Effect of H2O2 concentration on electrochemical growth and properties of vertically oriented ZnO nanorods electrodeposited from chloride solutions

In this work, ZnO nanostructures are electrodeposited on a transparent conducting glass from chloride baths. The influence of H₂O₂ concentration on the electrochemical characteristics has been studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques. From the analysis of the current transients on the basis of the Scharifker–Hills model, it is found that nucleation mechanism is progressive with a typical three-dimensional (3D) nucleation and growth process; independently with the concentration of H₂O₂. However, the nucleation rate of the ZnO changes with the increase of H₂O₂ concentration. The Mott–Schottky measurements demonstrate an n-type semiconductor character for all samples with a carrier density varying between 5.14×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and 1.47×10¹⁸ cm⁻³. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations show arrays of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs) with good homogeneity. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that the ZnO deposited crystallises according to a hexagonal Würtzite-type structure and with the c-axis perpendicular to the electrode surface. The directional growth along (002) crystallographic plane is very important for deposits obtained at 5 and 7 mM of H₂O₂. The high optical properties of the ZnO NRs with a low density of deep defects was checked by UV–vis transmittance analyses, the band gap energy of films varies between 3.23 and 3.31 eV with transparency around 80–90%.     

Highly oriented star-like patterns observed on GaSe epilayers grown on Si(111)

Epitaxial lamellar gallium selenide (GaSe) semiconductors have been grown on trench-patterned silicon (Si) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. An intriguing star-like patterned morphology was identified by atomic force microscopy on these epilayers. This non-trivial feature can be correlated with the accumulation of stacking faults of two concurrent epitaxial domains around self-oriented triangular pits developed earlier on the Si(111) surface by the chemical etching. Crystallographic considerations show how the stars can be formed.     

Recrystallization of phenylbutazone using supercritical fluid antisolvent process

Phenylbutazone was recrystallized from its solutions by using a supercritical fluid antisolvent process. It was dissolved in acetone and supercritical carbon dioxide was injected into the solution, thereby inducing supersaturation and particle formation. Variation in the physical properties of the recrystallized phenylbutazone was investigated as a function of the crystallizing temperature and the carbon dioxide injection rate. The recrystallized particles showed cleaner surfaces and more ordered morphology compared to the particles obtained by other methods such as solvent evaporation. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the crystallinity of the particles had been modified upon the recrystallization. Differential scanning calorimetry measurement revealed that the crystallizing temperature influenced the thermal stability of the resulting crystals. Larger crystals were produced when the carbon dioxide injection rate was reduced.     

Formation of C49-TiSi2 in flash memories: a nucleation controlled phenomenon?

The formation of Ti silicides has been examined in flash memories with 0.25 μm linewidth by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It has been observed that, after the first rapid thermal process and the selective metal etch, there is no silicide on the source and on a majority of drain contacts while C49-TiSi₂ is found on the gate. A pre-amorphisation implant increases drastically the formation of C49-TiSi₂ in the drain zone while modifications of annealing conditions have little impact. These results indicate that the formation of C49-TiSi₂ is most likely controlled by nucleation and that this nucleation is sensitive to both the width and the length of the reaction zone. The formation of a Ti rich silicide may play an important role in this nucleation by decreasing the driving force for the formation of C49-TiSi₂. Curiously enough, the formation of C49-TiSi₂ appears thus as a major concern for the salicide process in flash memories.     

Studies on nucleation kinetics of InxGa1−xN/GaN heterostructures

Nucleation kinetics during the growth of In_xGa_1−xN on a GaN substrate have been studied. The behavior of nonequilibrium between the In_xGa_1−xN and the GaN substrate has been analyzed, and hence, the expression derived for the stress-induced supercooling/superheating has been numerically evaluated. The maximum amount of stress-induced supercooling is found to be 1.017 K at x=0.12. These values are incorporated in the classical heterogeneous nucleation theory. Using the regular solution model, the interfacial tension between the nucleus and substrate and, hence, the interfacial tension between nucleus and mother phase and thermodynamical potential of the compounds have been calculated. The amount of driving force available for the nucleation has been determined for different compositions and degrees of supercooling. It has been shown that the value of the interaction parameter of InN-GaN plays a dominant role in nucleation and growth kinetics of In_xGa_1−xN on a GaN substrate. These values have been used to evaluate the nucleation parameters. It is shown that the nucleation barrier for the formation of a In_xGa_1−xN nucleus on a GaN substrate is minimum in the range of x=0.12 to x=0.17, and it has been qualitatively proved that good quality In_xGa_1−xN on GaN can be grown only in the range 0<x≤0.2.     

Analytic and numerical calculations of the formation of a sulphuric acid aerosol in the upper troposphere

Analytic and numerical calculations are performed on the production of sulphuric acid aerosol in conditions of a very large nucleation event observed in the upper troposphere. The numerical results feature a growing peak in the size distribution whose magnitude is reproduced well analytically, and are consistent with the observed particle number concentration at sizes greater than 25 nm (measured dry diameter), but suggest that most of the aerosol was at unobserved smaller sizes. Because of growth and coagulation, number concentrations of the aerosol rapidly become independent of the number initially nucleated, so that conclusions as to the nucleation process, either homogeneous or ion-induced nucleation, cannot easily be drawn from existing atmospheric observations. The final concentration is very insensitive to the magnitude of the SO₂ source, but, if condensation on, and coagulation with, a remnant background aerosol occurs, such nucleation events will be cut off for source magnitudes less than a specific value. Anthropogenic emissions of SO₂ which exceed this value can produce higher aerosol number concentrations in the atmosphere with consequences for the indirect effect of aerosols on the climate.     

Influence of the silicon surface treatment by plasma etching and scratching on the nucleation of diamond grown in HFCVD - a comparative study

A comparative study for the nucleation of diamond was carried out using surface treatment like (i) surface scratching with 1 μm diamond paste and (ii) surface etching using chlorine plasma at different RF powers (50, 100 and 150 W). Atomic force microscopic study shows variation in roughness from 31 nm to 110 nm. Scratching results in random scratches, whereas plasma etches a surface uniformly. Scanning electron microscopic observations show well faceted crystallites with a predominance of angular shaped grains corresponding to 〈100〉 and 〈110〉 crystallite surfaces for the scratched as well as plasma etched substrate. Surface etching at 150 W plasma power results in a better growth in comparison with 50 and 100 W plasma powers. Chlorine-radical is found responsible for the changes in the growth morphology. Raman spectroscopy shows a sharp peak at 1,332 cm⁻¹ and a peak at ∼1,580 cm⁻¹ for both samples.     

Effect of Ammonia on the Gas-Phase Hydration of the Common Atmospheric Ion HSO4?

Hydration directly affects the mobility, thermodynamic properties, lifetime and nucleation rates of atmospheric ions. In the present study, the role of ammonia on the formation of hydrogen bonded complexes of the common atmospheric hydrogensulfate (HSO₄⁻) ion with water has been investigated using the Density Functional Theory (DFT). Our findings rule out the stabilizing effect of ammonia on the formation of negatively charged cluster hydrates and show clearly that the conventional (classical) treatment of ionic clusters as presumably more stable compared to neutrals may not be applicable to pre-nucleation clusters. These considerations lead us to conclude that not only quantitative but also qualitative assessment of the relative thermodynamic stability of atmospheric clusters requires a quantum-chemical treatment.     

γ 射线引发 VAc 乳液聚合以制备白乳胶的动力学及工艺条件研究

研究了ＶＡｃ的辐射乳液聚合动力学，并对其聚合工艺条件作了初步探索。得出ＶＡｃ乳液在进行辐射聚合时，成核期结束较早（转化率在１０％以下），有相当长的恒速期存在。乳胶粒子直径在０．５～３μｍ之间，比一般的乳液聚合乳胶粒子要大。同时从动力学数据还可以看出几种成核机理（胶束成核，水相成核和液滴成核）同时存在，由此对试验条件提出了相应的要求。     

Study on the anodic film formation process of AZ91D magnesium alloy

The formation of anodic film of AZ91D magnesium alloy has been investigated by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry, anodic polarization curve, current-time transients and SEM technique. The results show that, under our experimental conditions, the formation of AZ91D anodic film follows the mechanism of 3D nucleation with diffusion controlled growth. With the increase of applied anodizing potential, the nucleation type of anodic film changes from progressive to instantaneous. The results also show that the initially formed anodized film is threadlike and porous, and high potential is essential for the formation of good anodic film with excellent properties.