Investigation of Formation Process of the Chrome-free Passivation Film of Electrodeposited Zinc

The feasibility was investigated to substitute chrome-free passivation treatment of electrodeposited zinc in a titanium bath for chromate passivation treatment. The formation mechanism of the chrome-free passivation film was further analyzed. The surface mor- phologies and the elemental compositions of the treated samples with varied immersion times were observed by scanning electron mi- croscopy （SEM） and determined by energy dispersion spectrometry （EDS）, respectively. The electrode potential of the sample surface was recorded in the film formation process. The changes of the electrode potential are in accordance with that of SEM and EDS of the sample surface. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） show the chrome-free passivation film composed ofZnO, SiO2, TiO2, Zn4Si207（OH）2, and SrF2. The anode zinc dissolution and the local pH value increase due to the cathode hydrogen ion reduction process result in the formation of the chrome-free passivation film. The macro-images of the chrome-free passivation films formed on electrodeposited zinc show that the color of the film changes from blue to iridescence with the increase of the immersion times.

Preparation and Characterization of Ternary Europium ComplexDoped Thin SolGel Hybrid Film by Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Ternary europium complex with dibenzoylmethane(DBM)and 1,10phenanthroline(phen)was insitu synthesized in thin SiO2/polyvinyl butyral(PVB)hybrid films by a twostep solgel process and characterized by means of fluorescence spectroscopy.The luminescence spectra,fluorescence lifetimes and photostability were all investigated.The results showed that the hybrid films exhibited the characteristic emission bands of the central rare earth Eu3+.In addition,Eu3+presented longer fluorescence lifetime than in an ethanol solution and the complex had a higher photostability in the hybrid film than in the PVB film containing the corresponding pure complex.

Principle and Process Window of Cerium Dioxide Thin Film Fabrication with Dual Plasma Deposition

Cerium dioxide, CeO2, is a potentially superior material in a myriad of areas, and many methods have been proposed to deposit single crystal CeO2 thin films. A novel fabrication technique utilizing dual plasma generated by metal vacuum arc (MEVVA) and radio frequency (RF) is discussed in this paper. We have recently conducted a systematic investigation to determine the optimal process window to deposit CeO2 thin films'on Si(100) substrates. The X-ray diffraction results show the existence of CeO2(100) in the as-deposited sample.

EFFECT OF PARTICLE SIZE ON THE FILMING PROCESS OF POLYSTYRENE LATEX STUDIED BY AFM

The film formation process of micro-PS particles (diameter 742 nm) and nano-PS particles (diameter 29 nm) was studied by atomic force microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. During a step heating process, the particles were annealed for 0.5 h at each selected temperature. It was found that the deformation and interdiffusion temperatures of the micro-PS particles are ca. 120-130degreesC and 140-150degreesC, that of the nano-PS particles are 90degreesC and 100-110degreesC respectively. The DSC traces of nano-PS particles showed that there was an exothermic peak near T-g after annealing for 0.5 h at the selected temperatures below 90degreesC; otherwise, the exothermic peak disappeared after annealing at 100degreesC or above. Compared with the micro-PS particles, the sintering process of nano-PS particles occurs at much lower temperature determined by the confined state of polymer chains with higher conformational energy in nano-particles, and completes in a much narrower temperature range driven mainly by the larger total surface energy.

Morphology and Structure of SiO_2 Film Using Thermal Oxidation Process on(111)Silicon Crystals in Dry Oxygen Atmosphere

By means of scanning electron microscope(SEM)and high voltage electron microscope(HVEM)we have observed and analysed morphology and micro-structure of silicon oxide film with different thickness formed on(111)silicon monocrystal under dry oxygen atmosphere at 1100℃.Compared with their oxidation kinetic curves consisted of three stages,we suggested a mechanism on forming silicon oxide film.According to electron and X-ray diffraction analyses the silicon oxide films consisted of silica with different crystal structure.We also have discussed a stacking fault and a dislocation formed in the Si-Sio_2 interface region simulaneously forming silicon oxide film.

Crystallization Process of Superlattice-Like Sb/SiO_2 Thin Films for Phase Change Memory Application

After compositing with SiO_2 layers, it is shown that superlattice-like Sb/SiO_2 thin films have higher crystallization temperature（~240°C）, larger crystallization activation energy（6.22 e V）, and better data retention ability（189°C for 10 y）. The crystallization of Sb in superlattice-like Sb/SiO_2 thin films is restrained by the multilayer interfaces. The reversible resistance transition can be achieved by an electric pulse as short as 8 ns for the Sb（3 nm）/SiO_2（7 nm）-based phase change memory cell. A lower operation power consumption of 0.09 m W and a good endurance of 3.0 × 10~6 cycles are achieved. In addition, the superlattice-like Sb（3 nm）/SiO_2（7 nm） thin film shows a low thermal conductivity of 0.13 W/（m·K）.

PEDOT-PSS导电聚合物LB薄膜的制备和性能

研究了十八胺(ODA)及其与硬脂酸(SA)混合单分子膜在导电聚合物聚3,4-乙烯二氧噻吩/聚苯乙烯磺酸(PEDOT- PSS)胶体亚相上的成膜行为和复合LB膜在室温下的电学性能.结果表明:ODA-SA/PEDOT-PSS复合LB膜具有更好的成膜性能,表面粗糙度小且稳定可控,薄膜具有较好的有序结构;ODA-SA/PEDOT-PSS膜电导率高于ODA/PEDOT- PSS复合LB膜,其电导率呈各向异性,水平电导率(σ_‖)与垂直电导率(σ_⊥)之间相差3～4个数量级,Ⅰ-Ⅴ曲线呈指数关系,为典型的电子隧穿类型.

Recent advances of flexible perovskite solar cells

In few years only, the efficiency record of perovskite solar cells（PSCs） has raised quickly from 3.8% to over 22%. This emerging photovoltaic technology has primarily shown its great potential of industrialization. Flexible PSCs are thought to be one of the most priority options for mass production, related to the intrinsic advantage of perovskite thin films which could be deposited by facile solution processes at low temperature. Flexible PSCs have at least four advantages in comparison to the rigid counterpart：（1） it can generate higher power output at lighter weight,（2） it is easily portable,（3） it can be easily attached to architectures or textiles with diverse shapes, and（4） it is compatible with roll-to-roll fabrication in a large scale. In this review, we have summarized recent development of the key materials and technologies applied in flexible PSCs. The key materials including flexible substrates, transparent and conductive electrodes, and interfacial materials; some key technologies about roll-to-roll manufacture, encapsulation technology have been overviewed. Finally, a prospect on possible application directions of flexible PSCs has been discussed.

Vertically aligned NiS nano-flakes derived from hydrothermally prepared Ni(OH)2 for high performance supercapacitor

In present work,the vertically aligned Ni S nano-flakes composed thin film is prepared by anionic exchange process in which hydrothermally prepared Ni（OH）2is used as a parent thin film and Na2S as a sulfide ion source.This synthesis process produced fully transformed and shape-controlled nano-flakes of Ni S from nano-flowers of Ni（OH）2.The electrochemical supercapacitor properties of Ni S electrode are studied with cyclic voltammetry（CV）,galvonostatic charge discharge（GCD）and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）techniques.Highly porous surface area（85 m^2/g）of Ni S nano-flakes makes large material contribution in electrochemical reaction stretching specific capacitance（Cs）of 880 F/g at scan rate of 5 m V/s and 90%electrochemical stability up to 4000 CV cycles in 2 M KOH electrolyte.Further,the flexible solid-state symmetric supercapacitor device（Ni S/PVA–Li ClO4/Ni S）has been fabricated using Ni S electrodes with polyvinyl alcohol（PVA）–lithium perchlorate（Li ClO4）gel electrolyte.The Ni S/PVA–Li ClO4/Ni S device exhibits specific capacitance of 56 F/g with specific energy of 14.98 Wh/kg and excellent cycling stability after 2000 cycles.In addition,the Ni S/PVA–Li ClO4/Ni S device demonstrates illumination of red light emitting diode（LED）for 60 s,which confirms the practical applicability of Ni S/PVA–Li ClO4/Ni S device in energy storage.

Growth of carbon nanotube arrays on various CtxMey alloy films by chemical vapour deposition method

Carbon nanotube （CNT） arrays were fabricated on Ct-Me-N-（O） alloys with content of Ct in the range of 6-40 at.% by chemical vapour deposition. The Ct was a catalytic metal from the group of the following elements： Ni, Co, Fe, Pd, while Me was a transition metal from the group of IV-VII of the periodic table （where Me=Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, W, Re）. Carbon nanotubes were found to grow efficiently on the alloy surface with its composition containing Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Hf, Nb or Ta. The growth of CNTs was not observed when the alloy contained W or Re. Additions of oxygen and nitrogen in the alloy facilitated the formation of oxynitrides and catalyst extrusion on the alloy surface. Replacement of the metals in alloy composition affected the diameter of the resulting CNTs. The obtained results showed that the alloy films of varying thickness （10-500 nm） may be used for the CNTs growth. The resulting CNT material was highly homogenous and its synthesis reproducible.

Study on electrode process of myoglobin at a polymerized Toluidine Blue film electrode

This paper reports the use of an electrochemically polymerized Toluidine Blue (TB) film electrode.The film on platinum electrode surface was analyzed with ESCA.The heterogeneous electron transfer processes of myoglobin at the polymerized TB film electrode have been investigated using in situ UV-visible spectroelectrochemistry.The formal potential(E°′)and electron transfer number(n)of myoglobin were calculated as E°′=0.045 V(vs.NHE)and n=0.99.The exhaustive reduction and oxidation electrolyses are achieved in 130 s and 110 s respectively,during a potential step between-0.4 V and+0.4 V.A formal heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant(ksh)of 1.09× 10^(-4) cm/s and a transfer coefficient(α)of 0.47 were obtained by cyclic voltabsorptometry,which indicated that myoglobin underwent a quasi-reversible electrode process at the polymerized TB film electrode.

Synthesis and Characterization of Phenylethynyl-terminated Polyimide Oligomers Derived from 2,3,3',4'-Diphenyl Ether Tetracarboxylic Acid Dianhydride and 3,4'-Oxydianiline

With the goal of improving processability of imide oligomers and achieving high toughness of thermosetting polyimides, a series of 4-phenylethynylphthalic anhydride（PEPA）-terminated imide oligomers prepared by the reaction of 2,3,3＇,4＇-diphenyl ether tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride（a-ODPA） and 3,4＇-oxydianiline（3,4＇-ODA） with different molecular weights（degree of polymerization： n = 1？9） were formed. The resultant oligomers with different molecular weights were characterized for their chemical architecture, cure behavior, thermal properties, solubility in organic solvents and rheological characteristics. Besides, the thermal properties and tensile test of cured polyimide films were also evaluated. The imide oligomer（degree of polymerization： n = 1） has some somewhat crystalline phase, and imide oligomers（degree of polymerization： n = 2？9） showed excellent solubility（40 wt%） in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone（NMP） and N,Ndimethylacetamide（DMAc） at room temperature. Furthermore, the rheological properties of imide oligomers showed very low melt viscosity and wider processing window. The cured films exhibited good thermal properties with the glass transition temperatures of 282？373 ？C and 5 wt% thermal decomposition temperatures higher than 551 ？C in nitrogen atmosphere. The elongation at break of the prepared films was found to be high（almost 〉 9.3%）.

Mobility and sulfidization of heavy metals in sediments of a shallow eutrophic lake, Lake Taihu, China

The technique of DGT（diffusive gradients in thin films） using three diffusive gel thicknesses was applied to estimate the mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in sediments and porewater of Lake Taihu, China. The DGT results showed significantly positive correlations between Co, Pb, Cd and Mn, and Ni and Fe concentrations in porewater. Cu and Zn showed a significantly negative correlation with Mn, due to Cu combination with carbonates and Zn derived from agricultural pollution, respectively. The rank order of average concentrations of Co, Ni and Cd at each station was DGT1.92〉DGT0.78〉 DGT0.39, suggesting stronger resupply from sediments to porewater when using thicker diffusive gels. Comparing centrifugation and DGT measurements, Co, Ni and Cd are highly labile; Mn and Fe are moderately labile; and Cu, Zn and Pb are slightly labile. The variations of AVS concentrations in sediment cores indicate that metal sulfides in deeper layers are easily diffused into surface sediments.