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At least 73 records · Page 4

Modulating Hole Transport in Multilayered Photocathodes with Derivatized p-Type Nickel Oxide and Molecular Assemblies for Solar-Driven Water Splitting

We report here a new photocathode composed of a bi-layered doped NiO film topped by a macro-mesoporous ITO (ioITO) layer with molecular assemblies attached to the ioITO surface. The NiO film containing a 2% K+ doped NiO inner layer and a 2% Cu2+ doped NiO outer layer provides sufficient driving force for hole transport after injection to NiO by the molecular assembly. The tri-layered oxide, NiK0.02O | NiCu0.02O | ioITO, sensitized by a ruthenium polypyridyl dye and functionalized with a nickel-based hydrogen evolution catalyst, outperforms its counterpart, NiO | NiO | ioITO, in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water over a period of several hours with a Faradaic yield of ~90%.

Shan, Bing↗

Fatigue of extracted lead zirconate titanate multilayer actuators under unipolar high field electric cycling

Testing of large prototype lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stacks presents substantial technical challenges to electronic testing systems, so an alternative approach that uses subunits extracted from prototypes has been pursued. Extracted 10-layer and 20-layer plate specimens were subjected to an electric cycle test under an electric field of 3.0/0.0 kV/mm, 100 Hz to 10{sup 8} cycles. The effects of measurement field level and stack size (number of PZT layers) on the fatigue responses of piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients were observed. On-line monitoring permitted examination of the fatigue response of the PZT stacks. The fatigue rate (based on on-line monitoring) and the fatigue index (based on the conductance spectrum from impedance measurement or small signal measurement) were developed to quantify the fatigue status of the PZT stacks. The controlling fatigue mechanism was analyzed against the fatigue observations. The data presented can serve as input to design optimization of PZT stacks and to operation optimization in critical applications, such as piezoelectric fuel injectors in heavy-duty diesel engines.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Quantitative first-principles theory of interface absorption in multilayer heterostructures

The unique chemical bonds and electronic states of interfaces result in optical properties that are different from those of the constituting bulk materials. In the nanoscale regime, the interface effects can be dominant and impact the optical response of devices. Using density functional theory (DFT), the interface effects can be calculated, but DFT is computationally limited to small systems. In this paper, we describe a method to combine DFT with macroscopic methodologies to extract the interface effect on absorption in a consistent and quantifiable manner. The extracted interface effects are an independent parameter and can be applied to more complicated systems. Finally, we demonstrate, using NiSi 2 /Si heterostructures, that by varying the relative volume fractions of interface and bulk, we can tune the spectral range of the heterostructure absorption.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ab initio modeling of zincblende AlN layer in Al-AlN-TiN multilayers

An unusual growth mechanism of metastable zincblende AlN thin film by diffusion of nitrogen atoms into Al lattice is established. Using first-principles density functional theory, we studied the possibility of thermodynamic stability of AlN as a zincblende phase due to epitaxial strains and interface effect, which fails to explain the formation of zincblende AlN. We then compared the formation energetics of rocksalt and zincblende AlN in fcc Al through direct diffusion of nitrogen atoms to Al octahedral and tetrahedral interstitials. The formation of a zincblende AlN thin film is determined to be a kinetically driven process, not a thermodynamically driven process.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Diagnosis of Factors Impacting Yield in Multilayer Devices for Superconducting Electronics

The ability to localize defects in order to understand failure mechanisms in complex superconducting electronics circuits, while operating at low temperature, does not yet exist. Here, this work applies thermally-induced voltage alteration (TIVA), to a biased superconducting electronics (SCE) circuit at ambient temperature. TIVA is a commonly used, laser-based failure analysis technique developed for silicon-based microelectronics. The non-operational circuit consisted of an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) in a high-frequency test bed designed at HYPRES and fabricated by MIT Lincoln Laboratory using their SFQ5ee process. Localized TIVA signals were correlated with reflected light images at the surface, and these sites were further investigated by scanning electron microscopy imaging of focused ion-beam cross-sections. The areas investigated, where prominent TIVA signals were observed, showed seams in the Nb wiring layers at contacts to Josephson junctions or inductors and/or disrupted junction morphologies. Finally, these results suggest that the TIVA technique can be used at ambient temperature to diagnose fabrication defects that may cause low temperature circuit failure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of Cr Spacer on Structural and Magnetic Properties of Fe/Gd Multilayers

Here, we analyze the role of a thin Cr spacer between Fe and Gd layers on the structure and magnetic properties of a [Fe(35 Å)/Cr(t Cr )/Gd(50 Å)/Cr(t Cr )] 12 superlattice. Samples without the Cr spacer (t Cr = 0) and with a thin spacer (t Cr = 4 Å) are investigated using X-ray diffraction, polarized neutron and resonance X-ray magnetic reflectometry, static magnetometry, magneto-optical Kerr effect, and ferromagnetic resonance techniques. Magnetic properties are studied experimentally in a wide temperature range 4–300 K and analyzed theoretically using numerical simulation on the basis of the mean-field model. We show that a reasonable agreement with the experimental data can be obtained considering temperature dependence of the effective field parameter in gadolinium layers. In conclusion, the analysis of the experimental data shows that besides a strong reduction of the antiferromagnetic coupling between Fe and Gd, the introduction of Cr spacers into Fe/Gd superlattice leads to modification of both structural and magnetic characteristics of the ferromagnetic layers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗