Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “FILMS”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Correlation of film morphology and defect content with the charge-carrier transport in thin-film transistors based on ZnO nanoparticles

The correlation of defect content and film morphology with the charge-carrier transport in field-effect devices based on zinc oxide nanoparticles was investigated. Changes in the defect content and the morphology were realized by annealing and sintering of the nanoparticle thin films. Temperature-dependent electrical measurements reveal that the carrier transport is thermally activated for both the unsintered and sintered thin films. Reduced energetic barrier heights between the particles have been determined after sintering. Additionally, the energetic barrier heights between the particles can be reduced by increasing the drain-to-source voltage and the gate-to-source voltage. The changes in the barrier height are discussed with respect to information obtained by scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence measurements. It is found that a reduction of surface states and a lower roughness at the interface between the particle layer and the gate dielectric lead to lower barrier heights. Both surface termination and layer morphology at the interface affect the barrier height and thus are the main criteria for mobility improvement and device optimization.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structure and optical band gaps of (Ba,Sr)SnO{sub 3} films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Epitaxial growth of (Ba{sub x}Sr{sub 1−x})SnO{sub 3} films with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 using molecular beam epitaxy is reported. It is shown that SrSnO{sub 3} films can be grown coherently strained on closely lattice and symmetry matched PrScO{sub 3} substrates. The evolution of the optical band gap as a function of composition is determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The direct band gap monotonously decreases with x from to 4.46 eV (x = 0) to 3.36 eV (x = 1). A large Burnstein-Moss shift is observed with La-doping of BaSnO{sub 3} films. The shift corresponds approximately to the increase in Fermi level and is consistent with the low conduction band mass.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Solid–Liquid Phase Transition in the Octadecanoic Acid Film Adsorbed on the Toluene–Water Interface

The structure of the soluble protonated (pH = 2) octadecanoic acid film adsorbed on the saturated hydrocarbon (n-hexane)–water and aromatic hydrocarbon (toluene)–water interfaces is studied by X-ray reflectometry using synchrotron radiation. The experimental data demonstrate that a solid phase of a Gibbs monolayer 26 ± 1 Å thick, in which aliphatic tails are perpendicular to the surface and the area per molecule is A = 18 ± 2 Å{sup 2}, is formed in the film at the n-hexane–water interface. The solid monolayer on the toluene–water interface in the adsorbed film melts when temperature increases, and this transition is caused by disordering of the hydrocarbon tails of the acid. During the solid–liquid transition, the Gibbs monolayer thickness remains almost the same, 22 ± 1 Å. In the solid phase, we have A = 20 ± 2 Å{sup 2}, and the angle of deviation of the molecular tails from the normal to the surface is about 30°. The density of the liquid monolayer phase with A = 24 ± 2 Å{sup 2} corresponds to liquid n-octadecane.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Long-wavelength sensitivity limit in MBE-grown PbSnTe:In films: Correlation with the film structure and composition

PbSnTe:In films with a long-wavelength sensitivity limit of over 20 μm and low “dark” conductivity are studied. The spectral dependences of the photoconductivity obtained at different temperatures using a Fourier spectrometer are compared with data on the film composition determined by X-ray microanalysis. The established nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the long-wavelength sensitivity limit is attributed to the combination of the temperature dependence of the PbSnTe band gap and the Burstein–Moss effect making the largest contribution to low-temperature measurements due to the long lifetime of excess charge carriers. It is shown that the difference between the band-gap values determined from the measured composition and temperature dependences of the long-wavelength sensitivity limit can be related to the inhomogeneity of the composition of the films grown by molecular beam epitaxy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Influence of Film Thickness on Annealing-Induced Grain Growth in Pt Films

Pt films with thickness h = 20–100 nm deposited on oxidized с-Si(100) substrate have been subjected to vacuum annealing at 500°C for 1 h, which resulted in recrystallization and growth of grains. Simultaneously with the normal growth of grains, abnormal grain growth has been observed, as a result of which the grains have separated in normal and secondary grains. For h = 20–40 nm, the secondary grains become much larger than the normal ones and the grain lateral size distribution therefore becomes bimodal. It has been shown that the abnormal grain growth rate increases with decreasing h, whereas the normal grain growth rate is independent of h. From the Pt(111) and Pt(222) X-ray diffraction peaks analysis it follows that the mean size D of coherently diffracting domains increases as a result of annealing. In the annealed films, D sublinearly grows with h, whereas in the as-prepared films, D grows linearly.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structure property relationships in gallium oxide thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition [Structure property relationships in Ga 2 O 3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition]

Beta-gallium oxide (β-Ga 2 O 3 ) is of increasing interest to the optoelectronic community for transparent conductor and power electronic applications. Considerable variability exists in the literature on the growth and doping of Ga 2 O 3 films, especially as a function of growth approach, temperature, and oxygen partial pressure. Here pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was used to grow high-quality β-Ga 2 O 3 films on (0001) sapphire and (–201) Ga 2 O 3 single crystals and to explore the growth, stability, and dopability of these films as function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. As a result, there is a strong temperature dependence to the phase formation, morphology, and electronic properties of β-Ga 2 O 3 from 350 to 550 °C.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Thick Films acoustic sensors devoted to MTR environment measurements. Thick Films acoustic sensors devoted to Material Testing Reactor environment measurements

The development of advanced instrumentation for in-pile experiments in Material Testing Reactor constitutes a main goal for the improvement of the nuclear fuel behavior knowledge. An acoustic method for fission gas release detection was tested with success during a first experiment called REMORA 3 in 2010 and 2011, and the results were used to differentiate helium and fission gas release kinetics under transient operating conditions. This experiment was lead at OSIRIS reactor (CEA Saclay, France). The maximal temperature on the sensor during the irradiation was about 150 deg. C. In this paper we present a thick film transducer produce by screen printing process. The screen printing of piezoelectric offers a wide range of possible applications for the development of acoustic sensors and piezoelectric structure for measurements in high temperature environment. We firstly produced a Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) based paste composed of Pz27 powder from Ferroperm, CF7575 glass, and organic solvent ESL 400. Likewise a Bismuth Titanate based paste synthesized in our laboratory was produced. With these inks we produced thick film up to 130 μm by screen printing process. Material properties characterizations of these thick-film resonators are essential for device design and applications. The piezoelectric coefficients d33 and pyro-electric P(T) coefficient are investigated. The highest P(T) and d33 are respectively 80 μC.m{sup -2}.K{sup -1} and 130 μC.N{sup -1} for the PZT transducer -which validates the fabrication process-. In view of the development of this transducer oriented for high temperature and irradiation environment, we investigated the electrical properties of the transducers for different ranges of frequencies and temperature - from 20 Hz up to 40 MHz between 30 and 400 deg. C. We highlight the evolution of the impedance response and piezoelectric parameters of screen printed piezoelectric structures on alumina. Shortly an irradiation will be realized in order to investigate their reliability towards neutron fluence. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Structural Manipulation of Phase Transitions by Self‐Induced Strain in Geometrically Confined Thin Films

Strain engineering is a well-known method often used to tune material properties in thin films. The most studied sources of strain are lattice mismatch and differential thermal contraction between the substrate and film. However, in materials which undergo a structural phase transition (SPT), a third and often overlooked source of strain may play a very significant role. If the substrate confines the area of the film, the SPT may induce stress which changes the evolution of the transition. This is a 2D analog of the isochoric phase transition between water and ice, where the freezing point drops below 0 °C. To illustrate this, the prototypical Mott insulator V 2 O 3 which has an SPT coupled to a metal–insulator transition is used to show how self-induced strain can drastically alter structural and electronic properties. This effect provides an elegant approach for mapping the phase diagram of the SPT and the transitions coupled to it. Moreover, the magnitude of self-straining is tunable by modifying the substrate morphology. Furthermore, this effect may be important for numerous materials which exhibit an SPT and are subjected to geometrical constraints.

Kalcheim, Yoav↗
DOE OSTI2016

Combining Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Sheets and MoS 2 : A Unique Film–Foam–Film Structure for Enhanced Lithium Storage

With a notable advantage in terms of capacity, molybdenum disulfide has been considered a promising anode material for building high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. However, its intrinsically low electronic conductivity and unstable electrochemistry lead to poor cycling stability and inferior rate performance. We herein describe the scalable assembly of free-standing MoS 2 –graphene composite films consisting of nitrogen-doped graphene and ultrathin honeycomb-like MoS 2 nanosheets. The composite has a unique film–foam–film hierarchical top-down architecture from the macroscopic to the microscopic and the nanoscopic scale, which helps rendering the composite material highly compact and leads to rapid ionic/electronic access to the active material, while also accommodating the volume variation of the sulfide upon intercalation/deintercalation of Li. The unique structural merits of the composite lead to enhanced lithium storage.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Room Temperature Phase Transition in Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite Thin Films Induced by Hydrohalic Acid Additives

Abstract Although reactive additives have been employed in perovskite solar cells to enhance film morphology and significantly increase device performance, little is known about the effect of these additives on perovskite structural and optical properties. Here we report a systematic study of how the properties of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 ) are influenced by hydrohalic acid additives (HX; X=I, Br, Cl) in the precursor solution. Detailed structural and optical spectroscopic analysis reveals that all three acids affect the optical properties and alter the unit cell lattice parameters. Depending on the identity and concentration of HX, optical bandgaps widen or compress: addition of HBr yields a wider bandgap, whereas HI compresses the gap at high concentrations; HCl, on the other hand, has no significant effect on the bandgap. These changes can be understood by correlating them with the types of defects present in polycrystalline perovskite thin films in combination with the structural strain induced in very small crystallites. The presence of extra halides from HX in the precursor solution enables filling of the lattice vacancies in the perovskite, thereby altering metal–halogen–metal bond connectivity and consequently cell volumes and optical bandgaps. Remarkably, a room temperature tetragonal→cubic phase transition is observed for CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 films treated with high HX concentrations. Further insights into this anomalous phase transformation are obtained from in situ variable‐temperature X‐ray diffraction in the 25–55 °C (298–328 K) range, revealing a monotonic fall in transition temperature with increasing precursor solution HX concentration.

Soe, Chan Myae Myae↗
DOE OSTI2014

Synthesis of highly dispersed, block copolymer‐grafted TiO 2 nanoparticles within neat block copolymer films

ABSTRACT The objective of the study is to formulate exclusive block copolymer (BCP) nanocomposites by dispersing bcp end‐grafted nanoparticles (bcp‐ g ‐nps) of PMMA‐ b ‐PS‐ g ‐TiO 2 within PS‐ b ‐PMMA matrix. PMMA‐ b ‐PS‐ g ‐TiO 2 is synthesized using a “grafting‐to” approach and characterized by XPS and TGA to establish that the copolymer chains were bonded to NPs. Good dispersion of bcp‐ g ‐nps in PMMA and PS‐PMMA bcp films is observed, in contrast to poor dispersion in PS films. In PS‐PMMA films, the compatible and identical bcp nature of the end‐grafted polymer, and large NP size caused it to span across entire PS‐PMMA domains. Poor and good dispersion in PS and PMMA matrices, respectively, can be rationalized by the fact that NPs interactions are driven by the PMMA at the outer corona of the bcp‐ g ‐nps. Developing bcp‐ g ‐nps as a strategic route to preparation of highly dispersed high permittivity NPs like titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) in bcp matrix can have important ramifications for energy storage devices. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53 , 468–478

Hailu, Shimelis T.↗