Optical and electrochemical properties of Cu-doped NiO films prepared by electrochemical deposition

Cu-doped nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were prepared by electrochemial deposition (cathodic deposition) technique onto the fluorine doped tin oxide (F: SnO₂; FTO) coated glass substrates from organic solutions. Effects of Cu content on the morphology, structure, optical and electrochromic properties of NiO films were investigated by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-vis) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), respectively. SEM images indicated the formation of nanorods after Cu was added. The films were formed with amorphous or short-range ordered NiO grains and a trace of face-centered cubic Ni_xCu_1−xO confirmed by XRD. The transmittances of both bleached state and colored state were significantly lowered when Cu was added. The NiO films doped with Cu (the molar ratio was 1/8) exhibited the optimum electrochromic behavior with a variation of transmittance (ΔT) up to ∼80% at the wavelength range of 350-600 nm. Cu doping reduces the response time for both the coloring and bleaching states, and the reversibility of the redox reaction was increased as well.     

Characterization of DC reactive magnetron sputtered NiO films using spectroscopic ellipsometry

Thin NiO films were deposited at 500 °C on n-type Si(1 1 1) by a DC reactive magnetron sputtering in a gas mixture of oxygen and argon. The ratio between the flow rates of oxygen and argon was respectively set at 1:4, 1:2, and 1:1. The dependence of structures and optical properties of NiO films were investigated using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral region of 1.5-5.0 eV. Ni-rich NiO films were obtained when the ratio between the flow rates of oxygen and argon was 1:4 and 1:2 in sputtering process. And when the ratio was 1:1, a relatively pure NiO film was formed. The partial pressure of oxygen could significantly influence the thickness and roughness of films. Refractive index n, extinction coefficient k, and direct gap energy and indirect gap energy of the NiO films were also subject to the influence of the partial pressure of oxygen.     

Exchange bias and training effect in Ni/Ag-doped NiO bilayers

A series of polycrystalline Ag-doped Ni_1−xAg_xO/Ni bilayers with x up to 0.2 were prepared by magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses reveal that Ag doping significantly reduces the mean NiO grain size and leads to the appearance of Ag nanoparticles on the surface of the Ag-doped NiO films. As x increases, the exchange bias field and coercivity at room temperature decrease as a consequence of the reduced thermal stability of smaller NiO grains and the screening effect resulting from the interfacial Ag nanoparticles. At lower temperatures, a slight enhancement of the exchange bias field is observed in the Ag-doped sample, indicating that the Ag doping increases the uncompensated NiO spin density. In addition, our studies find that the training effect of the Ag-doped sample can be well described by a spin configurational relaxation model, regardless of the presence of Ag nanopartiles at the interface.     

Properties of NiO thin films deposited by intermittent spray pyrolysis process

NiO thin films have been grown on glass substrates by intermittent spray pyrolysis deposition of NiCl₂·6H₂O diluted in distilled water, using a simple “perfume atomizer”. The effect of the solution molarity on their properties was studied and compared to those of NiO thin films deposited with a classical spray system. It is shown that NiO thin films crystallized in the NiO structure are achieved after deposition. Whatever the precursor molarity, the grain size is around 25-30 nm. The crystallites are preferentially oriented along the (1 1 1) direction. All the films are p-type. However, the thickness and the conductivity of the NiO films depend on the precursor contraction. By comparison with the properties of films deposited by classical spray technique, it is shown that the critical precursor concentration, which induces strong thin films properties perturbations, is higher when a perfume atomizer is used. This broader stability domain can be attributed to better chlorides decomposition during the rest time used in the perfume atomizer technique.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Fe doped NiO

Mott-Hubbard anti-ferromagnetic insulator, NiO shows p-type semiconducting behaviour due to vacancy at Ni²⁺ site in its bunsenite structure. We report the modification of structural and magnetic order in NiO on Fe doping. NiO samples at different Fe concentrations in the range 0 to 5 at.% have been prepared by chemical co-precipitation and post thermal decomposition method. Both structural and magnetic characterization reveal that with increasing Fe doping concentration, NiO evolves as a magnetically inhomogeneous state out of the parent homogeneous antiferromagnetic state. In addition, structural inhomogeneity was also observed with Fe precipitating to γ-Fe₂O₃ phase, the signature of which could be clearly seen for Fe content beyond 2 at.%. At lower Fe content however, some amount of Fe occupies lattice and interstitial sites in the NiO matrix and drive the latter to acquire ferromagnetic ordering, which was evident from a clear hysteresis loop at 300 K.      

单空位缺陷诱导的扶手椅型石墨烯纳米带电学性能的转变

本文基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算了单空位缺陷对 扶手椅型石墨烯纳米带电学特性的影响. 计算结果表明: 当单空位位于纳米带边缘位置时, 系统结构最稳定. 不同位置上单空位缺陷的引入都会使得原本为半导体的本征 扶手椅型石墨烯纳米带变成金属性; 随着单空位浓度的减小, 其对纳米带能带结构的影响逐渐减弱; 随着纳米带宽度的增大, 表征其金属性的特征值表现出震荡性的减弱. 单空位缺陷诱导的扶手椅型纳米带的半导体特性到金属特性的转变为石墨烯在 电子器件中的应用提供了理论指导. 关键词： 扶手椅型石墨烯纳米带 单空位缺陷 电学性能     

Ti-B-C-N纳米复合薄膜结构及力学性能研究

利用反应磁控溅射方法在单晶硅和高速钢(W18Cr4V)基片上制备出不同C含量Ti-B-C-N纳米复合薄膜. 使用X射线衍射和高分辨透射电子显微镜研究了Ti-B-C-N纳米复合薄膜的组织和微观结构,用纳米压痕仪测试了它们的硬度和弹性模量. 结果表明,利用往真空室通入C₂H₂气体的方法制备得到的Ti-B-C-N纳米复合薄膜中,在所研究成分范围内只发现TiN基的纳米晶. 当C₂H₂流量较小时,C元素的加入可以促进Ti-B-C 关键词： Ti-B-C-N薄膜 磁控溅射 微观结构 力学性能     

Structure and optical properties of nanostructured zinc oxide films with different growth temperatures

ZnO films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on glass substrate with temperature ranging from room temperature (RT) to 500 °C. All the films formed the hexagonal wurtzite structure and showed the c-axis (0 0 2) preferred orientation. The films deposited at 200 °C showed the narrowest full width at half maximum of both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and rocking curve, largest height grain size, smallest macrostress and least point defects. Meanwhile, it was found that the films deposited at 350 °C displayed the most intense diffraction peak in XRD and a strong UV emission while it showed the most intense defect-related green emission, fastest growth rate and larger macrostress. In addition, the cross section images showed all films grew with a columnar form along (0 0 2) orientation.     

Substrate-dependent structure, microstructure, composition and properties of nanostructured TiN films

Titanium nitride films of a thickness of ∼1.5 μm were deposited on amorphous and crystalline substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature with 100% nitrogen in the sputter gas. The growth of nanostructured, i.e. crystalline nano-grain sized, films at ambient temperature is demonstrated. The microstructure of the films grown on crystalline substrates reveals a larger grain size/crystallite size than that of the films deposited on amorphous substrates. Specular reflectance measurements on films deposited on different substrates indicate that the position of the Ti-N 2s band at 2.33 eV is substrate-dependent, indicating substrate-mediated stoichiometry. This clearly demonstrates that not only structure and microstructure, but also chemical composition of the films is substrate-influenced. The films deposited on amorphous substrates display lower hardness and modulus values than the films deposited on crystalline substrates, with the highest value of hardness being 19 GPa on a lanthanum aluminate substrate.     

Magnetic behavior and physicochemical properties of Ni and NiO nano-particles

A series of nano-crystalline Ni/NiO particles was synthesized by a combustion route depending upon the glycine-nitrate process. The as prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), transmission electron micrograph (TEM), nitrogen adsorption isothems at 77 K and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques.The XRD results revealed that the Ni powder crystallizes was formed with the cubic phase when the molar ratio of glycine to nitrate is 1.5. Above or below that molar ratio, NiO phase coexists as an impurity along with the Ni phase. The SEM and TEM measurements of the as synthesized powders showed that the particles are irregular in shapes and have porous morphology. Increasing the ratio between glycine and Ni-nitrate resulted in slightly agglomeration and grain growth of nano-particles with subsequent decrease in the value of surface area depending upon high combustion heat. The magnetization value of Ni measured at room temperature is very close to the value observed for commercial Ni powder.     

Optical properties and color generation mechanism of porous anodic alumina films

Porous anodic alumina thin films with iridescent colors were fabricated electrochemically in phosphoric acid electrolyte. Compared to the color saturation of alumina films fabricated in oxalic acid electrolyte, the saturation obtained using phosphoric acid was enhanced dramatically. The mechanisms behind this observation are discussed, and the microstructure and optical characteristics of the films are characterized. Multicolor patterns were obtained by an organics-assisted process for which details are given.     

Electrospinning fabrication of rime-like NiO nanowires/nanofibers hierarchical architectures and their photocatalytic properties

Rime-like NiO Nanowires/nanofibers hierarchical architectures have been fabricated employing a co-precipitation reaction and electrospinning method. The synthesized hierarchical structure was characterized using SEM, XRD and BET analysis methods. The effects of growth temperature and reaction time on the morphologies of the as-prepared structures were investigated by SEM characterization and a possible mechanism for the formation of NiO hierarchical structures is proposed. Based on the nitrogen adsorption and desorption measurements, the BET surface area of the as-obtained sample is 61.0 m²/g and the pore sizes of ca. 5.0 nm. The catalytic efficiency of the NiO nanomaterials developed was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of acetaldehyde. In comparison with sphere-like and fiber-like structures, the NiO hierarchical structures show an excellent ability to rapidly acetaldehyde pollutant, which may be attributed to its unique hierarchical and porous surface structures.     

边缘修饰的石墨烯纳米带电子特性的第一性原理研究

本文采用第一性原理计算方法,研究了zigzag型石墨烯纳米带在边缘采用不同基团（包括氢原子、羟基、酮基、氢和羟基共同饱和）进行修饰后电子特性的改变,计算了能带结构、态密度和电荷差分密度。结果分析表明,不同基团修饰的影响本质上可归结于不同的边缘杂化方式。边缘sp2杂化方式对GNRs体系内层原子的电子状态影响很小,没有改变zigzag-GNRs的金属性;而边缘sp3杂化的体系在能带结构中打开了一个带隙,此带隙随纳米带宽度的增加而逐渐减小。其中GNRs-H2 体系和GNRs-H2O体系发生了由金属性向半导体性的转变,而GNRs-O体系费米能级升高并且进入了导带,依然呈现金属性。利用这种边缘修饰非常易于调控GNRs的电子能带结构。     

边缘修饰的石墨烯纳米带电子特性的第一性原理研究

本文采用第一性原理计算方法,研究了zigzag型石墨烯纳米带在边缘采用不同基团（包括氢原子、羟基、酮基、氢和羟基共同饱和）进行修饰后电子特性的改变,计算了能带结构、态密度和电荷差分密度。结果分析表明,不同基团修饰的影响本质上可归结于不同的边缘杂化方式。边缘sp2杂化方式对GNRs体系内层原子的电子状态影响很小,没有改变zigzag-GNRs的金属性;而边缘sp3杂化的体系在能带结构中打开了一个带隙,此带隙随纳米带宽度的增加而逐渐减小。其中GNRs-H2 体系和GNRs-H2O体系发生了由金属性向半导体性的转变,而GNRs-O体系费米能级升高并且进入了导带,依然呈现金属性。利用这种边缘修饰非常易于调控GNRs的电子能带结构。     

Theoretical studies on mechanical and electronic properties of s-triazine sheet

Abstract

Mechanical and electronic properties of s-triazine sheet are studied using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The in-plane stiffness and bulk modulus for s-triazine sheet are found to be less than that of heptazine. The reduction can be related to the nature of the covalent bonds connecting the adjacent sheets and the number of atoms per unit cell. The Poisson’s ratio of s-triazine sheet is half the value to that of graphene. Additionally, the calculated values of the two critical strains (elastic and yielding points) of s-triazine sheet are in the same order of magnitude to that for heptazine which was calculated using MD simulations in the literature. It is also demonstrated that s-triazine sheet can withstand larger tension in the plastic region. These results established a stable mechanical property for s-triazine sheet. We found a linear relationship of bandgap as a function of bi-axial tensile strain within the harmonic elastic region. The reduced steric repulsion of the lone pairs (p_x-, p_y-) causes the p_z-like orbital to shift to high energy, and consequently an increase in the bandgap. We find no electronic properties modulation of the s-triazine sheet under electric field up to a peak value of 10 V/nm. Such noble properties may be useful in future nanomaterial applications.     

锯齿型碳纳米管的结构衍生及电子特性

利用密度泛函理论研究锯齿型单、双壁碳纳米管从核到管状团簇直至纳米管的逐层结构衍生.研究结果表明五边形结构在管状团簇生长中发挥关键作用.此外,基于管状团簇的研究,运用周期性边界条件得到锯齿型单、双壁碳纳米管,并通过计算能带和态密度研究其电子特性.对单壁(n,0)和双壁(n,0)@(2n,0)碳纳米管,当n=3q(q为整数)时,具有金属或窄带隙半导体特性;n?=3q时,具有较宽带隙半导体特性,且带隙随管径的增加而减小.然而,小管径碳纳米管受曲率效应的明显影响,n?=3q的(4,0),(4,0)@(8,0)和(5,0)@(10,0)均呈现金属性;n=3q的(6,0)@(12,0)则表现出明显的半导体特性.     

Stability, defect and electronic properties of graphane-like carbon-halogen compounds

We perform first-principles total energy calculations to investigate the stabilities and the electronic structures of graphane-like structures of carbon-halogen compounds, where the hydrogen atoms in the graphane are substituted by halogen atoms. Three halogen elements, fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl) and bromine (Br), are considered, and the graphane-like structures are named as CF, CCl and CBr, respectively. It is found that for the single-atom adsorption, only the F adatom can be chemically adsorbed on the graphene. However, the stable graphane-like structures of CF, CCl and CBr can form due to the interaction between the halogen atoms. The carbon atoms in the stable CF, CCl and CBr compounds are in the sp³ hybridization, forming a hexagonal network similar to the graphane. The electronic band calculations show that CF and CCl are semiconductors with band gaps of 3.28 eV and 1.66 eV, respectively, while CBr is a metal. Moreover, the molecular dynamics simulation is employed to clarify the stabilities of CF and CCl. Those two compounds are stable at room temperature. A high temperature (≥1200 K) is needed to damage CF, while CCl is destroyed at 700 K. Furthermore, the effects of a vacancy on the structure and the electronic property of CF are discussed.     

Theoretical investigation of electronic properties and redox properties for purely inorganic and aryloxide substituted Ti-containing POM derivatives

DFT calculations have been performed to investigate the redox properties and electron transition for a series of purely inorganic and aryloxide substituted Ti-containing polyoxometalate (POM) derivatives. The modification of organic conjugated groups dramatically alters the HOMO population and decreases the energy gap. It is evident from redox analysis that Ti atoms are preferred redox centres in organic–inorganic hybrid Ti-containing POMs, and the incorporation of π-conjugated groups evokes anodic shift for reduction potential. In contrast with mono-TiW₅O₁₈ derivatives, bi-TiW₅O₁₈ derivatives exhibit narrower energy gaps and more active redox properties. It is noteworthy that the attachment of π-conjugated groups induces the low-energy electron transition to be a significant bathochromic-shift, and it has been dramatically red-shifted by 296 nm in compound 1c in contrast with that in compound 1a. When the two TiW₅O₁₈ units are covalently linked as terminals to construct bi-TiW₅O₁₈ derivatives, the low-energy electron transition presents further bathochromical shift compared with corresponding mono-TiW₅O₁₈ derivatives. In addition, the crucial charge transfer for the hybrid Ti-containing POMs are generated from π-conjugated donor to d-Ti orbital with part of p–O_c orbitals. The incorporation of the organic substituents results in attached POMs by covalent linkage to the catalyst supports, which consequently enhances the ability of catalysis.     

Tailoring electronic properties of two-dimensional antimonene with isoelectronic counterparts

Using ab initio density functional theory calculations, we explore the three most stable structural phases, namely, α,β, and cubic(c) phases, of two-dimensional(2D) antimonene, as well as its isoelectronic counterparts SnTe and InI. We find that the band gap increases monotonically from Sb to SnTe to InI along with an increase in ionicity, independent of the structural phases. The band gaps of this material family cover the entire visible-light energy spectrum, ranging from 0.26 eV to 3.37 eV, rendering them promising candidates for optoelectronic applications. Meanwhile, band-edge positions of these materials are explored and all three types of band alignments can be achieved through properly combining antimonene with its isoelectronic counterparts to form heterostructures. The richness in electronic properties for this isoelectronic material family sheds light on possibilities to tailor the fundamental band gap of antimonene via lateral alloying or forming vertical heterostructures.