Realization of Epitaxial Thin Films of the Topological Crystalline Insulator Sr3SnO

Topological materials are derived from the interplay between symmetry and topology. Advances in topological band theories have led to the prediction that the antiperovskite oxide Sr₃SnO is a topological crystalline insulator, a new electronic phase of matter where the conductivity in its (001) crystallographic planes is protected by crystallographic point group symmetries. Realization of this material, however, is challenging. Guided by thermodynamic calculations, a deposition approach is designed and implemented to achieve the adsorption-controlled growth of epitaxial Sr₃SnO single-crystal films by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). In situ transport and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements reveal the metallic and electronic structure of the as-grown samples. Compared with conventional MBE, the used synthesis route results in superior sample quality and is readily adapted to other topological systems with antiperovskite structures. The successful realization of thin films of Sr₃SnO opens opportunities to manipulate topological states by tuning symmetries via strain engineering and heterostructuring.     

Strain‐Driven Self‐Assembled Network of Antidots in Complex Oxide Thin Films

Structural strain due to lattice mismatch is used to promote the formation of a self‐assembled network of antidots in highly epitaxial La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ thin films grown on (001) oriented SrTiO₃ substrates by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering. Size, depth, and separation between antidots can be controlled by changing deposition parameters and the miscut angle of the substrate. This morphology exhibits a remarkable magnetic anisotropy and offers unique opportunities for versatile nanostencils for the preparation of nano‐object networks that can be of major relevance for the fabrication of oxide‐based magnetic and magnetoelectronic devices.     

Ta/NiFe和NiFe/Ta界面反应和"死层"现象的研究

Ta/Ni81Fe19和Ni81Fe19/Ta被广泛应用于磁电阻多层膜结构中。我们发现 ,在Ta/Ni81Fe19/Ta薄膜结构中 ,磁性“死层”的厚度大约为 1 6± 0 2nm。用X射线光电子能谱和图谱拟合技术研究Ta/Ni81Fe19和Ni81Fe19/Ta的界面成分和化学状态发现 ,在两上界面处都发生了反应 :2Ta +Ni=NiTa2 ,因此NiFe的有效厚度减少。利用这个反应也可以合理解释用分子束外延制备的自旋阀多层膜比用磁控溅射制备的自旋阀多层膜的“死层”更薄的现象     

Well‐Defined Cobalt Catalyst with N‐Doped Carbon Layers Enwrapping: The Correlation between Surface Atomic Structure and Electrocatalytic Property

Admittedly, the surface atomic structure of heterogenous catalysts toward the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are accepted as the important features that can tune catalytic activity and even catalytic pathway. Herein, a surface engineering strategy to controllably synthesize a carbon‐layer‐wrapped cobalt‐catalyst from 2D cobalt‐based metal–organic frameworks is elaborately demonstrated. Combined with synchrotron radiation X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the soft X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure results confirmed that rich covalent interfacial Co? N? C bonds are efficiently formed between cobalt nanoparticles and wrapped carbon‐layers during the polydopamine‐assisted pyrolysis process. The X‐ray absorption fine structure and corresponding extended X‐ray absorption fine structure spectra further reveal that the wrapped cobalt with Co–N coordinations shows distinct surface distortion and atomic environmental change of Co‐based active sites. In contrast to the control sample without coating layers, the 800 °C‐annealed cobalt catalyst with N‐doped carbon layers enwrapping achieves significantly enhanced ORR activity with onset and half‐wave potentials of 0.923 and 0.816 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode), highlighting the important correlation between surface atomic structure and catalytic property.     

Revealing Nanoscale Chemical Heterogeneities in Polycrystalline Mo‐BiVO4 Thin Films

The activity of polycrystalline thin film photoelectrodes is impacted by local variations of the material properties due to the exposure of different crystal facets and the presence of grain/domain boundaries. Here a multi‐modal approach is applied to correlate nanoscale heterogeneities in chemical composition and electronic structure with nanoscale morphology in polycrystalline Mo‐BiVO₄. By using scanning transmission X‐ray microscopy, the characteristic structure of polycrystalline film is used to disentangle the different X‐ray absorption spectra corresponding to grain centers and grain boundaries. Comparing both spectra reveals phase segregation of V₂O₅ at grain boundaries of Mo‐BiVO₄ thin films, which is further supported by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and many‐body density functional theory calculations. Theoretical calculations also enable to predict the X‐ray absorption spectral fingerprint of polarons in Mo‐BiVO₄. After photo‐electrochemical operation, the degraded Mo‐BiVO₄ films show similar grain center and grain boundary spectra indicating V₂O₅ dissolution in the course of the reaction. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the degradation mechanism and the impact of material heterogeneities on the material performance and stability of polycrystalline photoelectrodes.     

原子层淀积 Al2O3薄膜的热稳定性研究

以Al（CH3）3和H2O为反应源，在270℃下用原子层淀积（ALD）技术在Si衬底上生长了Al2O3薄膜．采用X射线衍射（XRD）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、原子力显微镜（AFM）和傅立叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）等分析手段对Al2O3薄膜的热稳定性进行了研究．结果表明刚淀积的薄膜中含有少量A-OH基团，高温退火后，Al-OH基团几乎消失，这归因于Al-OH基团之间发生反应而脱水．退火后的薄膜中O和Al元素的相对比例（1．52）比退火前的（1．57）更接近化学计量比的Al2O3．FTIR分析表明，在刚淀积的Al2O3中有少量的-CH3存在，CH3含量会随热处理温度的升高而减少．此外，在高温快速热退火后，Al2O3薄膜的表面平均粗糙度（RMS）明显改善，900℃热退火后其RMS达到1．15nm．