Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Nanometric Structure-Property Relationship In Hafnium Oxide Thin Films Made By Sputter-Deposition, Mirella Vargas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hafnium oxide (HfO2) is technologically an important material, which exhibits a unique set of properties such as a high dielectric constant (k~25) and wide band gap (~5.7 eV) which make this material attractive in the fields of microelectronics and optoelectronics. HfO2 has become the leading candidate to replace SiO2 dielectrics in gate oxides due to a higher permittivity and reportedly lower electron tunneling effects. HfO2 exhibits various polymorphs; the thermodynamic stability and phase existence depends on the temperature and pressure conditions. In addition, the controlled growth and manipulation of specific HfO2 crystal structures at the nanoscale dimensions is the driving …

Growth And Analysis Of Micro And Nano Cdte Arrays For Solar Cell Applications, Brandon Adrian Aguirre

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

CdTe is an excellent material for infrared detectors and photovoltaic applications. The efficiency of CdTe/CdS solar cells has increased very rapidly in the last 3 years to ~20% but is still below the maximum theoretical value of 30%. Although the short-circuit current density is close to its maximum of 30 mA/cm2, the open circuit voltage has potential to be increased further to over 1 Volt. The main limitation that prevents further increase in the open-circuit voltage and therefore efficiency is the high defect density in the CdTe absorber layer. Reducing the defect density will increase the open-circuit voltage above 1 …

Combustion Synthesis Of Molybdenum Silicides And Borosilicides For Ultrahigh-Temperature Structural Applications, Mohammad Shafiul Alam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Molybdenum silicides and borosilicides are promising structural materials for gas-turbine power plants. A major challenge, however, is to simultaneously achieve high oxidation resistance and acceptable mechanical properties at high temperatures. For example, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi₂) has excellent oxidation resistance and poor mechanical properties, while Mo-rich silicides such as Mo₅Si₃ (called T₁) have much better mechanical properties but poor oxidation resistance. One approach is based on the fabrication of MoSi₂−T₁ composites that combine high oxidation resistance of MoSi₂ and good mechanical properties of T₁. Another approach involves the …

Less Is More: Long-Term In Vitro Exposure To Low Levels Of Silver Nanoparticles Provides New Insights For Nanomaterial Evaluation, Kristen K. Comfort, Laura K. Braydich-Stolle, Elizabeth I. Maurer, Saber M. Hussain

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In view of the vast number of new nanomaterials (NMs) that require testing and the constraints associated with animal models, the majority of studies to elucidate nanotoxicological effects have occurred in vitro, with limited correlation and applicability to in vivo systems and realistic, occupational exposure scenarios.

In this study, we developed and implemented a chronic in vitromodel coupled with lower, regulatory dosages in order to provide a more realistic assessment of NM-dependent consequences and illuminate the implications of long-term NM exposure. When keratinocytes were exposed to 50 nm silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), we determined that chronically dosed cells operated …

Polarization Of Bi2te3 Thin Film In A Floating-Gate Capacitor Structure, Hui Yuan, Kai Zhang, Haitao Li, Hao Zhu, John E. Bonevich, Helmut Baumgart, Curt A. Richter, Qiliang Li

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with Bi₂Te₃ thin film sandwiched and embedded inside the oxide layer have been fabricated and studied. The capacitors exhibit ferroelectric-like hysteresis which is a result of the robust, reversible polarization of the Bi₂Te₃ thin film while the gate voltage sweeps. The temperature-dependent capacitance measurement indicates that the activation energy is about 0.33 eV for separating the electron and hole pairs in the bulk of Bi₂Te₃, and driving them to either the top or bottom surface of the thin film. Because of the fast polarization speed, potentially excellent …

Stm Study Of Pulsed Laser Assisted Growth Of Ge Quantum Dot On Si(1 0 0)-(2 × 1), Ali Orguz Er, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Ge quantum dot formation on Si(1 0 0)-(2 × 1) by nanosecond pulsed laser deposition under laser excitation was investigated. Scanning tunneling microscopy was used to probe the growth mode and morphology. Excitation was performed during deposition using laser energy density of 25-100 mJ/cm ². Faceted islands were achieved at a substrate temperature of ∼250 °C only when using laser excitation. The island morphology changes with increased laser excitation energy density although the faceting of the individual islands remains the same. The size of the major length of islands increases with the excitation laser energy density. A purely electronic …

Physical Analysis Of Vo2 Films Grown By Atomic Layer Deposition And Rf Magnetron Sputtering, Madhavi Tangirala, Kai Zhang, David Nminibapiel, Venkateswara Pallem, Christian Dussarrat, Wei Cao, Thomas N. Adam, Corbet S. Johnson, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali, Helmut Baumgart

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Among the many vanadium suboxides and different stoichiometries, VO₂ has received considerable attention due to its remarkable metal-insulator transition (MIT) behavior, which causes a significant reversible change in its electrical and optical properties occurring across the phase transition at 67°C. The initially amorphous VO₂ thin films were fabricated by the emerging, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technique with (tetrakis[ethylmethylamino]vanadium) {V(NEtMe)₄} as precursor and H₂O vapor as oxidation agent. For benchmarking we have also used the RF Magnetron Sputtering technique to deposit metallic vanadium thin films, which were later oxidized during furnace annealing. Post annealing of …

Recent Developments In Magneto-Optic Garnet-Type Thin-Film Materials Synthesis, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Mikhail Vasiliev, Viacheslav Kotov, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Magneto-optic (MO) garnets are used in a range of applications in nanophotonics, integrated optics, communications and imaging. Bi-substituted iron garnets of different compositions are the most useful class of materials in applied magnetooptics due to their excellent MO properties (large Faraday effect) and record-high MO figure of merit among all semitransparent dielectrics. It is highly desirable to synthesise garnets which possess simultaneously a high MO figure of merit and large uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. However, the simultaneous optimization of several material properties and parameters can be difficult in single-layer garnet thin films, and it is also challenging to prepare films with …

Design, Fabrication, And Properties Of 2-2 Connectivity Cement/Polymer Based Piezoelectric Composites With Varied Piezoelectric Phase Distribution, Xu Dongyu, Cheng Xin, Sourav Banerjee, Huang Shifeng

Faculty Publications

The laminated 2-2 connectivity cement/polymer based piezoelectric composites with variedpiezoelectric phase distribution were fabricated by employing Lead Zirconium Titanate ceramicas active phase, and mixture of cement powder, epoxy resin, and hardener as matrix phase with a mass proportion of 4:4:1. The dielectric, piezoelectric, and electromechanical coupling properties of the composites were studied. The composites with large total volume fraction ofpiezoelectric phase have large piezoelectric strain constant and relative permittivity, and thepiezoelectric and dielectric properties of the composites are independent of the dimensional variations of the piezoelectric ceramic layer. The composites with small total volume fraction of piezoelectric phase have large …

Localized Corrosion Behavior Of Sensitized 304 Stainless Steel By Scanning Reference Electrode Technique, Chen-Qing Ye, Rong-Gang Hu, Rui-Qing Hou, Xiao-Ping Wang, Rong-Gui Du, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Based on a home-built setup of scanning reference electrode technique, and combined with conventional electrochemical measurements, the localized corrosion behavior of sensitized 304 stainless steel (304ss) had been investigated in this work. The results showed that, the non-sensitized 304ss or 304ss sensitized at 550 oC was susceptible to pitting; while 304ss sensitized at 650 oC or 750 oC suffered severe intergranular corrosion in 10% FeCl3 solution.

Application Of Synchrotron Radiation Based Electrochemical In-Situ Techniques To Study Of Electrode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Zheng-Liang Gong, Wei Zhang, Dong-Ping Lv, Xiao-Gang Hao, Wen Wen, Zheng Jiang, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Due to its merits of high brightness and high intensity, high level of polarization and wide tunability in energy, etc., synchrotron radiation technique provides an unique platform for analysis of the relationship among composition–structure–performance of materials for lithium ion batteries, especially for in-situ, real time dynamic investigation of the electrochemical reaction mechanism, aging process and failure mechanism during charge-discharge cycling. In this paper, we review the latest developments in application of synchrotron based electrochemical in-situ experimental methods to studies of lithium ion batteries. The paper mainly focuses on the application of electrochemical in-siu XRD and XAFS techniques to the investigations …

Controllable Synthesis Of Dispersed Spherical Fe3O4 Nanoparticles As Lithium-Inserted Materials, Hong-Li Zou, Wei-Shan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Dispersed spherical Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The influences of odecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) concentration on the morphology and particle size of the as-prepared Fe₃O₄ were studied. Electrochemical performance of the as-prepared sample as anode materials of lithium ion battery was investigated. It is found that the as-prepared sample exhibits superior rate performance and cycle performance. The nano-sized materials provide structural stability and favor the transfer of lithium ions.

Study On Hydrogen Bubble Template Fabrication Of Porous Biomaterials Coatings By Electrochemically Induced Deposition, Hui Wang, Chang-Jian Lin, Ren Hu, Ke-Qin Zhang, Hong-Ping Duan, Xiang Dong

Journal of Electrochemistry

So far, the pore architecture in biomaterials plays a critical role on the cell response and integration between the biomaterials and implanted environment. In this study, porous calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings and CaP/protein composite coatings have been successfully constructed on titanium substrate by using an electrochemically induced deposition technique. The shape, size and pliability of CaP crystals are controlled by electrolyte concentration, temperature, current density, time and protein additive in preparing process. In addition, the formation mechanism of the porous structure is discussed based on the “hydrogen bubble template” model. It demonstrates that the growth velocity of CaP crystals should …

An Investigation On The Solid Electrolyte Interphase Of Silicon Anode For Li-Ion Batteries Through Force Curve Method, Jie-Yun Zheng, Hao Zheng, Rui Wang, Hong Li, Li-Quan Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Non-aqueous electrolyte has been widely used in commercial Li-ion batteries. Optimized choices are proceeding among the various types of salts and solvents in an effort to achieve higher performance of electrolyte. However, the electrolyte will be reduced in low potential and the reductive product will be deposited on the surface of anode to form a passivating layer, solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Herein an atomic force microscopy (AFM) based method was introduced to study the structure and mechanical property of SEI on silicon thin film anode during the first cycle. Silicon has been known as the most potential candidate anode for …

Preparation And Electrochemical Properties Of Flake-Like Liv3O8 By Soft Template Assisted Sol-Gel Method As Anode Material For Aqueous Li-Ion Battery, Shuai Tan, Dan Sun, Hai-Yan Wang, Tian-Li Hou, Zhong-Xing Xiao, You-Gen Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Composite electrode of CuF₂/MoO₃/C was fabricated through high energy mechanical milling. The properties of CuF₂/MoO₃/C were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the grain sizes of CuF₂ and MoO₃ after milling were 200 ~ 300 nm, and the initial discharge capacity of CuF₂/MoO₃/C was 647 mAh·g^-1 at room temperature and at a current density of 10 mAh·g^-1. However, the …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Nano Licopo4 By Polyol Method, Fei Wang, Yang Jun

Journal of Electrochemistry

High potential LiCoPO₄ cathode material was synthesized by polyol method. Carbon layer of ca. 3 nm thick was coated on the LiCoPO₄ surfaces by chemical vapor deposition from methylbenzene. Crystalline structure, morphology and electrochemical performance of the sample were studied by XRD, SEM, TEM, CV and galvanostatic charge/discharge curve. The synthesized material via polyol method showed a pure phase of LiCoPO₄. The LiCoPO₄/C electrode delivered a high discharge capacity of 132 mAh·g^-1 and maintained 78% of the initial capacity after 50 cycles at 0.1C rate. The two-step extraction/insertion behavior of Li⁺ in …

Aqueous Solution-Evaporation Route Synthesis And Phase Structural Research Of The Li-Rich Cathode Li1.23Ni0.09Co0.12Mn0.56O2 By In-Situ Xrd, Chong-Heng Shen, Shou-Yu Shen, Zhou Lin, Xiao-Mei Zheng, Hang Su, Ling Huang, Jun-Tao Li, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Li-rich Li_1.23Ni_0.09Co_0.12Mn_0.56O₂ material was synthesized via aqueous solution-evaporation route. The structure and morphology of the material were characterized by means of XRD and SEM. The results indicated that the single particle of the product was polygonal with the size of 330 nm and the structure was layered solid solution with a certain amount of Li₂MnO₃. Electrochemical tests showed that the first discharge capacity of the Li-rich layered material was 250.8 mAh·g^-1 at 0.1C, the capacity retention was 86.5% after 40 cycles. Through in-situ XRD study …

Cmk-3/Sulfur Composite (CXSY) And Room-Temperature Na/S Battery, Qing Zhao, Yu-Xiang Hu, Kai Zhang, Li-Jiang Wang, Zhan-Liang Tao, Jun Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

A series of ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3)/sulfur composite (C_xS_y) with different sulfur contents were synthesized via a melt-diffusion method. XRD, Raman, BET, SEM, and TEM techniques were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the as-prepared composite. The electrochemical performance of CMK-3/sulfur composite as the electrode of Na/S battery was tested at room temperature. Cyclic voltammograms show that one obvious reduction peak was located at about 1.61V, which is corresponding to the formation of Na₂S_x (x=2~5), while two oxidation peaks were displayed at about 1.82V and 1.95V, which are belonging to the …

Preparation Of The Particle Size Controllable Lifepo4/C And Its Electrochemical Profile Characterization, Ming-E Wang, Jing-Yuan Liu, Meng-Yan Hou, Yong-Yao Xia

Journal of Electrochemistry

We adopted an effective route to prepare the particle size controllable core-shell structure carbon-coated LiFePO₄ from different sized FePO₄ precursors, varying from 80 nm, 200 nm and 1 μm by an in situ polymerization method integrated with a surface modification technology. The discharge capacities of the three sized LiFePO₄/C are, respectively, 162 mAh·g^-1, 142 mAh·g^-1 and 92 mAh·g^-1 at 0.1C rate. The nano-sized LiFePO₄-a/C (80 nm) delivers a discharge capacity as large as 100 mAh·g^-1 even at 30C, while the macroscopic LiFePO₄-c/C (1 μm) exhibits a much …

Preparation And Electrochemical Properties Of Amorphous Znsno3/C By Hydrothermally Carbonization Method, Guo-Qing Fang, Rui-Xue Zhang, Wei-Wei Liu, Bing-Bo Xia, Hong-Dan Sun, Hai-Bo Wang, Jing-Jing Wu, Shinko Kaneko, De-Cheng Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The amorphous ZnSnO₃@C composite was synthesized via a simple glucose hydrothermal and subsequent carbonization approach. The structure, morphology and electrochemical property of the composite were characterized by XRD, TEM and electrochemical measurements. Compared to bare ZnSnO₃, the ZnSnO₃/C composite exhibited markedly enhanced lithium storage property and cycle performance, delivering a reversible capacity of 659 mAh·g^-1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g^-1.