Phase formation and control of morphology in sputtered Cu-In alloy layers

The dependence of structural properties and surface morphology of Cu-In alloy layers on the composition and sputtering deposition sequence were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The properties of the co-sputtered alloy layers changed abruptly around the composition boundary when the Cu/In ratio reached 1/2. This can be explained by the effective heat of formation (EHF) model, which has been used to predict the sequence of phase formation for metal diffusion couples. The use of a co-sputtered alloy layer with a high In concentration was not suitable for fabricating solar cells, because the film had a very rough morphology due to large In islands formed on the CuIn₂ phase. However, it was possible to minimize this phase by In sputtering followed by co-sputtering with a Cu/In ratio of 1 (Cu-In/In/Glass). This permitted the fabrication of a homogeneous Cu-In alloy layer, which was not possible through the simple co-sputtering.     

Quantum Dynamics of Systems Connected by a Canonical Transformation

Quantum Hamiltonian systems corresponding to classical systems related by a general canonical transformation are considered. The differential equation to find the unitary operator, which corresponds to the canonical transformation and connects quantum states of the original and transformed systems, is obtained. The propagator associated with their wave functions is found by the unitary operator. Quantum systems related by a linear canonical point transformation are analyzed. The results are tested by finding the wave functions of the under-, critical-, and over-damped harmonic oscillator from the wave functions of the harmonic oscillator, free-particle system, and negative harmonic potential system, using the unitary operator to connect them, respectively.     

Investigation of the Li1+xV3O8 electrode–organic electrolyte interface by scanning photoelectron microscopy

To investigate the formation of a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on the Li_1+xV₃O₈ electrode surface in the thermodynamic stability range of the organic electrolyte, we applied scanning photoelectron microscopy (SPEM) to a pristine electrode and to an electrode after ten cycles. The F K-edge absorption spectrum of the cycled electrode showed that LiF forms on the electrode surface during the lithium insertion–extraction process in the Li_1+xV₃O₈/Li cell. The photoelectron spectrum for the cycled electrode showed intense spectral features corresponding to Li 1s, F 2s, F 2p, and P 2p electron signals, whereas these spectral features were of negligible intensity for the pristine electrode. The above results give strong support for the formation of an SEI that consists of LiF and compounds containing phosphorus during operation of the battery. The SPEM images also revealed that the fluorine distribution on the surface of the cycled electrode was inhomogeneous.     

Differentiation between tracks and damages in SSNTD under the atomic force microscope

We have observed three-dimensional sponge-like structures as well as strips of connecting pits on the surface of the LR 115 detector after etching, which can be confused with the small tracks formed after short etching time. We have employed an atomic force microscope (AFM) to study these “damages” as well as genuine alpha tracks for short etching time. It was found that while the track and damage openings could be similar in size and shape, the depths for the damages were consistently smaller. Therefore, the depth of the pits will serve as a clear criterion to differentiate between tracks and other damages. The ability to discriminate between genuine tracks from other damages is most important for etching for short time intervals.     

Synthesis and adsorption properties of gold nanoparticles within pores of surface‐functional porous polymer microspheres

Mesoporous polymer microspheres with gold (Au) nanoparticles inside their pores were prepared considering their surface functionality and porosity. The Au/polymer composite microspheres prepared were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) techniques. The results showed that the adsorption of Au nanoparticles could be increased by imparting the pore structure and surface‐functional groups into the supporting polymer microspheres (in this study, poly (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate‐co‐acrylonitrile) and poly (EGDMA‐co‐AN) system). Above all, from this study, it was established that the porosity of the polymer microspheres is the most important factor that determines the distribution and adsorption amount of face‐centered cubic (fcc) Au nanoparticles in the final products. Our study showed that the continuous adsorption of Au nanoparticles with the aid of the large surface area and surface interaction sites formed more favorably the Au/polymer composite microspheres. The BET measurements of Au/poly(EGDMA‐co‐AN) composite microspheres reveals that the adsorption of Au nanoparticles into the pores kept the pore structure intact and made it more porous. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5627–5635, 2004     

Electrochemical behavior of Li intercalation processes into a Li[NixLi(1/3−2x/3)Mn(2/3−x/3)]O2 cathode

Li[Ni_xLi_(1/3−2x/3)Mn_(2/3−x/3)]O₂ (X=0.17, 0.25, 0.33, 0.5) compounds are prepared by a simple combustion method. The Rietvelt analysis shows that these compounds could be classified as having the α-NaFeO₂ structure. The initial charge-discharge and irreversible capacity increases with the decrease of x in Li[Ni_xLi_(1/3−2x/3)Mn_(2/3−x/3)]O₂. Indeed, Li[Ni_0.50Mn_0.50]O₂ compound shows relatively low initial discharge capacity of 200 mAh/g and large capacity loss during cycling, with Li[Ni_0.17Li_0.22Mn_0.61]O₂ and Li[Ni_0.25Li_0.17Mn₀.₅₈]O₂ compounds exhibit high initial discharge capacity over 245 mAh/g and stable cycle performance in the voltage range of 4.8 -2.0 V. On the other hand, XANES analysis shows that the oxidation state of Ni ion reversibly changes between Ni²⁺ and about Ni³⁺, while the oxidation state of Mn ion sustains Mn⁴⁺ during charge-discharge process. This result does not agree with the previously reported ‘electrochemistry model’ of Li[Ni_xLi_(1/3−2x/3)Mn_(2/3−x/3)]O₂, in which Ni ion changes between Ni²⁺ and NI⁴⁺. Based on these results, we modified oxidation-state change of Mn and Ni ion during charge-discharge process.     

Rankin-Cohen brackets on pseudodifferential operators

Pseudodifferential operators that are invariant under the action of a discrete subgroup Γ of SL(2,R) correspond to certain sequences of modular forms for Γ. Rankin-Cohen brackets are noncommutative products of modular forms expressed in terms of derivatives of modular forms. We introduce an analog of the heat operator on the space of pseudodifferential operators and use this to construct bilinear operators on that space which may be considered as Rankin-Cohen brackets. We also discuss generalized Rankin-Cohen brackets on modular forms and use these to construct certain types of modular forms.     

Analysis on plasma chemistry and particle growth in corona discharge process for NO/sub x/ removal using discrete-sectional method

The particle formation and growth combined with plasma chemistry in the pulsed corona discharge process (PCDP) to remove NO/sub x/ were analyzed by the discrete-sectional model. In the PCDP, most of the NO is converted into NO/sub 2/ and, later, into HNO/sub 3/ which reacts with NH/sub 3/ to form the NH/sub 4/NO/sub 3/ particle. In the beginning of the reactor, we have the high concentration of small size particles and, later, the particle size distribution in the reactor becomes bimodal with the large size and small size particles and, finally, becomes monodisperse with the large size particles. As the average electron concentration increases, it takes a shorter reactor length to remove the NO/sub x/. As the initial NO and H/sub 2/O concentrations decrease, the NH/sub 3/ is consumed more slowly to form the ammonium nitrates particles. As the averaged electron concentration and initial H/sub 2/O concentration increase, the large size particles grow more quickly and the particle size distribution becomes bimodal earlier. As the initial NO and NH/sub 3/ concentrations increase, the diameter of large size particles becomes larger by the faster coagulation between particles. The predicted NO/sub x/ conversion and particle size distribution were in close agreements with the published experimental results at the averaged electron concentration of 2/spl times/10/sup 5/ cm/sup -3/ in this study.     

The effect of olefinic terminal chains on the mesomorphic properties of 4,4'-disubstituted diphenyldiacetylenes

New diphenyldiacetylenes of the type with A, B = H and/or F; m = 0, 1; n = 1-4; and X = C n H 2n + 1 , F, CF 3 or CN were synthesized and their mesomorphic properties determined by hot stage polarizing microscopy and DSC. When m = 0, all of these compounds showed only a nematic phase except when X = CF 3 when both nematic and smectic A phases were seen. Both clearing and melting temperatures were higher than those reported for substitution with the corresponding alkyl chains but the much larger increase in clearing temperatures produced considerably wider nematic phases. Eutectic mixtures of a few of these olefins yielded nematic materials also having much wider temperature ranges and higher clearing temperatures than the eutectic mixtures of the alkyl compounds, while retaining their high birefringence and low viscosities. Such materials are of interest for beam-steering devices.

Four of the diacetylenes with m = 1 ( A, B = H) were also prepared ( X = C 6 H 13 , F, n = 2, 3). When X was C 6 H 13 ( n = 2), the nematic range was smaller in the 2- than in the 1-olefin but wider than in the alkyl series. When X = F, either no nematic phase or a monotropic one was observed, whereas the 1-olefins gave a much wider nematic phase. Both transition temperatures were lower than those for the corresponding 1-olefin and alkyl analogues. The compound with X = C 6 H 13 and n = 2 had a melting temperature below room temperature.