Electrochemical properties of boron-carbon-nitride films formed by magnetron sputtering

The electrochemical behavior of B_1.0C_2.4N_1.0 thin film was investigated in acidic, neutral and alkaline solutions. The anodic polarization curve of the film in 1 M NaOH showed the anodic dissolution of the film. The curve of the film in 1 M HCl showed no anodic dissolution. The cathodic polarization curve in 1 M NaCl showed shift to a negative potential side, but the anodic polarization curve was the same as that of Pt. The anodic dissolution in 1 M NaOH depended on potentials, that is, no anodic dissolution was recognized in a potential range of −0.2 to 0.1 V but the dissolution rate increased with increasing potential in a range of 0.1-0.6 V. The anodic current density of the film is directly proportional to the dissolution rate at potentials higher than 0.1 V. The dissolution rate of the film was increased with increasing solution pH.     

Effect of deposition temperature on the structural and thermoelectric properties of bismuth telluride thin films grown by co-sputtering

Thermoelectric bismuth telluride thin films were prepared on SiO₂/Si substrates by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. Co-sputtering method with Bi and Te targets was adopted to control films' composition. Bi_xTe_y thin films were elaborated at various deposition temperatures with fixed RF powers, which yielded the stoichiometric Bi₂Te₃ film deposition without intentional substrate heating. The effects of deposition temperature on surface morphology, crystallinity and electrical transport properties were investigated. Hexagonal crystallites were clearly visible at the surface of films deposited above 290 °C. Change of dominant phase from rhombohedral Bi₂Te₃ to hexagonal BiTe was confirmed with X-ray diffraction analyses. Seebeck coefficients of all samples have negative value, indicating the prepared Bi_xTe_y films are n-type conduction. Optimum of Seebeck coefficient and power factor were obtained at the deposition temperature of 225 °C (about − 55 μV/K and 3 × 10^− 4 W/K²·m, respectively). Deterioration of thermoelectric properties at higher temperature could be explained with Te deficiency and resultant BiTe phase evolution due to the evaporation of Te elements from the film surface.     

Realization of superhard nanocomposites with sufficient toughness: Superlattice nanocrystal-TiN/amorphous-(W,Ti)C0.83 films

A superhard nanocrystal (nc)-TiN/amorphous (a)-(W,Ti)C_0.83 film with sufficient toughness was synthesized by arc ion plating and dc magnetron sputtering. The superlattice structure of nc-TiN/a-(W,Ti)C_0.83 with a modulation period of 10 nm was obtained on amorphous (Ti,W)C_1 − x bonding layers. Accordingly, the nc-TiN/a-(W,Ti)C_0.83 nanocomposite showed a superhard effect (~ 52 GPa), meanwhile, exhibiting a sufficient toughness (~ 590 MPa). Compared to TiN films, the friction and wear performance of nc-TiN/a-(W,Ti)C_0.83 was significantly improved. As such, the superlattice nc-TiN/a-(W,Ti)C_0.83 nanocomposites have good potential in high-speed drying machines and high-temperature applications.     

Investigation of spitting behaviour of NiCoCrAlY type materials during electron beam evaporation

ABSTRACT

Spitting behaviour of four casted and powder metallurgy ingots used in the fabrication of NiCoCrAlY-type environmental protective coatings by electron beam physical vapour deposition was investigated and correlated with ingot microstructures and compositions. Spits found in the coatings mainly consisted of the Ni₅Y phase precipitated in the β-NiAl matrix while their typical size exceeded 50?µm. Spitting was less pronounced for ingots having a higher Cr content, larger size of γ-Ni(Co, Cr) precipitates formed within β-NiAl grains and narrower transitional zone formed at the interface between molten and unmolten ingot regions and consisting of coarsened β grains. Large (above 100?µm) agglomerates of the Ni₅Y phase detected below the zone were identified as the main spit precursors.     

ARE法沉积的立方氮化硼薄膜生长过程的研究

采用逆序法研究了通过活性反应离子镀技术沉积在单晶硅 (10 0 )上的c BN膜生长过程。在X射线光电子能谱分析仪上 ,用氩离子剥离c BN膜并进行膜的成分的深度分布及不同刻蚀深度处膜的价态分析 ,用富立叶变换红外透射谱分析不同刻蚀深度处的膜的相结构。结果表明 :在此生长条件下 ,c BN不能在基底上直接成核 ,而是先在基底上形成一层h BN ,然后c BN在其上生长。对这种生长顺序 ,引用c BN膜形成机制的压应力模型给予了解释     

Rare earth metal Gd influenced defect sites in N doped TiO2: Defect mediated improved charge transfer for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

In this experimental studies, we report the synthesis of TiO₂ co-doped by both cationic and anionic sites by simple sol-gel based method. All the prepared samples exhibit the anatase crystalline morphology however, showed lattice distortion caused by the displacement of Ti⁴⁺ sites by Gd³⁺. The improved visible absorption is witnessed by the Gd and N co-doping with an assured redshift in the absorption edge. The N and Gd displacement inside TiO₂ lattice accompanied by the creation of OTiN and GdOTi bonds are characterized by the X-ray photoelectron spectra. The strong resonance signal by Gd4f electrons in the electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy further substantiate the displacement of lattice cites of TiO₂ by Gd³⁺ ions. The longevity of the photo produced charges observed in fluorescence spectra of Gd and N co-doped TiO₂ is because of the effective transfer of charges to the defect sites. The aforementioned catalysts are tested for their capacity for the H₂ production from water splitting. The 2 wt% gadolinium and nitrogen co-doped TiO₂ has shown 10764 μmol g^?1 H₂ production which is 26 times higher than the commercial Degussa P-25 catalyst. The enhanced activity for hydrogen production can be attributed to factors such as increased absorptivity under visible light and effective charge carrier separation.     

Thin films of carbon nanotubes and chemically reduced graphenes for electrochemical micro-capacitors

We report the making of chemically reduced graphene (CRG) sheets separated by layer-by-layer-assembled multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for electrochemical micro-capacitor applications. Submicron thin films of amine-functionalized MWCNTs (MWCNT-NH₂) and CRG derived from graphene oxides, were shown to be cross-linked with amide bonds having high packing densities of ∼70%. These carbon-only electrodes were found to have large volumetric capacitance of in an acidic electrolyte (0.5 M H₂SO₄). The electrode capacitance in a neutral electrolyte (1 M KCl) was found much lower, which supported the hypothesis that the observed high capacitances in the acidic electrolyte can be attributed primarily to redox reactions between protons and surface oxygen-containing groups on carbon.     

Effects of electrolytes variation on formation of oxide layers of 6061 A1 alloys by plasma electrolytic oxidation

Plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO) processes were carried out to produce ceramic layers on 6061 aluminum substrates in four kinds of electrolytes such as silicate and aluminate solution with and without sodium fluorosilicate. The PEO processes were carried out under a hybrid voltage (260 V DC combined with 200 V, 60 Hz AC amplitude) at room temperature for 5 min. The composition, microstructure and element distribution analyses of the PEO-treated layers were carried out by XRD and SEM & EDS. The effect of the electrolyte contents on the growth mechanism, element distribution and properties of oxide layers were studied. It is obvious that the layers generated in aluminate solutions show smoother surfaces than those in silicate solutions. Moreover, an addition of fluorine ion can effectively control the layer porosity; therefore, it can enhance the properties of the layers.     

Ultrasonic processing of thermoplastic foam

Ultrasonically induced bubble formation for the production of thermoplastic foam was investigated experimentally and theoretically as a basic study. A general purpose polystyrene and blends of low density polyethylene and polyethylene wax were saturated with nitrogen gas under various pressures and the ultrasonic excitation was applied to the polymer system upon release of gas pressure. The ultrasonic nucleation of bubbles in the polymer matrix was modeled by utilizing the classical nucleation theory. The negative pressure generated by the ultrasonic excitation was considered as the environmental pressure at the moment of nucleation. The experimental results showed that the heterogeneous nucleation must be used for ultrasonic foaming of the viscous fluid and the homogeneous nucleation for the low viscosity fluid. The theoretical analysis also indicated that the ultrasonic nucleation can be applied to the production of thermoplastic foam if the ultrasonic excitation generates large enough negative pressure.     

Mobile iron nanoparticle and its role in the formation of SiO2 nanotrench via carbon nanotube-guided carbothermal reduction

The detailed role of iron nanoparticles (NPs) involved with the formation of SiO2 nanotrenches is revealed. The physical movements of iron NPs, such as levitation and adsorption, turn out to be responsible for the initiation of carbothermal reduction (C (carbon nanotube, s) + SiO2(s) <--> SiO(g) + CO(g)), which results in SiO2 nanotrenches that are fully guided by carbon nanotubes. Under the chemical vapor deposition condition with 0.1% of O2 gas, iron NPs are liberally levitated from SiO2/Si substrate then adsorbed on the sidewalls of carbon nanotubes. Depending on the numbers of iron NPs attached to carbon nanotubes, two different types of nanotrenches are determined. When multiple iron NPs are assembled on carbon nanotubes and involved in carbothermal reduction, aligned nanohole type of nanotrenches is produced (Type I). On the contrary, when single iron NPs initiate the carbothermal reduction, nanotrenches having smooth pathways and high shoulders are commonly formed (Type II).