In this work, the guest Li+ conduction properties in NaBr–LiBH4 system were investigated. It was suggested that the guest Li+ ions occupy the Na+ sites and BH4− ions substitute the Br− ions in NaBr. The dominant Li+ conduction in NaBr–LiBH4 system was demonstrated by the combination of electrochemical measurements and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The guest Li+ ion conductivity of 15NaBr·LiBH4 was measured to be 1 × 10−7 S/cm at 313 K. The present results indicate that the guest Li+ conductors are not restricted to the previous reported iodides (NaI, KI), but other Li-free compounds have the possibility to become the candidates for the guest Li+ ion conductors.

The emerging planar subwavelength microlens has attracted wide attention recently. There exists a trade-off in the selection of phase shifter materials for the lens designed with linearly polarized incidence. In this work, we have discovered that it is possible to utilize tapered nanostructure to increase the transmission of phase shifters built with high refractive index materials. A typical grating microlens is demonstrated to examine the effectiveness of taper-enhancement effect—the focus efficiency is increased from 9% to 28% with the properly designed tapered sidewall. Our work will provide a novel method to enhance performance using high refractive index materials in the emerging microlens field.

An amorphous aluminum oxide supercapacitor can store a large amount of electric storge on the uneven surfaces with AlO6 clusters. The amount of stored electricity increases with decreasing convex diameter d and depth of valley h. The nondestructive detection of AlO6 clusters on a surface with (Al0.91Y0.09)O1.66 oxide layer at a depth of 0.5 μm was determined based on a 3505 cm−1 peak band in the Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectrum and one 1047 cm−1 peak in the microRaman spectrum. The discharging time (T) could be expressed as T = 1.388 × 100.019 I. Thus, we can evaluate the amount of electricity by the nondestructive detection methods such as FT-IR and the microRaman spectra.

Quantitative Fe content determination of powders by Mössbauer spectroscopy is described. In this method, powder samples and internal standard are combined homogeneously in a plastic film ensuring a thin absorber. This method was verified by quantifying the Fe content of a series of samples and independently confirming by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopic analysis. Additionally, for the first time, Fe contamination in ball-milled Si as a function of milling time was quantified. It was found that Fe contamination increased with time but surprisingly became steady state at 1.12 ± 0.04 at.% Fe after grain size reduction.

The authors report effects of placing a very thin metallic interlayer, such as W and Ni, in between the Cu film and the Si substrate on cyclic thermal stress-induced interfacial sliding and hillock growth in Cu. Cu–Si samples with no interlayer were the most prone to both interfacial sliding and hillock growth, whereas samples with the Ni interlayer were the most resistant against these deleterious phenomena. While the rate of interfacial sliding decreased with each consecutive thermal cycle, hillocks continued to grow undeterred. The obtained experimental results are discussed, considering the compressive stress field generated in the Cu film.

Here we report a doping method based on charge transfer interaction for an easily obtainable carbon material, carbon black (acetylene carbon black and Ketjenblack), as a main raw material. The n-type doping of those carbon blacks, generally p-type material, was conducted with a molecular dopant, triphenylphosphine (tpp). The key was to modify the surface of carbon blacks with silver (Ag) nanoparticles to attach tpp molecules on the surface of Ag. Our method is expected to be used for the fabrication of functional devices (such as thermoelectric devices) from p- and n-type materials.

Heterostructures consisting of two ferromagnetic oxides La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) and SrRuO3 (SRO) were epitaxially grown by pulsed laser deposition onto a silicon (Si) substrate buffered by SrTiO3 (STO)/MgO/TiN. The x-ray scans and electron-diffraction patterns reveal the epitaxial nature of all five layers. From transmission electron microscopy, the thicknesses of the LCMO and SRO layers were estimated to be ~100 and ~200 nm, respectively. The magnetic properties of individual SRO and LCMO layers are in good agreement with the previous studies reported for those individual layers deposited on lattice-matched substrates, such as STO. The LCMO/SRO heterostructures showed enhanced switching field (from 6008 to 7600 Oe), which may originate from the bulk part of the heterostructure. The ability to grow these multifunctional structures on Si provides a route for wafer scale integration with Si, in contrast to oxide substrates that are not suitable for CMOS integration for microelectronics and spintronics applications.

We have successfully employed a charge transfer mechanism to convert carbon nanotube (CNT) powder into CNT flexible membrane with no binder. We have demonstrated the use of the CNT membranes as electrode in a stacked bipolar solid-state capacitor using grafoil as current collector that showed 80% capacitance retention over 10,000 cycles at 70 °C. The CNT membranes could have potential application in catalysis, photovoltaic, thermoelectric, and many others.

The ability to manipulate matter on the nanometer length scale is an important scientific goal, and the progress in the field of colloidal nanocrystal (NC) growth in the past decades has opened avenue for controlled synthesis of nanoscale materials with many unique physical properties that could enhance existing technologies or give rise to entirely new technologic applications. At the center of the progress is ever-increasing understanding on molecular interactions within colloidal synthesis, in which nucleation and growth each plays a critical role in the control of size, shape, morphology, and structure of NCs. Semiconductor NCs in quantum confinement regime, referred to as quantum dots (QDs), highlight the importance of such control over geometric parameters, since QDs exhibit size- and shape-dependent optical properties. In this paper, we demonstrate important aspects that govern QDs growth in the context of (i) precursor conversion chemistry, and (ii) intermediate species including molecular complex and clusters. Advances in understanding the growth chemistry of QDs have proved the significance of how precursors decompose and produce intermediate species. We review recent progress in regards to the synthetic chemistry of colloidal QDs and discuss our perspective on challenges and promises in the controlled large-scale synthesis of QDs.

We present the study of the synthesis of (001) nickel oxide (NiO) epitaxial nanocrystals grown on (001) strontium titanate (SrTiO3) single crystal substrates. Pulsed laser deposition of the bismuth nickel oxide (BiNiO3, BNO) perovskite precursor followed by post-deposition processing is carried out to form the NiO nanocrystals. A detailed analysis of the dimensions of nanocrystals reveals that the morphology attained differs from the thermodynamically expected equilibrium shape. The deviations from the equilibrium shape are found to follow a systematic trend where the in-plane basal dimensions, that is, the length and width of the nanocrystals grown differ in discretized dimensions. This discretization suggests that for a given interfacial area of nanocrystals there are multiple stable basal rectangular geometries attainable.

We have performed mechanical finishing operations on Sverker 21 (traditional) and Vanadis 6 (advanced powder) steel surfaces: grinding, turning, and turning followed by slide burnishing. Then each specimen was subjected in turn to focused ion beams of helium or krypton up to fluences of 1015 ions/cm2 and finally to scratch resistance testing. Acoustic signals show that krypton implantation reduces microcracks. Helium ions act even more strongly as homogenizers—almost completely eliminating the imperfections. Optical microscopy during scratch testing shows the force level when debris formation begins. Helium ions fitting between the iron atoms increase the resistance against scratching; larger krypton ions produce the opposite effect.

In this report, a facile system consisting of iron (III) meso-tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin-methylene blue dye hybrid immobilized on a disposable paper strip was used to detect and sense H2O2 in aqueous solutions via a low-cost pixelometric imaging technique. The new technology was employed to evaluate the level of H2O2 in a self-administering 30%-labeled commercial H2O2 disinfectant solution. The result showed that the concentration of H2O2 in the tested pharmaceutical sample solution deviated from the label by 92.37%. The current approach provides a simple low-cost resolution for the rapid detection and quantification of H2O2 in aqueous solution and pharmaceutical fluids.

Optoplasmonic networks consisting of dielectric microsphere resonators and plasmonic nanoantennas in a morphologically well-defined on-chip platform support unique electromagnetic signatures that are hybrids of photonic whispering gallery modes and localized surface plasmon resonances. Here we explore the dependence of their near- and far-field responses on the key structural parameters, including the size of the gold nanoparticles forming the plasmonic elements, the separation between the microspheres, and the geometry of the chain. The high degree of structural flexibility, which is experimentally accessible through template guided self-assembly approaches, makes these optoplasmonic structures a unique electromagnetic material for tuning spectral shapes and intensities.

The deeper comprehension of biological phenomena has led to the pursuit of designing and architecting complex biological systems. This has been incorporated through the advances in bioprinting of artificial organs and implants even at the microscale. In addition, tissue modeling has been employed to understand and prevent malfunctional and detrimental mechanisms that lead to fatal diseases. Furthermore, the endeavor to convey the mechanical properties of both scaffolds and cells has enabled the unveiling of disease modeling and regenerative medicine. This paper aims to provide a brief review of the design, modeling and characterization of conventional and architected structures employed in bioengineering.

Operational lifetime is a critical performance parameter of organic electronic devices and can be cut short by multiple degradation mechanisms. One supposed cause is metal migration between the electrodes, which, however, is difficult to study independently of other failure modes. We present a setup, which excludes such competing processes and demonstrates that silver (Ag) electrochemical migration through organic optoelectronic materials occurs predominantly by cation transport. Metal dendrites form at the cathode, eventually causing short circuits between the electrodes. Lifetime studies with organic light-emitting diodes containing Ag electrodes suggest that results obtained with our setup can provide relevant information about degradation in real devices.

The development of new metalloplastic material from the combination of an alkaline-fused dehydrated glucose–copper (II) chloride, carbon soot, and polysulfone and the evaluation of its potential for the electrochemical detection of a pro-carcinogenic humic acid in water is reported. Excellent detection limit greater than 1 pico-part-per-million (order of 10–13 mg/L) was achieved, a value that proved to be first-of-its-kind till date. Transfer coefficients between 0.8 and 1.0 were realized. The new material showed some potential for splitting hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and thus may be explored for energy application in addition to its use as a water quality monitoring probe.

We have investigated the equilibrium conformation of Pt2Ru3 nanoparticles in the presence of H2 and CO mixture gas using density functional theory (DFT) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. A multiple linear regression equation was prepared using DFT results to calculate adsorption energy from the structural descriptors. Using the regression equation, MC simulations were employed to elucidate the equilibrated conformation of Pt2Ru3 particles at a finite temperature of H2/CO where CO concentration in the range 100–500 ppm. MC results indicate that CO/H2 coadsorption induced the rearrangement of alloying atoms and Pt/Ru ratio exposed to the surface decreases with the increase of CO concentration.

Metal oxide-based transistors can be fabricated by low-cost, large-area solution processing methods, but involve a trade-off between low processing temperature, facile charge transport and high-capacitance/low-voltage transistor gates. We achieve these simultaneously by fabricating zinc oxide and sodium-incorporated alumina (SA) thin films with temperature not exceeding 200 to 250 °C using aqueous and combustion precursors, respectively. X-ray reflectivity shows a compositionally distinct SA boundary layer forming near the substrate and that a portion of the SA is chemically removed during the subsequent semiconductor deposition. Improved etch resistance and reduced dielectric leakage was obtained when (3-glycidoxypropyl) trimethoxysilane was included in the SA precursor.

We used density functional theory to investigate the electrochemical CO2 reduction and competing hydrogen evolution reaction on model Au, Ag, Cu, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, and Rh nanoparticles. On the coinage metal, the free energy of adsorbed COOH, CO, and H intermediates generally becomes more favorable with decreasing particle size. This pattern was also observed on all transition metals with the binding of the intermediates observed to be stronger on almost all of these metals. Comparative studies of the reaction profile reveal that H2 evolution is the first reaction to be energetically allowed at zero applied bias.