Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of erbium oxide

Erbium oxide (Er₂O₃) has been used in a variety of microelectronic, optoelectronic, thermophotovoltaic, and biomedical applications, and especially in nuclear reactor systems. Electrochemical synthesis of rare earth oxides has conventionally been based upon base generation under the application of anodic or cathodic potential and subsequent sintering of as-deposited rare earth hydroxides. In this study, we investigated a direct, room-temperature electrochemical synthesis of Er₂O₃ onto titanium base metal by applying cathodic potentials. Iminodiacetate (IDA) ligand was added to form Er(IDA)₂⁻ complexes with Er³⁺ in a neutral electrolyte. A cathodic reaction for the direct deposition of Er₂O₃ from Er(IDA)₂⁻ was suggested as the mechanism of Er₂O₃ synthesis. The formation of cubic Er₂O₃ phase at all applied potentials was verified by means of X-ray diffractometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The relationship between the diffusion characteristics of the reacting ions and the resulting microstructures of Er₂O₃ deposits was also studied as a function of applied potential.     

Effect of aluminum annealing on the galvanoluminescence properties of anodic oxide films formed in organic electrolytes

The galvanoluminescence (GL) properties of anodic oxide films formed in organic electrolytes were investigated at different aluminum annealing temperatures. The results of the spectral measurements showed two different types of GL sources: carboxylate ions incorporated in oxide films during the anodization and the molecules AlH, AlO, Al₂, AlH₂, also formed during anodization process and already recognized in the case of inorganic electrolytes. The latter was related to gamma alumina crystalline regions formed by annealing of the aluminum samples at temperatures above 500 °C.     

Enhancement in the photocatalytic and optoelectronic properties of erbium oxide by adding zinc oxide and molybdenum

Rare earth metals like erbium oxide (Er₂O₃) show outstanding photocatalytic properties. However, its high recombination rate and low surface area limit its performance. Therefore, various metal oxide composites with Er₂O₃ have been reported to improve their photocatalytic and optoelectronic properties. In this study, a composite of Er₂O₃ and zinc oxide (ZnO) was synthesized using the sol-gel combustion method to enhance its surface area. Moreover, molybdenum (Mo) was loaded on the matrix to suppress the charge recombination. The detailed characterizations were conducted by employing X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. BET analysis revealed the enhancement in surface area by adding ZnO and Mo (from S_BET = 29.07 m²/g to S_BET = 45.71 m²/g). Additionally, the loading of Mo enhanced the immobilization of carriers that facilitate the photooxidation process and suppressed the electron-holes recombination (from 800 counts to 100 counts) as confirmed by the PL spectroscopy. Photocatalytic studies were comparatively analyzed by degradation of textile dye named methylene blue (MB). The efficiency of Er₂O₃ improved by up to 80% by adding the ZnO and Mo. The composite of Er₂O₃ with ZnO and loading of Mo, not only improved the photocatalytic properties but also improved the electrical properties of the Er₂O₃ (σ = 4.4 × 10⁻⁴ Sm⁻¹ to σ = 5.1 × 10⁻⁴ Sm⁻¹) as confirmed by the Hall Effect. Due to enhancement in properties, the proposed material can be rendered as one of the most suitable candidates for optoelectronic applications.     

Effect of boron nitride nanosheets addition on the mechanical and dielectric properties of magnesium oxide ceramics

Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs)/magnesium oxide (MgO) composites were prepared via hot pressing. Mechanical properties of MgO ceramics were improved obviously in virtue of adding BNNSs. The bending strength of the 1 wt% BNNSs/MgO composite increased by about 85% than that of the monolithic MgO. The fracture toughness increased by 34% with the addition of 1.5 wt% BNNSs. Microstructural analyzes have shown that the toughening mechanisms are combinations of the pull-out and bridging of BNNSs, crack deflection, and crack bypassing mechanisms. The addition of a small amount of BNNSs don't destroy the excellent dielectric properties of composites. The dielectric constant of the sample doped with 1 wt% BNNSs was about 9.5 in the whole X-band and the vast majority of P-band, and the loss tangent was less than 5 × 10⁻³ in 10–15.8 GHz.     

Effect of rapid thermal annealing on the properties of zinc tin oxide films prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

The effect of rapid thermal annealing treatments on the microstructure, surface morphology, and optical characteristics of zinc tin oxide (ZTO) films produced by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition was investigated. The ZTO films were annealed in oxygen atmosphere for 2 min at four selected temperatures from 500 to 800 °C. The X-ray diffraction showed that the annealing temperature has a great influence on the crystalline characteristics of ZTO films. The film shows complete amorphous structure for as-deposited ZTO film. Meanwhile, the spinel zinc stannate Zn₂SnO₄ was obtained for the samples annealed from 500 to 800 °C, which shows polycrystalline nature. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy proved that the annealing process in oxygen gas can effectively can reduce the oxygen vacancy defects in the films. In addition, the photoluminescence spectroscopy manifests an ultraviolet emission with a broad peak range from 345 to 385 nm. Moreover, the ultraviolet luminescence intensity increases continuously with the increase of annealing temperature. Spectroscopic ellipsometry analyses demonstrate that the refractive index of annealed films increases as the increase of annealing temperature, while the extinction coefficient decreases gradually with the increase of annealing temperature in the visible light range.     

The role of Pb and annealing temperature on the structural,magnetic, optical and dielectric properties of W-type hexaferrite nanostructures

In this paper, W-type Sr_1-xPb_xCo₂Fe₁₆O₂₇ nanostructures were synthesized by auto-combustion sol-gel method. Then, the effects of annealing temperature and Pb contents on the structural, magnetic, optical, and dielectric properties of Sr_1-xPb_xCo₂Fe₁₆O₂₇ nanostructure were investigated. First, a gel of metal nitrates with a specific molar ratio with x different was prepared and then the gel was annealed at different temperatures for 4?h. To determine the annealing temperature of the samples, the prepared gel was examined by thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis. The morphology and crystal structure of the prepared samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD). The results of XRD patterns indicated that the annealing temperature of synthesized Sr_1-xPb_xCo₂Fe₁₆O₂₇ was reduced by increasing Pb contents. In addition, FESEM images showed that the microstructure of the samples was homogeneous and uniform, but since the samples have a magnetic property, the particles were aggregated. Fourier transform infrared analysis (FT-IR) was used to confirm the phase formation. The FT-IR results of the samples indicated that the tetrahedral and octahedral sites, which are the important attributes of hexaferrites, were formed. The magnetic properties of the samples were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The VSM results of the samples showed that because of increasing Pb content, the amount of saturation magnetization and that of magnetic coercivity decreased from 81.29 to 10.23?emu/g and 2285–477?Oe, respectively. The optical properties of the samples were investigated by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, which revealed that the energy gap decreases and the absorption peaks move towards longer wavelengths by increasing Pb content. The dielectric properties of the samples were investigated by the LCR meter. It was found that by increasing frequency, the dielectric constant (ε^′) and the dielectric loss (?) of the samples were decreased.     

Effect of annealing temperature on the morphology and antibacterial activity of Mg-doped zinc oxide nanorods

Herein, magnesium-doped zinc oxide nanorods (MgZnO NRs) were synthesized by the co-precipitation method and annealed at different temperatures in the range of 100–500?°C. The increase in the annealing temperature was found to influence both chemical and morphological structures of the MgZnO NRs: Ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed an increase in band gap with increase in the annealing temperature. Fourier-transform infrared spectra showed that two characteristic peaks at 487?cm^?1 and 442?cm^?1 corresponding to a weak Zn–O stretching initially decreased and then disappeared with increase in the annealing temperature. Moreover, the MgZnO NRs annealed at 100?°C had large crystallite size, high aspect ratio, and narrow edges. Remarkably, the MgZnO NRs annealed at 100?°C exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli strains, attributed to the high aspect ratio and diffusion ability of the Zn²⁺ ions and large surface charge, crystallite size, and surface area. The MgZnO NRs annealed at the relatively low temperature of 100?°C could be easily produced commercially, in large quantities, and effectively used to prevent the growth of foodborne microbes in food packaging applications.     

Nitrogen and oxygen annealing effects on properties of aluminum-gallium oxide films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Aluminum-gallium oxide (AGO) films on c-plane sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition are described. Both nitrogen and oxygen annealing effects on the structural and optical properties of AGO films are investigated. The AGO film shows an amorphous structure when deposited at low temperatures (≤400 °C) while a crystalline structure at 800 °C. After post annealing at 900 °C, an amorphous-to-crystalline phase transformation for the 400°C-deposited film occurs and shows the preferred β phase. The corresponding optical bandgap also increases from 5.14 eV to 5.41–5.46 eV depending on the annealing ambience. From Raman measurements, the 800°C-deposited AGO sample possesses a more stable O–Ga–O bonding compared to that of the 400°C-deposited one after annealing. Unusually, an evident increase in the nitrogen content is observed for the samples after post annealing at 900 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. The rapid dissociation of oxygen atoms may accelerate the disintegration of crystals and rearrangement, which makes the AGO film adsorb nitrogen atoms and cause the grain size to be significantly reduced. However, the extent of the nitrogen incorporation seems to have no apparent effect on the optical properties. All the AGO films show the optical transmittance over 80% in the ultraviolet–visible region with the calculated bandgaps more than 5.4 eV. Details of the mechanism about the nitrogen incorporation into the annealed AGO films via the oxygen vacancies or micro-pores will be discussed.     

Effect of annealing atmosphere on the structure and dielectric properties of unfilled tungsten bronze ceramics Ba4PrFe0.5Nb9.5O30

Unfilled tungsten bronze ceramics with the nominal formula Ba₄PrFe_0.5Nb_9.5O₃₀ were synthesized via the standard solid-state sintering route, and the effects of oxygen vacancies on the dielectric and electrical properties were investigated in addition to the structure. Room-temperature X-ray diffraction showed that the N₂-annealed sample had the largest cell volume. Low-temperature spectrum showed that N₂ annealing rendered the dielectric constant and dielectric loss more frequency dispersive, whereas O₂ annealing inhibited the frequency dispersion. The dc conductivity of all the samples originated from the electrons produced in the second ionization of oxygen vacancies and was most likely controlled by a mixed conduction mechanism of the electron and oxygen-vacancy ions. The N₂-annealed sample has the highest dc conductivity owing to its high concentration of oxygen vacancies. The broadening of the Raman lines and the decrease of Raman intensity for the N₂-annealed sample originated from a significant structural disorder. X-ray photoelectron spectra demonstrated that the increased oxygen vacancies caused by the change of valences of Fe and Pr ions contributed to the structural disorder.     

Effect of composition and annealing on the dielectric properties of ZnO/mullite composite coatings

ZnO/mullite composite coatings were fabricated by atmosphere plasma spraying technology (APS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to investigate the microstructures and compositions of the feedstock and coatings. The permittivity-frequency properties were determined in the microwave frequency range of 8.2-12.4 GHz by network analysis. Our results show that both the real and imaginary part of permittivity increase greatly with increasing ZnO content over the frequency range of 8.2-12.4 GHz, which can be ascribed to interfacial polarization and orientation polarization. However, the composite coatings after 900 °C annealing for 5 h show much lower permittivity, due to the decrease of ZnO content resulting from the further reactions between the ZnO and mullite. Results indicate that the composite coating has excellent permittivity in room temperature, while for high temperature application, more investigation should be done.     

Enhancement in photovoltaic properties of bismuth ferrite/zinc oxide heterostructure solar cell device with graphene/indium tin oxide hybrid electrodes

Integrating of ferroelectric thin films with two-dimensional materials may provide a novel and unique characteristics in the field of optoelectronics due to the coupling of their distinctive intrinsic features. A heterostructure (bismuth ferrite/zinc oxide) device is fabricated with different types of the electrode to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE). A single-phase multiferroic BFO thin film is grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) method and annealed in different environments such as helium, nitrogen, and oxygen. We investigated the effect of annealing parameters and different types of electrodes on solar cell applications. We observed that the leakage current 10 orders of magnitude was reduced by decreasing in the dielectric loss. Further, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is improved from 4.1% to 7.4% with a hybrid transparent electrode (graphene/indium tin oxide). The value of PCE is further increased at a low temperature. So, the improvement in the key parameter of bismuth ferrite thin-film evidently highlights the importance of annealing atmosphere and graphene as an electrode in BFO thin film applications in optoelectronics.     

Influence of precursor solution concentration on the microstructure,leakage current and dielectric tunability of Zn-doped Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 thin films prepared by metal organic decomposition

Zn-doped Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ (Zn: NBT) thin films were prepared from precursor solutions with different concentrations (0.08, 0.20 and 0.35 M) via a metal organic decomposition process. The effects of the mole concentration of precursor solution on crystallization and electrical properties were investigated. All the films exhibit polycrystalline perovskite structure. The increasing degree of predominant (110) orientation with the decrease of the concentration is ascribed to the highly diluted of the solution, leading to the local grain-on-grain growth. Compared with other films, the 0.20 M-film exhibits a strong nonlinear dependence of the dielectric constant on the applied voltage due to the improvement of crystallinity and insulating property. Furthermore, the effect of applied voltage on the dielectric tunability for 0.20 M-film is discussed. A higher tunability of 36.8% and figure of merit of 7.4 in Zn: NBT film can be observed at ±16 V and 100 kHz.     

Dielectric properties of (FeCoCrMnZn)3O4 high-entropy oxide at high pressure

The emerging high-entropy oxides (HEOs) have been considered promising candidates in numerous applications due to their unique properties. Yet the dielectric properties of HEOs at high pressure remain to be disclosed. In this work, the dielectric properties of (FeCoCrMnZn)₃O₄ at high pressures up to ∼20 GPa were systematically investigated. Combined with in-situ Raman, XRD, and impedance measurements, it is revealed that high-pressure exhibits a significant impact on the dielectric properties, even without the observed phase transition. The electric resistance, which is dominantly contributed by grain resistance, decreases exponentially with the increase of pressure. On the other hand, the relative permittivity decreases linearly with increasing pressure. In addition, the dielectric relaxation behavior of (FeCoCrMnZn)₃O₄ at high pressure is revealed. Our results provide the experimental basis for the high-pressure effect on the dielectric properties of (FeCoCrMnZn)₃O₄ and potential guidance for the design strategy of HEOs under extreme conditions.     

Effect of hydration on the properties of lanthanum oxide and lanthanum aluminate thin films

The properties of lanthanum oxide films and lanthanum aluminate films were investigated after dipping the films in DI-water. The La₂O₃ film showed rapid dissolution in DI-water and a swift decrease in thickness resulting in an increased leakage current density. The LAO film showed almost no changes in thickness due to the formation of a layer, preventing dissolution. It was revealed that the changes in the films’ oxygen contents during the hydration process affected the films’ dielectric constants. The LAO films showed better hydration resistance characteristics, which are typically more suitable for conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes.     

Effect of annealing protection atmosphere on the ferroelectric yttrium doped hafnium oxide thin films

The 10 nm thick yttrium doped hafnium oxide (Y:HfO₂) thin films, prepared by chemical solution deposition which using all-inorganic aqueous salt reagents, were fabricated on Si (100) substrates. The crystalline structure, chemical composition and ferroelectric properties of thin films, annealed in protection atmosphere of Air, Ar and N₂, were examined. Result showed that the crystalline structure and ferroelectric properties of films exhibited a strong annealing protection atmosphere dependence. When compared to annealing protection atmosphere of Air and Ar, the films with the N₂ exhibited lowest m-phase fraction of 19.4%, and the highest oxygen vacancy percentage content of 3.06%, accompanied with the highest relative permittivity of 50.9 and the remanent polarization of 14.6 μC/cm². These excellent ferroelectric properties were correlated with asymmetric orthorhombic phase and the concentration of oxygen vacancy introduced from the nitrogen doping concentration.     

Microstructure,charge carrier conduction mechanism model,dielectric properties and leakage current analysis of Dy2FeMnO6 nanomaterial

The structure, microstructure, charge transport properties, dielectric properties, and leakage current density of Dy₂FeMnO₆ synthesized by the auto combustion method are investigated in this study. The monoclinic crystal structure of the sample with space group P2₁/n was observed. The CoO₆ and MnO₆ octahedra were found distorted and tilted. The calculation of the bond valence sum confirmed the +3 and + 3/+4 oxidation states of Fe and Mn, respectively. The average crystallite, particle, and grain sizes were 43.01, 94, and 187.68 nm, respectively. The anticipated stoichiometry of the constituent elements was confirmed by energy–dispersive X–ray spectra. The frequency–dependent conductivity obeyed Jonscher’s power law, and the frequency exponent associated with this law increased with temperature, indicating the non–overlapping small polaron tunnelling (NSPT) mechanism for charge conduction. The enhancement of the dielectric loss tangent with temperature was consistent with the dc conductivity. The frequency dependence of dielectric properties was explained using Havriliak–Negami formalism. The sample followed Vogel–Fulcher law, which is similar to the relaxor ferroelectrics, and the ferroelectricity increased with frequency. Conduction, migration, and dielectric relaxation all have similar activation energies. The sample exhibited low leakage current density, which followed Schottky emission with a barrier height of 0.02(4) eV. The obtained results were compared with other rare–earth–based double perovskites.     

Magnetic and dielectric properties of Zn substituted cobalt oxide nanoparticles

Zinc-substituted cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Zn_xCo_3-xO_4, 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) were produced by microwave refluxing technique. The structural, microstructural and magnetic properties of these samples were studied using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and magnetic property measurement system (MPMS) respectively. XRD and TEM analyses confirmed the single phase nature for all the samples. Rietveld analysis of the samples further confirmed the substitution of Zn-ions into the Co₃O₄ lattice. The chemical states of the elements were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which suggest the presence of Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Co³⁺ ions in the samples. The maximum saturation magnetization (M_S) values of 0.33 Am²/kg was obtained for x = 0.01 sample, and then it continuously reduced with increased Zn content. The dielectric property of the samples was studied in the frequency range of 40 Hz–110 MHz. The samples x = 0.05 and 0.5 displayed the lowest conductivity due to the narrow size distribution of grains.