Polymer gate dielectrics with self-assembled monolayers for high-mobility organic thin-film transistors based on copper phthalocyanine

Organic thin-film transistors based on polycrystalline copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) were fabricated by using poly(vinyl alcohol) as gate dielectric. After treatment of the gate dielectric using an octadecyltrichlorosilane self-assembled monolayer, a mobility of up to 0.11 cm2/V∈s was achieved, which is comparable to that of single-crystal CuPc devices (0.1-1 cm2/V∈s). The surface morphology was analyzed and the possible reasons for the enhanced mobility are discussed. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.

Spray drying: An alternative synthesis method for polycationic oxide compounds

Synthesis of polycationic compounds by the spray-drying technique is an interesting alternative in the domain of aqueous precursor synthesis methods. Spray drying yields high quality samples with good reproducibility. The possibility of scaling up for production of large quantities with fast processing time is well established by the commercial availability of powders of various compositions. In this paper, we have discussed the advantages and limitations of this method and demonstrated its interest by synthesizing a few polycationic compounds selected for their attractive properties of thermoelectricity [Bi1.68Ca2Co1.69O 8, La0.95A0.05CoO3 (A=Ca, Sr, Ba)] or magnetoresistance [La0.70A0.30MnO3 (A=Sr, Ba)]. We have confirmed the quality of these samples by reporting their structure, magnetic and transport properties. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

LiMn2-xTixO4 spinel-type compounds (x ≤ 1): Structural, electrical and magnetic properties

LiMn2-xTixO4 compounds with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 were prepared by solid state reaction and Pechini technique. Powder X-ray diffraction showed that all samples crystallize with the spinel crystal structure (S.G. Fd3-m). The cubic unit-cell parameter increases with the Ti content. The influence of the Ti content and cationic distribution on the magnetic properties of the compounds was studied by measuring the temperature and magnetic field dependences of the magnetization: substitution by non-magnetic d0 Ti4+ ions appeared to weaken the magnetic interactions between the manganese ions. The electrical properties of LiMnTiO4 were studied by AC impedance spectroscopy and DC polarisation measurements, which revealed the electronic character of the conduction process. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-field magnetoresistance in La0.7Ca0.3MnO 3 manganite compounds prepared by the spray drying technique

Calcium-substituted lanthanum manganite compounds were synthesized by the spray drying technique. This method - whose main advantages are versatility, high reproducibility and scalability - yields small grain materials of high homogeneity and displaying low-field magnetoresistance effects. We report about the physical and chemical characterizations of these samples in order to investigate the potential interest of spray drying for the production of materials for low-field magnetoresistance applications. We have studied the dependence of the low-field magnetoresistance on the temperature and duration of the thermal treatment applied to the pelletized powders. The issue of the shape anisotropy (demagnetisation effects) influence on the magnetoresistance properties has also been dealt with. © 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

Observing graphene grow: catalyst-graphene interactions during scalable graphene growth on polycrystalline copper.

Complementary in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffractometry, and environmental scanning electron microscopy are used to fingerprint the entire graphene chemical vapor deposition process on technologically important polycrystalline Cu catalysts to address the current lack of understanding of the underlying fundamental growth mechanisms and catalyst interactions. Graphene forms directly on metallic Cu during the high-temperature hydrocarbon exposure, whereby an upshift in the binding energies of the corresponding C1s XPS core level signatures is indicative of coupling between the Cu catalyst and the growing graphene. Minor carbon uptake into Cu can under certain conditions manifest itself as carbon precipitation upon cooling. Postgrowth, ambient air exposure even at room temperature decouples the graphene from Cu by (reversible) oxygen intercalation. The importance of these dynamic interactions is discussed for graphene growth, processing, and device integration.