Dipole moments in Langmuir monolayers from aromatic carboxylic acids

The three-layer capacitor model proposed by Demchak and Fort [J. Colloid Interface Sci. 46 (1974) 191] is employed to relate measured surface potentials of Langmuir monolayers from a series of polyphenyl carboxylic acids to molecular dipole moments calculated using semiempirical quantum methods. The effective dielectric constant at the air/monolayer interface is 3.0 +/- 0.6, very close to that estimated for aliphatic compounds. Good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained by adopting a dielectric constant of 6.4 for the monolayer/water interface and a contribution from the water reorientation of -0.064 +/- 0.006 D, which shows that the parameters in the DF model are essentially the same as for aliphatic amphiphiles, such as esters, acids, alcohols and ethers. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Low temperature synthesis and electrical properties of PbTiO3 thin films prepared by the polymeric precursor method

Ferroelectric PbTiO3 thin films were successfully prepared on a Pt(111)Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrate for the first time by spin coating, using the polymeric precursor method. X-ray diffraction patterns of the films indicate that they are polycrystalline in nature. This method allows low temperature (500 degrees C) synthesis and high electrical properties. The multilayer PbTiO3 thin films were granular in structure with a grain size of approximately 110-120 nm. A 380-nm-thick film was obtained by carrying out four cycles of the spin-coating/heating process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses showed the surface of these thin films to be smooth, dense and crack-free with low surface roughness (=3.4 nm). At room temperature and at a frequency of 100 kHz, the dielectric constant and the dissipation factor were, respectively, 570 and 0.016. The C-V characteristics of perovskite thin film prepared at low temperature show normal ferrolectric behavior. The remanent polarization and coercive field for the films deposited were 13.62 mu C/cm(2) and 121.43 kV/cm, respectively. The high electrical property values are attributed to the excellent microstrutural quality and chemical homogeneity of thin films obtained by the polymeric precursor method. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. S.A. All rights reserved.

Preparation, microstructural and electrical characterization of SrTiO3 thin films prepared by chemical route

Polycrystalline SrTiO3 thin films having a cubic perovskite structure were prepared at different temperatures by the polymeric precursor method on platinum-coated silicon substrate. Crystalline films with uniform composition and thickness were prepared by spin-coating and the post-deposition heat treatment was carried out at different temperatures. The film showed good structural, dielectric, and insulating properties, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed no occurrence of interdiffusion between the bottom electrode (platinum) and the film during post-annealing, indicating a stable interface between the SrTiO3 and the bottom electrode. The dielectric constant and dissipation factor at a frequency of 100 kHz were 250 and 0.01, respectively, for a 360 nm thick film annealed at 600 degreesC. The capacitance versus applied voltage characteristics showed that the capacitance was almost independent of the applied voltage. The I-V characteristics were ohmic in low fields and a Schottky emission and/or Poole-Frenkel emission were postulated in high fields. Room temperature leakage current density was found to be in the order of 10(-7) A/cm(2) for a 360 nm thick film in an applied electric field of about 100 kV/cm. The charge storage density of 36 fC/mum(2) was obtained in an applied electric field of about 100 kV/cm. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microstructure and electrical properties of perovskite (Pb, La)TiO3 thin film deposited at low temperature by the polymeric precursor method

High-quality (Pb, La)TiO3 ferroelectric thin films were successfully prepared on a Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrate for the first time by spin coating, using the polymeric precursor method. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the films are polycrystalline in nature. This method allows for low temperature (500 degrees C) synthesis, a high quality microstructure and superior dielectric properties. The effects on the microstructure and electrical properties were studied by changing the La content. The films annealed at 500 degreesC have a single perovskite phase with only a tetragonal or pseudocubic structure. As the La content is increased, the dielectric constant of PLT thin films increases from 570 up to 1138 at room temperature. The C-V and P-E characteristics of perovskite thin films prepared at a low temperature show normal ferroelectric behavior, representing the ferroelectric switching property. The remanent polarization and coercive field of the films deposited decreased due to the transformation from the ferroelectric to the paraelectric phase with an increased La content. (C) 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

The effect of Nb doping on ferroelectric properties of PZT thin films prepared from polymeric precursors

Pure and Nb doped PbZr0.4Ti0.603 thin films was prepared by the polymeric precursor method and deposited by spin coating on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (100) substrates and annealed at 700 degreesC. The films are oriented in (1 1 0) and (1 0 0) direction. The electric properties of PZT thin films show strong dependence of the crystallographic orientation. The P-E hysteresis loops for the thin film with composition PbZr0.39Ti0.6Nb0.103 showed good saturation, with values for coercive field (E-c) equal to 60 KV cm(-1) and for remanent polarization (P-r) equal to 20 muC cm(-2). The measured dielectric constant (epsilon) is 1084 for this film. These results show good potential for application in FERAM. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis, ferroelectric and optical properties of (Pb,Ca)TiO3 thin films by soft solution processing

Calcium modified lead titanate sol was synthesized using a soft solution processing, the so-called polymeric precursor method. In soft chemistry method, soluble precursors such as lead acetate trihydrate, calcium carbonate and titanium isopropoxide, as starting materials, were mixed in aqueous solution. Pb0.7Ca0.3TiO3 thin films were deposited on platinum-coated silicon and quartz substrates by means of the spinning technique. The surface morphology and crystal structure, dielectric and optical properties of the thin films were investigated. The electrical measurements were conducted on metal-ferroelectric-metal (MFM) capacitors. The typical measured small signal dielectric constant and dissipation factor at a frequency of 100 kHz were 299 and 0.065, respectively, for a thin film with 230 nm thickness annealed at 600degreesC for 2 h. The remanent polarization (2P(r)) and coercive field (E-c) were 32 muC/cm(2) and 100 kV/cm, respectively. Transmission spectra were recorded and from them, refractive index, extinction coefficient, and band gap energy were calculated. Thin films exhibited good optical transmissivity, and had optical direct transitions. The present study confirms the validity of the DiDomenico model for the interband transition, with a single electronic oscillator at 6.858 eV. The optical dispersion behavior of PCT thin film was found to fit well the Sellmeir dispersion equation. The band gap energy of the thin film, annealed at 600degreesC, was 3.56 eV. The results confirmed that soft solution processing provides an inexpensive and environmentally friendly route for the preparation of PCT thin films.

Influence of Ca concentration on the electric, morphological, and structural properties of (Pb,Ca)TiO3 thin films

Pb1-xCaxTiO3 (0.10less than or equal toxless than or equal to0.40) thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates were prepared by the soft solution process and their characteristics were investigated as a function of the calcium content (x). The structural modifications in the films were studied using x-ray diffraction and micro-Raman scattering techniques. Lattice parameters calculated from x-ray data indicate a decrease in lattice tetragonality with the increasing content of calcium in these films. Raman spectra exhibited characteristic features of pure PbTiO3 thin films. Variations in the phonon mode wave numbers, especially those of lower wave numbers, of Pb1-xCaxTiO3 thin films as a function of the composition corroborate the decrease in tetragonality caused by the calcium doping. As the Ca content (x) increases from 0.10 to 0.40, the dielectric constant at room temperature abnormally increased at 1 kHz from 148 to 430. Also calcium substitution decreased the remanent polarization and coercive field from 28.0 to 5.3 muC/cm(2) and 124 to 58 kV/cm, respectively. These properties can be explained in terms of variations of phase transition (ferroelectric-paraelectric), resulting from the substitution the lead site of PbTiO(3)for the nonvolatile calcium. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Effects of thermal annealing on the semi-insulating properties of radio frequency magnetron sputtering-produced germanate thin films

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Leakage current, ferroelectric and structural properties in Pb(1-x)Ba(x)TiO(3) thin films prepared by chemical route

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Study of the interaction between hydroxymethylnitrofurazone and 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin

Chagas disease is a serious health problem in Latin America. Hidroxymethylnitrofurazone (NFOH) is a nitrofurazone prodrug more active than nitrofurazone against Trypanosoma cruzi. However, NFOH presents low aqueous solubility, high photodecomposition and high toxicity. The present work is focused on the characterization of an inclusion complex of NFOH in 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD). The complexation with HP-beta-CD was investigated using reversed-phase liquid chromatography, solubility isotherms and nuclear magnetic resonance. The retention behavior was analyzed on a reversed-phase C-18 column, using acetonitrile-water (20/80, v/v) as the mobile phase, in which HP-beta-CD was incorporated as a mobile phase additive. The decrease in the retention times with increasing concentrations of HP-beta-CD enables the determination of the apparent stability constant of the complex (K = 6.2 +/- 0.3 M-1) by HPLC. The solubility isotherm was studied and the value for the apparent stability constant (K = 7.9 +/- 0.2 M-1) was calculated. The application of continuous variation method indicated the presence of a complex with 1:1 NFOH:HP-beta-CD stoichiometry. The photostability study showed that the formation of an inclusion complex had a destabilizing effect on the photodecomposition of NFOH when compared to that of the "free" molecule in solution. The mobility investigation (by NMR longitudinal relaxation time) gives information about the complexation of NFOH with HP-beta-CD. In preliminary toxicity studies, cell viability tests revealed that inclusion complexes were able to decrease the toxic effect (p < 0.01) caused by NFOH. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of Ferroelectric Layered Perovskite Barium Bismuth Tantalate Prepared by Solid-State Reaction

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Contribution of an extrinsic mechanism for the electrical polarization in BiMn2O5 ceramics

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Properties of BaBi2Ta2O9 thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition technique for dynamic random-access memory applications

We report on the properties of BaBi2Ta2O9 (BBT) thin films for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and integrated capacitor applications. Crystalline BBT thin films were successfully fabricated by the chemical solution deposition technique on Pt-coated Si substrates at a low annealing temperature of 650°C. The films were characterized in terms of structural, dielectric, and insulating properties. The electrical measurements were conducted on Pt/BBT/Pt capacitors. The typical measured small signal dielectric constant and dissipation factor, at 100 kHz, were 282 and 0.023, respectively, for films annealed at 700°C for 60 min. The leakage current density of the films was lower than 10-9 A/cm2 at an applied electric field of 300 kV/cm. A large storage density of 38.4 fC/μm2 was obtained at an applied electric field of 200 kV/cm. The high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss and low leakage current density suggest the suitability of BBT thin films as dielectric layer for DRAM and integrated capacitor applications.

Effect of magnesium on the properties of LiNbO 3 thin films prepared from polymeric precursors

The effect of magnesium addition on the phase formation, microstructure and electric and ferroelectric properties of LiNbO 3 thin films prepared through polymeric precursors was analyzed. By X ray diffraction no secondary phase was observed with the increase of magnesium concentration. Comparing to pure LiNbO 3, the addition of 0.5 and 1.0 mol% of Mg +2 increased of the dielectric constant, while 2.0 mol% decreased it. It was noticed that the increase in additive concentration decreases the ferroelectric remanent polarization and increases the coercive field. © 2002 Taylor & Francis.