电泳淀积图形化碳纳米管场发射阴极及其场发射特性研究

基于电泳和半导体工艺,制备了图形化的碳纳米管场发射阴极。用较高的电场激活碳纳米管薄膜,使得碳纳米管的场发射特性有了很大的改善,讨论了这一激活过程的物理机制。研究表明,这一激活过程可能的物理机制一方面是由于碳纳米管薄膜表面形貌发生了变化,增大了碳纳米管的场增强因子;另一方面是由于碳纳米管表面吸附的气体脱附,降低了碳纳米管的表面功函数。电场激活处理后,碳纳米管薄膜的开启电场为2.1 V/μm,应用电场为6 V/μm时,电流密度达到1.19mA/cm2。该图形化的碳纳米管场发射阴极可以应用到高分辨率场发射显示器。     

电泳法制备纳米金刚石场发射阴极

用电泳法制备了纳米金刚石场发射阴极，研究了不同热处理环境对场发射性能的影响．在气氛炉中热处理的样品其阈值场强为8．0V/μm，场发射电流密度在17．7V/μm场强下可达到1361aA/cm^2；而在真空环境中热处理样品的场发射特性与之相比有明显提高，其阈值场强为3．83V/Hm，场发射电流密度在9．44V/μm场强下可达到2801aA/cm^2。用X射线衍射（XRD）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM）对样品表面的结构、成份及形貌进行分析，表明真空环境下的热处理，更有利于样品的电子发射．     

表面镀钛对金刚石薄膜场发射特性的影响

利用等离子体化学气相（MWPCVD）沉积法在Si（100）面上沉积了金刚石薄膜,采用SEM、AFM、XRD、Raman、XPS等方法对薄膜的结构及表面形貌进行了分析。为提高薄膜的场发射性能,在金刚石表面溅射了金属Ti,对比金刚石薄膜、金刚石／金属Ti复合薄膜的场发射性能,结果表明,金刚石／金属Ti薄膜的发射电流密度更大,且随着电场的增加电流密度急剧增加,开启电场低,约为3V／μm,当电场为25V／μm时发射电流密度可达到1400mA／cm2,并在机理上进行了一些探索,对金刚石／金属复合结构薄膜的场发射性能研究有重要意义。     

高场发射性能碳纳米管薄膜的沉积与表征

利用电泳法将碳纳米管（CNTs）沉积在表面镀覆了50～150 nm Ti薄膜的Si基底表面,900℃真空退火后形成了具有良好场发射性能的Ti-CNTs薄膜阴极.利用X射线衍射和扫描电子显微镜对制备的Ti-CNTs薄膜进行了表征.结果表明,高温退火过程中,CNTs的C原子和基底表面的Ti原子发生化学反应,在CNTs与基底之间形成了导电性钛碳化物,明显改善了CNTs与基底之间的电导性和附着力等界面接触性能;与Si基底表面直接电泳沉积的CNTs薄膜相比,制备的Ti-CNTs薄膜的开启电场从1.31 V/μm降低到1.19 V/μm;当电场强度为2.50 V/μm时,Ti-CNTs薄膜的场发射电流密度可达13.91 mA/cm^2;制备的Ti-CNTs薄膜显示出改善的发射稳定性.     

氧化锡薄膜场致发射研究

利用直流磁控反应溅射法,制备氧化锡薄膜,利用扫描电镜等方法对氧化锡薄膜微观结构进行分析。在低真空下,对不同厚度的氧化锡薄膜进行场致发射测试,结果显示,在氧化锡薄膜厚度为60nm时,场致发射性能最佳,当电流密度为10μA/m2时,开启电压为4.5 V/μm,阴阳两极电场为7 V/μm时,有较佳的场发射密度,同时发光亮度达到2180 cd/m2,结果表明,氧化锡薄膜在场发射平板显示及真空电子器件方面具有较好的应用潜力。     

电泳沉积碳纳米管的微波等离子体改性

采用电泳法在Si基底上沉积了碳纳米管(CNTs)薄膜,并利用Ar微波等离子体对CNTs薄膜进行了改性处理,研究了改性前后CNTs的微观结构和场发射性能.高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)和拉曼光谱的表征结果表明,等离子体改性明显改变了CNTs的微观结构,形成了大量的管壁结构缺陷、纳米级突起和"针形"尖端;场发射测试结果表明,CNTs经Ar等离子体改性处理后开启电场较改性前略有增大,等离子体改性10rain的CNTs薄膜表现出最佳的场发射J-E特性,阈值电场由改性前的3.12V/μm降低到2.54V/μm,当电场强度为3.3V/μm时,场发射电流密度由改性前的18.4mA/μm2>增大到60.7mA/cm2>.对Ar微波等离子体改性增强CNTs薄膜场发射性能的机理进行了分析.     

不锈钢表面沉积DLC膜的结构和性能

应用线性离子束复合磁控溅射技术在不锈钢和硅片基体上制备DLC膜,研究了基体偏压和过渡层的厚度和结构对DLC薄膜结构和性能的影响。结果表明,在过渡层相同偏压为-200 V的条件下,薄膜中的sp3键含量更低,但是薄膜结构致密性的提高使其硬度和膜基结合力反而提高;在偏压为-200V的条件下,随着过渡层厚度及层数的增加DLC薄膜中sp3含量均降低,同时过渡层和多层薄膜的硬度减小;在偏压为-100V条件下,过渡层厚度和层数对DLC薄膜sp3的含量没有明显的影响。当过渡层厚度为1.7μm、结构为Cr/CrC时,在11Cr17不锈钢基体上可制备出厚度为4.92μm、硬度为29.4 GPa、摩擦系数小于0.1、结合力高于70 N综合性能最佳的DLC薄膜。     

碳纳米管／二氧化硅复合材料制备及场发射特性研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了碳纳米管／二氧化硅复合材料，并对复合材料的场发射特性进行了研究，结果表明：复合材料有很好的场发射特性，含有10％（质量分数）CNTs的复合材料开启场较低（0．98V／μm）。研究了用稀HF溶液处理复合材料表面后场发射性能，发现场发射性能明显改善，开启场由0．98V／μm下降到0．73V／μm，发射电流为1mA／cm^2时的电场由2．1V／μm下降到1．0V／ μm。研究表明碳纳米管／二氧化硅复合材料非常适用于场发射平面显示器中的阴极。     

大面积碳纳米管薄膜的低温制备与表征

采用研制的大体积射频等离子体红外加热化学气相沉积设备,在600℃的低温下,在5cm×5cm大的Ni片上生长出碳纳米管薄膜。扫描电镜(SEM)和透射电镜(TEM)观察显示,碳纳米管薄膜具有很好的均匀性,管径大约为70～90nm。随机地对样品的3个不同区域进行了场发射特性的测试,结果表明这种薄膜具有良好的场发射特性及一致性。开启电场约为2.4V/μm,在电场为6.6V/μm时的发射电流密度达到1635μA/cm2。实验结果表明在低温条件下,大面积生长场发射用碳纳米管薄膜是可行的。     

微图形定向碳纳米管场发射阵列冷阴极的研究

本文介绍了一种微图形化碳纳米管场发射阵列冷阴极,每个图形的直径仅为1μm,构成一个发射单元。制作工艺如下：首先在硅（100）基片上沉积氮化钛缓冲层,然后采用曝光工艺获得直径为1μm的胶孔阵列,沉积催化剂铁,最后采用直流等离子体增强化学气相沉积（DC-PECVD）生长直立的碳纳米管。并对17500个发射单元的阵列阴极进行了表面形貌表征及场发射特性测试。结果表明,碳纳米管阵列阴极的一致性较好;最低开启电场为1 V/μm;电场为17 V/μm时,测得的电流密度已达到90 mA/cm^2;发射电流为550μA时,在2.5 h内的波动小于5.6%。     

Real gas choked flow conditions at low reduced-temperatures

Real gas choked mass flux is calculated for a frictionless stream expanding isentropically until it reaches the speed of sound and without phase changes. The other parameters associated with the choked state are the pressure, density, temperature ratios, and the speed of sound. Departure of the choked mass flux from the ideal gas model is discussed first in absolute terms and then in relative terms, using the Principle of Corresponding States, for gases with boiling points in the low temperature range. Reduced-stagnation pressures are examined up to values of 30 for hydrogen, neon, nitrogen, argon, methane, krypton, xenon, and R-14 and up to 100 for ⁴He. The corresponding reduced-stagnation temperatures go down to 1.4 and in some cases down to 1.2 for nitrogen and argon. Also discussed are the limiting values of stagnation parameters for which no phase change occurs in the choked state. Compared to the ideal gas, the mass flux may almost double and the critical pressure ratio may decrease by an order of magnitude. The relevance of results is discussed qualitatively and quantitatively for Joule-Thomson cryocooling.     

As-cast microstructures and behavior at high temperature of chromium-rich cobalt-based alloys containing hafnium carbides

Hafnium is often used to improve the high temperature oxidation resistance of superalloys but not to form carbides for strengthen them against creep. In this work hafnium was added in cobalt-based alloys for verifying that HfC can be obtained in cobalt-based alloys and for characterizing their behavior at a very temperature. Three Co–25Cr–0.25 and 0.50C alloys containing 3.7 and 7.4 Hf to promote HfC carbides, and four Co–25Cr– 0 to 1C alloys for comparison (all contents in wt.%), were cast and exposed at 1200 °C for 50 h in synthetic air. The HfC carbides formed instead chromium carbides during solidification, in eutectic with matrix and as dispersed compact particles. During the stage at 1200 °C the HfC carbides did not significantly evolve, even near the oxidation front despite oxidation early become very fast and generalized. At the same time the chromium carbides present in the Co–Cr–C alloys totally disappeared in the same conditions. Such HfC-alloys potentially bring efficient and sustainable mechanical strengthening at high temperature, but their hot oxidation resistance must be significantly improved.     

Capacitance based mass metering for cryogenic fluids

This paper describes a method for measuring the mass of cryogenic fluids in on-board rocket propellant tanks or ground storage tanks. Linear approximations to the Clausius-Mossotti relationship serve as the foundation for a capacitance based mass sensor, regardless of fluid density stratification or tank shape. Sensor design considerations are presented along with the experimental results for a capacitance based mass gage tested in liquid nitrogen. This test data is shown to be consistent with theory resulting in a demonstrated mass measurement accuracy of ±0.75% and a deviation from linearity of less than ±0.30% of full scale mass. Theoretical accuracies are also shown to be ±0.73% for hydrogen and ±1.39% for oxygen for a select range of pressures and temperatures.     

Equipment using a “static-analytic” method for solubility measurements in potentially hazardous binary mixtures under cryogenic temperatures

A new apparatus designed to study, at cryogenic temperatures, thermodynamic equilibria of potentially explosive binary systems such as hydrocarbon-oxygen mixtures is described herein. This equipment has an equilibrium cell which was especially designed to minimize hazards while allowing accurate phase equilibrium measurements. Reliability of results, obtained with this equipment has been verified by working on the nitrogen-propane system, for which data are already available in literature, over a large range of compositions and at various temperatures. Four isothermal curves describing liquid phase compositions at 109.98, 113.77, 119.75 and 125.63 K have been determined. Our experimental data are represented within 2% in compositions and in pressures through the Peng-Robinson equation of state implying Mathias-Copeman alpha function and Huron-Vidal mixing rule. Comparisons to literature allow pointing out: good agreement is observed with Kremer and Knapp data (1983) while the three sets of Poon and Lu data (1974) presenting systematic positive deviation are consequently judged as suspicious.     

Gas gap thermal switches using neon or hydrogen and sorption pump

The very low pressure obtained thanks to adsorption phenomenon at low temperature can be used to build cryogenic heat switches, which offer the possibility to make or break thermal contact between two parts of a cryogenic system. The ON (conducting) and OFF (insulating) states of the switch are obtained by varying the gas pressure between two copper blocks separated by a gap of 100 μm. This pressure is controlled by acting upon the temperature of a small sorption pump (activated charcoal) connected to the gap space. For a “high” sorption pump temperature, the gas previously adsorbed in the sorption pump is released to the gap between the two blocks, allowing a good thermal conduction through the gas (ON state). On the opposite, cooling the sorption pump allows a very good vacuum between the copper blocks, which efficiently break the thermal contact (OFF state). Experimental thermal characteristics (Conductance in the ON and OFF state, ON-OFF switching temperature) of such a “Gas Gap Heat Switch” are described using hydrogen or neon as exchange gas and are compared with theoretical calculations.     

Development of No-Vent™ liquid hydrogen storage system for space applications

A number of technological advances required to store and maintain normal-boiling-point and densified cryogenic liquids, including liquid hydrogen, under zero boil-off conditions in-space, for long periods of time, have been developed. These technologies include (1) thermally optimized compact cryogen storage systems that reduce environmental heat leak to the lowest-temperature cryogen, which minimizes cryocooler size and input power, and (2) actively-cooled shields that surround the storage systems and intercept heat leak. The processes and tools used to develop these technologies are discussed. A zero boil-off liquid hydrogen storage system technology demonstrator for validating the actively-cooled shield technology is presented.     

Integrated Resonant Self-Pumped Loop and pulse tube cryocooler for cryogenic cooling distribution

Cooling distribution is a vital technology concerning cryogenic thermal management systems for many future space applications, such as in-space, zero boil-off, long-term propellant storage, cooling infrared sensors at multiple locations or at a distance from the cryocooler, and focal-plane arrays in telescopes. These applications require a cooling distribution technology that is able to efficiently and reliably deliver cooling power (generated by a cryocooler) to remote locations and uniformly distribute it over a large-surface area. On-going efforts by others under this technology development area have not shown any promising results.This paper introduces the concept of using a Resonant Self-Pumped Loop (RSPL) integrated with the proven, highly efficient pulse tube cryocooler. The RSPL and pulse tube cryocooler combination generates cooling power and provides a distributive cooling loop that can be extended long distances, has no moving parts, and is driven by a single linear compressor. The RSPL is fully coupled with the oscillating flow of the pulse tube working fluid and utilizes gas diodes to convert the oscillating flow to one-directional (DC) steady flow that circulates through the cooling loop. The proposed RSPL is extremely simple, lightweight, reliable, and flexible for packaging. There are several requirements for the RSPL to operate efficiently. These requirements will be presented in this paper. Compared to other distributive cooling technologies currently under development, the RSPL technology is unique.     

Development of a miniature cryogenic fluid circuit and a cryogenic micropump

This article presents the development of a miniaturized cryogenic fluid circuit for distributed cooling of low-temperature tracking detectors in high-energy physics (HEP). The heart of the circuit is a prototype cryogenic micropump. This volumetric pump is compatible with cooling powers of about 10-100 W, and capable of producing pressure heads of up to around 0.3 MPa. Besides detector and electronics cooling in HEP, potential applications are found in the field of superconductor technology.     

Helium liquefaction with a commercial 4 K Gifford-McMahon cryocooler

This paper describes helium liquefaction using a commercial cryocooler with 1.5 W cooling power at 4.2 K (Sumitomo model RDK415D with compressor CSW-71D, consuming 6.5 kW electrical power), equipped with heat exchangers for precooling the incoming gas. No additional cooling power of cryoliquids or additional Joule-Thomson stages were utilized. Measurements of the pressure dependence of the liquefaction rate were performed. A maximum value of 83.9 g/h was obtained for 2.25 bar stabilized input pressure. Including the time needed to cool the liquefied helium to 4.2 K at 1 bar after filling the bottle connected to the cold head, and correcting for heat screen influences, this results in a net liquefaction rate of 67.7 g/h. Maintaining a pressure close to 1 bar above the bath during liquefaction, a rate of 55.7 g/h was obtained. The simple design enables many applications of the apparatus.     

Cryogenic propellant liquefaction and storage for a precursor to a human Mars mission

An analysis of cryogenic liquefaction and storage methods for in-situ produced propellants (oxygen and methane) on Mars is presented. The application is to a subscale precursor sample return mission, intended to demonstrate critical cryogenic technologies prior to a human mission. A heat transfer analysis is included, resulting in predicted cryogenic tank surface temperatures and heat leak values for different conditions. Insulation thickness is traded off against cryocooler capacity to find optimum combinations for various insulation configurations, including multilayer insulation and microspheres. Microsphere insulation is shown to have promise, and further development is recommended.