Traveling waves in a drifting flux lattice

Starting from the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations for a type II superconductor, we derive the equations of motion for the displacement field of a moving vortex lattice ignoring pinning and inertia. We show that it is linearly stable and, surprisingly, that it supports wavelike long-wavelength excitations arising not from inertia or elasticity but from the strain-dependent mobility of the moving lattice. It should be possible to image these waves, whose speeds are a few mu m/s, using fast scanning tunneling microscopy.

Effect of contact at the interface on the compressive properties of fly ash-epoxy composites

Particulate composites based on polymer matrices generally contain fillers, especially those that are abundantly available and are cheaper. The inclusion of these, besides improving the properties, makes the system costwise viable, In the present study, fly ash was tried as a filler in epoxy. The filler particle surfaces were modified using three chemical surface treatment techniques in order to elicit the effect of adhesion at the interface on the mechanical properties of these composites. The compatibilizing of the filler with the use of a silane coupling agent yielded the best compression strength values. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has been used to characterize and supplement the mechanical test data.

Electrochemically deposited crystalline thin film of polyaniline on nickel for redox reactions at positive potentials

Redox reactions which occur at positive potentials such as ferrous/ferric, hydroquinone/quinone, ferrocyanide/ferricyanide etc. in aqueous acidic electrolytes cannot be studied on non-platinum metals, for example, a Ni electrode. On the contrary, these reactions occur on polyaniline (PANI) modified Ni electrodes, as evidenced from cyclic voltammetry, amperometry and steady-state polarization experiments. Under identical experimental conditions of scan rate (v) and concentration (C), the peak current density (i(p)) values of Fe2+/Fe3+ redox reaction are greater on the PANI modified Ni than on Pt. Additionally, the peak potential separation (DeltaE(p)) of the voltammogram is lesser on the PANI modified Ni. With an increase in thickness of the PANI, DeltaE(p) increases suggesting that the redox reactions tend to depart from the reversibility. Scanning electron micrographs reveal the presence of a crystalline deposit of PANI on Ni when the thickness of PANI is about 0.08 mum. However, the PANI becomes amorphous and porous at higher thickness values. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies corroborate the observations made out of scanning electron microscopy. Higher catalytic activity of PANI is attributed to crystalline nature of PANI on Ni. Exchange current density and standard rate constant of Fe2+/Fe(3+)redox reaction are evaluated. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Durable electrocatalytic-activity of Pt-Au/C cathode in PEMFCs

Longevity remains as one of the central issues in the successful commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and primarily hinges on the durability of the cathode. Incorporation of gold (Au) to platinum (Pt) is known to ameliorate both the electrocatalytic activity and stability of cathode in relation to pristine Pt-cathodes that are currently being used in PEMFCs. In this study, an accelerated stress test (AST) is conducted to simulate prolonged fuel-cell operating conditions by potential cycling the carbon-supported Pt-Au (Pt-Au/C) cathode. The loss in performance of PEMFC with Pt-Au/C cathode is found to be similar to 10% after 7000 accelerated potential-cycles as against similar to 60% for Pt/C cathode under similar conditions. These data are in conformity with the electrochemical surface-area values. PEMFC with Pt-Au/C cathode can withstand > 10 000 potential cycles with very little effect on its performance. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies on the catalyst before and after AST suggest that incorporating Au with Pt helps mitigate aggregation of Pt particles during prolonged fuel-cell operations while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reflects that the metallic nature of Pt is retained in the Pt-Au catalyst during AST in comparison to Pt/C that shows a major portion of Pt to be present as oxidic platinum. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy conducted on the membrane electrode assembly before and after AST suggests that incorporating Au with Pt helps mitigating deformations in the catalyst layer.

High temperature phase chemistry of system Eu-Pd-O

An isothermal section of the phase diagram for the system Eu - Pd - O at 1223 K has been established by equilibration of samples representing 20 different compositions, and phase identification after quenching by optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Three ternary oxides, Eu4PdO7, Eu2PdO4, and Eu2Pd2O5, were identified. Liquid alloys and the intermetallic compounds EuPd2 and EuPd3 were found to be in equilibrium with EuO. The compound EuPd3 was also found to coexist separately with Eu3O4 and Eu2O3. The oxide phase in equilibrium with EuPd5 and Pd rich solid solution was Eu2O3. Based on the phase relations, four solid state cells were designed to measure the Gibbs energies of formation of the three ternary oxides in the temperature range from 925 to 1350 K. Although three cells are sufficient to obtain the properties of the three compounds, the fourth cell was deployed to crosscheck the data. An advanced version of the solid state cell incorporating a buffer electrode with yttria stabilised zirconia solid electrolyte and pure oxygen gas at a pressure of 0.1 MPa as the reference electrode was used for high temperature thermodynamic measurements. Equations for the standard Gibbs energy of formation of the interoxide compounds from their component binary oxides Eu2O3 with C type structure and PdO have been established. Based on the thermodynamic information, isothermal chemical potential diagrams and isobaric phase diagrams for the system Eu - Pd - O have been developed.

Low-pressure MOCVD of Al2O3 films using aluminium acetylacetonate as precursor: nucleation and growth

A study of the deposition of aluminium oxide films by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapour deposition from the complex aluminium acetylacetonate, in the absence of an oxidant gas, has been carried out. Depositions on to Si(100), stainless steel, and TiN-coated cemented carbide are found to be smooth, shiny, and blackish. SIMS, XPS and TEM analyses reveal that films deposited at temperatures as low as 600 degreesC contain small crystallites Of kappa-Al2O3, embedded in an amorphous matrix rich in graphitic carbon. Optical and scanning electron microscopy reveal a surface morphology made up of spherulites that suggests that film growth might involve a melting process. A nucleation and growth mechanism, involving the congruent melting clusters of precursor molecules on the hot substrate surface, is therefore invoked to explain these observations. An effort has been made experimentally to verify this proposed mechanism. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Microstructural, dielectric, pyroelectric and ferroelectric studies on partially grain-oriented SrBi2Ta2O9 ceramics

Partially grain-oriented (48%) ceramics of strontium bismuth tantalate (SrBi2Ta2O9) have been fabricated via conventional sintering. The grain-orientation factor of the ceramics was determined, as a function of both the sintering temperature and duration of sintering using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) techniques. Variations in microstructural features (from acircular to plate like morphology) as a function of sintering temperature of the pellets were monitored by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The dielectric constant and loss measurements as functions of both frequency and temperature have been carried out along the directions parallel and perpendicular to the pressing axis. The anisotropy (epsilon(rn)/epsilon(rp)) associated was found to be 2.21. The effective dielectric constant of the samples with varying porosity was predicted using different dielectric mixture formulae. The grain boundary and grain interior contributions to the dielectric properties were rationalized using the impedance spectroscopy. The pyroelectric coefficient for strontium bismuth tantalate ceramic was determined along the parallel and perpendicular directions to the pressing axis and found to be -23 muC/m(2)K and -71 muC/m(2)K, respectively at 300 K. The ferroelectric properties of these partially grain-oriented ceramics are superior in the direction perpendicular to the pressing axis to that in the parallel direction.

Optimization of off-oriented Ge substrates for MOVPE-grown GaAs solar cells

GaAs/Ge heterostructures having abrupt interfaces were grown on 2degrees, 6degrees, and 9degrees off-cut Ge substrates and investigated by cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and electrochemical capacitance voltage (ECV) profiler. The GaAs films were grown on off-oriented Ge substrates with growth temperature in the range of 600-700degreesC, growth rate of 3-12 mum/hr and a V/III ratio of 29-88. The lattice indexing of HRTEM exhibits an excellent lattice line matching between GaAs and Ge substrate. The PL spectra from GaAs layer on 6degrees off-cut Ge substrate shows the higher excitonic peak compared with 2degrees and 9degrees off-cut Ge substrates. In addition, the luminescence intensity from the GaAs solar cell grown on 6degrees off-cut is higher than on 9degrees off-cut Ge substrates and signifies the potential use of 6degrees off-cut Ge substrate in the GaAs solar cells industry. The ECV profiling shows an abrupt film/substrate interface as well as between various layers of the solar cell structures.

Phase transformation and semiconductor-metal transition in thin films of VO2 deposited by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Thin films of the semiconducting, monoclinic vanadium dioxide, VO2(M) have been prepared on ordinary glass by two methods: directly by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and by argon-annealing films of the VO2(B) phase deposited by MOCVD. The composition and microstructure of the films have been examined by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Films made predominantly of either the B or the M phase, as deposited, can only be obtained over a narrow range of deposition temperatures. At the lower end of this temperature range, the as-deposited films are strongly oriented, although the substrate is glass. This can be understood from the drive to minimize surface energy. Films of the B phase have a platelet morphology, which leads to an unusual microstructure at the lower-deposition temperatures. Those grown at similar to370 degreesC convert to the metallic, rutile (R) phase when annealed at 550 degreesC, whereas those deposited at 420 degreesC transform to the R phase only at 580 degreesC. (When cooled to room temperature, the annealed films convert reversibly from the R phase to the M phase.) Electron microscopy shows that annealing leads to disintegration of the single crystalline VO2(B) platelets into small crystallites of VO2(R), although the platelet morphology is retained. When the annealing temperature is relatively low, these crystallites are nanometer sized. At a higher-annealing temperature, the transformation leads to well-connected and similarly oriented large grains of VO2(R), enveloped in the original platelet. The semiconductor-metal transition near 68 degreesC leads to a large jump in resistivity in all the VO2(M) films, nearly as large as in epitaxial films on single-crystal substrates. When the annealed films contain well-connected large grains, the transition is very sharp. Even when preferred orientation is present, the transition is not as sharp in as-deposited VO2(M), because the crystallites are not densely packed as in annealed VO2(B). However, the high degree of orientation in these films leads to a narrow temperature hysteresis. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Synthesis and thermal expansion hysteresis of Ca1-xSrxZr4P6O24

The low thermal expansion ceramic system, Ca1-xSrxZr4P6O24, for the compositions with x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1 was synthesized by solid-state reaction. The sintering characteristics were ascertained by bulk density measurements. The fracture surface microstructure examined by scanning electron microscopy showed the average grain size of 2.47 mum for all the compositions. The thermal expansion data for these ceramic systems over the temperature range 25-800degreesC is reported. The sinterability of various solid solutions and the hysteresis in dilatometric behaviour are shown to be related to the crystallographic thermal expansion anisotropy. A steady increase in the amount of porosity and critical grain size with increase in x is suggested to explain the observed decrease in the hysteresis.

Synthesis of LiCo1-xNixO2 from a low temperature solution combustion route and characterization

Nickel substituted lithium-cobalt oxides, LiCo1-xNixO2 (0 < x < 0.4), have been synthesized in a very short time by a solution combustion method at 350 degreesC using diformyl hydrazine as a fuel. Pure phases with hexagonal lattice structure have been obtained. These compounds facilitate reversible insertion/extraction of Li+ ions with good discharge capacity between 3.0 and 4.4 V versus Li/Li+. Results of the studies by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling and ac impedance measurements are presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The thermodynamics and phase behaviour of Tb2Pd2O5 and Er2Pd2O5

Isothermal sections of the phase diagrams for the systems Ln-Pd-O (with Ln = Tb or Er) have been established by equilibration of samples at T = 1223 K, and phase identification after quenching by optical and scanning electron microscopy (OM, SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Two oxide phases were stable along the binary Tb-O: Tb2O3+x, a phase of variable composition, and Tb7O12 at T = 1223K. The oxide PdO was not stable at this temperature. Only one ternary oxide Tb2Pd2O5 was identified in the Tb-Pd-O system. No ternary compound was found in the system Er-Pd-O at T = 1223K. However, the compound Er2Pd2O5 could be synthesized at T = 1075 K by the hydrothermal route. In both systems, the alloys and inter-metallic compounds were all found to be in equilibrium with the lanthanide sesquioxide Ln(2)O(3) (where Ln is either Tb or Er). Two solid-state cells, each incorporating a buffer electrode, were designed to measure the Gibbs energy of formation of the ternary oxides, using yttria-stabilized zirconia as the solid electrolyte and pure oxygen gas as the reference electrode. Electromotive force measurements were conducted in the temperature range (900-1275) K for Th-Pd-O system, and at temperatures from (900-1075) K for the system Er-Pd-O. The standard Gibbs energy of formation Delta(f)G(m)degrees,, of the inter-oxide compounds from their component binary oxides Ln(2)O(3) and PdO are represented by equations linear in temperature. Isothermal chemical potential diagrams for the systems Ln-Pd-O (with Ln = Tb or Er) are developed based on the thermodynamic information. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cobalt oxide thin films prepared by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition from cobalt acetylacetonate

Thin films of cobalt oxide have been deposited on various substrates, such as glass, Si(100), SrTiO3(100), and LaAlO3(100), by low pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using cobalt(IL), acetylacetonate as the precursor. Films obtained in the temperature range 400-600 degreesC were uniform and highly crystalline having Co3O4 phase as revealed by x-ray diffraction. Under similar conditions of growth, highly oriented thin films of cobalt oxide grow on SrTiO3(100) and LaAlO3(100). The microstructure and the surface morphology of cobalt oxide films on glass, Si(100) and single crystalline substrates, SrTiO3(100) and LaAlO3(100) were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Optical properties of the films were studied by uv-visible-near IR spectrophotometry.

Time Evolution of the Microstructure of VO2(B) Films Deposited on Glass by MOCVD

Thin films of VO2(B), a metastable polymorph of vanadium dioxide, have been grown on glass by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The films grown for 90 minutes have atypical microstructure, comprising micrometer-sized, island-like entities made up of numerous small, single-crystalline platelets (≅1 μm) emerging orthogonally from larger ones at the center. Microstructure evolution as a function of deposition time has been examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The metastable VO2(B) transforms to the stable rutile (R) phase at 550°C in inert ambient, which on cooling convert reversibly to M phase. Electron microscopy shows that annealing leads to the disintegration of the VO2(B) platelets into small crystallites of the rutile phase VO2(R), although the platelet morphology is retained. The magnitude of the jump in resistance at the semiconductor-to-metal, VO2(M)→VO2(R) phase transition depends on the arrangement of polycrystalline platelets in the films.

A study of Al2O3:C films on Si(100) grown by low pressure MOCVD

We report the characterization of carbonaceous aluminium oxide, Al2O3:C, films grown on Si(100) by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The focus is on the study of the effects of carbon on the dielectric properties of aluminium oxide in a qualitative manner. The carbon present in the aluminium oxide film derives from aluminium acetylacetonate used as the source of aluminium. As-grown films comprise nanometer-sized grains of alumina (∼ 20–50 nm) in an amorphous carbonaceous matrix, as examined by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The films are shiny; they are smooth as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An attempt has been made to explore the defects (viz., oxide charge density) in the aluminium oxide films using room temperature high frequency capacitance – voltage (C-V) and current–voltage (I-V) measurements. The hysteresis and stretch-out in the high frequency C-V plots is indicative of charge trapping. The role of heteroatoms, as characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, in the transport of charge in Al2O3:C films is discussed.