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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 1,333 records · Page 74
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Electroactive functional hybrid layered nanocomposites

Two methodologies to build new nanostructured hybrid layered nanocomposites are presented. The first one involves the preparation of hybrid metal/polymer nanolayers (NLs) by combining two monolayer preparation techniques: Horizontal Precipitation Langmuir Blodgett method (HP-ML), for copolymer monolayers and sputter deposition technique, for Au NLs deposition. The second methodology is aimed to prepare regular arrays of nanopores, with diameter ranging between 40-100 nm, in ultra-thin films of electroactive polymers, to obtain embedded regular arrays of nanopores filled by a further electroactive organic component. The produced hybrid MLs have been characterized by means of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GI-XRD). In the first case, current-voltage (I-V) measurements demonstrate that the multilayers exhibit a bipolar conduction behaviour (electrons and holes carriers), with a peculiar transition in the nature of the majority carriers (from holes to electrons) above a threshold number of bilayers. In the second case, it is found that the degree of pore filling, as well as the polymer crystallinity can be easily modulated, prompting the tuning of the photoresponse of the nanocomposites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Preparation and electrical transport properties of quasi free standing bilayer graphene on SiC (0001) substrate by H intercalation

We investigate the temperature dependent electrical transport properties of quasi-free standing bilayer graphene on 4H-SiC (0001) substrate. Three groups of monolayer epitaxial graphene and corresponding quasi-free standing bilayer graphene with different crystal quality and layer number homogeneity are prepared. Raman spectroscopy and atomic-force microscopy are used to obtain their morphologies and layer number, and verify the complete translation of buffer layer into graphene. The highest room temperature mobility reaches 3700 cm{sup 2}/V·s for the quasi-free standing graphene. The scattering mechanism analysis shows that poor crystal quality and layer number inhomogeneity introduce stronger interacting of SiC substrate to the graphene layer and more impurities, which limit the carrier mobility of the quasi-free standing bilayer graphene samples.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

A simple and rapid method for high-resolution visualization of single-ion tracks

Prompt determination of spatial points of single-ion tracks plays a key role in high-energy particle induced-cancer therapy and gene/plant mutations. In this study, a simple method for the high-resolution visualization of single-ion tracks without etching was developed through the use of polyacrylic acid (PAA)-N, N’-methylene bisacrylamide (MBAAm) blend films. One of the steps of the proposed method includes exposure of the irradiated films to water vapor for several minutes. Water vapor was found to promote the cross-linking reaction of PAA and MBAAm to form a bulky cross-linked structure; the ion-track scars were detectable at a nanometer scale by atomic force microscopy. This study demonstrated that each scar is easily distinguishable, and the amount of generated radicals of the ion tracks can be estimated by measuring the height of the scars, even in highly dense ion tracks. This method is suitable for the visualization of the penumbra region in a single-ion track with a high spatial resolution of 50 nm, which is sufficiently small to confirm that a single ion hits a cell nucleus with a size ranging between 5 and 20 μm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Fabrication of Si(111) crystalline thin film on graphene by aluminum-induced crystallization

We report the fabrication of a Si(111) crystalline thin film on graphene by the aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) process. The AIC process of Si(111) on graphene is shown to be enhanced compared to that on an amorphous SiO{sub 2} substrate, resulting in a more homogeneous Si(111) thin film structure as revealed by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy measurements. Raman measurements confirm that the graphene is intact throughout the process, retaining its characteristic phonon spectrum without any appearance of the D peak. A red-shift of Raman peaks, which is more pronounced for the 2D peak, is observed in graphene after the crystallization process. It is found to correlate with the red-shift of the Si Raman peak, suggesting an epitaxial relationship between graphene and the adsorbed AIC Si(111) film with both the graphene and Si under tensile strain.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structural properties of ZnO:Al films produced by the sol–gel technique

ZnO:Al films are produced by sol–gel deposition at temperatures of 350–550°C, using different types of reagents. Atomic-force microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and optical transmittance measurements are used to study the dependence of the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the ZnO:Al coatings on the conditions of deposition. The optical conditions for the production of ZnO:Al layers with preferred orientation in the [001] direction and distinguished by small surface roughness are established. The layers produced in the study possess optical transmittance at a level of up to 95% in a wide spectral range and can be used in optoelectronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Characterization of Etch Pit Formation via the Everson-Etching Method on CdZnTe Crystal Surfaces from the Bulk to the Nano-Scale

A combination of atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy, and mass spectrometry was employed to study CdZnTe crystal surface and used etchant solution following exposure of the CdZnTe crystal to the Everson etch solution. We discuss the results of these studies in relationship to the initial surface preparation methods, the performance of the crystals as radiation spectrometers, the observed etch pit densities, and the chemical mechanism of surface etching. Our results show that the surface features that are exposed to etchants result from interactions with the chemical components of the etchants as well as pre-existing mechanical polishing.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Imaging Phase Segregation in Nanoscale Li x CoO 2 Single Particles

Li x CoO 2 (LCO) is a common battery cathode material that has recently emerged as a promising material for other applications including electrocatalysis and as electrochemical random access memory (ECRAM). During charge– discharge cycling LCO exhibits phase transformations that are significantly complicated by electron correlation. While the bulk phase diagram for an ensemble of battery particles has been studied extensively, it remains unclear how these phases scale to nanometer dimensions and the effects of strain and diffusional anisotropy at the single-particle scale. Understanding these effects is critical to modeling battery performance and for predicting the scalability and performance of electrocatalysts and ECRAM. Here we investigate isolated, epitaxial LiCoO 2 islands grown by pulsed laser deposition. After electrochemical cycling of the islands, conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) is used to image the spatial distribution of conductive and insulating phases. Above 20 nm island thicknesses, we observe a kinetically arrested state in which the phase boundary is perpendicular to the Li-planes; we propose a model and present image analysis results that show smaller LCO islands have a higher conductive fraction than larger area islands, and the overall conductive fraction is consistent with the lithiation state. Thinner islands (14 nm), with a larger surface to volume ratio, are found to exhibit a striping pattern, which suggests surface energy can dominate below a critical dimension. When increasing force is applied through the AFM tip to strain the LCO islands, significant shifts in current flow are observed, and underlying mechanisms for this behavior are discussed. The c-AFM images are compared with photoemission electron microscopy images, which are used to acquire statistics across hundreds of particles. Finally, the results indicate that strain and morphology become more critical to electrochemical performance as particles approach nanometer dimensions.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Transfer of Graphene CVD to Surface of Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) Films: Effect on Biodegradation Process

Here, the influence of graphene as a coating on the biodegradation process for two different polymers is investigated, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) (biodegradable) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (non-biodegradable). Chemical vapor deposition graphene was transferred to the surface of two types of polymers using the Direct Dry Transfer technique. Polymer films, coated and uncoated with graphene, were buried in a maturated soil for up to 180 days. The films were analyzed before and after exposure to microorganisms in order to obtain information about the integrity of the graphene (Raman Spectroscopy), the biodegradation mechanism of the polymer (molecular weight and loss of weight), and surface changes of the films (atomic force microscopy and contact angle). The results prove that the graphene coating acted as a material to control the biodegradation process the PBAT underwent, while the LDPE covered by graphene only had changes in the surface properties of the film due to the accumulation of solid particles. Polymer films coated with graphene may allow the production of a material that can control the microbiological degradation, opening new possibilities in biodegradable polymer packaging. Regarding the possibility of graphene functionalization, the coating can also be selective for specific microorganisms attached to the surface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Substituted copper phthalocyanine/multiwalled carbon nanotubes hybrid material for Cl{sub 2} sensing application

In this work, hybrid of soluble copper phthalocyanine (CuPcOC{sub 8}) and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has been synthesized. The formation of CuPcOC{sub 8}-MWCNTs hybrid is confirmed by atomic force microscopy, UV-Visible and FTIR spectroscopy. Subsequently, a chemi-resistive sensor is fabricated by drop casting CuPcOC{sub 8}-MWCNTs hybrid onto glass substrate. It has been demonstrated that CuPcOC{sub 8}-MWCNTs hybrid is highly selective towards Cl{sub 2} gas with minimum detection limit of 100 ppb. The response of sensor increases linearly with increase in the concentration of Cl{sub 2} gas. For 2000 ppb of Cl{sub 2}, CuPcOC{sub 8}-MWCNTs hybrid gives a response as large as 53% in 40 seconds.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of substrate temperature on structural and optical properties of nitrogen doped SnO{sub 2} thin film

Nitrogen doped SnO{sub 2}thin films (thickness ∼ 250 nm) were deposited at different substrate temperature by radio frequency (rf) sputtering method. Crystal structure, morphology and optical properties of these films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer, respectively. XRD measurement suggests that the film deposited at room temperature was amorphous in nature and films deposited at higher temperature were crystalline in nature. The film deposited at RT and 200 °C have transparency more than 90% in visible region but the film deposited at 400 °C has lesser transparency. Red shift was observed in the absorption edge may be due to decrease in ionicity due to the formation of the Sn-N bond.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Enhanced UV detection by non-polar epitaxial GaN films

Nonpolar a-GaN (11-20) epilayers were grown on r-plane (1-102) sapphire substrates using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. High resolution x-ray diffractometer confirmed the orientation of the grown film. Effect of the Ga/N ratio on the morphology and strain of a-GaN epilayers was compared and the best condition was obtained for the nitrogen flow of 1 sccm. Atomic force microscopy was used to analyze the surface morphology while the strain in the film was quantitatively measured using Raman spectroscopy and qualitatively analyzed by reciprocal space mapping technique. UV photo response of a-GaN film was measured after fabricating a metal-semiconductor-metal structure over the film with gold metal. The external quantum efficiency of the photodetectors fabricated in the (0002) polar and (11-20) nonpolar growth directions were compared in terms of responsivity and nonpolar GaN showed the best sensitivity at the cost of comparatively slow response time.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of substrate rotation on domain structure and magnetic relaxation in magnetic antidot lattice arrays

Microdimensional triangular magnetic antidot lattice arrays were prepared by varying the speed of substrate rotation. The pre-deposition patterning has been performed using photolithography technique followed by a post-deposition lift-off. Surface morphology taken by atomic force microscopy depicted that the growth mechanism of the grains changes from chain like formation to island structures due to the substrate rotation. Study of magnetization reversal via magneto optic Kerr effect based microscopy revealed reduction of uniaxial anisotropy and increase in domain size with substrate rotation. The relaxation measured under constant magnetic field becomes faster with rotation of the substrate during deposition. The nature of relaxation for the non-rotating sample can be described by a double exponential decay. However, the relaxation for the sample with substrate rotation is well described either by a double exponential or a Fatuzzo-Labrune like single exponential decay, which increases in applied field.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Cyclic Thermal Oxidation Evaluation to Improve Ti6Al4V Surface in Applications as Biomaterial

Thermal oxidation treatments are widely used to modify titanium surfaces. Thermally oxidized titanium alloys are used as biomaterials due to their better surface properties, such as corrosion resistance. However, the use of cyclic thermal treatment for this purpose has not yet been reported. This paper’s objective was to compare roughness, microhardness and corrosion resistance after cyclic and conventional isothermal heat treatments in a Ti6Al4V alloy. The heat treatments were performed over a period of 24 h with a maximum temperature of 650 °C, and cyclic conditions were executed from 200 to 400 °C for 48 cycles, each lasting 0.5 h. After the thermal treatments, roughness was measured through profilometer and atomic force microscopy, Vickers microhardness was evaluated, and polarization corrosion tests were performed in simulated body fluid. All treatments increased surface roughness, microhardness and corrosion resistance at 500 mV above open-circuit potential in polarization tests, compared to the material without oxidation. These results are associated with rutile formation, observed through XRD analysis. Although the isothermal and cyclic treatments presented similar behaviors, the 650-200 °C cyclic heat treatment provided an intermediate roughness and produced a slightly better corrosion resistance, demonstrating that cyclic thermal treatments are a viable alternative for improving titanium alloy surface properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electronic and magnetic properties of (1 1 1)-oriented CoCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} epitaxial thin film

We report on the fabrication of high quality (1 1 1)-oriented ferrimagnetic normal spinel CoCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} epitaxial thin films on single crystal Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates. The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties were characterized by in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, dc magnetization measurement, and element resolved resonant X-ray magnetic scattering. The comprehensive characterization reveals that no disorder in the cation distribution or multivalency issue is present in the samples. As a result, Kagomé and triangular layers are naturally formed via this specific growth approach. These findings offer a pathway to fabricate two dimensional Kagomé heterostructures with exotic quantum many-body phenomena by means of geometrical design.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Photovoltaic properties of Aurivillius phase Bi{sub 5}FeTi{sub 3}O{sub 15} thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

We report a remarkable photovoltaic effect in pulsed laser deposited multiferroic aurivillius phase Bi{sub 5}FeTi{sub 3}O{sub 15} (BFTO) thin films sandwiched between ZnO:Al transparent conductive oxide top electrode and SrRuO{sub 3} bottom electrode fabricated on amorphous fused silica substrates. The structural and micro structural properties of these films were analysed by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy techniques. The films were showing a photo sensitive ferroelectric behaviour with a notable apparent polarization in the range of 10–15 μC/cm{sup 2}. These films also exhibited a switchable photo-response and this parameter was observed to be sensitive to polarisation field and the polarization direction. The device shows a large ON/OFF photo current ratio with an open circuit voltage of 0.14 V. The photo response at zero bias of this BFTO based heterostructures showed rapid increase to a saturation value of 6 μA at zero bias.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Growth of ultrathin Bi 2 Se 3 films by molecular beam epitaxy

Bi 2 Se 3 is a widely studied 3D topological insulator having potential applications in optics, electronics, and spintronics. When the thickness of these films decreases to less than approximately 6 nm, the top and bottom surface states couple, resulting in the opening of a small gap at the Dirac point. In the 2D limit, Bi 2 Se 3 may exhibit quantum spin Hall states. However, growing coalesced ultrathin Bi 2 Se 3 films with a controllable thickness and typical triangular domain morphology in the few nanometer range is challenging. Here, we explore the growth of Bi 2 Se 3 films having thicknesses down to 4 nm on sapphire substrates using molecular beam epitaxy that were then characterized with Hall measurements, atomic force microscopy, and Raman imaging. We find that substrate pretreatment—growing and decomposing a few layers of Bi 2 Se 3 before the actual deposition—is critical to obtaining a completely coalesced film. In addition, higher growth rates and lower substrate temperatures led to improvement in surface roughness, in contrast to what is observed for conventional epitaxy. Altogether, coalesced ultrathin Bi 2 Se 3 films with lower surface roughness enable thickness-dependent studies across the transition from a 3D-topological insulator to one with gapped surface states in the 2D regime.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Assembly and Characterization ofWell-DefinedHigh-Molecular-Weight Poly(p-phenylene) Polymer Brushes

The assembly and characterization of well-de ned, end-tethered poly- (p-phenylene) (PPP) brushes having high molecular weight, low polydispersity and high 1,4-stereoregularity are presented. The PPP brushes are formed using a precursor route that relies on either self-assembly or spin coating of high molecular weight (degrees of poly- merizations 54, 146, and 238) end-functionalized poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene) (PCHD) chains from benzene solutions onto silicon or quartz substrates, followed by aromatization of the end-attached PCHD chains on the surface. The approach allows the thickness (grafting density) of the brushes to be easily varied. The dry brushes before and after aromatization are characterized by ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, grazing angle attenuated total re ectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectros- copy. The properties of the PPP brushes are compared with those of lms made using oligo- paraphenylenes and with ab initio density functional theory simulations of optical proper- ties. Our results suggest conversion to fully aromatized, end-tetheredPPPpolymerbrusheshaving eective conjugation lengths of 5 phenyl units.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Unstable kinetic roughening during the island coalescence stage of sputtered tantalum films

Kinetic roughening of tantalum films during the initial growth stages has been studied by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic scaling theory. Different from the time-independent scaling behavior for continuous film growth, an intriguing unstable kinetic roughening occurs during island coalescence. In such case, roughness exponent {alpha} increases with growth time, accompanied by lower growth exponent {beta} and higher coarsening exponent {eta}. Detailed analysis of film surface morphology and simple phenomenological models suggests that this unstable behavior is related to the pronounced lateral growth of surface islands, which arises from the combined effect of the formation of grain boundary and the covering of heterogeneous substrate surface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗