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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,027 records · Page 57
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

High field electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy under ultrahigh vacuum conditions—A multipurpose machine to study paramagnetic species on well defined single crystal surfaces

A new ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer operating at 94 GHz to investigate paramagnetic centers on single crystal surfaces is described. It is particularly designed to study paramagnetic centers on well-defined model catalysts using epitaxial thin oxide films grown on metal single crystals. The EPR setup is based on a commercial Bruker E600 spectrometer, which is adapted to ultrahigh vacuum conditions using a home made Fabry Perot resonator. The key idea of the resonator is to use the planar metal single crystal required to grow the single crystalline oxide films as one of the mirrors of the resonator. EPR spectroscopy is solely sensitive to paramagnetic species, which are typically minority species in such a system. Hence, additional experimental characterization tools are required to allow for a comprehensive investigation of the surface. The apparatus includes a preparation chamber hosting equipment, which is required to prepare supported model catalysts. In addition, surface characterization tools such as low energy electron diffraction (LEED)/Auger spectroscopy, temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) are available to characterize the surfaces. A second chamber used to perform EPR spectroscopy at 94 GHz has a room temperature scanning tunneling microscope attached to it, which allows for real space structural characterization. The heart of the UHV adaptation of the EPR experiment is the sealing of the Fabry-Perot resonator against atmosphere. To this end it is possible to use a thin sapphire window glued to the backside of the coupling orifice of the Fabry Perot resonator. With the help of a variety of stabilization measures reducing vibrations as well as thermal drift it is possible to accumulate data for a time span, which is for low temperature measurements only limited by the amount of liquid helium. Test measurements show that the system can detect paramagnetic species with a density of approximately 5 × 10{sup 11} spins/cm{sup 2}, which is comparable to the limit obtained for the presently available UHV-EPR spectrometer operating at 10 GHz (X-band). Investigation of electron trapped centers in MgO(001) films shows that the increased resolution offered by the experiments at W-band allows to identify new paramagnetic species, that cannot be differentiated with the currently available methodology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effects of graphene oxide concentration on optical properties of ZnO/RGO nanocomposites and their application to photocurrent generation

The effects of different concentrations of graphene oxide (GO) on the structure and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated. The nanocomposites were synthesized via the sol-gel method in a gelatin medium. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the GO sheets were reduced and changed to reduced GO (RGO) during the calcination of the nanocomposites at 400 °C. In addition, the XRD patterns of the NPs indicated a hexagonal (wurtzite) structure for all the products. Microscopic studies showed that the NPs were decorated and dispersed on the RGO sheets very well. However, these studies revealed that the RGO concentration had an effect on the crystal growth process for the ZnO NPs. Furthermore, these studies showed that the NPs could be grown with a single crystal quality in an optimum RGO concentration. According to the XRD results that were obtained from pure ZnO NPs, the calcinations temperature was decreased by the RGO. UV–vis and room temperature photoluminescence studies showed that the optical properties of the ZnO/RGO nanocomposite were affected by the RGO concentration. Finally, the obtained ZnO/RGO nanocomposite was used to generate a photocurrent. Observations showed that the photocurrent intensity of the nanocomposite was significantly increased by increasing the RGO, with an optimum RGO concentration.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Elastic constants determined by nanoindentation for p-type thermoelectric half-Heusler

This paper presents a study of the elastic properties of the p-type thermoelectric half-Heusler material, Hf{sub 0.44}Zr{sub 0.44}Ti{sub 0.12}CoSb{sub 0.8}Sn{sub 0.2}, using nanoindentation. Large grain-sized polycrystalline specimens were fabricated for these measurements, providing sufficient indentation targets within single grains. Electron Backscatter Diffraction methods indexed the target grains for the correlation needed for our elastic analysis of individual single crystals for this cubic thermoelectric material. Elastic properties, including the Zener ratio and the Poisson ratio, obtained from the elasticity tensor are also reported.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Low-temperature phase transitions in a soluble oligoacene and their effect on device performance and stability

The use of organic semiconductors in high-performance organic field-effect transistors requires a thorough understanding of the effects that processing conditions, thermal, and bias-stress history have on device operation. Here, we evaluate the temperature dependence of the electrical properties of transistors fabricated with 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene, a material that has attracted much attention recently due to its exceptional electrical properties. We have discovered a phase transition at T = 205 K and discuss its implications on device performance and stability. We examined the impact of this low-temperature phase transition on the thermodynamic, electrical, and structural properties of both single crystals and thin films of this material. Our results show that while the changes to the crystal structure are reversible, the induced thermal stress yields irreversible degradation of the devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Hydrogen atom trapping in a self-organized one-dimensional dimer

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted widespread attention owing to their unusual structure and properties produced by their nanospaces. However, many MOFs possess the similar three-dimensional frameworks, limiting their structural variety and operating capacity for hydrogen storage under ambient conditions. Here we report the synthesis and structural characterization of a single-crystal one-dimensional dimer whose structure, operating capacity, and physical mechanism contrast with those of existing MOFs. The hydrogen storage capacity of 2.6 wt.% is comparable to the highest capacity achieved by existing MOFs at room temperature. This exceptional storage capacity is realized by self-organization during crystal growth using a weak base.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Boron-doped superlattices and Bragg mirrors in diamond

A periodic modulation of the boron doping level of single crystal diamond multilayers over more than three orders of magnitude during epitaxial growth by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition is shown to yield Bragg mirrors in the visible. The thicknesses and doping level of the individual layers were controlled by in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry, enabling to tune the reflectance peak to the wavelength range of diamond color centers, such as NV{sup 0} or NV{sup −}. The crystalline quality, periodicity, and sharpness of the doping transitions in these doping superlattices over tens of periods were confirmed by high resolution X-ray diffraction.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Improving thermostability of CrO{sub 2} thin films by doping with Sn

Chromium dioxide (CrO{sub 2}) is an ideal material for spin electronic devices since it has almost 100% spin polarization near Fermi level. However, it is thermally unstable and easily decomposes to Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} even at room temperature. In this study, we try to improve the thermal stability of CrO{sub 2} thin films by doping with Sn whose oxide has the same structure as CrO{sub 2}. High quality epitaxial CrO{sub 2} and Sn-doped CrO{sub 2} films were grown on single crystalline TiO{sub 2} (100) substrates by chemical vapor deposition. Sn{sup 4+} ions were believed to be doped into CrO{sub 2} lattice and take the lattice positions of Cr{sup 4+}. The magnetic measurements show that Sn-doping leads to a decrease of magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The thermal stabilities of the films were evaluated by annealing the films at different temperatures. Sn-doped films can withstand a temperature up to 510 °C, significantly higher than what undoped films can do (lower than 435 °C), which suggests that Sn-doping indeed enhances the thermal stability of CrO{sub 2} films. Our study also indicates that Sn-doping may not change the essential half metallic properties of CrO{sub 2}. Therefore, Sn-doped CrO{sub 2} is expected to be very promising for applications in spintronic devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Raman spectra of R{sub 2}O{sub 3} (R—rare earth) sesquioxides with C-type bixbyite crystal structure: A comparative study

Raman spectra of R{sub 2}O{sub 3} (R—Sc, Er, Y, Ho, Gd, Eu, and Sm) powders with C-type bixbyite crystal structure are measured. With the help of these data and ones, previously published for other oxides from the same structural family, general dependencies of the frequencies of the Raman peaks on the cubic crystal unit cell parameter are constructed. Using these dependencies and knowing the symmetry of the peaks for one of the oxides, determined from previous single-crystal measurements, it is possible to find out the symmetry of the peaks from the spectra of all compounds. It was found that the frequency of the six lowest frequency peaks scales with the square root of the mass of the rare earth showing that mainly R ions take part in these vibrations. These results agree with performed here lattice dynamical calculations. The anomalous softening of the frequency of some peaks in the spectra of Eu{sub 2}O{sub 3} is discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Transport properties in semiconducting NbS{sub 2} nanoflakes

The electronic transport properties in individual niobium disulphide (NbS{sub 2}) nanoflakes mechanically exfoliated from the bulk crystal with three rhombohedral (3R) structure grown by chemical vapor transport were investigated. It is found that the conductivity values of the single-crystalline nanoflakes are approximately two orders of magnitude lower than that of their bulk counterparts. Temperature-dependent conductivity measurements show that the 3R-NbS{sub 2} nanoflakes exhibit semiconducting transport behavior, which is also different from the metallic character in the bulk crystals. In addition, the noncontinuous conductivity variations were observed at the temperature below 180 K for both the nanoflakes and the bulks, which is attributed to the probable charge density wave transition. The photoconductivities in the semiconducting nanoflakes were also observed under the excitation at 532 nm wavelength. The probable mechanisms resulting in the different transport behaviors between the NbS{sub 2} nanostructure and bulk were discussed.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Note: A method for minimizing oxide formation during elevated temperature nanoindentation

A standardized method to protect metallic samples and minimize oxide formation during elevated-temperature nanoindentation was adapted to a commercial instrument. Nanoindentation was performed on Al (100), Cu (100), and W (100) single crystals submerged in vacuum oil at 200 °C, while the surface morphology and oxidation was carefully monitored using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results were compared to room temperature and 200 °C nanoindentation tests performed without oil, in order to evaluate the feasibility of using the oil as a protective medium. Extensive surface characterization demonstrated that this methodology is effective for nanoscale testing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

New mono-organotin (IV) dithiocarbamate complexes

Eighteen new mono-organotin dithiocarbamate compounds derived each nine from methyltin(IV) and phenyltin(IV) reacted using in-situ method with various type of N-dialkylamine together with carbon disulphide with the ratio of 1:3:3. Elemental and gravimetric analysis showed that the general formula of these compounds were RSnCl[S{sub 2}CNR′R″]{sub 2} (R= Ph, CH{sub 3}, R′ = CH{sub 3}, C{sub 2}H{sub 5}, C{sub 7}H{sub 7} and R″ = C{sub 2}H{sub 5}, C{sub 6}H{sub 11}, iC{sub 3}H{sub 7}, C{sub 7}H{sub 7}). These compounds had been characterized by infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, {sup 1}H, {sup 13}C NMR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The infrared spectra of these compounds showed three important peaks indicating the formation of dithiocarbamate compounds, ν(C N), ν(C S) and ν(Sn-S) band which present in the region of 1444–1519, 954–1098 and 318–349 cm{sup −1} respectively. The ultraviolet-visible spectra showed an absorption band for the π - π* transition of N C S group in the range of 253 – 259 nm due to the intramolecular charge transfer of the ligand. The {sup 13}C NMR spectra showed an important shift for δ(N{sup 13}CS{sub 2}) in the range of 196.8 – 201.9 ppm.. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies showed three new structures with the general formula of PhSnCl[S{sub 2}CN(Et)(i−Pr)]{sub 2}, MeSnCl[S{sub 2}CN(Me)(Cy)]{sub 2} and MeSnCl[S{sub 2}CN(i−Pr)(CH{sub 2}Ph)]{sub 2}. All structures having a distorted octahedral geometry set by CClS{sub 4} donor atom from the two chelating dithiocarbamate ligands.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Synthesis of novel symmetrical macrocycle via oxidative homocoupling of bisalkyne

A novel symmetrical macrocycle has been synthesised via oxidative homocoupling of bisalkyne, diprop-2-ynyl pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate mediated by copper (I) iodide (CuI) and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP). The precursor compound was synthesised from 2,6-pyridine dicarbonyl dichloride and propargyl alcohol in the presence of triethylamine. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight and further purified via column chromatograpy with 76% yield. Single crystal for X-ray study was obtained by recrystallization from acetone. Subsequently, a symmetrical macrocycle was synthesised from oxidative homocoupling of precursor compound in open atmosphere. The crude product was purified by column chromatography to furnish macrocycle compound with 5% yield. Both compounds were characterised by IR, {sup 1}H and {sup 13}C NMR and mass spectral techniques. The unusual conformation of the bisalkyne and twisted conformation of designed macrocycle has influence the percentage yield. This has been studied thoroughly by X-ray crystallography and electronic structure calculations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Synthesis and characterization of Ni(II) complex with 5,5,7,12,12,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-7,14-dienium bromide

Nickel(II) complex have been synthesized by treating a 14-membered ring tetraaza macrocyclic compound, 5,5,7,12,12,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-7,14-dienium, bromide (Me{sub 6}N{sub 4}H{sub 4})Br{sub 2} with nickel acetate in metanol. The complex was characterized using elemental analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), and single crystal diffraction (X-ray). The nickel atom coordinates through four nitrogen atoms in the ligand. Square planar geometry has been proposed for this complex.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

High mobility single-crystalline-like GaAs thin films on inexpensive flexible metal substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

We demonstrate heteroepitaxial growth of single-crystalline-like n and p-type doped GaAs thin films on inexpensive, flexible, and light-weight metal foils by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Single-crystalline-like Ge thin film on biaxially textured templates made by ion beam assisted deposition on metal foil served as the epitaxy enabling substrate for GaAs growth. The GaAs films exhibited strong (004) preferred orientation, sharp in-plane texture, low grain misorientation, strong photoluminescence, and a defect density of ∼10{sup 7 }cm{sup −2}. Furthermore, the GaAs films exhibited hole and electron mobilities as high as 66 and 300 cm{sup 2}/V-s, respectively. High mobility single-crystalline-like GaAs thin films on inexpensive metal substrates can pave the path for roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible III-V solar cells for the mainstream photovoltaics market.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Large piezoresistive effect in surface conductive nanocrystalline diamond

Surface conductivity in hydrogen-terminated single crystal diamond is an intriguing phenomenon for fundamental reasons as well as for application driven research. Surface conductivity is also observed in hydrogen-terminated nanocrystalline diamond although the electronic transport mechanisms remain unclear. In this work, the piezoresistive properties of intrinsic surface conductive nanocrystalline diamond are investigated. A gauge factor of 35 is calculated from bulging a diamond membrane of 350 nm thick, with a diameter of 656 μm and a sheet resistance of 1.45 MΩ/sq. The large piezoresistive effect is reasoned to originate directly from strain-induced changes in the resistivity of the grain boundaries. Additionally, we ascribe a small time-dependent fraction of the piezoresistive effect to charge trapping of charge carriers at grain boundaries. In conclusion, time-dependent piezoresistive effect measurements act as a tool for deeper understanding the complex electronic transport mechanisms induced by grain boundaries in a polycrystalline material or nanocomposite.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Origin of superstructures in (double) perovskite thin films

We have investigated the origin of superstructure peaks as observed by X-ray diffraction of multiferroic Bi(Fe{sub 0.5}Cr{sub 0.5})O{sub 3} thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on single crystal SrTiO{sub 3} substrates. The photon energy dependence of the contrast between the atomic scattering factors of Fe and Cr is used to rule out a chemically ordered double perovskite Bi{sub 2}FeCrO{sub 6} (BFCO). Structural calculations suggest that the experimentally observed superstructure occurs due to unequal cation displacements along the pseudo-cubic [111] direction that mimic the unit cell of the chemically ordered compound. This result helps to clarify discrepancies in the correlations of structural and magnetic order reported for Bi{sub 2}FeCrO{sub 6}. The observation of a superstructure in itself is not a sufficient proof of chemical order in double perovskites.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Anisotropic magnetodielectric coupling behavior of Ca{sub 3}Co{sub 1.4}Rh{sub 0.6}O{sub 6} due to geometrically frustrated magnetism

We have investigated the magnetic, dielectric, and magnetodielectric (MDE) behavior of a geometrically frustrated spin-chain system, Ca{sub 3}Co{sub 1.4}Rh{sub 0.6}O{sub 6} (related to Ca{sub 3}CoRhO{sub 6}), in the single crystalline form for different orientations. The results bring out that the magnetic behavior of this compound is by itself interesting in the sense that this compound exhibits an anisotropic glassy-like magnetic behavior with a huge frequency (ν) dependence of ac susceptibility (χ) peak for an orientation along the spin-chain in the range of 30–60 K; this behavior is robust to applications of large external magnetic fields (H) unlike in canonical spin-glasses. The temperature dependence of dielectric constant also shows strong ν-dependence with similar robustness to H. The isothermal H-dependent dielectric results at low temperatures establish anisotropic MDE coupling. It is intriguing to note that there is a “step” roughly at one-third of saturation values as in the case of isothermal magnetization curves for same temperatures (for orientation along spin-chain), a correlation hitherto unrealized for geometrically frustrated systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗