Ripple surface generated on hydrogenated amorphous carbon nitride films

It is reported for the first time that the periodical ripple surface feature at micrometer-scale was observed on hydrogenated amorphous carbon nitride films deposited by pulse plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. Nitrogen incorporation to hydrogenated amorphous carbon films and the different growing environments of pulse dc plasma discharge perhaps played crucial role in the surface morphology transformation of hydrogenated amorphous carbon nitride films.     

基于动态溶胀法制备中空聚合物微球

以表面带正电荷的m级聚苯乙烯微球为种子,经过甲苯、二乙烯基苯溶胀,聚合与包覆等过程制备了直径约5 m的中空聚合物微球。研究了溶剂类型、溶剂用量对动态溶胀法制备的中空聚合物微球粒径、分布和结构的影响,讨论了中空聚合物微球的形成机理。结果表明：添加一定量甲苯、二甲苯等挥发性溶剂是动态溶胀法形成中空聚合物微球的前提;甲苯用量越多,溶胀后形成的中空结构越明显,孔径越大;选择低溶解性的二甲苯溶剂更有利于中空结构的形成。     

基于动态溶胀法制备中空聚合物微球

以表面带正电荷的m级聚苯乙烯微球为种子,经过甲苯、二乙烯基苯溶胀,聚合与包覆等过程制备了直径约5 m的中空聚合物微球。研究了溶剂类型、溶剂用量对动态溶胀法制备的中空聚合物微球粒径、分布和结构的影响,讨论了中空聚合物微球的形成机理。结果表明:添加一定量甲苯、二甲苯等挥发性溶剂是动态溶胀法形成中空聚合物微球的前提;甲苯用量越多,溶胀后形成的中空结构越明显,孔径越大;选择低溶解性的二甲苯溶剂更有利于中空结构的形成。     

The investigation of carbon nitride films annealed at different temperatures

The effects of thermal annealing on the component and microstructure of carbon nitride films deposited by vacuum cathodic arc method are reported. The bonding structure of the films is investigated by Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, XPS and valence band XPS. Upon annealing, the N content of the film drops gradually from original 31.0 to 17.0 at.% at 600 °C. The results of Raman spectroscopy, FTIR and valence XPS demonstrate that the films below 500 °C mainly consist of aromatic cluster component and polymeric component, which is rather stable upon the increasing of anealing temperatures. With the further increasing of the annealing temperatures from 400 to 600 °C, the fraction of polymeric component decreases and the aromatic component develops greatly. Meanwhile the films tend to transform towards the fullerene-like microstructure, which can be seen from the large separation of the N 1s peaks (>2.0 eV). As a result the N sp³ C bonds increase due to the rising of cross-linking between the graphite plane.     

Ni-P alloy-carbon black composite films fabricated by electrodeposition

Ni-P alloy-carbon black (CB) composite films were fabricated by electroplating and their microstructures and properties were examined. The CB and phosphorus contents of the composite films were also investigated. The CB particles were found to be embedded in the Ni-P alloy matrix. The CB content in the deposits increased, reached a maximum value of 0.77 mass% with increasing CB concentration in the bath up to 10 g dm⁻³, and then decreased with a further increase in the CB concentration in the bath. Both before and after heat treatment, the composite films had higher hardnesses and lower friction coefficients than the Ni-P alloy films. Both before and after heat treatment, the friction coefficient of 0.77 mass% CB composite films was about half that of Ni-P alloy films without CB.     

Optical models for the ellipsometric characterization of carbon nitride layers prepared by inverse pulsed laser deposition

Amorphous carbon nitride (CN_x) films were prepared by KrF excimer laser ablation of a graphite target in a nitrogen atmosphere in the inverse PLD geometry. From the ellipsometric point of view, the challenging properties of these films were their exponentially decaying thickness as a function of distance from the ablation source, accompanied by a laterally varying chemical composition and structure. Optical models were developed to accurately describe the dependence of film properties on distance from the ablation, layer thickness, and nitrogen pressure. Multi-layer models were used to characterize the surface roughness as well as lateral inhomogeneities. Multiple angles of incidence and multiple wavelengths were applied in the ranges of 66-72° and 250-1000 nm, respectively. A microspot capability of the spectroscopic ellipsometer (with a spot size of about 100 μm) was exploited to decrease the error caused by the lateral inhomogeneity within the measurement spot. Material properties were derived using the empirical Cauchy dispersion model as well as the Tauc-Lorentz parametric dielectric function model. These models allowed the quantitative determination of the band gap and the oscillator parameters in addition to the layer thicknesses and dielectric functions.     

Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotubes on carbon microfibers by floating catalyst method

In this paper, carbon nanotubes were synthesized on carbon microfibers by floating catalyst method with the pretreatment of carbon microfibers at the temperature of 1023 K, using C₂H₂ as carbon source and N₂ as carrier gas. The morphology and microstructure of carbon nanotubes were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The composition of carbon nanotubes was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results showed that the surface of treated carbon microfibers was thickly covered by carbon nanotubes with diameters of about 50 nm. EDX image indicated that the composition of carbon nanotubes was carbon. In comparison with the sample grown on untreated carbon microfibers surface, it was found that after carbon microfibers were boiled in the solution of sulfur acid and nitric acid (VH₂SO₄:VHNO₃ = 1:3) and immersed in the solution of iron nitrate and xylene, carbon nanotubes with uniform density can be grown on carbon microfibers surface. Based on the results, we concluded that the pretreatment of carbon microfibers had great effect on the growth of carbon nanotubes by floating catalyst method.     

Template-directed synthesis of highly ordered nanoporous graphitic carbon nitride through polymerization of cyanamide

The fabrication of well-ordered nanoporous graphitic carbon nitride by condensation of cyanamide (CN-NH₂) as a molecular precursor using a colloidal silica crystalline array as a template is described. The resulting sample exhibited a three-dimensionally extended highly ordered pore array as shown by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen isotherms. The carbon nitride structure revealed high graphitic nature with C₃N₄ stoichiometry. In particular, the C₃N₄ network structure consists of tri-s-triazine rings (C₆N₇) cross-linked by trigonal N atoms.     

Biomimetic Ca-P coating on pre-calcified Ti plates by electrodeposition method

A new electrodeposition method was presented for Ca-P coating on pre-calcified titanium (PTi) plates at room temperature. The biomimetic coating morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results indicated that the functional TiO_x layer with groups of -Ca and -OH was formed on PTi surface after pre-calcified chemical treatment. The TiO_x layer showed a lower water contact angle and lower surface energy than those of pure titanium surfaces, and the PTi surface natures are benefited by coupling biomimetic Ca-P layer with bioactivity in the electrodeposition process. Moreover, the crystallization of Ca-P precipitate and the bond strength of coating to PTi substrates were improved significantly by post-treatments. Our results suggest this new coating process and its subsequent application to biomedical implant devices.     

Substrate temperature influence on the trombogenicity in amorphous carbon nitride thin coatings

Carbon nitride thin films were obtained through plasma assisted physical vapor deposition technique by pulsed arc, varying the substrate temperature and investigating the influence of this parameter on the films hemocompatibility. For obtaining approaches of blood compatibility, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) was used in order to study the platelets adherence and their morphology. Moreover, the elemental chemical composition was determined by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), finding C, N and O. The coatings hemocompatibility was evaluated by in vitro thrombogenicity test, whose results were correlated with the microstructure and roughness of the films obtained.During the films growth process, the substrate temperature was varied, obtaining coatings under different temperatures, room temperature (T_room), 100 °C, 150 °C and 200 °C. Parameters as interelectrodic distance, voltage, work pressure and number of discharges, were remained constant. By EDS, carbon and nitrogen were found in the films.Visible Raman spectroscopy was used, and it revealed an amorphous lattice, with graphitic process as the substrate temperature was increased. However, at a critical temperature of 150 °C, this tendency was broken, and the film became more amorphous. This film showed the lowest roughness, 2 ± 1 nm. This last characteristic favored the films hemocompatibility. Also, it was demonstrated that the blood compatibility of carbon nitride films obtained were affected by the I_D/I_G or sp³/sp² ratio and not by the absolute sp³ or sp² concentration.     

Behavior of H2O molecule in carbon nanotube/boron nitride nanotube heterostructure

We perform total-energy electronic-structure calculations of a water molecule inside a (7, 7) carbon nanotube/boron nitride nanotube (CNT/BNNT) heterojunction. The van der Waals interaction is also considered in this study. We find that the equilibrium distance between the water molecule and the wall of the CNT (BNNT) is ≈ 3.3 Å, and the encapsulation energy is 0.22 eV (0.25 eV). The energy profile along the tube axis exhibits a dramatic change in the vicinity of the heterojunction. A speed change of water flow is expected to occur near the heterojunction. Such information would provide valuable insight in nanostructure design for nanofluidics.     

Synthesis of boron nitride nanotubes by an oxide-assisted chemical method

We report a new method for the synthesis of boron nitride (BN) nanotubes employing a two-step process in which some oxides have found to catalyze the growth of BN nanotubes. In the first step, a precursor containing B–N–O–Fe/Mg was prepared by ball milling a mixture of B, B₂O₃, Fe₂O₃ and MgO (1:7:2:1 mass ratio) in NH₃ for 3 h. BN nanotubes (diameter: 20–100 nm) were grown in the second step from this precursor by isothermal annealing at 1,350 °C in NH₃ for about 4 h. XRD, SEM and HR-TEM studies elucidated the spindle-like morphology of these nanotubes of hexagonal crystal structure. The Raman spectrum showed the peak broadening and shifts to higher frequency. The present method showed that some oxides assisted the growth of BN nanotubes. A possible reaction mechanism on the formation of BN nanotubes in the presence of these oxides is discussed.     

空心阴极放电沉积氮化碳薄膜的结构和成键性质

利用空心阴极放电等离子体源在Si(100)衬底上沉积了氮化碳薄膜.用XRD,SEM,XPS及拉曼和红外吸收光谱对薄膜的结构、成分和化学键等进行了研究.XRD分析表明,制备的氮化碳薄膜为非晶结构.XPS分析证实了薄膜中以C—C,sp2CN和sp3CN键为主,并得出薄膜中的氮碳比为0.71,而sp3—CN相的含量也达到了0.39.拉曼和红外吸收光谱的结果也与XPS分析的键态结果一致.     

A comparison between the mechanical and thermal properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes and boron nitride nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are semimetallic while boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are wide band gap insulators. Despite the discrepancy in their electrical properties, a comparison between the mechanical and thermal properties of CNTs and BNNTs has a significant research value for their potential applications. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations are performed to systematically investigate the mechanical and thermal properties of CNTs and BNNTs. The calculated Young’s modulus is about 1.1 TPa for CNTs and 0.72 TPa for BNNTs under axial compressions. The critical bucking strain and maximum stress are inversely proportional to both diameter and length-diameter ratio and CNTs are identified axially stiffer than BNNTs. Thermal conductivities of (10, 0) CNTs and (10, 0) BNNTs follow similar trends with respect to length and temperature and are lower than that of their two-dimensional counterparts, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) and BN nanoribbons (BNNRs), respectively. As the temperature falls below 200 K (130 K) the thermal conductivity of BNNTs (BNNRs) is larger than that of CNTs (GNRs), while at higher temperature it is lower than the latter. In addition, thermal conductivities of a (10, 0) CNT and a (10, 0) BNNT are further studied and analyzed under various axial compressive strains. Low-frequency phonons which mainly come from flexure modes are believed to make dominant contribution to the thermal conductivity of CNTs and BNNTs.     

Preparation of boron carbon nitride thin films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Boron carbon nitride films were deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a composite target consisting of h-BN and graphite in an Ar-N₂ gas mixture. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results suggest that the films are atomic-level hybrids composed of B, C and N atoms. The boron carbon nitride films prepared in the present experiment have a disordered structure. The sputtering power varied from 80 W to 130 W. This sputtering power was shown to have regular effect on the composition of boron carbon nitride films. The samples deposited at 80 W and 130 W are close to the stoichiometry of BC₃N. The sample deposited at 110 W is close to the stoichiometry of BCN. The samples deposited at 100 W and 120 W approach to BC₂N. It is very significant for us to synthesize boron carbon nitride compound with controllable composition by changing the sputtering power.     

Synthesis and characterization of tantalum nitride films prepared by cathodic vacuum arc technique

Tantalum nitride films were deposited on silicon wafer and steel substrates by cathodic vacuum arc in N₂/Ar gas mixtures. The chemical composition, crystalline microstructure and morphology of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. According to the results, film composition and microstructure depends strongly on the N₂ partial pressure and the applied negative bias (V_s).     

Electronic properties of C-doped boron nitride nanotubes studied by first-principles calculations

The geometry and electronic structure of C-doped BNNTs are investigated using the hybrid Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof. The van Hove singularity (vHs) peaks split in density of states (DOS) The impurity states decrease the bandgap.

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The effect of multi-walled carbon nanotube pretreatments on the electrodeposition of Ni-MWCNTs coatings

Two different chemical treatments were performed on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), namely functionalization, and shortening-functionalization processes. Then, nickel-MWCNTs coatings were co-electrodeposited. The results showed that the chemically shortened nanotubes were behaved as inert particles, and embedded into the nickel matrix, whilst the long functionalized nanotubes showed metallic behavior and during electrodeposition, they were incorporated into the nickel matrix. In similar plating condition, the amount of co-deposited shortened nanotubes was more than elongated ones. Furthermore, it was revealed that the pretreatment of nanotubes significantly affected the microstructure, surface morphology, hardness and corrosion resistance of deposited coatings.     

Synthesis of submicron rhombic ZnO rods via ZnOHF intermediate using electrodeposition route

ZnOHF submicron rods with the rhombus-like shape were successfully prepared by a low-temperature aqueous electrodeposition route. By further adjusting the experimental parameters including the electrolyte concentration, temperature, the electrodeposition potential, and the duration, the morphologies of ZnOHF films can further be controlled; accordingly, ZnO films with different morphologies were also obtained by calcining ZnOHF intermediate at 400 °C for 2 h. Based on the experimental results, a plausible mechanism for the conversion from ZnOHF to ZnO crystals was proposed. The surface morphology and microstructure of the products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the optical property of the samples was investigated by room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well. The PL spectra confirmed that ZnOHF and ZnO exhibited emission band centered at 413 nm and 382 nm in UV region, respectively.     

Graphitic carbon nitride based single-atom photocatalysts

Single-atom photocatalysts, due to their high catalysis activity, selectivity and stability, become a hotspot in the field of photocatalysis. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) is known as both a good support for single atoms and a star photocatalyst. Developing g-C₃N₄-based single-atom photocatalysts exhibits great potential in improving the photocatalytic performance. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in g-C₃N₄-based single-atom photocatalysts, mainly including preparation strategies, characterizations, and their photocatalytic applications. The significant roles of single atoms and catalysis mechanism in g-C₃N₄-based single-atom photocatalysts are analyzed. At last, the challenges and perspectives for exploring high-efficient g-C₃N₄-based single-atom photocatalysts are presented.