A thermoelectric generator comprising selenium-doped bismuth telluride on flexible carbon cloth with n-type thermoelectric properties

Carbon cloth was used as a flexible substrate for bismuth telluride (Bi₂Te₃) particles to provide flexibility and improve the overall thermoelectric performance. Bi₂Te₃ on carbon cloth (Bi₂Te₃/CC) was synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction with various reaction times. After over 12 h, the Bi₂Te₃ particles showed a clear hexagonal shape and were evenly adhered to the carbon cloth. Selenium (Se) atoms were doped into the Bi₂Te₃ structure to improve its thermoelectric performance. The electrical conductivity increased with increasing Se-dopant content until 40% Se was added. Moreover, the maximum power factor was 1300 μW/mK² at 473 K for the 30% Se-doped sample. The carbon cloth substrate maintained its electrical resistivity and flexibility after 2000 bending cycles. A flexible thermoelectric generator (TEG) fabricated using the five pairs of 30% Se-doped sample showed an open-circuit voltage of 17.4 mV and maximum power output of 850 nW at temperature difference ΔT = 30 K. This work offers a promising approach for providing flexibility and improving the thermoelectric performance of inorganic thermoelectric materials for wearable device applications using flexible carbon cloth substrate for low temperature range application.     

Large domain-wall currents in epitaxial Au/BiFeO3/SrRuO3 thin-film capacitors with modulated oxygen vacancy and wall densities

Large domain wall (DW) conductivity in an insulating ferroelectric plays an important role in the future nanosensors and nonvolatile memories. However, the wall current was usually too small to drive high-speed memory circuits and other agile nanodevices requiring high output-powers. Here, a large domain-wall current of 67.8 μA in a high on/off ratio of ~4460 was observed in an epitaxial Au/BiFeO₃/SrRuO₃ thin-film capacitor with the minimized oxygen vacancy concentration. The studies from read current-write voltage hysteresis loops and piezo-response force microscope images consistently showed remaining of partially unswitched domains after application of an opposite poling voltage that increased domain wall density and wall current greatly. A theoretical model was proposed to explain the large wall current. According to this model, the domain reversal occurs with the appearance of head-to-head and tail-to-tail 180° domain walls (DWs), resulting in the formation of highly conductive wall paths. As the applied voltage increased, the domain-wall number increased to enhance the on-state current, in agreement with the measurements of current-voltage curves. This work paves a way to modulate DW currents within epitaxial Au/BiFeO₃/SrRuO₃ thin-film capacitors through the optimization of both oxygen vacancy and domain wall densities to achieve large output powers of modern domain-wall nanodevices.     

Dielectric performance of pyrochlore-type Bi2MgNb2-xTaxO9 ceramics: The effects of tantalum doping

The solid solutions based on the pyrochlore-type system Bi₂MgNb_2-xTa_xO₉ were formed in the compositional range х = 0–2.0 (Bi_1·6Mg_0·8Nb_1.6-tTa_tO_7.2, t = 0–1.6). The Rietveld method was used to refine the structure for Bi₂MgNb_2-xTa_xO₉ (x = 0, 1.0, 2.0). The increasing tantalum content led to the slight decrease in the cubic unit cell parameters from 10.56934 (4) Å for x = 0 and 10.54607 (3) Å for x = 2 (sp.gr. Fd-3m:2). At the same time, tantalum additions suppressed grain growth in the pyrochlore ceramics during sintering and made it possible to obtain materials with an average grain size of 1–2 μm (Bi_1·6Mg_0·8Ta_1·6O_7.2). The increase in the Ta⁵⁺ concentration led to the decrease in the dielectric permeability from 104 (Bi_1·6Mg_0·8Nb_1·6O_7.2) to 20 (Bi_1·6Mg_0·8Ta_1·6O_7.2) at room temperature, while the dielectric loss tangent remained lower than 0.002, which is due to the small grain size and the high porosity of the samples. An increase in temperature has practically no effect on the values of the dielectric permittivity in the entire frequency range. The samples have weak through conductivity. The activation energies of electrical conductivity varied in the range of 0.84–1.00 eV, and the less tantalum, the lower the activation energy. The electrical properties of the samples at 200 Hz to 1 MHz are described by the simplest parallel scheme.     

Transverse magnetoresistance peculiarities of thermoelectric Lu-doped Bi2Te3 compound due to strong electrical disorder

The n-type thermoelectric Bi_1.9Lu_0.1Te₃ was prepared by microwave-solvothermal method and spark plasma sintering. The magnetic field and temperature dependences of transverse magnetoresistance measured within temperature 2–200 K interval allow finding the peculiarities characteristic for strongly disordered and inhomogeneous semiconductors. The first peculiarity is due to appearance of linear-in-magnetic field contribution to the total magnetoresistance reflected in a crossover from quadratic magnetoresistance at low magnetic fields to linear magnetoresistance at high magnetic fields. The linear magnetoresistance can result from the Hall resistance picked up from macroscopically distorted current paths due to local variations in stoichiometry of the compound studied. The second peculiarity is that both linear magnetoresistance magnitude and crossover field are functions of carrier mobility which is in agreement with the Parish and Littlewood model developed for disordered and inhomogeneous semiconductors. An increase in the mobility due to a decrease in temperature is accompanied by an increase in the magnetoresistance magnitude and a decrease in the crossover field. Finally, the third peculiarity is related to the remarkable deviation of the total magnetoresistance measured at various temperatures from the Kohler's rule. Presence of strong inhomogeneity and disorder in the Bi_1.9Lu_0.1Te₃ structure concluded from the magnetoresistance peculiarities can be responsible for the remarkable reduction in the total thermal conductivity of this compound.     

Tunable structure and intensive upconversion photoluminescence for Ho3+-Yb3+ codoped bismuth titanate composite synthesized by sol-gel-combustion (SGC) method

Ho³⁺ and Yb³⁺ codoped bismuth titanate (BTO) composite powders with infrared to visible upconversion luminescence (UCL) function were prepared by SGC method. The effects of Ho³⁺ and Yb³⁺ doping content on the structure and property were investigated for BTO: xHo, 0.2 Yb (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.1) and BTO: 0.02Ho, yYb (y = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9) samples. All the samples include three bismuth titanate phases (Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂, Bi₂Ti₂O₇, and Bi₂₀TiO₃₂), and the phase proportion can be tuned by changing Ho³⁺ and Yb³⁺ doping content. These powders are well crystalized with honeycomb-like microscopic structure, and with good absorption for 233 nm, 310 nm and 975 nm wavelength. The band gap can be tuned from 3.53 eV to 4.03 eV when increasing Yb³⁺ content from y = 0 to y = 0.9. A strong 530–580 nm green emission band and a relative weak 630–690 nm red one corresponding to Ho³⁺: ⁵S₂ → ⁵I₈ and ⁵F₅ → ⁵I₈ transitions appear in the UCL spectra for all the BTO: Ho, Yb samples when pumped at 980 nm. The emission intensities can well be tuned with various Ho³⁺ and Yb³⁺ content. The optimal UCL was obtained in BTO: 0.02Ho, 0.5 Yb for all the prepared samples. The energy transfer mechanism is analyzed by building a two-photon energy transfer model, which is proved by the relationship between emission intensities and pumping power measurement. The concentration quenching of Ho³⁺ is caused by cross relaxation of CR₁ and CR₂ (Ho: ⁵F₄, ⁵S₂ + ⁵I₈ → ⁵I₄ + ⁵I₇) and by CR₃ (Ho: ⁵F₄, ⁵S₂ + Yb: ²F_7/2 → Ho: ⁵I₆ + Yb: ²F_5/2) for Yb³⁺ quenching. The mean luminescence lifetime (τ_m) from Ho: ⁵S₂ decreases monotonously with the increase of Ho³⁺ and Yb³⁺ content.     

Bi12TiO20 synthesized directly from bismuth (III) nitrate pentahydrate and titanium glycolate and its activity

Pure phase of sillenite structure, Bi₁₂TiO₂₀, was directly synthesized using stoichiometric bismuth (III) nitrate pentahydrate and titanium glycolate by co-precipitation. The influence of pH on the structure of Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ was studied in the pH range of 3–10. The sillenite structure was characterized using XRD and FTIR. The photo-degradation reaction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was used to study photocatalytic activity of Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ as a function of the preparation pH. The rate of decomposition was followed by UV-vis and TOC. The beginning concentration of 4-NP, 44 ppm, decreased to less than 1 ppm within 30 min for all prepared catalysts. It was found that the decomposition rate constant of Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ is six times higher than those of either TiO₂ or Bi₂O₃ under the same conditions.     

Single and matrix HgCdTe photovoltaic detectors

The recent researches and technological developments of middle and long wavelength infrared HgCdTe photovoltaic detectors are presented. Structure, topology, design and performance of HgCdTe photodiodes, silicon readout electronics, Focal Plane Arrays both staring and time delay and integration types, thermal imagers are discussed. Negative differential conductance, bistability and high frequency oscillations under background infrared radiation in HgCdTe photodiodes are reported.     

火焰原子吸收法测定高铋物料中的铅

本文介绍了在以高铋物料为基体 ,5 %的HNO3 介质中 ,波长 2 17nm处进行火焰原子吸收法测定铅的试验 ,采用标准加入法进行回收率的试验 ,回收率大于 98% ,特征浓度为 0 .0 7μg/ml,结果令人满意 ,能满足炉前样分析的要求