Ultra fine carbon nitride nanocrystals synthesized by laser ablation in liquid solution

Crystalline carbon nitride nanopowders and nanorods have been successfully synthesized at room temperature and pressure using the novel technique of pulsed laser ablation of a graphite target in liquid ammonia solution. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to systematically study the morphology, nanostructure and chemical bonding. The experimental composition and structure of the nanoparticles are consistent with the theoretical calculations for α-C₃N₄. After 2 h ablation the particles had a size distribution ∼8–12 nm, whereas after 5 h ablation the particles had grown into nanorod-like structures with a crystalline C₃N₄ tip. A formation mechanism for these nanorods is proposed whereby nanoparticles are first synthesized via rapid formation of an embryonic particle, followed by a slow growth, eventually leading to a one-dimensional nanorod structure.     

Valence band and band gap photoemission study of (1 1 1) In2O3 epitaxial films under interactions with oxygen, water and carbon monoxide

Synchrotron radiation ultraviolet photoemission experiments at photon energies of 150 and 49 eV were performed on an epitaxial layer of (1 1 1) In₂O₃ with good crystallinity as established by a standard scanning probe and diffraction methods. Valence band (VB) and band gap photoemission spectra were monitored under separate oxygen, water and carbon monoxide exposures (100 L) at different activation temperatures within the range utilized for chemiresistive gas sensors (160-450 °C). Large changes in photoemission response within the whole VB were observed for all gases. Regular shifts of the valence band edge relative to the Fermi energy were found under gas exposures on two kinds of surface (partially reduced or partially oxidized), and are interpreted as changes of surface potential. Treatments in oxygen resulted in upward band bending (∼0.5 eV at T = 320 °C). Regardless of activation temperature, treatments in water resulted in downward band bending, but with small changes (<0.1 eV). Reduction properties of carbon monoxide were observed only at high temperatures of T ? 370 °C. At temperatures of 160 and 250 °C unusual “oxidizing” behavior of CO was observed with upward band bending of ∼0.7 eV (160 °C). Oxidizing and reducing effects of the gas interactions with the (1 1 1) In₂O₃ surface in all cases were accompanied by a corresponding behavior, i.e., a decrease or increase in photoemission response from so-called defect states in the band gap near the top of the valence band. The increases of photoemission within a band gap with maxima at binding energies (BE) of 0.4 (O₂-induced peak) and 1.0 eV (CO-induced peak) were, respectively, found for interactions with O₂ and CO for low temperatures (T = 160 and 250 °C). These responses were ascribed to acceptor-like electronic levels of O₂ and CO chemisorption states, respectively. A definite split of the top VB peak (BE ∼ 4.0 eV) was found under CO dosing at 160 °C. Established knowledge of the CO interaction with the (1 1 1) In₂O₃ surface explains earlier revealed acceptor-like behavior of In₂O₃ film conductivity during CO detection at operational temperatures lower than 250 °C through the formation of acceptor-like electronic levels of adsorbed CO molecules.     

Thin film stress measurement by instrumented optical fibre displacement sensor

Residual stress can adversely affect the mechanical, electronic, optical and magnetic properties of thin films. This work describes a simple stress measurement instrument based on the bending beam method together with a sensitive non-contact fibre optical displacement sensor. The fibre optical displacement sensor is interfaced to a computer and a Labview programme enables film stress to be determined from changes in the radius of curvature of the film-substrate system. The stress measurement instrument was tested for two different kinds of thin film, hard amorphous carbon nitride (CN) and soft copper (Cu) films on silicon substrates deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. Residual stress developed in 500 nm thick CN thin films deposited at substrate temperatures in the range 50-550 °C was examined and it was found that stress in CN films decreased from 0.83 to 0.44 GPa compressive with increase of substrate temperature. Residual stress was found to be tensile (121 MPa) for Cu films of thickness 1500 nm deposited at room temperature.     

Growth of InN films and nanorods by H-MOVPE

InN films and nanorods were grown by hydride metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (H-MOVPE) and the effects of growth temperature, and NH₃/TMIn and HCl/TMIn ratios on morphological dependences were studied. The growth habit of InN varied from thin film to microrod to nanorod to no deposition as the growth conditions were changed about transition from growth to etching conditions. The growth and etch regimes were also predicted by chemical equilibrium calculations of In–C–H–Cl–N-inert system. The optical properties of InN nanorods and columnar structured films were measured by room temperature PL and a maximum intensity was observed at 1.08 eV for both structures.     

Substrates for flexible electronics: A practical investigation on the electrical,film flexibility,optical, temperature,and solvent resistance properties

Designing and developing flexible electronics requires a thorough investigation of the substrates available for the fabrication of devices. Here, we present a practical study on a variety of significant substrates: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), its heat‐stabilized (HS) derivative, HS‐PET, and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) plastic insulating films; indium tin oxide (ITO)‐coated ITO/PEN and ITO/PET transparent conducting films; rigid ITO/glass and FTO/glass substrates; stainless steel and titanium foils. We put the substrates through a range of tests these actually undergo during device fabrication to determine their optical, mechanical flexibility (under different types of tensile and compressive stress bending with and without a PEDOT:PSS conducting polymer layer), solvent resistance, stability to temperature treatment (conductivity and deformation), and to UV irradiation. We highlight issues and propose solutions to improve substrate response. The results and thresholds extracted reveal limitations and windows of opportunity useful for the designer of flexible optoelectronics in determining manufacturing processes and the final applications under everyday operation. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

The bond force constants and elastic properties of boron nitride nanosheets and nanoribbons using a hierarchical modeling approach

A hierarchical approach bridging the atomistic and nanometric scales is used to compute the elastic properties of boron nitride nanosheets and nanoribbons, examining the effect of sheet size, aspect ratio and anisotropy. The approach consists in obtaining the bond force (force field) constants by dedicated computations based on density functional theory (DFT) and using such constants as input for larger scale structural models solved by finite element analysis (FEA). The bond force constants calculated by DFT are 616.9 N/m for stretching, 6.27×10⁻¹⁹ Nm/rad² for in-plane rotation and 1.32×10⁻¹⁹ Nm/rad² for dihedral rotation. Using these constants, the elastic properties of boron nitride nanosheets and nanoribbons predicted by FEA are almost independent of the sheet size, but strongly dependent on their aspect ratio. The sheet anisotropy increases with increased aspect ratio, with nanoribbons of aspect ratios of 10 exhibiting a ratio of elastic moduli along both in-plane directions of 1.7.     

The synthesis of transition metal nitrides via thermolysis of metal-ammine complexes, Part I: Chromium nitride

The thermal decomposition of a CrN precursor, hexaammine chromium(II) chloride, in ammonia has been investigated via a combination of thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Upon heating, [Cr(NH₃)₆]Cl₂ sequentially loses ammonia ligands, ultimately forming CrCl₂·NH₃ at ∼400 °C. When heat-treated to 500 °C in ammonia, this compound ammonolyzes to form nanocrystalline CrN.     

The Reaction Of Metal Trialkyls With Benzo[H]Quinolin-10-ol

IntroductionThechemistryoforganoaluminum,organogalliumandorganoindiumcomplexeshasattractedmuchat'tentionduenotonlytotheirinterestingstructuralandchemicalpropertiesbutalsotheirapplicationinsemiconductormaterialsl-5.InthecourseofourstudiesonexploringvolatileMOCVDprecursorsthathavethepropertiesoflowertoxicityandhigherstability,wehaverecentlyreportedonthesynthesisandcharacterizationofintermolecularadducts'-',novelbondingmodecomplexes",',andthecomplexesinwhichN/Omixed-donorcrownethersasligands'l'…     

Fe and N diffusion in nitrogen-rich FeN measured using neutron reflectometry

Grazing incidence neutron reflectometry provides an opportunity to measure the depth profile of a thin film sample with a resolution <1 nm, in a non-destructive way. In this way the diffusion across the interfaces can also be measured. In addition, neutrons have contrast among the isotopes, making it feasible to measure the self-diffusion. In the present work, the isotope multilayers of [FeN/⁵⁷FeN]₁₀ and [FeN/Fe¹⁵N]₁₀ were prepared using magnetron sputtering and self-diffusion of Fe and N was investigated. It was found that N diffusion is slower compared to Fe and does not follow the atomic size dependence.      

Synergetic effects during sputter-assisted depth profiling: Growth-dominated topography development on InP and a model of the atomic mechanism

Growth-dominated extreme topography development on ionbombarded wafers of InP is reported and is explained in terms of the micro region model presented in summary form. This model postulates the existence of an ion-bombardment-produced ensemble of crystallites and non-crystalline aggregations of atoms (composed of the substrate material, of dopant and of oxygen from the native oxide layer) where the majority of InP micro regions is so small (nanometer dimensions) that most interstitials created in collision events between bombarding ions and atoms of the micro region can reach an interfacial boundary rather than recombine with a vacancy from the same or another collision event. These atoms are then transported via interfacial boundaries and over the surface to screw dislocations where crystal stubs proceed to grow until the damage rate by ion bombardment overtakes the growth rate. Ion-bombardment-induced compressive stresses favour diffusion towards the surface. Temperature transients within micro regions assist both interfacial diffusion and damage repair. The topography is a result of competition between growth and sputtering. Different growth rates cause different topographies. The development of an extreme topography can be suppressed by oxygen flooding of the sputtered surface, by simultaneous electron beam scanning, as well as by Cs⁺ ion bombardment.