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Zhou, Xiaoyuan

Publications and source records attributed to Zhou, Xiaoyuan.

13 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

High-pressure, high-temperature molecular doping of nanodiamond

The development of color centers in diamond as the basis for emerging quantum technologies has been limited by the need for ion implantation to create the appropriate defects. We present a versatile method to dope diamond without ion implantation by synthesis of a doped amorphous carbon precursor and transformation at high temperatures and high pressures. To explore this bottom-up method for color center generation, we rationally create silicon vacancy defects in nanodiamond and investigate them for optical pressure metrology. In addition, we show that this process can generate noble gas defects within diamond from the typically inactive argon pressure medium, which may explain the hysteresis effects observed in other high-pressure experiments and the presence of noble gases in some meteoritic nanodiamonds. Our results illustrate a general method to produce color centers in diamond and may enable the controlled generation of designer defects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Substitution defect enhancing thermoelectric properties in CuInTe2

Highlights: • Pure phase of Cu1-xAgxInTe2 solid solutions is synthesized successfully via solid state reaction. • Solid solution is an effective way to lower lattice thermal conductivity. • A zT larger than 1.0 is obtained in CuInTe2 based compounds. - Abstract: Solid solution is an effective way to optimize thermoelectric performance because of the enhanced phonon scattering from point defect. In this article we describe the synthesis and discuss thermoelectric properties of Cu{sub 1-x}Ag{sub x}InTe{sub 2} solid solutions (x = 0, 0.05, 0.15, 0.30, 0.50). The effect of the substitution of Ag for Cu site on the microstructure and thermoelectric performance in CuInTe{sub 2} is investigated. The enlarged Seebeck coefficient coupled with reduced electrical conductivity is observed due to the diminished carrier concentration upon Ag substitution. Meanwhile, the lattice thermal conductivity is significantly depressed in solid solutions due to the strong phonon scattering. As a result, a zT value of 1.07 is achieved at 823 K with x = 0.05, which is a 90% improvement as compared with that of the pristine CuInTe{sub 2}. These results demonstrate a valid approach to improve the thermoelectric properties of the compounds in the same family.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Low temperature thermoelectric properties of p -type doped single-crystalline SnSe

SnSe single crystals have been widely studied lately as a result of their record high ZT and controversial low thermal conductivity. Much research has focused on the high-temperature properties of single crystals and polycrystalline SnSe, but few studies were carried out on the low-temperature properties of doped single-crystalline SnSe. To study the mechanism of the charge carrier and phonon scattering, and to eliminate the ambiguity of the high temperature thermal conductivity measurement, here we performed low temperature transport characterization of Na-doped and Ag-doped single-crystalline SnSe by a longitudinal steady-state technique. The electronic transport property measurements suggest that Na is a more efficient p -type dopant in SnSe than Ag. In the thermal conductivity data, we observe pronounced dielectric peak around 10 K with magnitude dependent on the doping level. In the p -type doped samples, we found that our room temperature lattice thermal conductivities (>1.74 W m -1 K -1 ) are in general higher than those previously reported. Based on these findings, this work implies that the lattice thermal conductivity values of doped and pure single-crystalline SnSe were underestimated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Intrinsically low thermal conductivity from a quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure and enhanced electrical conductivity network via Pb doping in SbCrSe 3

The development of new routes for the production of thermoelectric materials with low-cost and high-performance characteristics has been one of the long-term strategies for saving and harvesting thermal energy. We report a new approach for improving thermoelectric properties by employing the intrinsically low thermal conductivity of a quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) crystal structure and optimizing the power factor with aliovalent ion doping. As an example, we demonstrated that SbCrSe 3 , in which two parallel chains of CrSe 6 octahedra are linked by antimony atoms, possesses a quasi-1D property that resulted in an ultra-low thermal conductivity of 0.56 W m -1 K -1 at 900 K. After maximizing the power factor by Pb doping, the peak ZT value of the optimized Pb-doped sample reached 0.46 at 900 K, which is an enhancement of 24 times that of the parent SbCrSe 3 structure. The mechanisms that lead to low thermal conductivity derive from anharmonic phonons with the presence of the lone-pair electrons of Sb atoms and weak bonds between the CrSe 6 double chains. Our results shed new light on the design of new and high-performance thermoelectric materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Second Amorphous Layer Underneath Surface Oxide

Abstract Formation of a nanometer-scale oxide surface layer is common when a material is exposed to oxygen-containing environment. Employing aberration-corrected analytical transmission electron microscopy and using single crystal SnSe as an example, we show that for an alloy, a second thin amorphous layer can appear underneath the outmost oxide layer. This inner amorphous layer is not oxide based, but instead originates from solid-state amorphization of the base alloy when its free energy rises to above that of the metastable amorphous state; which is a result of the composition shift due to the preferential depletion of the oxidizing species, in our case, the outgoing Sn reacting with the oxygen atmosphere.

Materials Science↗
DOE OSTI2017

Structural basis of dual Ca2+/pH regulation of the endolysosomal TRPML1 channel

The activities of organellar ion channels are often regulated by Ca2+ and H+, which are present in high concentrations in many organelles. Here we report a structural element critical for dual Ca2+/pH regulation of TRPML1, a Ca2+-release channel crucial for endolysosomal function. TRPML1 mutations cause mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV), a severe lysosomal storage disorder characterized by neurodegeneration, mental retardation and blindness. We obtained crystal structures of the 213-residue luminal domain of human TRPML1 containing three missense MLIV-causing mutations. This domain forms a tetramer with a highly electronegative central pore formed by a novel luminal pore loop. Cysteine cross-linking and cryo-EM analyses confirmed that this architecture occurs in the full-length channel. Structure–function studies demonstrated that Ca2+ and H+ interact with the luminal pore and exert physiologically important regulation. The MLIV-causing mutations disrupt the luminal-domain structure and cause TRPML1 mislocalization. Our study reveals the structural underpinnings of TRPML1's regulation, assembly and pathogenesis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗