Observations of photovoltage in Ag photodoping of amorphous As2S3 films

Photovoltage has been measured during Ag photodoping process in amorphous As₂S₃ films. Concerning the driving force on Ag atoms in the process, a tentative energy band model near Ag-As₂S₃ interface has been proposed.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Ce(Cu,Ni)2 pseudobinary phases

The stability of the pseudobinary phases obtained by partial substitution of Ni with Cu, Ag or Au in the cubic Laves phase CeNi₂, or by partial substitution of Cu with Ni in the orthorhombic compound CeCu₂ has been investigated. No solid solubility of Cu, Ag and Au in the CeNi₂ cubic lattice could be detected. In contrast, pseudobinary orthorhombic phases, corresponding to the formula CeCus_2?xNi_x, exist over the range x = 0 to 1. For these phases, crystal structures and magnetic properties have been determined. In every case, the electronic configuration of cerium appears to be unaffected to the Ni content, and corresponds to the trivalent state. The Ni atoms are in a non-magnetic state. The magnetic susceptibility of CeCu₂ in the region from 530 to 900 K shows anomalous behaviour, which should be due to a metamagnetic transition.     

Effect of doping on the luminescence properties of Li2B4O7

In this work, we have investigated the influence of doping agents on the luminescence properties of multiply doped Li₂B₄O₇ and the temperature lag between TSL materials and the heating element. The results of thermoluminescence studies show that the Ag doping leads to the appearance of a new glow curve peak at 165 °C and the increasing sensitivity of Li₂B₄O₇:Cu,Ag,P is correlated with copper and phosphate concentrations. Under the excitation at 245 nm the emission spectra show maxima at 365 and 450 nm in the ceramic, crystal and glass. The low energy shift in the latter system might be related to the local structural distortion in the glass around Cu⁺ ions.     

使用金属掺杂SnO2(110)作为表面催化剂的电催化CO2还原反应：通过调控Sn:O原子比例来控制产物

电催化CO₂还原反应可以产生HCOOH和CO,目前该反应是将可再生电力转化为化学能存储在燃料中的最有前景的方法之一. SnO₂作为将CO₂转换为HCOOH和CO的良好催化剂,其反应发生的晶面可以是不同的. 其中(110)面的SnO₂非常稳定,易于合成. 通过改变SnO₂(110)的Sn:O原子比例,得到了两种典型的SnO₂薄膜：完全氧化型(符合化学计量)和部分还原型. 本文研究了不同金属(Fe、Co、Ni、Cu、Ru、Rh、Pd、Ag、Os、Ir、Pt和Au)掺杂的SnO₂(110),发现在CO₂还原反应中这些材料的催化活性和选择性是不同的. 所有这些变化都可以通过调控(110)表面中Sn:O原子的比例来控制. 结果表明,化学计量型和部分还原型Cu/Ag掺杂的SnO₂(110)对CO₂还原反应具有不同的选择性. 具体而言,化学计量型的Cu/Ag掺杂的SnO₂(110)倾向于产生CO(g),而部分还原型的表面倾向于产生HCOOH(g). 此外,本文还考虑了CO₂还原的竞争析氢反应. 其中Ru、Rh、Pd、Os、Ir和Pt掺杂的SnO₂(110)催化剂对析氢反应具有较高的活性,其他催化剂对CO₂还原反应具有良好的催化作用.     

低相变温度垂直取向的CoPtCu/Ag纳米复合膜

采用磁控溅射(Ag/Cu/CoPt)_n多层膜先驱体结合真空退火的方法制备了一系列CoPtCu/Ag纳米复合薄膜，通过优化薄膜中Ag以及Cu的含量，成功制备出了低相变温度垂直取向的CoPtCu/Ag纳米复合膜，该膜在450℃退火即可发生相变，该温度比目前所报导的CoPtAg纳米复合膜的相变温度降低了150℃. 实验结果表明，薄膜中一定含量的Ag元素能够有效诱导薄膜的(001)取向，Cu元素的加入能有效降低薄膜的有序化温度. 对于特定组分为Co₄₀Pt₃₆Cu₈Ag₁₆的薄膜，经500℃退火后已经显示了明显的(001)取向，垂直于膜面方向上的矫顽力为5.0×10⁵A/m，并且薄膜中晶粒尺寸仅为4—5nm，为将来CoPt-L1₀有序相合金薄膜用于超高密度垂直磁记录介质打下了基础. 关键词： 磁记录材料 CoPt 纳米复合膜     

First-principles study of electronic structures and optical properties of Cu, Ag, and Au-doped anatase TiO2

We perform first-principles calculations to investigate the band structure, density of states, optical absorption, and the imaginary part of dielectric function of Cu, Ag, and Au-doped anatase TiO₂ in 72 atoms systems. The electronic structure results show that the Cu incorporation can lead to the enhancement of d states near the uppermost of valence band, while the Ag and Au doping cause some new electronic states in band gap of TiO₂. Meanwhile, it is found that the visible optical absorptions of Cu, Ag, and Au-doped TiO₂, are observed by analyzing the results of optical properties, which locate in the region of 400-1000 nm. The absorption band edges of Cu, Ag, and Au-doped TiO₂ shift to the long wavelength region compared with the pure TiO₂. Furthermore, according to the calculated results, we propose the optical transition mechanisms of Cu, Ag, and Au-doped TiO₂. Our results show that the visible light response of TiO₂ can be modulated by substitutional doping of Cu, Ag, and Au.     

Effects of steps and defects on O2 dissociation on clean and modified Cu(1 0 0)

Dissociative chemisorption of O₂ on Cu(1 0 0), S/Cu(1 0 0) and Ag/Cu(1 0 0) surface alloy has been investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). A strong reduction in the initial O₂ chemisorption probability (S₀) from 0.05 to 7.4 × 10⁻³ is observed already at an Ag coverage of 0.02 ML. Further Ag deposition results only in a moderate decrease in S₀. Similar inhibition of O₂ dissociation is observed on S/Cu(1 0 0). It is concluded that at very low Ag coverages, the reduced reactivity of Ag/Cu(1 0 0) towards O₂ dissociation is primarily due to the steric blocking of the surface defects and that any electronic effects are only secondary and present only at higher Ag coverages.     

Blocking of interfacial diffusion at Ag/Alq3 by LiF

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been applied to interface studies of Ag/tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq₃) and Ag/LiF/Alq₃. For Ag/Alq₃, diffusion of Ag atoms into the Alq₃ layer occurs immediately after the adhesion of the metal onto the organic layer and the process lasts several hours. Insertion of a monolayer-thick LiF buffer at the interface can effectively block the diffusion process. This is quite different from what is observed from Al/LiF/Alq₃, where Al penetrates into the LiF layer as deep as several nanometers. It is thus concluded that the LiF buffer may play different roles in Ag/LiF/Alq₃ and Al/LiF/Alq₃ and hence different mechanisms may dominate in the two cases for the enhanced carrier injection observed.     

Resistance switching in Fe-doped P0.7Ca0.3MnO3 thin films

An enhanced electric-pulse-induced resistance (EPIR) switching effect is observed in the Ag/P_0.7Ca_0.3Mn_1 − xFe_xO₃/YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (Ag/PCMFO/YBCO) and Ag/(PCMFO/PCMO)/YBCO structures. Unlike in the PCMO-based EPIR devices, where the Ag/PCMO interface plays a crucial role, both the Ag/PCMFO interface and the bulk PCMFO are found to have significant contributions to the EPIR switching of the PCMFO-based device. A possible explanation is to extend the pulse-driven oxygen ion/vacancy motion model at the metal/PCMO interface region to the bulk PCMFO.     

Yields of H+ and He+ at the energy for elastic scattering from H2+3He+ incident on Ag and Pd

Yields, Y, of H⁺ and He⁺ emerging specularly with the energy for single binary elastic collisions have been measured from polycrystalline Ag and Pd surfaces bombarded with mixed monoenergetic (300 < E₀ < 2600 eV) beams of H₂⁺³He⁺ impinging at an angle of 45° from the surface normal. The surfaces were exposed to H₂⁺ at a dynamic pressure of 8 × 10^?3 Pa (6 × 10^?5 Torr) during the measurements. The He⁺ yields from Pd are slightly larger than from Ag, and the H⁺ yields from Pd are 10 to 40 times as large as those from Ag. These results suggest that differences between Pd and Ag in the amount of hydrogen adsorbed and in the character of the hydrogen-metal bond may be responsible for the yield differences through shadowing by, and possibly the sputtering of, adsorbed hydrogen. The Y versus E₀ curves for all four systems have qualitatively the same singly peaked shape which implies that reactive and noble gas ions undergo similar neutralization processes during elastic surface collisions. The ratios of the yields from Ag and Pd do not exhibit the theoretically expected exponential dependence on collision time over the entire range studied, but at the lowest energies the ratios lead to estimates of the difference of neutralization constants which do agree with theory. The potential utility of the large difference in proton yields from Ag and Pd for studying the Ag-Pd alloy system is noted.     

Study of L2,3M4,5M4,5 Auger spectra of Zn and Cu in molecular ZnCl2 and (CuCl)3 vapours

L_2,3M_4,5M_4,5 Auger electron spectra of Zn and Cu have been measured in molecular ZnCl₂ and (CuCl) ₃ vapours. The spectra have been analyzed and compared with the corresponding free-atom spectra. It is found that the main features of the spectra are atomic-like. The energies are shifted by 0.55 eV in ZnCl₂ and by 3.2 eV in (CuCl)₃ towards higher kinetic energy compared with the corresponding free-atom spectra. For the intensity ratios between the L₃ and L₂ groups, the values 2.8 and 3.7 are obtained for Zn and Cu, respectively. These intensity ratio, together with energy considerations based on free-atom Dirac—Fock calculations and observed Auger shifts, indicate that the L₂L₃M_4,5 Coster—Kronig process is energetically possible in (CuCl)₃ molecular clusters but not in ZnCl₂. The satellite structure in the spectra studied also supports this conclusion.     

AC susceptibility and intergranular critical current density study in pure and Ag doped (La1−xYx)2Ba2CaCu5Oz superconductors

The temperature and AC field amplitude variations of AC susceptibility have been measured on pure and 5 wt% Ag doped (La_1−xY_x)₂Ba₂CaCu₅O_z superconductors. The AC susceptibility as a function of field have been analyzed using Kim's critical state model. The temperature dependence of intergranular critical current density and the effective volume fractions of the grains have been estimated. The Ag doped samples show relatively large critical current density due to the improved intergranular coupling. The exponent of temperature variation of critical current density suggests that the weak links form superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) type of junctions for all the samples.     

The NMR study of the mixed compound (CH3NH3)2Cu(Cl0.1Br0.9)4

The mixed compound (CH₃NH₃)₂Cu(Cl_0.1Br_0.9)₄ which has random bonds of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions has been investigated by the pulsed NMR of ¹H, ^63,65Cu and ^79,81Br. The temperature dependence of the line width of ¹H showed the existence of the magnetic phase transition at 15 K in the applied field of 4 kOe. The moments of Cu²⁺ have been shown to lie within the c-plane and have some randomness from the field dependence of the NMR spectrum and the spin-echo decay time of the copper and the bromine nuclei.     

Superconducting thin films of MxMo6S8 type

Thin films of M_xMo₆S₈, where M=Pb, Sn, Sn-Al and Cu, known as the Chevrel phases have been prepared by d.c. getter sputtering method and the optimal conditions of their preparation have been determined. The transition temperatures reached: 10.16, 13.66, 11.74 and 12.86 K for thin films with M=Cu, Sn, Sn-Al and Pb respectively. The highest critical fields H_c²(0) of 428 kG were obtained for Pb compounds.     

Novel hydrophobic/hydrophilic patterning process by photocatalytic Ag nucleation on TiO2 thin film and electroless Cu deposition

A hydrophobic/super-hydrophilic pattern was prepared on a TiO₂ thin film by a new fabrication process. The process consists of five key steps: (1) photocatalytic reduction of Ag⁺ to Ag (nucleation), (2) electroless Cu deposition, (3) oxidation of Cu to CuO, (4) deposition of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), and (5) photocatalytic decomposition of selected areas of the SAM. A hydrophobic/super-hydrophilic pattern with 500-μm² hydrophilic areas was obtained in this process. It is particularly noteworthy that a UV irradiation time of only 1 s was sufficient for the nucleation step in the patterning process.     

X-ray L1, L2 and L3 absorption limits of 4D transition metals

The wavelengths and energies of the L₁, L₂ and L₃ absorption limits in Zr, Nb, Ru, Rh, Pd and Ag metals have been measured and some of the previous reported values have been found to be incorrect. By comparing the energies of the absorption limits with those of the Lγ₁Ly, and Lβ_2,15, lines and also with the binding energies obtained by XPS, the electronic transitions corresponding to the respective absorption limits have been clarified. It is concluded that (i) the end level of the electronic transition corresponding to the L₁ absorption limit of Zr-Ag is the 5p-like level, and (ii) the end level corresponding to either of the L₂ and L₃, absorption limits of Zr-Pd is the 4d level, while that of Ag is, rather unexpectedly, the top of the 5s level.     

Optical constants of Cu(In0.7Ga0.3)5Se8 and Cu(In0.4Ga0.6)5Se8 crystals

Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry has been applied to characterize the optical constants of bulk Cu(In_0.7Ga_0.3)₅Se₈ and Cu(In_0.4Ga_0.6)₅Se₈ crystals grown by the Bridgman method. The spectra were measured at room temperature over the energy range 0.8-4.4 eV. Adachi’s model was used to calculate the dielectric functions as well as the spectral dependence of complex refractive index, absorption coefficient, and normal-incidence reflectivity. The calculated data are in good agreement with the experimental ones over the entire range of photon energies. The parameters such as strength, threshold energy, and broadening, corresponding to the E₀, E_1A, and E_1B interband transitions, have been determined using the simulated annealing algorithm.     

Structural evolution of sol-gel SiO2 heated glasses containing silver particles

SiO₂ based glasses added with nanometric-silver particles have been prepared by the traditional sol-gel process, using the tetraethyl-orthosilicate alkoxide. The Ag particles were prepared using a new method described in this article, the method uses a cementation reaction between Ag ions and an iron electrode. The size of the particles, measured in the dried glass, was in the range of 100-200 nm. The observed structural changes depend on the annealing conditions, such as the annealing temperature, the amount of silver particles and the type of acid (HCl or HNO₃) used to catalyze the hydrolysis/condensation reactions during the sol-gel process. Samples prepared using both acids crystallized into the cristobalite phase after thermal annealing at 800 °C. The amount of SiO₂ crystallized depends on the amount of Ag present in the glass. Samples prepared from solutions catalyzed with HCl acid show the formation of nanometric Ag particles after thermal annealing at 500 °C, these small particles are not observed after similar treatments when HNO₃ is used as the catalytic acid. HCl and Ag₂O form AgCl which is reduced by residual carbon to form Ag ultrafine particles. The diffusion of the reduced Ag spices, which form these particles, is facilitated by the opened structure of the glasses added with Ag, as indicated by IR measurements.     

Increased critical current density and pinning in thick Ag/YBa2Cu3O7−x multilayers

We have investigated the superconducting properties of Ag/YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x thick multilayers grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition, and found that the artificial pinning centres induced by Ag nanodots lead to a significant increase in critical current, especially in high applied magnetic fields. Transmission Electron Microscopy showed a columnar growth of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x induced by Ag nanodots, while angle-dependent transport measurements revealed the existence of strong, both isotropic and c-axis correlated, artificial pinning centres.     

Anomalous transport effects for the metal and insulator doped La0.833K0.167MnO3 systems

The La_0.833K_0.167MnO₃:Ag₂O and the La_0.833K_0.167MnO₃:SrTiO₃ samples are fabricated by the sol–gel method. The microstructure, magnetic and transportation properties have been systematically studied. X-ray diffraction patterns show that the La_0.833K_0.167MnO₃:Ag₂O (abbreviated as LKMO/Ag) sample is a two-phase composite and consists of a magnetic La_0.833K_0.167MnO₃ (abbreviated as LKMO) perovskite phase and a nonmagnetic Ag metal phase, while the structure of the La_0.833K_0.167MnO₃:SrTiO₃ (abbreviated as LKMO/STO) sample is a homogeneous solid solution phase. Comparing with the pure LKMO sample, the room temperature magnetoresistance (MR) effect for the LKMO/Ag sample is enhanced significantly due to the addition of Ag metal. The MR ratio increases from ∼25% for the pure LKMO sample to 65% for the LKMO/Ag sample under a higher field of 5.5 T at 300 K. For the LKMO/STO sample, however, the room temperature MR effect is weakened dramatically and is almost close to zero due to the addition of SrTiO₃ insulator. In the low temperature regime below the Curie temperature, the MR behaviors are different from that of the room temperature; that is, the MR effect is decreased for the LKMO/Ag sample and increased for the LKMO/STO sample with temperature decrease. In fact, the low-field (μ₀H=0.5 T) MR decreases from 32% to 5% for the LKMO/Ag sample, while increasing from 0.07% to 25% for the LKMO/STO sample with decreasing temperature from 300 to 4 K. The relative change between the intrinsic and the extrinsic MR, and varied roles of the spin-polarized-tunneling and the spin-dependent scattering mechanisms in different temperature regimes are employed to interpret the anomalous transport behaviors.