Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “thin oxide”

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 1,711 records · Page 95
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Electrically conductive nanostructured silver doped zinc oxide (Ag:ZnO) prepared by solution-immersion technique

p-type ZnO films have been fabricated on ZnO-seeded glass substrate, using AgNO{sub 3} as a source of silver dopant by facile solution-immersion. Cleaned glass substrate were seeded with ZnO by mist-atomisation, and next the seeded substrates were immersed in Ag:ZnO solution. The effects of Ag doping concentration on the Ag-doped ZnO have been investigated. The substrates were immersed in different concentrations of Ag dopant with variation of 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 at. %. The surface morphology of the films was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). In order to investigate the electrical properties, the films were characterized by Current-Voltage (I-V) measurement. FESEM micrographs showed uniform distribution of nanostructured ZnO and Ag:ZnO. Besides, the electrical properties of Ag-doped ZnO were also dependent on the doping concentration. The I-V measurement result indicated the electrical properties of 1 at. % Ag:ZnO thin film owned highest electrical conductivity.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Epitaxial growth of hexagonal BaNi O 3–δ thin films on SrTi O 3 (111) substrates

Transition metal oxides containing nickel species in oxidation states higher than 3+ often exhibit high catalytic activity, which makes them promising for applications as advanced electrocatalysts for water splitting and fuel cells. Here, we examine the structure and properties of BaNiO 3 (BNO) thin films, containing formally Ni 4+ , grown on SrTiO 3 (111) substrates using oxygen-plasma–assisted molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that BNO films have a hexagonal structure with $c$- and $a$-axes of mixed textures showing epitaxial relationships BNO (0001) ∥ SrTiO 3 (111) and BNO (10$\overline{1}$0) ∥ SrTi O 3 (111), respectively. The formation of the $a$-axis texture is dominant due to the smaller lattice mismatch with the substrate. Here, density functional theory calculations confirm that the hexagonal BNO film with the $a$-axis texture is energetically more favorable than the competing $c$-axis texture. Detailed spectroscopy data analysis indicates that hexagonal BNO films contain mixtures of Ni 2+ , Ni 3+ , and Ni 4+ species, with Ni 4+ being dominant. Our study provides insights into stabilizing Ni 4+ in complex oxides, which is important for further exploration of the potential of materials containing Ni 4+ .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Transmission type flat-panel X-ray source using ZnO nanowire field emitters

A transmission type flat-panel X-ray source in diode structure was fabricated. Large-scale patterned ZnO nanowires grown on a glass substrate by thermal oxidation were utilized as field emitters, and tungsten thin film coated on silica glass was used as the transmission anode. Uniform distribution of X-ray generation was achieved, which benefited from the uniform electron emission from ZnO nanowires. Self-ballasting effect induced by the intrinsic resistance of ZnO nanowire and decreasing of screening effect caused by patterned emitters account for the uniform emission. Characteristic X-ray peaks of W-L lines and bremsstrahlung X-rays have been observed under anode voltages at a range of 18–20 kV, the latter of which were the dominant X-ray signals. High-resolution X-ray images with spatial resolution less than 25 μm were obtained by the flat-panel X-ray source. The high resolution was attributed to the small divergence angle of the emitted X-rays from the transmission X-ray source.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1997

Strain-Rate-Free Diffusion Flames: Initiation, Properties, and Quenching

For about a half century, the stabilization of a steady planar deflagration on a heat-sink-type flat-flame burner has been of extraordinary service for the theoretical modeling and diagnostic probing of combusting gaseous mixtures. However, most engineering devices and most unwanted fire involve the burning of initially unmixed reactants. The most vigorous burning of initially separated gaseous fuel and oxidizer is the diffusion flame. In this useful idealization (limiting case), the reactants are converted to product at a mathematically thin interface, so no interpenetration of fuel and oxidizer occurs. This limit is of practical importance because it often characterizes the condition of optimal performance (and sometimes environmentally objectionable operation) of a combustor. A steady planar diffusion flame is most closely approached in the laboratory in the counterflow apparatus. The utility of this simple-strain-rate flow for the modeling and probing of diffusion flames was noted by Pandya and Weinberg 35 years ago, though only in the last decade or so has its use become internationally common place. However, typically, as the strain rate a is reduced below about 20 cm(exp -1), and the diffusion-flame limit (reaction rate much faster than the flow rate) is approached, the burning is observed to become unstable in earth gravity. The advantageous steady planar flow is not available in the diffusion-flame limit in earth gravity. This is unfortunate because the typical spatial scale in a counterflow is (k/a)(sup 1/2), where k denotes a characteristic diffusion coefficient; thus, the length scale becomes large, and the reacting flow is particularly amenable to diagnostic probing, as the diffusion-flame limit is approached. The disruption of planar symmetry is owing the fact that, as the strain rate a decreases, the residence time (l/a) of the throughput in the counterflow burner increases. Observationally, when the residence time exceeds about 50 msec, the inevitably present convective (Rayleigh-Benard) instabilities, associated with hot-under-cold (flame-under-fresh-reactant) stratification of fluid in a gravitational field, have time to grow to finite amplitude during transit of the burner.

Fendell, Francis↗
DOE OSTI2014

Highly conductive PEDOT:PSS on flexible substrate as ITO-free anode for polymer solar cells

In this work, highly conductive anode based on PEDOT:PSS is proposed as substitute of Indio-Tin Oxide (ITO) in flexible solar cells. The anodic conductive polymer was spin coated on a 125 μm thick polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrate. The obtained film was characterized in terms of structure and physical- chemical proprieties. The obtained results are very promising and the conductive film will be investigated in future as electrode in a complete polymeric solar cell.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Surface enhanced performance of La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3-δ cathodes by infiltration Pr-Ni-Mn-O progress

Herein the present study reports the enhancement of electrochemical oxygen reduction activity of porous La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3–δ (LSCF) cathodes by coating a thin film of Pr-Ni-Mn oxide (PNM5) using a multi-step infiltration process. XRD examination reveals that PNM5 mainly contains a multiphase mixture of Pr 6 O 11 , PrNiO 3 , MnO and NiO. SEM morphology shows a thin PNM5 film and small particles are formed on the surface of LSCF backbone particles. Impedance spectrum analysis indicates that PNM5 infiltrated LSCF exhibits dramatically reduced polarization resistance (R p ), reaching R p of 0.244 Ω cm 2 at 973 K, which is one-half of the baseline LSCF cathode. The activation energy of LSCF cathodes infiltrated with PNM5 is 1.45 eV, slightly lower than the baseline LSCF cathode (1.77 eV). Distribution of relaxation time (DRT) function analysis shows PNM5 infiltration layer significantly promotes the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of cathode surface. With the increase in firing temperature, the total resistance increases and R p changes from ion transport to oxygen reduction reaction. Degradation rate of the PNM5-infiltrated LSCF is also lower, 0.02168% vs 0.07093% for the baseline LSCF over a 200-h period. A single cell testing indicated that the peak power density of the PNM5-infiltrated cell was increased by 140.66%. Overall, PNM5 could be a potential catalyst for boosting the performance of a commercial LSCF cathode for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Organic photovoltaic cells with controlled polarization sensitivity

In this study, we demonstrate linearly polarized organic photovoltaic cells with a well-controlled level of polarization sensitivity. The polarized devices were created through the application of a large uniaxial strain to the bulk heterojunction poly(3-hexylthiophene):Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) film and printing the plastically deformed active layer onto a PEDOT:PSS and indium tin oxide coated glass substrate. The P3HT:PCBM layer is processed such that it is able to accommodate high strains (over 100%) without fracture. After printing the strained films, thermal annealing is used to optimize solar cell performance while maintaining polarization sensitivity. A dichroic ratio and short circuit current ratio of ≈6.1 and ≈1.6 were achieved, respectively.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

A controllable IC-compatible thin-film fuse realized using electro-explosion

A controllable IC-compatible thin-film fuse was developed that had Al/SiO{sub 2} thin-film stacks on a silicon substrate. The micro fuse has both a traditional mode and a controllable mode when applied as a fuse. It blows at 800 mA and 913.8 mV in the traditional mode. In the controllable mode, it blows within 400 ns at 10 V. It can be used for small electronic elements as well as electropyrotechnic initiators to improve the no-firing current.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Effect of Shot Peening on Steam Oxidation of 304H Stainless Steel

Shot peening is currently utilized in coal-fired power plant components to mitigate scale exfoliation issues from steamside oxidation of austenitic stainless steel superheater and reheater tubing. To focus on commercially available material, this study exposed quarter-ring specimens cut from two different commercially shot peened type 304H tubes and exposed to 1 bar steam for up to 15,000 h at 550°, 600°, 625°, and 650 °C. Specimens were removed at increments to characterize the oxide thickness and microstructure. The shot peened inner surface generally retained a thin, protective Cr-rich scale with occasional Fe-rich oxide nodules at 550–625 °C. The increased oxidation resistance from shot peening began to degrade at 650 °C after as little as 5,000 h. Cut and polished faces of these specimens formed thick, Fe-rich oxides similar to polished 304H coupons. Surprisingly, the mechanically machined outer surface of the tube specimens performed similarly to the shot peened inner diameter, suggesting it had sufficient cold work to achieve a similar benefit. As a result, electron backscatter diffraction and Vickers-hardness measurements were used to characterize post-exposure changes in underlying microstructure and mechanical properties, respectively, imparted by shot peening.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

SnO 2 Nanostructured Thin Films for Room-Temperature Gas Sensing of Volatile Organic Compounds

Here, we demonstrated room-temperature gas sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using SnO 2 nanostructured thin films grown via the aerosol chemical vapor deposition process at deposition temperatures ranging from 450 to 600 °C. We investigated the film’s sensing response to the presence of three classes of VOCs: apolar, monopolar, and biopolar. The synthesis process was optimized, with the most robust response observed for films grown at 550 °C as compared to other temperatures. The role of film morphology, exposed surface planes, and oxygen defects were explored using experimental techniques and theoretical calculations to improve the understanding of the room-temperature gas sensing mechanism, which is proposed to be through the direct adsorption of VOCs on the sensor surface. Overall, the improved understanding of the material characteristics that enable room-temperature sensing gained in this work will be beneficial for the design and application of metal oxide gas sensors at room temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Role of Electrical Double Layer Structure in Ionic Liquid Gated Devices

Ionic liquid gating of transition metal oxides has enabled new states (magnetic, electronic, metal–insulator), providing fundamental insights into the physics of strongly correlated oxides. However, despite much research activity, little is known about the correlation of the structure of the liquids in contact with the transition metal oxide surface, its evolution with the applied electric potential, and its correlation with the measured electronic properties of the oxide. Here, we investigate the structure of an ionic liquid at a semiconducting oxide interface during the operation of a thin film transistor where the electrical double layer gates the device using experiment and theory. We show that the transition between the ON and OFF states of the amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide transistor is accompanied by a densification and preferential spatial orientation of counterions at the oxide channel surface. This process occurs in three distinct steps, corresponding to ion orientations, and consequently, regimes of different electrical conductivity. The reason for this can be found in the surface charge densities on the oxide surface when different ion arrangements are present. Overall, the field-effect gating process is elucidated in terms of the interfacial ionic liquid structure, and this provides unprecedented insight into the working of a liquid gated transistor linking the nanoscopic structure to the functional properties. This knowledge will enable both new ionic liquid design as well as advanced device concepts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Temperature dependence of the dielectric function in the spectral range (0.5–8.5) eV of an In{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin film

We present the dielectric function of a bcc-In{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin film in the wide spectral range from near-infrared to vacuum-ultraviolet and for temperatures 10 K–300 K, determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. From the temperature dependence of electronic transition energies, we derive electron-phonon coupling properties and found hints that the direct parabolic band-band transitions involve In-d states. Further we discuss possible excitonic contributions to the dielectric function.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effect of top electrode material on radiation-induced degradation of ferroelectric thin film structures

The effects of gamma irradiation on the dielectric and piezoelectric responses of Pb[Zr{sub 0.52}Ti{sub 0.48}]O{sub 3} (PZT) thin film stacks were investigated for structures with conductive oxide (IrO{sub 2}) and metallic (Pt) top electrodes. The samples showed, generally, degradation of various key dielectric, ferroelectric, and electromechanical responses when exposed to 2.5 Mrad (Si) {sup 60}Co gamma radiation. However, the low-field, relative dielectric permittivity, ε{sub r}, remained largely unaffected by irradiation in samples with both types of electrodes. Samples with Pt top electrodes showed substantial degradation of the remanent polarization and overall piezoelectric response, as well as pinching of the polarization hysteresis curves and creation of multiple peaks in the permittivity-electric field curves post irradiation. The samples with oxide electrodes, however, were largely impervious to the same radiation dose, with less than 5% change in any of the functional characteristics. The results suggest a radiation-induced change in the defect population or defect energy in PZT with metallic top electrodes, which substantially affects motion of internal interfaces such as domain walls. Additionally, the differences observed for stacks with different electrode materials implicate the ferroelectric–electrode interface as either the predominant source of radiation-induced effects (Pt electrodes) or the site of healing for radiation-induced defects (IrO{sub 2} electrodes).

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magneto-transport in LaTi{sub 1−x}Mn{sub x}O{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} oxide heterostructures

We report the growth of ultrathin film of Mn doped LaTiO{sub 3} on TiO{sub 2} terminated SrTiO{sub 3} (001) substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and their electrical transport characteristics including magnetoresistance (MR). Though the replacement of Mn in LaTiO{sub 3} at the Ti site in dilute limit does not affect the metallic behaviour of films but variation in resistance is observed. Normalised resistance behaviour is explained on the basis of variation in charge carriers and increased interaction between Mn atoms in the system under investigation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Hydroquinone-ZnO nano-laminate deposited by molecular-atomic layer deposition

In this study, we have deposited organic-inorganic hybrid semiconducting hydroquinone (HQ)/zinc oxide (ZnO) superlattices using molecular-atomic layer deposition, which enables accurate control of film thickness, excellent uniformity, and sharp interfaces at a low deposition temperature (150 °C). Self-limiting growth of organic layers is observed for the HQ precursor on ZnO surface. Nano-laminates were prepared by varying the number of HQ to ZnO cycles in order to investigate the physical and electrical effects of different HQ to ZnO ratios. It is indicated that the addition of HQ layer results in enhanced mobility and reduced carrier concentration. The highest Hall mobility of approximately 2.3 cm{sup 2}/V·s and the lowest n-type carrier concentration of approximately 1.0 × 10{sup 18}/cm{sup 3} were achieved with the organic-inorganic superlattice deposited with a ratio of 10 ZnO cycles to 1 HQ cycle. This study offers an approach to tune the electrical transport characteristics of ALD ZnO matrix thin films using an organic dopant. Moreover, with organic embedment, this nano-laminate material may be useful for flexible electronics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Hydrogen passivation of electron trap in amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O thin-film transistors

We report an experimental evidence that some hydrogens passivate electron traps in an amorphous oxide semiconductor, a-In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO). The a-IGZO thin-film transistors (TFTs) annealed at 300 °C exhibit good operation characteristics; while those annealed at ≥400 °C show deteriorated ones. Thermal desorption spectra (TDS) of H{sub 2}O indicate that this threshold annealing temperature corresponds to depletion of H{sub 2}O desorption from the a-IGZO layer. Hydrogen re-doping by wet oxygen annealing recovers the good TFT characteristic. The hydrogens responsible for this passivation have specific binding energies corresponding to the desorption temperatures of 300–430 °C. A plausible structural model is suggested.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Efficiency enhancement in Si solar cell using 1D quasi-periodic antireflection coating

In order to enhance the efficiency of thin-film Si solar cell, two well-known Fibonacci and Thue–Morse sequences of 1D quasi-periodic structures have been considered to achieve a broadband (300–1100 nm) planar antireflection coating, in this article. As almost non-absorbing materials in the solar spectrum, TiO{sub 2} and SiO{sub 2} with optimized thicknesses are considered to eliminate the reflections in the front side of the solar cell. An optimized bilayer antireflection coating with thicknesses of 54.4 nm and 85.6 nm respectively for the TiO{sub 2} and SiO{sub 2} layers has been obtained. Considering material dispersion and solar power spectrum (AM1.5), maximum efficiency enhancements of 42.78%, 46.15%, and 50% have been achieved for the 3 µm thin-film Si solar cell using the FC(3,1) structure which correspond to the cells without any recombination, with bulk recombination, and with bulk and surface recombinations, respectively. The proposed quasi-periodic multilayer antireflection structures have been investigated and optimized using the TMM and FDTD methods. The electrical characteristic of the design is studied by the drift–diffusion method after extracting the electron–hole pair generation. Also, the stability of the performance of the proposed ARC against induced roughness in practice has been investigated and discussed.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Investigating and engineering spin-orbit torques in heavy metal/Co{sub 2}FeAl{sub 0.5}Si{sub 0.5}/MgO thin film structures

Current-induced spin-orbit torques (SOTs) have the potential to revolutionize magnetization switching technology. Here, we investigate SOT in a heavy metal (HM)/Co{sub 2}FeAl{sub 0.5}Si{sub 0.5} (CFAS)/MgO thin film structure with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), where the HM is either Pt or Ta. Our results suggest that both the spin Hall effect and the Rashba effect contribute significantly to the effective fields in the Pt underlayer samples. Moreover, after taking the PMA energies into account, current-induced SOT-based switching studies of both the Pt and Ta underlayer samples suggest that the two HM underlayers yield comparable switching efficiency in the HM/CFAS/MgO material system.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗