Cellulose-precursor synthesis of nanocrystalline Ce<Subscript>0.8</Subscript>Gd<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2−δ</Subscript> for SOFC anodes

Developments of intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT SOFCs) require novel anode materials with a high electrochemical activity at 800–1070 K. The polarization of cermet anodes, made of nickel, ceria and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and applied onto a YSZ solid electrolyte, can be significantly reduced by catalytically active ceria additions, the relative role of which increases with decreasing temperature. Further improvement is observed when using Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_2– (CGO) having a high oxygen ionic conductivity instead of undoped ceria, owing to enlargement of the electrochemical reaction zone. Nanocrystalline CGO powders with grain sizes of 8–35 nm were thus synthesized via the cellulose-precursor technique and introduced into Ni–CGO–YSZ cermets, and tested in contact with a (La_0.9Sr_0.1)_0.98Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O_3– (LSGM) electrolyte at 873–1073 K. The results showed that the anode performance can be enhanced by additional surface activation, in particular by impregnation with a Ce-containing solution, and also by incorporation of YSZ, which probably acts as a cermet-stabilizing component. The overpotential of the surface-modified Ni–CGO (25 wt%–75 wt%) anode in a 10% H₂/90% N₂ atmosphere was approximately 110 mV at 1073 K with a current density of 200 mA/cm².Presented at the OSSEP Workshop Ionic and Mixed Conductors: Methods and Processes, Aveiro, Portugal, 10–12 April 2003     

Optimization of large area pulsed laser deposition of YBaCuO thin films by SNMS depth profiling and rutherford backscattering

The scaling up of established deposition techniques like pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to larger substrate diameter is a main condition for the technological application of high-T_c superconducting (HTSC) thin films. SNMS depth profiling and RBS have been used to control the homogeneity of film thickness and stoichiometry of Au/YBaCuO/CeO₂ thin film systems deposited on 3-inch sapphire wafers by PLD. A systematic dependence has been found for the relative SNMS sensitivity factors (RSF) on the structural state of YBaCuO. Therefore, a calculation of the composition of the epitaxial YBaCuO thin films is not possible using RSF determined from polycrystalline YBaCuO target material. The interdiffusion of thin films and substrate has been investigated in dependence on the deposition temperature by SNMS depth profiling. The obtained homogeneity of film thickness and stoichiometry over the entire 3-inch diameter proofs the suitability of PLD for in-situ deposition of 3-inch wafers by YBaCuO thin film systems for microwave applications.     

X-ray diffraction measurements and depth profiling by secondary neutral mass spectrometry on epitaxially grown high-Tc superconducting thin films

YBa₂Cu₃O_7– thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on various substrates with different misfit. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were performed in order to characterize the growth quality of the films and to study the orientation between the films and the substrates. On the used substrates all investigated films are relaxed independently, and epitaxially grown who show a long range ordered two domain structure. The elemental concentration depth profiles of these films detected by secondary neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) show homogeneous stoichiometric element distributions with slight deviation of the Y content.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Preparation of YSZ thin films for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells by dip-coating method

By studying the effects of different solvents, dispersants and solid loading amount on the suspension stability from sedimentation and viscosity experiments, a simple, effective and highly stable YSZ particle suspension based on MEK/EtOH was developed for dip-coating anode supported electrolyte films for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). The morphologies of the prepared YSZ thin films from different dip-coating times were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a film with a thickness of 16 μm by twice dip-coating was determined to be homogeneous, crack-free and well adherent to the anode substrate. The single cell assembled with this film presents an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.01 V, and a maximum power density of 262 mW cm⁻² under H₂ as the fuel at 800 °C.     

Quantitative analysis of oxide films on ODS-alloys using MCs+-SIMS and e-beam SNMS

Summary Attempts to obtain a quantitative analysis of depth profiles of oxide films on iron-based ODS-alloys using MCs⁺-SIMS and e-beam SNMS are presented. Since the oxide films of the alloys consist mainly of alumina, implantation standards in Al₂O₃(sapphire) were used for the quantification of the measured depth profiles. The so-called matrix effect, normally present in SIMS analysis, is strongly reduced by recording the MCs⁺-secondary ions. Over a wide concentration range, agreement between SIMS and SNMS data is obtained within a factor 2–3. The evaluated concentration profiles for the main alloying elements in combination with ¹⁸O tracer-experiments have been used to give an interpretation of the growth processes of the oxide films for Fe-based ODS-alloys, with and without the addition of an yttria dispersion. The results show that the addition of yttria dispersion is responsible for the dramatic change observed in the oxide growth mechanism.ODS=Oxide Dispersion strengthenedThis poster was awarded the First Prize in Poster Session A by the Deutscher Arbeitskreis für Spektroskopie (DASp)     

Investigation of Al diffusion in different oxide thin-film layers by SNMS/HFM method

Depth profiles of Ga₂O₃/a-SiO₂/Al₂O₃- substrate, Ga₂O₃/a-Si₃N₄/Al₂O₃- substrate, and Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃ substrate thin layers were determined by the SNMS/HFM method. Al diffusion from the Al₂O₃ substrate was investigated after 50, and in some cases after 600 hours of heat treatment time at different temperatures (600 °C,850 °C,950 °C,1050 °C and 1150 °C). The diffusion coefficient of Al at 850 °C was found to be D _Al=8.7 * 10^–18 cm²/s in amorphous SiO₂; D _Al=1.5*10^–17 cm²/s in amorphous Si₃N₄ and D _Al=5.5* 10^–16 cm²/s in Ga₂O₃ at 600 °C, respectively. The possible diffusion mechanism is explained in terms of the metal-oxygen bond-strengths. Although the studied materials have high resistivity at room temperature, the applied SNMS/HFM method has proven to be an efficient surface analytical tool even in these cases.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Structural investigations of electrical conducting plasma polymerized films from 2-iodothiophene

Summary Thin plasma polymerized films were produced in a microwave (2.45 GHz) plasma discharge using 2-iodothiophene as the initial monomer. The structure of these electrically conducting films (10^–6–10^–1 S/cm), the chemical state of the doping element iodine and the elemental homogeneity at the surface and in the films have been investigated by XPS, FTIR and AES. An interesting relationship was found that indicates some similarity to conventional polythiophene, prepared by electrodeposition. Besides covalently bound iodine, considerable amounts of I ₃ ^– and I ₅ ^– were detected and also a small number of O-I bonds were identified.     

Rate constant of free electron-hole recombination in thin cadmium sulfide films

The transient decay kinetics of electrons generated in thin cadmium sulfide films by short laser pulses was studied by the microwave photoconductivity method (9 and 36 GHz) at 295 K. The films were prepared by the pulverization method from thiocarbamide coordination compounds. At the high light intensity I ₀ > 10¹⁴ photon cm^–2 per pulse, the decay kinetics of photoelectrons corresponded to a reaction of the second order. Analysis of the kinetic data made it possible to determine the rate constant of recombination of free electrons and holes: k ₃ 2(±1)·10^–13 cm³ s^–1.     

Ultraviolet-Laser-Induced Crystallization of Sol-Gel Derived Inorganic Oxide Films

Structural changes stimulated by ultraviolet (UV) laser irradiations of sol-gel derived inorganic oxide films were investigated. Dried gel films of TiO₂, Nb₂O₅, Ta₂O₅, SrTiO₃ and Pb(Zr _x Ti_1–x )O₃ (PZT) were found to be crystallized by the laser irradiation. On the other hand, the photo-induced change in gel films of BaTiO₃, LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃ was not observed although the laser beams were absorbed in the films. These sol-gel films were thermally crystallized at almost the same temperature around 600–700°C except TiO₂. Thus, the UV-laser-induced crystallization is not directly ascribed to a simple thermal effect with the irradiation. Photochemical properties of the cations are assumed to be important for the change in sol-gel films.     

Gas-phase combination reactions of SF4 and SF5 with F in plasmas of SF6

Reactions of both SF₄ and SF₅ with F have been studied at 295 K in a gas-flow reactor sampled by a mass spectrometer. The rate coefficient for the combination reaction of F with SF₄ to produce SF₅ was found to increase from (0.9 to 3.0)×10^–12 cm³ s^–1 when the helium bath gas number density was increased from (2 to 26)×10¹⁶ cm^–3. The values obtained here are three orders of magnitude higher than a recent estimate of the high-pressure value based on the modelling of photochemical studies. The experimental results have been compared with RRKM and master equation calculations in which a simplified Gorin model has been used to determine the structure of the transition state. These calculations show that reasonable agreement can be obtained between the experimental data and the calculation if a small (2 KJ/mol) activation energy is assumed. The rate coefficient for the reaction between SF₅ and F to produce SF₆ was found to be independent of helium bath gas number density within the range given above. The value obtained for the rate coefficient was 9×10^–12 cm³ s^–1 with an uncertainty of a factor of 2. This value is close to that of 1×10^–11 cm³ s^–1 computed from the simplified Gorin model and to the value of 1.7×10^–11 cm³ s^–1 deduced from modelling of photochemical experiments.     

Electrical Properties of Sol-Gel Processed Amorphous BaTiO3 Thin Films

BaTiO₃ thin films were prepared on single crystal silicon (1 0 0) and platinum substrates by sol-gel technique. Amorphous films with thickness uniformity were obtained by spinning the solution at 3000 rpm for 30 s and by post-deposition annealing at 400°C. The films exhibited good dielectric and insulating properties. The dielectric constant and dissipation factor at a frequency of 100 kHz were 17 and 0.20, respectively, for 1400 Å thick film on platinum substrate (MIM). The corresponding values were 16 and 0.015 for films on Si (MIS). Dielectric properties were also studied as functions of frequency and voltage. The C-V curve for MIS structure exhibited a hysteresis. The density of interface states recharged during the bias cycle in hysteresis measurement was estimated to be of the order of 2.10 × 10¹¹ cm^–2 and total oxide charge density was about 4.28 × 10¹¹ cm^–2. I-V measurements were performed on films of different thicknesses. The leakage current densities at 5 V for the films having thicknesses 1400 and 2800 Å were 0.86 and 0.11 A/cm² respectively. The conduction mechanism is found to be Poole-Frenkel and Schottky mechanisms at low and high fields, respectively.     

Gas-phase reactions of CF3 and CF2 with atomic and molecular fluorine: Their significance in plasma etching

Reaction rate coefficients have been measured at 295 K for both CF₃ and CF₂ with atomic and molecular fluorine. The reaction between CF₃ and F was studied over a gas number density range of (2.4–23)×10¹⁶ cm^–3 with helium as the bath gas. The measured rate coefficient increased from (1.1–1.7)×10^–11 cm³ s^–1 as the gas number density increased over this range. In contrast to this relatively small change in rate coefficient with gas number density, the rate coefficient for CF₂+F increased from (0.4–2.3)×10^–12 cm³ s^–1 as the helium gas number density increased from (3.4–28.4)×10¹⁶ cm^–3. Even for the highest bath gas number density employed, the rate coefficient was still more than an order of magnitude lower than earlier measurements of this coefficient performed at comparable gas number densities.Both these association reactions are examined from the standpoint of the Gorin model for association of radicals and use is made of unimolecular dissociation theory to examine the expected dependence on gas number density. The calculations reveal that CF₃+F can be explained satisfactorily in these terms but CF₂+F is not well described by the simple Gorin model for association.CF₃ was found to react with molecular fluorine with a rate coefficient of (7±2)×10^–14 cm³ s^–1 whereas only an upper limit of 2×10^–15 cm³ s^–1 could be placed on the rate coefficient for the reaction between CF₂ and F₂. The values obtained for this set of reactions mean that the reaction between CF₃ and F will play an important role in plasmas containing CF₄. The high rate coefficient will mean that, under certain conditions, this particular reaction will control the amount of CF₄ consumed. On the other hand, the much lower rate coefficient for reactions between CF₂ and F means that CF₂ will attain much higher concentrations than CF₃ in plasmas where these combination reactions are dominant.     

Isotopic analysis of243Cm and244Cm by internal conversion electron spectrometry

The electrodeposition of uranium and trace quantities of²³⁹Pu,²³⁴Th,¹⁴⁴Ce on a stainless steel disk has been investigated from 0.5–2.0M NaOH and the two-phase system: extract of actinides in TBP-aqueous solution of NaOH. The electrodeposition yield of the above elements reaches 98–100% in 40 min of electrolysis with current density 0.4–0.5 A/cm². The presence of 0.5M Na₂CO₃, 2.0M NaNO₃, 2.0M NaNO₂, 0.2M NaF in alkaline solutions does not decrease the electrodeposition yield. The electrodeposited films meet all the requirements of -spectrometry. The uranium oxidation states (V) and (IV) have been determined in the electrodeposited films.     

Low-temperature processing of sol-gel derived Pb(Zr,Ti)O<Subscript>3</Subscript> thick films using CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser annealing

Fabrication of ferroelectric Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ (PZT) thick films on a Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrate using powder-mixing sol-gel spin coating and continuous wave CO₂ laser annealing technique to treat the specimens with at a relatively low temperature was investigated in the present work. PZT fine powders were prepared by drying and pyrolysis of sol-gel solutions and calcined at temperatures from 400 to 750°C. After fine powder-containing sol-gel solutions were spin-coated on a substrate and pyrolyzed, CO₂ laser annealing was carried out to heat treat the specimens. The results show that laser annealing provides an extremely efficient way to crystallize the materials, but an amorphous phase may also form in the case of overheating. Thicker films absorb laser energy more effectively and therefore melt at shorter periods, implying a significant volume effect. A film with thickness of 1 μm shows cracks and rough surface morphology and it was difficult to obtain acceptable electrical properties, indicating importance of controlling interfacial stress and choosing appropriate size of the mixing powders. On the other hand, a thick film of 5 μm annealed at 100 W/cm² for 15 s exhibits excellent properties (P _r = 36.1 μC/cm², E _c = 19.66 kV/cm). Films of 10 μm form a melting zone at the surface and a non-crystallized bottom layer easily at an energy density of 100 W/cm², showing poor electrical properties. Besides, porosity and electrical properties of thick films can be controlled using appropriate processing parameters, suggesting that CO₂ laser annealing of modified sol-gel films is suitable for fabricating films of low dielectric constants and high crystallinity.     

UV-Visible and IR Spectroelectrochemical Studies of FeVO4 Sol-Gel Films for Electrochromic Applications

The sol-gel synthesis route, in combination with dip-coating deposition, was used for the preparation of FeVO₄ films. TEM measurements of Fe/V (1 : 1)-oxide films heated at 400°C reveal that the films consist of a triclinic FeVO₄-I and an orthorhombic FeVO₄-II phases with a grain size of up to 50 nm. The electrochromic properties of the films were tested in 1 M LiClO₄/propylene carbonate (PC) using various electrochemical techniques and in-situ UV-visible spectroelectrochemical measurements. The best compromise between the charge capacity per film thickness (Qd^–1 = –0.14 mC cm^–2 nm^–1), electrochemical stability (>1000 cycles) and optical modulation (T_vis = 0.15) was achieved in the potential range of 4.80 to 1.80 V vs. Li, which suggests that FeVO₄ films can be used as counter-electrodes in electrochromic devices.Extensive IR-spectroscopy studies of FeVO₄ films in charged/discharged states revealed the following spectra changes: (i) small charging (–0.01 mC cm^–2 nm^–1) leads to a variation in the intensity of all the vibrational bands without shifting their frequencies, (ii) higher chargings bring about the intensity and frequency changes of bridging V—O···Fe and V···O···Fe stretchings showing that vanadium, and probably also iron, are involved in the insertion/extraction processes, (iii) below 500 cm^–1 broad absorption appears due to the Li⁺—O modes, which also remained in the IR spectra of discharged (bleached) states revealing the irreversible lithiation, and (iv) charging to –0.30 and –0.50 mC cm^–2 nm^–1 leads to the amorphisation of the film structure.     

Influence of YSZ buffer layer on the electric properties of compositionally graded (Ba,Sr)TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin film

Compositionally graded Ba_1−x Sr _x TiO₃ (BST) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) thin films were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si and YSZ/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by a modified sol–gel technique. The YSZ buffer layer was prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. The microstructure of the graded BST films was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that all the films have uniform and crack-free surface with a perovskite structure. The graded BST film with an YSZ buffer layer has larger dielectric constant and lower dielectric loss. The leakage current density of the graded BST film with an YSZ buffer layer lowers two orders than the film without buffer layer. The improved electric properties of the graded films with an YSZ buffer layer was attributed to the YSZ buffer layer act as an excellent seeding layer to enhance the graded BST film growth.     

IR Photolysis of Liquid Hexamethyldisiloxane by Pulse CO2Laser Radiation

The IR photolysis of liquid hexamethyldisiloxane [(CH₃)₃Si]₂O by pulse CO₂laser radiation was studied. The experiments were performed both with and without a graphite powder as a sensitizer. The presence of the graphite sensitizer increases the efficiency of dissociation. To provide the highest penetration of the laser emission into a medium, the irradiation of samples were carried out with tuning far from the maximum of the Si–O bond absorption band (1055 cm^–1) using the 10P16 line (_las= 947.78 cm^–1). This tuning makes it possible to separate the process of IR multiphoton dissociation of the vapor over the liquid phase and to carry out the reaction in the liquid at a low (1 J/cm²) energy fluence of laser radiation. The IR spectra of irradiated liquid samples indicate the formation of linear and cyclic polystructures.     

New water-soluble and film-forming aminocellulose tosylates as enzyme support matrices with Cu<Superscript>2+</Superscript>-chelating properties

Within the framework of our studies on enzyme-compatible support matrix structures, we succeeded in making further derivatives of the new aminocellulose type P–CH₂–NH–(X)–NH₂ (P = cellulose); (X) = –(CH₂)₂– (EDA), –(CH₂)₂–NH–(CH₂)₂– (DETA), –(CH₂)₃–NH–(CH₂)₃– (DPTA), –(CH₂)₂–NH–(CH₂)₂–NH–(CH₂)₂– (TETA) accessible by nucleophilic substitution reaction with ethylenediamine (EDA) and selected oligoamines starting from 6(2)-O-tosylcellulose tosylate (DS_tosylate = 0.8). The ¹³C-NMR data show that the EDA and oligoamine residues are at C6 of the anhydroglucose unit (AGU) and that OH and tosylate are also (partially) present at C6. OH and partially tosylate are at C2/C3. All the synthesized aminocellulose tosylates were soluble in water and formed transparent films from their solutions. The aminocellulose tosylate solutions and the films prepared from them formed blue-coloured chelate complexes with Cu²⁺ ions, whose absorption maxima at wavelengths in the VIS region were located similarly to those of the Cu²⁺ chelate complexes with EDA and with the oligoamines. AFM investigations have shown that the aminocellulose films, depending on structural and environment-induced factors influencing e.g. SiO₂ polymer films, exhibit flat topographies (<1 nm), and on protonated NH₂ polymer films, such as aminopropyl-functionalized polysiloxane films, nanostructured topographies of derivative-dependent shape and nanostructure size as film supports in the form of nanotubes. The aminocellulose films could be covalently coupled with glucose oxidase enzyme by various known and novel bifunctional reactions via NH₂-reactive compounds. In this connection, it was confirmed again that the immobilized enzyme parameters, such as enzyme activity/area and K_M value, can be changed by the interplay of aminocellulose film, coupling structure and enzyme protein in the sense of an application-relevant optimization.     

Sol-Gel Processing and Luminescent Properties of Rare-Earth Oxyfluoride Materials

Luminescent rare-earth oxyfluoride materials were prepared by a sol-gel method using trifluoroacetic acid as a fluorine source. Crystalline (La, Eu)OF powders and thin films were obtained by heating gels at typically 600–800°C. Transparent SiO₂-LaOF glass-ceramic thin films were also prepared by mixing the trifluoroacetate sols and silica sols, spin-coating on silica glass substrates and heating at temperatures 600–900°C. Eu³⁺ ions doped in the oxyfluoride materials exhibited a strong red ⁵D₀ ⁷F₂ emission (611 nm) by a charge-transfer (O^2–-Eu³⁺) excitation with ultra-violet radiation (265 nm). It was strongly suggested that the Eu³⁺ activators were preferentially incorporated into the crystalline LaOF phase in the SiO₂-LaOF glass-ceramics.     

Selective oxidation using catalyst electrodes supported on solid electrolyte

The major oxygenated products of the selective oxidation of 1-butene by using a catalyst electrode were maleic anhydride on V₂O₅/YSZ/Ag and butadiene on MoO₃–Bi₂O₃–Ag/YSZ/Ag. Their selectivities were enhanced as compared with the non-electrochemical system.