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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Li iontronics in single-crystalline T-Nb2O5 thin films with vertical ionic transport channels

Abstract The niobium oxide polymorph T -Nb 2 O 5 has been extensively investigated in its bulk form especially for applications in fast-charging batteries and electrochemical (pseudo)capacitors. Its crystal structure, which has two-dimensional (2D) layers with very low steric hindrance, allows for fast Li-ion migration. However, since its discovery in 1941, the growth of single-crystalline thin films and its electronic applications have not yet been realized, probably due to its large orthorhombic unit cell along with the existence of many polymorphs. Here we demonstrate the epitaxial growth of single-crystalline T -Nb 2 O 5 thin films, critically with the ionic transport channels oriented perpendicular to the film’s surface. These vertical 2D channels enable fast Li-ion migration, which we show gives rise to a colossal insulator–metal transition, where the resistivity drops by 11 orders of magnitude due to the population of the initially empty Nb 4 d 0 states by electrons. Moreover, we reveal multiple unexplored phase transitions with distinct crystal and electronic structures over a wide range of Li-ion concentrations by comprehensive in situ experiments and theoretical calculations, which allow for the reversible and repeatable manipulation of these phases and their distinct electronic properties. This work paves the way for the exploration of novel thin films with ionic channels and their potential applications.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2022

On the Sintering Behavior of Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 Mixed Oxide Powders

A mixed oxide system consisting of Nb2O5 and Ta2O5, was subjected to annealing in air/hydrogen up to 950 °C for 1–4 h to study its sintering behavior. The thermogravimetric–differential scanning calorimetry (TGA–DSC) thermograms indicated the formation of multiple endothermic peaks at temperatures higher than 925 °C. Subsequently, a 30% Ta2O5 and 70% Nb2O5 (mol%) pellet resulted in good sintering behavior at both 900 and 950 °C. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images corroborated these observations with necking and particle coarsening. The sintered pellets contained a 20.4 and 20.8% mixed oxide (Nb4Ta2O15) phase, along with Ta2O5 and Nb2O5, at both 900 and 950 °C, indicating the possibility of the formation of a solid solution phase. In situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) scans also confirmed the formation of the ternary oxide phase at 6 and 19.8% at 890 and 950 °C, respectively. The Hume–Rothery rules could explain the good sintering behavior of the Ta2O5 and Nb2O5 mixed oxides. An oxide composition of 30% Ta2O5 and 70% Nb2O5 (mol%) and a sintering temperature of 950 °C appeared adequate for fabricating well-sintered oxide precursors for subsequent electrochemical polarization studies in fused salts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1995

Effect of Nb2O5 and V2O5 addition on the superconducting properties of YBa2Cu3O(y) thin films

The effect of Nb2O5 and V2O5 addition on the superconducting properties and microstructure of YBa2Cu3O(y) has been studied in thin films. Polycrystalline targets for laser ablation were prepared by mixing high purity V2O5 or Nb2O5 powders with a well characterized YBa2Cu3O(y) powder in the range 0 to 4 wt percent by solid state reaction method. Thin films (approximately 1500 A thickness) of the above targets were grown on (100) SrTiO3 (STO) and (100) LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates at 700 C temperature by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. In the case of Nb2O5 addition we have noticed an increase in J(sub c) up to 0.5 wt percent and higher additive concentration (greater than 0.5 wt percent) have degraded the superconducting properties. However, in the case of V2O3 addition, there is an improvement in current density and microstructural properties up to 1 wt percent and the superconducting properties degrade for concentrations greater than 1 wt percent. The best J(sub c) for 0.5 wt percent of Nb2O5 added YBCO thin film is 1.6 x 10(exp 6) A/sq cm and for that of V2O5 added sample is 3.4 x 10(exp 6) A/sq cm at 77 K as compared to the pure YBa2Cu3O(y) (YBCO) film J(sub c) (1.2 x 10(exp 6) A/sq cm) observed on STO substrates. The reason for improvement in J(sub c) and microstructural properties in the case of V2O5 addition could be due to the low melting of V2O5 (690 C) which can act as a very good surfactant during deposition. Over all, we have realized that Nb2O5 addition or V2O5 addition to YBCO have shown significant improvement over the undoped YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films grown under identical conditions.

Srinivas, S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Nb2O5 by Materials Project

Nb2O5 crystallizes in the monoclinic C2 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Nb5+ is bonded in a 7-coordinate geometry to seven O2- atoms. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.90–2.43 Å. There are three inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 4-coordinate geometry to four equivalent Nb5+ atoms. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 2-coordinate geometry to three equivalent Nb5+ atoms. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a water-like geometry to two equivalent Nb5+ atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Nb2O5 by Materials Project

Nb2O5 crystallizes in the monoclinic C2/m space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted corner and edge-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 0–33°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.80–2.26 Å. There are three inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted linear geometry to two equivalent Nb5+ atoms. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Nb5+ atoms. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to three equivalent Nb5+ atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Nb2O5 by Materials Project

Nb2O5 crystallizes in the monoclinic C2/c space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 26–57°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.82–2.27 Å. There are three inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted trigonal planar geometry to three equivalent Nb5+ atoms. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Nb5+ atoms. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Nb5+ atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Nb2O5 by Materials Project

Nb2O5 crystallizes in the triclinic P-1 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. there are ten inequivalent Nb5+ sites. In the first Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 2–31°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.85–2.30 Å. In the second Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 5–31°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.86–2.27 Å. In the third Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 5–9°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.84–2.37 Å. In the fourth Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to six O2- atoms. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.82–2.41 Å. In the fifth Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 2–32°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.88–2.26 Å. In the sixth Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 4–32°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.83–2.37 Å. In the seventh Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 9–30°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.86–2.38 Å. In the eighth Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 4–30°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.86–2.31 Å. In the ninth Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded in a 4-coordinate geometry to six O2- atoms. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.86–2.52 Å. In the tenth Nb5+ site, Nb5+ is bonded to six O2- atoms to form corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 0–9°. There are a spread of Nb–O bond distances ranging from 1.95–2.06 Å. There are twenty-six inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the fifth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 2-coordinate geometry to three Nb5+ atoms. In the sixth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to three Nb5+ atoms. In the seventh O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the eighth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the ninth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the tenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the eleventh O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to three Nb5+ atoms. In the twelfth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted tetrahedral geometry to four Nb5+ atoms. In the thirteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to three Nb5+ atoms. In the fourteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to three Nb5+ atoms. In the fifteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 2-coordinate geometry to three Nb5+ atoms. In the sixteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 2-coordinate geometry to three Nb5+ atoms. In the seventeenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a water-like geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the eighteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the nineteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a water-like geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the twentieth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a water-like geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the twenty-first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the twenty-second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the twenty-third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to three Nb5+ atoms. In the twenty-fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two Nb5+ atoms. In the twenty-fifth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Nb5+ atoms. In the twenty-sixth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Nb5+ atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Eliminating chemo-mechanical degradation of lithium solid-state battery cathodes during >4.5 V cycling using amorphous Nb2O5 coatings

Abstract Lithium solid-state batteries offer improved safety and energy density. However, the limited stability of solid electrolytes (SEs), as well as irreversible structural and chemical changes in the cathode active material, can result in inferior electrochemical performance, particularly during high-voltage cycling (>4.3 V vs Li/Li + ). Therefore, new materials and strategies are needed to stabilize the cathode/SE interface and preserve the cathode material structure during high-voltage cycling. Here, we introduce a thin (~5 nm) conformal coating of amorphous Nb 2 O 5 on single-crystal LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 cathode particles using rotary-bed atomic layer deposition (ALD). Full cells with Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 anodes and Nb 2 O 5 -coated cathodes demonstrate a higher initial Coulombic efficiency of 91.6% ± 0.5% compared to 82.2% ± 0.3% for the uncoated samples, along with improved rate capability (10x higher accessible capacity at 2C rate) and remarkable capacity retention during extended cycling (99.4% after 500 cycles at 4.7 V vs Li/Li + ). These improvements are associated with reduced cell polarization and interfacial impedance for the coated samples. Post-cycling electron microscopy analysis reveals that the Nb 2 O 5 coating remains intact and prevents the formation of spinel and rock-salt phases, which eliminates intra-particle cracking of the single-crystal cathode material. These findings demonstrate a potential pathway towards stable and high-performance solid-state batteries during high-voltage operation.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
NASA NTRS1974

Alkali oxide-tantalum oxide and alkali oxide-niobium oxide ionic conductors

A search was made for new cationic conducting phases in alkali-tantalate and niobate systems. The phase equilibrium diagrams were constructed for the six binary systems Nb2O5-LiNbO3, Nb2O5-NaNbO3, Nb2O5-KNbO3, Ta2O5-NaTaO3, Ta2O5-LiTaO3, and Ta2O5-KTaO3. Various other binary and ternary systems were also examined. Pellets of nineteen phases were evaluated (by the sponsoring agency) by dielectric loss measurements. Attempts were made to grow large crystals of eight different phases. The system Ta2O5-KTaO3 contains at least three phases which showed peaks in dielectric loss vs. temperature. All three contain structures related to the tungsten bronzes with alkali ions in non-stoichiometric crystallographic positions.

Roth, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Nonequilibrium synthesis of NbAl3 and Nb-Al-V alloys by laser cladding. II - Oxidation behavior

Isothermal oxidation behaviors of NbAl3 alloy synthesized by laser cladding were investigated at temperatures between 800 and 1400 C, and the effect of vanadium microalloying on the oxidation of the laser-clad alloy was examined. The oxidation kinetics of the two alloys were monitored using thermal gravimetric weight gain data, and the bulk and surface chemistries were analyzed using XRD and XPS, respectively. It was found that NbAl3 did not form an exclusive layer of protective Al2O3. The oxidation products at 800 C were found to be a mixture of Nb2O5 and Al2O3. At 1200 C, a mixture of NbAlO4, Nb2O5, and Al2O3 formed; and at 1400 C, a mixture of NbAlO4, Al2O3, NbO2, NbO(2.432), and Nb2O5 formed. The addition of V led to a dramatic increase of the oxidation rate, which may be related to the formation of (Nb, V)2O5 and VO2, which grows in preference to protective Al2O3.

Haasch, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Synthesis and thermal evolution of structure in alkoxide-derived niobium pentoxide gels

Niobium pentoxide gels in the form of transparent monoliths and powder have been synthesized from the controlled hydrolysis and polycondensation of niobium pentaethoxide under different experimental conditions using various mole ratios of Nb(OC2H5)5:H2O:C2H5OH:HCl. Alcohol acted as the mutual solvent and HCl as the deflocculating agent. In the absence of HCl, precipitation of colloidal particles was encountered on the addition of any water to the alkoxide. The gels were subjected to various thermal treatments and characterized by differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, x-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy. After drying at 400 C, the gels were amorphous to x-rays. The amorphous powder crystallized into the low-temperature orthorhombic form of Nb2O5 at approximately 500 C, which transformed irreversibly into the high-temperature monoclinic alpha-Nb2O5 between 900 to 1000 C. The kinetics of crystallization of the amorphous niobium pentoxide have been investigated by non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry. The crystallization activation energy was determined to be 399 kJ/mol.

Bansal, Narottam P.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comparison of Nb and Ta Pentoxide Loss Tangents for Superconducting Quantum Devices

Superconducting transmon qubits are commonly made with thin-film Nb wiring, but recent studies have shown increased performance with Ta wiring. In this work, we compare the resonator-induced single photon, millikelvin dielectric loss for pentoxides of Nb (Nb2O5) and Ta (Ta2O5) in order to further understand limiting losses in qubits. Nb and Ta pentoxides of three thicknesses are deposited via pulsed laser deposition onto identical coplanar waveguide resonators. The two-level system (TLS) loss in Nb2O5 is determined to be about 30% higher than that of Ta2O5. This work indicates that qubits with Nb wiring are affected by higher loss arising from the native pentoxide itself, likely in addition to the presence of suboxides, which are largely absent in Ta.

Goronzy, D. P. [Northwestern U.]↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fundamental Superconductivity of Nb films for Quantum Computing Application

Niobium is a widely accepted material for quantum computing device as well as superconducting radio frequency (SRF) technology. Superconducting niobium is a marginal type II superconductor which has a very narrow gap (~20-30 mT) of the mixed state at 2K, even showing the intermediate state (IMS) at the early stage of magnetic vortex penetration. Tremendous progress has been made in understanding the impact of the Nb surface and bulk superconductivities on SRF resonator performance. However, the effect of thin superconducting Nb films for quantum computing applications requires further examination. In this study, we explore the fundamental superconducting properties of various thin Nb films and compare them with respect to the energy relaxation time, T1, measured from superconducting qubit fabricated with these films. The Nb films are fabricated both with or without a surface protective layer that prevents the formation of lossy Nb2O5. Electromagnetic properties are characterized by means of bulk magnetization, electromagnetic transport, and dynamics of surface superconductivity. In addition, analytical electron microscopy is implemented to further connect the superconducting properties to microstructure.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Oxide dissolution and oxygen diffusion scenarios in niobium and implications on the Bean–Livingston barrier in superconducting cavities

We generalize a native Nb2O5 dissolution model [G. Ciovati, Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 022507 (2006)] to sequential overlayer dissolutions, multilayer dissolution, and realistic temperature profiles, which may be applicable to other materials. The model is applied to secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profile measurements for varying temperature profiles and two-step oxide dissolution in Nb and found to agree well. In the context of the Meissner screening response due to impurity profiles on the length scale of the London penetration depth, the shallow diffusion of O impurities results in a substantial decrease in the peak supercurrent density near the surface. In this framework, oxide dissolution and oxygen diffusion can account for a rise in peak supportable magnetic field in SRF cavities with baking time and a suppression after the optimal baking time is reached, in good agreement with peak-field baking temperatures and times as well as recent quench field measurements.

Lechner, Eric↗
DOE OSTI2024

Growth of Native Oxides of Niobium Thin Films

Both XPS and ToF-SIMS data and analysis suggest that Nb oxides grow rapidly and overwhelm Nb metal within the first 24 hours following a logarithmic growth. Nb2O5 growth is dominant out of all types of Nb oxide with reaching 80% At conc within 80 days. NbO2 is quickly saturated, maintaining 10% At conc over time with a logarithmic growth. NbO on the opposite follows an exponential decay. Oxide thickness growth also implies sample preparation techniques impact oxide saturation and growth rate.

Lei, Zhicheng↗
DOE OSTI2025

Chemical Analysis of Tantalum Thin Films compared to Niobium Thin Films using SIMS and XPS

Superconducting qubits are a leading platform for quantum computation. These circuits are typically made from superconducting materials like aluminum or niobium. However, the amorphous niobium oxide and aluminum oxide on the surface of these circuits introduce considerable RF loss due to the presence of two-level systems (TLS), which limits the maximum coherence times T1 to ~100 μs. Capping the niobium qubits with a tantalum layer leads to a 3- 5x improvement [Bal et al., 2024]. But even in this case, tantalum forms an amorphous surface oxide that introduces loss. In an effort to devise strategies to eliminate the presence of this oxide, we present a comprehensive study on the nature of Ta oxide using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) as a function of heat treatment. The thin films were annealed in ultra-high vacuum conditions and analyzed in situ to characterize the composition and evolution of the native tantalum oxide layer and oxide-metal interface. Our analysis reveals two critical differences between tantalum and niobium oxides: Nb2O5 completely dissolves at 400°C, while Ta2O5 persists even at 800°C. Additionally, tantalum oxide contains only a single suboxide (TaO), in contrast to niobium's two suboxides (NbO and NbO2). The suboxide of tantalum contributes minimally to the total oxide content and shows a relative increase with temperature. Understanding the oxide’s behavior will open new pathways for optimizing coherence times in tantalum qubits.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗