Unprecedented coloration of rutile titanium dioxide nanocrystalline thin films

In this communication, TiO2 nanocrystalline thin films synthesized by a room temperature (27 degrees C) chemical dip process. To our knowledge, this is first report of the preparation of nanoscale rutile TiO2 particles from common inorganic salt at such low temperature. Interestingly, unprecedented dynamic color change accompanies with titanium dioxide grain size, which can be seen with the naked eye that generated curiosity in our mind to check UV-vis absorption, where significant changes were observed. The room temperature synthesized thin films of rutile titanium dioxide make it a potential candidate for high-compatibility material, which can be used in artificial heart valves.     

Microstructure characterization of titanium dioxide nanodispersions and thin films for dye-sensitized solar cell devices

This article reports on the microstructure characterization of titanium dioxide nanodispersions and thin films made thereof for dye-sensitized solar cell devices. Structure–property relationships have been investigated mainly using electron microscopy to assess how microstructure (crystalline structure, defects) and morphological (e.g. heterogeneities, inclusions, voids) features in the electron transport element of the solar cell device correlate with electrical performance, namely, short-circuit photocurrent density (J_sc). This work shows that for a nanodispersion synthesized in the laboratory different electrical performances are measurable depending on the thin film forming process, more specifically, heat-sintering at 450 °C or pressure-sintering at 500 bar. For the heat-sintered device J_sc is about 7.3 mA/cm² whereas for the pressure-sintered one this value is much lower, this difference being attributed to the existence of inclusions in the titanium dioxide matrix, which are spatially isolated from the rest of the electron transport element thereby limiting the charge transport process by promoting their premature recombination. PACS 68.37.Lp; 73.61.Le; 81.40.-z; 84.60.Jt     

染料敏化纳米ZnO薄膜太阳电池机理初探

讨论利用ZnO代替TiO2作为光阳极制作染料敏化薄膜太阳电池的可行性.使用LSV法，IR光谱和UV-vis光谱探讨了电池的工作机理和性能，并与染料敏化纳米TiO2薄膜太阳电池作了比较.结果发现ZnO薄膜表面与染料的吸附键合力太弱是导致ZnO太阳电池效率低下的主要原因. 关键词： 纳米ZnO 太阳电池 染料敏化 量子效率     

Low-voltage low-temperature electroluminescence of CdF2-RE thin films

Different electroluminescence spectrums of the blueλ _max =420 nm wide-banded low-temperature low-voltage radiation of CdF₂-RE films at different levels of excitation in the region of temperatures of 77–300K are investigated. The kinetic characteristics and temperature dependence of this radiation are explored. An effect of the resonance interaction of the centers of luminescence of the wide-band and line radiation of the RE-centers is found. A model of the center of the wide-band radiation is suggested. It is shown that the “blue” radiation is caused by recombination of the carriers. Institute of Physics of Semiconductors of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Nauka Ave., 45, 252028, Kiev. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 127–132, January–February, 1999.     

Highly sensitive ethanol sensors based on nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films

This paper reports on a simple and inexpensive ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method to synthesize agglomerate-free nanosized SnO₂ particles with a size smaller than 10 nm. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high resolution X-ray diffraction studies were used to characterize the morphology, crystallinity, and structure of the SnO₂ particles. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the prepared SnO₂ sensor shows the high response (S = 491) towards 100 ppm ethanol gas at 300 °C, linearity in the range of 100–500 ppm, quick response time (2 s), recovery time (60 s) and selectivity against other gases. The response of the sensor was monitored in a 250–450 °C temperature range. The seven fold enhancement in gas response and selective detection of C₂H₅OH in the presence of other gases such as CH₃OH and CH₃CHOHCH₃ are the significant points in this investigation. These results demonstrate that pure nanocrystalline SnO₂ thin film can be used as the sensing material for fabricating high performance ethanol sensors.     

Effect of annealing temperature on photoelectrochemical properties of nanocrystalline MoBi2(Se0.5Te0.5)5 thin films

Nanocrystalline MoBi₂(Se_0.5Te_0.5)₅ thermoelectric thin films have been deposited on ultrasonically cleaned glass and FTO-coated glass substrates by Arrested Precipitation Technique. The change in properties of MoBi₂(Se_0.5Te_0.5)₅ thin films were examined after annealing at the temperature 473 K for 3 h. The structural, morphological, compositional and electrical properties of thin films were characterized by X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, etc. Thermoelectric properties of the thin films have been evaluated by measurements of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient in the temperature range 300–500 K. Our aim is to investigate the effect of annealing on behaviour of MoBi₂(Se_0.5Te_0.5)₅ thin films along with photoelectrochemical properties.     

Deodorisation effect of diamond-like carbon/titanium dioxide multilayer thin films deposited onto polypropylene

Many types of plastic containers have been used for the storage of food. In the present study, diamond-like carbon (DLC)/titanium oxide (TiO₂) multilayer thin films were deposited on polypropylene (PP) to prevent flavour retention and to remove flavour in plastic containers.For the flavour removal test, two types of multilayer films were prepared, DLC/TiO₂ films and DLC/TiO₂/DLC films. The residual gas concentration of acetaldehyde, ethylene, and turmeric compounds in bottle including the DLC/TiO₂-coated and the DLC/TiO₂/DLC-coated PP plates were measured after UV radiation, and the amount of adsorbed compounds to the plates was determined. The percentages of residual gas for acetaldehyde, ethylene, and turmeric with the DLC/TiO₂ coated plates were 0.8%, 65.2% and 75.0% after 40 h of UV radiation, respectively. For the DLC/TiO₂/DLC film, the percentages of residual gas for acetaldehyde, ethylene and turmeric decreased to 34.9%, 76.0% and 85.3% after 40 h of UV radiation, respectively. The DLC/TiO₂/DLC film had a photocatalytic effect even though the TiO₂ film was covered with the DLC film.     

Photocatalytic and optical properties of titanium dioxide thin films prepared by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Titanium dioxide thin films have been deposited by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) over sodalime glass substrates at substrate temperatures ranging from 250 °C to 450 °C. The effect of deposition temperature on the structure and microstructure of the obtained films has been studied by x-rays diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Diffraction patterns show the existence of a pure anatase phase beside a texture change with the increase of deposition temperature. Micrographs show grain fragmentation with the increase in deposition temperature. UV–Vis. spectra have been recorded by spectrophotometery. The optical energy gap has been calculated for the deposited films from the spectrophotometrical data. Photocatalytic experiments have been carried out. The photocatalytic activity has been found to decrease with the increase in deposition temperature.     

Spectroscopic study of an atmospheric pressure plasma generated for the deposition of titanium dioxide thin films

TiO₂ thin films are applied in various domains, e.g. air or water purification, self-cleaning surfaces etc. The deposition of titanium dioxide at industrial scale remains challenging. Atmospheric pressure plasma chemical vapor deposition methods are currently developed to provide an easy and viable method for deposition at industrial scale. Even though those methods lead to promising applicative coatings their formation mechanisms remain poorly investigated. In order to investigate the effect of the plasma parameters, i.e. plasma power and introduction of oxygen, on the plasma chemistry, optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is employed to monitor the various species present in the discharge. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of the deposited thin films are carried out and show that by either decreasing the plasma power or introducing oxygen the carbon impurities in the layer can be reduced. By comparing OES and XPS data, the ratio of carbon containing species (CH and C₂) to oxygen, i.e. I_CH/I_O or I_C2/I_O, in the discharge is shown to be related to the carbon/oxygen composition ratio in the layer.     

高质量纳米ZnO薄膜的光致发光特性研究

报道了利用低压-金属有机物化学气相沉积技术生长纳米ZnS薄膜，然后，将ZnS薄膜在氧气中于800℃温度下进行热氧化制备高质量纳米ZnO薄膜.x射线衍射结果表明，纳米ZnO薄膜具有六角纤锌矿多晶结构.室温下观察到一束强的紫外(3.26 eV) 光致发光和很弱的深能级发射.根据激子峰的半高宽度与温度的关系确定了激子-纵向光学声子（LO）的耦合强度（ГLO）.由于量子限域效应使ГLO减少较多. 关键词： 光致发光 热氧化 激子 纳米ZnO薄膜     

Excimer laser ablation of thin titanium oxide films on glass

Thin titanium dioxide films are deposited on glass substrates by magnetron sputter deposition. They are irradiated in air, by means of a KrF excimer laser. The ablation rate is measured as a function of the laser fluence per pulse, F, and of the number of pulses, N. Above a fluence threshold, the films are partially ablated. The ablated thickness does not vary linearly with N. This is the signature of a negative feedback between the film thickness and the ablation rate. The origin of this negative feedback is shown to be due to either thermal or electronic effects, or both. At high F, the film detachs from the substrate.     

Use of successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method for amorphous titanium dioxide thin films growth

Use of successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method was preferred for the growth of amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films at ambient temperature. Further, these films were annealed at 673 K for 2 h in air for structural improvement and characterized for structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties. An amorphous structure of TiO₂ was retained even after annealing as confirmed from XRD studies. The spherical grains of relatively large size were compressed after annealing. A red shift in band gap energy and decrease in electrical resistivity were observed due to annealing treatment.     

Structural properties of the titanium dioxide thin films grown by atomic layer deposition at various numbers of reaction cycles

A dependence of structural properties of TiO₂ films grown on both Si- and Ti-substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at the temperature range of 250-300 °C from titanium ethoxide and water on the number of reaction cycles N was investigated using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). TiO₂ films grown on both Si- and Ti-substrates revealed amorphous structure at low values of N < 400. However, an increase of N up to values 400-3600 resulted in the growth of polycrystalline TiO₂ with structure of anatase on both types of substrates and according to XRD-measurements the sizes of crystallites rose with the increase of N. The maximum anatase crystallite size for TiO₂ grown on Ti-substrate was found to be on ∼35% lower in comparing with that for TiO₂ grown on Si-substrate. A use of titanium methoxide as a Ti precursor with the ligand size smaller than in case of titanium ethoxide allowed to observe an influence of the ligand size on both the growth per cycle and structural properties of TiO₂. The average growth per cycle of TiO₂ deposited from titanium methoxide and water (0.052 ± 0.01 nm/cycle) was essentially higher than that for TiO₂ grown from titanium ethoxide and water (0.043 ± 0.01 nm/cycle). Ligands of smaller sizes were found to promote the higher crystallinity of TiO₂ in comparison with the case of using the titanium precursor with ligands of bigger sizes.     

退火温度对硼掺杂纳米金刚石薄膜微结构和p型导电性能的影响

采用热丝化学气相沉积法制备硼掺杂纳米金刚石 (BDND) 薄膜, 并对薄膜进行真空退火处理, 系统研究退火温度对BDND薄膜微结构和电学性能的影响. Hall效应测试结果表明掺B浓度为5000 ppm (NHB) 的样品的电阻率较掺B浓度为500 ppm (NLB) 的样品的低, 载流子浓度高, Hall迁移率下降. 1000 ℃退火后, NLB和NHB 样品的迁移率分别为53.3和39.3 cm²·V^-1·s^-1, 薄膜的迁移率较未退火样品提高, 电阻率降低. 高分辨透射电镜、紫外和可见光拉曼光谱测试结果表明, NLB样品的金刚石相含量较NHB样品高, 高的硼掺杂浓度使薄膜中的金刚石晶粒产生较大的晶格畸变. 经1000 ℃退火后, NLB和NHB薄膜中纳米金刚石相含量较未退火时增大, 说明薄膜中部分非晶碳转变为金刚石相, 为晶界上B扩散到纳米金刚石晶粒中提供了机会, 使得纳米金刚石晶粒中B浓度提高, 增强纳米金刚石晶粒的导电能力, 提高薄膜电学性能. 1000 ℃退火能够恢复纳米金刚石晶粒的晶格完整性, 减小由掺杂引起的内应力, 从而提高薄膜的电学性能. 可见光Raman光谱测试结果表明, 1000℃退火后, Raman谱图中反式聚乙炔 (TPA) 的1140 cm^-1峰消失, 此时薄膜电学性能较好, 说明TPA减少有利于提高薄膜的电学性能. 退火后金刚石相含量的增大、金刚石晶粒的完整性提高及TPA含量的大量减少有利于提高薄膜的电学性能. 关键词： 硼掺杂纳米金刚石薄膜 退火 微结构 电学性能     

纳米晶硅薄膜中氢含量及键合模式的红外分析

采用传统射频等离子体化学气相沉积技术在100—350℃的衬底温度下高速沉积氢化硅薄膜. 傅里叶变换红外光谱和Raman谱的研究表明,纳米晶硅薄膜中的氢含量和硅氢键合模式与薄膜的晶化特性有密切关系,当薄膜从非晶相向晶相转变时,氢的含量减少了一半以上,硅氢键合模式以SiH₂为主. 随着衬底温度的升高和晶化率的增加,纳米晶硅薄膜中氢的含量以及其结构因子逐渐减少. 关键词： 氢化纳米晶硅薄膜 红外透射谱 氢含量 硅氢键合模式     

Effect of interfacial alloying on the surface plasmon resonance of nanocrystalline Au-Ag multilayer thin films

Nanocrystalline Au and Ag in multilayer thin film form with Au/Ag/Au structure were prepared by high pressure (∼40 Pa) d.c. sputtering techniques. The Ag concentrations in Ag_xAu_1-x films were changed from x = 0 to 1. These multilayer films with varying Ag concentration showed significant changes in microstructures obtained from TEM and XRD analyses. The optical absorption spectra of these multilayer films showed a single plasmon band confirming the formation of Au-Ag alloy. We ascribe this alloying to the interfacial reactions in nanophase limited at the Au-Ag interface. The red-shift and broadening of the plasmon bands with the increase in silver concentration could be associated to the increase in size of the nanoparticles and its distribution. The observed red shift in the plasmon band may be associated with the change in electronic structure at the Au-Ag interface due to configuration mixing of the atomic energy levels of Au and Ag. Received 17 October 2002 / Received in final form 26 February 2003 Published online 23 May 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: msakp@mahendra.iacs.res.in     

Effects of high hydrogen dilution ratio on optical properties of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin films

Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin films were prepared by plasma enhanced vapor deposition technique. In our experiment, hydrogen dilution ratio R_H was changed mainly, while the other parameters, such as the radio frequency power, the direct current bias value, the chamber pressure, the total gas flow and the substrate temperature were kept constant. The film's surface topography was gained by AFM. The chemical bond was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra. The optical properties were characterized by transmission spectra. To consider absorption peak of stretching vibration mode of SiH₃ at 2140 cm⁻¹ and to reduce the calculation error, a hydrogen content calculation method was proposed. Effects of hydrogen dilution ratio on the deposition rate v and hydrogen content C_H were investigated. The bonding mode and the force constants k of chemical bond, the structural factor f in films were changed by high hydrogen dilution ratio, which gave rise to the shift of absorption peak of infrared stretching mode and the decrease of optical band gap E_g.     

Effect of fluorine doping on highly transparent conductive spray deposited nanocrystalline tin oxide thin films

The undoped and fluorine doped thin films are synthesized by using cost-effective spray pyrolysis technique. The dependence of optical, structural and electrical properties of SnO₂ films, on the concentration of fluorine is reported. Optical absorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Hall effect studies have been performed on SnO₂:F (FTO) films coated on glass substrates. The film thickness varies from 800 to 1572 nm. X-ray diffraction pattern reveals the presence of cassiterite structure with (2 0 0) preferential orientation for FTO films. The crystallite size varies from 35 to 66 nm. SEM and AFM study reveals the surface of FTO to be made of nanocrystalline particles. The electrical study reveals that the films are degenerate and exhibit n-type electrical conductivity. The 20 wt% F doped film has a minimum resistivity of 3.8 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm, carrier density of 24.9 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ and mobility of 6.59 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. The sprayed FTO film having minimum resistance of 3.42 Ω/cm², highest figure of merit of 6.18 × 10⁻² Ω⁻¹ at 550 nm and 96% IR reflectivity suggest, these films are useful as conducting layers in electrochromic and photovoltaic devices and also as the passive counter electrode.