Effect of unsteady-state conduction of a high-resistance SrTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> crystal containing a network of conductive nanowires

The electrical conduction of a high-resistance SrTiO₃ crystal due to the presence of conductive nanowires in the bulk of the sample exhibits an unsteady-state behavior, which, in particular, manifests itself in a long-term decrease of the electric current at a fixed value of the applied voltage. This process, as well as the recovery of the initial conduction, is characterized by a wide range of times from several tens of seconds to ten days. It has been found that a decrease in the electric current is associated with a change of the electrical conductivity in the reverse-biased contact region most likely due to an increase in the height/width of the surface barrier. The modulation of the energy profile of the barrier can have a multidirectional character depending on the sign of the charge formed with the participation of surface states at the electrode–crystal interface. The results obtained have made it possible to elucidate the mechanism of charge transfer in local regions of the contact, where metallic nanowires penetrate deep enough into the depleted barrier layer.     

Physicochemical properties of NaxCoO2 as a cathode for solid state sodium battery

An intercalation compound with composition Na_0.7CoO₂ has been synthesized through different preparative techniques such as solid state reaction, ball milling and sol gel techniques. The investigation reveals that the cathode material with an average particle size of about 500 nm of uniform morphology can be synthesized through sol gel technique. Further, this synthesis technique improves the stoichiometry of the sodium content significantly. The electrical resistivity of these cathode materials is found to be in the range of 4 to 12 mΩ-cm at 300 K. It has been observed that, the resistivity of the cathode material increases with increase in sodium content. The electrochemical cells with the configuration Na | [wt.% 0.3 PEO-0.7 PEG]₆:NaPO₃ |composite cathode material, have shown an open circuit voltage (OCV) value of 2.7 V. The (OCV) of the cells with the cathode prepared by sol-gel and ball milling route has shown a plateau region of about 40 h, when compared to the plateau region of 10 h for the battery with the cathode prepared by solid state reaction. The reduction in the particle size of the cathode material has improved the stability of the electrode electrolyte interface and thereby discharges characteristics.     

Hole Injection Enhancement of MoO_3/NPB/Al Composite Anode

An ultra-thin molybdenum(VI) oxide(MoO_3) modification layer can significantly improve hole injection from an electrode even though the MoO_3 layer does not contact the electrode. We find that as the thickness of the organic layer between MoO_3 and the electrode increases, the hole injection first increases and it then decreases.The optimum thickness of 5 nm corresponds to the best current improvement 70%, higher than that in the device where MoO_3 directly contacts the Al electrode. According to the 4,4-bis[N-(1-naphthyl)-N-phenyl-amino] biphenyl(NPB)/MoO_3 interface charge transfer mechanism and the present experimental results, we propose a mechanism that mobile carriers generated at the interface and accumulated inside the device change the distribution of electric field inside the device, resulting in an increase of the probability of hole tunneling through the injection barrier from the electrode, which also explains the phenomenon of hole injection enhanced by MoO_3/NPB/Al composite anode. Based on this mechanism, different organic materials other than NPB were applied to form the composite electrode with MoO_3. Similar current enhancement effects are also observed.     

基于铟锡氧化物/Ti复合电极的高亮度碳纳米管场致发射冷阴极

通过制作亲碳性铟锡氧化物(ITO)/Ti复合电极,改善移植型碳纳米管(CNT)冷阴极的导电电极与CNT膜层之间附着性能,从而消除CNT与电极间的界面势垒和非欧姆接触对CNT阴极场发射均匀性和稳定性的影响.采用磁控溅射技术和丝网印刷工艺制作了ITO/Ti基CNT阴极.用X射线衍射仪和场致发射扫描电子显微镜表征CNT阴极结构,结果显示热处理后的ITO/Ti基CNT阴极中可能有TiC相生成,从而使得导电电极与CNT形成有中间物的强作用体系.该体系降低甚至消除电极与CNT之间的界面势垒,增加了CNT与电极间形成欧姆接触的概率.用四探针技术分析电阻率,结果表明ITO/Ti复合电极具有电阻并联效果,CNT阴极导电性能提高.场致发射特性测试表明ITO/Ti基CNT阴极的场致发射电流达到384μA/cm2,较普通ITO基CNT阴极的场致发射电流有显著提高,能够激发测试阳极发出均匀、稳定的高亮度荧光.制作ITO/Ti复合电极是实现场致发射稳定、均匀的低功耗CNT阴极的有效途径.     

Interfaces in metal matrix composites

The interface region in a given composite has a great deal of importance in determining the ultimate properties of the composite. An interface is, by definition, a bidimensional region through which there occurs a discontinuity in one or more material parameters. In practice, there is always some volume associated with the interface region over which a gradual transition in material parameter(s) occurs. The importance of the interface region in composites stems from two main reasons: (i) the interface occupies a very large area in composites, and (ii) in general, the reinforcement and the metal matrix will form a system that is not in thermodynamic equilibrium. One can discuss the interface in a composite at various levels. An optimum one should be neither so simple that it covers only a few special cases nor so complex that it is not useful in designing composites from processing and applications points of view. In this paper, my objective is to give examples of interface microstructure in different metal matrix composite systems and suggest some ways of controlling the interface characteristics in order to control the properties of the composite. I shall give examples of the interface microstructure in different metal matrix composites (particle and fiber reinforced as well as laminates) and discuss some of the important implications on various aspects of metal matrix composites, from the processing stage to ultimate performance of the composite.     

Conduction in magnesium phthalocyanine thin films with aluminium electrodes

The various electrical properties and the nature of conduction mechanisms of magnesium phthalocyanine thin film devices with top and bottom aluminium electrodes have been investigated. The conduction mechanism was identified as injection limited essentially due to the electrode material. Even with the same electrode materials, the device showed asymmetric conduction behavior in the forward and reverse bias. In general the conduction was interpreted as a Schottky emission with barrier height Φ_s=1.07 eV for the forward bias and Φ_s=1.09 eV in the reverse bias. The effect of oxygen on the conductivity of the device has also been investigated. In the oxygen doped samples the conductivity is decreased which may be attributed to an interfacial layer between the electrode and the organic layer. Further in the oxygen doped sample while a Schottky emission is observed at lower voltages Poole-Frenkel conductivity was identified in the higher voltage region.     

Improved dielectric and electrical properties of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin films using Pt/LaNiO3 as the top-electrode material

(Ba,Sr)TiO₃ (BST) capacitors grown on a LaNiO₃ (LNO) bottom electrode, with Pt (80 nm), LNO (100 nm), and double-layer Pt/LNO (80/10 nm) top electrodes have been investigated. It was found that the dielectric behavior is improved by a decrease of the electrical properties for the BST capacitor using double-layer Pt/LNO top electrodes. The dielectric constant of 100 nm-thick BST films with a Pt electrode was only 165 at 100 kHz, while that with a double-layer electrode was about 242. Correspondingly, the tunability was greatly improved from 26% to 41% with an electric field of 600 kV/cm. These have been attributed to increased interfacial capacitance density, which resulted from an improved interface, between the films and the top electrode. The dielectric loss was also reduced by using a double-layer electrode. Furthermore, the leakage current of a capacitor with a double-layer Pt/LNO electrode was one order of magnitude lower than that with a single LNO electrode. It can be explained by the fact that the weak chemical interaction between LNO (10 nm) and BST causes a high potential barrier at the interface. PACS 81.15.-z; 81.15.Cd; 77.55.+f; 77.84.Dy; 77.22.-d     

Influence of interface within the composite barrier on the tunneling electroresistance of ferroelectric tunnel junctions with symmetric electrodes

The interface with a pinned dipole within the composite barrier in a ferroelectric tunnel junction（FTJ） with symmetric electrodes is investigated.Different from the detrimental effect of the interface between the electrode and barrier in previous studies,the existence of an interface between the dielectric SrTiO₃ slab and ferroelectric BaTiO₃ slab in FTJs will enhance the tunneling electroresistance（TER） effect.Specifically,the interface with a lower dielectric constant and larger polarization pointing to the ferroelectric slab favors the increase of TER ratio.Therefore,interface control of high performance FTJ can be achieved.     

Microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiO:H) alloys as a contact layer for highly efficient Si thin film solar cell

We observe >6% efficiency enhancement in silicon thin film solar cell using a p-type microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiO:H) contact layer between transparent conducting oxide (TCO) electrode and the hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layer. The role of the above contact layer is to reduce the Schottky barrier effect as well as the hetero-junction barrier formation at the interface. Despite its nanometer scale thickness, the properties of the contact layer significantly affect the solar parameters. Based on our results, p-type doped μc-SiO:H can be an ideal material as a contact layer due to its good optical response without noticeable degradation in its electrical property.     

铝-金刚石界面电子特性与界面肖特基势垒的杂化密度泛函理论HSE06的研究

宽带隙半导体金刚石具有突出的电学与热学特性,近年来,基于金刚石的高频大功率器件受到广泛关注,对于金属-金刚石肖特基结而言,具有较高的击穿电压和较小的串联电阻,所以金属-金刚石这种金半结具有非常好的发展前景.本文通过第一性原理方法去研究金属铝-金刚石界面电子特性与肖特基势垒的高度.界面附近原子轨道的投影态密度的计算表明:金属诱导带隙态会在金刚石一侧产生,并且具有典型的局域化特征,同时可以发现电子电荷转移使得Fermi能级在金刚石一侧有所提升.电子电荷在界面的重新分布促使界面形成新的化学键,使得金属铝-氢化金刚石形成稳定的金半结.特别地,我们通过计算平均静电势的方法得到金属铝-氢化金刚石界面的势垒高度为1.03 eV,该值与金属诱导带隙态唯像模型计算的结果非常接近,也与实验值符合得很好.本文的研究可为金属-金刚石肖特基结二极管的研究奠定理论基础,也可为金刚石基金半结大功率器件的研究提供理论参考.     

Influences of space charge and electrode on the electrical transport through (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin film capacitors

The combined model of thermionic emission and carrier drift-diffusion is derived to simulate the electrical transport through BST thin film capacitors. In the model the field-dependent permittivity is obtained from the derivative of the polarization distinguished with the traditional characterization. The simulated currents show the hysteresis. The influences of space charges and electrode materials on the current density-applied voltage characteristics have been studied. The simulation results suggest that the current densities can be greatly influenced by the space charges at the cathode interface and the barrier height at the electrode/BST interface. It is expected that this work can provide some useful guidelines to the design and performance improvement of BST thin film capacitors and other BST thin film devices.     

Application of nano-indentation, nano-scratch and single fibre tests in investigation of interphases in composite materials

Three novel experimental techniques were employed in this work in order to investigate the influence of the interphase region in polymer–glass composites on the bulk material properties: (i) the microdroplet test is a single fibre test designed to characterize the fibre–matrix bond (interface region) and to determine the interfacial shear stress in composite material; (ii) the nano-indentation test, a novel nano-hardness technique with ability to produce an indent as low as a few nanometres was employed in order to measure nano-hardness of the fibre–matrix interphase region; and (iii) the nano-scratch test, used in conjunction with the nano-indentation test for measurement of the interphase region width. The microdroplet test (MDT) has been used to characterize the interfacial bond in fibrous composite materials. The specimen consists of a fibre with a drop of cured resin pulled while the drop is being supported by a platinum disc with a hole. A properly tested specimen fails at the droplet’s tip–fibre interface, revealing the ultimate interfacial shear strength. In this study, finite element analysis (FEA) of the MDT has been focused toward simulation of the fibre–matrix interphase region. The influence of several functional variations of the material properties across the interphase layer on the stress distribution at the droplet’s tip was analysed. The results showed that the variation of the interphase properties significantly affects the stress distribution at the fibre–droplet interface, and, therefore, the stress redistribution to composite material. These results led to further experimental investigation of the interphase region, in order to obtain the material properties essential for the interfacial stress analysis. The interphase region in dry and water aged polymer–glass composite materials was investigated by means of the nano-indentation and the nano-scratch techniques. The nano-indentation test involved indentation as small as 30 nm in depth, produced along a 14 μm path between the fibre and the matrix. The distinct properties of the interphase region were revealed by 2–3 indents in dry materials and up to 15 indents in water aged, degraded materials. These results indicated interdiffusion in water aged interphase regions. The nano-scratch test involves moving a sample while being in contact with a diamond tip. The nano-scratch test, used in conjunction with the nano-indentation test, accurately measured the width of the interphase region. The results showed that the harder interphase region dissolved into the softer interphase region (both regions being harder/stronger than the matrix) expanding its width after aging in water.     

Effect of injecting electrodes on TSD behaviour of vacuum deposited PVF films

Depolarization behaviour of vacuum deposited polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) films has been studied as a function of nature of the electrode materials used during polarization such as copper, silver, aluminium and indium using the thermally stimulated discharge current (TSD) technique. TSD spectra of these films show a single relaxation peak centered around 430 ± 1 K with activation energies of ∼ 0.65 eV. The peak current and the charge associated with the relaxation peak depend strongly on the electrode material used. This has been attributed to the electrode-polymer interface barrier controlling the injection of the charge carriers into PVF films that results into space charge effects by subsequent trapping of the injected charge carriers at macroscopic distances. Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on Ionic Devices, Anna University, Chennai, India, Nov. 28–30, 2003.     

Review on the roles of carbon materials in lead-carbon batteries

Lead-acid battery (LAB) has been in widespread use for many years due to its mature technology, abound raw materials, low cost, high safety, and high efficiency of recycling. However, the irreversible sulfation in the negative electrode becomes one of the key issues for its further development and application. Lead-carbon battery (LCB) is evolved from LAB by adding different kinds of carbon materials in the negative electrode, and it has effectively suppressed the problem of negative irreversible sulfation of traditional LAB. Different carbon materials play different roles in LCB, including construction of conductive network, double-layer capacitance storage effect, formation of porous structure and steric effect. Moreover, research on composite material additives (such as Pb-C composite materials and polymer-C composite materials) and Pb-C composite electrode have become a research focus in the past few years; it has been another effective way to improve the performance of the negative electrode. On the other hand, due to the relatively low overpotential of carbon materials, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) will be aggravated in LCB, which affects its electrochemical performance. It is necessary to modify carbon additives or add other additives to inhibit the HER. This paper will attempt to summarize the roles of carbon additives in the negative electrode made by previous research and illustrate the effect of composite material additives and Pb-C composite electrode on the negative electrode. Moreover, we will also sum up the method for solving the HER by reviewing previous research.     

Capacitance properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/carbon nanotubes composites

The electrochemical properties of composites prepared from an electrically conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), i.e. PEDOT and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated for supercapacitor application. The novel composite material was prepared by chemical or electrochemical polymerization of EDOT directly on the nanotubes or from a homogenous mixture of PEDOT and CNTs. Acetylene black (AB) has been also used as a composite component in order to evaluate whether nanotubes are giving improved properties or not. Electrodes prepared from such composites were used in supercapacitors operating in acidic (1 M H₂SO₄), alkaline (6M KOH) and organic (1 M TEABF₄ in AN) electrolytic solutions. The capacitance values were estimated by galvanostatic, voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy techniques with two- or three-electrode cell configuration. Due to the open mesoporous network of nanotubes, the easily accessible electrode/electrolyte interface allows quick charge propagation in the composite material and an efficient reversible storage of energy in PEDOT during subsequent charging/discharging cycles. The composites with AB supply quite good capacitance results, however, nanotubes as electrode component gave definitively a more homogenous dispersion of PEDOT that should give a better charge propagation. The values of capacitance for PEDOT/carbon composites ranged from 60 to 160 F/g and such material has a good cycling performance with a high stability in all the electrolytes. Organic medium is especially interesting because of higher energy stored. Another quite important advantage of this composite is its significant volumetric energy because of the high density of PEDOT.     

Applications of carbon nanotubes in high performance lithium ion batteries

The development of lit;triton ion batteries （LIBs） relies on the improvement in the performance of electrode materials with higher capacity, higher rate capability, and longer cycle lift;. In this review article, the recent advances in carbon nanotube （CNT） anodes, CNT-based composite electrodes, and CNT current collectors for high performance LIBs are concerned. CNT has received considerable attentions as a candidate material for the LIB applications. In addition to a possible choice for anode, CNT has been recognized as a solution in improving the performance of the state-of-the-art electrode materials. The CNT-based composite electrodes can be fabricated by mechanical or chem- ical approaches. Owing to the large aspect ratio and the high electrical conductivity, CNTs at very low loading can lead to an efficient conductive network. The excellent mechanical strength suggests the great potential in forming a structure scaffold to accommodate nano-sized electrode materials. Accordingly, the incorporation of CNTs will enhance the conductivity of the composite electrodes, mitigatc the agglomeration problem, decrease the dependence on inactive binders, and improve the clcctrochenfical properties of both anode and cathode materials remarkably. Freestanding CNT network can be used as lightweight current collectors to increase the overall energy density of LIBs. Finally, research perspectives for exploiting CNTs in high-performance LIBs are discussed.     

以能带理论诠释直流聚乙烯绝缘中空间电荷的形成和抑制机理

高压直流塑料交联聚乙烯电缆的研发难点是消除其中的空间电荷效应. 目前, 国内外学者普遍通过添加纳米粒子在聚乙烯体内形成深陷阱捕获电荷的机理来抑制电荷积聚, 但此抑制机理违背了电场的基本理论. 以能带理论全面阐述聚合物介质中空间电荷的形成和抑制机理, 从一级陷阱模型出发, 应用电荷入陷和脱陷动力方程, 推导了聚合物介质中空间电荷的形成过程. 在聚合物介质中引入深陷阱后, 介质Fermi能级位移, 电极与介质之间界面接触由Ohm接触转变为阻塞接触. 考虑到无定形相中大量的陷阱密度, 电荷耗尽区宽度小于100 Å, 电极与介质之间的界面对电子变得透明, 形成中性接触, 在电压作用下, 这种聚乙烯介质中不再可能形成空间电荷. 最后, 在纯聚乙烯和纳米改性后含有深陷阱的聚乙烯两种试样上, 分别测量了电导与电场强度的关系和空间电荷分布曲线, 实验结果符合理论推导. 关键词： 直流绝缘 能带理论 空间电荷 抑制机理     

Ion beam modification of silicide-silicon interfaces

We have modified the contact interface between Pd₂Si and n-Si by ion implantation and investigated the effect of the implantation on Schottky barrier height and rate of silicide formation by electrical current-voltage measurements and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. Various ions, As. P, B. O and Si at 50 keV and up to a dose of 5 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm² were implanted into Si wafers before the Pd-deposition to form Pd₂Si. In the case of As and P, the implantation showed a large erect on the subsequent Pd₂Si formation; the formation is enhanced in the as-implanted samples, but it is retarded if an annealing at 600°C precedes the Pd-deposition. Silicide formation was found generally to help reduce the implantation damage (with or without the 600°C annealing) and showed improvements on the electrical characteristics of the contact interface. Consumption of the entire implanted region by silicide formation is found necessary for obtaining a good diode performance. In the case of As implantation, a lowering of the Schottky barrier height of Pd₂Si has been observed.     

Energy band alignment at ferroelectric/electrode interface determined by photoelectron spectroscopy

The most important interface-related quantities determined by band alignment are the barrier heights for charge transport, given by the Fermi level position at the interface. Taking Pb(Zr,Ti)O3(PZT) as a typical ferroelectric material and applying X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), we briefly review the interface formation and barrier heights at the interfaces between PZT and electrodes made of various metals or conductive oxides. Polarization dependence of the Schottky barrier height at a ferroelectric/electrode interface is also directly observed using XPS.     

单壁碳纳米管膜及其三聚氰胺甲醛树脂复合材料的光电特性

单壁碳纳米管能够强烈吸收光线,尤其是在近红外区域,并能将光能转换成热能.同时,单壁碳纳米管还具有相当大的将热能转换成电能的能力.通过真空过滤方法,将由化学气相沉积生成的单壁碳纳米管阵列制备成单壁碳纳米管膜.根据研究的需要设计了一个简单的单壁碳纳米管膜光伏性质测试实验装置,并在其两端成功地实现了由红外光转换为电压输出.通过功能化步骤,制备了单壁碳纳米管/三聚氰胺甲醛树脂复合材料膜,实验结果表明该复合材料能产生符号相反的输出电压.这预示着单壁碳纳米管及其三聚氰胺甲醛树脂复合材料在光电领域具有良好的应用前景.