Isothermal Reaction of NiO Powder with Undiluted CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> at 1000 K to 1300 K (727 °C to 1027 °C)

In this study, isothermal reaction behavior of loose NiO powder in a flowing undiluted CH₄ atmosphere at the temperature range 1000 K to 1300 K (727 °C to 1027 °C) is investigated. Thermodynamic analyses at this temperature range revealed that single phase Ni forms at the input \( {{n_{{{\text{CH}}_{ 4} }}^{\text{o}} } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{n_{{{\text{CH}}_{ 4} }}^{\text{o}} } {\left( {n_{{{\text{CH}}_{ 4} }}^{\text{o}} + n_{\text{NiO}}^{\text{o}} } \right)}}} \right. \kern-0pt} {\left( {n_{{{\text{CH}}_{ 4} }}^{\text{o}} + n_{\text{NiO}}^{\text{o}} } \right)}} \) mole fractions (\( X_{{{\text{CH}}_{ 4} }} \)) between ~0.2 and 0.5. It was also predicted that free C co-exists with Ni at \( X_{{{\text{CH}}_{ 4} }} \) values higher than ~0.5. The experiments were carried out as a function of temperature, time, and CH₄ flow rate. Mass measurement, XRD and SEM-EDX were used to characterize the products at various stages of the reaction. At 1200 K and 1300 K (927 °C and 1027 °C), the reaction of NiO with undiluted CH₄ essentially consisted of two successive distinct stages: NiO reduction and pyrolytic C deposition on pre-reduced Ni particles. At 1200 K (927 °C), 1100 K (827 °C), and 1000 K (727 °C), complete oxide reduction was observed within ~7.5, ~17.5, and ~45 minutes, respectively. It was suggested that NiO was essentially reduced to Ni by a CH₄ decomposition product, H₂. Possible reactions leading to NiO reduction were suggested. An attempt was made to describe the NiO reduction kinetics using nucleation-growth and geometrical contraction models. It was observed that the extent of NiO reduction and free C deposition increased with the square root of CH₄ flow rate as predicted by a mass transport theory. A mixed controlling mechanism, partly chemical kinetics and partly external gaseous mass transfer, was responsible for the overall reaction rate. The present study demonstrated that the extent of the reduction can be determined quantitatively using the XRD patterns and also using a formula theoretically derived from the basic XRD data.     

Modification of ITO surface using aromatic small molecules with carboxylic acid groups for OLED applications

4-[(3-Methylphenyl)(phenyl)amino]benzoic acid (MPPBA) was synthesized in order to facilitate the hole-injection in Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED). MPPBA was applied to form self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on indium tin oxide (ITO) anode to align energy-level at the interface between organic semiconductor material (TPD) and inorganic anode (ITO) in OLED devices. The modified surface was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). KPFM was used to measure the surface potential and work function between the tip and the ITO surface modified by SAM technique using MPPBA. The OLED devices (ITO/MPPBA/TPD/Alq₃/Al) fabricated with SAM-modified ITO substrates showed lower turn-on voltages and enhanced diode current compare to the OLED devices fabricated with bare ITO substrates.