Structural characteristics and morphology of SmxCe1−xO2−x/2 thin films

Effect of the deposition temperature (200 and 500 °C) and composition of Sm_xCe_1−xO_2−x/2 (x = 0, 10.9–15.9 mol%) thin films prepared by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) and Ar⁺ ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) combined with EB-PVD on structural characteristics and morphology/microstructure was investigated. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the surface and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of the bulk of the film revealed the dominant occurrence of Ce⁴⁺ oxidation state, suggesting the presence of CeO₂ phase, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Ce³⁺ oxidation states corresponding to Ce₂O₃ phase were in minority. The XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the polycrystalline columnar structure and a rooftop morphology of the surface. Effects of the preparation conditions (temperature, composition, IBAD) on the lattice parameter, grain size, perfection of the columnar growth and its impact on the surface morphology are analyzed and discussed.     

Magnetization anomaly and anisotropy of Bi2Sr2CaCu2−xNixO8 single crystals

We have observed the anomalous magnetization of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu_2−xNi_xO₈ (x = 0 and 0.02) single crystals. Anisotropy decreases with iodine intercalation although it expands the space between CuO₂ layers. Iodine intercalation seems to suppress the magnetization anomaly for Ni = 1% crystals, but not for Ni = 1% substituted crystals. We have discussed these results in terms of the increase of anisotropy by Ni substitution and the dimensional crossover of flux lines. Effects of both oxygen concentration and substitution of a magnetic element for the Cu site on the anisotropy of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ crystals show the same tendency as the case of the YBa₂Cu₃O₇ superconductor.     

The study on porosity and thermophysical properties of nanostructured La2Zr2O7 coatings

Lanthanum-zirconium nano-powders were synthesized by molten salts method. Nanostructured lanthanum-zirconium coatings were deposited by air plasma spraying. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were carried out to analyze the as-sprayed coatings and powders. The pore size distribution and buck density of coatings were identified by mercury intrusion porosimetry. The thermophysical properties of the nanostructured coatings were also examined through laser flash technique and differential scanning calorimetry. The results demonstrate that the as-sprayed nanostructured coatings consist of the pyrochlore-type phase. The as-sprayed nanostructured lanthanum-zirconium coatings have a very low porosity. The thermal conductivity of the as-sprayed nanostructured lanthanum-zirconium coating is lower than that of the conventional coating between 200 °C and 950 °C, but when the temperature between 950 °C and 1300 °C, the result is reverse.     

Application of the generalized constant coupling approximation to the geometrically frustrated antiferromagnets ZnCr2O4 and ZnCr2−2xGa2xO4

In this paper, we utilize the quantum version of the generalized constant coupling approximation, which we have extended to include nearest and next-nearest-neighbor interactions, to calculate the magnetic susceptibility of the geometrically frustrated antiferromagnet ZnCr₂O₄, and its diluted counterpart, ZnCr_2−2xGa_2xO₄. Comparison is made with available experimental results. The existence of a ‘spin gap’ between the singlet ground state and the triplet excited states is discussed.     

Preparation of LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 cathode materials by urea hydrolysis coprecipitation

Layered LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ has been successfully synthesized via urea hydrolysis coprecipitation method. Well-crystallized LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ was obtained after calcinations of coprecipitation precursors and lithium salts at 450 °C for 3 h and following 900 °C for 10 h in air. Both the precursors and LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ powders show an agglomerated secondary structure with crystalline particles inside. The quasi-spherical morphology of the precursors was maintained during the calcinations. The first charge and discharge capacities of as-prepared LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ were 200 and 165mAh/g respectively. The discharge capacity of about 160mAh/g was retained after 10cycles for as-prepared samples.     

La2Zr2O7:Eu3+纳米棒的合成、表征及其荧光性能

采用传统固相法和水热法成功地制备出棒状La₂Zr₂O₇:Eu³⁺荧光粉. 利用X射线粉末衍射仪、透射电镜和荧光光谱仪等分析了产物的结构、形貌和发光特性. 结果表明红色荧光粉La₂Zr₂O₇:Eu³⁺有良好的晶相,属于立方结构,空间点群为Fd3m; 其形貌主要为纳米棒, 平均直径约47 nm, 长度为50～700 nm. 并对纳米棒的生长机理进行了探讨. 在466 nm蓝光激发下,La₂Zr₂O₇:Eu³⁺荧光粉能发射出Eu³⁺的特征红色荧光,发射主峰位于616 nm处,归属于Eu³⁺的⁵DO_→⁷F2_{超灵敏电偶极跃迁.此外,在产物的发射光谱中能够观察到⁵D}1_→⁷FJ _{(J=0, 1, 2)跃迁和⁵D}1_→⁷FJ _{(J=1, 2, 4)跃迁的劈裂峰,这说明Eu³⁺处在低对称性的晶体场格位中.}     

Influence of postdeposition annealing on structural properties and electrical characteristics of thin Tm2O3 and Tm2Ti2O7 dielectrics

We describe the structural properties and electrical characteristics of thin thulium oxide (Tm₂O₃) and thulium titanium oxide (Tm₂Ti₂O₇) as gate dielectrics deposited on silicon substrates through reactive sputtering. The structural and morphological features of these films were explored by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and atomic force microscopy, measurements. It is found that the Tm₂Ti₂O₇ film annealed at 800 °C exhibited a thinner capacitance equivalent thickness of 19.8 Å, a lower interface trap density of 8.37 × 10¹¹ eV⁻¹ cm⁻², and a smaller hysteresis voltage of ∼4 mV than the other conditions. We attribute this behavior to the Ti incorporated into the Tm₂O₃ film improving the interfacial layer and the surface roughness. This film also shows negligible degrees of charge trapping at high electric field stress.     

Double-ceramic-layer thermal barrier coatings based on La2(Zr0.7Ce0.3)2O7/La2Ce2O7 deposited by electron beam-physical vapor deposition

Double-ceramic-layer (DCL) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) of La₂(Zr_0.7Ce_0.3)₂O₇ (LZ7C3) and La₂Ce₂O₇ (LC) were deposited by electron beam-physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD). The composition, interdiffusion, surface and cross-sectional morphologies, cyclic oxidation behavior of DCL coating were studied. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that both LZ7C3 and LC coatings are effectively fabricated by a single LZ7C3 ingot with properly controlling the deposition energy. The chemical compatibility of LC coating and thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer is unstable. LaAlO₃ is formed due to the chemical reaction between LC and Al₂O₃ which is the main composition of TGO layer. Additionally, the thermal cycling behavior of DCL coating is influenced by the interdiffusion of Zr and Ce between LZ7C3 and LC coatings. The failure of DCL coating is a result of the sintering of LZ7C3 coating surface, the chemical incompatibility of LC coating and TGO layer and the abnormal oxidation of bond coat. Since no single material that has been studied so far satisfies all the requirements for high temperature applications, DCL coating is an important development direction of TBCs.     

Structural and optical properties of Ba(Ti1−x,Nix)O3 thin films prepared by sol–gel process

Ba(Ti_1−x,Ni_x)O₃ thin films were prepared on fused quartz substrates by a sol–gel process. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements showed that the films are of pseudo-cubic perovskite structure with random orientation and the change of lattice constant caused by Ni-doping with different concentrations is very small. Optical transmittance spectra indicated that Ni-doping has an obvious effect on the energy band structure. The energy gap of Ba(Ti_1−x,Ni_x)O₃ decreased linearly with the increase of Ni concentration. It indicates that the adjusting of band gap can be achieved by controlling the Ni-doping content accurately in Ba(Ti_1−x,Ni_x)O₃ thin films. This has potential application in devices based on ferroelectric thin films.     

Synthesis and electrical properties of In2O3(ZnO)m superlattice nanobelt

One-dimensional（ID） In₂O₃（ZnO）_m superlattice nanobelts are synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition method.The formation of the In₂O₃（ZnO）_m superlattice is verified by the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images.The typical zigzag boundaries could be clearly observed.An additional peak at 614 cm^-1 is found in the Raman spectrum,which may correspond to the superlattice structure.The study about the electrical transport properties reveals that the In₂O₃（ZnO）_m nanobelts exhibit peculiar nonlinear I-V characteristics even under the Ohmic contact measurement condition,which are different from the Ohmic behaviors of the In-doped ZnO nanobelts.The photoelectrical measurements show the differences in the photocurrent property between them,and their transport mechanisms are also discussed.     

第一性原理模拟U在Gd2Zr2O7烧绿石中的固溶

采用第一性原理密度泛函理论模拟U在Gd₂Zr₂O₇烧绿石中的固溶,在低浓度U掺杂时,Gd₂Zr₂O₇烧绿石保持烧绿石结构;随着U掺杂浓度增加,Gd₂(Zr_{2-y}U_y)O₇和(Gd_{2-y}U_y)Zr₂O₇体系的晶格常数发生线性变化．计算结果表明,由于总能较低,U原子更偏向于替代无序换位后Gd₂Zr₂O₇晶格中B位的Gd原子．     

Structural properties and electrical characteristics of high-k Tm2Ti2O7 gate dielectrics

In this article, the structural and electrical characteristics of high-k Tm₂Ti₂O₇ gate dielectrics deposited on Si (1 0 0) by means of reactive cosputtering were reported. The Tm₂Ti₂O₇ dielectrics annealed at 800 °C exhibited excellent electrical properties such as high capacitance value, small density of interface state, almost no hysteresis voltage, and low leakage current. This phenomenon is attributed to a rather well-crystallized Tm₂Ti₂O₇ structure and composition and a smooth surface observed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy, respectively. This film also shows almost negligible charge trapping under high constant voltage stress.     

The effect of Si surface nitridation on the interfacial structure and electrical properties of (La2O3)0.5(SiO2)0.5 high-k gate dielectric films

Thermal stability, interfacial structures and electrical properties of amorphous (La₂O₃)_0.5(SiO₂)_0.5 (LSO) films deposited by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on Si (1 0 0) and NH₃ nitrided Si (1 0 0) substrates were comparatively investigated. The LSO films keep the amorphous state up to a high annealing temperature of 900 °C. HRTEM observations and XPS analyses showed that the surface nitridation of silicon wafer using NH₃ can result in the formation of the passivation layer, which effectively suppresses the excessive growth of the interfacial layer between LSO film and silicon wafer after high-temperature annealing process. The Pt/LSO/nitrided Si capacitors annealed at high temperature exhibit smaller CET and EOT, a less flatband voltage shift, a negligible hysteresis loop, a smaller equivalent dielectric charge density, and a much lower gate leakage current density as compared with that of the Pt/LSO/Si capacitors without Si surface nitridation.     

Ti1－xCrxO2±δ体系的相关系、晶体结构和磁性能研究

采用溶胶凝胶法制备了Ti_1-xCr_xO_2±δ体系系列样品.利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)，X射线光电子能谱(XPS)，粉末X射线衍射分析(XRD)方法研究了Ti_1-xCr_xO_2±δ系列样品的颗粒尺寸、形貌、组分化学态、相关系和固溶区范围；并利用超导量子干涉磁强计对样品的磁性能进行了研究.采用Rietveld结构精修的方法研究了Cr的不同掺杂量对TiO₂晶体结构的影响，研究表明，1000℃烧结的样品的固溶区范围是x=0—0.03，为金红石单相；随着Cr掺杂量的增加，金红石相晶胞参数规律性地减小；当x>0.03，为金红石相和CrO₂相两相共存.综合XRD和磁性测量结果，500℃烧结的样品的固溶区范围是x=0—0.02，为锐钛矿单相；随着Cr掺杂量的增加，锐钛矿相晶胞参数规律性地减小；当x≥0.04，为锐钛矿相和绿铬矿相(Cr₂O₃)两相共存.XPS实验结果表明，500℃和1000℃退火的样品中Cr都是以Cr⁺³和Cr⁺⁶两种化学态存在，1000℃烧结的样品中可能有更多的Cr³⁺转化为Cr⁶⁺.根据M-H和M-T曲线的测试结果发现，本文500℃烧结的Ti_1-xCr_xO_2±δ体系样品当x=0—0.02时，为室温铁磁性.当x≥0.04时，由铁磁相和顺磁相所组成，在低温下有较强的铁磁性；室温下主要是顺磁相，铁磁相只占据很小的体积分数. 关键词： 1-xCr_xO_2±δ体系')" href="#">Ti_1-xCr_xO_2±δ体系 相关系 固溶区 磁性能     

Dispersive optical constants of a-Se100−xSbx films

Thin films of amorphous Se_100−xSb_x (x=5,10 and 20 at%) system are deposited on a silicon substrate at room temperature (300 K) by thermal evaporation technique. The optical constant such as refractive index (n) has been determined by a method based on the envelope curves of the optical transmission spectrum at normal incidence by a Swanpoel method. The oscillator energy (E_o), dispersion energy (E_d) and other parameters have been determined by the Wemple–DiDomenico method. The absorption coefficient (α) has been determined from the reflectivity and transmitivity spectrum in the range 300–2500 nm. The optical-absorption data indicate that the absorption mechanism is a non-direct transition. We found that the optical band gap, E_g^opt, decreases from 1.66±0.01 to 1.35±0.01 eV with increase Sb content.     

Preparation and properties of composite ceramic coating containing Al2O3–ZrO2–Y2O3 on AZ91D magnesium alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation

A composite ceramic coating containing Al₂O₃–ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ was successfully prepared on AZ91D magnesium alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technique in an alkaline aluminate electrolyte. The morphology, elemental and phase composition, corrosion behavior and thermal stability of the uncoated and coated samples were studied by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), electrochemical corrosion test, high temperature oxidation test and thermal shock test. The results showed that the composite ceramic coating was composed of Al₂O₃, c-ZrO₂, t-ZrO₂, Y₂O₃ and some magnesium compounds, such as MgO, MgF₂ and MgAl₂O₄. After PEO treatment, the corrosion potential of AZ91D alloy was increased and the corrosion current density was significantly reduced. Besides, the coated magnesium alloys also showed excellent high temperature oxidation resistance and thermal shock resistance at 500 °C environment.     

Microwave dielectric properties of (1 − x)(Mg0.95Co0.05)TiO3–x(Na0.5La0.5)TiO3 ceramic system

The microstructures and the microwave dielectric properties of the (1 − x)(Mg_0.95Co_0.05)TiO₃–x(Na_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃ ceramic system were investigated. Two-phase system was confirmed by the XRD patterns and the EDX analysis. A co-existed second phase (Mg_0.95Co_0.05)Ti₂O₅ was also detected. The microwave dielectric properties are strongly related to the density and the matrix of the specimen. A new microwave dielectric material 0.88(Mg_0.95Co_0.05)TiO₃–0.12(Na_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃, possessing an excellent combination of dielectric properties: ε_r  22.36, Q × f  110,000 GHz (at 9 GHz), τ_f  2.9 ppm/°C), is proposed as a candidate dielectric for GPS patch antennas.     

Low temperature magnetism of Cd-doped Ce2RhIn8 heavy fermion antiferromagnet

We report the low temperature magnetic properties of Cd-doped single crystals of Ce₂RhIn₈ grown from In-flux. Measurements of temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, electrical resistivity and X-ray magnetic scattering revealed that Cd-doping enhances the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature from for crystals with nominal Cd-concentration of ~20%. Similarly to the pure compound, Cd-doped Ce₂RhIn₈ presents just below T_N a commensurate antiferromagnetic structure with a propagation vector . Comparisons between our results and the general effects of Cd-doping on the single layer related family CeMIn₅ (M=Co, Rh and Ir) will also be given.     

Ferromagnetic Zr1−xMnxCo2 laves phase compounds

Structure and magnetic properties of the Zr_1−xMn_xCo_2+δ alloys were studied for 0 x <0.7, δ=0, 0.45. The cubic C15 Laves phase structure shows Mn solubility up to x≈0.4. The other Laves phase with the hexagonal C36 structure found for x0.5 apparently has a small region of Mn solubility in the vicinity of Zr_0.4Mn_0.6Co₂. Though the parent Mn-free compounds are known to be paramagnetic, the Mn-substituted alloys show ferromagnetic behavior with the Curie temperatures up to 625 K and the room-temperature saturation magnetization of about 100 emu/g. The onset of ferromagnetism with the Mn substitution for Zr may be caused by polarization of itinerant 3d electrons, like it was earlier supposed for the off-stoichiometric ZrCo_2+δ. The universal composition dependencies of the intrinsic magnetic properties for different δ can be obtained, if plotted against the amount of zirconium atoms missing in its sublattice. The room-temperature anisotropy with the noticeable anisotropy field of 24 kOe and the 1 1 0 easy magnetization direction laying in a basal plane was found in the hexagonal Zr_0.5Mn_0.5Co₂.     

Preparation and magnetic properties of BaFe12O19/Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 nanocomposite ferrite

Nanocomposite of hard (BaFe₁₂O₁₉)/soft ferrite (Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄) have been prepared by the sol–gel process. The nanocomposite ferrite are formed when the calcining temperature is above 800 °C. It is found that the magnetic properties strongly depend on the presintering treatment and calcining temperature. The “bee waist” type hysteresis loops for samples disappear when the presintering temperature is 400 °C and the calcination temperature reaches 1100 °C owing to the exchange-coupling interaction. The remanence of BaFe₁₂O₁₉/Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄ nanocomposite ferrite with the mass ratio of 5:1 is higher than a single phase ferrite. The specific saturation magnetization, remanence magnetization and coercivity are 63 emu/g, 36 emu/g and 2750 G, respectively. The exchange-coupling interaction in the BaFe₁₂O₁₉/Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄ nanocomposite ferrite is discussed.