Preparation of Hollow Core–Shell Fe3O4/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanocomposites for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Iron oxides are potential electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacities, low cost, rich resources, and their non-polluting properties. However, iron oxides demonstrate large volume expansion during the lithium intercalation process, resulting in the electrode material being crushed, which always results in poor cycle performance. In this paper, to solve the above problem, iron oxide/carbon nanocomposites with a hollow core–shell structure were designed. Firstly, an Fe2O3@polydopamine nanocomposite was prepared using an Fe2O3 nanocube and dopamine hydrochloride as precursors. Secondly, an Fe3O4@N-doped C composite was obtained by means of further carbonization treatment. Finally, Fe3O4@void@N-Doped C-x composites with core–shell structures with different void sizes were obtained by means of Fe3O4 etching. The effect of the etching time on the void size was studied. The electrochemical properties of the composites when used as lithium-ion battery materials were studied in more detail. The results showed that the sample that was obtained via etching for 5 h using 2 mol L−1 HCl solution at 30 °C demonstrated better electrochemical performance. The discharge capacity of the Fe3O4@void@N-Doped C-5 was able to reach up to 1222 mA g h−1 under 200 mA g−1 after 100 cycles.

Hydrofluoric acid concentration and etching time on bond strength to lithium disilicate glass-ceramic

The objective of this study to evaluate the effect of different HF concentrations and etching times on the microshear bond strength (μSBS) of LD to resin cement. Forty LD sections (8x8 mm) of 3-mm thickness were randomly distributed (n=10) in accordance with the HF concentration (5 or 10%) and surface etching time (20 or 60 sec). The specimens were silanized and received an air-thinned layer of a light-curable adhesive. Six translucent tubes (0.8-mm diameter and 1-mm height) were positioned over each LD section, filled with resin cement and light-cured. After 24 h of storage, the tubes were carefully removed and the specimens were submitted to the μSBS test. The results submitted to a two-way analysis of variance and Sidak post hoc test (α=.05). Representative HF-etched specimens and one non-etched LD specimen were observed under a field-emission scanning electron microscope. The interaction between the HF concentrations and etching times was not significant (p=0.075). No significant differences were observed regarding HF concentrations and etching times (p=0.06 and p=0.059, respectively). Surfaces of specimens etched with 10% HF for 60 sec were found with grooves and microcracks. The μSBS of LD to resin cement was not significantly influenced by different HF concentrations and etching times; however, the LD surface morphology was found considerably modified.

A Si-based suspended tunnel structure with trapezoidal section by two - step etching

Two - step etching method is used to prepare Si-based suspended tunnel structure with trapezoidal section. In the first wet etching, surfactant Triton-X-100 is added to TMAH enchant to inhibit crystal plane characteristics. Bulk Si Rib with trapezoidal cross section is formed, with inclination of side and height being modulated by changing etching time, so as to obtain good stability. After SiO2 support layer is grown by thermal oxidation, pure 25%TMAH is used in the second wet etching to quickly lateral etch and undercut the bulk silicon under the support layer and form a suspended structure along <100> opening. Using additive-no additive two-step etching method, suspended structure with high stability and compressive strength, good insulation characteristics, high yield can be prepared. It lays a solid foundation for the development of high sensitivity photo, thermal, chemical and gas sensors.

Design and Fabrication of Double-Layer Crossed Si Microchannel Structure

A four-step etching method is used to prepare the double-layer cross Si microchannel structure. In the first etching step, a <100> V-groove structure is etched on (100) silicon, and the top channel is formed after thermal oxidation with the depth of the channel and the slope of its sidewall being modulated by the etching time. The second etching step is to form a sinking substrate, and then the third step is to etch the bottom channel at 90° (<100> direction) and 45° (<110> direction) with the top channel, respectively. Hence, the bottom channel on the sink substrate is half-buried into the top channel. Undercut characteristic of 25% TMAH is used to perform the fourth step, etching through the overlapping part of the two layers of channels to form a double-layer microchannel structure. Different from the traditional single-layer microchannels, the double-layer crossed microchannels are prepared by the four-step etching method intersect in space but are not connected, which has structural advantages. Finally, when the angle between the top and bottom is 90°, the root cutting time at the intersection is up to 6 h, making the width of the bottom channel 4–5 times that of the top channel. When the angle between the top and bottom is 45°, the root cutting time at the intersection is only 4 h, and due to the corrosion along (111), the corrosion speed of the sidewall is very slow and the consistency of the width of the upper and lower channels is better than 90° after the end. Compared with the same-plane cross channel structure, the semiburied microchannel structure avoids the V-shaped path at the intersection, and the fluid can pass through the bottom channel in a straight line and cross with the top channel without overlapping, which has a structural advantage. If applied to microfluidic technology, high-efficiency delivery of two substances can be carried out independently in the same area; if applied to microchannel heat dissipation technology, the heat conduction area of the fluid can be doubled under the same heat dissipation area, thereby increasing the heat dissipation efficiency.

Demonstration of using HF-etchant mixed into CO2 to lift-off thin-film GaAs layers by supercritical fluid technology

The epitaxial lift-off (ELO) process based on selectively etching a thin sacrificial AlAs layer from GaAs substrate was performed using high-concentrated aqueous hydrofluoric (HF) etchant. However, because of using the wet etching method, the traditional ELO process has many drawbacks and limitations. Supercritical fluids (SCFs) naturally have the characteristics of low viscosity, high diffusivity, and zero surface tension. Therefore, the development of a gas-phase-like dry etching method based on mixing HF into CO2 and operating the mixture of HF/CO2 in SCFs condition as etchant is hereby proposed to overcome those bottlenecks existing in traditional wet ELO processes. However, there are no available experimental results for etching AlAs layers by HF in SCFs yet. Therefore, a HF-compatible corrosion-resistant high-pressure system was designed and built up to perform the idea. The capabilities of etching sample in supercritical CO2 (scCO2) had been systemically investigated under various pressures (2000–3000 psi) and temperatures (40–60[Formula: see text]C). Besides, the etching performances separately conducted by using aqueous-HF and anhydrous HF/Pyridine as the source etchant and mixing with scCO2 at a fixed temperature, pressure and etching time were also examined and compared under different equivalent HF concentrations. An evaluation of using acetone as the co-solvent mixed with HF/scCO2 mixture for enhancing the etch rate in different volume ratio of HF/co-solvent was further investigated and discussed. With this system, we demonstrate releasing a size of [Formula: see text] (width × length) and 3 [Formula: see text]m-thick free-standing GaAs sheet from a 150 nm AlAs sacrificial layer by the etching sample in HF/scCO2 mixture. The released GaAs sheet was also successfully transferred to a flexible PET substrate by using a PDMS stamp and an adhesive layer of NOA61.

Fabrication of (ZnO)x: (Cu)1-x/PSi Solar Cell Using Laser Induced Plasma Technique

Fabrication of PSi is generated successfully depending upon photo-electrochemical etching process. The purpose is to differentiate the characterization of the PSi monolayer based on c-silicon solar cell compared to the bulk silicon alone. The surface of ordinary p-n solar cell has been reconstructed on the n-type region of (100) orientation with resistivity (3.2.cm) in hydrofluoric (HF) acid at a concentration of 2 ml was used to in order to enhance the conversion efficiency with 10-minute etching time and current density of 50 mA/cm2, The morphological properties (AFM) as well as the electrical properties have been investigated (J-V). The atomic force microscopy investigation reveals a rugged silicon surface with porous structure nucleating during the etching process (etching time), resulting in an expansion in depth and an average diameter of (40.1 nm). As a result, the surface roughness increases. The electrical properties of prepared PS, namely current density-voltage characteristics in the dark, reveal that porous silicon has a sponge-like structure and that the pore diameter increases with increasing etching current density and the number of shots increasing this led that the solar cell efficiency was in the range of (1-2%), resulting in improved solar cell performance.

Investigation of changes in the properties of diamond-like films under friction by the XPS method

The combination of unique physicochemical, mechanical and tribological properties of diamond-like coatings determines the prospects for their use in critical friction units, including those operating in a rarefied atmosphere and vacuum. The properties of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings depend on the contribution of the sp2 and sp3 fractions of the carbon hybrid atomic electron orbitals. Modern methods of determining the graphite and diamond proportion in coatings are time-consuming and insufficiently accurate. In addition, the determination of the sp3/sp2 ratio is often difficult due to the displacement of the energy position of the C1s electron line. In this paper, the change in the chemical state of carbon over the thickness of a diamond-like coating is studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Analysis of the carbon line fine structure of the differential graphite spectra (sp2 bonds) and diamond (sp3 bonds) allowed us to establish the parameter δ, which determines the ratio of the graphite and diamond components in the DLC coating. Profiling with Ar+ ions of the diamondlike coating surface showed that with an increase in the etching time, the proportion of amorphized carbon increases, which means that the antifriction properties increase with the abrasion of the coating. The obtained regularities allow us to predict changes in the tribological properties of DLC coatings during operation. Ion profiling also allows to determine the thickness of coatings with high accuracy.

Selectively dry etched of p-GaN/InAlN heterostructures using BCI3-based plasma for normally-off HEMT technology

In this paper, an alternative selective dry etching of p-GaN over InAlN was studied as a function of the ICP source powers, RF chuck powers and process pressure by using inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP RIE) system. A recipe using only BCI3-based plasma with a resulting selectivity 13.5 for p-GaN in respect to InAlN was demonstrated. Surface roughness measurements depending on the etching time was performed by atomic force microscope (AFM) measurement and showed that a smooth etched surface with the root-mean-square roughness of 0.45 nm for p-GaN and 0.37 nm for InAlN were achieved. Normally-off p-GaN/InAlN HEMT device was fabricated and tested by using the BCI3-based plasma we developed.