Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 11
  • Item
    Photoluminescence at room temperature of liquid-phase crystallized silicon on glass
    (New York, NY : American Inst. of Physics, 2016) Vetter, Michael; Schwuchow, Anka; Andrä, Gudrun
    The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum due band-to-band recombination in an only 8 μm thick liquid-phase crystallized silicon on glass solar cell absorber is measured over 3 orders of magnitude with a thin 400 μm thick optical fiber directly coupled to the spectrometer. High PL signal is achieved by the possibility to capture the PL spectrum very near to the silicon surface. The spectra measured within microcrystals of the absorber present the same features as spectra of crystalline silicon wafers without showing defect luminescence indicating the high electronic material quality of the liquid-phase multi-crystalline layer after hydrogen plasma treatment.
  • Item
    Polyoxometalates as components of supramolecular assemblies
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2019) Stuckart, Maria; Monakhov, Kirill Yu.
    The non-covalent interaction of polyoxometalates (POMs) with inorganic- or organic-based moieties affords hybrid assemblies with specific physicochemical properties that are of high interest for both fundamental and applied studies, including the discovery of conceptually new compounds and unveiling the impact of their intra-supramolecular relationships on the fields of catalysis, molecular electronics, energy storage and medicine. This minireview summarises the recent advances in the synthetic strategies towards the formation of such non-covalent POM-loaded assemblies, shedding light on their key properties and the currently investigated applications. Four main emerging categories according to the nature of the conjugate are described: (i) POMs in metal-organic frameworks, (ii) POMs merged with cationic metal complexes, (iii) architectures generated with solely POM units and (iv) POMs assembled with organic molecular networks. © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
  • Item
    Confined crystals of the smallest phase-change material
    (Washington, DC : American Chemical Society, 2013) Giusca, C.E.; Stolojan, V.; Sloan, J.; Börrnert, F.; Shiozawa, H.; Sader, K.; Rümmeli, M.H.; Büchner, B.; Silva, S.R.P.
    The demand for high-density memory in tandem with limitations imposed by the minimum feature size of current storage devices has created a need for new materials that can store information in smaller volumes than currently possible. Successfully employed in commercial optical data storage products, phase-change materials, that can reversibly and rapidly change from an amorphous phase to a crystalline phase when subject to heating or cooling have been identified for the development of the next generation electronic memories. There are limitations to the miniaturization of these devices due to current synthesis and theoretical considerations that place a lower limit of 2 nm on the minimum bit size, below which the material does not transform in the structural phase. We show here that by using carbon nanotubes of less than 2 nm diameter as templates phase-change nanowires confined to their smallest conceivable scale are obtained. Contrary to previous experimental evidence and theoretical expectations, the nanowires are found to crystallize at this scale and display amorphous-to-crystalline phase changes, fulfilling an important prerequisite of a memory element. We show evidence for the smallest phase-change material, extending thus the size limit to explore phase-change memory devices at extreme scales.
  • Item
    Nanoscale mechanical surface properties of single crystalline martensitic Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys
    (Bristol : IOP, 2012) Jakob, A.M.; Müller, M.; Rauschenbach, B.; Mayr, S.G.
    Located beyond the resolution limit of nanoindentation, contact resonance atomic force microscopy (CR-AFM) is employed for nano-mechanical surface characterization of single crystalline 14M modulated martensitic Ni-Mn-Ga (NMG) thin films grown by magnetron sputter deposition on (001) MgO substrates. Comparing experimental indentation moduli-obtained with CR-AFM-with theoretical predictions based on density functional theory (DFT) indicates the central role of pseudo plasticity and inter-martensitic phase transitions. Spatially highly resolved mechanical imaging enables the visualization of twin boundaries and allows for the assessment of their impact on mechanical behavior at the nanoscale. The CR-AFM technique is also briefly reviewed. Its advantages and drawbacks are carefully addressed.
  • Item
    Iron-assisted ion beam patterning of Si(001) in the crystalline regime
    (Bristol : IOP, 2012) Macko, S.; Grenzer, J.; Frost, F.; Engler, M.; Hirsch, D.; Fritzsche, M.; Mücklich, A.; Michely, T.
    We present ion beam erosion experiments on Si(001) with simultaneous sputter co-deposition of steel at 660 K. At this temperature, the sample remains within the crystalline regime during ion exposure and pattern formation takes place by phase separation of Si and iron-silicide. After an ion fluence of F ≈ 5.9×10 21 ions m -2, investigations by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy identify sponge, segmented wall and pillar patterns with high aspect ratios and heights of up to 200 nm. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reveal the structures to be composed of polycrystalline iron-silicide. The observed pattern formation is compared to that in the range of 140-440K under otherwise identical conditions, where a thin amorphous layer forms due to ion bombardment.
  • Item
    Engineering the semiconductor/oxide interaction for stacking twin suppression in single crystalline epitaxial silicon(111)/insulator/Si(111) heterostructures
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2008) Schroetter, T.; Zaumseil, P.; Seifarth, O.; Giussani, A.; Müssig, H.-J.; Storck, P.; Geiger, D.; Lichte, H.; Dabrowski, J.
    The integration of alternative semiconductor layers on the Si material platform via oxide heterostructures is of interest to increase the performance and/or functionality of future Si-based integrated circuits. The single crystalline quality of epitaxial (epi) semiconductor-insulator-Si heterostructures is however limited by too high defect densities, mainly due to a lack of knowledge about the fundamental physics of the heteroepitaxy mechanisms at work. To shed light on the physics of stacking twin formation as one of the major defect mechanisms in (111)-oriented fcc-related heterostructures on Si(111), we report a detailed experimental and theoretical study on the structure and defect properties of epi-Si(111)/Y2O 3/Pr2O3/Si(111) heterostructures. Synchrotron radiation-grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (SR-GIXRD) proves that the engineered Y2O3/Pr2O3 buffer dielectric heterostructure on Si(111) allows control of the stacking sequence of the overgrowing single crystalline epi-Si(111) layers. The epitaxy relationship of the epi-Si(111)/insulator/Si(111) heterostructure is characterized by a type A/B/A stacking configuration. Theoretical ab initio calculations show that this stacking sequence control of the heterostructure is mainly achieved by electrostatic interaction effects across the ionic oxide/covalent Si interface (IF). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies detect only a small population of misaligned type B epi-Si(111) stacking twins whose location is limited to the oxide/epiSi IF region. Engineering the oxide/semiconductor IF physics by using tailored oxide systems opens thus a promising approach to grow heterostructures with well-controlled properties. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
  • Item
    Deformation behavior of metallic glass composites reinforced with shape memory nanowires studied via molecular dynamics simulations
    (Melville, NY : American Inst. of Physics, 2015) Şopu, D.; Stoica, M.; Eckert, J.
    Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the deformation behavior and mechanism of Cu64Zr36 composite structures reinforced with B2 CuZr nanowires are strongly influenced by the martensitic phase transformation and distribution of these crystalline precipitates. When nanowires are distributed in the glassy matrix along the deformation direction, a two-steps stress-induced martensitic phase transformation is observed. Since the martensitic transformation is driven by the elastic energy release, the strain localization behavior in the glassy matrix is strongly affected. Therefore, the composite materials reinforced with a crystalline phase, which shows stress-induced martensitic transformation, represent a route for controlling the properties of glassy materials. The authors acknowledge the financial support of the European Research Council under the ERC Advanced Grant INTELHYB (Grant No. ERC-2013-ADG-340025) and the German Science Foundation (DFG) under the Leibniz Program (Grant No. EC 111/26-1). A DAAD-PPP travel grant is also acknowledged. Computing time was made available at ZIH TU Dresden and IFW Dresden as well as by CSC Julich. The authors acknowledge Dr. Simon Pauly and Sergio Scudino for fruitful discussions.
  • Item
    Studying nanostructure gradients in injection-molded polypropylene/ montmorillonite composites by microbeam small-angle x-ray scattering
    (Abingdon : Taylor & Francis, 2014) Stribeck, N.; Schneider, K.; Zeinolebadi, A.; Li, X.; Sanporean, C.-G.; Vuluga, Z.; Iancu, S.; Duldner, M.; Santoro, G.; Roth, S.V.
    The core-shell structure in oriented cylindrical rods of polypropylene (PP) and nanoclay composites (NCs) from PP and montmorillonite (MMT) is studied by microbeam small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The structure of neat PP is almost homogeneous across the rod showing regular semicrystalline stacks. In the NCs the discrete SAXS of arranged crystalline PP domains is limited to a skin zone of 300 μm thickness. Even there only frozen-in primary lamellae are detected. The core of the NCs is dominated by diffuse scattering from crystalline domains placed at random. The SAXS of the MMT flakes exhibits a complex skin-core gradient. Both the direction of the symmetry axis and the apparent perfection of flake-orientation are varying. Thus there is no local fiber symmetry, and the structure gradient cannot be reconstructed from a scan across the full rod. To overcome the problem the rods are machined. Scans across the residual webs are performed. For the first time webs have been carved out in two principal directions. Comparison of the corresponding two sets of SAXS patterns demonstrates the complexity of the MMT orientation. Close to the surface (< 1 mm) the flakes cling to the wall. The variation of the orientation distribution widths indicates the presence of both MMT flakes and grains. The grains have not been oriented in the flowing melt. An empirical equation is presented which describes the variation from skin to core of one component of the inclination angle of flake-shaped phyllosilicate filler particles.
  • Item
    Nanoscale magneto-structural coupling in as-deposited and freestanding single-crystalline Fe7Pd3 ferromagnetic shape memory alloy thin films
    (Abingdon : Taylor & Francis, 2013) Landgraf, A.; Jakob, A.M.; Ma, Y.; Mayr, S.G.
    Ferromagnetic shape memory alloys are characterized by strong magneto-mechanical coupling occurring at the atomic scale causing large magnetically inducible strains at the macroscopic level. Employing combined atomic and magnetic force microscopy studies at variable temperature, we systematically explore the relation between the magnetic domain pattern and the underlying structure for as-deposited and freestanding single-crystalline Fe7Pd3 thin films across the martensite-austenite transition. We find experimental evidence that magnetic domain appearance is strongly affected by the presence and absence of nanotwinning. While the martensite-austenite transition upon temperature variation of as-deposited films is clearly reflected in topography by the presence and absence of a characteristic surface corrugation pattern, the magnetic domain pattern is hardly affected. These findings are discussed considering the impact of significant thermal stresses arising in the austenite phase. Freestanding martensitic films reveal a hierarchical structure of micro- and nanotwinning. The associated domain organization appears more complex, since the dominance of magnetic energy contributors alters within this length scale regime.
  • Item
    Magnetization Dynamics of an Individual Single-Crystalline Fe-Filled Carbon Nanotube
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2019) Lenz, Kilian; Narkowicz, Ryszard; Wagner, Kai; Reiche, Christopher F.; Körner, Julia; Schneider, Tobias; Kákay, Attila; Schultheiss, Helmut; Weissker, Uhland; Wolf, Daniel; Suter, Dieter; Büchner, Bernd; Fassbender, Jürgen; Mühl, Thomas; Lindner, Jürgen
    The magnetization dynamics of individual Fe-filled multiwall carbon-nanotubes (FeCNT), grown by chemical vapor deposition, are investigated by microresonator ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and Brillouin light scattering (BLS) microscopy and corroborated by micromagnetic simulations. Currently, only static magnetometry measurements are available. They suggest that the FeCNTs consist of a single-crystalline Fe nanowire throughout the length. The number and structure of the FMR lines and the abrupt decay of the spin-wave transport seen in BLS indicate, however, that the Fe filling is not a single straight piece along the length. Therefore, a stepwise cutting procedure is applied in order to investigate the evolution of the ferromagnetic resonance lines as a function of the nanowire length. The results show that the FeCNT is indeed not homogeneous along the full length but is built from 300 to 400 nm long single-crystalline segments. These segments consist of magnetically high quality Fe nanowires with almost the bulk values of Fe and with a similar small damping in relation to thin films, promoting FeCNTs as appealing candidates for spin-wave transport in magnonic applications. © 2019 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim