Characterization of ZnO-SnO2 thin film composites prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Thin films of ZnO-SnO₂ composites have been deposited on Si(1 0 0) and glass substrates at 500 °C by pulsed laser ablation using different composite targets with ZnO amount varying between 1 and 50 wt%. The effect of increasing ZnO-content on electrical, optical and structural properties of the ZnO-SnO₂ films has been investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the as-deposited ZnO-SnO₂ films can be both crystalline (for ZnO <1 wt%) and amorphous (for ZnO ≥ 10 wt%) in nature. Atomic force microscopy studies of the as-prepared composite films indicate that the surfaces are fairly smooth with rms roughness varying between 3.07 and 2.04 nm. The average optical transmittance of the as-deposited films in the visible range (400-800 nm), decreases from 90% to 72% for increasing ZnO concentration in the film. The band gap energy (E_g) seems to depend on the amount of ZnO addition, with the maximum obtained at 1 wt% ZnO. Assuming that the interband electron transition is direct, the optical band gap has been found to be in the range 3.24-3.69 eV for as-deposited composite films. The lowest electrical resistivity of 7.6 × 10⁻³ Ω cm has been achieved with the 25 wt% ZnO composite film deposited at 500 °C. The photoluminescence spectrum of the composite films shows a decrease in PL intensity with increasing ZnO concentration.     

Singular potentials and double-force solutions for anisotropic laminates with coupled bending and stretching

Summary Exact solutions are obtained in the framework of the classical theory of laminates subjected to the action of normal moments, double forces, double moments or momentless double dipoles. Seven cases of such loads are considered and completed by considering the case of given transversal discontinuity of normal deflection. It is shown that, in contrast to the case of infinite straight dislocations in a pure in-plane problem, the energy of this eighth solution depends on the discontinuity orientation. Some numerical examples are presented. Besides the formal value, the obtained double-force and double-moment solutions, as well as dimensionless double dipoles, can be used to construct kernels of additional boundary integral equations (BIE). Due to the coupling phenomena in the BIE system for the region with a corner point, additional variable such as corner forces appear and require the mentioned equation. Received 22 June 1999; accepted for publication 6 March 2000     

Ethylene glycol reflux synthesis of carbon nanotube/ceria core-shell nanowires

Carbon nanotube (CNT)/ceria core-shell nanowires were prepared facilely on a large scale under the boiling reflux of ethylene glycol. The composites are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction as well as Fourier transformed infrared spectra. It is found that the entire outer surface of CNTs is fully sheathed with a dense layer of uniform nanosized CeO₂, and that the thickness of the coating sheath can be readily manipulated by tuning the molar ratio of ceria to CNTs. Finally, a possible formation mechanism has been suggested as follows: with the high reaction temperature, ethylene glycol is partially converted to oxalic acid, and the surface hydroxyl groups of CeO₂ tiny particles react with oxalic acid to form the polymer-like inorganic-organic compounds. Subsequently, in view of the low-energy point, the polymer-like inorganic-organic compounds are coated on the surface of CNTs, and thus CNTs/ceria core-shell composites are obtained.     

The Effect of Annealing on the Charge‐Carrier Dynamics in a Polymer/Polymer Bulk Heterojunction for Photovoltaic Applications

The effect of annealing blends of poly(2‐methoxy‐5‐(3′,7′‐dimethyloctyloxy)‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene) (MDMO‐PPV) and a poly(cyanoether phenylenevinylene) (PCNEPV) on the photoconductivity is studied. Charge carriers are generated by pulsed‐laser excitation and their mobility and decay kinetics are monitored using time‐resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) measurements. Photoexcitation leads to the formation of an exciton, which can undergo charge separation at an interface between the electron‐donating MDMO‐PPV and the electron‐accepting PCNEPV. The electrons and holes formed in this way must escape from each other to contribute to the photoconductivity. The photoconductivity of the blends is found to increase by almost two orders of magnitude upon thermal annealing for three hours at 100 °C. This increase is attributed to the occurrence of phase separation in the polymer/polymer film, resulting in PCNEPV‐rich parts. The formation of PCNEPV‐rich parts allows the electron to diffuse away from the interface, which favors escape from geminate recombination, leading to a higher photoconductivity.     

Facile Synthesis of Manganese‐Loaded Mesoporous Silica Materials by Direct Reaction Between KMnO4 and an In‐Situ Surfactant Template

A series of manganese oxide‐loaded SBA‐15 (MnSBA‐xh, x = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; h: hour(s)) mesoporous materials are synthesized via a facile, in‐situ reduction method with a surfactant template. The composite materials are characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, N₂ sorption isotherms, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive spectroscopy, and CO oxidation catalysis. The results show that a high content of manganese (an atomic ratio of Mn/Si from 0.12 up to approximately 1) could be loaded into the channels of SBA‐15 when treated with an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate, while retaining the ordered mesostructure and large surface area of SBA‐15. Increasing the manganese oxide content results in a gradual decrease in the specific surface area, pore size, and pore volume. XPS spectra are employed to confirm the redox reaction between KMnO₄ and the surfactant. CO‐conversion tests on the calcined MnSBA‐2h sample (MnSBA‐2h‐cal) shows that it has a repeatable, and relatively high, catalytic activity.     

Multiscale asymptotic method of optimal control on the boundary for heat equations of composite materials

In this paper, we study the optimal control on the boundary for parabolic equations with rapidly oscillating coefficients arising from the heat transfer problems and the optimal control on the boundary of composite materials or porous media. The multiscale asymptotic expansion of the solution for the problem in the case without any constraints is presented. We derive the proofs of all convergence results.     

Crystallization kinetics of Pd in composite films of PEDT

The crystallization of palladium in poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDT) films is studied in order to obtain nanosized palladium clusters in PEDT composite layers with high electrocatalytic activity. Nucleation and growth of Pd is investigated for dependences on overpotential, polymer layer thickness d and chemical state (active or overoxidized) of the PEDT films. It is found that before the onset of diffusion limitations the growth occurs under charge transfer control. The observed induction period t₀ indicates crystallization at the metal | polymer interface. The linear relation I^1/3 versus t found in the initial stage of the deposition process gives evidence for three-dimensional growth of the metal crystals. The number N₀ of sites active for nucleation decreases strongly with increasing d. A saturation in N₀ is reached for continuous thicker films. The overoxidized layers are less active for metal deposition and exhibit a 50-fold lower number of active sites. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pd/PEDT composite layers are studied with respect to hydrogen sorption. High electrocatalytic activity is found for composites obtained with thin PEDT films polymerized in the low potential region.     

Synthesis, characterization of CeO2@SiO2 nanoparticles and their oxide CMP behavior

SiO₂ ultrafine spheres are prepared by sol-gel method using tetraethylorthosilicate and ammonia as raw materials. CeO₂-coated SiO₂ (CeO₂@SiO₂) composite nanoparticles are also synthesized through chemical precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) are used to characterize the CeO₂@SiO₂ composite particles. Silicon wafer covered by thermal oxide film is polished by CeO₂@SiO₂ composite abrasives, and the polishing behavior of novel composite abrasives is characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM). The results indicate that the phases of the as-prepared CeO₂@SiO₂ composite particles are composed of cubic fluorite CeO₂ and amorphous SiO₂. CeO₂@SiO₂ composite particles have excellent spherical morphologies and uniform particle size of 150-200 nm. The particle size of CeO₂ as shell is about 10 nm. After coating, the chemical state of SiO₂ is changed due to the formation of Si-O-Ce bond. The root-mean-square (RMS) roughness within 10 × 10 μm² area of thermal oxide film after polished by CeO₂@SiO₂ composite abrasives is 0.428 nm, and material removal rate can reach 454.6 nm/min.     

Compact meta-material transmission line balun based on meander lines structure and MEMS technology

This paper presents a novel compact meta-structure microstrip balun, which is characterized by left-handed properties. In the novel structure, two coupled meander lines are used to generate series capacitor and series inductor. Compared with conventional composite right/left-handed transmission-line structures, the new structure has smaller size and is easily fabricated by MEMS (Micro Electromechanical Systems) technology. Using such a meta-structure, a wide band microstrip balun is designed and fabricated. Good performance in phase error in wide pass band has been achieved.     

Towards Realization of a Micro- and Mesoporous Composite Silicate Catalyst

A composite silicate material, which possesses the characteristics of both microporous zeolite and mesoporous silica materials, is developed by top–down and bottom–up synthesis techniques. In order to realize a micro- and mesoporous composite material, several essential points must be clarified, since each porous material is synthesized under very different metastable conditions: zeolite is a silicate crystal, while the wall of mesoporous material is composed of amorphous silicate. Here, some aspects of the realization of a micro- and mesocomposite porous material are described, as are our experimental results regarding the successful production of composite catalyst.