One-dimensional cobalt oxide nanotubes with rich defect for oxygen evolution reaction

For the electrochemcial hydrogen production, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a pivotal half-reaction in water splitting. However, OER suffers sluggish kinetics and high overpotential, leading to the increase of overall energy consumption and decrease of the energy efficiency. In this work, high-quality cobalt oxide porous nanotubes (Co3O4-PNTs) are easily obtained by simple self-template approach. One-dimensional (1D) porous structure provides the large specific surface area, enough abundant active atoms and effective mass transfer. In addition, Co3O4-PNTs also own self-stability of 1D architecture, benefitting the their durability for electrocatalytic reaction. Thus, Co3O4-PNTs with optimal annealing temperature and time reveal the attractive alkaline OER performance (Tafel slope of 56 mV dec-1 and 323 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2), which outperform the Co3O4 nanoparticles and benchmark commercial RuO2 nanoparticles. Furthermore, Co3O4-PNTs also exhibit excellent OER durability for least 10 h at the 10 mA cm-2. Overall, Co3O4-PNTs with low cost can be serve as a highly reactive and economical catalyst for OER.

Chemical Solution Deposition of La-Substituted BiFe0.5Sc0.5O3 Perovskite Thin Films on Different Substrates

In the present work, polycrystalline Bi0.67La0.33Fe0.5Sc0.5O3 thin films were synthesized using a simple and cost-effective chemical solution deposition process employing the spin coating technique. In order to check the feasibility of the fabrication of thin films on various types of substrates, the films were deposited on Pt-coated silicon, silicon, sapphire, corundum, fused silica and glass. Based on the results of thermogravimetric analysis of precursor and thermal stability study, it was determined that the optimal annealing temperature for the formation of perovskite structure is 600 °C. It was observed that the relative intensity of the pseudocubic peaks (001)p and (011)p in the XRD patterns is influenced by the nature of substrates, suggesting that the formed crystallites have some preferred orientation. Roughness of the films was determined to be dependent on the nature of the substrate.

Isothermal crystallization and time-temperature-transformation diagram of the organic semiconductor 5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene

Thermal annealing of organic semiconductors is critical for optimization of their electronic properties. The selection of the optimal annealing temperature –often done on a trial-and-error basis– is essential for achieving...

Моноокись кремния, карбонизированная фторуглеродом, как композитный материал для анодов литий-ионных аккумуляторов

Dispersed composite materials based on silicon monoxide and carbon (SiO/C) were obtained as a result of heat treatment of a powder mixture consisting of 40 wt% SiO and 60 wt% CF0.8. Annealing was carried out in an argon atmosphere at temperatures 1000 − 1250°C. Using electron microscopy and Raman scattering, it was found that at Т>=1100°C, silicon carbide appears in the solid-phase product, including in the form of cubic nanowhiskers. Based on the data on the weight loss of the reaction mixture, the composition of the resulting products was calculated as a function of the annealing temperature. Anodes made of composites obtained at temperatures above 1100°C demonstrate a sharp drop in capacitance and Columbic efficiency. It is shown that the observed changes are caused not so much by the formation of SiC as by an increase in the oxygen content in the matrix surrounding the silicon precipitates, which were formed as a result of disproportionation of SiO. It was found that the optimal annealing temperature, which provides the highest values of capacity, the initial coulombic efficiency and the ability to operate at high speed current densities is Т =1150°С.

Influence of annealing temperature on nanocrystalline alloy’s excess loss parameters

In this paper, both nanocrystalline alloy (Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si15.5B7) ribbon samples and toroidal samples (wound ribbon) are annealed at different temperatures in order to consider the influence of inner stress on the magnetization properties. Then the AC magnetization properties of these samples are measured. Combined with the measured results, the influence of inner stress on nanocrystalline alloy’s microstructure is analyzed quantitatively based on the loss separation principle and the statistical theory of loss. By comparing measured macroscopic magnetization characteristics and excess loss, the equivalent stress state of the toroidal sample is evaluated. Furthermore, two kinds of samples’ excess loss under different annealing temperatures are analyzed, and the effectiveness of stress relief at optimal annealing temperature is validated.

A Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Highly Crystalline Submicro-Sized BiFeO3

In this study, a highly crystalline bismuth ferrite (BFO) powder was synthesized using a novel, very simple, and cost-effective synthetic approach. It was demonstrated that the optimal annealing temperature for the preparation of highly-pure BFO is 650 °C. At lower or higher temperatures, the formation of neighboring crystal phases was observed. The thermal behavior of BFO precursor gel was investigated by thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) measurements. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Mössbauer spectroscopy were employed for the investigation of structural properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate morphological features of the synthesized materials. The obtained powders were also characterized by magnetization measurements, which showed antiferromagnetic behavior of BFO powders.

Investigation on the Rapid Annealing of Ti-Au Composite Electrode on n-Type (111) CdZnTe Crystals

In this paper, the ohmic properties of Ti, Al, and Ti-Au composite electrodes on n-type (111) CdZnTe crystal deposited by vacuum evaporation method were first analyzed, and then the rapid annealing of Ti-Au electrode under Ar atmosphere with different temperature and time was explored. The ohmic property and barrier height were evaluated by current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance-voltage (C–V) measurements, and the adhesion strength of various electrodess to CdZnTe was compared. The Ti-Au electrode on CdZnTe showed the lowest leakage current and barrier height, and the highest adhesion strength among the three kinds of electrodes on (111) CdZnTe crystals. The rapid annealing of Ti-Au electrode under Ar atmosphere was proved to improve its ohmic property and adhesion strength, and the optimal annealing temperature and time were found to be 423 K and 6 min, respectively. The barrier height of the Ti-Au/CdZnTe electrode is 0.801 eV through rapid annealing for 6 min at 423 K annealing temperature, and the adhesion is 1225 MPa, which increases by 50% compared with that without rapid annealing.

Optimization of SnO2/Ag nanowire transparent hybrid electrodes for optoelectronic applications

Silver nanowire (Ag NW) networks are gaining more interest as promising candidates for the substitution of indium tin oxide (ITO) for top electrodes in optoelectronic devices. In this work we investigated the electrical, optical, structural, and morphological properties of SnO2/Ag NW hybrid film deposited by spray pyrolysis root. We showed that annealing at appropriate temperature improves optoelectronic and morphological properties of the SnO2/AgNWs electrodes; the optimal annealing temperature was 180 °C for 20 min. These annealing conditions allow better homogenization of the nanowires and their welding at the intersection nodes ensuring conduction of the charge carriers along the conductive grid formed of nanowires. The optimized SnO2/AgNWs electrodes have a large optical window covering the near-UV, Vis and IR range, with an average transparency of 85% and a sheet resistance of 6.1 Ω/sq. These optoelectronic performances have led to a merit factor of 2.5 × 10−2 Ω−1 being a competitive performance among the currently developed electrodes that can be promising candidates for applications as a transparent electrodes in optoelectronic devices.

The Influence of Thermal Treatment on Monocrystalline CZT and Tellurium Inclusions

ABSTRACTCadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT), considered as a viable material for use in room temperature radiation detectors, has an undesired presence of tellurium inclusions in the bulk. Thermal treatment, in the form of annealing, has been utilized to test the viability of refining CZT into better detector material, either by the elimination of the tellurium inclusions or by the migration of the inclusions under a temperature gradient, but usually with a deterioration of electrical properties. We took infrared micrographs and current voltage (IV) characteristics of CZT samples prior to thermal treatment. We carried out 24-hour thermal treatments with a range of temperature from 100°C to 700°C to determine an optimal annealing temperature and to verify changes in the sizes, morphologies, and locations of the tellurium inclusions on the surfaces and within the crystal bulk of the CZT. The IV curves and resistivities prior to and after thermal treatments were compared, as were the infrared micrographs before and after annealing. Also, the changes in electrical properties of the samples with annealing conditions were compared against structural changes monitored at the same steps during the annealing process, in order to understand the effects of the thermal annealing to the radiation detector properties of the material. Correlations between the shape, size and position of inclusions and electrical properties of the material were attempted.