Fabrication and characterization of Ag- and Cu-doped TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) by in situ anodization method as an efficient photocatalyst

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this study, copper (Cu) and silver (Ag)–doped TiO2 nanotubes were fabricated by in situ anodization method to improve their photocatalytic...     

Characterization of Bi2Se3 prepared by electrodeposition

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Bi2Se3 compound was deposited catholically under potential control, from a mixture solution composed from equimolar SeO2 and BiCl3. The concentration of...     

Structure and optical features of silicon carbide nanocrystals confined in alumina matrices

Thin films based on silicon carbide and alumina were synthesized by means of rf-sputtering using a co-deposition process. Several nanostructures were created which consist of thin films (∼200 nm thick) with homogeneous distribution of SiC nanocrystals (∼5 nm mean diameter) in the host alumina matrices. Characterization methods including X-ray photoelectrons spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) were used to identify the involved structures, compositions and optical features of these nanostructures. Thus, XPS investigations were relevant to point out the involved chemical bonding in the core SiC nanocrystals and in the host alumina environments. Additionally, mixed bonding such as Si-O-C was also shown and seems to correlate with the SiC-alumina interfaces. Optical properties of the nanostructures films such as UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) were measured in representative samples and compared to simulated PL responses obtained by a theoretical model.     

Light Emission and Scanning Electron Microscopic Characterization of Porous Silicon

Optical emission resulting from sputtered species during ion bombardment of porous and oxidized porous silicon targets has been studied. Samples were bombarded with 5‐keV Kr⁺ ions at an incidence angle of 70 degrees, and the light emitted was analyzed over the wavelength range 200–300 nm. The surface morphology was investigated, and the micrographs revealed grooves parallel to the plane of incidence when the porosity was surprisingly observed in the grooves under each pore. The results are discussed as a function of the incidence angle and the porosity of the silicon targets.     

Amorphous/microcrystalline transition of thick silicon film deposited by PECVD

Thick silicon films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at different plasma power densities. Annealing treatment was performed on these deposited films. As-deposited and annealed films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering spectroscopy and reflectance spectroscopy. Before annealing, only the film deposited at the plasma power density of 500 mW/cm² exhibits a diffraction peak corresponding to the (111) plane orientation. Raman spectrum of this film confirms the presence of crystalline phase. After annealing, a transition from amorphous phase to crystalline one occurs for all samples. This transition is accompanied by an increase of the crystalline fraction volume deduced from Raman spectra analysis and by a reduction of optical gap energy.     

Study on structural, thermal, sintering and conductivity of Cu-Co doubly substituted Bi4V2O11

Doubly substitution of vanadium by Cu and Co in the limit of 10% in Bi₄V₂O₁₁, has led to the formation of the Bi₄V_1.8Cu_0.2−xCo_xO_10.7 solid solution. X-ray diffraction shows that all the compositions present a tetragonal symmetry. The thermal analysis has revealed that the polymorph γ' phase, which is formed by a partial ordering of oxygen ions in the γ high temperature form, is stabilized at room temperature. The influence of sintering temperature on the microstructure of the samples was investigated by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ceramics sintered at 820 °C for more than 3 hours present micro-craks. The evolution of the electrical conductivity with temperature and the degree of substitution has been investigated by impedance spectroscopy. The sample with x=0.1 presents the highest value of the conductivity ≈4.6×10⁻² S·cm⁻¹ at 600 °C.     

Impedance Spectroscopy of Nanofluids based on Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes

This work is a contribution to the understanding of the dielectric properties of nanofluids prepared by dispersing multiwalled carbon nanotubes in transformer oil. The dielectric measurements were carried out in the frequency range 100 Hz–1 MHz at constant temperature, T = 300 K, for several volume fractions of the nanotubes in the base fluid. A relaxation phenomenon was induced in the nanofluid comparing to the base fluid. In addition, both the real and imaginary part of the dielectric permittivity changed with volume fraction of the nanotubes. These results suggest that the presence of the nanotubes greatly affect the dielectric properties of the oil as a result of polarization phenomenon induced by these nanoparticles.

It was found that the measured effective dielectric permittivity follows the empirical Havriliak–Negami model. Nevertheless to take into account the electrode polarization effects, we rewrote this model, with a new term, which fits accurately the experimental data.     

A review on TiO2 nanotubes: synthesis strategies,modifications, and applications

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In the field of nanotechnology, titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) are one of the most valued inventions. They were discovered in 1996, and have since...