Thermal-shock resistance of LnMgAl(11)O(19) (Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Gd) with magnetoplumbite structure

Lanthanide hexaaluminates including LaMgAl11O19, NdMgAl11O19, SmMgAl11O19 and GdMgAl11O19 were synthesized via Sol-Gel method. Due to the anisotropic crystal growth, these oxides crystallize in the form of platelets and the platelet thickness increases with the decrease of rare-earth ionic radius. It was observed that the thermal-shock resistances of LaMgAl11O19, NdMgAl11O19 and SmMgAl11O19 oxides were superior to 8YSZ as proved by water quenching tests. In addition, the thinner the platelet. the more interstices are retained in the sintered specimen, and the better thermal-shock resistance the oxide has. Based on SEM images, it can be seen that the SmMgAl11O19 sample exhibits a mixture of the intergranular and transgranular fracture after thermal cycling failure.

Influence of laser-glazing on hot corrosion resistance of yttria-stabilized zirconia TBC in molten salt mixture of V2O5 and Na2SO4

Plasma-sprayed 8YSZ (zirconia stabilized with 8 wt% yttria)/NiCoCrAlYTa thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were laser-glazed using a continuous-wave CO2 laser. Open pores within the coating surface were eliminated and an external densified layer was generated by laser-glazing. The hot corrosion resistances of the plasma-sprayed and laser-glazed coatings were investigated. The two specimens were exposed for the same period of 100 h at 900 degrees C to a salt mixture of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4). Serious crack and spallation occurred in the as-sprayed coating, while the as-glazed coating exhibited good hot corrosion behavior and consequently achieved a prolonged lifetime. The results showed that the as-sprayed 8YSZ coating achieved remarkably improved hot corrosion resistance by laser-glazing.

Enhanced charge collection in polymer photovoltaic cells by using an ethanol-soluble conjugated polyfluorene as cathode buffer layer

We report enhanced polymer photovoltaic (PV) cells by utilizing ethanol-soluble conjugated poly (9, 9-bis (6'-diethoxylphosphorylhexyl) fluorene) (PF-EP) as a buffer layer between the active layer consisting of poly(3-hexylthiophene)/[6, 6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester blend and the Al cathode. Compared to the control PV cell with Al cathode, the introduction of PF-EP effectively increases the shunt resistance and improves the photo-generated charge collection since the slightly thicker semi-conducting PF-EP layer may restrain the penetration of Al atoms into the active layer that may result in increased leakage current and quench photo-generated excitons. The power conversion efficiency is increased ca. 8% compared to the post-annealed cell with Al cathode.

Realization of negative differential resistance and switching devices based on copper phthalocyanine by the control of evaporation rate

We have observed, respectively, a negative differential resistance (NDR) and switching conduction in current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of organic diodes based on copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) film sandwiched between indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and aluminum (Al) by controlling the evaporation rate. The NDR effect is repeatable which can be well, controlled by sweep rate and start voltage, and the switching exhibits write-once-read-many-times (WORM) memory characteristics. The traps in the organic layer and interfacial dipole have been used to explain the NDR effect and switching conduction. This opens up potential applications for CuPc organic semiconductor in low power memory and logic circuits.

Negative differential resistance and memory effect in diodes based on 1,4-dibenzyl C60 and zinc phthalocyanine doped polystyrene hybrid material

Negative differential resistance (NDR) and memory effect were observed in diodes based on 1,4-dibenzyl C60 (DBC) and zinc phthalocyanine doped polystyrene hybrid material. Certain negative starting sweeping voltages led to a reproducible NDR, making the hybrid material a promising candidate in memory devices. It was found that the introduction of DBC enhanced the ON/OFF current ratio and significantly improved the memory stability. The ON/OFF current ratio was up to 2 orders of magnitude. The write-read-erase-reread cycles were more than 10(6), and the retention time reached 10 000 s without current degradation.

Negative differential resistance effect in organic devices based on an anthracene derivative

The authors observed a negative differential resistance (NDR) in organic devices consisting of 9,10-bis-(9,9-diphenyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)-anthracene (DPFA) sandwiched between Ag and indium tin oxide electrodes. The large NDR shown in current-voltage characteristics is reproducible, resulting in that the organic devices can be electrically switched between a high conductance state (on state) and a low conductance state (off state). It can be found that the currents at both on to off states are space-charge limited and attributed to the electron traps at the Ag/DPFA interface. The large and reproducible NDR makes the devices of tremendous potential in low power memory and logic circuits.

Lanthanum zirconate nanofibers with high sintering-resistance

The PVP/lanthanum nitrate/zirconium oxychloride (PVP-precursor) nanofiber was prepared by electrospinning technique. Lanthanum zirconate (La2Zr2O7, LZ) in the nanofiber is formed after calcination at 800 degrees C and the nanofiber with pyrochlore structure and a diameter of 100-500 nm can be obtained by calcination of the above precursor fiber at 1000 degrees C for 12 h. The surface of the fiber is rough but the continuous microstructure is still maintained after calcination. LZ fibers stack randomly, resulting in a structure with a low contact area between the fibers. This special structure makes the fiber to have a high resistance to sintering at elevated temperatures. The BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) specific surface areas of the LZ fiber and powder calcined at different temperatures are shown in this paper, and the fiber was characterized by TG-DTA (thermal gravimetry-differential thermal analysis), XRD (X-ray diffraction), N-2 absorption-desorption porosimetry and SEM (scanning electron microscopy).