A facile and scalable chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process in flowing argon using a solid instead of a reactive gaseous boron precursor has been carried out to synthesize crystalline boron nanostructures comprising of relatively straight boron nanotubes (BNTs) and nanofibers (BNFs). The synthesis involves the use of solid magnesium boride as the boron and magnesium catalyst precursor, nickel boride as co-catalyst, and MCM-41 zeolite as the growth template. The BNTs and BNFs produced have a narrow distribution of diameters between about 10 nm to 20 nm and lengths from about 500 nm to above 1 μm. Scanning and transmission electron microscope (SEM and TEM) imaging together with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) have been conducted to characterize the structure, morphology and growth mechanism of these novel nanostructures. High resolution TEM imaging has been used to identify BNTs and BNFs in the nanostructures synthesized.

The so-called “d 0” magnetism observed in semiconductors, which is not caused by partially filled d orbitals, has challenged our conventional understanding on the origin of magnetism. One class of semiconductor materials showing d 0 ferromagnetism is undoped oxides and nitrides. Here, we review the ferromagnetic properties of undoped GaN and MgO based on our recent investigations. It is revealed that the room-temperature ferromagnetism originates from the anion dangling bonds associated with the surface cation-vacancies. And the magnetism of ferromagnetic coupling between the vacancy induced local magnetic moment by through-bond spin polarization in undoped semiconductors is reviewed according to our works.

Phase change materials along the GeTe-Sb2Te3 pseudobinary line (GST) are grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on Si(111). The growth on (111) oriented substrates leads to greatly increased crystal quality compared to (001) oriented substrates, even for a high lattice mismatch. This holds true even for Si substrates which have a lattice mismatch of around 10% with respect to GST. The growth is controlled in situ via line of sight quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS). Structural characterization is performed in situ by X-ray diffraction (XRD), which reveals a clear cubic symmetry of the film and a lattice slightly rhombohedrally distorted along the [111] direction.

There has been considerable interest in developing curricular programs and materials for teaching undergraduate courses in nanoscience in the United States and other developed countries in the past decade. Materials science and nanoscience research programs are growing in developing countries in South America, Africa and Asia. However, there still exists a significant disconnect between the research efforts in developing countries and undergraduate coursework. This report will focus on the teaching of an upper-division one semester lecture/laboratory course developed at James Madison University (JMU) called “The Science of the Small: An Introduction to the Nanoworld” taught in the School of Chemistry at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg (UKZN-PMB), South Africa in 2009 through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar program. We report insights into the preparation needed to teach a cutting-edge laboratory course in South Africa. Also addressed will be some of the challenges of teaching an instrument-intensive laboratory course in a developing country, academic preparation of the typical native isiZulu-speaking UKZN undergraduate student compared to a typical U.S. student, and pre and post attitudes and content assessment of students who were enrolled in the course. Further discussed will be observations of post-apartheid science and math education in South Africa, and the beginning of a pilot program bringing South African undergraduate students to the U.S. to gain undergraduate research experience.

We used a “graphene-like” mechanical exfoliation to obtain atomically thin films of TiTe2. The building blocks of titanium ditelluride are atomic tri-layers separated by the van der Waals gaps. The exfoliation procedure allows one to obtain the few-atom-thick films with strong confinement of charge carriers and phonons. We have verified the crystallinity of the exfoliated films and fabricated the back-gated field-effect devices. The current – voltage characteristics of the TiTe2 devices revealed strong non-linearity, which suggests the charge-density wave effects. The obtained results are important for the proposed application of TiTe2 for the charge-density wave devices and thermoelectric energy conversion.

This contribution deals with Carbon Nanotubes Field Effect transistors (CNTFETs) based gas sensors fabricated using a completely new dynamic spray based technique (patented) for SWCNTs deposition. The extreme novelty is that our technique is compatible with large surfaces, flexible substrates and allows to fabricate high performances transistors exploiting the percolation effect of the SWCNTs networks achieved with extremely reproducible characteristics. Recently, we have been able to achieve extremely selective measurement of NO2, NH3 and CO using four CNTFETS fabricated using different metals as electrodes, exploiting the specific interaction between gas and metal/SWCNT junctions. In this way we have identify an electronic fingerprinting of the gas detected. The response time is evaluated at less than 30sec.

A unified physically-based representation of the microstructure in martensitic steels is developed to investigate its effects on the initiation and evolution of failure modes at different physical scales that occur due to a myriad of factors, such as texture, grain size and shape, grain heterogeneous microstructures, and grain boundary (GB) misorientations and distributions. The microstructural formulation is based on a dislocation-density based multiple-slip crystal plasticity model that accounts for variant distributions, orientations, and morphologies. This formulation is coupled to specialized finite-element methods to predict the scale-dependent heterogeneous microstructure, and failure phenomena such as shearstrain localization, and void coalescence.

Adhesive strength between V-4Cr-4Ti type alloys and an yttrium oxide layer formed by a plasma spray technique was evaluated by a laser shock spallation method, which uses a pulse laser to generate a shock wave to create tensile stress inside the specimen. There was no significant dependence of the adhesive strength on the alloying elements examined, such as yttrium, silicon and aluminum. Detailed observation of the exfoliation behavior was carried out to identify the weakest interface of the coating layer. Several modes of exfoliation behavior were categorized after cross-sectional observation. There was some uncertainty of the adhesive strength of the layer evaluated by the laser shock method, due to the thickness of the coating layer. The typical adhesive strength between the alloy and yttrium oxide layer was evaluated to be approximately 400 MPa.

Iron aluminides show many interesting properties, but still show relatively poor ductility at room temperature and only moderate creep resistance at temperatures above about 600ºC. Processes of severe plastic deformation have been investigated for a wide range of ductile alloys over the past decade, but have hardly been considered for intermetallics. This presentation discusses two studies aimed at refining microstructure by the use of severe plastic deformation of iron aluminides. The first considers processing Fe3Al by heavy cold rolling, followed by annealing for recovery or recrystallization, with an objective of refining grain size to improve strength at the same time as ductility. The high strength and poor ductility of the work hardened material leads to a danger of cracking during rolling, which is a problem for manufacturing large quantities of healthy material. Suitable rolling and recovery treatments can, nevertheless, lead to strong materials with some plastic ductility. A different technique of multidirectional, high-strain and high-temperature forging applied to a boride-containing Fe3Al alloy produces a material with large grain size and refined dispersion of boride particles. These particles lead to a considerable increase in creep strength under conditions of moderate stresses at temperatures around 700ºC. This high-strain forging technique can be seen as an intermediate processing method between conventional wrought metallurgy and mechanical-alloying powder metallurgy. This technique offers the possibility to improve high temperature behaviour of such intermetallics containing second-phase dispersions, and can be scaled to produce large quantities of high-quality material.

This paper reviews the status of hollow cathode sputtering as an evolving technology for production of thin-film transparent conducting oxides for PV applications. A large market segment for PV TCOs is represented by thin-film a-Si:H and tandem a-Si:H/nc-Si:H modules. For superstrate devices, textured SnO2:F produced on-line by APCVD is currently the market leader, although alternative off-line methods and materials are now emerging. In particular, zinc oxide can be produced by LPCVD, APCVD, magnetron sputtering, and hollow cathode sputtering (HCS). HCS is a stable process featuring low-cost metal targets and a soft deposition process. We discuss the deposition principles and the film results obtained using linear hollow cathodes 0.5 m and 1.0 m in length. We report the direct deposition of highly textured doped ZnO having an electron mobility in excess of 50 cm2/Vs. The production cost of textured ZnO is estimated for several competing techniques.

Among the different possibilities to control the size, the shape and the spatial organization of nano-objects, one consists in the use of the ordered mesoporosity of silica matrices as nanoreactors for their synthesis. This strategy has been used to elaborate Prussian Blue Analogues (PBA) exhibiting photomagnetic properties. Since the synthesis of these nanocomposites begins with the obtention of mesoporous silica monoliths containing Co2+ ions, we focus in this paper on the effect of the quantity of Co2+ ions and the amount of surfactant on the nanostructuration of these monoliths.

In this paper, silver nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 40 nm are studied for future applications in microelectronic devices. The enhanced diffusivity of nanoparticles is exploited to fabricate electrical interconnects at low temperature. Sintering condition has been tuned to tailor the grain size so that electrical resistivity can be lowered down to 3.4 μOhm∙cm. In this study, a {111}-textured gold thin film has been used to increase diffusion routes. The combined effects of the substrate crystalline orientation and the sintering condition have been demonstrated to have a significant impact on microstructures. In particular, a {111} fiber texture is developed above 300°C in printed silver only if the underlying film exhibits a preferential orientation. This condition appeared as essential for the efficiency of the gold wire-bonding process step. Thus, inkjet-printed interconnects show a prospective potential compared to conventional subtractive technique and offers new opportunities for low cost metallization in electronics packaging.

The mixed-conducting perovskite oxide Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF), given its outstanding oxygen ionic and electronic transport properties, is considered a promising material composition for oxygen transport membranes (OTM) operated at high temperatures.

Its long-term stability under operating conditions is, however, still an important issue. Although the incompatibility of BSCF with CO2-containing atmospheres can be avoided by appropriate means (oxyfuel processes in the absence of carbon dioxide), the thermal as well as the chemical stability of BSCF itself are still under thorough investigation.

This work is focused on the stability of BSCF in the targeted temperature range for OTM applications (700…900 °C) and in atmospheres with low oxygen contents. Previous studies in literature suggest limited chemical stability below oxygen partial pressures pO2 of around 10-6 bar.

By using a coulometric titration method based on a zirconia “oxygen pump” setup, precise control of the oxygen partial pressure pO2 between 1 bar and 10-18 bar was facilitated. Combining electrical measurements on dense ceramic bulk samples performed as a function of pO2 with an XRD phase composition study of single phase BSCF powders subjected to various pO2 treatments, an assessment of the chemical stability of BSCF is facilitated as a function of oxygen partial pressure. It could thus be shown that the pO2 stability limit is considerably lower than previously assumed in literature.

Nanocomposites are of increasing interest due to their unique structural, electronic, and thermal properties. Simultaneously, multiscale molecular modeling is becoming more robust. Therefore computational models are able to be examined with increased accuracy, complexity, and dimension. Graphene based molecules are lauded for their conductive properties as well as their architecture-like geometry which may allow bottom up nanoscale fabrication of nanoscopic structures. Furthermore, these macrocycled molecules allow high interactivity with other molecules including highly tensiled polymers that yield other novel supramolecular structures when interacted. These supramolecular structures are being investigated in lieu of a variety of potential applications. Nanocomposites of cured epoxy resin reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes exhibit a plethora of interesting behavior at the molecular level. A fundamental issue is how the self-organized dynamic structure of functional molecular systems affects the interactions of the nano-reinforced composites. A combination of force-field based molecular dynamics and local density-functional calculations shows that the stacking between the aromatic macrocycle and the surface of the SWNTs manifests itself via increased interfacial binding. First-principles calculations on the electronic structures further reveal that there exists distinct level hybridization behavior for metallic and semiconducting nanotubes. In addition there is a monatomic increase in binding energy with an increase in the nanotube diameter. The simulation studies suggest that graphene nanoplatelets are potentially the best fillers of epoxy matrices. The implications of these results for understanding dispersion mechanism and future nanocomposite developments are discussed.

The crystallographic properties of bulk icosahedral boron arsenide (B12As2) crystals grown by precipitation from molten nickel solutions were characterized. Large crystals (5-8 mm) were produced by dissolving the boron in nickel at 1150°C for 48-72 hours, reacting with arsenic vapor, and slowly cooling to room temperature. The crystals varied in color from black and opaque to clear and transparent. Raman spectroscopy, x-ray topography (XRT), and defect selective etching revealed that the B12As2 single crystals were high quality with low dislocation densities. Furthermore, XRT results suggest that the major face of the plate-like crystals was (111) type, while (100), (010) and (001) type facets were also observed optically. The predominant defect in these crystals was edge character growth dislocations with a <001> Burgers vector, and <-110> line direction. In short, XRT characterization shows that solution growth is a viable method for producing good quality B12As2 crystals.

Air-mediated molecular ordering in self-organized polymer semiconductors of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly[(9,9′-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-(2,2′-bithiophene-5,5′-diyl)] (F8T2) was investigated using organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) fabricated by transfer-printing using poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamps with various surface energies. OFET measurements revealed that the charge transport in the polymer semiconductors via the air interface layer was better than that via the substrate interface layer. The results indicated that the formation of a highly ordered microstructure at the polymer/air interface through air-mediated self-organization occurs in many polymer semiconductors. This air-mediated self-organization was weaker than substrate-mediated self-organization, whose influence appeared in OFETs with thin semiconductor films.

Frisch collar detectors were fabricated from TlBr crystals with the dimensions of 2 mm × 2 mm × 4.4 mm. Spectroscopic performance of the TlBr Frisch collar detectors was evaluated at room temperature. An energy resolution of 2.9% FWHM at 662 keV was obtained from the detector without the depth correction. The detector exhibited stable spectral performance for 12 hours. Direct measurements of electron mobility-lifetime products were performed with the detectors. The TlBr crystals exhibited the electron mobility-lifetime products of ∼10−3 cm2/V at room temperature.

Polycrystalline thin-film CdS/CdTe PV cells nearly always require “activation” with vapors containing chlorine and oxygen near 400 oC in order to realize the highest cell performance, even when growth occurs near 600 oC. In this study we have used film growth near 270 oC by magnetron sputtering in an oxygen-free ambient and have studied the effects of post-deposition heat treatments for 20 minutes at 400, 425 and 450 oC without CdCl2 in a dry air ambient. The heat treatments enhanced grain growth and produced re-crystallization of the CdTe film at all three temperatures, but 450 oC was required to reach the best electrical performance. Grain size increased from a couple of hundred nanometers to more than a micron as the preferred (111) growth orientation decreased. Efficiencies up to 11.6% were achieved with no CdCl2 compared to ~13% with activation at 387 oC in the presence of CdCl2 vapors. X-ray diffraction and quantum efficiency measurements show interdiffusion of CdS and CdTe at 450 oC comparable with a standard CdCl2 treatment at 387 oC. The results are discussed in terms of CdSTe alloy gradients and minority-carrier diffusion lengths.

We demonstrated the enhancement of electroluminescence (EL) from green CdSe/ZnS QDs in hybrid QD/organic light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) by employing blue phosphorescent dyes Bis(4,6-difluorophenylpyridinato-N,C2)picolinatoiridium (FIrpic) as efficient exciton harvesters and energy transfer donors. Precise control of the concentration of the FIrpic donors doped in a 4,4’-N, N’-dicarbazole-biphenyl (CBP) host and their distance from the QD layer led to complete triplet exciton energy transfer and EL enhancement by a factor of 2.5. The Förster distance between FIrpic molecules and green CdSe/ZnS QDs was determined to be ∼ 8 nm, which is in a good agreement with the value calculated using the Förster model. Our study shows that integrating colloidal QDs with phosphorescent organic dyes provides an effective means for improving the quantum efficiency of QD-based hybrid LEDs.