High performance flexible organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) with octadecyltrichlorsilane/ Al2O3/poly(4-vinylphenol) multilayer insulators

The incorporation of a thin, atomic layer deposited Al2O3 layer in between a spin-coated poly-4-vinyl phenol (PVP) organic layer and octadecyltrichlorsilane (OTS) in the multilayer gate dielectric for pentacene organic thin film transistors on a n(+)-Si substrate reduced the gate leakage current and thereby significantly enhanced the current on/off ratio up to 2.8 x 10(6). Addition of the OTS monolayer on the UV-treated Al2O3 improved the crystallinity of the pentacene layer, where the OTS/UV-treated Al2O3 surfaces increased their contact angles to 100 degrees. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a more intense (001) crystal reflectance of pentacene deposited on OTS/UV-treated Al2O3 surface than that on OTS/Al2O3 surface. Moreover, the improved pentacene layer contributed to the field effect mobility (0.4 cm2/Vs) and subsequently improved the electrical performances of organic thin film transistor (OTFT) devices. This PVP/UV treated Al2O3/OTS multilayer gate dielectric stack was superior to those of the device with the single PVP gate dielectrics due to the improved crystallinity of pentacene.     

Modification of fullerene nanocolumn structure by accelerated C60 ions

Crystalline C60 and amorphous graphite-like films of nanocolumn arrays fabricated by glancing angle deposition of C60 fullerene at substrate temperatures of -425 K were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic-force microscopy (AFM). Characteristic dimension of columns is 200-400 nm. We used co-deposition of C60 molecules and accelerated C60 ions to modify the structure and properties of nanocolumn arrays. Influence of incidence angle for C60 ions on formation of film morphology was revealed. Raman spectrum analysis showed that amorphous carbon nanocolumns consist of nanographite areas with average size of -1.5 nm. The films have high conductivity (close to graphite) and have no mechanical stresses. The carbon films were applied in all-solid-state rechargeable thin-film battery as an anode layer. The nanocolumn amorphous carbon film as anode electrode showed the discharge capacity of about 50 microAh cm(-2)microm(-1) and good cycling ability over 100 times in full cell system.     

Microstructure and hardness of nano-sized Fe-based self-fluxing alloy powder with SiC particles

The Fe-based self-fluxing alloy powders and SiC particles were mixed and milled by high energy ball-milling, and their microstructure and micro-hardness were investigated after subsequent compaction and sintering. The initial alloy powders with a mean size of approximately 80 microm were fined to 2.1 microm after milling at 800 rpm for 5 h. However, the powder mixture of alloy powder and SiC particle showed much larger powder size compared to the initial alloy powders. The bulk composites were obtained from the powder mixture by compaction under a pressure of 800 MPa for 10 min and sintering at 1073 K for 3 h. The composites had much higher micro-hardness of more than 700 Hv compared to alloy powder. The micro-hardness of composites slightly increased with the content of SiC particles.     

Novel method to evaluate moisture permeation of the metal barrier coating on polymer substrate

Water is detrimental to the performance of organic light-emitting devices and organic solar cells. A novel weight gain test (WGT) was introduced and demonstrated to measure the low permeation of water vapor through a metallic barrier coating on a polymer substrate. By using the WGT, the values of solubility, diffusivity and permeability for a sample are obtained with a simple experimental setup and diffusion equation. The WGT method has potential for the measurement of water-vapor permeation properties for samples with good barrier properties and irregular shape.     

Amorphous Mn oxide-ordered mesoporous carbon hybrids as a high performance electrode material for supercapacitors

A supercapacitor has the advantages of both the conventional capacitors and the rechargeable batteries. Mn oxide is generally recognized one of the potential materials that can be used for a supercapacitor, but its low conductivity is a limiting factor for electrode materials. In this study, a hybrid of amorphous Mn oxide (AMO) and ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) was prepared and characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N2/77 K sorption techniques, and electrochemical analyses. The findings indicate that the electrochemical activities of Mn oxide were facilitated when it was in the hybrid state because OMC acted as a pathway for both the electrolyte ions and the electrons due to the characteristics of the ordered mesoporous structure. The ordered mesoporous structure of OMC was well maintained even after hybridization with amorphous Mn oxide. The electrochemical-activity tests revealed that the AMO/OMC hybrid had a higher specific capacitance and conductivity than pure Mn oxide. In the case where the Mn/C weight ratio was 0.75, the composite showed a high capacitance of 153 F/g, which was much higher than that for pure Mn oxide, due to the structural effects of OMC.     

Rutile structured SnO2 nanowires synthesized with metal catalyst by thermal evaporation method

One-dimensional (1-D) nanostructures such as tubes, rods, wires, and belts have attracted considerable research activities owing to their strong application potential as components for nanosize electronic or optoelectronic devices utilizing superior optical and electrical properties. Characterizing the mechanical properties of nanostructure is of great importance for their applications in electronics, optoelectronics, sensors, actuators. Wide-bandgap SnO2 semiconducting material (Eg = 3.6 eV at room temperature) is one of the attractive candidates for optoelectronic devices operating at room temperature, gas sensors, and transparent conducting electrodes. The synthesis and gas sensing properties of semiconducting SnO2 nanomaterials have became one of important research issues since the first synthesis of SnO2 nanobelts. Considering the important application of SnO2 in sensors, these structures are not only ideal systems for fundamental understanding at the nanoscale level, but they also have potential applications as nanoscale sensors, resonator, and transducers. The structured SnO2 nanorods have been grown on silicon substrates with Au catalytic layer by thermal evporation process over 800 degrees C. The resulting sample is characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The morphology and structural properties of SnO2 nanowires were measured by scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The mean diameter of the SnO2 nanorods grown on Au coated silicon (100) substrate is approximately 80 nm. In addition, X-ray diffraction measurements show that SnO2 nanorods have a rutile structure. The formation of SnO2 nanowires has been attributed to the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanisms depending on the processing conditions. We investigated the growth behavior of the SnO2 nanowires by variation of the growth conditions such as gas partial pressure and temperature.     

A Solvent‐Assisted Compression Molded of Poly(L‐lactide)/Hydroxyapatite Electrospun Fibers for Robust Engineered Scaffold Systems

In an attempt to enhance the biocompatibility and mechanical strength of fibrous polymeric scaffold systems, nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles were incorporated into the electrospun poly(L ‐lactide) (PLLA) fibers and then mechanically interlocked using a vapor‐phase solvent adsorption method. The solvent‐assisted compression molding substantially increased the tensile strength (from 4.61 to 12.63 MPa) and mechanical modulus (from 50.6 to 627.7 MPa) of the fibrous scaffold, which maintained the interstitial space between the fibers to allow the facile transport of nutrients and waste during cell growth and polymer biodegradation. Macrometer‐sized pores (ca. 100–400 µm) were introduced into the scaffolds in a controlled fashion using the salt leaching/gas forming technique to give desired space for a facile cell implantation and growth. Overall, the developed methodology allows the polymer‐based scaffold systems to be tailored for various applications in light of surface characteristics, mechanical strength, and pore size of engineered scaffolds.

     

Screening Xanthene Dyes for Visible Light‐Driven Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Regeneration and Photoenzymatic Synthesis

Regeneration of the nicotinamide cofactor is a critical issue in biocatalysis. Herein we have screened xanthene dyes for a highly efficient, visible light‐driven photochemical regeneration of cofactors and enzymatic synthesis. Superior catalytic performance was observed with several xanthene dyes such as phloxine B, erythrosine B, eosin Y, and rose bengal. We found that the photo‐ and electrochemical properties of the xanthene dyes were affected by the halogen atom substitution, which is a key factor in the efficient light‐induced electron transfer from the donor molecule to the catalytic mediator.     

Sr0.92Y0.08TiO3−δ/Sm0.2Ce0.8O2−δ anode for solid oxide fuel cells running on methane

Yttria-doped strontium titanium oxide (Sr_0.92Y_0.08TiO_3−δ; SYT) was investigated as an alternative anode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The SYT synthesized by the Pechini method exhibits excellent phase stability during the cell fabrication processes and SOFC operation and good electrical conductivity (about 0.85 S/cm, porosity 30%) in reducing atmosphere. The performance of SYT anode is characterized by slow electrochemical reactions except for the gas-phase diffusion reactions. The cell performance with the SYT anode running on methane fuel was improved about 5 times by SDC film coating, which increased the number of reaction sites and also accelerated electrochemical reaction kinetics of the anode. In addition, the SDC-coated SYT anode cell was stably operated for 900 h with methane. These results show that the SDC-coated SYT anode can be a promising anode material for high temperature SOFCs running directly on hydrocarbon fuels.     

Feasibility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for classification of sea salts

We have investigated the feasibility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as a fast, reliable classification tool for sea salts. For 11 kinds of sea salts, potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and aluminum (Al), concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and the LIBS spectra were recorded in the narrow wavelength region between 760 and 800 nm where K (I), Mg (I), Ca (II), Al (I), and cyanide (CN) band emissions are observed. The ICP-AES measurements revealed that the K, Mg, Ca, and Al concentrations varied significantly with the provenance of each salt. The relative intensities of the K (I), Mg (I), Ca (II), and Al (I) peaks observed in the LIBS spectra are consistent with the results using ICP-AES. The principal component analysis of the LIBS spectra provided the score plot with quite a high degree of clustering. This indicates that classification of sea salts by chemometric analysis of LIBS spectra is very promising. Classification models were developed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and evaluated. In addition, the Al (I) peaks enabled us to discriminate between different production methods of the salts.