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    High temperature behavior of rual thin films on piezoelectric CTGS and LGS substrates
    (Basel : MDPI AG, 2020) Seifert, M.
    This paper reports on a significant further improvement of the high temperature stability of RuAl thin films (110 nm) on the piezoelectric Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 (CTGS) and La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS) substrates. RuAl thin films with AlN or SiO2 cover layers and barriers to the substrate (each 20 nm), as well as a combination of both were prepared on thermally oxidized Si substrates, which serve as a reference for fundamental studies, and the piezoelectric CTGS, as well as LGS substrates. In somefilms, additional Al layers were added. To study their high temperature stability, the samples were annealed in air and in high vacuum up to 900 °C, and subsequently their cross-sections, phase formation, film chemistry, and electrical resistivity were analyzed. It was shown that on thermally oxidized Si substrates, all films were stable after annealing in air up to 800 °C and in high vacuum up to 900 °C. The high temperature stability of RuAl thin films on CTGS substrates was improved up to 900 °C in high vacuum by the application of a combined AlN/SiO2 barrier layer and up to 800 °C in air using a SiO2 barrier. On LGS, the films were only stable up to 600 °C in air; however, a single SiO2 barrier layer was sufficient to prevent oxidation during annealing at 900 °C in high vacuum.
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    Pinning of the Fermi Level in CuFeO2 by Polaron Formation Limiting the Photovoltage for Photochemical Water Splitting
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2020) Hermans Y.; Klein A.; Sarker H.P.; Huda M.N.; Junge H.; Toupance T.; Jaegermann W.
    CuFeO2 is recognized as a potential photocathode for photo(electro)chemical water splitting. However, photocurrents with CuFeO2-based systems are rather low so far. In order to optimize charge carrier separation and water reduction kinetics, defined CuFeO2/Pt, CuFeO2/Ag, and CuFeO2/NiOx(OH)y heterostructures are made in this work through a photodeposition procedure based on a 2H CuFeO2 hexagonal nanoplatelet shaped powder. However, water splitting performance tests in a closed batch photoreactor show that these heterostructured powders exhibit limited water reduction efficiencies. To test whether Fermi level pinning intrinsically limits the water reduction capacity of CuFeO2, the Fermi level tunability in CuFeO2 is evaluated by creating CuFeO2/ITO and CuFeO2/H2O interfaces and analyzing the electronic and chemical properties of the interfaces through photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that Fermi level pinning at the Fe3+/Fe2+ electron polaron formation level may intrinsically prohibit CuFeO2 from acquiring enough photovoltage to reach the water reduction potential. This result is complemented with density functional theory calculations as well. © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim