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At least 1,279 records · Page 71

Activating dislocation mediated plasticity in boron carbide through Al-doping

Dislocation slip, deformation twinning, phase transformations, and fast fracture are energy dissipation mechanisms that accommodate mechanical loading in materials. The energetically unfavorable formation of dislocation attributes to the ease of cracking and the low damage tolerance observed in superhard ceramics, notably boron carbide. Here, this work demonstrates that room temperature dislocation slip can be enabled in boron carbide by altering its chemistry through Al doping. The activation of dislocation slip is mechanistically explained by quantum mechanics simulations and electron microscopy, which indicate that strain energy is released through basal icosahedral slip facilitated by icosahedral rotation and chain bond breaking and reconfiguring. The new insight gained through this work suggests that atomic doping could be an effective strategy to tune deformation mechanisms in boron carbide, which provides a significant potential for limiting amorphization and catastrophic failure, and opens a new strategy to enhance damage tolerance in brittle ceramics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Annealing dynamics of WO{sub 3} by in situ XRD

Highlights: • Flame-made WO{sub 3} nanoparticles with closely controlled crystal and grain size. • Dynamic phase transition of annealing of pure and Si-doped WO{sub 3} by in situ XRD. • Irreversible evolution of WO{sub 3} crystallinity by heating/cooling during its annealing. • Si-doping alters the WO{sub 3} crystallinity dynamics and stabilizes nanosized WO{sub 3}. • Flame-made nano-WO{sub 3} can sense NO at the ppb level. - Abstract: Tungsten trioxide is a semiconductor with distinct applications in gas sensors, catalysis, batteries and pigments. As such the transition between its different crystal structures during its annealing are of interest, especially for sensor applications. Here, WO{sub 3} nanoparticles with closely controlled crystal and grain size (9–15 nm) and phase composition are made by flame spray pyrolysis and the formation of different WO{sub 3} phases during annealing is investigated. Most notably, the dynamic phase transition and crystal size evolution of WO{sub 3} during heating and cooling is monitored by in situ X-ray diffraction revealing how metastable WO{sub 3} phases can be captured stably. The effect of Si-doping is studied since it is used in practise to control crystal growth and phase transition during metal oxide synthesis and processing. Finally the influence of annealing on the WO{sub 3} sensing performance of NO, a lung inflammation tracer in the human breath, is explored at the ppb-level.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fe-doping induced suppression of the second magnetic transition in Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10

Ruthenium oxide (Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 ) exhibits a second magnetic transition at a temperature T M below its ferromagnetic (FM) transition (T C ~ 105 K), which has attracted considerable attention in the past two decades. Here, we successfully grew Sr 4 (Ru 1–x Fe x ) 3 O 10 (x = 0.01) crystal and systematically investigated the magnetotransport property of its nanosheets. We found a feature that there is an in-plane FM order aligned along < 110 > directions below T C without the occurrence of the second magnetic transition at T M , which is in contrast to that expected in pure Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 nanosheets, where the in-plane FM order will rotate to the c direction below T M . Furthermore, a metamagnetic-like transition is also observed below ~50 K at about 2 T when the magnetic field is applied along the c axis. Finally, these results unambiguously demonstrate that the second magnetic transition at T M is actually a consequence of spin reorientation induced by the inherent coupling between the spin and lattice, which can be effectively tuned by element doping.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Photo-acoustic spectroscopy and quantum efficiency of Yb{sup 3+} doped alumino silicate glasses

In this contribution, we analyze the effect of several preparation methods of Yb{sup 3+} doped alumino silicate glasses on their quantum efficiency by using photo-acoustic measurements in comparison to standard measurement methods including the determination via the fluorescence lifetime and an integrating sphere setup. The preparation methods focused on decreasing the OH concentration by means of fluorine-substitution and/or applying dry melting atmospheres, which led to an increase in the measured fluorescence lifetime. However, it was found that the influence of these methods on radiative properties such as the measured fluorescence lifetime alone does not per se give exact information about the actual quantum efficiency of the sample. The determination of the quantum efficiency by means of fluorescence lifetime shows inaccuracies when refractive index changing elements such as fluorine are incorporated into the glass. Since fluorine not only eliminates OH from the glass but also increases the “intrinsic” radiative fluorescence lifetime, which is needed to calculate the quantum efficiency, it is difficult to separate lifetime quenching from purely radiative effects. The approach used in this contribution offers a possibility to disentangle radiative from non-radiative properties which is not possible by using fluorescence lifetime measurements alone and allows an accurate determination of the quantum efficiency of a given sample. The comparative determination by an integrating sphere setup leads to the well-known problem of reabsorption which embodies itself in the measurement of too low quantum efficiencies, especially for samples with small quantum efficiencies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Doped gate dielectric materials

A field effect transistor having at least a gate, source, and drain electrodes and a semiconductor channel for controlling transport of charge carriers between the source and drain electrodes, the gate being insulated from the channel by an dielectric, at least a portion of the dielectric disposed between the gate electrode and the semiconductor channel being doped or imbued with the an element which if doped or imbued into a semiconductor material would cause the semiconductor to be p-type. The p-type element used to dope or imbue the gate dielectric is preferably Mg.

Cao, Yu↗

Doped gate dielectrics materials

A field effect transistor having at least a gate, source, and drain electrodes and a semiconductor channel for controlling transport of charge carriers between the source and drain electrodes, the gate being insulated from the channel by an dielectric, at least a portion of the dielectric disposed between the gate electrode and the semiconductor channel being doped or imbued with the an element which if doped or imbued into a semiconductor material would cause the semiconductor to be p-type. The p-type element used to dope or imbue the gate dielectric is preferably Mg.

Cao, Yu↗

Annealing in tellurium-nitrogen co-doped ZnO films: The roles of intrinsic zinc defects

In this article, the authors have conducted an extensive investigation on the roles of intrinsic zinc defects by annealing of a batch of Te-N co-doped ZnO films. The formation and annihilation of Zn interstitial (Zn{sub i}) clusters have been found in samples with different annealing temperatures. Electrical and Raman measurements have shown that the Zn{sub i} clusters are a significant compensation source to holes, and the Te co-doping has a notable effect on suppressing the Zn{sub i} clusters. Meanwhile, shallow acceptors have been identified in photoluminescence spectra. The N{sub O}-Zn-Te complex, zinc vacancy (V{sub Zn})-N{sub O} complex, and V{sub Zn} clusters are thought to be the candidates as the shallow acceptors. The evolution of shallow acceptors upon annealing temperature have been also studied. The clustering of V{sub Zn} at high annealing temperature is proposed to be a possible candidate as a stable acceptor in ZnO.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Determination of surface recombination velocity in heavily doped silicon

A method was developed and successfully tested for the determination of the effective surface recombination velocity of silicon layers doped by diffusion of phosphorus to a level of 10 to the 19th to 10 to the 21st per cu cm. The effective recombination velocity was obtained from the dependence of the electron-beam-induced current on the penetration of the electron beam of a scanning electron microscope. A special silicon diode was constructed which permitted the collection at the p-n junction of the carriers excited by the electron beam. This diode also permitted the study of the effects of surface preparation on the effective surface recombination velocity.

Watanabe, M.↗

First principles study on 2H–1T' transition in MoS 2 with copper

In this paper, the electronic properties of MoS 2 are strongly controlled by the structure, providing a route to their modulation. We report, based on first principles calculations, that the adsorption of metal atom Cu on the surface can induce the phase transition of MoS 2 from the semiconducting 2H to the metallic 1T' phase. Cu adsorption results in effective n-type doping of MoS 2 by charge transfer from Cu in the case of the 1T' phase. This is distinct from the behavior in the 2H phase, where Cu does not donate any charge, and it is also distinct from alkali metal adsorption, where charge is donated to both 2H and 1T' MoS 2 . Charge donation to the 1T' phase by Cu stabilizes it with respect to the 2H structure and importantly, it also reduces the energy barrier between the 2H and 1T' structures. This difference reflects the higher electronegativity of Cu, which also indicates that Cu-modified MoS 2 can be expected to be less chemically reactive than MoS 2 with alkali metal adatoms. The main atomic mechanism of the structural transition is the gliding of S atoms on the upper surface. Finally, we report the energetics of the 2H to 1T' transition with several other adatoms, Ag, Au, Ni, Pt and Pd, but none of them are as effective as Cu in inducing the transition.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Influence of TiO 2 on the densification behaviour of Yb 2 O 3

The effect of temperature and heating rate on the densification of ytterbia (Yb 2 O 3 ), with and without titania (TiO 2 ) doping was investigated. It is shown that up to a certain doping level, titania doping enhances the densification behaviour of ytterbia. The effect of titania doping on crystal structure confirms that titania is substitutionally incorporated in ytterbia up to the solubility limit, which corresponds well with the densification results. The increased densification rate of titania-doped ytterbia is attributed to the formation of cation vacancy and lattice distortion. Using constant heating rate experiments, the activation energy for densification has been calculated and it is shown that in the intermediate density range (60% to 85%), the activation energy is independent of the density. Furthermore, titania doping increases the activation energy for densification.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Preferential Eu Site Occupation and Its Consequences in the Ternary Luminescent Halides AB 2 I 5 : Eu 2 + ( A = Li – Cs ; B = Sr , Ba)

Several rare-earth-doped, heavy-metal halides have recently been identified as potential next-generation luminescent materials with high efficiency at low cost. AB 2 I 5 :Eu 2+ (A=Li–Cs; B=Sr, Ba) is one such family of halides. Its members, such as CsBa 2 I 5 :Eu 2+ and KSr 2 I 5 :Eu 2+ , are currently being investigated as high-performance scintillators with improved sensitivity, light yield, and energy resolution less than 3% at 662 keV. Within the AB 2 I 5 family, our first-principles-based calculations reveal two remarkably different trends in Eu site occupation. The substitutional Eu ions occupy both eightfold-coordinated B1(VIII) and the sevenfold-coordinated B2(VII) sites in the Sr-containing compounds. However, in the Ba-containing crystals, Eu ions strongly prefer the B2(VII)sites. This random versus preferential distribution of Eu affects their electronic properties. The calculations also suggest that in the Ba-containing compounds one can expect the formation of Eu-rich domains. These results provide atomistic insight into recent experimental observations about the concentration and temperature effects in Eu-doped CsBa 2 I 5 . We discuss the implications of our results with respect to luminescent properties and applications. We also hypothesize Sr, Ba-mixed quaternary iodides ABa VIII Sr VII I 5 :Eu as scintillators having enhanced homogeneity and electronic properties.

Fang, C. M.↗

Influence of heterovalent doping on tetrahedral N interstitial formation in dilute GaAsN alloys

Dilute alloying of GaAs with N enables bandgap tuning for near-infrared to mid-infrared optoelectronic devices. However, non-substitutional N incorporation has been linked to lower absorption and emission efficiencies in dilute-nitride-alloy-based devices, especially in those containing heterovalent dopants. Here, in this work, we examine the influence of heterovalent dopants on N incorporation mechanisms in dilute GaAs 1−x N x alloys with N composition intentionally below the threshold composition for the formation of tetrahedral N interstitials (N tetra ) in undoped GaAs 1−x N x . For undoped GaAs 1−x N x , 20% of the N incorporates in non-substitutional sites, as (N-N) As and (N-As) split interstitials. Interestingly, Si dopants induce the formation of N tetra , while Be doping has a negligible effect on the interstitial type. Although elastic interactions due to opposite signs of the misfit volumes of N tetra and N As contribute to N tetra incorporation above a threshold N composition, Si dopants reduce the threshold composition, due to the Fermi level-dependent stability of N tetra .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Chemical vapor deposition of monolayer MoS 2 directly on ultrathin Al 2 O 3 for low-power electronics

Monolayer MoS 2 has recently been identified as a promising material for high-performance electronics. However, monolayer MoS 2 must be integrated with ultrathin high-κ gate dielectrics in order to realize practical low-power devices. In this paper, we report the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of monolayer MoS 2 directly on 20 nm thick Al 2 O 3 grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The quality of the resulting MoS 2 is characterized by a comprehensive set of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Furthermore, a low-temperature (200 °C) Al 2 O 3 ALD process is developed that maintains dielectric integrity following the high-temperature CVD of MoS 2 (800 °C). Field-effect transistors (FETs) derived from these MoS 2 /Al 2 O 3 stacks show minimal hysteresis with a sub-threshold swing as low as ~220 mV/decade, threshold voltages of ~2 V, and current I ON /I OFF ratio as high as ~10 4 , where I OFF is defined as the current at zero gate voltage as is customary for determining power consumption in complementary logic circuits. Finally, the system presented here concurrently optimizes multiple low-power electronics figures of merit while providing a transfer-free method of integrating monolayer MoS 2 with ultrathin high-κ dielectrics, thus enabling a scalable pathway for enhancement-mode FETs for low-power applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Impact of Isotropic Strain on Magnetic Properties of Monolayer MoSe{sub 2}-Doped with Nonmagnetic Metal and Nonmetal Atoms

Electronic and magnetic properties of MoSe{sub 2} monolayer doped with different nonmagnetic metal (Ag, Al, Li, Mg, and Na) and nonmetal (B, C, F, N, and O) elements have been studied by using the density functional theory calculations. Magnetism has been induced by Ag, Al, and Mg doping. Then, we further have studied the effect of strain on the magnetism in Al-doped MoSe{sub 2} monolayer. We have applied an isotropic strain on the system. On the one hand, the magnetism disappeared while the compressive strain was applied. On the other hand, the magnetism kept stable under the tensile strain. Moreover, we investigated the magnetic coupling in two-Al-doped MoSe{sub 2} structures under the tensile strain. Interestingly, a tunable magnetic coupling was observed. As the tensile strain increased, the magnetic coupling between two Al atoms switched from nonmagnetic (NM) to ferromagnetic (FM). The analysis of the PDOS showed that the p-p hybridization between the Al atom and its neighboring Se atoms resulted in such magnetic behavior. Our results showed some potential applications in MoSe{sub 2}-based nanoscale devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Phase evolution during spark plasma sintering of novel Si3N4-doped TiB2–SiC composite

Highlights: • The effect of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} addition on microstructure of TiB{sub 2}–SiC composite was studied. • Fully dense TiB{sub 2}-based composite was obtained by addition of SiC and Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}. • TiC, B{sub 4}C and SiO{sub 2} were formed in Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-free and Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-doped TiB{sub 2}–SiC ceramics. • TiN and BN were in-situ formed only in Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-doped TiB{sub 2}–SiC sample. - Abstract: Spark plasma sintering process was employed to fabricate TiB{sub 2}–SiC and novel Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-doped TiB{sub 2}–SiC ceramic composites at 1900 °C for 7 min under 40 MPa. The microstructural development of TiB{sub 2}-based composites was significantly influenced by the addition of SiC as a reinforcement phase and Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} as a sintering aid. Thermodynamic assessment, X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy disclosed the in-situ formation of TiC, B{sub 4}C and SiO{sub 2} in both samples as well as TiN and BN in the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-doped TiB{sub 2}–SiC sample through the chemical reactions of SiC and Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} additives with the surface oxide impurities of TiB{sub 2} particles (TiO{sub 2} and B{sub 2}O{sub 3}). The elimination of harmful oxide layers and the in-situ formation various secondary phases had remarkable influences on the sinterability and final microstructure of TiB{sub 2}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of oxygen annealing on the multiferroic properties of Ca{sup 2+} doped BiFeO{sub 3} nanoceramics

The high leakage current in divalent ion doped BiFeO{sub 3} systems is limiting their large scale application. It is clearly shown that the methodology of oxygen annealing will prove to be an effective procedure for suppressing the detrimental consequences that originate from the oxygen vacancies. The samples annealed under oxygen also show different particle morphologies and packing density that can help in tuning the relevant physical properties, viz., magnetic, ferroelectric, and magnetoelectric. The difference in magnetic behaviour in samples annealed in air and oxygen can be explained in terms of the modification in the Fe-O-Fe bonds, domain wall pinning centres, and crystal anisotropy. Another important observation is the stabilization of a dielectric anomaly near the magnetic transition temperature. This observation can make this multiferroic system very interesting for application in sensors where the change in the magnetic parameters can be observed by monitoring the electrical parameters. Detailed analysis of the dielectric and impedance curves indicate towards the presence of non-Debye type processes in samples obtained by annealing in air or oxygen. From the calculated activation energy values, the vacancy related relaxation mechanism is predominant in air annealed samples, while the oxygen annealed samples show the presence of two type of relaxation processes, viz., electron hopping mechanism stabilizes at low temperature while, at higher temperatures, the process associated with the diffusion of doubly ionized oxygen ions predominates. The ac-conductivity data suggests that the correlated barrier tunnelling mechanism, where single electron or two electrons hopping through neighbouring lattice sites leads to ac-conduction.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗