Low operating temperature CO sensor prepared using SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles

A low operating temperature CO (carbon monoxide) sensor was fabricated from a nanometer-scale SnO₂ (tin oxide) powder. The SnO₂ nanoparticles in a size range 10–20 nm were synthesized as a function of surfactant (tri-n-octylamine, TOA) addition (0–1.5 mol%) via a simple thermal decomposition method. The resulting SnO₂ nanoparticles were first screen-printed onto an electrode patterned substrate to be a thick film. Subsequently, the composite film was heat-treated to be a device for sensing CO gas. The thermal decomposed powders were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and surface area measurements (BET). The CO-sensing performance of all the sensors was investigated. The experimental results showed that the TOA addition significantly decreased the particle size of the resulting SnO₂ nanoparticle. However, the structure of the powder coating was crucial to their sensing performance. After heat-treatment, the smaller particle tended to cause the formation of agglomeration, resulting in the decline of surface area and reducing the reaction site during sensing. However, the paths for the sensed gas entering between the agglomerated structure may influence the sensing performance. As a CO sensing material, the SnO₂ nanoparticle (~12 nm in diameter) prepared with 1.25 mol% TOA addition exhibited most stable electrical performance. The SnO₂ coating with TOA addition >0.75 mol% exhibited sensor response at a relatively low temperature of <50°C.     

Electrical characteristics of Cu-doped In2O3/Sb-doped SnO2 ohmic contacts for high-performance GaN-based light-emitting diodes

We characterized the electrical and chemical properties of Cu-doped In₂O₃(CIO) (2.5 nm thick)/Sb-doped SnO₂(ATO) (250 nm thick) contacts to p-type GaN by means of current-voltage measurement, scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The CIO/ATO contacts show ohmic behaviors, when annealed at 530 and 630°C. The effective Schottky barrier heights on diodes made with Ni (5 nm)/Au (5 nm) contacts decrease with increasing annealing temperature. STEM/energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) profiling results exhibit the formation of interfacial In-Ga-Sn-Cu-oxide. XPS results show a shift of the surface Fermi level toward the lower binding energy side upon annealing. Based on the STEM and XPS results, the ohmic formation mechanisms are described and discussed.     

Electrospun SnO2 nanofiber mats with thermo-compression step for gas sensing applications

SnO₂ nanofiber mats fabricated through electrospinning followed by thermo-compression and subsequent calcination steps exhibited unique morphologies facilitating efficient gas transport into the layers combined with high surface area (～73.5 m²/g, measured by BET) and small grain size (～5–15 nm), which are well suited for ultrasensitive gas detection. Single SnO₂ nanofibers were found to have a belt-like structure of closely packed nanocrystallites, facilitating excellent adhesion to the substrate and good electrical contact to the electrodes. I–V measurements of single SnO₂ nanofibers displayed ohmic behavior with electrical conductivity of 1.5 S/cm. Gas sensor prototypes comprising a random network of SnO₂ fibers exhibited high sensitivity when exposed to NO₂ at 225°C and CO at 300°C. A detection limit of 150 ppb NO₂ at 185°C was estimated by extrapolating the sensitivity results obtained on exposure to higher gas concentrations, demonstrating potential of achieving ultra-sensitive gas detection at low operating temperatures enabled by the present synthesis method.     

Effect of Zn2SnO4 on the sintering and electrical properties of SnO2 ceramics

SnO₂ ceramics with relative density about 98 % were obtained based on the addition of Zn₂SnO₄. The shrinkage of the ceramic samples increased sharply and got a saturated value about 13.3 % with doping more than 0.2 mol% Zn₂SnO₄. In the dielectric spectra, no relaxation peaks were observed and no deep trap states could be detected from 50–300 °C and 40–5 M?Hz. Thus, the oxygen vacancies may not be necessary for the densification of SnO₂ ceramics during sintering process. For all the samples, nonlinear electrical properties were observed and the breakdown electrical fields are in good agreement with the barrier height. With increasing Zn₂SnO₄ content, the activation energies E _a for O^? or O^2? adsorbed at grain boundary decreased and the doping of Zn₂SnO₄ may be an important reason for the improve of grain conductivity and formation of Schottky barrier.     

Liquid phase effect of La2O3 and V2O5 on microwave dielectric properties of Mg2TiO4 ceramics

Dielectric ceramics of Mg₂TiO₄ (MTO) were prepared by solid-state reaction method with 0.5–1.5 wt.% of La₂O₃ or V₂O₅ as sintering aid. The influences of La₂O₃ and V₂O₅ additives on the densification, microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of MTO ceramics were investigated. It is found that La₂O₃ and V₂O₅ additives lowered the sintering temperature of MTO ceramics to 1300 °C and 1250 °C respectively, whereas the pure MTO exhibits highest density at 1400 °C. The reduction in sintering temperature with these additives was attributed to the liquid phase effect. The average grain sizes of the MTO ceramics added with La₂O₃, and V₂O₅ found to decrease with an increase in wt%. The dielectric constant (ε_r) was not significantly changed, while unloaded Q values were affected with these additives, and the values were in the range of 92,000–157,550 GHz and 98,000–168,000 GHz with the addition of La₂O₃ and V₂O₅, respectively. The dielectric properties are strongly dependent on the densification and the microstructure of the MTO ceramics. The decrease in Q×f _o value at higher concentration of La₂O₃ and V₂O₅ addition was owing to inhomogeneous grain growth and the liquid phase which is segregated at the grain boundary. In comparison with pure MTO ceramics, La₂O₃ and V₂O₅ additives effectively improved the densification and dielectric properties with lowering of sintering temperature. The proposed loss mechanisms suggest that the oxygen vacancies and the average grain sizes are the influencing factors in the dielectric loss of MTO ceramics.     

Electrical and optical properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnOx:F) thin films deposited on PET by using ECR–MOCVD

The electrical, optical, structural and chemical bonding properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO_x:F) films deposited on a plastic substrate prepared by Electron Cyclotron Resonance–Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (ECR–MOCVD) were investigated with special attention to the process parameters such as the H₂/TMT mole ratio, deposition time and amount of fluorine-doping. The four point probe method, UV visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to characterize the films. Based on our experimental results, the characteristics of the SnO_x:F thin films were significantly affected by the process parameters mentioned above. The amount of fluorine doping was found to be one of the major parameters affecting the surface resistivity, however its excess doping into SnO₂ lead to a sharp increase in the surface resistivity. The average transmittance decreased with increasing film thickness. The lowest electrical resistivity of 5.0?×?10^?3 Ω^.cm and highest optical transmittance of 90% in the visible wavelength range from 380 to700 nm were observed at an H₂/TMT mole ratio of 1.25, fluorine-doping amount of 1.3 wt.%, and deposition time of 30 min. From the XRD analysis, we found that the SnO_x:F films were oriented along the (2 1 1) plane with a tetragonal and polycrystalline structure having the lattice constants, a?=?0.4749 and c?=?0.3198 nm.     

Assembling tin dioxide nanorods on carbon nanotubes by a chemical solution method

Nanocomposites have significant potential in development of advanced materials and nanotechnology applications. Here, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) sheathed with tin dioxide (SnO₂) nanorods by a two-step chemical solution route are reported. Hydrolyzing of MWCNTs and SnCl₄·5H₂O at a near room temperature followed by alkali-assisted hydrothermal process resulted in perfect SnO₂ coating on MWCNTs. Based on the XRD and TEM results, we found the nanoscale SnO₂ rods covered densely on MWCNTs.     

Low-temperature sintering and microwave dielectric properties of Mg4Nb2O9 ceramics

The effects of V₂O₅ and Li₂CO₃ on the sinterability and microwave dielectric properties of Mg₄Nb₂O₉ (MN) ceramics were investigated. With addition of 1.5wt% V₂O₅, the dielectric constant (?) and Q·? value of MN ceramics sintered at 1,000 °C are comparable to those of pure MN sintered at 1,400 °C. The good results are because of the enhancement of the density by liquid sintering at the lower temperatures. With the mixtures of V₂O₅ and Li₂CO₃, the sintering temperature of MN was further reduced to 925 °C at the expense of the quality factor (Q·?) value. Typically, ? of 13.7 and Q·? value of 78,000 GHz were obtained for the specimens with mixtures of 1.5wt% V₂O₅ and 1.5wt% Li₂CO₃ and sintered at 925 °C for 5 h.     

The effect of vanadium precursors on the electrochemical performance of Li1.1V0.9O2 as an anode material for Li-ion batteries

Recently, Li_1.1V_0.9O₂ has been considered as one of the most promising anode materials for Li-ion batteries due to its high volumetric capacity at a relatively low intercalation potential. For a scalable and economical production of Li_1.1V_0.9O₂ anode material with a high electrochemical performance, however, the preparation of vanadium precursor with a good quality is of crucial importance. In this work, a high-purity V₂O₃ precursor was prepared through a thermal reduction of commercial V₂O₅ at 600 °C, which is far more cost-effective than V₂O₃. Li_1.1V_0.9O₂ was synthesized by a simple solid-state reaction of Li₂CO₃, as well as V₂O₃ at high temperature under a reducing atmosphere. In the electrochemical measurement, Li_1.1V_0.9O₂ prepared using V₂O₃ from the thermal reduction of V₂O₅ showed considerably higher specific capacity than the one using the commercial V₂O₃, maintaining a specific capacity of about 300 mAh g^?1 even after 20 cycles at 0.1 C rate, although it showed a lower coulombic efficiency for the first cycle.     

Effects of ZnO–xV2O5 substitution on the microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of ZnNb2O6 ceramics

The ZnO–xV₂O₅ substituted ZnNb₂O₆ ceramics with chemical formula Zn(Nb_0.9V _x )₂O_5.5+5x (0?<?x?≤?0.10) were prepared by solid-state reaction route. The densities, microstructures and microwave dielectric properties were investigated according to the different substitution amount of V₂O₅ and sintering temperature. A small amount of substitution of ZnO–xV₂O₅ was effective to lower sintering temperature of ZnNb₂O₆ ceramics from 1,150 °C to 900 °C. The V₂O₅ substitution led to growth of rod-like grains with the help of liquid phase formed from ZnO and V₂O₅. The dielectric properties depended largely on the amount of V₂O₅ substitution and sintering temperature. The dense ceramics with x?=?0.05 were obtained at 950 °C, which had excellent dielectric properties: ?_r?=?24, Q?×?f?=?72,800 GHz and τ_f?=??63.5 ppm/°C. The interface analysis for cofired multilayer composites composed of the present LTCC and metal Ag demonstrated good co-firing chemical compatibility at co-sintering temperature.     

Formation of a KNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> single crystal using solvothermally synthesized K<Subscript>2-m</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6-m/2</Subscript> pyrochlore phase

A K_2-mNb₂O_6-m/2 single crystal with a pyrochlore phase formed when the Nb₂O₅?+?x mol% KOH specimens with 0.6?≤?x?≤?1.2 were solvothermally heated at 230 °C for 24 h. They have an octahedral shape with a size of 100 μm, and the composition of this single crystal is close to K_1.3Nb₂O_5.65. The single-crystal KNbO₃ formed when the single-crystal K_2-mNb₂O_6-m/2 was annealed at a temperature between 600 °C and 800 °C with K₂CO₃ powders. When annealing was conducted at 600 °C (or with a small amount of K₂CO₃), the KNbO₃ single crystal has a rhombohedral structure that is stable at low temperatures (< ? 10 °C). The formation of the rhombohedral KNbO₃ structure can be explained by the presence of the K⁺ vacancies in the specimen. The KNbO₃ single crystal with an orthorhombic structure formed when the K_2-mNb₂O_6-m/2 single crystal was annealed at 800 °C with 20 wt% of K₂CO₃.     

High dielectric permittivity of SrBi2Nb2O9(SBN) added Bi2O3 and La2O3

In this paper, the structural and dielectric properties of SrBi₂Nb₂O₉ (SBN) as a function of Bi₂O₃ or La₂O₃ addition level in the radio (RF) and microwave frequencies were investigated. The SBN, were prepared by using a new procedure in the solid-state reaction method with the addition of 3; 5; 10 and 15 wt.% of Bi₂O₃ or La₂O_3. A single orthorhombic phase was formed after calcination at 900 °C for 2 h. The analysis by x-ray diffraction (XRD) using the Rietveld refinement confirmed the formation of single-phase compound with a crystal structure (a?=?5.5129 Å, b?=?5.5183 Å and c?=?25.0819 Å; α?=?β?=?γ?=?90°). Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micrograph of the material shows globular morphologies (nearly spherical) of grains throughout the surface of the samples. The Curie temperature found for the undoped sample was about 400 °C, with additions of Bi³⁺, the temperature decreases and with additions of La³⁺ the Curie temperature increased significantly above 450 °C. In the measurements of the dielectric properties of SBN at room temperature, one observe that at 10 MHz the highest values of permittivity was observed for SBN5LaP (5%La₂O₃) with values of 116,71 and the lower loss (0.0057) was obtained for SBN15LaP (15%La₂O₃). In the microwave frequency region, Bi₂O₃ added samples have shown higher dielectric permittivity than La₂O₃ added samples, we highlight the SBN15BiG (15 % Bi₂O₃) with the highest dielectric permittivity of 70.32 (3.4 GHz). The dielectric permittivity values are in the range of 28–71 and dielectric losses are of the order of 10^?2. The samples were investigated for possible applications in RF and microwave components.     

Sintering and varistor behaviour of SnO2-Zn2SnO4 composite ceramics

Densified SnO₂-Zn₂SnO₄ composite ceramics were prepared by conventional ceramic processing and the sintering, electrical properties were investigated. The X-ray diffraction results and sintering curves showed that the pellets pressed by ZnO and SnO₂ mixed powders began to shrink after Zn₂SnO₄ was synthesized at about 950 °C. The results suggest that the densification of SnO₂-Zn₂SnO₄ composite ceramics cannot be attributed to the oxygen vacancies created by acceptor doping as traditional viewed. The measurement of J-E curves showed that the SnO₂-Zn₂SnO₄ composite ceramics have good nonlinear properties (α?~?3.9–4.5) without any other doping. Another interesting result is that the composite ceramics have low breakdown electrical field (E _B?~?10 V/mm) with high relative dielectric constant (1 kHz, ε _r?~?6?×?10³). Further studies demonstrate that the varistor behavior is also a grain boundary barrier effect and the barrier height is about 0.84 eV.     

Effect of SnO2 on improvement on the microwave dielectric properties of Ba2Ti9O20

Effect of SnO₂ addition on the crystal structure/microstructure and the related microwave dielectric properties of the Ba₂Ti₉O₂₀ were systematically investigated. Incorporation of SnO₂ markedly stabilized the phase constituent and microstructure for the Ba₂Ti₉O₂₀ such that high quality materials can be obtained in a much wider processing window. The sintered density of the Ba₂Ti₉O₂₀ increased linearly, but the microwave dielectric constant (K) decreased monotonically, with the SnO₂ doping concentration. The quality factor (Qxf) of the materials increased firstly due to the addition of SnO₂, but decreased slightly with further increase in SnO₂ content. The best microwave dielectric properties obtained are K = 38.5 and Qxf = 31,500 GHz, which occurs for the 0.055 mol SnO₂-doped and 1350 °C/4 h sintered samples. These properties are markedly better than those for undoped materials (K = 38.8 and Qxf = 26,500 GHz).     

Phase formation,microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of Li2SnO3-MO (M=Mg,Zn,) ceramics

Phase formation, microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of (1-x)Li₂SnO₃-xMO (M=Mg, Zn) ceramics have been investigated using x-ray powder diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a network analyzer at the frequency of about 8-12GHz in this paper. The results showed that Li₂SnO₃ formed limited range of solid solution ((β-Li₂SnO₃(ss)) with MgO doping (x?≤?0.1) or ZnO doping (x?≤?0.3). Multiphase of Li₄MgSn₂O₇, β-Li₂SnO₃ (ss) and α-Li₂SnO₃(ss) existed in the compositions of x?=?0.2?0.5 for MgO-added specimens. ZnO second phase appeared when x?>?0.3 for the ZnO–added specimens. Dense and homogeneous microstructure could be obtained for the ZnO-doped composition with x?=?0.3. The dielectric permittivity decreased with the increase of MgO doping content, but increased with the increase of ZnO dopant within the miscible compositional range (β-Li₂SnO₃(ss)). The presence of Li₄MgSn₂O₇ or ZnO second phase reduced the dielectric permittivity. The doping of ZnO improved the Q?×?f value of β-Li₂SnO₃(ss), whereas the doping of MgO slightly decreased the Q?×?f value. The improvement of Q?×?f value could be ascribed to the stabilization of the ordering-induced domain boundaries by the partial segregation of the larger doping cation. The τ _f value changed from positive into negative value with increasing MgO or ZnO addition and near zero τ _f value (4.67 or ?0.27 ppm/°C) could be obtained at x?=?0.3 composition for MgO or ZnO added specimens, respectively.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of BaTiO3-CoxFe3-xO4 core-shell particles by homogeneous coprecipitation

BaTiO₃-Co_xFe_3-xO₄ (x is regulated by the R value, R = M (FeCl₂?4H₂O)/M (CoCl₂?6H₂O), the molar ratio of FeCl₂?4H₂O to CoCl₂?6H₂O) core-shell particles were synthesized by facile homogeneous coprecipitation method utilizing urea as pH adjuster and air as oxidizer. The morphology, microstructure and the chemical compositions of the core-shell particles were characterized by TEM, XRD and EDX, respectively. The results showed that a compact, continuous and pure spinel structure Co_xFe_3-xO₄ shell was formed on the surface of BaTiO₃ particles after the homogeneous coprecipitation processes at low temperature (<100 °C). The results of vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) showed that with the R value increasing from 1.5 to 4, the saturation magnetization and coercivity of the BaTiO₃-Co_xFe_3-xO₄ core-shell particles increased from 16.2 emu/g to 38.7 emu/g and 136.6 Oe to 386.5 Oe, respectively. The magnetism of BaTiO₃-Co_xFe_3-xO₄ core-shell particles can be controlled by regulating the R.     

Effect of Ca substitution on microwave dielectric properties of BaV<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> ceramics

Effects of Ca substitution for Ba on the phase composition, microstructure, sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of nominal ceramics Ba_1-xCa_xV₂O₆ (0.2?≤?x?≤?0.5) were investigated. The XRD, Raman and SEM results revealed that BaV₂O₆ and CaV₂O₆ composite ceramics were formed. Nominal ceramics Ba_1-xCa_xV₂O₆ could be well densified at about 550 °C via a solid-state reaction method. The microwave dielectric properties exhibited strong dependence on the composition and microstructure. Typically, the Ba_0.7Ca_0.3V₂O₆ ceramics sintered at 550 °C exhibited excellent microwave dielectric properties: ε_r?=?10.9, Qxf?=?17,100 GHz (at 9.9 GHz), and τ_f?=?4 ppm/°C. Meanwhile, Ba_0.7Ca_0.3V₂O₆ ceramics also showed good chemical compatibility with Al electrode. These results indicated that the Ba_0.7Ca_0.3V₂O₆ ceramics could be a promising candidate for the ULTCC technology.     

Effect of Precursor Concentration on Physical Properties of Cube-Like Zn2SnO4 Powders Synthesized by Co-Precipitation Method

Cube-like Zinc stannate (Zn₂SnO₄) spinel powders were synthesized by co-precipitation method using chloride starting precursors of zinc and tin. The influence concentration of precursors on relevant physical properties of Zn₂SnO₄ was investigated by increasing concentration of precursor material at 0.1 to 0.4 M (Zn:Sn at ratio 1:1). Structural properties of as-synthesized and Zn₂SnO₄ crystal were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The results indicate that as-prepared material without calcination process is in cubic symmetry of zinc hydroxy stannate (ZnSn(OH)₆) affirmed by SEM and XRD results. Meanwhile, spinel phase of Zn₂SnO₄ with strong crystalline and eminent cubic structure can be achieved after calcination at 1000°C. Homogenous dispersion, high crystallinity and good cubic structure of Zn₂SnO₄ powders are occurred at higher concentration of precursors. Moreover, the oxidation state of these samples were investigated by the Zn K-edge and Sn L3-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) using the synchrotron radiation light source. The analyses of XANES spectra revealed that the oxidation state of Zn was +2 and Sn valence was +4 in all Zn₂SnO₄ samples, which well corresponds to the theoretical values.     

Lithium ion conduction in Li5La3Ta2O12 and Li7La3Ta2O13 garnet-type materials

Electrical properties of the lithium garnets Li₅La₃Ta₂O₁₂ (L5LTO) and Li₇La₃Ta₂O₁₃ (L7LTO) are reported over a wide frequency range from 10 MHz to 0.1 Hz at different temperatures. The structural properties are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transformation Infrared spectroscopy. By means of the frame work of classical brick layer model (BLM) and of a finite element approach, the ion transport properties of grain and grain boundary for the lithium garnets were analyzed. The specific grain conductivity of 5.0?×?10^?6?S/cm at 40 °C is found for both lithium garnets. Specific grain conductivities and grain boundary conductivities are thermally activated, with activation energies found to be in the range of 0.55–0.61 eV. The total conductivity is found to be depending on the ion conduction of grain boundary. The information on the fraction of contact area α_contact between grains <0.25 is obtained by the finite element approach for Li₇La₃Ta₂O₁₃.     

Microstructures and dielectric properties of Zn2SnO4 thin films by sputtering from a ZnO doped ceramic target

The dielectric properties of Zn₂SnO₄ thin films with various degrees of ZnO dopant concentration were investigated. Zn₂SnO₄ thin films were prepared using the radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the 0 and 75 mole % ZnO doped Zn₂SnO₄ thin films revealed that Zn₂SnO₄ is the main crystalline phase, which is accompanied by a little SnO₂ as the second phase. The second phase SnO₂ in specimens vanished when the extent of ZnO additive was increased to 100 mole%. A dielectric constant of 15–40 and a loss factor of 0.10–0.14 of Zn₂SnO₄ thin films were measured at 1 MHz with ZnO dopant concentration in the range of 0–100 mole%.