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DOE OSTI · 2555710

Au assisted smooth ultrathin epitaxial ZnO film grown by pulsed laser deposition on sapphire(0001)

Chen, Xuegang [Anhui University, Hefei (China)]·Sun, Zhaofei [Anhui University, Hefei (China)]·Wang, Guoliang [Sun Yat-Sen Univ., Shenzhen (China)]·Huang, Jijie [Sun Yat-Sen Univ., Shenzhen (China)]·Qiao, Xurong [Xi'an Jiaotong Univ., Shaanxi (China)]·Zhang, Zhen [Xi'an Jiaotong Univ., Shaanxi (China)]·Li, Tao [Xi'an Jiaotong Univ., Shaanxi (China)]·Zhang, Lihua R. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)] (ORCID:0000000333312345)·Kisslinger, Kim [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)]·Lu, Zonghuan [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)]·Dhull, Neha [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)]·Lin, Weichang [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)]·Lu, Toh-Ming [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)]·Wang, Gwo-Ching [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)]
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Abstract

High quality ZnO has applications in photonics and electronics. Literature has shown that continuous, but rough ZnO film can be grown on sapphire substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). In this work, ZnO and Au were co-deposited by PLD on sapphire(0001) substrates from a single ZnO target overlaid with an Au strip that serves as a catalyst. The reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns show paired double stripes from sample of ZnO-Au where the difference of in-plane lattice parameters between ZnO and Au is 11.4 %. The two-dimensional (2D) reciprocal space maps constructed from azimuthal RHEED (ARHEED) patterns reveal parallel epitaxial relationship between ZnO and Au in the continuous ZnO-Au film on sapphire substrate. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross section images and energy dispersive spectroscopy maps show a minute amount of Au nanocrystals distributed in the entire ultrathin ZnO film. Atomic force microscopy shows the root-mean-square roughness of the surface of ultrathin ZnO film with Au is in the sub-nm range. The ARHEED and TEM results show that a couple of atomic percentages of Au co-deposited with ZnO catalyzes the growth of smooth ultrathin epitaxial ZnO film.

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCEAuPulsed laser depositionTEMZnOazimuthal RHEEDepitaxysapphire

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Chen, Xuegang [Anhui University, Hefei (China)], Sun, Zhaofei [Anhui University, Hefei (China)], Wang, Guoliang [Sun Yat-Sen Univ., Shenzhen (China)], Huang, Jijie [Sun Yat-Sen Univ., Shenzhen (China)], Qiao, Xurong [Xi'an Jiaotong Univ., Shaanxi (China)], Zhang, Zhen [Xi'an Jiaotong Univ., Shaanxi (China)], Li, Tao [Xi'an Jiaotong Univ., Shaanxi (China)], Zhang, Lihua R. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)] (ORCID:0000000333312345), Kisslinger, Kim [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)], Lu, Zonghuan [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)], Dhull, Neha [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)], Lin, Weichang [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)], Lu, Toh-Ming [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)], Wang, Gwo-Ching [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)]. 2025-02-21. Au assisted smooth ultrathin epitaxial ZnO film grown by pulsed laser deposition on sapphire(0001). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.162760

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DOE OSTI2026

Cyclic moisture reactivation of calcium sorbents for long duration thermochemical energy storage

The transition to a flexible and reliable energy infrastructure, using electro-thermal energy generation technologies such as geothermal, concentrated solar power, and nuclear, usually demands simultaneous advancement of thermal energy storage (TES) to support on-demand electricity generation and industrial applications while mitigating the inherent intermittency of renewable energy sources and power outages from direct energy generation. Among TES technologies, thermochemical energy storage (TCES) based on calcium looping emerges as a compelling high-power energy storage candidate due to its high reaction enthalpy, compatibility with elevated operating temperatures, and abundance of low-cost materials. However, the long-term durability of calcium-based sorbents for TCES is hindered by surface sintering and particle aggregation, leading to performance degradation over repeated thermal cycles. This study explores a moisture hydration-based strategy to regenerate a degraded calcium sorbent and mitigate performance degradation for long duration TCES. The addition of moisture transforms calcium oxide into calcium hydroxide and produces intercalation water layers, associated with a regenerated surface area and reduced calcium oxide crystallite size. Both these effects are beneficial in restoring the sorbents' reactivity for carbonization. Additionally, an optimized hydration-assisted reactivation protocol balances the recovered energy storage capacity with heating penalty required for moisture removal from hydrated samples, resulting in an enhanced energy storage capacity up to 176% compared to benchmark sorbents that undergo cycling without reactivation after 60 cycles. In conclusion, these results highlight the potential of hydration-assisted reactivation to enhance the long-term performance of TCES, providing an effective pathway to advancing electro-thermal storage technologies.

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