Defect Emission and Its Dipole Orientation in Layered Ternary Znln2 S4 Semiconductor.

Defect engineering is promising to tailor the physical properties of 2D semiconductors for function-oriented electronics and optoelectronics. Compared with the extensively studied 2D binary materials, the origin of defects and their influence on physical properties of 2D ternary semiconductors are not clarified. Here, the effect of defects on the electronic structure and optical properties of few-layer hexagonal Znln2 S4 is thoroughly studied via versatile spectroscopic tools in combination with theoretical calculations. It is demonstrated that the Zn-In antistructural defects induce the formation of a series of donor and acceptor energy levels and sulfur vacancies induce donor energy levels, leading to rich recombination paths for defect emission and extrinsic absorption. Impressively, the emission of donor-acceptor pair in Znln2 S4 can be significantly tailored by electrostatic gating due to efficient tunability of Fermi level (Ef ). Furthermore, the layer-dependent dipole orientation of defect emission in Znln2 S4 is directly revealed by back focal plane imagining, where it presents obviously in-plane dipole orientation within a dozen-layer thickness of Znln2 S4 . These unique features of defects in Znln2 S4 including extrinsic absorption, rich recombination paths, gate tunability, and in-plane dipole orientation are definitely a benefit to the advanced orientation-functional optoelectronic applications.

In Situ Fabrication and Static Contact Resistance of CdMoO4 Reinforced Cu Matrix Composites.

Particle-reinforced Cu-based electrical contact materials prepared by traditional powder metallurgical methods suffer the same critical problem, where the agglomeration of the addition phases in the Cu matrix significantly deteriorates the performance of the composites and restricts their application. In this work, CdMoO4/Cu matrix composites were fabricated by an in situ method and followed by a powder metallurgical process. Firstly, CdMoO4/particles formed a nucleus and grew up based on the surfaces of Cu particles, realizing the controllable in situ synthesis of mixed powders with homogeneously dispersed CdMoO4 nanoparticles via a one-step reaction. Secondly, the bulk CdMoO4/Cu composites were fabricated by pressing and sintering and then densified by hot-extrusion and cold rolling processes. The microstructures and properties of the extruded and rolled specimens were characterized, respectively. The results indicated that the rolled CdMoO4/Cu composite exhibited excellent comprehensive properties of electrical conductivity and mechanical properties for electrical contact materials. Moreover, the effects of the contact force on the static contact resistance of the extruded and rolled composites were evaluated in the closed state of the contact materials. It was found that the rolled CdMoO4/Cu contact materials possessed a stable electrical contact characteristic with low and steady contact resistance. This work designed ternary CdMoO4 particles to reinforce Cu-based composites with well-balanced performances by an in situ synthesis method and this strategy can be extended to the design of ternary oxide/metal composites utilized as electrical contact materials.

Hot Deformation Behavior and Processing Maps of ZnSnO3/Cu Composites.

In this work, we designed ternary ZnSnO3 particle-reinforced Cu matrix composites and evaluated the hot deformation behavior of ZnSnO3/Cu composites. The hot deformation characteristics of typical dynamic recrystallization were probed by the resulting true stress-strain curves of ZnSnO3/Cu composites. The influences of deformation conditions, including temperatures (650-850 °C) and strain rates (0.01-5 s-1), on the flow stress of the designed composites were investigated. This revealed that the peak stress increased with the increasing of strain rate and decreasing of temperature. Additionally, the activation energy was calculated to be 237.05 kJ/mol and followed by yielding a constitutive equation for low-stress ZnSnO3/Cu composites. The processing maps established by dynamic materials model theory indicated that the designed composites possessed excellent hot workability, and then the processing parameters (790-850 °C and 0.01-0.04 s-1) of the ZnSnO3/Cu composites were determined for practical industrial production. Our work discloses the deformation behavior of ZnSnO3/Cu matrix composites and extends the rational process design for ternary ceramic/metal materials with excellent hot workability.

Effect of Pre-Stretch on the Precipitation Behavior and the Mechanical Properties of 2219 Al Alloy.

The influence of pre-stretch on the mechanical properties of 2219 Al alloys sheets were systematically investigated, with the aim of examining the age-strengthening in parts draw-formed from as-quenched sheets. The precipitation was characterized based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis and transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation of specimens of as-quenched and quenched-stretched condition to address the influence of pre-stretching. A tensile test was performed to evaluate the effect on mechanical properties. The introduction of pre-stretching endues increased yield strength (YS) and thus can be helpful to exert the potential of the alloy. Peak YS of 387.5 and 376.8 MPa are obtained when specimens pre-stretched for 10% are aged at 150 and 170 °C, respectively, much higher than that obtained in the non-stretched specimens (319.2 MPa). The precipitation of Guinier-Preston zone (G.P. zones) and the transition to θ″ shifts to a lower temperature when pre-stretched is performed. The high density of dislocations developed during the stretching contributes to the acceleration in precipitation. Quench-stretched specimens present a much quicker age-hardening response at the beginning stage, which endue higher peaked yield strength. The yield strength, however, decrease much more quickly due to the recovery that occurs during the aging processes. The study suggested the feasibility of aging draw-formed components of 2219 Al alloy to obtain high strength.

Microstructure Evolution and the Resulted Influence on Localized Corrosion in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloy during Non-Isothermal Ageing.

A non-isothermal ageing process was proposed for an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy aiming to accommodate the slow heating/cooling procedure during the ageing of large components. The evolution of microstructure and microchemistry was analyzed by using transmission electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark field imaging, and energy dispersive spectrometry. The age-hardening of the alloy was examined to evaluate the strengthening behavior during the non-isothermal process. The corrosion behavior was investigated via observing the specimens immersed in EXCO solution (solution for Exfoliation Corrosion Susceptibility test in 2xxx and 7xxx series aluminum alloys, referring ASTM G34-01). Secondary precipitation was observed during the cooling stage, leading to increased precipitate number density. The distribution of grain boundary precipitates transits from discontinuous to continuous at the cooling stage, due to the secondary precipitation’s linking-up effect. The solutes’ enrichment on grain boundary precipitates and the depletion in precipitate-free zones develops during the heating procedure, but remains invariable during the cooling procedure. The corrosion in NIA (Non-isothermal Ageing) treated specimens initiates from pitting and then transits to intergranular corrosion and exfoliation corrosion. The transition from pitting to intergranular corrosion is very slow for specimens heated to 190 °C, but accelerates slightly as the cooling procedure proceeds. The transition to exfoliation corrosion is observed to be quite slow in all specimens in non-isothermal aged to over-aged condition, suggesting a corrosion resistance comparable to that of RRA condition.

Effects of dopants on the adhesion and electronic structure of a SnO2/Cu interface: a first-principles study.

Doping has been adopted as a versatile approach for tuning the adhesion of metal oxide/metal interfaces. Understanding the mechanism of doping at the interface adhesion on the atomic and electronic scale is crucial for the rational design and optimization of metal oxide/metal composites. In this work, we have investigated the effects of dopants on the adhesion of SnO2/Cu interfaces through first-principles calculations. Firstly, O-terminated a SnO2(110)/Cu(111) interface (denoted as I) was considered and the work of separation values of the interfaces with various dopants (Mo, Sb, Ti, Zn and Cu) were calculated to evaluate the interface adhesion strength. It was demonstrated that low-valence dopants (Zn2+ and Cu2+) enhance the adhesion strength of interface I, while high-valence dopants (Mo6+ and Sb5+) play the opposite role. Secondly, the strengthening effects of low-valence dopants were further verified in four candidate interfacial models with different atomic structures (denoted as II-V). The work of separation values indicated that the adhesion of all of the interfaces involved could be enhanced by low-valence doping. The electronic structure of the interface was demonstrated through density of states, charge density and charge density difference analyses. The results revealed that upon low-valence doping, the holes facilitate charge transfer between Cu and SnO2, which generates strong covalent bonds across the interface and thus significantly enhances the interface adhesion. This work not only provides insight into rational doping to enhance the adhesion of SnO2/Cu composites but can also be expanded upon for the design of other metal oxide/metal composites with strong interface adhesion.

Surface characterization and degradation behavior of polyimide films induced by coupling irradiation treatment.

The degradation behavior of polyimide in extreme environments, especially under coupling treatment, directly determines the service life of several key components in spacecraft. In this research, the combined effect of a high energy electron beam (1.2 MeV), heavy tensile stress (50 MPa) and constant high temperature (150 °C) was taken into account to study the surface modification and degradation behavior of polyimide films. By analyzing surface morphology, microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of polyimide films after coupling treatment, the results indicated that the coupling treatment led to severe breakage of chemical bonds and decrease of surface quality. Meanwhile, new chemical bonds of C-C, CH2-O and C[triple bond, length as m-dash]N formed after coupling treatment. Additionally, a high dose of electron beam during coupling experiments contributed to the formation of an oxide layer, surface defects and even volatile gases in the outer layer of the polyimide film. This was attributed to the significant scissioning of molecular chains in polyimide films and corresponding chemical reactions between free radicals and oxygen in air. Consequently, the irradiation-load-heating coupling treatment led to a remarkable drop in viscoelastic properties and mechanical performance of polyimide films.

Photoresponse Enhancement in Monolayer ReS2 Phototransistor Decorated with CdSe-CdS-ZnS Quantum Dots.

ReS2 films are considered as a promising candidate for optoelectronic applications due to their direct band gap character and optical/electrical anisotropy. However, the direct band gap in a narrow spectrum and the low absorption of atomically thin flakes weaken the prospect for light-harvesting applications. Here, we developed an efficient approach to enhance the performance of a ReS2-based phototransistor by coupling CdSe-CdS-ZnS core-shell quantum dots. Under 589 nm laser irradiation, the responsivity of the ReS2 phototransistor decorated with quantum dots could be enhanced by more than 25 times (up to ∼654 A/W) and the rising and recovery time can be also reduced to 3.2 and 2.8 s, respectively. The excellent optoelectronic performance is originated from the coupling effect of quantum dots light absorber and cross-linker ligands 1,2-ethanedithiol. Photoexcited electron-hole pairs in quantum dots can separate and transfer efficiently due to the type-II band alignment and charge exchange process at the interface. Our work shows that the simple hybrid zero- and two-dimensional hybrid system can be employed for photodetection applications.

Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth of Degenerate p-Type Mo-Doped ReS2 Films and Their Homojunction.

Substitutional doping of transition metal dichalcogenide two-dimensional materials has proven to be effective in tuning their intrinsic properties, such as band gap, transport characteristics, and magnetism. In this study, we realized substitutional doping of monolayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2) with Mo via chemical vapor deposition. Scanning transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that Mo atoms are successfully doped into ReS2 by substitutionally replacing Re atoms in the lattice. Electrical measurements revealed the degenerate p-type semiconductor behavior of Mo-doped ReS2 field effect transistors, in agreement with density functional theory calculations. The p-n diode device based on a doped ReS2 and ReS2 homojunction exhibited gate-tunable current rectification behaviors, and the maximum rectification ratio could reach up to 150 at Vd = -2/+2 V. The successful synthesis of p-type ReS2 in this study could largely promote its application in novel electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Aqueous solution synthesis of CaF2 hollow microspheres via the ostwald ripening process at room temperature.

Nearly monodispersive CaF2 hollow microspheres were synthesized by a facile aqueous solution route from the mixed aqueous solutions of CaCl2, Na2WO4, and NaF at room temperature. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and N2 adsorption-desorption techniques. The CaF2 hollow microspheres have an average diameter of about 1.5 microm and a hollow interior of 0.5 microm. The shell is composed of numerous single-crystalline nanoparticles with diameter of about 20 nm. The morphologies and diameters of the CaF2 products are strongly dependent on the experimental parameters, such as the concentration of the aqueous NaF solution and the reaction temperature. The synthetic experiments indicate that the growth process of CaF2 hollow microspheres involves first the formation of CaWO4 solid microspheres and then the formation of CaF2 solid microspheres through the reaction between CaWO4 and F(-) ions controlled by the difference of the solubility product for CaWO4 and CaF2. Phenomenological elucidation based on TEM observations and XRD patterns of intermediate products at different precipitation stages indicates that the formation mechanism for the CaF2 hollow microspheres is related to the Ostwald ripening mechanism. N2 adsorption-desorption measurement shows that the CaF2 hollow microspheres possess a high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and porosity properties. The synthetic procedure is straightforward and represents a new example of the Ostwald ripening mechanism for the formation of inorganic hollow structures in an aqueous solution at room temperature.

Room temperature synthesis of hollow CdMoO(4) microspheres by a surfactant-free aqueous solution route.

Hollow cadmium molybdate microspheres have been successfully prepared via a template-free aqueous solution method with the assistance of NaCl at room temperature. The structure and morphology of the CdMoO(4) hollow microspheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The microspheres have diameters of 3-6 microm and hollow interiors of 2-3 microm. The shell is composed of numerous single-crystalline nanorods with diameters of 30-120 nm and lengths of 1-2 microm which are radially oriented to the center. A certain concentration of NaCl plays a key important role in the formation process of hollow microspheres, which might provide a suitable chemical environment to favor the formation of hollow CdMoO(4) microspheres. A possible NaCl-induced Ostwald ripening process is proposed for the formation of hollow CdMoO(4) microspheres on the basis of scanning electron microscopy observation of intermediate products at different precipitation stages.