Synthesis of GaN nanowires through Ga2O3 films' reaction with ammonia

GaN nanowires were synthesized by ammoniating Ga₂O₃ films on Ti layers deposited on Si (111) substrates at 950 °C. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The XRD, FTIR and HRTEM studies showed that these nanowires were hexagonal GaN single crystals. SEM observation demonstrated that these GaN nanorods with diameters ranging from 50 nm to 100 nm and lengths up to several micrometers intervene with each other on the substrate.     

Self-assembled ultrafine hierarchical ZnS treelike nanoarchitectures

Ultrafine hierarchical tree-shaped nanoarchitectures of ZnS were synthesized by a H₂-assisted thermal evaporation and condensation technique. Morphology and composition of the ZnS deposit were studied by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The deposit was found to consist of a layer of oriented submicrorods partly covered by microsheets and randomly oriented submicrowires, and three-dimensional treelike nanoarchitectures grew epitaxially on various submicrorods, microsheets, and submicrowires. The growth of the nanostructures is a spontaneous and self-assembled process. Vapor-solid (VS) growth mechanism is proposed for the formation of the treelike nanostructures because catalyst was not introduced during the synthesis process. This novel hierarchical ZnS nanoarchitecture may offer great potential for applications, including three-dimensional nanoelectronics and high efficient spatial resolved photon detector.     

Synthesis of GaN nanorods by ammoniating Ga2O3 films on TiO2 (rutile) layer deposited on Si(111) substrates

GaN nanorods have been synthesized by ammoniating Ga₂O₃ films on a TiO₂ middle layer deposited on Si(111) substrates. The products were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectra (FTIR) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The XRD analysis indicates that the crystallization of GaN film fabricated on TiO₂ middle layer is rather excellent. The FTIR, SEM and HRTEM demonstrate that these nanorods are hexagonal GaN and possess a rough morphology with a diameter ranging from 200 nm to 500 nm and a length less than 10 μm, the growth mechanism of crystalline GaN nanorods is discussed briefly.     

Tailoring the Optical Properties of Epitaxially Grown Biaxial ZnO/Ge,and Coaxial ZnO/Ge/ZnO and Ge/ZnO/Ge Heterostructures

Heterostructures of epitaxially grown biaxial ZnO/Ge, and coaxial ZnO/Ge/ZnO and Ge/ZnO/Ge heterostructured nanowires with ideal epitaxial interfaces between the semiconductor ZnO sublayer and the Ge sublayer have been fabricated via a two‐stage chemical vapor–solid process. Structural characterization by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction indicates that both the ZnO and Ge sublayers in the heterostructures are single crystalline. A good epitaxial relationship of (100)_ZnO∥(2 0)_Ge exists at the interface between ZnO and Ge in the ZnO/Ge biaxial heterostructure. There is also an epitaxial relationship of (0 0)_ZnO∥(020)_Ge at the interface between the ZnO and Ge substructures in the coaxial ZnO/Ge/ZnO heterostructures, and a good epitaxial relationship of (0 0)_ZnO∥(0 0)_Ge at the interface between ZnO and Ge in the Ge/ZnO/Ge coaxial heterostructure. Structural models for the crystallographic relationship between the wurtzite‐ZnO and diamond‐like cubic‐Ge subcomponents in the heterostructures are given. The optical properties for the synthesized heterostructures are studied by spatially resolved cathodoluminescence spectra at low temperature (20 K). Excitingly, the unique biaxial and coaxial heterostructures display unique new luminescence properties. It is concluded that the ideal epitaxial interface between ZnO and Ge in the prepared heterostructures induces new optical properties. The group II–VI Ge‐based nanometer‐scale heterostructures and their interesting optical properties may inspire great interest in exploring related epitaxial heterostructures and their potential applications in lasers, gas sensors, solar energy conversion, and nanodevices in the future.     

Effect of Molecular Weight on the Structure and Morphology of Oriented Thin Films of Regioregular Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) Grown by Directional Epitaxial Solidification

Regioregular head‐to‐tail (HT)‐coupled poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) (P3HT) with a weight‐average molecular weight (M_w) in the 7.3–69.6 kDa range is crystallized by directional epitaxial solidification in 1,3,5‐trichlorobenzene (TCB) to yield highly oriented thin films. An oriented and periodic lamellar structure consisting of crystalline lamellae separated by amorphous interlamellar zones is evidenced by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both the overall crystallinity as well as the orientation of the crystalline lamellae decrease significantly with increasing M_w. The total lamellar periodicity is close to the length of “fully extended” chains for M_w = 7.3 kDa (polystyrene‐equivalent molecular weight, eq. PS) and it saturates to a value of ca. (25–28) ± 2 nm for M_w ≥ 18.8 kDa (eq. PS). This behavior is attributed to a transition from an oligomeric‐like system, for which P3HT chains are essentially in a fully extended all‐trans conformation and do not fold, to a semicrystalline system that involves a periodic alternation of crystalline lamellae separated by extended amorphous interlamellar zones, which harbor chain folds, chain ends, and tie molecules. For P3HT with M_w of ca. 7.3 kDa (eq. PS), epitaxial crystallization on TCB allows for the growth of both “edge‐on” and “flat‐on” oriented crystalline lamellae on the TCB substrate. The orientation of the lamellae is attributed to 1D epitaxy. Because of the large size of the “flat‐on” crystalline lamellae, a characteristic single‐crystal electron diffraction pattern corresponding to the [001] zone was obtained by selected area electron diffraction (SAED), indicating that P3HT crystallizes in a monoclinic unit cell with a = 16.0 Å, b = 7.8 Å, c = 7.8 Å, and γ = 93.5°.     

Self‐Assembled In‐Plane Growth of Mg2SiO4 Nanowires on Si Substrates Catalyzed by Au Nanoparticles

In‐plane growth of Mg₂SiO₄ nanowires on Si substrates is achieved by using a vapor transport method with Au nanoparticles as catalyst. The self‐assembly of the as‐grown nanowires shows dependence on the substrate orientation, i.e., they are along one, two, and three particular directions on Si (110), (100), and (111) substrates, respectively. Detailed electron microscopy studies suggest that the Si substrates participate in the formation of Mg₂SiO₄, and the epitaxial growth of the nanowires is confined along the Si <110> directions. This synthesis route is quite reliable, and the dimensions of the Mg₂SiO₄ nanowires can be well controlled by the experiment parameters. Furthermore, using these nanowires, a lithography‐free method is demonstrated to fabricate nanowalls on Si substrates by controlled chemical etching. The Au nanoparticle catalyzed in‐plane epitaxial growth of the Mg₂SiO₄ nanowires hinges on the intimate interactions between substrates, nanoparticles, and nanowires, and our study may help to advance the developments of novel nanomaterials and functional nanodevices.     

Observation and formation mechanism of individual graphene foils inside multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The formation of individual graphene foils (GF) has been evidenced in the present study inside multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The graphene foils are attached on one side to a catalyst nanoparticle and on the other side to the internal walls of the nanotube. Moreover, results suggest that a necking process occurs in which internal carbon walls are deformed until formation of the graphene foil. A possible mechanism for the GF formation is then proposed.     

Influence of epitaxial stress on spinodal decomposition in binary alloys with large size effects: application to the Au–Ni system

Within the framework of Cahn’s pioneering theory of spinodal decomposition, the effect of the epitaxial stress on the stability of a binary alloy solid solution against infinitesimal compositional fluctuations is revisited. It is shown that the elastic energy term due to a coherent lattice mismatch with a substrate modifies the linearised diffusion equation. This term is particularly high when size effects between the two constituents are strong. It is then necessary to take into account anharmonic terms in the expression of the elastic energy. From the modified diffusion equation, a new spinodal curve, called the epitaxial coherent spinodal, may be calculated for different substrate lattice parameters. The results of the model are compared with recent experiments on coherently grown (001) Au–Ni alloys. A modulated structure has been evidenced upon annealing which is in good agreement with our calculations.

Résumé

Dans le cadre de la théorie de la décomposition spinodale développèe par Cahn, nous présentons l’effet des contraintes épitaxiales sur la stabilitéd’une solution solide d’alliage binaire soumise ádes fluctuations de compostion infinitésimales. Les contraintes induites par l’épitaxie cohérente sur un substrat ayant un paramètre de maille différent de celui de la solution solide considérée sont àl’origine d’un terme d’énergie élastique dont il faut tenir compte dans l’équation de diffusion. Ce terme devient particulièrement important lorsque les effets de taille entre les deux constituants sont grands. Nous montrons qu’il est alors nécessaire de considérer dans l’expression de l’énergie élastique les termes anharmoniques. Une nouvelle spinodale, appelée spinodale cohérente épitaxiale, peut être calculée pour différentes valeurs du paramètre de maille du substrat. Les calculs sont comparés avec les résulats expérimentaux obtenus sur des alliages Au–Ni (001) élaborés de manière cohérente. Une structure modulée a étémise en evidence au cours de recuits, ce qui est en accord avec les résultats du modèle.     

Infra-red characterization of carbonization of Si surfaces by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

The carbonization and epitaxial growth of cubic SiC films on Si(100) substrates using C₂H₂ and solid Si sources has been investigated by means of infra-red Fourier transform spectroscopy. The carbonization of the Si surface is performed under continuous C₂H₂ flux in two steps: an ordinary process, plus an increase of the substrate temperature to its final value. Subsequent epitaxial films were grown under simultaneous supply of elemental Si and C₂H₂ gas beam. Infra-red reflectivity spectra of samples under different conditions are reported and permit the direct verification for the presence of SiC in carbonized layers, measure the thickness of the films and evaluate their quality.     

主动悬架H_∞/广义H_2积分切换面自适应滑模控制研究

悬架是车轮与车辆承载系统之间的弹性连接装置的统称,是现代车辆重要组成部分之一。以四分之一汽车动力学模型作为研究对象,设计一种带有积分切换面的自适应滑模控制器。所设计的H∞/广义H2积分型切换面能够有效地改善悬架系统的动态性能,使其对非匹配外界路面扰动具有不敏感性。并且通过设计一种自适应律,实现对不确定路面扰动的辨识估计,提高了系统的实用性。将控制器的性能与被动悬架系统、H∞/广义H2主动悬架进行了对比,仿真结果证实了控制器的有效性。