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At least 1,261 records · Page 70

Enhancement‐Mode PEDOT:PSS Organic Electrochemical Transistors Using Molecular De‐Doping

Abstract Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) show great promise for flexible, low‐cost, and low‐voltage sensors for aqueous solutions. The majority of OECT devices are made using the polymer blend poly(ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), in which PEDOT is intrinsically doped due to inclusion of PSS. Because of this intrinsic doping, PEDOT:PSS OECTs generally operate in depletion mode, which results in a higher power consumption and limits stability. Here, a straightforward method to de‐dope PEDOT:PSS using commercially available amine‐based molecular de‐dopants to achieve stable enhancement‐mode OECTs is presented. The enhancement‐mode OECTs show mobilities near that of pristine PEDOT:PSS (≈2 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ) with stable operation over 1000 on/off cycles. The electron and proton exchange among PEDOT, PSS, and the molecular de‐dopants are characterized to reveal the underlying chemical mechanism of the threshold voltage shift to negative voltages. Finally, the effect of the de‐doping on the microstructure of the spin‐cast PEDOT:PSS films is investigated.

Keene, Scott T.↗

Room temperature de Haas–van Alphen effect in silicon nanosandwiches

The negative-U impurity stripes confining the edge channels of semiconductor quantum wells are shown to allow the effective cooling inside in the process of the spin-dependent transport. The aforesaid also promotes the creation of composite bosons and fermions by the capture of single magnetic flux quanta at the edge channels under the conditions of low sheet density of carriers, thus opening new opportunities for the registration of quantum kinetic phenomena in weak magnetic fields at high temperatures up to the room temperature. As a certain version noted above, we present the first findings of the high temperature de Haas–van Alphen (300 K) and quantum Hall (77 K) effects in the silicon sandwich structure that represents the ultranarrow, 2 nm, p-type quantum well (Si-QW) confined by the delta barriers heavily doped with boron on the n-type Si (100) surface. These data appear to result from the low density of single holes that are of small effective mass in the edge channels of p-type Si-QW because of the impurity confinement by the stripes consisting of the negative-U dipole boron centers which seems to give rise to the efficiency reduction of the electron–electron interaction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Confirmation of Incorporation of Cu and Se Ions in Applied p- and n-Type-Doped Sb2S3 by Photoemission Spectroscopy

The effect of incorporating copper (Cu) and selenium (Se) ions into stibnite (Sb2S3) lattice was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The incorporation of Cu and Se ions was verified by comparing the XPS spectra of the undoped (amorphous Sb2S3), doped (p and n-doped) and pure Se and Cu-acetate powders. The main photoelectron Cu 2p(1/2) (951.8 eV) and Cu 2p(3/2) (932.1 eV) lines derived from the Cu-doped and Cu-acetate powder samples were clearly observed, whereas in the undoped sample, none of the characteristic lines of Cu were detected. The Se Auger line (138.6 eV), the only line of Se which does not coincide with the lines of Sb and S, was successfully detected in an Se-doped XPS sample and the spectrum of pure Se, while Se in the undoped sample was not found. Further, the XPS measurements revealed the relative amounts of Cu and Se in antimony sulfide, as well as the oxidation state of copper incorporated into the matrix.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Photorefractive and Photovoltaic Properties of a Composite Based on Ferroelectric Polymer Doped with Carbon Nanotubes

The photorefractive effect is obtained in a composite of a ferroelectric polymer (polyvinylidene fluoride with trifluoroethylene (P(VDF/TrFE)) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), which serve simultaneously as non-linear optical chromophores and spectral sensitizers to a 1064-nm laser beam. It is established that the presence of internal field in the ferroelectric makes it possible to measure the photorefractive effect in the absence of applied external field. Undoped films of VDF/TrFE copolymer are not photosensitive and do not exhibit the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPE). BPE is observed (along with the photosensitivity) in polarized samples, when carbon nanotubes are introduced into the copolymer.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Strongly Correlated Charge Density Wave in La 2 – x Sr x CuO 4 Evidenced by Doping-Dependent Phonon Anomaly

The discovery of charge-density-wave-related effects in the resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectra of cuprates holds the tantalizing promise of clarifying the interactions that stabilize the electronic order. In this paper, we report a comprehensive resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of La 2 – x Sr x CuO 4 finding that charge-density wave effects persist up to a remarkably high doping level of x = 0.21 before disappearing at x = 0.25 . The inelastic excitation spectra remain essentially unchanged with doping despite crossing a topological transition in the Fermi surface. This indicates that the spectra contain little or no direct coupling to electronic excitations near the Fermi surface, rather they are dominated by the resonant cross section for phonons and charge-density-wave-induced phonon softening. We interpret our results in terms of a charge-density wave that is generated by strong correlations and a phonon response that is driven by the charge-density-wave-induced modification of the lattice.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Ohmic contact formation in semi-insulating GaAs using shallow heavily doped p-type layers

The paper describes a simple, safe, and effective method for forming shallow zinc-doped p-type layers on chromium-doped semiinsulating GaAs, using an open-tube diffusion technique. The resulting peak dopant concentration for the 850-C diffusion was 10 to the 20th/cu cm. The contact resistance of ohmic contacts fabricated on these layers was found to be about 0.00005 ohm/sq cm. The variation of the contact resistance across the wafer reflected the variation of the doping concentration.

Bose, Amitava↗

High-purity silicon crystal growth investigations

Information is given on evaporation and segregation contributions to impurity profiles of floating zone crystals (FZ); high-purity silicon float zoning (FZ); minority-carrier lifetime measurement of heavily doped silicon crystals; the effect of some crystal growth parameters on minority-carrier lifetime; and defect investigations by X-ray topography in graphical and tabular form. It was concluded that evaporation contributes substantially to impurity reduction when FZ or cold-crucible growth is conducted in a vacuum; boron and gallium may be more favorable dopants than indium or aluminum for obtaining high minority-carrier lifetimes; minority-carrier lifetimes greater than 100 microseconds are feasible at a 2 times 10 to the 17th power cm-3 doping level; minority-carrier lifetime decreases with increasing crystal cooling rate and also with the presence of dislocations; the method used to clean silicon feed rods affects lifetime; and microdefect densities in dislocation-free FZ crystals appear to be lower with Ga doping than with B doping.

Ciszek, T. F.↗

Determining the Concentration of Free Electrons in n-InSb from Far-Infrared Reflectance Spectra with Allowance for Plasmon–Phonon Coupling

Contactless nondestructive testing is a means for determining the concentration of free electrons N in indium antimonide (InSb) samples from far-infrared reflectance spectra recorded at room temperature. A computer program capable of determining the characteristic wave number from the Kramers–Kronig relation is developed. The calculated calibration dependence makes it possible to determine the electron concentration from the known characteristic wave number. It is shown that this dependence is described by a cubic polynomial. In the calculations, the energy dependence of the electron effective mass is taken into account. It is established that, in determining the electron concentration, account must be taken of plasmon–phonon coupling, specifically at N ≤ 5 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup –3}. The systematic error introduced into the determination of N by disregard of plasmon–phonon coupling is estimated. The software elaborated here makes it possible to calculate the electron concentration N from experimental reflectance spectra and to store and process the results. The software is tested by the example of the reflectance spectrum of heavily doped n-InSb.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Nano-crystallization in ZnO-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films via excimer laser annealing for thin-film transistors

In a previous work, we reported the high field effect mobility of ZnO-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} (IZO) thin film transistors (TFTs) irradiated by excimer laser annealing (ELA) [M. Fujii et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 122107 (2013)]. However, a deeper understanding of the effect of ELA on the IZO film characteristics based on crystallinity, carrier concentrations, and optical properties is needed to control localized carrier concentrations for fabricating self-aligned structures in the same oxide film and to adequately explain the physical characteristics. In the case of as-deposited IZO film used as the channel, a high carrier concentration due to a high density of oxygen vacancies was observed; such a film does not show the required TFT characteristics but can act as a conductive film. We achieved a decrease in the carrier concentration of IZO films by crystallization using ELA. This means that ELA can form localized conductive or semi-conductive areas on the IZO film. We confirmed that the reason for the carrier concentration decrease was the decrease of oxygen-deficient regions and film crystallization. The annealed IZO films showed nano-crystalline phase, and the temperature at the substrate was substantially less than the temperature limit for flexible films such as plastic, which is 50°C. This paves the way for the formation of self-aligned structures and separately formed conductive and semi-conductive regions in the same oxide film.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Non-linearity effects on the light-output calibration of light charged particles in CsI(Tl) scintillator crystals

The light output produced by light ions ( Z ≤ 4) in Csl(Tl) crystals is studied over a wide range of detected energies (E ≤ 300 MeV). Energy-light calibration data sets are obtained with the 10 cm crystals in the recently upgraded High-Resolution Array (HiRA10). We use proton recoil data from 40,48 Ca + CH 2 at 28 MeV/u, 56.6 MeV/u, 39 MeV/u and 139.8 MeV/u and data from a dedicated experiment with direct low-energy beams. We also use the punch through points of p, d, and t particles from 40,48 Ca + 56,64 Ni, 112,124 Sn collisions reactions at 139.8 MeV/u. Non-linearities, arising in particular from Tl doping and light collection effects in the CsI crystals, are found to significantly affect the light output and therefore the calibration of the detector response for light charged particles, especially the hydrogen isotopes. A new empirical parametrization of the hydrogen light output, $L(E,Z=1,A)$, is proposed to account for the observed effects. Results are found to be consistent for all 48 CsI(Tl) crystals in a cluster of 12 HiRA10 telescopes.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Role of phonon scattering by elastic strain field in thermoelectric Sr{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}TiO{sub 3−δ}

Perovskite-type SrTiO{sub 3−δ} ceramics are multifunctional materials with significant potential as n-type thermoelectric (TE) materials. The electronic and thermal transport properties of spark plasma sintered polycrystalline Sr{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}TiO{sub 3−δ} (x = 0.05, 0.075, 0.1) ceramics are systematically investigated from (15–800) K. The Sr{sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}TiO{sub 3−δ} simultaneously exhibits a large Seebeck coefficient, α > −80 μV/K and moderately high electrical resistivity, ρ ∼ 0.8 mΩ-cm at a carrier concentration of ∼10{sup 21} cm{sup −3} at 300 K resulting in a high TE power factor defined herein as (α{sup 2}σT) ∼ 0.84 W/m-K at 760 K. Despite the similar atomic masses of Sr (87.6 g/mol) and Y (88.9 g/mol), the lattice thermal conductivity (κ{sub L}) of Sr{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}TiO{sub 3−δ} is significantly reduced with increased Y-doping, owing to the smaller ionic radii of Y{sup 3+} (∼1.23 Å, coordination number 12) compared to Sr{sup 2+} (∼1.44 Å, coordination number 12) ions. In order to understand the thermal conductivity reduction mechanism, the κ{sub L} in the Sr{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}TiO{sub 3−δ} series are phenomenologically modeled with a modified Callaway's equation from 30–600 K. Phonon scattering by elastic strain field due to ionic radii mismatch is found to be the prominent scattering mechanism in reducing κ{sub L} of these materials. In addition, the effect of Y-doping on the elastic moduli of Sr{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}TiO{sub 3−δ} (x = 0, 0.1) is investigated using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy, which exhibits an anomaly in x = 0.1 in the temperature range 300–600 K. As a result, the phonon mean free path is found to be further reduced in the Sr{sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}TiO{sub 3−δ} compared to that of SrTiO{sub 3−δ}, resulting in a considerably low thermal conductivity κ ∼ 2.7 W/m-K at 760 K. Finally, we report a thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) ∼ 0.3 at 760 K in the Sr{sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}TiO{sub 3−δ}, the highest ZT value reported in the Y-doped SrTiO{sub 3} ceramics thus far.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Synthesis and characterization of Sn-doped hematite as visible light photocatalyst

Highlights: • Sn-doped hematite nanoparticles are prepared by SCS in one step. • The Sn doping have the ability to inhibit particle growth of hematite. • Sn can enhance visible light harvesting and e{sup −}/h{sup +} separation. • Sn-doped hematite degrades MB under visible light effectively. • The products with 5 mol% Sn have the highest photocatalytic activity. - Abstract: Sn-doped hematite nanoparticles are prepared by solution combustion synthesis. The products are characterized with various analytical and spectroscopic techniques to determine their structural, morphological, light absorption and photocatalytic properties. The results reveal that all the samples consist of nanocrystalline hematite with mesoporous structures, and Sn has the ability to inhibit the growth of hematite particle. Compared to pure hematite, the doped hematite samples with appropriate amount of Sn show better activities for degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The highest activity is observed for 5% Sn doped hematite and this product has long-term stability and no selectivity for dye degradation. The enhanced performance of 5% Sn doped hematite is ascribed to the smaller particle size, increased ability to absorb in visible light, efficient charge separation as well as improved e{sup −} transfer associated with the effects of appropriate amount of Sn doped sample.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Improving Proton Conductivity by Navigating Proton Trapping in High Scandium-Doped Barium Zirconate Electrolytes

Proton-conducting oxides are used in intermediate-temperature (300 °C < T < 700 °C) applications of fuel cells, electrolyzers, membrane reactors, hydrogen pumps, and sensors. The proton conductivity of doped ABO 3 perovskites is partly dependent on the proton concentration and hence on the level of material hydration. However, how the material hydration ability is affected by differences in doping is not fully understood. Here, we show the prospect of proton trapping and detrapping that influences material hydration and dehydration. The proton-trapping influence is significant for Sc-doped BaZrO 3 compared to Y-doped BaZrO 3 . Here, our work offers a perspective to understand how defect interaction/associations influence the hydration ability of proton-conducting oxides. Furthermore, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy was revealed to be a valuable technique for studying the proton-trapping phenomena and the defect chemistry of dense proton conductors. Density functional theory calculations also showed that a high hydration level in Sc-doped BaZrO 3 boosts proton migration. In contrast, the effect of boosting the proton migration due to increased hydration is limited for Y-doped BaZrO 3 . This effect, in turn, might explain the trend of conductivity with dopant concentration in doped BaZrO 3 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Low Regeneration Temperature Sorbents for Direct Air Capture of CO 2

Susteon Inc., in partnership with University of Wyoming and SoCalGas, successfully met all major technical objectives to (1) scale up the ionic liquid catalyst for amine-based sorbents for improved desorption and absorption kinetics, (2) evaluate the catalyzed amine-based sorbents for direct CO 2 capture process to determine CO 2 adsorption and desorption rates and energy requirements, and (3) based on the experimental results, develop a conceptual process design to perform a preliminary economic assessment to evaluate the potential for DAC process cost reduction using the catalyzed sorbents. Amine doped solid sorbents are effective for DAC applications and can be regenerated by heat or by a combination of heat, steam, and vacuum. The best sorbent composition identified was polyethyleneimine (PEI) on fumed silica with 200 ppm ionic liquid catalyst. This sorbent formulation was shown to have a CO 2 breakthrough capacity twice that of the non-catalyzed sorbent, in laboratory tests with air at 75% relative humidity (RH). The CO 2 adsorption rate was also 40% higher than that of the non-catalyzed sorbent. This type of sorbents has the attributes required for lowering the overall cost of DAC with high CO 2 capacity and high rate of adsorption. The combination of an industrially utilized amine-based sorbent with a highly active catalyst to form a new class of materials for DAC provides a technically viable pathway for reducing the cost of DAC to <$100/tonne of CO 2 . Laboratory measurements show that the silica/PEI (polyethyleneimine) sorbents with 100 ppm of ionic liquid catalyst have almost 100% higher CO 2 cyclic capacity and 40% higher adsorption rate. Generally, CO 2 desorption occurred at higher temperatures with a rate of desorption 10 times faster than adsorption (which occurred at ambient conditions). Therefore, adsorption rate is a much more important factor in the cost of DAC because it is directly linked to the CAPEX of the total system and the cycle time (i.e., sorbent productivity in ton/day of CO 2 captured per unit volume of the air contactor). An initial process design, coupled with techno-economic analysis, based on optimal experimental results and preliminary resulting from structured sorbent testing, showed a path to lower the DAC cost from the current cost of over $200/tonne CO 2 to less than $100/tonne with a scale-up, mature state of the technology, with projected material and process improvements. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the catalyst in silica/PEI sorbents in enhancing sorbents’ CO 2 working capacity, in (a) increasing the rate of adsorption and desorption, and (b) in lowering the CAPEX and OPEX of the DAC system employing the ionic liquid catalyzed sorbents.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Effects of HFIR neutron irradiation on fracture toughness properties of standard and Ni-doped F82H

F82H is the Japanese reference reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel for fusion blanket applications. The harsh environment of a fusion reactor, such as neutron irradiation and He/H damage, can result in significant degradation of F82H fracture toughness. Therefore, understanding the fracture toughness behavior of F82H in the fusion environment is critical to ensure the long-term safe operation of the fusion reactor. Here, we summarize seven irradiation campaigns of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) covering five variants of F82H steels, including F82H IEA, F82H Mod3, F82H doped with 1.4% natural Ni, F82H doped with 1.4% 58 Ni, and F82H doped with 1.4% 60 Ni. The irradiation temperatures covered the range from 220 °C to 530 °C and the neutron irradiation dose spanned 4 dpa to 70 dpa. The effects of neutron irradiation temperature, dose, materials composition, Ni doping, and He production on F82H fracture toughness are discussed. Our results showed that irradiation embrittlement monotonically decreased with increasing irradiation temperature until 400 °C for F82H IEA and F82H Mod3. F82H Mod3 showed better fracture toughness than F82H IEA both before and after neutron irradiation. We determined that 1.4% Ni alloying can be applied to F82H for simulating He effect in a fission reactor without jeopardizing the fracture toughness of the material. However, more studies are needed to understand the effect of high dose (>20 dpa) and He production on F82H fracture toughness.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Terbium induced glassy magnetism in La,Ca-based cobaltites

The La{sub 0.8–x}Tb{sub x}Ca{sub 0.2}CoO{sub 3} cobaltites of orthoperovskite Pbnm structure were investigated by the X-ray and neutron diffraction, specific heat, and magnetization measurements. The terbium doping has two important effects, it increases the size disorder on perovskite A-sites and influences the magnetic properties due to large Ising-type moments (∼8.9 Bohr magnetons per Tb). The compounds show a bulk magnetic moment below T{sub C} = 82 K, 53 K, and 30 K for x = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, respectively. The neutron diffraction evidences a long-range ferromagnetic arrangement of cobalt moments, combined below ∼20 K with ordering of terbium moments in a canted arrangement. A homogeneous magnetic phase is proved for the x = 0.1 sample, while x = 0.2 and 0.3 are in an intrinsically non-homogeneous magnetic state with long-range ordering only comprising 55% and 30% of the sample volumes. The ac susceptibility experiments prove a glassy character of the terbium doped samples and provide arguments for the short-range ordering above T{sub C} and wide distribution of relaxation times.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Successes and failures of Hubbard-corrected density functional theory: The case of Mg doped LiCoO{sub 2}

We have evaluated the successes and failures of the Hubbard-corrected density functional theory approach to study Mg doping of LiCoO{sub 2}. We computed the effect of the U parameter on the energetic, geometric, and electronic properties of two possible doping mechanisms: (1) substitution of Mg onto a Co (or Li) site with an associated impurity state and (2) formation of impurity-state-free complexes of substitutional Mg and point defects in LiCoO{sub 2}. We find that formation of impurity states results in changes on the valency of Co in LiCoO{sub 2}. Variation of the Co U shifts the energy of the impurity state, resulting in energetic, geometric, and electronic properties that depend significantly on the specific value of U. In contrast, the properties of the impurity-state-free complexes are insensitive to U. These results identify reasons for the strong dependence on the doping properties on the chosen value of U and for the overall difficulty of achieving agreement with the experimentally known energetic and electronic properties of doped transition metal oxides such as LiCoO{sub 2}.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Overcash, D. R.

The objectives of this investigation were to determine the characteristics of semiconductor devices at low temperatures. The output characteristics of several currently available semiconductor devices and devices fabricated at Marshall Space Flight Center were measured over a range of gate voltages. Large variations in low-temperature performance, not only from type to type, but from field effect transistor (FET) to FET of the same type were obtained. By increasing the carrier concentrations at low temperatures through extra heavy doping, metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) device was fabricated that operated at 4.2K. To verify the low-temperature operation of a heavily doped device, this procedure was repeated. Their noise spectrum was analyzed at 4.2K. Suggestions were made as to possible fabrication methods, techniques, and other semiconductor materials that might improve the device charactersitics at low temperatures. A procedure for using an electric field to drift dopants through the insulating oxide to produce a very thin, heavily doped region under the gate of a MOSFET was initiated. Capacitance s a function of voltage plots was suggested as a method for determining the level of dopant drift.

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