhaumik V., E-mail: bhaumik-phy@yahoo.co.in; Joshi, U. S.

Highly electrically conducting and transparent in visible light IGZO thin film were grown on glass substrate at substrate temperature of 400 C by a pulse laser deposition techniques. Structural, surface, electrical, and optical properties of IGZO thin films were investigated at room temperature. Smooth surface morphology and amorphous nature of the film has been confirmed from the AFM and GIXRD analysis. A resistivity down to 7.7×10{sup −3} V cm was reproducibly obtained while maintaining optical transmission exceeding 70% at wavelengths from 340 to 780 nm. The carrier densities of the film was obtain to the value 1.9×10{sup 18} cm{sup 3},more » while the Hall mobility of the IGZO thin film was 16 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1}S{sup −1}.« less

Optoelectrical Properties of a Heterojunction with Amorphous InGaZnO Film on n-Silicon Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, D. L.; Ma, X. Z.; Li, L.; Xu, Z. K.

2017-10-01

An a-IGZO/ n-Si heterojunction device has been fabricated at room temperature by depositing amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) film on n-type silicon substrate by plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition and its optoelectrical properties studied in detail. The heterojunction showed distinct rectifying characteristic with rectification ratio of 1.93 × 103 at ±2 V bias and reverse leakage current density of 1.6 × 10-6 A cm-2 at -2 V bias. More interestingly, the heterojunction not only showed the characteristic of unbiased photoresponse, but could also detect either ultraviolet or ultraviolet-visible light by simply changing the polarity of the bias applied to the heterojunction. The variable photoresponse phenomenon and the charge transport mechanisms in the heterojunction are explained based on the energy band diagram of the heterojunction.

Direct observation of small cluster mobility and ripening

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinemann, K.; Poppa, H.

1976-01-01

Direct evidence is reported for the simultaneous occurrence of Ostwald ripening and short-distance cluster mobility during annealing of discontinuous metal films on clean amorphous substrates. The annealing characteristics of very thin particulate deposits of silver on amorphized clean surfaces of single-crystalline thin graphite substrates have been studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) under controlled environmental conditions in the temperature range from 25 to 450 C. It was possible to monitor all stages of the experiments by TEM observation of the same specimen area. Slow Ostwald ripening was found to occur over the entire temperature range, but the overriding surface transport mechanism was short-distance cluster mobility. This was concluded from in situ observations of individual particles during annealing and from measurements of cluster size distributions, cluster number densities, area coverages, and mean cluster diameters.

Digital image processing of nanometer-size metal particles on amorphous substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soria, F.; Artal, P.; Bescos, J.; Heinemann, K.

1989-01-01

The task of differentiating very small metal aggregates supported on amorphous films from the phase contrast image features inherently stemming from the support is extremely difficult in the nanometer particle size range. Digital image processing was employed to overcome some of the ambiguities in evaluating such micrographs. It was demonstrated that such processing allowed positive particle detection and a limited degree of statistical size analysis even for micrographs where by bare eye examination the distribution between particles and erroneous substrate features would seem highly ambiguous. The smallest size class detected for Pd/C samples peaks at 0.8 nm. This size class was found in various samples prepared under different evaporation conditions and it is concluded that these particles consist of 'a magic number' of 13 atoms and have cubooctahedral or icosahedral crystal structure.

Microstructural inhomogeneity in plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings and effect of post-heat treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yu-Peng; Xiao, Gui-Yong; Li, Shi-Tong; Sun, Rui-Xue; Li, Mu-Sen

2006-01-01

The microstructural inhomogeneity in the plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings was characterized by using electron probe microanalyser (EPMA). A simple and artful method was developed to detect the interface characteristics. All the samples for observation were ground and polished along the direction parallel to the coating surfaces. The BSE images directly and clearly showed the inhomogeneity in the as-sprayed coatings with the amorphous regions being bright gray and crystalline regions being dark gray. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) patterns indicated that after immersion in deionized water for 20 days, bone-like apatite and α-Ca 2P 2O 7 precipitated on the polished surfaces of the as-sprayed HA coatings. The post-heat treatment could eliminate the microstructural inhomogeneity in the coatings. Only β-Ca 2P 2O 7 precipitated on the surfaces of the heat-treated HA coatings. The immersed samples were re-polished till tiny substrate was bared to investigate the effect of immersion on interface. It was shown that the immersion decreased the cohesive strength of the as-sprayed coatings. There were more and broader cracks in the splats that came into contact with the substrate and amorphous phase increased toward the coating-substrate interface. Post-heat treatment was proved to reduce the peeling off of coating during re-polishing operation. It was proposed that the distributions of amorphous phase and cracks in as-sprayed coatings are detrimental to coating properties and should be modified through improving the plasma spraying processing.

1.55 Micrometer Sub-Micron Finger, Interdigitated MSM Photodetector Arrays with Low Dark Current

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-02

pf a- IGZO TFTs. IV. RF Characteristics of Room Temperature Deposited Indium Zinc Oxide Thin - Film Transistors Depletion-mode indium zinc...III. High Performance Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide Thin Film Transistors Fabricated On Polyethylene Terephthalate Substrates High-performance...amorphous (a-) InGaZnO-based thin film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates coated with indium

Hairy carbon electrodes studied by cyclic voltammetry and battery discharge testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, Deborah D. L.; Shui, Xiaoping; Frysz, Christine A.

1993-01-01

Hairy carbon is a new material developed by growing submicron carbon filaments on conventional carbon substrates. Typical substrate materials include carbon black, graphite powder, carbon fibers, and glassy carbon. A catalyst is used to initiate hair growth with carbonaceous gases serving as the carbon source. To study the electrochemical behavior of hairy carbons, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and discharge testing were conducted. In both cases, hairy carbon results surpassed those of the substrate material alone.

Amorphous silicon thin film transistor active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays fabricated on flexible substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols, Jonathan A.

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays are of immense interest because they have several advantages over liquid crystal displays, the current dominant flat panel display technology. OLED displays are emissive and therefore are brighter, have a larger viewing angle, and do not require backlights and filters, allowing thinner, lighter, and more power efficient displays. The goal of this work was to advance the state-of-the-art in active-matrix OLED display technology. First, hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film transistor (TFT) active-matrix OLED pixels and arrays were designed and fabricated on glass substrates. The devices operated at low voltages and demonstrated that lower performance TFTs could be utilized in active-matrix OLED displays, possibly allowing lower cost processing and the use of polymeric substrates. Attempts at designing more control into the display at the pixel level were also made. Bistable (one bit gray scale) active-matrix OLED pixels and arrays were designed and fabricated. Such pixels could be used in novel applications and eventually help reduce the bandwidth requirements in high-resolution and large-area displays. Finally, a-Si:H TFT active-matrix OLED pixels and arrays were fabricated on a polymeric substrate. Displays fabricated on a polymeric substrates would be lightweight; flexible, more rugged, and potentially less expensive to fabricate. Many of the difficulties associated with fabricating active-matrix backplanes on flexible substrates were studied and addressed.

Amorphization of itraconazole by inorganic pharmaceutical excipients: comparison of excipients and processing methods.

PubMed

Grobelny, Pawel; Kazakevich, Irina; Zhang, Dan; Bogner, Robin

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of solid carriers and processing routes on the properties of amorphous solid dispersions of itraconazole. Three solid carriers with a range of surface properties were studied, (1) a mesoporous silicate, magnesium aluminum silicate (Neusilin US2), (2) a nonporous silicate of corresponding composition (Veegum) and (3) a non-silicate, inorganic excipient, calcium phosphate dibasic anhydrous (A-TAB). The drug was incorporated via either solvent-deposition or ball milling. Both the maximum drug deposited by solvent-based method that produced an amorphous composite and the time for complete amorphization by co-milling was determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Changes in the drug and excipients were monitored by nitrogen adsorption and wettability of the powder. The ability of the excipients to amorphize the drug and enhance its dissolution was related to the powder characteristics. Neusilin provided the fastest amorphization time in the mill and highest drug loading by solvent-deposition, compared with the other two excipients. Solvent-deposition provided greater dissolution enhancement than milling, due to the reduction in Neusilin porosity during high energy milling.This study confirms that substrates as well as the processing routes have notable influence on the drug deposition, amorphization, physical stability and drug in vitro release.

Carbon Nanostructure of Kraft Lignin Thermally Treated at 500 to 1000 °C.

PubMed

Zhang, Xuefeng; Yan, Qiangu; Leng, Weiqi; Li, Jinghao; Zhang, Jilei; Cai, Zhiyong; Hassan, El Barbary

2017-08-21

Kraft lignin (KL) was thermally treated at 500 to 1000 °C in an inert atmosphere. Carbon nanostructure parameters of thermally treated KL in terms of amorphous carbon fraction, aromaticity, and carbon nanocrystallites lateral size ( L a ), thickness ( L c ), and interlayer space ( d 002 ) were analyzed quantitatively using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Experimental results indicated that increasing temperature reduced amorphous carbon but increased aromaticity in thermally treated KL materials. The L c value of thermally treated KL materials averaged 0.85 nm and did not change with temperature. The d 002 value decreased from 3.56 Å at 500 °C to 3.49 Å at 1000 °C. The L a value increased from 0.7 to 1.4 nm as temperature increased from 500 to 1000 °C. A nanostructure model was proposed to describe thermally treated KL under 1000 °C. The thermal stability of heat treated KL increased with temperature rising from 500 to 800 °C.