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Yttria stabilized zirconia pellets with different crystallite sizes were irradiated with 80 MeV Ag6+ ions at room temperature and 1000 K to understand the effect of crystallite size/material microstructure and irradiation temperature on the radiation tolerance against high energy heavy ions [where electronic energy loss (Se) dominates]. XRD and Raman spectroscopy measurements reveal that, irrespective of the irradiation temperature, the nano-crystalline samples suffered more damage when compared with the bulk-like sample. A reduction in the irradiation damage, i.e., improvement in the radiation tolerance, was observed for all the samples irradiated at 1000 K. The reduction in the damage, however, was remarkably higher for the nano-crystalline samples compared with the bulk-like sample, and hence the difference in the damage between the bulk-like and nano-crystalline samples was also significantly lower at 1000 K than that at room temperature. The irradiation damage, against Se, was thus found to be critically dependent on the interplay between the irradiation temperature and the crystallite size. These results are explained on the basis of the "in-elastic thermal spike" model by taking into consideration the combined effects of crystallite size and environmental (irradiation) temperature on the electron-phonon coupling strength and the lattice thermal conductivity and hence on the resulting thermal spike. These results, besides being crucial from the fundamental prospect of comprehending the size and temperature dependent radiation damage against Se, may also be important from the perspective of designing highly nano-crystalline materials for applications in various radiation environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for materials that can withstand the harsh radiation environments of the nuclear industry has become an urgent challenge in the face of ever-increasing demands for nuclear energy. To this end, polycrystalline yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) pellets were irradiated with 80MeV Ag6þ ions to investigate their radiation tolerance against fission fragments. To better simulate a nuclear reactor environment, the irradiations were carried out at the typical nuclear reactor temperature (850μC). For comparison, irradiations were also performed at room temperature. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements reveal degradation in crystallinity for the room temperature irradiated samples. No bulk structural amorphization was however observed, whereas defect clusters were formed as indicated by transmission electron microscopy and supported by thermal spike simulation results. A significant reduction of the irradiation induced defects/damage, i.e., improvement in the radiation tolerance, was seen under irradiation at 850 μC. This is attributed to the fact that the rapid thermal quenching of the localized hot molten zones (arising from spike in the lattice temperature upon irradiation) is confined to 850μC (i.e., attributed to the resistance inflicted on the rapid thermal quenching of the localized hot molten zones by the high temperature of the environment) thereby resulting in the reduction of the defects/damage produced. Our results present strong evidence for the applicability of YSZ as an inert matrix fuel in nuclear reactors, where competitive effects of radiation damage and dynamic thermal healing mechanisms may lead to a strong reduction in the damage production and thus sustain its physical integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have simulated the structure of n-type MoS2/silicon heterojunction solar cell and studied its function under different conditions. The optimization of parameters of the cell's layer has been carried out by using AFORS-HET software. In the present study, MoS2 has been considered as 3-D in nature instead of the reported 2-D nature. In order to ensure the formation of Schottky junction, electric contact has been made along the c-axis to collect the minority charge carriers. After optimizing the various parameters of n-type single layer MoS2, power efficiency of 12.44% has been achieved at the room temperature, which has further decreased to 9.042% as the layer number has increased up to 40. Furthermore, after optimizing the parameters of silicon wafer maximum efficiency of 16.4% has been achieved. Temperature dependence of the cell performance has also been studied and the maximum efficiency has been achieved at 300 K. In the present study, we have demonstrated that n-type ultrathin layer of MoS2 can be used as an excellent transparent conducting electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the magnetic properties, of nano-crystalline powders Tb1-xYxMnO3 (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4), as perceived by neutron diffraction, and elucidate the effect of Tb site substitution on the magnetic structure of TbMnO3. All samples crystallized in the orthorhombic structure conforming to space group Pnma, and exhibited an incommensurate collinear antiferromagnetic ordering of the Mn ions below ~40 K. Furthermore, at T≤20 K, all these samples showed a change in magnetic structure (of Mn moments) to a spiral ordering down to 2K, the lowest measured temperature. For the samples with x=0, 0.1, and 0.2, a short-ranged two dimensional (2D) ordering of Tb moments was also observed at 2K. However, for the other samples (x=0.3 and 0.4), no magnetic ordering of Tb moments was found down to 2K. So with Y substitution, a crossover from 2D ordering to a disordering of Tb moments was observed. The moments at the Mn site were found to be lower than the full Mn3+ (4µB) moment for all the samples below 40 K. The magnetic properties of all the samples studied by us in nano form are more pronounced than those of the reported single crystals of same compositions [V. Yu. Ivanov et al., JETP Lett. 91, 392-397 (2010)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the observation of carrier mediated decrease in the stiffness of crystalline (c)-Si(100) under nanoindentation. The apparent elastic moduli of heavily doped (~1 × 1021 cm-3) p- and n-type c-Si are observed to be lower by 5.3%-7.5% than the estimated value for intrinsic (~1 × 1014 cm-3) c-Si. The deviation observed with respect to elastic modulus remarkably matches with the estimated value while considering the electronic elastic strain effect on carrier concentration as an influence of negative pressure coefficient of band gap for Si (Γ-X). The value is predominantly higher than the reported value of a decrease of 1%-3% in stiffness as an effect of impurity in c-Si. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We embarked on a study of Scandium (Sc) doped (onto Ga site) gallium ferrite (GaFeO3) and found remarkable magnetic properties. In both doped as well as parent compounds, there were three types of Fe3+ions (depending on the symmetry) with the structure conforming to space group Pna21 (Sp. Grp. No. 33) below room temperature down to 5 K. We also found that all Fe3+ions occupy octahedral sites, and carry high spin moment. For the higher Sc substituted sample (Ga1-xScxFeO3:x = 0.3), a canted magnetic ordered state is found. Spin-phonon coupling below Néel temperature was observed in doped compounds. Our results indicated that Sc doping in octahedral site modifies spin-phonon interactions of the parent compound. The spin-phonon coupling strength was estimated for the first time in these Sc substituted compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the structural behavior of bismuth phosphate under compression. We performed x-ray powder diffraction measurements up to 31.5 GPa and ab initio calculations. Experiments were carried out on different polymorphs: trigonal (phase I) and monoclinic (phases II and III). Phases I and III, at low pressure (P<0.2-0.8 GPa), transform into phase II, which has a monazite-type structure. At room temperature, this polymorph is stable up to 31.5 GPa. Calculations support these findings and predict the occurrence of an additional transition from the monoclinic monazite-type to a tetragonal scheelite-type structure (phase IV). This transition was experimentally found after the simultaneous application of pressure (28 GPa) and temperature (1500 K), suggesting that at room temperature the transition might by hindered by kinetic barriers. Calculations also predict an additional phase transition at 52 GPa, which exceeds the maximum pressure achieved in the experiments. This transition is from phase IV to an orthorhombic barite-type structure (phase V). We also studied the axial and bulk compressibility of BiPO4. Room-temperature pressure-volume equations of state are reported. BiPO4 was found to be more compressible than isomorphic rare-earth phosphates. The discovered phase IV was determined to be the less compressible polymorph of BiPO4. On the other hand, the theoretically predicted phase V has a bulk modulus comparable with that of monazite-type BiPO4. Finally, the isothermal compressibility tensor for the monazite-type structure is reported at 2.4 GPa showing that the direction of maximum compressibility is in the (0 1 0) plane at approximately 15° (21°) to the a axis for the case of our experimental (theoretical) study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural stability of a transparent conducting oxide CuLaO2 at high pressures is investigated using in-situ Raman spectroscopy, electrical resistance, and x-ray diffraction techniques. The present Raman investigations indicate a sequence of structural phase transitions at 1.8 GPa and 7GPa. The compound remains in the first high pressure phase when pressure is released. Electrical resistance measurements carried out at high pressures confirm the second phase transition. These observations are further supported by powder x-ray diffraction at high pressures which also showed that a-axis is more compressible than c-axis in this compound. Fitting the pressure dependence of unit cell volume to 3rd order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, zero pressure bulk modulus of CuLaO2 is determined to be 154(25) GPa. The vibrational properties in the ambient delafossite phase of CuLaO2 are investigated using ab-initio calculations of phonon frequencies to complement the Raman spectroscopic measurements. Temperature dependence of the Raman modes of CuLaO2 is investigated to estimate the anharmonicity of Raman modes. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature dependence of optical constants of titanium nitride thin film is investigated using Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) between 1.4 and 5 eV in the temperature range of 300K to 650K in steps of 50K. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric functions ε1(E) and ε2 (E) marginally increase with increase in temperature. A Drude Lorentz dielectric analysis based on free electron and oscillator model are carried out to describe the temperature behavior. With increase in temperature, the unscreened plasma frequency and broadening marginally decreased and increased, respectively. The parameters of the Lorentz oscillator model also showed that the relaxation time decreased with temperature while the oscillator energies increased. This study shows that owing to the marginal change in the refractive index with temperature, titanium nitride can be employed for surface plasmon sensor applications even in environments where rise in temperature is imminent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication, we report the preparation and properties of nano-CoFe2O4 by gel combustion in presence of KCl and subsequent heat treatments. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, and Mössbauer Spectroscopy. Spinel type structure with all Fe in 3+ oxidation states was confirmed from the XRD and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The average crystallite sizes of the studied samples were about 6 and 50 nm. Low temperature magnetic and dielectric properties of the samples were studied by superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and ac-impedance spectroscopy. The field and temperature dependent magnetization studies indicated superparamagnetic nature for 6 nm sample and ferromagnetic nature for 50 nm sample. The temperature-dependent dielectric properties measured over a wide range of frequencies indicated an increasing trend of dielectric permittivity with the decrease in crystallite size. Variable range polaron hopping conduction was observed in both samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of pressure on the vibrational properties of bulk and nanocrystalline powders of cubic bixbyite-type In2O3 has been investigated at room temperature by means of Raman spectroscopy up to 31.6 and 30 GPa, respectively. We have been able to follow the pressure dependence of up to sixteen and seven Raman modes in bulk and nanocrystalline cubic In2O3, respectively. The experimental frequencies and pressure coefficients of the Raman-active modes of bulk cubic In2O3 at ambient pressure are in good agreement with those predicted by our theoretical ab initio calculations. Furthermore, a comparison of our experimental data with our calculations for the Raman modes in rhombohedral corundum and orthorhombic Rh2O3-II structures and with already reported Raman modes of rhombohedral corundum-type In2O3 at room pressure indicate that Raman scattering measurements provide no experimental evidence of the cubic to rhombohedral or cubic to orthorhombic phase transitions either in bulk material or in nanocrystals up to 30 GPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report a new high-pressure rhombohedral phase of Ce2Zr2O8 observed in high-pressure angle-dispersive x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies up to nearly 12 GPa. The ambient-pressure cubic phase of Ce2Zr2O8 transforms to a rhombohedral structure beyond 5 GPa with a feeble distortion in the lattice. The pressure evolution of the unit-cell volume showed a change in compressibility above 5 GPa. The unit-cell parameters of the high-pressure rhombohedral phase at 12.1 GPa are ah = 14.6791(3) Å, ch = 17.9421(5) Å, and V = 3348.1(1) Å3. The structure relations between the parent cubic (P213) and rhombohedral (P32) phases were obtained via group-subgroup relations. All the Raman modes of the cubic phase showed linear evolution with pressure, with the hardest one at 197 cm-1. Some Raman modes of the high-pressure phase have a non-linear evolution with pressure, and softening of one low-frequency mode with pressure is found. The compressibility, equation of state, and pressure coefficients of Raman modes of Ce2Zr2O8 are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High pressure x-ray diffraction studies on inverse-perovskite BaLiF3 show that this compound is structurally stable up to ∼50 GPa. The bulk modulus of BaLiF3 is determined to be 75.9 GPa which is in close agreement with that determined from a semi-empirical formulation. Our ab initio calculations show that among the three alkaline earth fluoro perovskites (ALiF3, A = Ba, Ca, and Sr) which crystallize in the inverse-perovskite structure, BaLiF3 is the least brittle at ambient conditions and also that the degree of brittleness decreases at high pressures. The behavior of the elastic constants at high pressure accompanied by a reduction in the bandgap indicates a decrease in the directional nature of the bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the effects of high pressure on the crystalline structure of scheelite-type CdMoO4 and EuMoO4. We found that the compressibility of the materials is highly nonisotropic, with the c-axis being the most compressible one. We also observed clear evidence of a structural phase transition at 12 GPa (CdMoO4) and 8.8 GPa (EuMoO4). The high-pressure phase has a monoclinic structure similar to M-fergusonite. The transition is reversible, and no volume change is detected between the low- and high-pressure phases. The results contradict early x-ray diffraction studies carried out in CdMoO4 and are compared with those obtained previously in isomorphic molybdates. Finally, the equation of state for both compounds is also determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the effects of high-pressure on the crystalline structure of bulk and nanocrystalline scheelite-type PbMoO4. We found that in both cases the compressibility of the materials is highly nonisotropic, being the c-axis the most compressible one. We also observed that the volume compressibility of nanocrystals becomes higher that the bulk one at 5 GPa. In addition, at 10.7(8) GPa we observed the onset of an structural phase transition in bulk PbMoO4. The high-pressure phase has a monoclinic structure similar to M-fergusonite. The transition is reversible and not volume change is detected between the low-pressure and high-pressure phases. No additional structural changes or evidence of decomposition are found up to 21.1 GPa. In contrast nanocrystalline PbMoO4 remains in the scheelite structure at least up to 16.1 GPa. Finally, the equation of state for bulk and nanocrystalline PbMoO4 are also determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer nanofluids of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVF2) containing 0–5 wt % Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are synthesized via a simple in situ caloric Ag+→Ag reaction in liquid N,N-dimethyl formamide by sonication in hot conditions. An upright dielectric field on formation of a percolation network over the electron donor Ag NPs and electron acceptor CF2 from an ordered β-PVF2 tailors light absorption 250–550 nm and green emission 520–620 nm of variable intensities, with a small percolation threshold of 0.1 wt % Ag NPs. On higher Ag contents, the intensity drops rapidly in both the absorption and emission roughly by an order of magnitude, following the percolation theory of a hybrid dielectric composite. Results open scope of developing newer materials for optical sensors, barcodes, energy transfer pairs, or light emitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High pressure behavior of ZrGeO4 has been investigated using Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies up to 25 GPa in a diamond anvil cell. Under the application of pressure, the GeO4 librational mode exhibits softening, suggesting dynamical instability of the scheelite structure. Qualitative changes are noted in the Raman spectrum above 12 GPa, suggesting a possible transition around this pressure. High pressure PL behavior of Eu3+-related crystal field transitions indicates a clear change in the site symmetry of Eu3+ around 12 GPa, strongly supporting structural transition to a lower symmetry phase at this pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modified sol-gel method for synthesizing vanadium doped titania is being reported. These materials were thoroughly characterized for their oxidation states by electron paramagnetic resonance and x-ray absorption near edge structure and the local environment of the V-atom were investigated by the x-ray absorption fine structure. V-doped titania was found to be more active than nanotitania for photo-oxidation of methane in air under ambient conditions using UV-visible irradiation. The vanadium doping in the crystal lattice of titania leads to a mixture of oxidation states of 4+ and 5+ in the crystal lattice sites of the TiO2, which is crucial for its catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt chromite (CoCr2O4) is a potential multiferroic material. In order to understand the temperature dependent magnetic transitions on particle morphology, here we prepared CoCr2O4 nanoparticles by sonochemical technique. We used powder x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer, and ac susceptibility measurement techniques for characterization. The low-temperature magnetic behavior of CoCr2O4 nanoparticles have been investigated in more detail. While the bulk CoCr2O4 exhibits two magnetic transitions viz., Tc≈98 K and Ts≈26 K, the nanoparticles here showed a Tc≈84 K and Ts≈25 K. We tentatively attribute this shift in Tc to finite size effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eu3+ doped Gd2O3 particles have been prepared by glycine-nitrate combustion route. Eu–O charge transfer peak shifts to higher wavelength from 260 to 273 nm with increasing Eu3+ concentration, whereas the linewidth at half maximum intensity varies with Eu3+ concentrations and annealing temperatures as well. Lifetime for 5D0 level of Eu3+ increases with annealing temperature from 500 to 900 °C, and this is related to decreasing surface to volume atomic ratio of particles. Asymmetric ratio defined by the ratio of intensity of electrical dipole transition to that of magnetic dipole transition is found to be 10, which is more than the reported values (3–4) indicating enhancement in luminescence by this synthesis route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the surface and interfacial chemical analysis of sputter deposited TiNi thin films over Si (100) substrates using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS), and grazing incidence x-ray diffraction analysis. Upon annealing to high temperatures, significant diffusion of Ni into the Si substrate was observed. The analysis of the RBS and SIMS spectra confirm the net movement of the film species into the substrate. Further, we discuss the formation mechanism and the composition distribution surrounding the TiNi/Si interface that proves conducive for the nucleation and growth of the detected nickel silicide compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural stability of HfW2O8 is investigated at high pressure using Raman spectroscopy. Irreversible amorphization is found to occur when pressurized to above 3 GPa under hydrostatic conditions. The Raman spectrum of the pressure-amorphized sample closely resembles that of amorphous WO3. On the other hand, spectrum of the recovered sample subjected to uniaxial compression of about 5 GPa showed bands characteristic of crystalline HfO2 besides the parent cubic phase and amorphous phase. Ex situ x-ray diffraction measurements on the pressure-cycled samples also indicated the presence of monoclinic HfO2. These results suggest that the observed pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) under hydrostatic compression is indeed due to hindered decomposition, which is facilitated under uniaxial compression. Thus, the behavior of HfW2O8 appears to be different from that of ZrW2O8, which exhibited only PIA and not pressure-induced decomposition at ambient temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase relations in CeO2-Ho2O3 and CeO2-Er2O3 systems have been established under the slow-cooled conditions. As per x-ray diffraction (XRD), in both the series a single-phasic solid solution forms up to the nominal composition Ce0.6RE0.4O1.8 (RE=Ho, Er) retaining the F-type structure of parent ceria. In Ce1-xErxO2-x/2 system the presence of microdomains of C-type phase have been revealed by Raman spectroscopy for composition x=0.4, which has been identified as single phasic by XRD. Photoluminescence studies also show that biphasic region commences from x=0.4 for Ce1-xHoxO2-x/2 series. The biphasicity continues until x=0.7 for both the series. From x=0.8 the solid solutions exist as C-type single phasic, which is isotypic to another end member RE2O3 (RE=Ho, Er) and as revealed by both XRD and Raman spectroscopy. High temperature XRD studies show that no temperature induced phase change has been observed in either of the series until 1273 K. In this work photoluminescence data was used to delineate the phase boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlled boron doping of diamond film using nontoxic reagents is a challenge in itself. During the present study, attempts have been made to dope diamond films in situ with boron from a solution of boric acid (H3BO3) in methanol (CH3OH) using a specially designed bubbler that ensured continuous and controlled flow of vapors of boron precursors during deposition. The samples are thoroughly characterized using a host of techniques comprising of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman, x-ray diffraction, and current-voltage measurements (I-V). Cross-sectional micro-Raman spectroscopy has been used to obtain depth profile of boron in diamond films. Boron concentration ([B]) in the films is found to vary linearly on a semilog scale with molarity (M) of H3BO3 in CH3OH. Lattice constant of our samples is smaller than the reported American society for testing and materials (ASTM) values due to oxygen incorporation and it increases with [B] in the diamond samples. Heavily boron doped samples exhibit Fano deformation of the Raman line shape and negative and/zero activation barrier in temperature dependent I-V measurements that indicate the formation of metallic phase in the samples. The present study illustrates the feasibility of safe and controlled boron doping of diamond films using a solution of H3BO3 in CH3OH over a significant range of [B] from semiconductor to metallic regime but with a little adverse effect due to unintentional but unavoidable incorporation of oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report results of a comprehensive study of the phase transition at TN (∼643 K) as a function of particle size in multiferroic BiFeO3 system. We employed electrical, thermal, and temperature dependent x-ray diffraction studies in order to characterize the transition in a host of samples. We also carried out detailed magnetic measurements over a temperature regime of 2–300 K under a magnetic field of 100–10 000 Oe both on bulk and nanocrystalline systems. While in the bulk system a sharp endothermic peak at TN together with a broad feature, ranging over nearly ∼100 K (ΔT), could be observed in calorimetry, the nanoscale systems exhibit only the broad feature. The characteristic dielectric anomaly, expected at TN, is found to occur both at TO and TN across ΔT in the bulk sample. The Maxwell-Wagner component due to interfaces between heterogenous regions with different conductivities is also present. The magnetic properties, measured at lower temperature, corroborate our observations in calorimetry. The metastability increases in the nanoscale BiFeO3 with divergence between zero-field cooled and field cooled magnetizations below ∼100 K and faster magnetic relaxation. Interestingly, in nanoscale BiFeO3 one also observes finite coercivity at lower temperature, which points out that suitable design of particle size and shape may induce ferromagnetism. The inhomogeneous distribution of Bi/Fe ions and/or oxygen nonstoichiometry seems to be giving rise to broad features in thermal, magnetic as well as electrical responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ac resistance measurements on the trigonal (α-) phase of ZrMo2O8 and HfMo2O8 carried out up to 5 GPa using the toroid anvil apparatus are reported. The ac resistance data in both the materials are found to be strongly frequency dependent and show a transition between two power law regimes with a crossover frequency (ωc) near 1 kHz. For both the compounds slope changes and anomalies are observed in the ac resistance data at the structural transition pressures. The activation volumes at room temperature are obtained by analyzing the ac conductance data in terms of the pressure dependent activation volume model. The main conduction mechanism at 12 Hz is believed to be the diffusion of oxygens ions, whereas hopping of point defects is responsible for ac conductuance above 33 kHz. At 1 KHz, a crossover from hopping to diffusion of point defects is observed at the α-δ (monoclinic) phase transition pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the native SiO2 in the phase formation sequence of Ti/Si system has been studied. Furnace annealing of Ti/Si couples has been investigated by secondary-ion-mass spectrometry, Rutherford backscattering, and glancing incidence x-ray diffraction. The influence of dilute concentration of oxygen at the interface in altering reaction kinetics was studied. These studies reveal that the highly metallic Ti5Si3 phase forms during the intermediate stages of heat treatment. This phase is found to catalyze the direct formation of the low-resistive C54 TiSi2 phase, completely bypassing its polymorphic C49 counterpart. X-ray-diffraction line profile analysis of Bragg peaks indicates that the formation of the C54 phase is accompanied by a reduction in the microstrain. Subsequent annealing results in the complete transformation to TiSi2 with an increase in the average grain size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric properties of chemically heterogeneous multilayers and graded composition thin films of (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–xPbTiO3, a well-known relaxor, were prepared using a multitarget pulsed laser ablation system. Target materials with different values of x (0.0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) were used for ablation growth. Films with sharp interfaces and graded interfaces were prepared and were characterized for their electrical properties. The stepped films were found to have a phase-transition behavior dominated by the individual layer behavior with their corresponding local dielectric maxima. The graded films showed an overall averaged effect of the system. The graded films showed an enhanced diffusiveness in the phase transition and the γ value was found to be 2.43, which is a measure of diffusivity. The tunability of these graded films was found to be high around 60% and was twice that of any of the film of homogeneous composition films. The room-temperature polarization hysteresis curves exhibited slim loop characteristics with a saturation polarization of about 40 μC/cm2 in the case of both stepped and graded films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, photoluminescence, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques were used to study the effect of 120 MeV [sup 107]Ag[sup 9+] ion irradiation on nanocrystalline Cu[sub 2]O thin films grown by the activated reactive evaporation technique. The influence of dense electronic excitations during ion irradiation on the structural and optical properties of the Cu[sub 2]O thin films was studied. Experimental results demonstrate that the phase and the size of nanocrystallites in the Cu[sub 2]O thin films as well as associated surface states can be tailored by controlling ion fluence. The Cu[sub 2]O higher symmetry cubic phase is observed to be quite stable under a higher temperature and irradiation-induced thermal spikes, which accompanies ion irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystalline to amorphous transition and subsequent microstructural evolution in silicon induced by Ar[sup +]-ion implantation over a wide range of ion fluences (6×10[sup 13]–1×10[sup 17] cm[sup -2]) have been investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry. In the evaluation of the optical and microstructural properties of the damaged layer, the contribution of the surface overlayer to the measured dielectric spectra was separated by fitting a multilayer model with an effective medium approximation. The best fit to the dielectric spectra for disordered silicon could be obtained by taking our highest-fluence implanted (fluence=1×10[sup 17] ions/cm[sup 2]) amorphous silicon (a-Si) data as reference data instead of a-Si data available in the handbook. The derivative spectra as a function of fluence show a distinct and sharp transition from the crystalline to amorphous phase. The threshold fluence for this transition is derived from fitting. Evaluation of standard sum rules and optical moments for imaginary part of the pseudodielectric function reveals no substantial change in various physical parameters below the transition indicating their insensitivity to point defects, while it shows a large change with fluence above the threshold for amorphization. The disorder induced changes in the effective dielectric constant, number of valence electrons per atom participating in optical transition, Penn gap energy, average bond length, coordination number, effective dispersion oscillator energy, an average strength of the interband optical transition with fluence is discussed on the basis of microstructural evolution and corresponding band structure modification. It is also shown that the dielectric functions of damaged silicon are well represented by a sum of six classical Lorentz oscillators. With increasing fluences, each of the oscillator amplitude decreases and linewidth increases except for the 3.3 eV transition which shows increasing amplitude... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic study of the consequences of in-plane tensile strain on the correlation between structure/microstructure and magneto-electrical properties of La0.23Pr0.41Ca0.36MnO3/SrTiO3 (001) thin films is performed. At lower film thickness (d≤27 nm) the dominant tensile strain supports layered morphology. At d=41 nm structural/microstructural crossover takes place and at d≥41 nm relaxation induced tilt and dilations of the lattice generate defects like dislocations, which in turn transforms the layer by layer growth into disordered brick type morphology. It appears that the relaxation even at higher thickness (∼81 nm) is partial only and the strain may have a self-sustained nature. The domination of the tensile strain suppresses the ferromagnetic-metallic phase due to the possible electronic reconstruction which could give rise to a magnetically disordered insulator 'dead' layer and a sizeable non-magnetic insulator state at d≤27 nm. In this thickness regime the possible selective orbital stabilization could also contribute to carrier localization. At d≥41 nm the severity of the impact of the interfacial electronic reconstruction is reduced with concomitant relaxation of the tensile strain which favors carrier delocalization and yields well defined metallic-ferromagnetic phase transitions. The hysteretic nature of the phase transitions reflects the thermal cycle dependent nature of the metallic-ferromagnetic and insulating antiferromagnetic phases in this strongly phase separated material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localized effect of impurities in single GaN nanowires in the sub-diffraction limit is reported using the study of lattice vibrational modes in the evanescent field of Au nanoparticle assisted tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS). GaN nanowires with the O impurity and the Mg dopants were grown by the chemical vapor deposition technique in the catalyst assisted vapor-liquid-solid process. Symmetry allowed Raman modes of wurtzite GaN are observed for undoped and doped nanowires. Unusually very strong intensity of the non-zone center zone boundary mode is observed for the TERS studies of both the undoped and the Mg doped GaN single nanowires. Surface optical mode of A1 symmetry is also observed for both the undoped and the Mg doped GaN samples. A strong coupling of longitudinal optical (LO) phonons with free electrons, however, is reported only in the O rich single nanowires with the asymmetric A1(LO) mode. Study of the local vibration mode shows the presence of Mg as dopant in the single GaN nanowires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the structure of a graphene/silicon heterojunction solar cell has been studied under simulated conditions. The parameters of the cell's layers have been optimized by using AFORS-HET software. Instead of reported 2D nature, we considered graphene as 3D in nature. To ensure the formation of Schottky junction, electrical contacts were made along c-axis to collect the minority carriers, which generate upon illumination. By optimizing the various parameters of n-type multilayer graphene, we achieved the best-simulated cell with the power conversion efficiency of 7.62 % at room temperature. Up to 40 layers of n-type graphene, the efficiency found to be constant and enhanced only to 7.623 %. After further optimization of the parameters of p-crystalline silicon wafer, a maximum efficiency of 11.23 % has been achieved. Temperature dependence on the cell performance has also been studied and an efficiency of 11.38 % has been achieved at 270 K. Finally, we have demonstrated that n-type multilayer graphene can act as an excellent transparent conducting electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Role of "O" defects in sensing pollutant with nanostructured SnO2 is not well understood, especially at low temperatures. SnO2 nanoparticles were grown by soft chemistry route followed by subsequent annealing treatment under specific conditions. Nanowires were grown by chemical vapor deposition technique. A systematic photoluminescence (PL) investigation of "O" defects in SnO2 nanostructures revealed a strong correlation between shallow donors created by the in-plane and the bridging "O" vacancies and gas sensing at low temperatures. These SnO2 nanostructures detected methane (CH4), a reducing and green house gas at a low temperature of 50 °C. Response of CH4 was found to be strongly dependent on surface defect in comparison to surface to volume ratio. Control over "O" vacancies during the synthesis of SnO2 nanomaterials, as supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and subsequent elucidation for low temperature sensing are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]