Improved surface coverage of an optical fibre with nanocrystalline diamond by the application of dip-coating seeding

Growth processes of diamond thin films on the fused silica optical fibres (10 cm in length) were investigated at various temperatures. Fused silica pre-treatment by dip-coating in a dispersion consisting of detonation nanodiamond (DND) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was applied. Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films were deposited on the fibres using the microwave plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition (MW PA CVD) method. The longitudinal variation of NCD morphology, structure and optical parameters were specifically investigated. The evolution of the film morphology and film thickness along the fibre length was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chemical composition of the NCD film was examined with micro-Raman Spectroscopy. The sp³/sp² band ratio was calculated using the Raman spectra deconvolution method. An approximately 5 cm-long homogeneous diamond film has been obtained on the surface of the fibre sample. Thickness, roughness and optical properties of NCD films in the VIS–NIR range were investigated on the reference quartz slides using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The samples exhibited relatively low deviations of refractive index (2.3 ± 0.25) and extinction coefficient (0.05 ± 0.02) along the length of 5 cm, as estimated at a wavelength of 550 nm. In order to show the effectiveness of deposition process on optical fibres, diamond films were also grown on the fibre with induced long-period grating (LPG). The results of transmission measurements demonstrated that an LPG with diamond overlay exhibits the appropriate dependency on the optical properties of external medium. Thus, the deposition process has a negligible effect on the fibre transmission properties.     

Microstructure and thermal expansion behavior of diamond/SiC/(Si) composites fabricated by reactive vapor infiltration

Diamond/SiC/(Si) composites were fabricated by Si vapor vacuum reactive infiltration. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of composites have been measured from 50 to 400 °C. With the diamond content increasing, CTE of composite decreased, simultaneously, the microstructure of the composites changed from core–shell particles embedded in the Si matrix to an interpenetrating network with the matrix. The CTEs of composites versus temperature matched well with those of Si. The Kerner model was modified according to the structural features of the composites, which exhibited more accurate predictions due to considering the core–shell structure of the composites. The thermal expansion behavior of the matrix was constrained by diamond/SiC network during heating.     

Controlled hierarchical porosity of hybrid ceramics by leaching water soluble templates and pyrolysis

Hybrid ceramics, polysiloxane-derived materials, feature adjustable surface characteristics and high specific surface areas, making the material promising for applications such as gas separation. For increased permeability in gas separation processes or accessibility of active sites, additional porosity on multiple length scales is desired. In this study, we demonstrate how water soluble templates can be utilized to obtain a controlled hierarchical porosity. KCl sieving fractions are used for adjusting the macroporosity and a polysiloxane precursor, aminopropyltriethoxysilane, to create mesopores. The generation of micro- and mesopores is characterized by nitrogen adsorption while the macroporosity is examined by scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion. Water and n-heptane vapor sorption experiments show the control of the surface characteristics of the material by the pyrolysis temperature. In summary, leaching of water soluble templates for meso- and macropores combined with micro pore generation by pyrolytic decomposition enables pore size control on three different length scales.     

Nonlinear Absorption of Submicrometer Grain‐Size Cobalt‐Doped Magnesium Aluminate Transparent Ceramics

Transparent cobalt‐doped magnesium aluminate spinel (Co:MgAl₂O₄) ceramics with a submicrometer grain size were prepared by spark plasma sintering. For the first time, the nonlinear absorption of Co:MgAl₂O₄ transparent ceramics was experimentally demonstrated. Both ground state absorption (σ_GSA) and excited state absorption (σ_ESA) were estimated using the solid‐state slow saturable absorber model based on absorption saturation measurements performed at 1.535 μm. σ_GSA and σ_ESA for 0.03 at.% Co:MgAl₂O₄ were found to be 4.1 × 10^?19 cm² and 4.0 × 10^?20 cm², respectively. In the case of 0.06 at.% Co:MgAl₂O₄ ceramics, σ_GSA = 2.6 × 10^?19 cm² and σ_ESA= 5.3 × 10^?20 cm² were determined.     

Chemical vapor deposition of graphene on large-domain ultra-flat copper

Copper foil is the most commonly used substrate for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene, despite the impact of its surface roughness and polycrystalline structure on the resulting graphene. Here we present a method of preparing thick, ultra-flat copper substrates for growing graphene by CVD. We demonstrate the growth of graphene on these substrates using the common Atmospheric Pressure CVD (APCVD) and Low Pressure CVD (LPCVD) methods. We show that compared to copper foil, graphene grown on these thick ultra-flat copper substrates by APCVD results in 50 times smoother graphene on copper. Furthermore, the thick copper substrates have at least 5 times larger copper domains, compared to conventionally prepared copper foil. The evolution of the surface roughness in each growth method is also presented.     

Optimization of the dye-sensitized solar cell performance by mechanical compression

In this study, the P25 titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticle (NP) thin film was coated on the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate by a doctor blade method. The film then compressed mechanically to be the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Various compression pressures on TiO₂ NP film were tested to optimize the performance of DSSCs. The mechanical compression reduces TiO₂ inter-particle distance improving the electron transport efficiency. The UV–vis spectrophotometer and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to quantify the light-harvesting efficiency and the charge transport impedance at various interfaces in DSSC, respectively. The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency was also monitored. The results show that when the DSSC fabricated by the TiO₂ NP thin film compressed at pressure of 279 kg/cm², the minimum resistance of 9.38 Ω at dye/TiO₂ NP/electrolyte interfaces, the maximum short-circuit photocurrent density of 15.11 mA/cm², and the photoelectric conversion efficiency of 5.94% were observed. Compared to the DSSC fabricated by the non-compression of TiO₂ NP thin film, the overall conversion efficiency is improved over 19.5%. The study proves that under suitable compression pressure the performance of DSSC can be optimized.     

Diatomite silica nanoparticles for drug delivery

Diatomite is a natural fossil material of sedimentary origin, constituted by fragments of diatom siliceous skeletons. In this preliminary work, the properties of diatomite nanoparticles as potential system for the delivery of drugs in cancer cells were exploited. A purification procedure, based on thermal treatments in strong acid solutions, was used to remove inorganic and organic impurities from diatomite and to make them a safe material for medical applications. The micrometric diatomite powder was reduced in nanoparticles by mechanical crushing, sonication, and filtering. Morphological analysis performed by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy reveals a particles size included between 100 and 300 nm. Diatomite nanoparticles were functionalized by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and labeled by tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate. Different concentrations of chemically modified nanoparticles were incubated with cancer cells and confocal microscopy was performed. Imaging analysis showed an efficient cellular uptake and homogeneous distribution of nanoparticles in cytoplasm and nucleus, thus suggesting their potentiality as nanocarriers for drug delivery.

PACS

87.85.J81.05.Rm; 61.46. + w     

Microwave dielectric characteristics of tungsten bronze-type Ba4Nd28/3Ti18-yGa4y/3O54 ceramics with temperature stable and ultra-low loss

A series of high-k Ba₄Nd_28/3Ti_18-yGa_4y/3O₅₄ (0≤y≤2, BNTG) ceramics with temperature stable and ultra-low dielectric loss were synthesized via the conventional solid-state reaction. The main phase of all BNTG ceramics demonstrated an orthorhombic tungsten-bronze structure, but the impurity phase (gallium-rich phase) was found in BNTG (y = 2) ceramic. Partial substitution of Ga³⁺ for Ti⁴⁺ in B-site was a valid method to improve the temperature stability and dielectric loss of BNTG ceramics. The variation of ε_r values of BNTG ceramics was dominated by the ionic polarizability. The ultra-low dielectric loss (ultra-high Q × f values) was associated with grain size, suppression of Ti³⁺ and impurity phase. The decrease of TCF values was highly dependent on the tilting of Ti-O octahedra and impurity phase. Finally, outstanding combination dielectric characteristics were achieved for BNTG microwave ceramics at y = 1.5 (ε_r = 72.8, Q × f = 14,600 GHz, TCF=+4.1 ppm/°C) and at y = 2 (ε_r = 70.3, Q × f = 15,500 GHz, TCF=+3.9 ppm/°C).     

Low dielectric loss ceramics in the Mg4Nb2O9-ZnAl2O4-TiO2 ternary system

This study used a traditional solid-state reaction method to prepare a series of composite ceramics in the 0.7Mg₄Nb₂O₉-(0.3-x)ZnAl₂O₄-xTiO₂ ternary system. Crystalline phases and microstructure of Mg₄Nb₂O₉-ZnAl₂O₄-TiO₂ dielectric ceramic composites were investigated and correlated with the relevant dielectric properties. It was observed that the addition of Ti⁴⁺ substituted Nb⁵⁺ in the Mg₄Nb₂O₉ structure, which promoted the decomposition of Mg₄Nb₂O₉ to form the second phase, Mg₅Nb₄O₁₅, during sintering. The synergistic effect of ZnAl₂O₄-TiO₂ co-doping promoted the Mg₄Nb₂O₉ ceramic densification. The sample (0.7Mg₄Nb₂O₉-(0.3-x)ZnAl₂O₄-xTiO₂) with x = 0.15?0.2 exhibited dielectric constants of 13–14, larger than those of ZnAl₂O₄, Mg₄Nb₂O₉ and Mg₅Nb₄O₁₅, due to the NbO₆ octahedra distortion resulting from the substitution of Al³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ for Nb⁵⁺ in Mg₄Nb₂O₉ and Mg₅Nb₄O₁₅. The long-range order of the NbO₆ octahedra was enhanced by co-doping ZnAl₂O₄ and TiO₂, thereby enhancing the Qxf value. A dielectric constant of 13.1, Qxf value of 366,000 GHz and a τ_f of ?60.8 ppm/°C were obtained from 1300 °C sintered 0.7Mg₄Nb₂O₉-0.15ZnAl₂O₄-0.15TiO₂. These results show that 0.7Mg₄Nb₂O₉-0.15 ZnAl₂O₄-0.15TiO₂ ceramic is a good candidate for microwave electronic device applications.     

Structural characteristics and microwave dielectric properties of Zn1−xBixVxW1−xO4-based ceramics for LTCC applications

Herein, the improvement of the microwave dielectric properties and sintering characteristics of Zn_1?xBi_xV_xW_1?xO₄(x = 0–0.15)-based ceramics is reported. The results showed that an appropriate amount of doping could not only reduce the optimum sintering temperature from 1100° to 900°C, but also enhance the densification of the microstructures and increase the Q×f value from 5351 to 42525 GHz. Additionally, various structural parameters including the phase composition, crystal structure, vibrational and chemical bond characteristics that are correlated with the dielectric properties were systematically investigated. By considering the chemical bond characteristics, the first-principles calculations and the acquired Raman spectra, the interaction between W-O is stronger than Zn-O in the ZnWO₄ structure, while the interaction between V-O is stronger than Bi-O in BiVO₄. Interestingly, when the Zn_0.97Bi_0.03V_0.03W_0.97O₄-based ceramics were sintered at 900 °C, improved microwave dielectric properties were acquired (ε_r =18.32, Q×f=42525 GHz, τ_f=?67.51 ppm/°C), which provides a promising candidate in low-temperature co-fired ceramics technology.