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A Cellulose Liquid Crystal Motor: A Steam Engine Of The Second Kind, Yong Geng, Pedro Lucio Almeida, Cheng Cheng, Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Maria Helena Godinho, Susete Nogueira Fernandes Oct 2013

A Cellulose Liquid Crystal Motor: A Steam Engine Of The Second Kind, Yong Geng, Pedro Lucio Almeida, Cheng Cheng, Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Maria Helena Godinho, Susete Nogueira Fernandes

Peter Palffy-Muhoray

The salient feature of liquid crystal elastomers and networks is strong coupling between orientational order and mechanical strain. Orientational order can be changed by a wide variety of stimuli, including the presence of moisture. Changes in the orientation of constituents give rise to stresses and strains, which result in changes in sample shape. We have utilized this effect to build soft cellulose-based motor driven by humidity. The motor consists of a circular loop of cellulose film, which passes over two wheels. When humid air is present near one of the wheels on one side of the film, with drier air …


Inhomogeneities In Yba 2cu 3o 7 Thin Films With Reduced Thickness, O V. Shcherbakova, A V. Pan, S K. Gorman, S A. Fedoseev, I A. Golovchanskiy, S. X. Dou Jun 2013

Inhomogeneities In Yba 2cu 3o 7 Thin Films With Reduced Thickness, O V. Shcherbakova, A V. Pan, S K. Gorman, S A. Fedoseev, I A. Golovchanskiy, S. X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Morphology and physical properties of mono- (YBa2Cu3O7) and multilayered (YBa2Cu3O7/SmBa2Cu3O7/ YBa2Cu3O7) superconducting thin films with thickness ranging from 90 nm to 28 nm have been investigated. For both types of samples, the superconducting properties degraded with reduction of film thickness. Structural and electromagnetic properties were visualized through scanning electron microscopy and magneto-optical imaging, respectively, and revealed high level of inhomogeneity for thinner (<58 >nm) samples. However, samples with thickness above 58 nm showed enhanced homogeneity, which …


La And Nb Codoped Bifeo3 Multiferroic Thin Films On Lanio3/Si And Iro2/Si Substrates, Zhenxiang Cheng, Xiaolin Wang, Hideo Kimura, Kiyoshi Ozawa, S X. Dou Jun 2013

La And Nb Codoped Bifeo3 Multiferroic Thin Films On Lanio3/Si And Iro2/Si Substrates, Zhenxiang Cheng, Xiaolin Wang, Hideo Kimura, Kiyoshi Ozawa, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Nb and La codoped BiFeO3 thin films were fabricated on oxide bottom electrodes, LaNiO3/Si and IrO2/Si, by pulsed laser deposition method. The doped BiFeO3 thin film capacitor on LaNiO3showed a remnant polarization of more than 75 µC/cm2 in a saturated hysteresis loop. The same La and Nb codoped BiFeO3 thin film capacitors on IrO2 showed a larger remnant polarization, while with a significant contribution from the leakage current. Furthermore, the doped BiFeO3 capacitor on the LaNiO3 bottom electrode showed worse fatigue resistance than the film on IrO2. All the doped BiFeO3 thin films showed weak ferromagnetism at room temperature.


Improved Ferroelectric Properties In Multiferroic Bifeo3 Thin Films Through La And Nb Codoping, Zhenxiang Cheng, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou, Hideo Kimura, Kiyoshi Ozawa Jun 2013

Improved Ferroelectric Properties In Multiferroic Bifeo3 Thin Films Through La And Nb Codoping, Zhenxiang Cheng, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou, Hideo Kimura, Kiyoshi Ozawa

Shi Xue Dou

We report the significant improvement of the ferroelectric properties of BiFeO3thin film through control of electrical leakage by Nb doping. A very large remanent electrical polarization value of 80 µC/cm2 was observed in Bi0.8La0.2Nb0.01Fe0.99O3 thin film on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate. The doping effect of Nb in reducing the movable charge density due to oxygen vacancies in BiFeO3 was confirmed by the dielectric measurements. A very small loss was observed in the Nb and La codoped BiFeO3 thin film. As well as the improvement in the ferroelectric properties, the magnetic moment was also enhanced due to the doping of La.


Kinetic Roughening Of Magnetic Flux Penetration In Mgb2 Thin Films, Andrea Lucarelli, Stephanie Hummert, Andrea Chaney, Gunter Lupke, Brian Moeckly, Yue Zhao, S X. Dou Jun 2013

Kinetic Roughening Of Magnetic Flux Penetration In Mgb2 Thin Films, Andrea Lucarelli, Stephanie Hummert, Andrea Chaney, Gunter Lupke, Brian Moeckly, Yue Zhao, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Time-resolved magneto-optical studies are performed on MgB2 thin film samples grown by in situ pulsed laser deposition and in situ reactive deposition technique. The latter reveal dendritic avalanche-free flux penetration. The kinetic roughening of magnetic flux penetration is studied for applied ac current. Dynamic scaling laws determined for both static field and ac current are consistent with the directed percolation depinning model, placing the vortex dynamics in MgB2 in the same universality class as YBCO and Nb.


Synthesis Of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (Poss) Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes For Improved Dispersion In Polyurethane Films, Xiaonan Kou May 2013

Synthesis Of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (Poss) Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes For Improved Dispersion In Polyurethane Films, Xiaonan Kou

Dissertations

Carbon nanotube (CNT) polymer nanocomposites are promising advanced materials. These materials exhibit the advantages of traditional polymeric materials, such as being light weight and easy to process, combined with the potential to exhibit enhanced mechanical, thermal and electrical properties compared to pure polymers. To achieve substantial improvement of composite properties at low CNT loading, uniform dispersion of CNTs in the polymer matrix and strong CNT-polymer interfacial interaction are needed. However, it is difficult to achieve adequate dispersion and interfacial interactions due to the inert nature of CNTs. In this project, polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane (POSS) will be used as a dispersing …


The Role Of Unbound Oligomers In The Nucleation And Growth Of Electrodeposited Polypyrrole And Method For Preparing High Strength, High Conductivity Films, Wen Zheng, Joselito M. Razal, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Van-Tan Truong, Philip G. Whitten, Gordon G. Wallace Mar 2013

The Role Of Unbound Oligomers In The Nucleation And Growth Of Electrodeposited Polypyrrole And Method For Preparing High Strength, High Conductivity Films, Wen Zheng, Joselito M. Razal, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Van-Tan Truong, Philip G. Whitten, Gordon G. Wallace

Gordon Wallace

Polypyrrole is a material with immensely useful properties suitable for a wide range of electrochemical applications, but its development has been hindered by cumbersome manufacturing processes. Here we show that a simple modification to the standard electrochemical polymerization method produces polypyrrole films of equivalently high conductivity and superior mechanical properties in one-tenth of the polymerization time. Preparing the film as a series of electrodeposited layers with thorough solvent washing between layering was found to produce excellent quality films even when layer deposition was accelerated by high current. The washing step between the sequentially polymerized layers altered the deposition mechanism, eliminating …


Nanosecond Voltage Pulses From Dendritic Flux Avalanches In Superconducting Nbn Films, P Mikheenko, A J. Qviller, J I. Vestgarden, S Chaudhuri, I J. Maasilta, Y M. Galperin, Tom H. Johansen Jan 2013

Nanosecond Voltage Pulses From Dendritic Flux Avalanches In Superconducting Nbn Films, P Mikheenko, A J. Qviller, J I. Vestgarden, S Chaudhuri, I J. Maasilta, Y M. Galperin, Tom H. Johansen

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Combined voltage and magneto-optical study of magnetic flux flow in superconducting NbN films is reported. The nanosecond-scale voltage pulses appearing during thermomagnetic avalanches have been recorded in films partially coated by a metal layer. Simultaneous magneto-optical imaging and voltage measurements allowed the pulses to be associated with individual flux branches penetrating the superconductor below the metal coating. From detailed characteristics of pulse and flux branches, the electrical field in the superconductor is found to be in the range of 5-50 kV/m, while the propagation speed of the avalanche during its final stage is found to be close to 5 km/s.


Enhanced Pinning In Superconducting Thin Films With Graded Pinning Landscapes, M Motta, F Colauto, W A. Ortiz, J Fritzsche, J Cuppens, W Gillijns, V V. Moshchalkov, T H. Johansen, A W Sanchez, A Silhanek Jan 2013

Enhanced Pinning In Superconducting Thin Films With Graded Pinning Landscapes, M Motta, F Colauto, W A. Ortiz, J Fritzsche, J Cuppens, W Gillijns, V V. Moshchalkov, T H. Johansen, A W Sanchez, A Silhanek

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

A graded distribution of antidots in superconducting a-Mo 79Ge21 thin films has been investigated by magnetization and magneto-optical imaging measurements. The pinning landscape has maximum density at the sample border, decreasing linearly towards the center. Its overall performance is noticeably superior than that for a sample with uniformly distributed antidots: For high temperatures and low fields, the critical current is enhanced, whereas the region of thermomagnetic instabilities in the field-temperature diagram is significantly suppressed. These findings confirm the relevance of graded landscapes on the enhancement of pinning efficiency, as recently predicted by Misko and Nori [Phys. Rev. B 85, 184506 …


Anisotropy Of Crystal Growth Mechanisms, Dielectricity, And Magnetism Of Multiferroic Bi2femno6 Thin Films, P Liu, Z X. Cheng, Y Du, L Y. Feng, H Fang, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou Jan 2013

Anisotropy Of Crystal Growth Mechanisms, Dielectricity, And Magnetism Of Multiferroic Bi2femno6 Thin Films, P Liu, Z X. Cheng, Y Du, L Y. Feng, H Fang, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Epitaxial Bi2FeMnO6 (BFMO) thin films deposited on various Nb:SrTiO3 substrates show that the lattice parameters are very sensitive to epitaxial strains. Compressive and tensile strains are induced to the in-plane lattice constants of the (100) and (111) oriented films, respectively, while that of the (110) oriented thin film stay unstrained. The thin films also exhibit a strongly anisotropic growth habit depending on the substrate. Spiral growth, such as in the (100) BFMO film, is unique in samples prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Extrinsic dielectric constants at low frequencies are attributed to oxygen vacancies via the Maxwell-Wagner effect. All the samples …


Thermoelectric Properties Of Ca3co4o9 And Ca2.8bi0.2co4o9 Thin Films In Their Island Formation Mode, Priyanka Jood, Germanas Peleckis, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou Jan 2013

Thermoelectric Properties Of Ca3co4o9 And Ca2.8bi0.2co4o9 Thin Films In Their Island Formation Mode, Priyanka Jood, Germanas Peleckis, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Ca3Co4O9 and Ca2.8Bi 0.2Co4O9 thin films were fabricated on LaAlO3 (LAO) substrate using pulsed laser deposition technique and were studied for their thermoelectric (TE) properties in Stranski-Krastanov mode for the first time. The thin films consisted of 3D clusters/islands on a 14-nm thick 2D layer with cluster density being higher for Ca 2.8Bi0.2Co4O9 thin films. The clusters also represent areas of dislocation and therefore act as carrier scattering centers, which leads to a temperature-activated type conductivity. Seebeck coefficient as high as 136 and 163 u V/K was measured for the Ca 3Co4O9 and Ca2.8Bi 0.2Co4O9 thin films, respectively, which is …


Facile Synthesis Of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Mwnts Nanocomposite Supercapacitor Materials Tested As Electrophoretically Deposited Films On Glassy Carbon Electrodes, Widsanusan Chartarrayawadee, Simon E. Moulton, Chee O. Too, Byung C. Kim, Rao Yepuri, Anthony C. Romeo, Gordon G. Wallace Jan 2013

Facile Synthesis Of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Mwnts Nanocomposite Supercapacitor Materials Tested As Electrophoretically Deposited Films On Glassy Carbon Electrodes, Widsanusan Chartarrayawadee, Simon E. Moulton, Chee O. Too, Byung C. Kim, Rao Yepuri, Anthony C. Romeo, Gordon G. Wallace

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

This paper reports on a facile synthesis method for reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) nanocomposites. The initial step involves the use of graphene oxide to disperse the MWNTs, with subsequent reduction of the resultant graphene oxide/MWNTs composites using l-ascorbic acid (LAA) as a mild reductant. Reduction by LAA preserves the interaction between the rGO sheets and MWNTs. The dispersion-containing rGO/MWNTs composites was characterized and electrophoretically deposited anodically onto glassy carbon electrodes to form high surface area films for capacitance testing. Pseudo capacitance peaks were observed in the rGO/MWNTs composite electrodes, resulting in superior performance with capacitance values up …


Nonlocal Electrodynamics Of Normal And Superconducting Films, J I. Vestgarden, P Mikheenko, Y M. Galperin, T H Johansen Jan 2013

Nonlocal Electrodynamics Of Normal And Superconducting Films, J I. Vestgarden, P Mikheenko, Y M. Galperin, T H Johansen

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Electrically conducting films in a time-varying transverse applied magnetic field are considered. Their behavior is strongly influenced by the self-field of the induced currents, making the electrodynamics nonlocal, and consequently difficult to analyze both numerically and analytically. We present a formalism which allows many phenomena related to superconducting and Ohmic films to be modeled and analyzed. The formalism is based on the Maxwell equations and a material current-voltage characteristics, linear for normal metals and nonlinear for superconductors, plus a careful account of the boundary conditions. For Ohmic films, we consider the response to a delta function source-field turned on instantly. …


Flexible Cellulose Based Polypyrrole-Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Films For Bio-Compatible Zinc Batteries Activated By Simulated Body Fluids, Sha Li, Zai Ping Guo, Cai Yun Wang, Gordon G. Wallace, Hua-Kun Liu Jan 2013

Flexible Cellulose Based Polypyrrole-Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Films For Bio-Compatible Zinc Batteries Activated By Simulated Body Fluids, Sha Li, Zai Ping Guo, Cai Yun Wang, Gordon G. Wallace, Hua-Kun Liu

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

This work aims to develop biocompatible non-toxic materials for implantable bio-electronic cells. Polypyrrole (PPy)–carbon nanotube (CNT) composites with varied ratios of PPy to CNTs were chemically synthesized and used as cathodes with the support of cellulose paper. Zinc foil was used as the anode material due to its non-toxicity and moderate dissolution rate in aqueous solutions. Simulated body fluids (SBFs) with various protein concentrations were applied as electrolytes in this battery system. The PPy–CNT|Zn cell is capable of being discharged up to 24.5 hours at a current density of 60 μA cm−2 in a protein free SBF. The batteries …


Thermo-Magnetic Stability Of Superconducting Films Controlled By Nano-Morphology, V V. Yurchenko, K Ilin, J M. Meckbach, M Siegel, A J. Qviller, Y M. Galperin, Tom H. Johansen Jan 2013

Thermo-Magnetic Stability Of Superconducting Films Controlled By Nano-Morphology, V V. Yurchenko, K Ilin, J M. Meckbach, M Siegel, A J. Qviller, Y M. Galperin, Tom H. Johansen

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Appearance of dendritic magnetic flux avalanches in superconducting films, which are associated with thermo-magnetic instability (TMI), very often indicates serious limitations for the ultimate performance of superconducting devices made of type-II superconducting thin films. We demonstrate that the stability can be controlled by a thorough adjustment of samples morphology at nano-scale, which affects internal material parameters. By this, the metal coating, commonly used as for stabilization, becomes redundant. Most importantly, we directly show by the mean of magneto-optical imaging that introduction of nano-scaled disorder dramatically changes the mode of magnetic flux propagation in the superconductors, from uniform motion of individual …


Limiting Thermomagnetic Avalanches In Superconducting Films By Stop-Holes, F Colauto, J I. Vestgarden, A M H De Andrade, A A M Oliveira, Wilson Aires Ortiz, Tom H. Johansen Jan 2013

Limiting Thermomagnetic Avalanches In Superconducting Films By Stop-Holes, F Colauto, J I. Vestgarden, A M H De Andrade, A A M Oliveira, Wilson Aires Ortiz, Tom H. Johansen

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

It is demonstrated that circular holes in superconducting films of Nb can arrest the propagation of thermomagnetic avalanches. The effect was found over a range of temperatures where the material is susceptible to this instability. For other hole shapes, like square and triangular, the sharp corners provoke secondary avalanches, thus extending the breakdown. Making use of circular stop-holes can become a practical way to limit thermomagnetic breakdown in superconducting films.


Modulation Of The Properties Of Thin Ferromagnetic Films With An Externally Applied Electric Field In Ferromagnetic/Piezoelectric/Ferromagnetic Hybrids, D Stamopoulos, M Zeibekis, Shujun Zhang Jan 2013

Modulation Of The Properties Of Thin Ferromagnetic Films With An Externally Applied Electric Field In Ferromagnetic/Piezoelectric/Ferromagnetic Hybrids, D Stamopoulos, M Zeibekis, Shujun Zhang

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

In many cases, technological advances are based on artificial low-dimensional structures of heterogeneous constituents, thus called hybrids, that when come together they provide stand-alone entities that exhibit entirely different properties. Such hybrids are nowadays intensively studied since they are attractive for both basic research and oncoming practical applications. Here, we studied hybrids constituted of piezoelectric (PE) and ferromagnetic (FM) components in the form FM/PE/FM, ultimately aiming to provide means for the controlled modulation of the properties of the FM electrodes, originating from the strain imposed to them by the PE mediator when an electric field is applied. The PE component …


Crystallization, Phase Evolution And Ferroelectric Properties Of Sol-Gel-Synthesized Ba(Ti0.8zr0.2)O3- X(Ba0.7ca0.3)Tio3 Thin Films, Zeng-Mei Wang, Kuan Zhao, Xin-Li Guo, Wei Sun, Hua-Long Jiang, Xue-Qin Han, Xu-Tang Tao, Zhen-Xiang Cheng, Hong-Yang Zhao, Hideo Kimura, Guo-Liang Yuan, Jiang Yin, Zhi-Guo Liu Jan 2013

Crystallization, Phase Evolution And Ferroelectric Properties Of Sol-Gel-Synthesized Ba(Ti0.8zr0.2)O3- X(Ba0.7ca0.3)Tio3 Thin Films, Zeng-Mei Wang, Kuan Zhao, Xin-Li Guo, Wei Sun, Hua-Long Jiang, Xue-Qin Han, Xu-Tang Tao, Zhen-Xiang Cheng, Hong-Yang Zhao, Hideo Kimura, Guo-Liang Yuan, Jiang Yin, Zhi-Guo Liu

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

A lead-free piezoelectric material with ultra-high properties, Ba(Ti0.8Zr0.2)O3-x(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3(BZT-xBCT) nanocrystals was synthesized via a sol-gel method, and the corresponding thin films were also deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by a spin-coating approach. The BZT-xBCT thin film exhibited a high remnant polarization of 22.15 mC cm2 with a large coercive field of 68.06 kV cm1. The resultant gel is calcined at various elevated temperatures and studied with FTIR/XRD/Raman/DSC-TGA/AFM/SEM techniques for gel composition, crystallization, phase transition, thermochemistry and the morphology of the film. Although the room temperature crystal structure of the BZT-xBCT nanocrystals appears to be a standard perovskite structure by conventional X-ray diffraction …