Preparation and characterization of barium strontium titanate/silicon nanoporous pillar array composite thin films by a sol-gel method

Barium strontium titanate (Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃, BST)/silicon nanoporous pillar array (Si-NPA) thin films were prepared by a spin-coating/annealing technique based on Si-NPA with micro/nano-structure. Both the isomer conversion of acetylacetone and the network structure combined by enol and Ti-alkoxide facilitate the formation of the BST sol and the subsequent crystallization. Before the perovskite BST begins to form, the intermediate phase (Ba,Sr)Ti₂O₅CO₃ is found. The boundary between BST and Si-NPA is of clarity and little interface diffusion, disclosing that Si-NPA is an ideal template substrate in the preparation of multifunctional composite films.     

TiO2-based building materials: Above and beyond traditional applications

In the 1910s, TiO₂ began to be used in building materials as pigments and opacifier due to its excellent optical property. Since the photocatalytic property of TiO₂ was observed in 1972, its application field was expanded to air cleaning and sterilization. Thereafter, people added TiO₂ into building materials to develop novel and facile building materials. These materials were widely used for air cleaning, sterilization, self-cleaning, anti-fogging, decoration, and building cooling. The combination of building and other functions can serve simultaneously. Although TiO₂-based building materials have bright prospects, some aspects such as improving the stability and enhancing photoactive performance of the materials are of importance for future research. Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program (“863” Program) of China (Grant No. 2007AA061402), Chinese Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Eleventh Five-year Plan (Grant No. 2006BAJ02A08), Hangzhou Science & Technology Development Program (Grant No. 20061133B27) and Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (Grant No. 20070335197)     

Relaxor behavior of (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-xPbTiO3 ceramics

n the present work, the phase transitions and relaxor behavior of (1−x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbTiO₃ (PMN-PT, x = 0.2―0.4) ferroelectric ceramics have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, di-electric spectroscopy, the P-E hysteresis loop measurements and Raman scattering techniques. Structural analysis revealed that with the increase of PbTiO₃ content, PMN-PT ceramics experienced a gradual phase transition process from rhombohedral to tetragonal. It is usually believed that such kinds of phase transitions resulted in the linear decrease of relaxation degree. Surprisingly, our analy-sis of the dielectric spectra revealed that the indicator of the degree of diffuseness γ reached the maximum value near morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) (x = 0.32), then decreased with the further increase of PbTiO₃ content. The large dielectric relaxor feature near MPB may be attributed to the for-mation of ordered nanodomains, resulting from complex coexisting nanostructures. Further, the P-E hysteresis loop measurements and Raman analysis of the B-site cation order correlated well with the dielectric measurement results. It was found that the hysteresis loop squareness R_sq received the minimum value while the inverse of the value of full wide of half maximum (FWHM) of A_1g mode reached the maximum value at MPB composition, which showed similar trends to γ.     

Influence of O2/Ar ratio on the properties of transparent conductive niobium-doped ZnO films

Niobium-doped ZnO transparent conductive films are deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency sputtering at 300℃. The influence of O2/Ar ratio on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the as-deposited films is investigated by X-ray diffraction, Hall measurement and optical transmission spectroscopy. The lowest resistivity of 4.0×10^-4Ω· cm is obtained from the film deposited at the O2/Ar ratio of 1/12. The average optical transmittance of the films is over 90%.     

Bi_(1.6)La_(0.4)Ti_2O_7薄膜的制备及性能研究

采用化学溶液沉积法在ITO基片上制备不同退火温度的掺镧钛酸铋Bi1.6La0.4Ti2O7(BLT)薄膜。研究了其结构、介电性能、漏电流密度与外加电压I-V关系曲线和光学带隙。XRD射线衍射测试结果表明,经500、550、600℃1 h退火后的薄膜的主晶相为烧绿石结构,无杂相生成,600℃时BLT薄膜衍射峰比其他两种温度的强。在1 kHz频率下测得的介电常数、损耗因子分别为114,3%;129,3%;194,6%。BLT薄膜的漏电流密度与外加电压关系曲线表明,BLT薄膜600℃的漏电流比550和500℃稍微减小。通过透射谱分析得到BLT薄膜的光学带隙几乎不受温度影响,均为3.7 eV。这些结果表明制备BLT固溶体薄膜较佳为退火温度600℃,具有较好的性能,在光电器件有良好的应用前景。     

Microstructure of Ba0.615Sr0.35Mg0.035TiO3 dielectric ceramics via X-ray spectrum analysis

The compound Ba0.615Sr0.35Mg0.035TiO3 was analyzed by the X-ray dispersed spectroscopy analyzer (SEM-EDAX) with the spec-trum image method, a powerful tool for chemical phase identification. The method was first time applied on a ceramic material to collect spectrum image and was progressed to identify the Mg-enriched component with fine scale pocket shown in matrix. This result, together with the stoichiometry result obtained from spot mode spectrum analysis, strongly confirmed the microstructure and properties of dielectric materials.     

Magnetoelectric and converse magnetoelectric res ponses in TbxDy1-xFe2-y alloy ＆ Pb（Mg1/3Nb2/3）（1-x）TixO3 crystal laminated composites

Measured results of magnetoelectric （ME） and converse magnetoelectric （CME） effects of TbxDy1-xFe2-y/ Pb（Mg1/3Nb2/3）（1-x）TixO3/TbxDy1-xFe2-y （TD/PMNT/TD） and PMNT/TD/PMNT laminated composites are presented. ME effect was determined by measuring laminate voltage output under a Helmholtz-generated AC field biased by a DC field （0-1 kOe） （1Oe = 79.58 A/m）. The CME effect was measured by recording the voltage induced in a solenoid encompassing the ME sample while exposed to a DC bias field and PMNT layer driven by a 10 V AC source. The ME and CME responses in the two laminated structure are linear. The highest values of ME coefficients in TD/PMNT/TD and PMNT/TD/PMNT composites are 384 mV/Oe and 158 mV/Oe, respectively, while the highest values of CME coefficients in the two composites are 118 mG/V and 162 mG/V （1 G=10^-4 T）, respectively.     

镁掺杂钛酸锶铅钡薄膜的介电调谐性能研究

采用Sol-Gel法在Pt／Ti／SiO2／Si衬底上制备出未掺杂和掺杂Mg的（Ba0.5Sr0.5）0.85Pb0.15-TiO3薄膜．采用XRD、SEM和Agilent 4294A精密阻抗分析仪研究了Mg掺杂量对薄膜的结晶性,表面形貌和介电性能的影响．结果表明：随着Mg掺杂量的增加,PBST薄膜的介电常数减小,介电损耗降低,介电调谐量先减少后增加．当Mg掺杂量为0．8mol％时,PBST薄膜具有最大的优值因子．     

Fabrication of the 19-filament Fe/Cu clad MgB2 wire via in situ powder-in-tube method

Using commercial amorphous B powder (92% in purity) and Mg powder (99% in purity) as starting materials, 19-filament Fe/Cu clad MgB2 wires were fabricated by an in situ powder-in-tube method. Heat treatment was performed at 700℃ for 1 h under an argon gas atmosphere. The influence of Mg/B ratio on the microstructure and superconducting properties of the wires was investigated. It was found that the major phases of MgB2 wires were MgB2 accompanied with relatively small amounts of MgO and Fe2B impurities. With 5% excess Mg addition, the onset TC slightly decreased. However, the transport JC at 4.2 K and 4 T reached 1.07×104 A·cm-2, increasing by a factor of 1.4 compared to the stoichiometric sample. Moreover, the Mg1.05B2 sample showed an improved field dependence of JC, suggesting that less voids and smaller grain size of the Mg1.05B2 core lead to better grain connectivity and stronger flux pinning.     

Performances improvement of eosin Y sensitized solar cells by modifying TiO2 electrode with silane-coupling reagent

Chemical fixing of xanthene dye （eosin Y） on the surface of TiO2 electrode was carried out by modifying the electrode with silane-coupling reagent to obtain stable dye-sensitized TiO2 electrode. Such silane modification can not only evidently enhance the stability of dye-sensitized TiO2 electrode but also improve the energy conversion efficiency of the assembled cells by increasing short-circuit photocurrent （Jsc） and open-circuit photovoltage （Voc）. It was found that the improvements of cell performances differ depending on the composition of the electrolyte. The optimum cell of the cell performance was achieved in the electrolyte with 0.5 mol/L TBAI/0.05 mol/L 12/EC：PC（3：1 w/w）, yielding Jsc of 4.69 mA. cm-2, Voc of 0,595 V, fill factor （FF） of 0.64 and ηof 1,78%, Different spectroscopic techniques including UV-Vis spectra, fluorescence spectra, EIS and dark current measurements were employed to derive reasonable analysis and explanations.     

Preparation and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4/TiO2 composite films

Using （Ti（OC4H9）4） and metal chlorates as starting materials, CoFe2O4/TiO2 composite films were prepared by sol-gel method. The effects of heat treatment temperature and pH of the precursor on microstructure and magnetic properties were studied. The phase structure of the samples was examined by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure was examined by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope and polarized microscope. The magnetic property was measured by vibrating sample magnetometer. The results show that the crystals of different phases grow up independently. CoFe2O4 is uniformly embedded into the TiO2 matrix in the prepared composite films, and the growth of composite films is dependent on the heat treatment temperatures and PH of the precursor. The average size of CoFe2O4 crystal is 19 nm in Nanocomposite film prepared when the heat treatment temperature is 800℃ and the pH of the precursor is between 2 and 3. The magnetism of the composite films is enhanced as the heat treatment temperature increases.     

Superconductivity in Ba1−xSmxFFeAs and Eu1−xSmxFFeAs systems

We synthesized the samples Ba1-xSmxFFeAs and Eu1-xSmxFFeAs with ZrCuSiAs-type structure. These samples were characterized by resistivity and susceptibility. It is found that the substitution of rare earth metal for alkaline earth metal in the two systems suppresses the anomaly in resistivity and induces superconductivity. Superconductivity at 54 K in nominal composition Ba0.5Sm0.5FFeAs and at 51 K for Eu0.5Sm0.5FFeAs is realized, indicating that the superconducting transition temperatures in the iron arsenide fluorides is the same as that in oxypnictides with the same structure.     

Comparison between P25 and anatase-based TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> quasi-solid state dye sensitized solar cells

Pure anatase TiO2 films have been made via hydration of titanium isopropoxide using a sol-gel tech-nique, while mixed TiO2 films which contained both anatase and rutile TiO2 were made from commercial P25 powder. Quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated with these two kinds of mesoporous films and a comparison study was carried out. The result showed that the open-circuit photovoltages （Voc） for both kinds of cells were essentially the same, whereas the short-circuit photo-currents （1sc） of the anatase-based cells were about 33% higher than that of the P25-based cells. The highest photocurrent intensity of the anatase-based cell was 6.12 mA/cm^2 and that of the P25-based cell was 4.60 mA/cm^2. Under an illumination with the light intensity of 30 mW/cm^2, the corresponding energy conversion efficiency was measured to be 7.07% and 6.89% for anatase-based cells and P25-based cells, respectively.     

Micro-arc oxidization fabrication and ethanol sensing performance of Fe-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> thin films

In-situ pure TiO₂ and Fe-doped TiO₂ thin films were synthesized on Ti plates via the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technique. The as-fabricated anatase TiO₂ thin film-based conductometric sensors were employed to measure the gas sensitivity to ethanol. The results showed that Fe ions could be easily introduced into the MAO-TiO₂ thin films by adding precursor K₄(FeCN)₆·3H₂O into the Na₃PO₄ electrolyte. The amount of doped Fe ions increased almost linearly with the concentration of K₄(FeCN)₆·3H₂O increasing, eventually affecting the ethanol sensing performances of TiO₂ thin films. It was found that the enhanced sensor signals obtained had an optimal concentration of Fe dopant (1.28at%), by which the maximal gas sensor signal to 1000 ppm ethanol was estimated to be 7.91 at 275°C. The response time was generally reduced by doped Fe ions, which could be ascribed to the increase of oxygen vacancies caused by Fe³⁺ substituting for Ti⁴⁺.     

Photovoltaic properties of MEH-PPV/TiO2 nanocomposites

Photovoltaic properties of photodiodes based on nano-TiO2 and poly[2-methoxy,5-（2＇-ethlhexyloxy）-p-phenylenevinylene] （MEH-PPV） composites are investigated. By comparing composite devices with the same weight of TiO2 （nanoparticles and nanotubes）：MEH-PPV, it was found that the device with TiO2 nanotubes exhibited better performance. By further optimizing the weight radio of TiO2 nanotubes： MEH-PPV, we gained the device with a short circuit current density of 9.27μA/cm^2 with a light intensity of 16.7mW/cm^2 at the 500 nm wavelength, the highest open-circuit voltage of 1.1V, and a photosensitivity of 332 at reverse bias of -0.6V. The photosensitivity is improved by a factor of 33 compared with the undoped MEH-PPV device.     

Effects of substrate temperature and ambient oxygen pressure on growth of Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 thin films were grown on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates with pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at temperatures ranging from 823 to 923 K with the varied ambient oxygen pressure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data confirmed the single phase of polycrystalline Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 thin films. The effects of substrate temperature and ambient oxygen pressure on the surface morphologies of the thin films were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the growth dynamics of thin films was discussed. Larger grains and denser surface morphologies were observed with increasing substrate temperature. While finer grains were produced with increasing ambient oxygen pressure due to more frequent collisions between the ejected species and ambient oxygen molecules. The influence of the substrate temperature and ambient oxygen pressure on the dielectric properties was also discussed. Improved dielectric constant and decreased dielectric loss was observed for the thin film deposited at evaluated temperature.     

Modification of TiO2 nanotubes arrays by CdS and their photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen generation properties

In order to realize hydrogen generation under visible light, novel CdS/TiO2 nanotubes arrays are developed by electrochemical anodizaUon of Ti in 0.15 mol/L NHTF ＋ 0.08 mol/L H2C2O4 electrolyte. The diameter of the nanotube is 80-100 nm and the length is approximately 550 nm. The CdS nano-particles are deposited on the TiO2 nanotubes arrays by chemical bath deposition （CBD） in the ammonia-thiourea system. A 300 W Xe lamp is used as the light source, CdS/TiO2 nanotube arrays are used as the photoanode with the application of 1.0 V bath voltage, and 0.1 mol/L Na2S ＋ 0.04 mol/L Na2SO3 solution is used as the electrolyte, then the rate of photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen generation is 245.4 μL/（h·cm^2）. This opens new perspectives for photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen generation by using CdS/TiO2 nanotubes arrays.     

A novel Pd/silicalite-1 composite membrane for hydrogen separation

A novel Pd/silicalite-1 composite membrane supported on the macroporous tubular stainless steel substrate was successfully fabricated by electroless plating at 303 K. The structure, morphology and gaseous permeability of the membrane were detected by X-ray diffractiometry （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and single-gas permeation test, respectively. Results confirm the formation of a thin, smooth, and continuous Pd/silicalite-1 composite membrane. The obtained composite membrane shows a high H2 permeance of 1.15×10^-6 mol. m^-2. s^-1. Pa^-1 with moderate H2 selectivity of 250 for H2/N2 at 773 K, at 0.1 MPa pressure drop, suggesting the potential application for H2 separation.     

超声波搅拌时间对原位自生Mg2Si/Al基复合材料凝固组织和力学性能的影响

为了研究铝基复合材料的凝固组织和力学性能,采用超声波搅拌的方法制备了原位自生Mg₂Si/Al基复合材料.利用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、金相显微镜(OM)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)分析其微观形貌,并通过硬度检测和拉伸试验测试其力学性能.结果表明:超声波搅拌不但能够细化初生Mg₂Si颗粒,改变凝固组织形貌,而且具有除气除杂功能,二者共同提高了Mg₂Si/Al基复合材料的力学性能;经过超声波搅拌的Mg₂Si/Al基复合材料与未经过超声波搅拌的Mg₂Si/Al基复合材料相比,抗拉强度与伸长率总体呈上升趋势,其断口形貌均为准解理面.在超声时间为40 s时,抗拉强度和伸长率达到最大值,分别为201 MPa和5.63%,相比未超声处理的Mg₂Si/Al基复合材料的抗拉强度和伸长率,分别增长了139.29%和178.71%;复合材料的硬度先升高后降低,超声作用时间为30 s时硬度最佳,为116.96(HB).     

Fluorescence and sensitization performance of phenylene-vinylene-substituted polythiophene

A new kind of polythiophene derivative, Poly(3-{2-[4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-phenyl]-vinyl}-2,2′-bithiophene) (PTh), was applied in dye-sensitized solar cell to extend the light response of nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode. UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectra were employed to investigate the interaction of PTh with nanocrystalline TiO2. The absorption coefficient of the PTh was high in visible part of spec- trum, and the fluorescence emission of the PTh can be efficiently quenched by TiO2 nanoparticles ow- i...