Immobilization of TiO2 nanoparticles on Fe-filled carbon nanocapsules for photocatalytic applications

Using a simple sol-gel method, a novel magnetic photocatalyst was produced by immobilization of TiO₂ nano-crystal on Fe-filled carbon nanocapsules (Fe-CNC). High resolution TEM images indicated that the immobilization of TiO₂ on Fe-CNC was driven primarily by heterogeneous coagulation, whereas surface nucleation and growth was the dominant mechanism for immobilizing TiO₂ on acid-functionalized hollow CNC. The TiO₂ immobilized on Fe-CNC exhibited the anatase phase as revealed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. In comparison with free TiO₂ and TiO₂-coated CNC, TiO₂-coated Fe-CNC displayed good performance in the removal of NO gas under UV exposure. Due to the advantages of easy recycling and good photocatalytic efficiency, the novel magnetic photocatalyst developed here has potential use in photocatalytic applications for pollution prevention.     

Effect of combined shot-peening and PEO treatment on fatigue life of 2024 Al alloy

One of the most important objectives in the surface engineering of light-weight alloys is to enhance their fatigue properties, allowing both increased performance and an extended service life. This can be achieved by forming a hard surface layer while incorporating a favourable stress state. Single surface treatments, for example, Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO), are not always capable of creating optimal combinations of these characteristics, whereas greater durability can be achieved by applying mechanical pre-treatments prior to the coating. In this work, a combination of shot-peening pre-treatment with plasma electrolytic oxidation coating is studied as a means to improve the fatigue performance of 2024 T351 Al alloy. The shot-peening was carried out in a compressed air configuration using S110 gauge shot at 200% coverage with an intensity of 20 AlmenC. PEO coatings of 30 μm thickness were produced using pulsed bipolar current technology. Fatigue properties were evaluated by a four-point bending technique at a stress ratio of 0.1. Hardness, residual stress and microstructure of the surface layers were studied by Knoop microhardness tests, fluorescence spectroscopy and SEM analyses, respectively. The effect of the combined shot-peening and PEO treatment is an increased fatigue limit and elevated microhardness when compared to aluminium treated only with PEO.     

Hemocompatibility of lanthanum oxide films fabricated by dual plasma deposition

Lanthanum oxide films were fabricated using dual plasma deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that La existed in the + 3 oxidation state. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed a (101) oriented hexagonal structure. Blood platelet adhesion tests and endothelial cell cultures were used to evaluate the hemocompatibility of the as-deposited films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy were employed to evaluate the surface morphology of the blood platelets and endothelial cells on the films. The results showed that the number of adhered, aggregated and morphologically changed platelets was reduced compared to that observed on low-temperature isotropic carbon (LTIC). Endothelial cells culture tests indicated good adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cells in vitro. Our study suggests that lanthanum oxide films are potential blood-contacting biomedical materials.     

微图形氧化钛薄膜表面内皮细胞生长行为研究

采用非平衡磁控溅射沉积技术制备微图形化的Ti-O薄膜,通过在微图形化的薄膜表面培养内皮细胞的方法,研究了微图形及表面物理化学性能对细胞生长行为的影响.结果表明,微图形尺寸减小到某一尺度范围之内会对内皮细胞在材料表面的生长起到接触引导作用,促进细胞在其表面生长;同时,表面成分、结构和表面能参数γsp/γsd也在一定程度上影响内皮细胞的生长行为.采用溅射技术使材料表面具有一定特征的表面微观形貌,能够引导和促进细胞在材料表面的生长,溅射技术制备微图形化表面可能成为等离子体生物材料表面改性的一个新的技术手段.     

A study of amorphous and crystalline phases in In2O3-10 wt.% ZnO thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

We report on the processing, phase stability, and electronic transport properties of indium oxide (In₂O₃) doped with 10 wt.% zinc oxide (ZnO) deposited to a thickness of 100 nm using DC magnetron sputter deposition at room temperature and 350 °C. We compare the optimum oxygen content in the sputter gas for pure In₂O₃ and doped with (i) 10 wt.% ZnO and (ii) 9.8 wt.% SnO₂. Amorphous IZO films were annealed at 200 °C in air and N₂/H₂ and resistivity, Hall mobility, and carrier density along with molar volume change were monitored simultaneously as a function of time at temperature. We report that annealing the amorphous oxide in air at 200 °C does not lead to crystallization but does result in a 0.5% decrease in the amorphous phase molar volume and an associated drop in carrier density. Annealing in forming gas leads to an increase in carrier density and a small decrease in molar volume. We also report that when annealed in air at 500 °C, the amorphous IZO phase may crystallize either in the cubic bixbyite or in a recently observed rhombohedral phase.     

Conformal aluminum oxide coating of high aspect ratio structures using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of aluminum oxide has been studied over a wide process parameter range. Electrical properties of as-grown and annealed layers have been investigated using planar aluminum/aluminum oxide/silicon capacitors. The best processing conditions resulted in a leakage current of 10 nA/cm² at an equivalent oxide thickness of 3.6 nm. In addition, the film conformality was evaluated on silicon trench structures with aspect ratios of up to 60. Excellent step coverage of over 90% (thickness at trench bottom to thickness at trench middle) was achieved at temperatures below 400 °C and a pressure of 100 Pa. After annealing the electrical properties of these layers, analyzed on planar test structures, were comparable to the results obtained at higher deposition temperature.     

Deposition and gas sensing properties of tin oxide thin films by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition

Tin oxide thin films have been deposited by a custom-designed inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) system in order to explore its application as an alternative approach for thin film gas sensor preparation. The as-deposited SnO₂ films were of polycrystalline structure with nano-size grains of 12 nm. The SnO₂ films exhibited a maximum sensitivity of 43 to 1000 ppm H₂ at an optimum operating temperature of 350^∘C. The response time of the SnO₂ films was 12 s and full recovery was achievable.