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Results for “vertically aligned nanostructures”

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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104 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Pre-nitridation induced In incorporation in In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N nanorods on Si(111) grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We address the issue of obtaining high quality green emitting InGaN nanorods without any phase separation. Role of pre-nitridation of the Si(111) substrate and growth, temperature on the morphology, structural and optical properties of In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N films grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy, has been studied. The nitrogen rich growth environment and surface nitridation results in the formation of vertically well-aligned single crystalline nanorods that are coalesced and isolated at 400 °C and 500 °C, respectively. In incorporation is also seen to be enhanced to ≈28% at 400 °C to yield a stable green emission, while the nanorods grown at 500 °C show blue band-edge emission. The orientation, phase separations, and optical properties characterized by Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, high resolution x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence are corroborated to understand the underlying mechanism. The study optimizes conditions to grow high quality catalyst-free well-aligned InGaN rods on nitrided Si surface, whose band-edge emission can be tuned from blue to green by sheer control of the substrate temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Defect-free ZnO nanorods for low temperature hydrogen sensor applications

Uniformly distributed and defect-free vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs) with high aspect ratio are deposited on Si by sputtering technique. X-ray diffraction along with transmission electron microscopy studies confirmed the single crystalline wurtzite structure of ZnO. Absence of wide band emission in photoluminescence spectra showed defect-free growth of ZnO NRs which was further conformed by diamagnetic behavior of the NRs. H{sub 2} sensing mechanism based on the change in physical dimension of channel is proposed to explain the fast response (∼21.6 s) and recovery times (∼27 s) of ZnO NRs/Si/ZnO NRs sensors. Proposed H{sub 2} sensor operates at low temperature (∼70 °C) unlike the existing high temperature (>150 °C) sensors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Hydrothermal growth and characterization of vertically well-aligned and dense ZnO nanorods on glass and silicon using a simple optimizer system

Vertically, well-aligned and high density ZnO nanorods were successfully hydrothermally grown on glass and silicon substrates using a simple and low cost system. The mechanism of synthesis of ZnO nanorods, generated with our system under hydrothermal conditions, is investigated in this report. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy indicated that the fabricated ZnO nanorods on both substrates have hexagonal shape with diameters ranging from 20 nm to 70 nm which grew vertically from the substrate. XRD analysis confirms the formation of wurtzite ZnO phase with a preferred orientation along (002) direction perpendicular on the substrate and enhanced crystallinity. The low value of the tensile strain (0.126 %) revealed that ZnO nanorods preferred to grow along the c-axis for both substrates. Photoluminescence spectra exhibited a strong, sharp UV near band edge emission peak with narrow FWHM values for both samples.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Photoelectrochemical performance of CdS nanorods grafted vertically aligned TiO{sub 2} nanorods

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • TiO{sub 2} nanorods/CdS nanorods composite samples were successfully achieved. • The photocurrent density increased by 100 percent compared with pure TiO{sub 2}. • Photocurrent density increase mechanism of this photoanode was also forecasted. - Abstract: In this study, TiO{sub 2} nanorods/CdS nanorods composite samples were successfully synthesized by grafting CdS nanorods on vertically aligned TiO{sub 2} nanorods. A two-step hydrothermal method was used to prepare the samples. Some properties of the samples, such as morphological, structural, and optical properties were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray detection, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Moreover, photoelectrochemical properties were studied via current-voltage and photocurrent spectrum measurements. The results showed that CdS nanorods grafted on top of TiO{sub 2} nanorods like a lawn. The amount grafted as well as the diameter and crystallinity of CdS nanorods increased first and then decreased as the grafting time increased, due to Ostwald ripening. Under the back-side illumination, the composite film with 2 h grafting time exhibited the highest photocurrent density which was almost twice of that of the pure TiO{sub 2} nanorods.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2012

Thermally Resilient, Broadband Optical Absorber from UV to IR Derived from Carbon Nanostructures

Optical absorber coatings have been developed from carbon-based paints, metal blacks, or glassy carbon. However, such materials are not truly black and have poor absorption characteristics at longer wavelengths. The blackness of such coatings is important to increase the accuracy of calibration targets used in radiometric imaging spectrometers since blackbody cavities are prohibitively large in size. Such coatings are also useful potentially for thermal detectors, where a broadband absorber is desired. Au-black has been a commonly used broadband optical absorber, but it is very fragile and can easily be damaged by heat and mechanical vibration. An optically efficient, thermally rugged absorber could also be beneficial for thermal solar cell applications for energy harnessing, particularly in the 350-2,500 nm spectral window. It has been demonstrated that arrays of vertically oriented carbon nanotubes (CNTs), specifically multi-walled-carbon- nanotubes (MWCNTs), are an exceptional optical absorber over a broad range of wavelengths well into the infrared (IR). The reflectance of such arrays is 100x lower compared to conventional black materials, such as Au black in the spectral window of 350-2,500 nm. Total hemispherical measurements revealed a reflectance of approximately equal to 1.7% at lambda approximately equal to 1 micrometer, and at longer wavelengths into the infrared (IR), the specular reflectance was approximately equal to 2.4% at lambda approximately equal to 7 micrometers. The previously synthesized CNTs for optical absorber applications were formed using water-assisted thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD), which yields CNT lengths in excess of 100's of microns. Vertical alignment, deemed to be a critical feature in enabling the high optical absorption from CNT arrays, occurs primarily via the crowding effect with thermal CVD synthesized CNTs, which is generally not effective in aligning CNTs with lengths less than 10 m. Here it has been shown that the electric field inherent in a plasma yields vertically aligned CNTs at small length scales (less than 10 m), which still exhibit broadband, and high-efficiency optical absorption characteristics from the ultraviolet (UV) to IR. A thin and yet highly absorbing coating is extremely valuable for detector applications for radiometry in order to enhance sensitivity. A plasma-based process also increases the potential of forming the optical absorbers at lower synthesis temperatures in the future, increasing the prospects of integrating the absorbers with flexible substrates for low-cost solar cell applications, for example.

Kaul, Anupama B.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Growth of vertically aligned α−MoO{sub 3} nanoflakes by using a facile PVD route

In this report, we synthesize vertically aligned molybdenum trioxide (α−MoO{sub 3}) nanoflakes (NFs) with high aspect ratio (height/thickness >15) on the cobalt coated glass substrates by the plasma assisted sublimation process, employing Mo metal strip as a sublimation source. The effect of substrate temperature, nature of substrate as well as the geometry of the sublimation source (Mo-strip) have been investigated on the morphological, structural and optical properties of the grown NFs, keeping plasma parameters as fixed. The surface morphology, crystalline structure and optical properties of MoO{sub 3} NFs have been studied systematically by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffractometer, and IR- spectroscopy. The experimental observations endorse that the characteristics of MoO{sub 3} NFs are strongly depend on substrate temperature, substrate nature as well as geometry of Mo-strip. All the observed results are well in consonance with each other.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Vertical Strain-Driven Antiferromagnetic to Ferromagnetic Phase Transition in EuTiO 3 Nanocomposite Thin Films

Three-dimensional (3D) strain induced in self-assembled vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) epitaxial films provides an unrivaled method to induce very large strains in thin films. Here, by growing VAN films of EuTiO 3 (ETO)–Eu 2 O 3 (EO) with different EO fractions, the vertical strain was systematically increased in ETO, up to 3.15%, and the Eu–Ti–Eu bond angle along $\langle$111$\rangle$ decreased by up to 1°, leading to a weakening of the antiferromagnetic interactions and switching from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic behavior. Our work has shown for the first time that Eu–Ti–Eu superexchange interactions play a key role in determining the magnetic ground state of ETO. Broadly, our work serves as an exemplar to show that multifunctionalities in strong spin–lattice coupling perovskite oxides can be uniquely tuned at the atomic scale using simple VAN structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Vertically aligned biaxially textured molybdenum thin films

Vertically aligned, biaxially textured molybdenum nanorods were deposited using dc magnetron sputtering with glancing flux incidence (alpha = 85 degrees with respect to the substrate normal) and a two-step substrate-rotation mode. These nanorods were identified with a body-centered cubic crystal structure. The formation of a vertically aligned biaxial texture with a [110] out-of-plane orientation was combined with a [-110] in-plane orientation. The kinetics of the growth process was found to be highly sensitive to an optimum rest time of 35 seconds for the two-step substrate rotation mode. At all other rest times, the nanorods possessed two separate biaxial textures each tilted toward one flux direction. While the in-plane texture for the vertical nanorods maintains maximum flux capture area, inclined Mo nanorods deposited at alpha = 85 degrees without substrate rotation display a [-1-1-4] in-plane texture that does not comply with the maximum flux capture area argument. Finally, an in situ capping film was deposited with normal flux incidence over the biaxially textured vertical nanorods resulting in a thin film over the porous nanorods. This capping film possessed the same biaxial texture as the nanorods and could serve as an effective substrate for the epitaxial growth of other functional materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Facile construction of vertically aligned EuS-ZnO hybrid core shell nanorod arrays for visible light driven photocatalytic properties

We demonstrated the development of coupled semiconductor in the form of hybrid heterostructures for significant advancement in catalytic functional materials. In this article, we report the preparation of vertically aligned core shell ZnO-EuS nanorod photocatalyst arrays by a simple chemical solution process followed by sulfudation process. The XRD pattern confirmed formation of the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO and cubic nature of the EuS. Cross sectional FESEM images show vertical rod array structure, and the size of the nanorods ranges from 80 to 120 nm. UV-Vis DRS spectra showed that the optical absorption of ZnO was significantly enhanced to the visible region by modification with EuS surfaces. TEM study confirmed that the surface of ZnO was drastically improved by the modification with EuS nanoparticle. The catalytic activity of EuS−ZnO core shell nanorod arrays were evaluated by the photodegradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye under visible irradiation. The results revealed that the photocatalytic activity of EuS−ZnO was much higher than that of ZnO under natural sunlight. EuS−ZnO was found to be stable and reusable without appreciable loss of catalytic activity up to four consecutive cycles.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structural and optical properties of dense vertically aligned ZnO nanorods grown onto silver and gold thin films by galvanic effect with iron contamination

Highlights: • ZnO nanorods were grown on Au and Ag films in aqueous solution by galvanic effect. • The method is prone to metal contamination which can influence the ZnO properties. • Iron doping improves the lattice matching between ZnO and the substrate. • Energy levels of point defects are lowered and the light emission is red-shifted. • Galvanic-induced nucleation starts and proceeds continuously during the growth. - Abstract: Dense arrays of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods have been grown onto either silver or gold seedless substrates trough a simple hydrothermal method by exploiting the galvanic effect between the substrate and metallic parts. The nanorods exhibit larger bases and more defined hexagonal shapes, in comparison with standard non-galvanic wet-chemistry synthesis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the iron contamination, associated with the galvanic contact, significantly improves the in-plane compatibility of ZnO with the Au and Ag cubic lattice. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements indicate that the contamination does not affect the number density of localized defects, but lowers their energy levels uniformly; differently, the band-edge emission is not altered appreciably. Finally, we have found that the ZnO hetero-nucleation by galvanic effect initiates at different times in different sites of the substrate area. Our results can be useful for the fabrication of high performance piezonanodevices comprising high-density metal-to-ZnO nanoscaled junctions without intermediate polycrystalline layers.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

PPV derivative/ZnO nanorods heterojunction: Fabrication, Characterization and Near-UV light sensor development

Highlights: • We have fabricated a PPV-C6/ZnO NRs heterojunction by a simple and low cost method. • We have studied the structural and optical properties of the heterojunction. • I–V characteristics of EGa-In/Si/PPV-C6/ ZnO NRs /graphite devices were analyzed. • Photoelectrical study shows a potential opportunity for UV light sensor development. - Abstract: Poly(1,4-phenylenevinylene) derivative (PPV-C{sub 6}) based solution was spin-coated onto hydrothermally grown and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (ZnO NRs).The morphological and the optical properties of the PPV-C{sub 6}/ZnO NRs hybrid heterojunction have been studied and shown a penetration of PPV-C{sub 6}into the interspaces between the ZnO NRs with enhanced excitonic dissociation. The current–voltage characteristics in dark and under 395 nm LED illumination have been analyzed. A short-circuit current J{sub sc} of 4691.42 μA/cm{sup 2}, an open-circuit voltage V{sub oc} of 0.46 V giving rise to a responsivity of about 29.32 mA/W have been obtained for the illuminated graphite/PPV-C6/ZnO NRs/Si/EGa-In structure based near UV light sensor showing an enhanced responsivity by a factor of about 200 compared with bare ZnO NRs based one. We have succeeded in the development of low cost near-UV light sensors by simple low temperature hydrothermal method using eco-friendly, low cost and easily fabricated electrodes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Acid-free approach towards the growth of vertically aligned TiO2 nanorods as an efficient photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Highlights: • Vertically aligned TiO{sub 2} NRs are fabricated by an acid-free hydrothermal approach. • Study the effect of TiO{sub 2} NRs growth parameters on its structural/optical properties. • The optimized TiO{sub 2} NRs were employed as an efficient photoanode for DSSCs. • An optimal PCE of 2.45% was achived by DSSC with TiO{sub 2} NRs with heights of ∼1.56 μm. - Abstract: We synthesized the closely packed titanium dioxide nanorods (TiO{sub 2} NRs) on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass by a facile and cost-effective hydrothermal method. The TiO{sub 2} NRs were further utilized as a photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). For hydrothermal growth of TiO{sub 2} NRs, we utilized an acid-free reaction medium instead of a strong acidic medium, which can reduce the equipment cost as well as the environmental damages. Before employing these TiO{sub 2} NRs for DSSCs as a photoanode, the effects of hydrothermal growth parameters on the structural and optical characteristics of TiO{sub 2} NRs/FTO glass were investigated. Eventually, the TiO{sub 2} NRs with optimized height and diameter were employed to DSSCs and their photovoltaic characteristics were examined.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Vertically oriented ZrO 2 –TiO 2 –Nb 2 O 5 –Al 2 O 3 mixed nanopatterned bioceramics on Ti6Al7Nb implant assessed by laser spallation technique

Recently, reports on the fabrication of nonstructural configuration have generated scientific interest due to increased awareness of the oxide nanotubes in the biomedical implant field and other industrial approaches. In this paper, highly ordered ZrO 2 –TiO 2 –Nb 2 O 5 –Al 2 O 3 nanotube arrays were grown by physical vapor deposition (PVD) of a zirconium layer on titanium-niobium alloy implant (IMPTi67) and succeeding anodic oxidation at a constant voltage (60 V) with exposure times ranging from 30 to 300 min. To crystallize the resulting mixed oxide nanotubes, heat treatment was also applied. The nanotubes were placed in an atmospheric furnace at temperatures ranging from 450 to 800 °C for 2 h. This treatment provided a morphological evolution was strongly influenced by the anodization time, where highly aligned bamboo-shaped oxide nanotubes (161 ± 44 nm in inside diameter and ~1 μm in length) were formed after 300 min of anodization. After annealing at temperature below 500 °C, the nano-array configuration remained stable and the average inner diameter decreased to around 40 nm. The effects of anodically fabrication time on the adhesion strength of four-phase multilayered mixed oxide nanotubes on anodized Zr/IMPTi67 surfaces assed by microscratch analysis. From the results, increasing the annealing temperature further to 800 °C fully destroyed the nanotubes and consequently the tubular arrangement was converted to a coarse grain structure. It was revealed that annealing at 450 °C for 2 h was the optimum conditions for stable nanotubular array generation, where the highest adhesion strength (shifted from 2595.59 to 2640.12 mN), microhardness (372 HV) and hydrophilicity (15 ± 1°) were recorded. It is notify that the adhesion strength of highly ordered mixed nanotubes was remarkably decreased after thermal treatment at 800 °C (1817.51 mN). Through the laser spallation analysis, the intrinsic adhesion strength of the Zr/IMPTi67 interface was found to be at 63 MPa, while the first stages of failure occurred at a stress state of 35 MPa. The adhesion of the film with the tubular structure proved to have a significantly larger adhesion strength of 246 MPa for the complete failure and 203 MPa for incipient stages of spallation. Finally, the considered surface modification can be an effective step in determining the interface strength between biomedical implants and the nanostructured coatings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Magnetic and optical properties of Mn-doped ZnO vertically aligned nanorods synthesized by hydrothermal technique

In this paper we have reported the synthesis of high quality vertically aligned undoped and Mn-doped ZnO single crystalline nanorods arrays on Si (100) substrates using two steps process, namely, initial slow seed layer formation followed by solution growth employing wet chemical hydrothermal method. The shapes of the as grown single crystalline nanorods are hexagonal. The diameter and length of the as grown undoped ZnO nanorods varies in the range of 80-150 nm and 1.0 - 1.4 μm, respectively. Along with the lattice parameters of the hexagonal crystal structure, the diameter and length of Mn doped ZnO nanorods are found to increase slightly as compared to the undoped ZnO nanorods. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the presence of Mn atoms in Mn{sup 2+} state in the single crystalline ZnO nanorods. The recorded photoluminescence spectrum contains two emissions peaks having UV exciton emissions along with a green-yellow emission. The green-yellow emissions provide the evidence of singly ionized oxygen vacancies. The magnetic field dependent magnetization measurements [M (H)] and zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization [M(T)] measurements have been carried out at different isothermal conditions in the temperature range of 5-300 K. The Mn doped ZnO nanorods clearly show room temperature ferromagnetic ordering near room temperature down to 5 K. The observed magnetization may be attributed to the long range ferromagnetic interaction between bound magnetic polarons led by singly charged oxygen vacancies.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗