Growth and field emission properties of globe-like diamond microcrystalline-aggregate

The globe-like diamond microcrystalline-aggregates were fabricated by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) method. The ceramic with a Ti mental layer was used as substrate. The fabricated diamond was evaluated by Raman scattering spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectrum (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The field emission properties were tested by using a diode structure in a vacuum. A phosphor-coated indium tin oxide (ITO) anode was used for observing and characterizing the field emission. It was found that the globe-like diamond microcrystalline-aggregates exhibited good electron emission properties. The turn-on field was only 0.55 V/μm, and emission current density as high as 11 mA/cm² was obtained under an applied field of 2.9 V/μm for the first operation. The growth mechanism and field emission properties of the globe-like diamond microcrystalline-aggregates are discussed relating to microstructure and electrical conductivity.     

The Structure and Properties of Polyamide/Liquid Crystal Polymer Blends

Melt blended polyamide (PA)/liquid crystal polymer (LCP) blends were prepared and their structures and properties were studied. The tensile strength and impact strength of the PA/LCP blends increased with increasing small amount of LCP content. Compared with a pure PA sample, there was a 17.7% increase in the tensile strength and a 45.5% increase in the impact strength when the LCP content was less than 10%. On the other hand, the Vicat softening temperature decreased with increasing the LCP content. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that small addition of LCP was beneficial to increase the crystallinity of PA component for PA/LCP blends and the melting peak for the PA component of PA/LCP blends shifted to lower temperature with increasing LCP content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed a layered structure existing in the injection moldings of PA/LCP blends with the LCP crystals having a preferred orientation along the melt flow direction in the sub-skin, shearing layer, and core region. The increased crystallinity of PA component and preferred orientation structure of LCP phase were beneficial to increase the mechanical properties of the PA/LCP blends.     

The effect of ITO films thickness on the properties of flexible organic light emitting diode

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on cyclic olefin copolymer substrate at room temperature by an inverse target sputtering system. The crystal structure and the surface morphology of the deposited ITO films were examined by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy, separately. The electrical properties of the conductive films were explored by four-point probing. Visible spectrometer was used to measure the optical properties of ITO-coated films. The performance of the flexible organic light emitting diode device with different thickness anode was investigated in this study.     

Electrospray deposit structure of nanoparticle suspensions

Electrospray atomization has unique capabilities for deploying colloidal suspensions to create nanoparticle films and coatings. This technique can deliver precise quantities of particles in a dry state to a target substrate and overcomes many limitations of other printing and coating technologies. Since the structure of a nanoparticle layer governs its functionalities, it is essential to understand the relationship between the key operating parameters and the macro- and microstructure of an electrospray deposit. We investigated the role of three key parameters on the deposit structure: electrospray time, the target substrate electrical properties, and the polydispersity of the colloidal suspension. The macrostructure of the nanoparticle deposits was similar for all spray times and substrates. In particular, the deposited particles segregate to the center and edge of a deposit, leaving a depletion region in between. We speculate that the mutual Coulombic forces due to the space charge inside the plume play a key role in governing the trajectory of the nanoparticles and the ensuing deposit morphology. Since particles emitted by electrospray are highly charged, the microstructure of a deposit was strongly influenced by the electrical conductivity of the target substrate. By maintaining a net charge, particles deposited on to a dielectric substrate could influence the deposition of subsequent in-flight particles, which opens new routes for exerting control over the deposit structure.     

类球状微米金刚石聚晶膜场发射的稳定性

在覆盖金属钛层的陶瓷上,利用微波等离子体化学气相沉积(MPCVD)法制备出类球状微米金刚石聚晶膜。通过二极管结构测试了聚晶膜的场致电子发射特性,利用扫描电子显微镜、拉曼光谱、XRD分析了场发射前后薄膜的结构和表面形貌的变化。发现在高场、大电流密度的场发射中,对类球状微米金刚石聚晶薄膜中的金刚石聚晶颗粒影响很小,而对金刚石聚晶颗粒间的非晶碳层影响很大。对类球状微米金刚石聚晶变化机理进行了研究。     

Samaria-doped Ceria Modified Ni/YSZ Anode for Direct Methane Fuel in Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells by Impregnation Method

以NiO和8%(摩尔分数)氧化钇稳定的氧化锆为原料,采用注凝成型工艺制备了管状固体氧化物燃料电池阳极支撑体．用离子浸渍法对阳极支撑体进行表面修饰．用电化学工作站测单电池交流阻抗和输出性能并且用化学气相色谱仪对电池尾气进行分析．测试结果表明修饰后的阳极在通甲烷的情况下出现了一定程度的积炭,但是积炭现象在一定的测试时间内达到平衡,没有对电池造成破坏,并且显著地提高了电池阳极的电化学性能．单电池在通入氢气和甲烷的情况下最大输出功率密度分别达到了225和400 mW/cm²．     

Effect of anode microstructure on the performance of micro tubular SOFCs

Here we report the effect of anode microstructure on the SOFC performance using two types of micro tubular SOFCs, 0.8 and 1.6mm in diameter with different anode microstructure (Cells A and B). The cells consisted of NiO-Gd doped ceria (GDC) as an anode (support tube), GDC as an electrolyte and (La, Sr)(Fe, Co)O₃ (LSCF)-GDC as a cathode. The anode tube for Cell A was prepared using NiO (d_g~ 5µm) and GDC (d_g~ 0.2µm) powders without using a pore former, while the anode tube for Cell B was prepared using NiO (d_g~ 0.5µm)and GDC(d_g~ 0.2µm) powders using a pore former. The peak power density of these cells were shown to be 203, 400 and 857mW cm^{? 2} for Cell A and 273, 628 and 1017mW cm^{? 2} for Cell B, respectively at 450, 500, and 550°C operating temperature. Both cells showed outstanding performance, and furthermore the anode microstructure of Cell B was shown to be more optimized for better cell performance.     

Macroporous silicate ceramics prepared by freeze casting combined with polymer sponge method

A combined processing route using freeze casting and a polymer sponge has been introduced for preparing macroporous silicate materials with controlled “designer” pore structures. Water/ceramic slurry systems were used in this work. The typical processing characteristics resulting from freeze casting and the polymer sponge were carried through to the sintered microstructure. A reticulated structure consisted of the struts with highly interconnected, large open pores together the inner walls with fine dendritic pores were developed and both types of characteristic pores were aligned along the ice growth direction. The pore structure developed was relatively independent of the concentration of the starting slurry and the sintering temperature.     

Flexible carbon nanostructures with electrospun nickel oxide as a lithium-ion battery anode

Carbon nanostructures (CNS) with high electrical conductivity and unique branched structure of carbon nanotubes combined with NiO nanofibers (NFs) were used as anode for lithium-ion batteries. CNS works as a framework substrate for the anodic conversion reaction of nickel oxide (NiO). Electrochemical performance and behavior of CNS/NiO anodes is compared with the conventional carbon (C)/NiO anodes. CNS/NiO NF-based anode retains high specific capacity under different current densities compared to C/NiO anode. Moreover, specific capacity as high as 450 mAh/g for CNS/NiO NF anode is observed compared to only 90 mAh/g for C/NiO NFs using a current density of 500 mA/g after 500 cycles. This improved performance is attributed to the highly conductive network of CNS leading to efficient charge transfer. The high porosity, electrical conductivity as well as the branched and networked nature of CNS reveal to be of critical importance to allow the electrochemical conversion reactions.     

Plasma deposition of thin films utilizing the anodic vacuum arc

Anodic vacuum arcs operating with cold cathodes in the spot mode and hot evaporating anodes are investigated to explore their technical potential as a plasma deposition technique. This discharge provides a unique source of a highly ionized, metal vapor plasma by autogeneration of the working gas to evaporation of the anode. This gas-free and droplet-free metal vapor plasma expands into the ambient vacuum (10^-4 mbar) and produces thin metallic films at the surface of substrates. An analysis of Al and Cu plasmas at the position of a possible substrate for arc currents between 20 and 200 A leads to the following results: electron densities, 10¹⁵-10¹⁸/ m³; degree of ionization, 0.5-25%; directed ion energy, 5 eV; and electron temperatures, 0.2-1 eV. Metallic coatings generated with deposition rates between 0.1 and 100 nm/s show the following properties: purity, 99.9%; polycrystalline structure with grain sizes between a few and a few hundred nm, same mass density as the respective bulk material, electrical conductivity rather close to that of the bulk material, and excellent optical properties. The coatings show good adhesion, which can be enhanced by a plasma-supported pretreatment of the substrate surface and by an acceleration of the ions towards the substrate     

Formation of two-dimensional photonic-crystal structures in silicon for near-infrared region using fine focused ion beams

One of the two variants of producing two-dimensional photonic crystals in silicon is the formation of ordered macropore structures in a silicon substrate. The characteristic pore dimensions (the diameter and the wall thickness between pores) determine the wavelength range in which such a pore structure exhibits the properties of a photonic crystal. For the near-infrared region, these dimensions approach 1 μm or fall in a submicron region. An ordered structure of macropores with such dimensions is formed in this work using fine focused ion beams to provide the stimulating effect of implanted ions on pore nucleation in given sites on the silicon substrate surface. Pores are shown to nucleate at sites subjected to ion irradiation even at a low implantation dose (2×10¹³ ion/cm²). A model describing the orienting effect of ion irradiation on pore nucleation is proposed. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 46, No. 1, 2004, pp. 35–38. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2004 by Vyatkin, Gavrilin, Gorbatov, Starkov, Sirotkin.     

Thermal and mechanical coupling between successive pulses in KrF-excimer-laser ablation of polyimide

Multiple-shot effects in laser processing and ablation of polyimide are examined and are found to be the dominant phenomena for processes involving several hundreds or thousands of pulses. For fluences less than 260 mJ/cm², it was found that it is impossible to cut through 75 m polyimide foils for an arbitrarily large number of excimer pulses even though this fluence is more than ten times the single-shot ablation threshold. The halt in etching is due to the formation, over a number of shots, of a robust carbon matrix with a deep surface roughness which is also responsible for laser-induced electrical conductivity. The effect of thermal coupling between successive shots is shown to be a dominant factor in determining the electrical properties of the carbon layer. Differences in electrical conductivity of up to 12 orders of magnitude were found for only small differences in repetition rate. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the changes in microstructure responsible for the dramatic differences in electrical properties.     

机械合金化过程对硫化铋块体热电性能的影响机理

以机械合金化法(MA)结合放电等离子烧结技术(SPS)制备了Bi₂S₃多晶块体热电材料. 研究了MA过程中干磨转速、湿磨时间和湿磨介质对Bi₂S₃多晶热电材料电传输性能的影响. 分析了样品的物相, 观察了显微组织, 测试了电传输性能和热传输性能. 研究表明, 以无水乙醇为湿磨介质时, 随着湿磨时间的延长, 出现了微量Bi₂O₃第二相, 样品的晶粒尺寸减小, 电阻率大幅增加, 功率因子下降. 以丙酮为湿磨介质时, 虽然不存在微氧化反应, 但是由于样品中存在大量孔洞, 导致功率因子降低. 425 r/min 干磨15 h后未湿磨的样品在573 K取得最大的ZT值0.25, 是目前文献报道的最高值.     

Development of three-dimensional microstructure processing using macroporousn-type silicon

The development of a micromachining technique for processing arbitrary structures with high aspect ratios in bulk silicon is presented. It is based on utilizing standard microelectronic processes and electrochemical macropore formation onn-type silicon in electrolytes containing hydrofluoric acid. This pore-etching technique allows us to produce very regular pore arrays with pore diameters and distances in the micrometer range and pore lengths up to wafer thickness. Samples with prefabricated pore arrays which differ in pore spacing, pore diameter and geometry are used as substrates for a micromachining process. The pores will facilitate the anisotropic etch profile which is required for the desired high aspect ratios although an isotropic etch process is used. Very deep microstructures with steep pore walls and aspect ratios of 10–15 are produced with this technique. It is shown that smaller pore array dimensions improve microstructure resolution.     

Microstructure and electrical characterization based on AFM of very high-doped polysilicon grains

In this work, we demonstrate that atomic force microscopy allows topography measurement as well as the local electrical properties of very high-doped polysilicon film prior to any subsequent annealing. AFM and TEM observations showed the columnar microstructure of the polysilicon layer. The electrical effect of this microstructure was characterized using SCM, KFM and C-AFM. Each electric mode gives additional information on the local properties of the polysilicon layer.     

High-quality epitaxial LaNiO3 thin films on SrTiO3(100) and LaAlO3(100)

LaNiO₃ thin films have been deposited by pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO₃(100) and LaAlO₃(100) substrates. The processing conditions have been investigated in order to optimize electrical resistivity, crystal quality, and surface morphology. Excellent properties are achieved at moderate substrate temperature and relatively low oxygen pressure, without the need for annealing. Thickness exerts an important influence on electrical transport, as the electrical resistivity increases quickly in films thicker than a few tens of nanometer. The surface of the films on LaAlO₃ is very flat in all the studied thickness range, but the films on SrTiO₃ develop a pattern of boundaries and even cracks as the thickness is higher. Below the critical thickness, high-quality epitaxial films with very smooth surface and low electrical resistivity are obtained under the optimum conditions of substrate temperature and oxygen pressure. The optimum processing conditions are different depending on the substrate, and control is especially critical in films deposited on SrTiO₃.     

Structural, electrical and mechanical properties of NiO thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were prepared by reactive pulsed laser deposition on thermally oxidized Si substrates in 10 Pa oxygen pressure. The substrate temperature during deposition was varied and its influence on the structural, electrical and nanomechanical properties was studied. It was proved that the structural properties were affected by the increase of substrate temperature improving the crystalline structure. Furthermore, a higher substrate temperature resulted in a thicker NiO film, which was attributed to an increased grain size. This effect influenced the electrical properties, too. Resistivity measurements showed that it increased with the increase of substrate temperature. For the first time, the nanomechanical properties of NiO films were studied. The formation and improvement of crystalline structure affected the nanomechanical properties. Nanoindentation testing of NiO thin films revealed an increase of hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E) and a decrease of surface roughness when increasing the substrate temperature.     

Fabrication of a random convex-lens-shaped microstructure using a laser ablation

A convex-lens-shaped microstructure with a diameter of 50 μm on a metallic mold substrate was fabricated in this paper. A laser ablation process, in which the laser beam was focused and irradiated on the metallic mold substrate in order to remove a part of the substrate, was used for that. The convex-lens-shaped microstructure has not been reported in any studies of microstructure using the laser ablation process. It was proposed that the unbalanced ablation and re-adherence of the melted particles was the processing mechanism of the convex lens shape. The convex-lens-shaped microstructure fabricated in this study is smaller than the focused spot. It was expected that the same convex-lens-shaped microstructure can be fabricated even if the focused spot size is increased, so long as the fluence of the laser can be maintained. Therefore, the method proposed in this paper will improve the low processing speed, which has been the problem of a laser ablation process. The fabricated convex-lens-shaped microstructure on the metallic substrate can be used as the mold for the micro lens.     

Structure and Properties of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene/Liquid Crystal Polymer Blends

A liquid crystal polymer (LCP) was used to improve the physical properties of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFRPP). The LCP was beneficial to improve the mechanical and heat resistant properties of the GFRPP/LCP composite. Compared with the GFRPP with 30% (w%) glass fiber (GF), the yield strength and the impact strength for the GFRPP/LCP composites increased by 62.7% and 18.1%, respectively, with a 6.8°C increase in the Vicat softening temperature for a 5% LCP addition to the GFRPP composites. The crystallinity of the polypropylene (PP) matrix for the GFRPP/LCP composites increased for 5% LCP and then decreased with increasing the LCP content. The γ-phase crystals for the PP matrix occurred in the shear layer of the injection molded GFRPP/LCP samples. The improved adhesion interface between the GF and the PP matrix was beneficial to reinforce and toughen the GFRPP/LCP composites with a small addition of the LCP.     

Studies of the anisotropy of the microstructure of oil and gas reservoir rocks by electron microscopy methods

The paper presents the features of applying the scanning electron microscopy method for studying the anisotropy of the pore space of carbonate rocks in oil and gas reservoirs. The results of studies into the horizontal anisotropy of the microstructure and pore space are presented. The significance of the pore space horizontal anisotropy for filtration properties, which should be taken into account during the development of 3D-hydrodynamic models of hydrocarbon deposits, has been experimentally found for rocks with a complex structure.