The understanding of the crystallization of aluminosilicate phases in nuclear waste glasses is a major challenge for nuclear waste vitrification. Robust studies on the compositional dependence of nepheline formation have focused on large compositional spaces with hundreds of glass compositions. However, there are clear benefits to obtaining complete descriptions of the conditions under which crystallization occurs for specific glasses, adding to the understanding of nucleation and growth kinetics and interfacial conditions. The focus of this work was the investigation of the microstructure and composition of one simulant high-level nuclear waste glass crystallized under isothermal and continuous cooling schedules. It was observed that conditions of low undercooling, nepheline was the most abundant aluminosilicate phase. Further undercooling led to the formation of additional phases such as calcium phosphate. Nepheline composition was independent of thermal history.

We report static and time-resolved terahertz (THz) conductivity measurements of a highperformance thermoelectric material containing tellurium nanowires in a PEDOT:PSS matrix. Composites were made with and without sulfur passivation of the nanowires surfaces. The material with sulfur linkers (TeNW/PD-S) is less conductive but has a longer carrier lifetime than the formulation without (TeNW/PD). We find real conductivities at f = 1THz of σTeNW/PD = 160 S/cm and σTeNW/PD-S = 5.1 S/cm. These values are much larger than the corresponding DC conductivities, suggesting DC conductivity is limited by structural defects. The free-carrier lifetime in the nanowires is controlled by recombination and trapping at the nanowire surfaces. We find surface recombination velocities in bare tellurium nanowires (22m/s) and TeNW/PD-S (40m/s) that are comparable to evaporated tellurium thin films. The surface recombination velocity in TeNW/PD (509m/s) is much larger, indicating a higher interface trap density.

Dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) and grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA) composites reinforced with acetylated wheat straw fibers (WSF) is reported in this work. The materials were prepared with different fiber particle sizes (40, 80 and 140 U.S. mesh) and at different fiber contents (5, 10 and 15 wt.%). The PP and PP-g-MA composites, where anhydride maleic (MA) was used as coupling agent, were obtained using a twin-screw extruder; whereas an injection-molding machine molded the composite pellets into testing specimens. To observe the morphology of the composites, micrographs were taken with an optical microscope. The Dynamic mechanical properties were analyzed using a torsional rheometer. The morphological analysis showed a high porous structure somehow similar to foamed materials. The storage modulus (G′) increased by increasing the fiber content, and decreased with fiber particle sizes for the PP composites. Meanwhile, the use of the coupling agent additive promoted a modulus increase due to higher fiber-polymer interaction, from better adhesion and chemical bonds formation between the fibers-coupling agent-PP.

Molecular imprinting is the process by which molecules are imprinted into the matrix of a material through non-covalent bonding, including hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions. In this study hydrogels were imprinted with glaucoma medication with the purpose of creating a reusable ocular drug delivery device with reversible binding sites. The material was synthesized and tested with UV-Vis spectroscopy to determine the concentration of the released drug after twelve hours in distilled water. Modifications were made to the polymer to explore methods required for the proper delivery of the drug over an adequate period of time.

We propose some chemical processing procedures for fabricating thin films in Hf-Zr-O system by a unique film deposition technique using supercritical carbon dioxide fluid (scCO2), i.e., supercritical fluid deposition (SCFD), which would be an prospective approach for fabricating metal-oxide films for integrated circuits because of its unique characteristics; e.g., extraction ability, transportation capability, and reaction equilibrium etc., are quite favorable for the film deposition from metal-complex precursors.

The SCFD was accomplished in a closed batch-type reaction apparatus, consisting of two steps; (a) material deposition and (b) subsequent post-treatment under scCO2 atmosphere. Thin films of amorphous Hf-Zr-O were deposited on platinized silicon [(111)Pt/TiO2/(100)Si] substrates by SCFD using metal-complex precursors M[OCH(CH3)]2(C9H11O2)2 (M = Hf or Zr) at reaction temperature of 100 – 300 °C, significantly lower than those for MOCVD. These films possessed dielectric permittivity’s of approximately 20 – 25, comparable to those from conventional processes, although they still included residue of organic species that prompt the dielectric degradation under lower-frequency bias application.

We investigated the electrical properties of the rf-sputtered HfxZn1-xO/ZnO heterostructures. The thermal annealing on ZnO prior to the HfxZn1-xO deposition greatly influences the properties of the heterostructures. A highly conductive interface formed at the interface between HfxZn1-xO and ZnO thin films as the ZnO annealing temperature exceeded 500°C, leading to the apparent decrease of the electrical resistance. The resistance decreased with an increase of either thickness or Hf content of the HfxZn1-xO capping layer. The Hf0.05Zn0.95O/ZnO heterostructure with a 200-nm-thick 600°C-annealed ZnO exhibits a carrier mobility of 14.3 cm2V-1s-1 and a sheet carrier concentration of 1.93×1013 cm-2; the corresponding values for the bare ZnO thin film are 0.47 cm2V-1s-1 and 2.27×1012 cm-2, respectively. Rf-sputtered HfZnO/ZnO heterostructures can potentially be used to increase the carrier mobility of thin-film transistors in large-area electronics.

Self-catalyzed growth of position-defined InP nanowires (NWs) was investigated on SiO2-mask-pattered Si substrates using metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy. Using low growth temperatures and high group-III flow rates, pyramidal InP NWs were formed vertically on the mask openings. The diameter and tapering of the InP NWs were successfully controlled by the introduction of HCl and H2S gases during the NW growth. In addition, crystal growth of radial InP/InAsP/InP quantum wells on the sidewall of the InP NWs was performed on Si substrates.

MicroRaman spectroscopy was used for the characterization of heterostructured SiGe/Si nanowires. The NWs were grown with alloyed AuGa catalysts droplets with different Ga compositions aiming to make more abrupt heterojunctions. The heterojunctions were first characterized by TEM; then the NWs were scanned by the laser beam in order to probe the heterojunction. The capability of the MicroRaman spectroscopy for studying the heterojunction is discussed. The results show that the use of catalysts with lower Ge and Si solubility (AuGa alloys) permits to achieve more abrupt junctions.

The paper presents the results of numerical modeling of thermomechanical stresses and thermal fields for conditions of erosion-resistant electrode coatings of magnetically controlled MEMS switches with W-Ti-Cu structure at local temperature and electric current influence in axially symmetrical approximation. It is shown that the introduction of titan interlayer (30-100 nm) in the coating with W-Ti-Cu structure results in considerable (more than two times) decrease of internal thermomechanical stresses between layers that increases coating resistance to delamination. It is established that there is an optimum value of Ti layer thickness at which the minimum thermomechanical stresses are provided.

Ultrathin colloidal PbS nanosheets are synthesized using organometallic precursors with chloroalkane cosolvents, resulting in tunable thicknesses ranging from 1.2 nm to 4.6 nm. We report the first thickness-dependent photoluminescence spectra from lead-salt nanosheets. The one-dimensional confinement energy of these quasi-two-dimensional nanosheets is found to be proportional to 1/L instead of 1/L2 (L is the thickness of the nanosheet), which is consistent with results calculated using density functional theory as well as tight-binding theory.

A non-aqueous Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) dispersion was developed to enable the accommodation of non-polar additives. This additional functionalisation targets selected interface characteristics and results in an improved adhesion of PEDOT:PSS on the photo-active layer. Such mechanical robustness is paramount in inverted organic photovoltaic cells contributing to improved long-term stability.

The a-Si/c-Si Heterojunction Technology (HJT) or Heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cell have been fabricated in mass production，the average conversion efficiency of HJT solar cells with 3 bus bar, 5 bus bar and smart wire structures have reached 20%, 21% and 22% respectively. One of the biggest obstructions for HIT module manufacturing is the Cell-to-Module (CTM) stringing process where much power loss happened due to high temperature. The higher temperature in stringing process makes passivation quality worse and introduces much more defects. In this article, we present our investigation on CTM string connection methods, especially on which undergo low temperature to avoid thermal micro damage on cell’s functional structure. Several kinds of string connection are elaborated. The discussion will give some directions for further laboratory research and HJT manufacturing.

A method of diamond heteroepitaxial lateral overgrowth is demonstrated which utilizes a photolithographic metal mask to pattern a thin (001) epitaxial diamond surface. Significant structural improvement was found, with a threading dislocation density reduced by two orders of magnitude at the top surface of a thick overgrown diamond layer. In the initial stage of overgrowth, a reduction of diamond Raman linewidth in the overgrown area was also realized. Thermally-induced stress and internal stress were determined by Raman spectroscopy of adhering and delaminated diamond films. The internal stress is found to decrease as sample thickness increases.

The development of highly conductive, robust edible hydrogels was investigated using a combination of the biopolymers gellan gum and gelatin, a common salt (NaCl) and plant-derived cross-linker (genipin). Robust strain gauge/pressure sensors were developed using edible materials to demonstrate the potential of these hydrogels. The hydrogels exhibited gauge factor and pressure sensitivity values of 7.6 ± 0.1 and 400 ± 7 μΩ/Pa for loads up to 3 kPa, respectively. Furthermore, these devices were able to operate under larger loads with gauge factor and pressure sensitivity values of 0.308 ± 0.002 and 7.17 ± 0.05 μΩ/Pa, respectively, for loads between 9 kPa and 280 kPa.

Rare-earth oxides have attracted considerable research interest in resistive random access memories (ReRAMs) due to their compatibility with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. To this end we report unipolar resistive switching in a novel ternary rare-earth oxide LaHoO3 (LHO) to accelerate progress and to support advances in this emerging densely scalable research architecture. Amorphous thin films of LHO were fabricated on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition, followed by sputter deposition of platinum top electrode through shadow mask in order to elucidate the resistive switching behavior of the resulting Pt/LHO/Pt metal-insulator-metal (MIM) device structure. Stable unipolar resistive switching characteristics with interesting switching parameters like, high resistance ratio of about 105 between high resistance state (HRS) and low resistance state (LRS), non-overlapping switching voltages with narrow dispersion, and excellent retention and endurance features were observed in Pt/LHO/Pt device structure. The observed resistive switching in LHO was explained by the formation/rupture of conductive filaments formed out of oxygen vacancies and metallic Ho atom. From the current-voltage characteristics of Pt/LHO/Pt structure, the conduction mechanism in LRS and HRS was found to be dominated by Ohm’s law and Poole-Frenkel emission, respectively.

In this work, LiFePO4 (LFP) particles were synthesized through an ionic liquid medium. Through the fabrication of LFP particles, we observed the formation of quasi-1−dimensional (1D) structures. The characterization of phases found in the reaction, through time-dependent studies, have led us to propose a possible scheme for particle formation.

Synthesized material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). We also report our analysis on particle morphology and crystallinity of LFP particles synthesized through an ionic liquid−mediated process.

Cellulose was selectively converted to sugar alcohols (sorbitol and mannitol) over a supported-metal catalyst ruthenium on carbon (Ru/C) by the application of plasma in cellulose aqueous suspension. Generally, conversion of cellulose to sugar alcohol should be done under H2 pressure and high temperature. The goal of using solution plasma process (SPP) in this study is to initiate “self-hydrogenation” by reactive hydrogen species generated from the plasma due to dissociation of water medium. The sugar alcohols were produced at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analysis indicates that the SPP is a potent tool to promote the conversion of cellulose to sugar alcohols.

Except at the order-disorder transition, defects in lamella-forming block copolymers have a free energy of several hundreds kBT where kBT denotes the thermal energy scale. Thus, they cannot be conceived as equilibrium fluctuations around a perfectly ordered state. Instead, defects, which are observed in experiments, are formed in the course of self-assembly. Their behavior is dictated by the kinetics of structure formation, in particular, the kinetic pathways of defect motion and annihilation.

Computational modeling can contribute to optimize materials parameters such as film thickness, interaction between copolymer blocks and substrate, geometry of confinement, in order to avoid the formation of defects in the early stages of structure formation or facilitate defect annihilation. Computations also provide fundamental insights into the universal physical mechanisms of directing the self-assembly, addressing the equilibrium structure and thermodynamics as well as the kinetics of self-assembly.

We present computer simulation of highly coarse-grained particle-based models and self-consistent field calculations that allow us to access the long time and large length scales associated with self-assembly. These calculations provide information about the free-energy landscape and mechanisms of defect annihilation in thin films. Additionally, opportunities for directing the kinetics of self-assembly by temporal changes of thermodynamic conditions are discussed.

Designers and engineers have been dreaming for decades with motors sensing, by themselves, working and surrounding conditions, as biological muscles do originating proprioception. The evolution of the working potential, or that of the consumed electrical energy, of electrochemical artificial muscles based on electroactive materials (intrinsically conducting polymers, redox polymers, carbon nanotubes, fullerene derivatives, grapheme derivatives, porphyrines, phtalocyanines, among others) and driven by constant currents senses, while working, any variation of the mechanical (trailed mass, obstacles, pressure, strain or stress) thermal or chemical conditions. They are linear faradaic polymeric motors: applied currents control movement rates and applied charges control displacements. One physically uniform artificial muscle includes one motor and several sensors working simultaneously under the same driving chemical reaction. Actuating (current and charge) and sensing (potential and energy) magnitudes are present, simultaneously, in the only two connecting wires and can be read by the computer at any time. From basic polymeric, mechanical and electrochemical principles a basic equation is attained for the muscle working potential evolution. It includes and describes, simultaneously, the polymeric motor characteristics (rate of the muscle movement and muscle position) and the working variables (temperature, electrolyte concentration and mechanical conditions). By changing working conditions experimental results overlap theoretical predictions. The ensemble computer-generator-muscle-theoretical equation constitutes and describes artificial mechanical, thermal and chemical proprioception of the system. Proprioceptive tools, zoomorphic or anthropomorphic soft robots can be envisaged.

Boron nitride has attracted a great deal of attention as a two dimensional (2D) insulator for substrate and gate dielectric applications in 2D electronics. Development of a scalable technique to grow mono- to few-layer h-BN on microelectronics compatible substrates is desirable. Work on the growth of atomically smooth BN and graphene on sapphire and Si is presented in this paper. Two approaches are described: i) growth of h-BN and graphene on Si and sapphire substrates using a catalyzing Cu thin film, and ii) low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth on sapphire. In approach i) we discuss problems associated with the thermal instability of Cu at the interface with the substrate and show how the stability may be improved through the use of a thin Ni buffer layer or careful substrate selection. The correlation between Cu film morphology and h-BN (and graphene) quality is shown. In approach ii) we find two different growth modes, 3D island growth at low V/III ratios and self-terminating growth at high V/III ratios. Under self-terminating growth atomically smooth few-layer h-BN films are produced. Nitridation of the sapphire surface is found to promote this self-terminating growth by improving nucleation of BN on the substrate. Finally, we present results from the growth of graphene/h-BN on sapphire in a single process.