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At least 829 records · Page 46

Room temperature luminescence and ferromagnetism of AlN:Fe

AlN:Fe polycrystalline powders were synthesized by a modified solid state reaction (MSSR) method. Powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results reveal the single phase nature of the doped samples. In the doped AlN samples, Fe is in Fe{sup 2+} state. Room temperature ferromagnetic behavior is observed in AlN:Fe samples. Two photoluminescence peaks located at about 592 nm (2.09 eV) and 598 nm (2.07 eV) are observed in AlN:Fe samples. Our results suggest that AlN:Fe is a potential material for applications in spintronics and high power laser devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Design of Heterogeneous Chalcogenide Nanostructures with Pressure-Tunable Gaps and without Electronic Trap States

Heterogeneous nanostructures, such as quantum dots (QDs) embedded in solid matrices or core–shell nanoparticles, are promising platforms for a wide variety of applications, including phosphors with increased quantum yield, photocatalysis, and solar energy conversion. However, characterizing and controlling their interfacial morphology and defects, which greatly influence their electronic properties, have proven difficult in numerous cases. Here we carried out atomistic calculations on chalcogenide nanostructured materials, i.e., PbSe QDs in CdSe matrices and CdSe embedded in PbSe, and we established how interfacial and core structures affect their electronic properties. In particular, we showed that defects present at interfaces of PbSe nanoparticles and CdSe matrices give rise to detrimental intragap states, degrading the performance of photovoltaic devices. Instead, the electronic gaps of the inverted system (CdSe dots in PbSe) are clean, indicating that this material has superior electronic properties for solar applications. In addition, our calculations predicted that the core structure of CdSe and in turn its band gap may be tuned by applying pressure to the PbSe matrix, providing a means to engineering the properties of new functional materials.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Increased Optoelectronic Quality and Uniformity of Hydrogenated p-InP Thin Films

The thin-film vapor-liquid-solid (TF-VLS) growth technique presents a promising route for high quality, scalable, and cost-effective InP thin films for optoelectronic devices. Toward this goal, careful optimization of material properties and device performance is of utmost interest. Here, we show that exposure of polycrystalline Zn-doped TF-VLS InP to a hydrogen plasma (in the following referred to as hydrogenation) results in improved optoelectronic quality as well as lateral optoelectronic uniformity. A combination of low temperature photoluminescence and transient photocurrent spectroscopy was used to analyze the energy position and relative density of defect states before and after hydrogenation. Notably, hydrogenation reduces the relative intragap defect density by 1 order of magnitude. As a metric to monitor lateral optoelectronic uniformity of polycrystalline TF-VLS InP, photoluminescence and electron beam induced current mapping reveal homogenization of the grain versus grain boundary upon hydrogenation. At the device level, we measured more than 260 TF-VLS InP solar cells before and after hydrogenation to verify the improved optoelectronic properties. Hydrogenation increased the average open-circuit voltage (VOC) of individual TF-VLS InP solar cells by up to 130 mV and reduced the variance in VOC for the analyzed devices.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

State-of-the-art Thin Film Electrolytes For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

State-of-the-Art solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are amongst the main candidates for clean energy technology due to their high efficiency, fuel flexibility, low air pollution, and minimal greenhouse gas emission. However, high operational temperature of SOFC is a greater challenge in commercialization these devices for low cost and portable applications. High temperature operation of SOFC degrades its performance with aging, limits the selection of materials for fuel cell components, and increases the fabrication cost. Thus, there have been enormous efforts to improve the properties of existing materials and develop new materials for SOFC components in order to lower the operating temperature of SOFC. Recent advances in thin film technology have also been utilized to develop new materials with improved properties for SOFC. One of the key components in SOFC is the electrolyte and several research groups are working on developing new electrolyte materials. In this chapter, we will discuss the recent advances in thin film SOFC electrolytes. This extensive discussion includes the evolution of doped ceria, doped zirconia, and multilayer hetero-structured thin film electrolytes. The newly developed nanoscale thin films and multi-layer hetero-structures with improved oxygen ionic conductivity will have significant impact on SOFC devices.

Thevuthasan, Suntharampillai↗

Synthetic and spectroscopic studies of vanadate glaserites II: Photoluminescence studies of Ln:K{sub 3}Y(VO{sub 4}){sub 2} (Ln=Eu, Er, Sm, Ho, or Tm)

Glaserite-type potassium yttrium double vanadates (K{sub 3}Y(VO{sub 4}){sub 2}) doped with Eu{sup 3+}, Er{sup 3+}, Sm{sup 3+}, Ho{sup 3+}, or Tm{sup 3+} have been synthesized by solid state reactions at 1000 °C for 48 h and their photoluminescence properties investigated. Efficient energy transfer from the vanadate group to the rare earth ion has been established by photoluminescence investigation. Ultraviolet excitation into the metal to ligand charge transfer band of the vanadate groups results in orange-red, blue and green emissions from Eu{sup 3+} (592 nm), Sm{sup 3+} (602 nm), Tm{sup 3+} (475 nm), Er{sup 3+} (553 nm), and Ho{sup 3+} (541–551 nm) dopant ions. The emission intensities of the lanthanide-doped K{sub 3}Y(VO{sub 4}){sub 2} powders were studied as a function of dopant ion concentrations. Over the concentration ranges studied, no emission quenching was observed for Eu{sup 3+} or Ho{sup 3+} dopants, while Er{sup 3+}, Sm{sup 3+} and Tm{sup 3+} dopants did exhibit such effects for dopant ion concentrations greater than 5%, probably due to cross relaxation processes. - Graphical abstract: Synthesis and photoluminescence in vanadate glaserites. - Highlights: • K{sub 3}Y(VO{sub 4}){sub 2} doped with Eu, Er, Tm, Sm, or Ho were synthesized via solid-state reactions. • Photoluminescence properties are investigated. • The lanthanide doped K{sub 3}Y(VO{sub 4}){sub 2} compounds revealed efficient energy transfer from the vanadate group to the rare earth ions. • The presented compounds are promising materials for light display systems, lasers, and optoelectronic devices.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Spectroscopic studies of Dy3+ doped borate glasses for cool white light generation

Highlights: • BAZN glasses with Dy{sup 3+} ions were prepared using melt quench technique. • Under n-UV excitation the BAZN glasses show white light emission. • Energy transfer through cross-relaxation leads to concentration quenching. • Calculated CIE coordinates are close to the commercial w-LED. • 0.5 mol% of Dy{sup 3+} in these glasses are apt for cool white light generation. - Abstract: The Dy{sup 3+} ions doped Na{sub 2}O-ZnO-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-B{sub 2}O{sub 3} (BAZN) glasses with variable doping concentrations were synthesized by melt-quenching technique. The XRD pattern reveals amorphous nature of the as-synthesized glass. The FT-IR spectrum reveals various stretching and bending vibration of aluminates, borate and some other groups. The emission spectra exhibit two intense bands at around 482 nm (blue) and 575 nm (yellow) corresponding to the {sup 4}F{sub 9/2} → {sup 6}H{sub 15/2} and F{sub 9/2} → {sup 6}H{sub 13/2} transitions respectively. The CIE chromaticity coordinates of the as-synthesized glasses are lying in white region and in proximity to the coordinates for white light specified by National Television Standard Committee and commercial phosphor converted white light emitting devices. The decay profile of BAZN glasses showed bi-exponential behavior due to the energy transfer mechanism from excited donor ion to unexcited acceptor ion. The above-mentioned studies show potential of the as-synthesized Dy{sup 3+} doped BAZN glasses in solid state lighting applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Luminescent MOFs (LMOFs): recent advancement towards a greener WLED technology

The replacement of traditional incandescent, halogen and fluorescent lamps by white light emitting diodes (WLEDs) is expected to reduce the global electricity consumption by one-third by 2030, according to the US Department of Energy. The current WLED technology uses rare-earth element (REE) based phosphor materials, which, not only is cost-intensive but also constitutes an environmental concern. Hence, researchers are in a quest for a new-generation of opto-electronic materials that can replace the conventional phosphors in WLEDs and thus aim towards a cleaner and more energy efficient lighting technology for the future. Luminescent metal–organic frameworks (LMOFs) have recently emerged as a new sub-class of MOFs which have demonstrated enormous potential for applications in sensing, imaging, optoelectronics and in solid-state lighting (SSL) technology. LMOFs could be game changers as lighting phosphors due to advantages such as high luminescence quantum yield, tunable excitation and emission which can be achieved by rational design and optimization of metal centers, linkers, and the guest molecules, facile fabrication into devices, and structural robustness. These clear advantageous features of LMOFs make them score over other contemporary materials, and enable them to be futuristic phosphor materials for WLED technology. Here, in this feature article, we will provide an overview of the most recent developments of LMOF-based phosphor materials for SSL with a special focus on WLED technology. The emphasis will be centered around REE-free LMOFs, as the aim is to direct the attention of the readers towards a more viable and greener lighting technology.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Nanopores with dynamic pore opening diameter

Solid state nanopores have emerged as model systems for understanding transport properties on the nanoscale. They serve as templates for both preparing mimics of biological channels and designing biological sensors. Unlike their biological inspirations, the majority of nanopores prepared thus far, however, have been structurally static devices such that the pore opening diameter is fixed. If we could prepare nanopores whose opening diameter fluctuated in time with controlled amplitude at known locations in the pore, we could create ionic memristors as well as achieve new transport modes. Here we present ∼10 nm diameter single nanopores drilled through a 10 nm thick gold layer positioned on top of a 30 nm thick silicon nitride film. Two types of devices were prepared; one containing single stranded DNA and the other containing hairpin DNA attached to the discrete layer of gold using thiol chemistry. When an external electric field was applied across a nanopore with single stranded DNA, the nanoconfined DNA molecules exhibited steric and electrical constraints that led to memristor-like behavior in the current–voltage curves. The degree of hysteresis was controlled by salt concentration, magnitude of voltage and pore diameter. In contrast, nanopores containing DNA hairpins conducted similar currents in forward and reverse bias in agreement with the rigidity of the hairpin molecule. The experiments are explained by Brownian dynamics simulations that reveal voltage and salt concentration induced changes in DNA extension. The degree of DNA extension was also found to be dependent on the location of the molecules along the pore axis. The nanopores presented here provide the first steps towards preparation of non-equilibrium nanopore systems.

Vlassiouk, Ivan [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000254940386)↗

Large area, low capacitance, GaAs nanowire photodetector with a transparent Schottky collecting junction

We present experimental results on a GaAs/Indium-Tin-Oxide Schottky-like heterojunction photodetector based on a nanowire device geometry. By distributing the active detecting area over an array of nanowires, it is possible to achieve large area detection with low capacitance. Devices with bare GaAs and passivated AlGaAs/GaAs nanowires are fabricated to compare the responsivity with and without surface passivation. We are able to achieve responsivity of >0.5A/W and Signal-Noise-Ratio in excess of 7 dB for 2 V applied reverse bias with passivated nanowire devices. Capacitance-voltage measurement yields <5 nF/cm{sup 2}, which shows a strong possibility for high-speed applications with a broad area device.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

A Smart Silicon Carbide Power Module With Pulse Width Modulation Over Wi-Fi and Wireless Power Transfer-Enabled Gate Driver, Featuring Onboard State of Health Estimator and High-Voltage Scaling Capabilities

A wide range of utility applications require controllable switches with features such as high-voltage blocking and high-current carrying capacity, especially at high pulse width modulation (PWM) frequency. Low- and medium-voltage utility applications such as motor drives and flexible AC transmission systems as well as solid state transformers could also benefit from a low-cost high-voltage switching module. Wide-bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) are considered to be the present and next-generation device choices, although they have limitations. For relatively high-voltage applications with demanding thermal management, SiC is still the only choice, and GaN dominates the low-voltage regime. This manuscript proposes a new half-bridge power MOSFET module that is suitable for conventional H-bridge of multilevel configurations used in high-voltage applications. Constructed from bare SiC dies, this half-bridge module takes advantage of (1) optimized MOSFET placement inside the module, (2) customized heat exchanger, manifold, and cooling, (3) integrated gate driver module with pulse width modulation (PWM) over wi-fi to eliminate the need for low-voltage signals, (4) wireless power transfer (WPT)-enabled gate driver and other ancillary circuits, (5) and the option to incorporate an onboard state-of-health (SOH) estimator module. The entire architecture has been designed and built at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO.

Ga2O3 devices↗

Resonant tunneling and intrinsic bistability in twisted graphene structures

We predict that vertical transport in heterostructures formed by twisted graphene layers can reveal a unique bistability mechanism. Intrinsically bistable I - V characteristics arise from resonant tunneling and interlayer charge coupling, enabling multiple stable states in the sequential tunneling regime. We consider a simple trilayer architecture, with the outer layers acting as the source and drain and the middle layer floating. Under bias, the middle layer can be either resonant or nonresonant with the source and drain layers. The bistability is controlled by geometric device parameters easily tunable in experiments. Thus, the nanoscale architecture can enable uniquely fast switching times.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

High aspect ratio organic light-emitting diodes

Reliability is particularly challenging for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) used in solid-state lighting applications, because OLED lifetime is inversely proportional to luminance, and most lighting applications demand high luminance. Here we introduce a strategy to overcome this tradeoff by constructing OLEDs on a substrate with sub-mm, high aspect ratio surface texture. By creating more active OLED area per unit lighting panel area, the device current density required to generate a given panel luminance decreases. We validate this approach for fluorescent and phosphorescent OLEDs, demonstrating good thickness uniformity on corrugated substrates with area enhancement factors up to 1.4x using a standard thermal evaporator. Relative to planar controls at the same panel current density, the high aspect ratio devices achieve a 2.7-fold increase in operating lifetime and up to a 40% increase in external light extraction efficiency, indicating that this approach offers a powerful pathway to improve the efficiency and lifetime of OLED lighting.

OLED↗

Determination of density of states, conduction mechanisms and dielectric properties of nickel disulfide nanoparticles

Temperature and frequency dependent ac electrical measurements were used to explore density of states, conduction mechanisms and dielectric properties of nickel disulfide (NiS{sub 2}) nanoparticles. The NiS{sub 2} nanoparticles were prepared by conventional one step solid state reaction method at 250 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed cubic phase of prepared nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed presence of irregular shaped nanoparticles as small as 50 nm. The ac electrical measurements were carried out from 300 K to 413 K. Two depressed semicircular arcs from 20 Hz to 2 MHz showed presence of bulk and grain boundary phases in NiS{sub 2} nanoparticles at all temperatures. Small polaron hopping conduction from 300 K to 393 K and correlated barrier hopping conduction mechanism at temperatures higher than 393 K was observed. High value of density of states (of the order of 10{sup 24} eV{sup −1}cm{sup −3}) was calculated from ac conductivity. At low frequencies high values (of the order of 10{sup 4}-10{sup 7}) of real part of dielectric constant (ε′) were observed at different temperatures. These observations suggest that NiS{sub 2} nanoparticles may find applications in electronic devices.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Chemomechanics of ionically conductive ceramics for electrical energy conversion and storage

Functional materials for energy conversion and storage show strong coupling between electrochemistry and mechanics. For instance, ceramics developed as electrodes for both solid oxide fuel cells and batteries exhibit cyclic volumetric expansion upon reversible ion transport. Such chemomechanical coupling is typically far from thermodynamic equilibrium, and thus is challenging to quantify experimentally and computationally. In situ measurements and atomistic simulations are under rapid development to explore how this coupling can be used to potentially improve both device performance and durability. In this work, we review the commonalities of coupling between electrochemical and mechanical states in fuel cell and battery materials, illustrating with specific cases the progress in materials processing, in situ characterization, and computational modeling and simulation. We also highlight outstanding questions and opportunities in these applications – both to better understand the limiting mechanisms within the materials and to significantly advance the durability and predictability of device performance required for renewable energy conversion and storage.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Phonon-Mediated Quasiparticle Lifetime Renormalizations in Few-Layer Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Understanding the collective behavior of the quasiparticles in solid-state systems underpins the field of non-volatile electronics, including the opportunity to control many-body effects for well-desired physical phenomena and their applications. Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a wide energy bandgap semiconductor, showing immense potential as a platform for lowdimensional device heterostructures. It is an inert dielectric used for gated devices, having a negligible orbital hybridization when placed in contact with other systems. Despite its inertness, we discover a large electron mass enhancement in few-layer hBN affecting the lifetime of the π-band states. We show that the renormalization is phonon-mediated and consistent with both single- and multiple-phonon scattering events. Our findings thus unveil a so-far unknown many-body state in a wide-bandgap insulator, having important implications for devices using hBN as one of their building blocks.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Improvement of high-frequency characteristics of Z-type hexaferrite by dysprosium doping

Z-type hexaferrite has great potential applications as anti-EMI material for magnetic devices in the GHz region. In this work, Dy-doped Z-type hexaferrites with nominal stoichiometry of Ba{sub 3}Co{sub 2}Dy{sub x}Fe{sub 24-x}O{sub 41} (x 0.0, 0.05, 0.5, 1.0) were prepared by an improved solid-state reaction method. The effects of rare earth oxide (Dy{sub 2}O{sub 3}) addition on the phase composition, microstructure and electromagnetic properties of the ceramics were investigated. Structure and micromorphology characterizations indicate that certain content of Dy doping will cause the emergence of the second phase Dy{sub 3}Fe{sub 5}O{sub 12} at the grain boundaries of the majority phase Z-type hexaferrite, due to which the straightforward result is the grain refinement during the successive sintering process. Permeability spectra measurements show that the initial permeability reaches its maximum of 17 at 300 MHz with x = 0.5, while the cutoff frequency keeps above 800 MHz. The apparent specific anisotropy field H{sub K} of Dy-doped Z-type hexaferrites decreases with x increasing. The relationships among phase composition, grain size, permeability spectra, and anisotropy are theoretically investigated, and according to the analysis, Dy doping effects on its magnetic properties can be well explained and understood.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗