Surface morphology study of recrystallization dynamics of amorphous ZnO layers prepared on different substrates

Amorphous oxides-based devices are exposed, during fabrication, to different processing conditions affecting their properties. Zinc oxide is a prospective candidate for transparent amorphous oxides, but its structure is changing under the influence of temperature. We investigated surface recrystallization of amorphous zinc oxide layers deposited onto fused silica, sapphire and Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The prepared three series of layers had highly nonequilibrium phase structures. Using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the effect was studied of subsequent annealing at 200, 400, 600, 800 °C for 60 min upon the surface structural properties of the layers. The following parameters were analyzed: average roughness, RMS roughness and size of formed grains on selected places with 1 × 1 μm² area. Surface structural analysis revealed that annealing led to recrystallization of the prepared layers and roughening of the structural features on the surface. With increasing annealing temperature, the calculated parameters were increasing. The average surface roughness of zinc oxide layers annealed at 800 °C is three times higher than that of the layers annealed at lower temperatures for all substrates used. The process dynamics of thermally caused recrystallization of the layers was different for each of the substrates used.     

Influence of nanometer scale film structure of ZDDP tribofilm on Its mechanical properties: A computational chemistry study

We investigated the influence of a nanometer scale film structure of a tribofilm generated from zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) anti-wear additive on its mechanical properties using a combined molecular dynamics (MD) and finite element (FE) method. The frictional behavior of an interface between a native iron oxide layer on steel surface and zinc metaphosphate - regarded as a model material of ZDDP tribofilm - was firstly studied using the MD method. The results showed that the iron atoms in the oxide layer diffused into the phosphate layer during the friction process. The zinc atoms in the phosphate layer also diffused into the oxide layer. Significant interdiffusion of iron and zinc atoms was observed with increasing simulation time. Thus, metallic phosphate with a gradient composition of iron and zinc atoms was formed on the phosphate/oxide interface. We then constructed an axisymmetric nanoindentation simulation model from the MD-derived structures at a certain simulation time and carried out a FE calculation. As a result, we found that the rubbed ZDDP tribofilm, including the phosphate with the gradient composition of metallic atoms, showed larger contact stiffness and hardness. The combined MD/FE simulation indicates that the tribofilm becomes stiffer and harder due to the interdiffusion of iron and zinc atoms on the tribofilm/oxide interface. We have found that the gradient composition formation in ZDDP tribofilm during friction process influences on its mechanical properties.     

Tailoring the optical and hydrophobic property of zinc oxide nanorod by coating with amorphous graphene

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized at room temperature on potassium permanganate activated silicon and glass substrate by simple chemical method using zinc acetate as precursor.To modify the surface energy of the as prepared ZnO thin films the samples were coated with amorphous graphene (a-G) synthesized by un-zipping of chemically synthesized amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs). All the pure and coated samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The roughness analysis of the as prepared samples was done by atomic force microscopic analysis. The detail optical properties of all the samples were studied with the help of a UV-Visible spectrophotometer.The surface energy of the as prepared pure and coated samples was calculated by measuring the contact angle of two different liquids. It is seen that the water repellence of ZnO nanorods got increased after they are being coated with a-Gs. Also even after UV irradiation the contact angle remain same unlike the case for the uncoated sample where the contact angle gets decreased significantly after UV irradiation. Existing Cassie-Wenzel model has been employed along with the Owen's approach to determine the different components of surface energy.     

Synthesis of epitaxial layers of zinc oxide on nonorienting substrates

The first experiments on the growth of single-crystal layers of zinc oxide on nonorienting substrates (crystalline leucosapphire and fused quartz) by chemical transport reactions in a reduced-pressure flow-through reactor in a hydrogen atmosphere is reported. To ensure autoepitaxy on a surface of a nonorienting substrate, an optimized intermediate layer of zinc oxide of thickness 200–1000 Å, which provides a texture of basal orientation regardless of the orienting properties of the substrate, is preliminarily deposited by magnetron sputtering. It is shown that the subsequent growth of layers on such a surface by a chemical transport reaction to a thickness of 1–5 ensures high structural perfection, uniformity, and a very smooth surface, while polycrystalline films are deposited on the portion of the surface without a buffer layer. The proposed method can be used to grow heteroepitaxial structures and other electronic materials on nonorienting substrates using chemical transport reactions.     

Electrochemical and hydrothermal deposition of ZnO on silicon: from continuous films to nanocrystals

This article presents the study of the electrochemical deposition of zinc oxide from the non-aqueous solution based on dimethyl sulfoxide and zinc chloride into the porous silicon matrix. The features of the deposition process depending on the thickness of the porous silicon layer are presented. It is shown that after deposition process the porous silicon matrix is filled with zinc oxide nanocrystals with a diameter of 10–50 nm. The electrochemically deposited zinc oxide layers on top of porous silicon are shown to have a crystalline structure. It is also shown that zinc oxide crystals formed by hydrothermal method on the surface of electrochemically deposited zinc oxide film demonstrate ultra-violet luminescence. The effect of the porous silicon layer thickness on the morphology of the zinc oxide is shown. The structures obtained demonstrated two luminescence bands peaking at the 375 and 600 nm wavelengths. Possible applications of ZnO nanostructures, porous and continuous polycrystalline ZnO films such as gas sensors, light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic devices, and nanopiezo energy generators are considered. Aspects of integration with conventional silicon technology are also discussed.     

Optical characterization of ZnO nanoparticles capped with various surfactants

The presence of surfactants (Hexamine, tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), tetraoctylammonium bromide (TOAB) and PVP) on the surface of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles resulted variation in their optical properties. The optical properties of each surfactant-capped zinc oxide nanoparticles were investigated using UV-visible absorption and fluorescence techniques. The particle size of these nanoparticles were calculated from their absorption edge, and found to be in the quantum confinement range. The absorption spectra and fluorescent emission spectra showed a significant blue shift compared to that of the bulk zinc oxide. Large reduction in the intensity of visible emission of zinc oxide/surfactant was observed and these emissions were vanished more quickly, with the decrease in excitation energy, for the smaller nanoparticles. Out of the four surfactants (other than PVP), CTAB-capped zinc oxide has smallest particle size of 2.4 nm, as calculated from the absorption spectrum. Thus the presence of surfactant on the surface of zinc oxide plays a significant role in reducing defect emissions. Furthermore, ZnO/PVP nanoparticles showed no separate UV emission peak; however, the excitonic UV emission and the visible emission at 420 nm overlap to form a single broad band around 420 nm.     

Laser energy density, structure and properties of pulsed-laser deposited zinc oxide films

Zinc oxide thin films were deposited on soda lime glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition in an oxygen-reactive atmosphere at 20 Pa and a constant substrate temperature at 300 °C. A pulsed KrF excimer laser, operated at 248 nm with pulse duration 10 ns, was used to ablate the ceramic zinc oxide target. The structure, the optical and electrical properties of the as-deposited films were studied in dependence of the laser energy density in the 1.2-2.8 J/cm² range, with the aid of X-ray Diffraction, Atomic Force Microscope, Transmission Spectroscopy techniques, and the Van der Pauw method, respectively. The results indicated that the structural and optical properties of the zinc oxide films were improved by increasing the laser energy density of the ablating laser. The surface roughness of the zinc oxide film increased with the decrease of laser energy density and both the optical bang gap and the electrical resistivity of the film were significantly affected by the laser energy density.     

Surface adhesion properties of graphene and graphene oxide studied by colloid-probe atomic force microscopy

Surface adhesion properties are important to various applications of graphene-based materials. Atomic force microscopy is powerful to study the adhesion properties of samples by measuring the forces on the colloidal sphere tip as it approaches and retracts from the surface. In this paper we have measured the adhesion force between the colloid probe and the surface of graphene (graphene oxide) nanosheet. The results revealed that the adhesion force on graphene and graphene oxide surface were 66.3 and 170.6 nN, respectively. It was found the adhesion force was mainly determined by the water meniscus, which was related to the surface contact angle of samples.     

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces on zinc substrates and their application as effective corrosion barriers

Stable superhydrophobic surfaces have been effectively fabricated on the zinc substrates through one-step platinum replacement deposition process without the further modification or any other post processing procedures. The effect of reaction temperatures on the surface morphology and wettability was studied by using SEM and water contact angle (CA) analysis. Under room temperature, the composite structure formed on the zinc substrate was consisted of microscale hexagonal cavities, densely packed nanoparticles layer and micro/nanoscale structures like the flowers. The structure has exhibited great surface roughness and porosity contributing to the superhydrophobicity where the contact angle could reach an ultra high value of around 170°. Under reaction temperature of 80 °C, the composite structure, on the other hand, was hierarchical structure containing lots of nanoscale flowers and some large bushes and showed certain surface roughness (maximum CA value of about 150°). In addition, an optimal superhydrophobic platinum surface was able to provide an effective anticorrosive coating to the zinc substrate when it was immersed into an aqueous solution of sodium chloride (3% NaCl) for up to 20 days. The corrosion process was monitored through electrochemical means and the results are compared with those of unprotected zinc plates.     

电场条件下氧化锌结晶特性及极化产物的拉曼光谱分析

开展高压电场调控纳米材料结构形貌和性能研究在功能材料领域具有重要的理论和实际意义.本文在高压电场条件下合成了氧化锌纳米粉体,并对粉末试片进行了后期电场极化处理,研究了电场对氧化锌的结构形貌、点缺陷、拉曼光谱的影响.以X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)和拉曼光谱仪对产物的结构形貌、拉曼位移、缺陷分布等进行了表征.结果表明,高压电场条件下氧化锌的完全晶化时间和温度比未施加电场时明显延长和升高,直流电场能够显著促进前驱物中氧化锌的形核,并降低晶化速度.不同电场强度下氧化锌具有不同的显微形貌.纳米氧化锌粉末试片在直流电场中极化后,其阴极面和阳极面的拉曼光谱表现出明显的差异.有明显漏电电流的情况下,阳极面在1050 cm~(–1)处的二级光学声子模A_1(LO)的强度显著提高,且拉曼强度I_1=438 cm~(–1)和I_2=1050 cm~(–1)的比值与极化电场的场强呈线性关系.当调转试片正反面进行二次极化时,原来在阳极面尖锐的1050 cm~(–1)峰经过阴极极化而消失.阳极面1050 cm~(–1)拉曼峰的锐化与氧化锌晶粒内的缺陷重新分布和双肖脱基势垒有关.     

Preparation, optical properties, magnetic properties and thermal stability of core-shell structure cobalt/zinc oxide nanocomposites

Cobalt nanoparticles coated with zinc oxide can form composite spheres with core-shell structure. This coating process was based on the use of silane coupling with agent 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (HS-(CH₂)₃Si(OCH₃)₃, MPTS) as a primer to render the cobalt surface vitreophilic, thus it renders cobalt surface compatible with ZnO. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to gain insight into the way in which the MPTS is bound to the surface of the cobalt nanoparticles. The morphological structure, chemical composition, optical properties and magnetic properties of the product were investigated by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscope and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It was found that the Co/ZnO core-shell structure nanocomposites exhibited both of favorable magnetism and photoluminescence properties. Results of the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicated that the thermal stability of cobalt/zinc oxide was better than that of pure cobalt nanoparticles.     

Effect of the granulometric properties of metallic scandium powder on its conductivity

The influence of the granulometric properties of powdered metal on the density dependence of its conductivity is studied by the example of metallic scandium. It is found that a decrease in the grain size leads to an increase in the compression force necessary to rupture oxide films at the sites of grain contact and thereby carry the powder to the conducting state. It is shown that this force correlates with the content of scandium oxide forming a film on the grain surface. When the grain size range expands, the conductivity critical index decreases substantially because of an increase in the density of a conducting percolation cluster formed by the contacting metallic bases of the grains.     

High UV-shielding Performance of Zinc Oxide/High-Density Polyethylene Nanocomposites

Zinc oxide/high-density polyethylene nanocomposites with high-UV-shielding efficiency were reported. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by the homogeneous precipitation method and calcination of the precursor at different temperatures. Zinc oxide/high-density polyethylene nanocomposites were subsequently prepared from high-density polyethylene and as-prepared zinc oxide nanoparticles via melt mixing process. The structural properties of the as-prepared zinc oxide nanoparticles and nanocomposites were studied in detail using X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimeter, ultrasonic pulse echo technique, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscope. The optical properties of the obtained nanocomposites were shown to depend on zinc oxide particle size and content. The nanocomposite containing zinc oxide nanoparticles with an average particle size of 25.22 nm after calcination at 350°C was found to have the most optimal optical properties, namely high-visible light transparency and high-UV light shielding efficiency, which are desirable for many important applications.     

Optical and electrical properties of aluminum zinc oxide (AZO) nanostructured thin film deposited on polycarbonate substrate

Transparent polymer materials, due to their unique properties, such as light weight, optical transparency, and electrical and mechanical properties, have become very attractive as a replacement for inorganic glass substrates in a wide range of optoelectronic applications. In this research, aluminum zinc oxide nanostructured thin film was deposited on polycarbonate polymer substrates using a magnetron sputtering technique. The structure, morphology, and surface composition of the thin film were investigated by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The optical and electrical properties of the thin film were investigated by UV–VIS-NIR spectrophotometer, ellipsometer, and four point probe method. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed that the aluminum zinc oxide thin film had a polycrystalline structure. The optical and electrical results indicated that the refractive index, band gap, and sheet resistance of the aluminum zinc oxide thin film were 1.8, 3.2 eV, and 265 Ω/sq, respectively.     

Coating zinc oxide submicron crystals on poly(methyl methacrylate) chips and spheres via ultrasound irradiation

Ultrasound irradiation is used for anchoring zinc oxide submicron crystals with a main diameter and length of 280 nm and 470 nm, respectively, onto the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA chips (2 mm diameter), and zinc oxide crystals with a mean diameter and length of 150 nm and 230 nm, respectively, onto the surface of the PMMA spheres (1–10 μm). The zinc oxide crystals were obtained by sonochemical irradiation of a mixture containing the PMMA, zinc (II) acetate dihydrate, ethanol, water, and 24 wt.% aqueous ammonia for 2 h, yielding a PMMA–zinc oxide composite. By controlling the atmosphere and reaction conditions, we could achieve well-adhered zinc oxide crystals on the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate). The resulting zinc oxide–PMMA composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The zinc oxide-deposited PMMA chips (loaded with 0.03–1.0 wt.% ZnO) were successfully homogenized in melt by extrusion and then injection molded into small, disc-shaped samples. These samples were analyzed with respect to their directional spectral optical properties in UV, Vis and IR spectroscopy.     

Ferromagnetism of zinc oxide nanograined films

The reasons for the appearance of ferromagnetic properties of zinc oxide have been reviewed. It has been shown that ferromagnetism appears only in polycrystals at a quite high density of grain boundaries. The critical size of grains is about 20 nm for pure ZnO and more than 40 μm for iron-doped zinc oxide. The solubility of manganese and cobalt in zinc oxide increases significantly with a decrease in the size of grains. The dependences of the saturation magnetization on the concentrations of cobalt, manganese, and ion are nonmonotonic. Even if the size of grains is below the critical value, the ferromagnetic properties of zinc oxide depend significantly on the texture of films and the structure of amorphous intercrystallite layers.     

Study of zinc-induced changes in lymphocyte membranes using atomic force microscopy,luminescence, and light scattering methods

Changes in the surface structure of lymphocyte membranes exposed to various concentrations of zinc ions are studied. It is found by atomic force microscopy that increasing the concentration of zinc ions leads to a reduction in the correlation length of the autocorrelation function of the roughness profile of a lymphocyte compared to control samples; this may indicate the existence of fine structure in the membrane surface. Fluorescence markers are used to observe a reduction in the microviscosity of the lipids in the outer monolayer of the lipid bilayer after lymphocytes are exposed to Zn ions, as well as the exposure of phosphatidylserine on the surface membrane, and the oxidation of HS-groups of membrane proteins. Calculations of the absorption coefficients of lymphocytes modified with zinc reveal the existence of absorption bands owing to the formation of metal-protein complexes and zinc oxide nanoparticles. These results indicate significant changes in the structural and functional state of lymphocyte membranes exposed to zinc ions.     

Oxidation of the porous silicon surface under the action of a pulsed ionic beam: XPS and XANES studies

The changes in the electronic structure and phase composition of porous silicon under action of pulsed ionic beams have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) using synchrotron radiation. The Si 2p and O 1s core photoemission spectra for different photoelectron collection angles, valence band photoemission spectra, and X-ray absorption near-edge fine structure spectrain the region of Si L _2,3 edges of the initial and irradiated samples have been analyzed. It has been found that, as a result of the irradiation, a thin oxide film consisting predominantly of higher oxide SiO₂ is formed on the porous silicon surface, which increases the energy gap of the silicon oxide. Such film exhibits passivation properties preventing the degradation of the composition and properties of porous silicon in contact with the environment.     

纳米ZnO和ZnO∶Eu3+的表面效应及发光特性

纳米ZnO,ZnO:Eu3+及其添加覆盖层样品的光谱性质表明,表面有机物覆盖层具有改善发射光谱,增强基质与Eu3+间能量传递的良好效果.通过比较不同温度(60,800℃)处理的ZnO:Eu3+发光强度,发现了小尺度(纳米)颗粒的特殊发光行为 关键词： ZnO 表面覆盖层 Eu掺杂     

p-型层状氧化锌的热电性质研究

采用第一性原理和玻尔兹曼输运理论,我们系统的研究了p-型二层氧化锌的热电性质.基于对单层氧化锌的晶格优化,计算得到其无虚频的声子谱,证明了它的热力学稳定性.由此构建了热力学性质稳定的二层氧化锌.采用实空间有限差分法生成了二层氧化锌的二阶和三阶力常数,然后得到了其声子散射和晶格热导率,使用两种计算方法得到了其晶格热导率在室温下分别为κ_ι~(BTE)=2.65 W/m·K和κ_ι~(RTA)=2.38 W/m·K.并且得到了p-型二层氧化锌在300 K至900 K等差温度下的热电优值为0.052～0.601,证明通过调节温度可以获得较高的热电优值.