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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.

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At least 685 records · Page 38
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Structure-property relations in amorphous carbon for photovoltaics

Carbon is emerging as a material with great potential for photovoltaics (PV). However, the amorphous form (a-C) has not been studied in detail as a PV material, even though it holds similarities with amorphous Silicon (a-Si) that is widely employed in efficient solar cells. In this work, we correlate the structure, bonding, stoichiometry, and hydrogen content of a-C with properties linked to PV performance such as the electronic structure and optical absorption. We employ first-principles molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations to generate and analyze a set of a-C structures with a range of densities and hydrogen concentrations. We demonstrate that optical and electronic properties of interest in PV can be widely tuned by varying the density and hydrogen content. For example, sunlight absorption in a-C films can significantly exceed that of a same thickness of a-Si for a range of densities and H contents in a-C. Our results highlight promising features of a-C as the active layer material of thin-film solar cells.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Role of silicon excess in Er-doped silicon-rich nitride light emitting devices at 1.54 μm

Erbium-doped silicon-rich nitride electroluminescent thin-films emitting at 1.54 μm have been fabricated and integrated within a metal-oxide-semiconductor structure. By gradually varying the stoichiometry of the silicon nitride, we uncover the role of silicon excess on the optoelectronic properties of devices. While the electrical transport is mainly enabled in all cases by Poole-Frenkel conduction, power efficiency and conductivity are strongly altered by the silicon excess content. Specifically, the increase in silicon excess remarkably enhances the conductivity and decreases the charge trapping; however, it also reduces the power efficiency. The main excitation mechanism of Er{sup 3+} ions embedded in silicon-rich nitrides is discussed. The optimum Si excess that balances power efficiency, conductivity, and charge trapping density is found to be close to 16%.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Tunability of conduction at the LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} heterointerface: Thickness and compositional studies

The role of chemistry, film thickness, and oxygen pressure in influencing the electrical and thermal transport properties of LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} heterointerfaces is explored. Unit-cell precise growth was accomplished for films between 3 and 160 unit cells thick using reflection high-energy electron diffraction-assisted pulsed-laser deposition. Subsequent temperature-dependent studies of electrical resistivity reveal three important observations: (1) by tuning the laser fluence, we can systematically tune the interfacial conductance in a step-wise manner in this system, (2) all films exhibit a critical thickness of 3–4 unit cells for the onset of conduction, and (3) the nature of the conductance is highly influenced by the stoichiometry of the LaAlO{sub 3} film with La-deficient samples showing dramatic changes with thickness, while stoichiometric and La-excess films show little dependence. Time-domain thermoreflectance studies show a diminished interfacial thermal conductance for the La-deficient films when compared to La-excess and stoichiometric films, suggesting that the interfacial conductance is more influenced by extrinsic factors such as oxygen deficiency.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Synthesis and in vacuo deposition of iron oxide nanoparticles by microplasma-assisted decomposition of ferrocene

Microplasma-assisted gas-phase nucleation has emerged as an important new approach to produce high-purity, nanometer-sized, and narrowly dispersed particles. This study aims to integrate this technique with vacuum conditions to enable synthesis and deposition in an ultrahigh vacuum compatible environment. The ultimate goal is to combine nanoparticle synthesis with photoemission spectroscopy-based electronic structure analysis. Such measurements require in vacuo deposition to prevent surface contamination from sample transfer, which can be deleterious for nanoscale materials. A homebuilt microplasma reactor was integrated into an existing atomic layer deposition system attached to a surface science multi-chamber system equipped with photoemission spectroscopy. As proof-of-concept, we studied the decomposition of ferrocene vapor in the microplasma to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles. The injection parameters were optimized to achieve complete precursor decomposition under vacuum conditions, and nanoparticles were successfully deposited. The stoichiometry of the deposited samples was characterized in situ using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicating that iron oxide was formed. Additional transmission electron spectroscopy characterization allowed the determination of the size, shape, and crystal lattice of the particles, confirming their structural properties.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

GeO{sub 2}/Ge structure submitted to annealing in deuterium: Incorporation pathways and associated oxide modifications

Deuterium (D) incorporation in GeO{sub 2}/Ge structures following D{sub 2} annealing was investigated. Higher D concentrations were obtained for GeO{sub 2}/Ge samples in comparison to their SiO{sub 2}/Si counterparts annealed in the same conditions. Oxygen vacancies produced during the annealing step in D{sub 2} constitute defect sites for D incorporation, analogous to defects at the SiO{sub 2}/Si interfacial region. Besides D incorporation, volatilization of the oxide layer is also observed as a consequence of D{sub 2} annealing, especially in the high temperature regime of the present study (>450 °C). In parallel to this volatilization, the stoichiometry and chemical structure of remnant oxide are modified as well. These results evidence the broader impact of forming gas annealing in dielectric/Ge structures with respect to SiO{sub 2}/Si counterparts.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Synthesis and spectral study of new azo dye and its iron complexes derived from 2-naphthol and 2-amino-3-hydroxypyridine

An azodye C{sub 5}H{sub 12}N{sub 3}O{sub 2} [LH] is synthesised by coupling diazotised 2-amino-3-hydroxy pyridine with 2-naphthol in ice cold condition. The Fe(II)and Fe(III) complexes were prepared by mixing ethanol solution of metal salt and azodye in 1:2 molar ratio. The dye and metal complexes are structurally characterised by elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility measurements and spectral techniques like IR, UV-Vis, and Mössbauer analysis. Analytical data suggests the stoichiometry as [FeL{sub 2}Cl(H{sub 2}O)] for Fe(III) complex and [FeL{sub 2}(H{sub 2}O)] for Fe(II) complex. The IR spectral data suggests that [L{sup −}] is acting as a uninegative bidentate ligand. A high spin octahedral geometry is tentatively proposed for both the complexes with respect to the above studies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Surface reconstructions in molecular beam epitaxy of SrTiO{sub 3}

We show that reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) can be used as a highly sensitive tool to track surface and resulting film stoichiometry in adsorption-limited molecular beam epitaxy of (001) SrTiO{sub 3} thin films. Even under growth conditions that yield films with a lattice parameter that is identical to that of stoichiometric bulk crystals within the detection limit of high-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD), changes in surface reconstruction occur from (1 × 1) to (2 × 1) to c(4 × 4) as the equivalent beam pressure of the Ti metalorganic source is increased. These surface reconstructions are correlated with a shift from mixed SrO/TiO{sub 2} termination to pure TiO{sub 2} termination. The crossover to TiO{sub 2} surface termination is also apparent in a phase shift in RHEED oscillations observed at the beginning of growth. Comparison with prior results for carrier mobilities of doped films shows that the best films are grown under conditions of a TiO{sub 2}-saturated surface [c(4 × 4) reconstruction] within the XRD growth window.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Novel phases of lithium-aluminum binaries from first-principles structural search

Intermetallic Li–Al compounds are on the one hand key materials for light-weight engineering, and on the other hand, they have been proposed for high-capacity electrodes for Li batteries. We determine from first-principles the phase diagram of Li–Al binary crystals using the minima hopping structural prediction method. Beside reproducing the experimentally reported phases (LiAl, Li{sub 3}Al{sub 2}, Li{sub 9}Al{sub 4}, LiAl{sub 3}, and Li{sub 2}Al), we unveil a structural variety larger than expected by discovering six unreported binary phases likely to be thermodynamically stable. Finally, we discuss the behavior of the elastic constants and of the electric potential profile of all Li–Al stable compounds as a function of their stoichiometry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electrophilic surface sites as precondition for the chemisorption of pyrrole on GaAs(001) surfaces

We report how the presence of electrophilic surface sites influences the adsorption mechanism of pyrrole on GaAs(001) surfaces. For this purpose, we have investigated the adsorption behavior of pyrrole on different GaAs(001) reconstructions with different stoichiometries and thus different surface chemistries. The interfaces were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and by reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy in a spectral range between 1.5 and 5 eV. On the As-rich c(4 × 4) reconstruction that exhibits only nucleophilic surface sites, pyrrole was found to physisorb on the surface without any significant modification of the structural and electronic properties of the surface. On the Ga-rich GaAs(001)-(4 × 2)/(6 × 6) reconstructions which exhibit nucleophilic as well as electrophilic surface sites, pyrrole was found to form stable covalent bonds mainly to the electrophilic (charge deficient) Ga atoms of the surface. These results clearly demonstrate that the existence of electrophilic surface sites is a crucial precondition for the chemisorption of pyrrole on GaAs(001) surfaces.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Record Seebeck coefficient and extremely low thermal conductivity in nanostructured SnSe

SnSe has been prepared by arc-melting, as mechanically robust pellets, consisting of highly oriented polycrystals. This material has been characterized by neutron powder diffraction (NPD), scanning electron microscopy, and transport measurements. A microscopic analysis from NPD data demonstrates a quite perfect stoichiometry SnSe{sub 0.98(2)} and a fair amount of anharmonicity of the chemical bonds. The Seebeck coefficient reaches a record maximum value of 668 μV K{sup −1} at 380 K; simultaneously, this highly oriented sample exhibits an extremely low thermal conductivity lower than 0.1 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1} around room temperature, which are two of the main ingredients of good thermoelectric materials. These excellent features exceed the reported values for this semiconducting compound in single crystalline form in the moderate-temperatures region and highlight its possibilities as a potential thermoelectric material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spin-modified catalysis

First-principle calculations are used to explore the use of magnetic degrees of freedom in catalysis. We use the Vienna Ab-Initio Simulation Package to investigate both L1{sub 0}-ordered FePt and CoPt bulk materials and perform supercell calculations for FePt nanoclusters containing 43 atoms. As the catalytic activity of transition-metal elements and alloys involves individual d levels, magnetic alloying strongly affects the catalytic performance, because it leads to shifts in the local densities of states and to additional peaks due to magnetic-moment formation. The peak shift persists in nanoparticles but is surface-site specific and therefore depends on cluster size. Our research indicates that small modifications in stoichiometry and cluster size are a useful tool in the search for new catalysts.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structural and optical investigations of oxygen defects in zinc oxide nanoparticles

ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared implementing chemical precipitation method. Structural and optical characterizations of synthesized ZnO NPs were thoroughly probed applying X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV- Visible absorption and fluorescence (FL) spectroscopy. The XRD and TEM analyses revealed hexagonal wurtzite phase with 25-30 nm size. EDX analysis indicated oxygen (O) rich composition of nanoparticles. In accordance with EDX, XPS analysis verifies O{sub i} rich stoichiometry of prepared NPs. Furthermore, concurrence of lattice oxygen (O{sub L}), interstitial oxygen (O{sub i}) and oxygen vacancy (V{sub O}) in ZnO NPs was demonstrated through XPS analysis. Size quantization of nanoparticles is evident by blue shift of UV-Visible absorption energy. The FL spectroscopic investigations ascertain the existence of several discrete and defect states and radiative transitions occurring therein. Display of visible emission from oxygen defect states and most importantly, excess of O{sub i} defects in prepared ZnO nanoparticles, was well established through FL study.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of doping of tin on optoelectronic properties of indium oxide: DFT study

Indium tin oxide is widely used transparent conductor. Experimentally observed that 6% tin doping in indium oxide is suitable for optoelectronic applications and more doping beyond this limit degrades the optoelectronic property. The stoichiometry (In{sub 32-x}Sn{sub x}O{sub 48+x/2}; x=0-6) is taken to understand the change in lattice parameter, electronic structure, and optical property of ITO. It is observed that lattice parameter increases and becomes constant after 6% tin doping that is in good agreement of the experimental observation. The electronic structure calculation shows that the high tin doping in indium oxide adversely affects the dispersive nature of the bottom of conduction band of pure indium oxide and decreases the carrier mobility. Optical calculations show that transmittance goes down upto 60% for the tin concentration more than 6%. The present paper shows that how more than 6% tin doping in indium oxide adversely affects the optoelectronic property of ITO.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Oxygen vacancy induced magnetization switching in Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} epitaxial ultrathin films on GaAs(100)

The magnetic and transport properties of half metallic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}, which are sensitive to the stoichiometry, are the key issue for applications in spintronics. An anomalous enlargement of the saturation magnetic moment is found in a relatively thick sample of epitaxial Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} film by post-growth oxidation method. The investigation of the thickness dependence of magnetic moment suggests that the enhanced magnetism moment may come from the existence of oxygen vacancies. First-principles calculations reveal that with oxygen vacancies in Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} crystal the spin of Fe ions in the tetrahedron site near the vacancy is much easier to switch parallel to the Fe ions in the octahedron site by temperature disturbance, supported by the temperature dependence of magnetic moment of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} films in experiment.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electronic and magnetic properties of off-stoichiometric Co{sub 2}Mn{sub β}Si/MgO interfaces studied by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

We have studied the electronic and magnetic states of Co and Mn atoms at the interface of the Co{sub 2}Mn{sub β}Si (CMS)/MgO (β = 0.69, 0.99, 1.15, and 1.29) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) by means of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. In particular, the Mn composition (β) dependences of the Mn and Co magnetic moments were investigated. The experimental spin magnetic moments of Mn, m{sub spin}(Mn), derived from x-ray magnetic circular dichroism weakly decreased with increasing Mn composition β in going from Mn-deficient to Mn-rich CMS films. This behavior was explained by first-principles calculations based on the antisite-based site-specific formula unit (SSFU) composition model, which assumes the formation of only antisite defect, not vacancies, to accommodate off-stoichiometry. Furthermore, the experimental spin magnetic moments of Co, m{sub spin}(Co), also weakly decreased with increasing Mn composition. This behavior was consistently explained by the antisite-based SSFU model, in particular, by the decrease in the concentration of Co{sub Mn} antisites detrimental to the half-metallicity of CMS with increasing β. This finding is consistent with the higher tunnel magnetoresistance ratios which have been observed for CMS/MgO/CMS MTJs with Mn-rich CMS electrodes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Carbon-rich hexagonal (BN)C alloys

Thin films of hexagonal boron nitride carbon, h-(BN){sub 1−x}(C{sub 2}){sub x}, alloys in the C-rich side have been synthesized by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on c-plane sapphire substrates. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed single hexagonal phase of h-(BN){sub 1−x}(C{sub 2}){sub x} epilayers. Electrical transport and Raman spectroscopy measurements results revealed evidences that homogenous h-(BN){sub 1−x}(C{sub 2}){sub x} alloys with x ≥ 95% can be synthesized by MOCVD at a growth temperature of 1300 °C. The variable temperature Hall-effect measurements suggested that a bandgap opening of about 93 meV with respect to graphite has been obtained for h-(BN){sub 1−x}(C{sub 2}){sub x} with x = 0.95, which is consistent with the expected value deduced from the alloy dependence of the energy gap of homogenous h-(BN){sub 1−x}(C{sub 2}){sub x} alloys. Atomic composition results obtained from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed that the carrier type in C-rich h-(BN){sub 1−x}(C{sub 2}){sub x} alloys is controlled by the stoichiometry ratio between the B and N via changing the V/III ratio during the growth. The demonstration of bandgap opening and conductivity control in C-rich h-(BN){sub 1−x}(C{sub 2}){sub x} alloys provide feasibilities for realizing technologically significant devices including infrared (IR) emitters and detectors active from near to far IR and multi-spectral IR emitters and detectors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Self-regulated growth of LaVO{sub 3} thin films by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy

LaVO{sub 3} thin films were grown on SrTiO{sub 3} (001) by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy. A volatile metalorganic precursor, vanadium oxytriisopropoxide (VTIP), and elemental La were co-supplied in the presence of a molecular oxygen flux. By keeping the La flux fixed and varying the VTIP flux, stoichiometric LaVO{sub 3} films were obtained for a range of cation flux ratios, indicating the presence of a self-regulated growth window. Films grown under stoichiometric conditions were found to have the largest lattice parameter, which decreased monotonically with increasing amounts of excess La or V. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering measurements were carried out to confirm film compositions. Stoichiometric growth of complex vanadate thin films independent of cation flux ratios expands upon the previously reported self-regulated growth of perovskite titanates using hybrid molecular beam epitaxy, thus demonstrating the general applicability of this growth approach to other complex oxide materials, where a precise control over film stoichiometry is demanded by the application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Origin of green luminescence in hydrothermally grown ZnO single crystals

Combining photoluminescence and positron annihilation studies of hydrothermally grown ZnO crystals with stoichiometry varied by controlled annealing enabled us to clarify the origin of green luminescence. It was found that green luminescence in ZnO has multiple origins and consists of a band at 2.3(1) eV due to recombination of electrons of the conduction band by zinc vacancy acceptors coupled with hydrogen and a band at 2.47(2) eV related to oxygen vacancies. The as-grown ZnO crystals contain zinc vacancies associated with hydrogen and exhibit a green luminescence at 2.3(1) eV. Annealing in Zn vapor removed zinc vacancies and introduced oxygen vacancies. This led to disappearance of the green luminescence band at 2.3(1) eV and appearance of a green emission at higher energy of 2.47(2) eV. Moreover, the color of the crystal was changed from colorless to dark red. In contrast, annealing of the as-grown crystal in Cd vapor did not remove zinc vacancies and did not cause any significant change of green luminescence nor change in coloration.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗