A new study on the catalytic mechanism of Fe-based alloys in diamond formation by Mössbauer spectroscopy

M?ssbauer spectroscopy has been used to systemically study the catalytic mechanism of Fe-based alloys in diamond formation at high temperature–high pressure (HTHP) for the first time. M?ssbauer spectra reveal the magnetic state of the 3d electrons of a Fe atom in the Fe-based alloy catalyst during diamond formation at HTHP. During carburization at lower temperatures than that required for diamond formation and diamond formation in the diamond-stability region using Fe-based alloys as a catalyst, both the quadrupole splitting QS and the isomer shift IS change from negative to positive, especially reaching a state in which they are zero. It was indicated that the state of the 3d-shell electrons of the iron atom changes greatly during carburization and diamond formation and that the incomplete 3d sub-bands of Fe atoms in the catalyst alloys could be filled up in proper order by electrons of interstitial carbon atoms. During diamond formation, the unpaired 3d-shell electrons of an iron atom in the Fe-based alloy absorb and interact with 2P_z electrons of the carbon atoms. There exist a Fe–C bonding and an electron charge transfer stage. The 2P_z electrons of the carbon atoms could be dragged into the metal atoms in the catalyst alloy and would make a transition of triangular (sp²π) hybridization of valence electrons to tetrahedral (sp³) hybridization of valence electrons (a transition of sp²π bonds of graphite to sp³ bonds of diamond), resulting in a transition of graphite structure to diamond. Although the conclusion of this study is strictly applicable only to Fe-based alloy catalysts, it could be considered more general because of the chemical similarities between the transition elements used as solvent catalysts for diamond synthesis. Received: 2 March 2001 / Accepted: 20 August 2001 / Published online: 2 October 2001     

Formation and diffusion of self-interstitial atoms in silicon crystals under hydrostatic pressure: Quantum-chemical simulation

A theoretical modeling of the formation of Frenkel pairs and the diffusion of a self-interstitial atom in silicon crystals at normal and high (hydrostatic) pressures has been performed using molecular dynamics, semiempirical quantum-chemical (NDDO-PM5, PM6), and ab initio (SIESTA) methods. It is shown that, in a silicon crystal, the most stable configuration of a self-interstitial atom in the neutral charge state (I ⁰) is the split configuration 〈110〉. The shifted tetrahedral configuration (T ₁) is stable in the singlet and triplet excited states, as well as in the charge state Z = +2. The split 〈110〉 interstitial configuration remains stable under hydrostatic pressure (P ≤ 80 kbar). The activation barriers for diffusion of self-interstitial atoms in silicon crystals are determined to be as follows: ΔE _a (Si)(〈110〉 → T ₁) = 0.59 eV, ΔE _a (Si)(T ₁ → T′₁) = 0.1 eV, and ΔE _a (Si)(T ₁ → 〈110〉) = 0.23 eV. The hydrostatic pressure (P ≤ 80 kbar) increases the activation barrier for diffusion of self-interstitial atoms in silicon crystals. The energies of the formation of a separate Frenkel pair, a self-interstitial atom, and a vacancy are determined. It is demonstrated that the hydrostatic pressure decreases the energy of the formation of Frenkel pairs.     

Carbon precipitation and diffusion in SiGeC alloys under silicon self-interstitial injection

In this work we investigate the diffusion and precipitation of supersaturated substitutional carbon in 200-nm-thick SiGeC layers buried under a silicon cap layer of 40 nm. The samples were annealed in either inert (N₂) or oxidizing (O₂) ambient at 850 °C for times ranging from 2 to 10 h. The silicon self-interstitial (I) flux coming from the surface under oxidation enhances the C diffusion with respect to the N₂-annealed samples. In the early stages of the oxidation process, the loss of C from the SiGeC layer by diffusion across the layer/cap interface dominates. This phenomenon saturates after an initial period (2–4 h), which depends on the C concentration. This saturation is due to the formation and growth of C-containing precipitates that are promoted by the I injection and act as a sink for mobile C atoms. The influence of carbon concentration on the competition between precipitation and diffusion is discussed. Received: 19 October 2001 / Accepted: 19 December 2001 / Published online: 20 March 2002 / Published online: 20 March 2002     

Microstructure and tribological performance of self-lubricating diamond/tetrahedral amorphous carbon composite film

In order to smooth the rough surface and further improve the wear-resistance of coarse chemical vapor deposition diamond films, diamond/tetrahedral amorphous carbon composite films were synthesized by a two-step preparation technique including hot-filament chemical vapor deposition for polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and subsequent filtered cathodic vacuum arc growth for tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C). The microstructure and tribological performance of the composite films were investigated by means of various characterization techniques. The results indicated that the composite films consisted of a thick well-grained diamond base layer with a thickness up to 150 μm and a thin covering ta-C layer with a thickness of about 0.3 μm, and sp³-C fraction up to 73.93%. Deposition of a smooth ta-C film on coarse polycrystalline diamond films was proved to be an effective tool to lower the surface roughness of the polycrystalline diamond film. The wear-resistance of the diamond film was also enhanced by the self-lubricating effect of the covering ta-C film due to graphitic phase transformation. Under dry pin-on-disk wear test against Si₃N₄ ball, the friction coefficients of the composite films were much lower than that of the single PCD film. An extremely low friction coefficient (∼0.05) was achieved for the PCD/ta-C composite film. Moreover, the addition of Ti interlayer between the ta-C and the PCD layers can further reduce the surface roughness of the composite film. The main wear mechanism of the composite films was abrasive wear.     

Electrochemical properties of undoped CVD diamond films

The electrochemical properties of undoped diamond polycrystalline films grown on tungsten wire substrates using methanol as a precursor are described. The diamond film quality was changed by introducing sp²-bonded non-diamond carbon impurity through adjustment of the methanol-to-hydrogen (C/H) source gas ratio used for diamond growth.The electrodes were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV).Diamond coated tungsten wires were then used as a working electrode to ascertain their electrochemical behavior in electrolytic medium. Electrochemical windows of these films were found to be suitable in the potential range of [−2.5 V, +2.2 V] vs. Ag/AgCl in acid medium (0.1 M KCl).The electrochemical behavior was evaluated also using the Fe(CN)₆^3−/4−redox couple.The results demonstrate that the grain boundaries and sp²-hybridized carbon impurity can have a significant influence on electrochemical window of undoped diamond electrodes. It was observed that with increasing sp² carbon impurity concentration the electrochemical window decreases.     

The electronic and structural properties of BN and BP nano-cages interacting with OCN: A DFT study

The adsorption of OCN⁻ (cyanato anion) on boron nitride (B₁₂N₁₂ and B₁₆N₁₆) and boron phosphide nano-cages (B₁₂P₁₂ and B₁₆P₁₆) in terms of energetic, geometric, and electronic properties are studied using density functional theory calculations. Our study results indicated that the first OCN⁻ strongly prefers to be adsorbed from its N atom upon B atoms of the nano-cages than the O atoms of OCN⁻. These findings have been rationalized using frontier molecular orbitals and total electron density plots. The energy gap of the B₁₂P₁₂ is significantly reduced upon the adsorption of OCN⁻ compared to B₁₂N₁₂, thus leading to the increase in electrical conductance of nano-cage.     

Probing antiaromaticity: resonance Raman investigation of a series of differently substituted boroles

We report an investigation of four differently substituted boroles by resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy with the aim of gaining insight into the structural changes that occur upon electronic π–π* excitation in the five‐membered BC₄ ring. Such boroles are prototypes for the theory of antiaromaticity, because the empty p_z orbital at the boron interacts with the π system of the carbon backbone to delocalize the four π electrons. The magnitude of this interaction depends on the substituents at the boron atom. In all compounds, an intense band appears around 1600 cm⁻¹, which can be assigned to a CC stretching vibration. The selective amplification of this mode indicates an expansion of the borole ring upon electronic excitation. The resonant enhancement of another mode at around 1300 cm⁻¹, which can be assigned to a vibration between the boron and the substituent, gives evidence that the degree of antiaromaticity in the borole depends strongly on the interaction between the substituent at the boron atom with the empty p_z orbital of the boron. When the boron is connected to a ferrocene, this band appears with high intensity, indicating a strong interaction between B and Fe. Furthermore, we studied the dependence of the excitation wavelength on the Raman intensities. In addition, we used DFT calculations to determine the vibrational wavenumbers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis, structure and electroluminescent properties of Schiff-base boron complex with anilido-imine ligand

The Schiff-base ligand boron complex, LBF₂ [L=ortho-C₆H₄(NC₆H₃Me₂-2,6)(CH=NC₆H₃Me₂-2,6)], is synthesized and characterized. The crystal structural study reveals that central boron atom is four coordinate and adopts a distorted tetrahedral geometry in LBF₂. The photo/electroluminescent properties of the boron complex have been studied. The electroluminescent devices were fabricated by doping LBF₂ in polymer blends host of poly(vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and 2-tert-butylphenyl-5-biphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol (PBD) using simple solution spin-coating technique. The single-layer polymer organic light emitter devices exhibited blue-green emission with maximum current efficiency of 1.6 cd/A and maximum luminance of 840 cd/m².     

N+BF<Subscript>2</Subscript> and N+C+BF<Subscript>2</Subscript> high-dose co-implantation in silicon

Nitrogen and boron BF₂, and nitrogen, carbon, and boron BF₂ high-dose (6×10¹⁶–3×10¹⁷ cm^-2) co-implantation were performed at energies of about 21–77 keV. Subsequent high-temperature annealing processes (600, 850, and 1200 °C) lead to the formation of three and two surface layers respectively. The outer layer mainly consists of polycrystalline silicon and some amorphous material and Si₃N₄ inclusions. The inner layer is highly defective crystalline silicon, with some inclusions of Si₃N₄ too. In the N+B-implanted sample the intermediate layer is amorphous. Co-implantation of boron with nitrogen and with nitrogen and carbon prevents the excessive diffusivity of B and leads to a lattice-parameter reduction of 0.7–1.0%. Received: 10 January 2002 / Accepted: 30 May 2002 / Published online: 4 November 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +34-91/3974895; E-mail: Lucia.Barbadillo@uam.es     

First principles calculation of boron diffusion in fcc-Fe

The diffusion mechanism of boron in fcc-Fe was studied by first-principles calculations. The sites where B atoms tend to occupy and the diffusion behavior were calculated. Results indicated that the main mechanism of boron diffusion in fcc-Fe was the B–monovacancy complex mechanism instead of the interstitial mechanism. The diffusion coefficient D₁ of the B–monovacancy complex mechanism was calculated without considering the backward jump of the B atoms. The calculated D₁ = 1.26 × 10⁻⁴ × exp(^–2.01eV/k_BT) m²·s⁻¹ is consistent with the reported results from experiments.     

Quantum-chemical modeling of structural,electronic, and spin characteristics of NV centers in nanostructured diamond: Surface effect

The effect of the surface of diamond on atomic, electronic, and spin properties of diamond nanocrystals containing single nitrogen-vacancy defects ([NV]⁻ centers) is studied. The surface was modeled with clusters C₃₃H₃₀[NV]⁻, C₆₆H₇₂[NV]⁻, which were constructed based on bulk clusters C₃₃H₃₆[NV]⁻ and C₆₉H₈₄[NV]⁻, respectively. In all cases, clusters in the triplet state S = 1 are considered with the cluster charge being −1. The geometric structure of clusters is optimized using the principle of minimization of the total energy of the system; then, the electronic and spin characteristics of clusters are calculated by the density functional theory. The isotropic and anisotropic hyperfine interaction constants of the electron spin of the NV center with the nuclear spin of the nitrogen atom and ¹³C atoms located at different sites in the cluster are calculated. It is found that, in contrast to bulk clusters with [NV]-centers in which the spin density is mainly localized at the three carbon atoms that are the nearest neighbors of the vacancy of the center, upon arrangement of the NV center in the immediate proximity to the surface, the spin density is redistributed such that it is mainly localized at the three carbon atoms that are the nearest neighbors of the nitrogen atom of the center and at C atoms that form the first atomic layer of the (111) surface of the nanocrystal.     

A molecular dynamics study of boron and nitrogen in diamond

Based upon molecular dynamics simulation via the Tersoff many-body potential, we proposed the co-doping method for fabricating n-type diamond. We calculated the optimal co-doping configurations of n-type (nitrogen) and p-type (boron) dopants, the stable structure of a boron atom in diamond is associated with four nitrogen atoms placed at the nearest neighbour positions, the total energy of the system with the stable structure is 136 MeV lower than that of the system with the nitrogen atoms placed in others positions. The results indicated that the co-dopants of nitrogen and boron were the perfect candidates to make n-type diamond, and additional boron would increase the solubility limit of nitrogen in diamond, reduce the lattice-relaxation energy of crystal and improve its doping efficiency in diamond.     

Laser-assisted etching of diamonds in air and in liquid media

2 O, (CH₃)₂SO). Diamond samples are virtually transparent at this wavelength, and the coupling of laser radiation to diamond is via the formation of a thin graphitized layer at the diamond surface. The etching rate in liquid media is slightly higher than in air at otherwise equal conditions and is as high as 50 μm/s for etching with a scanning laser beam. Raman spectra measurements carried out on diamond samples etched in air show the presence of glassy carbon on the surface, whereas for samples etched in a liquid the diamond peak at 1332 cm^-1 dominates with significantly lower intensity of the glassy carbon peak. Electroless copper deposition on the laser-etched features is studied to compare the catalytic activity of the diamond surface etched in air with that etched in liquids. Possible mechanisms responsible for the observed difference both in the structure of the etched area and in the electroless Cu deposition onto the surface etched in various media (air or liquids) are discussed. Received: 2 August 1996/Accepted: 7 January 1997     

Picosecond-laser-induced structural modifications in the bulk of single-crystal diamond

Arrays of through laser-graphitized microstructures have been fabricated in type IIa single-crystal 1.2-mm-thick diamond plates by multipulse laser irradiation with 10-ps pulses at λ=532 nm wavelength. Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy studies of the bulk microstructures have evidenced the diamond transformation to amorphous carbon and graphitic phases and the formation of radiation defects pronounced in the PL spectra as the self-interstitial related center, the 3H center, at 504 nm. It is found that the ultrafast-laser-induced structural modifications in the bulk of single-crystal diamond plates occur along {111} planes, known as the planes of the lowest cleavage energy and strength in diamond.     

Behavior of hydrogen atom at Nafion-Pt interface

We present a mechanism depicting how a hydrogen atom migrates from a platinum catalyst to a Nafion membrane using ab initio calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). The H atom initially adsorbed on Pt is extracted by the sulfonate group (-SO₃⁻), which is a part of the side chain of Nafion. We found partial electron transfer from the H atom to the Pt, which directly binds to the -SO₃⁻ group, through this reaction. The electron-poor H atom conducts in Nafion, and the partial electron transfer from the H atom results in the generation of electric power in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs).     

Dopant diffusion and segregation in semiconductor heterostructures: Part 2. B in GexSi1-x/Si structures

x Si_1-x/Si heterostructures have been obtained. Here the chemical effects seem to be of less importance. The Fermi-level effect determines the ionized boron solubilities in Ge_xSi_1-x and in Si, as well as the thermal equilibrium concentration of the singly-positively-charged crystal self-interstitials I⁺ which governs the boron diffusion process. The junction carrier concentration affects the concentration of I⁺ and solubility of B in the region and hence controls B diffusion across the heterojunction. Received: 20 August 1998/Accepted: 23 September 1998     

First principles study of structural, electronic and vibrational properties of heavily boron-doped diamond

The structural, electronic and vibrational properties of a series of heavily B-doped diamond models have been investigated using the density functional theory within a local density approximation. The doped models C_64 − nB_n (n=1-3) were constructed using supercell techniques. The structural and electronic calculations confirmed that the B dimers are always energetically stable and electrical inactive. The superconducting transition temperature TC is not only decided by the B concentration, but also by the lattice configurations of boron atoms. The vibrational frequencies and eigenmodes were determined using the linear response approach, while Raman intensities were obtained by the second response method. The Raman analysis in terms of atomic vibrations found that the “500 cm⁻¹” and “1230 cm⁻¹” bands are both superposed bands including not only C vibrations but also B-B vibrations and B-C vibrations, respectively. The calculated Raman spectra with isotopic substitutions are in excellent agreement with corresponding experimental results. The reasonable explanation was provided for no obvious Raman shift of main bands from ¹⁰B¹²C to ¹¹B¹²C model.     

Molecular dynamics simulation for sodium atom in and on the two layers of C150H 30 graphite plane

For inspection of thermal behaviors of sodium (Na) atom in the bulk and on the surface of two layered hydrogen terminated cluster model, 2C₁₅₀H₃₀, the molecular dynamics calculation was taken place at molecular mechanics 2 level. From the requirement of structural optimization, interlayer distance of 2C₁₅₀H₃₀ is 3.38 Å which is consistent with the observed value. In the cluster models intercalated and adsorbed by one Na atom, C₁₅₀H₃₀·Na·C₁₅₀H₃₀ and Na·2C₁₅₀H₃₀, respectively, the Na atom is stabilized beneath and above the nearest central carbon atom, C₀, in the upper layer where the distances, Na-C₀, are 2.76 and 3.16 Å, respectively. Adsorption of the Na atom to the surface has no influence on the geometrical structure of cluster model, whereas, intercalation to two layers expands the interlayer distance maximally to 5.01 Å which will be responsible for the carbon expansion of graphite electrode in cryolite melt-alumina slurries. Diffusion processes are observed above 200 K for the Na atoms stabilized in both sites. Although the Na atom migrates parallel to the layers in the range between 200 and 300 K in C₁₅₀H₃₀·Na·C₁₅₀H₃₀, it moves above the carbon layer from the center to the circumference periodically below 250 K and gets out at 300 K for Na·2C₁₅₀H₃₀. The migration rates of Na atom are almost the same irrespective of the diffusion areas.     

The characteristics of platinum diffusion in n-type GaN

The electrical and optical characteristics of platinum (Pt) diffusion in n-type gallium nitride (GaN) film are investigated. The diffusion extent was characterized by the SIMS technique. The temperature-dependent diffusion coefficients of Pt in n-GaN are 4.158 × 10⁻¹⁴, 1.572 × 10⁻¹³ and 3.216 × 10⁻¹³ cm²/s at a temperature of 650, 750 and 850 °C, respectively. The Pt diffusion constant and activation energy in GaN are 6.627 × 10⁻⁹ cm²/s and 0.914 eV, respectively. These results indicate that the major diffusion mechanism of Pt in GaN is possibly an interstitial diffusion. In addition, it is also observed that the Pt atom may be a donor because the carrier concentration in Pt-diffused GaN is higher than that in un-diffused GaN. The optical property is studied by temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurement. The thermal quenching of the PL spectra for Pt-diffused GaN samples is also examined.     

Effects of experimental parameters on composition of boron carbon nitride thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

We have synthesized boron carbon nitride thin films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The films structure and composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that the three elements of B, C, N are chemically bonded with each other and atomic-level hybrids have been formed in the films. The boron carbon nitride films prepared in the present experiment possess a disordered structure. The influence of PN₂/PN₂+Ar, total pressure and substrate bias voltage on the composition of boron carbon nitride films is investigated. The atomic fraction of C atoms increases and the fractions of B, N decrease with the decrease of PN₂/PN₂+Ar from 75% to 0%. There is an optimum total pressure. That is to say, the atomic fractions of B, N reach a maximum and the fraction of C atoms reaches a minimum at the total pressure of 1.3 Pa. The boron carbon nitride films exhibit lower C content and higher B, N contents at lower bias voltages. And the boron carbon nitride films show higher C content and lower B, N contents at higher bias voltages.