A novel and facile wet-chemical method for synthesis of silver microwires

A novel and facile wet-chemical method for synthesis of silver microwires was developed.The well-defined particles were prepared by adding an iron（Ⅱ） sulfate heptahydrate solution into a silver nitrate solution containing citric acid drop by drop at 50 °C.The resulting products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.It was found that the particles consisted of numerous silver microwires.The reaction temperature greatly affected the morphologies of the as-prepared particles.Both of the mean length and width of the silver microwires increased with the decrease of the concentration of silver nitrate.And the lower concentration was unfavorable for the formation of more silver microwires.Similar findings were also observed when the concentration of iron（Ⅱ） sulfate was decreased.The amount of citric acid also greatly affected the shape of the as-prepared particles.It was concluded that citric acid was the key role in the formation of silver microwires via the Oswald ripening mechanism.

Magnetocaloric effect in Ni-Mn-In-Co microwires prepared by Taylor-Ulitovsky method

Ni-Mn-In-Co microwires with diameter of 30-100 μm are prepared by glass-coated metal filaments（Taylor–Ulitovsky） method. The effects of magnetic field on martensite transformation temperature in the as-prepared and annealed microwires are investigated using a physical property measurement system（PPMS）. Magnetocaloric effect（MCE） attributed to field-induced austenite transformation in the as-prepared and annealed microwires is analyzed indirectly from the isothermal magnetization（M-B） curves. The as-prepared microwire has a 7-layer modulated martensite structure（7M） at room temperature. The changes of austenite starting temperature induced by an external magnetic field（ΔAs/ΔB） in the as-prepared and annealed microwires are-1.6 and-4 K/T, respectively. Inverse martensite to austenite transformation exists in annealed microwires when an external magnetic field is applied at temperatures near As. The entropy change（ΔS） obtained in the annealed microwires is 3.0 J/（kg·K）, which is much larger than that in the as-prepared microwires 0.5 J/（kg·K）. The large entropy change and low price make Ni-Mn-In-Co microwires a potential working material in magnetic refrigeration.

Annealing effects on the microwave permittivity and permeability properties of Fe_(79)Si_(16)B_5 microwires and their microwave absorption performances

This paper reports that amorphous magnetic microwires （Fe79Si16Bs） have been fabricated by a melt-extraction technique and have been annealed at 600℃ and 750℃ respectively. Differential scanning calorimeter measurements show that nanocrystalline magnetic phase （α-Fe） has been formed in the amorphous matrix when it was annealed at 600℃. Hard magnetic phase （Fe2B） was formed in the microwires annealed at 750℃, which increases the magnetic coercivity. Microwave permittivity and permeability are found to be dependent on the microstruetures. The permittivity fitting results show that multi Lorentzian dispersion processes exist. For microwires annealed at 750℃, their resonance peaks due to the domain wall movements and natural resonance are found higher than those of microwires annealed at 600℃. The microwave absorption performance of microwires annealed at 600℃ is found better than microwires annealed at 750℃.

Effect of annealing treatments on the microwave electromagnetic properties of amorphous FeCuNbSiB microwires

The amorphous FeCuNbSiB microwires are fabricated by using the melt extraction method and annealed separately at temperatures T = 573, 673, 723 and 773K for lh. The effect of annealing treatment on the microwaw electromagnetic properties of FeCuNbSiB wires/wax composites has been investigated for the first time. It is found that in a frequency range of 0.5-4.0 GHz, the complex permittivity, permeability, magnetic and electric loss tangents of FeCuNbSiB wires/wax composites are strongly dependent on the annealing temperature and frequency. For T = 573, 723 and 773K, two resonance peaks are found at frequency f = 1.2 and 3.3GHz. However, for T = 673K, only one resonance peak occurs at f = 3.3 GHz. The resonance peak at f = 1.2 GHz is believed to be due to the stress-induced anisotropy, while the resonance peak at f = 3.3 GHz is attributed to the random anisotropy.

Photodetector based on Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite microwires with broader band detection

Recently,the two-dimensional(2D)form of Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite(RPP)has been widely studied.However,the synthesis of one-dimensional(1D)RPP is rarely reported.Here,we fabricated a photodetector based on RPP microwires(RPP-MWs)and compared it with a 2D-RPP photodetector.The results show that the RPP-MWs photodetector possesses a wider photoresponse range and higher responsivities of 233 A/W in the visible band and 30 A/W in the near-infrared(NIR)band.The analyses show that the synthesized RPP-MWs have a multi-layer,heterogeneous core-shell structure.This structure gives RPP-MWs a unique band structure,as well as abundant trap states and defect levels,which enable them to acquire better photoresponse performance.This configuration of RPP-MWs provides a new idea for the design and application of novel heterostructures.

Nanodots and microwires of ZrO_2 grown on LaAlO_3 by photo-assisted metal–organic chemical vapor deposition

ZrO_2 nanodots are successfully prepared on LaAlO_3（LAO）（100） substrates by photo-assisted metal-organic chemical vapor deposition（MOCVD）. It is indicated that the sizes and densities of ZrO_2 nanodots are controllable by modulating the growth temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and growth time. Meanwhile, the microwires are observed on the surfaces of substrates. It is found that there is an obvious competitive relationship between the nanodots and the microwires. In a growth temperature range from 500℃ to 660℃, the microwires turn longest and widest at 600℃, but in contrast, the nanodots grow into the smallest diameter at 600℃. This phenomenon could be illustrated by the energy barrier, decomposition rate of Zr（tmhd）_4, and mobility of atoms. In addition, growth time or oxygen partial pressure also affects the competitive relationship between the nanodots and the microwires. With increasing oxygen partial pressure from 451 Pa to 75_2 Pa,the microwires gradually grow larger while the nanodots become smaller. To further achieve the controllable growth, the coarsening effect of ZrO_2 is modified by varying the growth time, and the experimental results show that the coarsening effect of microwires is higher than that of nanodots by increasing the growth time to quickly minimize ZrO_2 energy density.

Micromagnetic Structure of Co-Rich Amorphous Microwires

Results on the magneto-optical investigation of near-surface micromagnetic structure (MMS) of Co69Fe4Si12B15 amorphous wires 10～50 μm in diameter are presented. The wires were prepared by the rapid solidification technique. The magnetic field H was applied along or perpendicular to the wire length. By scanning the light spot of 1 μm-diameter along the wire length, distributions of magnetization components (both parallel and perpendicular to the applied magnetic field) and also local hysteresis characteristics of the wires were measured. It was experimentally established that owing to the compressive stresses from quenching coupled with negative magnetostriction of Co-rich amorphous materials, the examined microwires have a circumferential magnetic anisotropy. In consequence, there are the near-surface alternate left- and right-handled circular domains in these samples. The dependencies of the circular domain width on the wire diameter and length were found. It was discovered that in the axial magnetic field local hysteresis loops are unhysteretic. It was proved that in this case the dominant mechanism of the wire magnetization reversal is rotation of local magnetization vectors in circular domains.

Dielectrophoretic force distribution of growing microwires

The Dielectropheretic assembly of electrically functional microwires from nanopartical suspensions is introduced. Meanwhile growth mechanism of the microwires is discussed. The agglomeration is based on the polarization and mobility of particles caused by alternating electric fields, commonly referred to as dielectrophoresis (DEP). The spatial distributions of the electric potential, field and dieletrophoretic force are analytically calculated in terms of AC electrokinetics. The calculated results show that the electrophoretic force, very strong near the apex of the microwire, drops abruptly with increasing distance. The electrophoretic force near the apex of the microwire agrees well with the fact that the nanoparticles are highly concentrated at the end of the tip and subsequently aggregate to extend the wire in the direction of the field gradient.

Effect of chemical ordering annealing on superelasticity of Ni-Mn-Ga-Fe ferromagnetic shape memory alloy microwires

Ni50Mn25Ga20Fe5 ferromagnetic shape memory alloy microwires with diameters of^30-50μm and grain sizes of^2-5μm were prepared by melt-extraction technique.A step-wise chemical ordering annealing was carried out to improve the superelasticity strain and recovery ratio which were hampered by the internal stress,compositional inhomogeneity,and high-density defects in the as-extracted Ni50Mn25Ga20Fe5 microwires.The annealed microwires exhibited enhanced atomic ordering degree,narrow thermal hysteresis,and high saturation magnetization under a low magnetic field.As a result,the annealed microwire showed decreased superelastic critical stress,improved reversibility,and a high superelastic strain(1.9%)with a large recovery ratio(>96%).This kind of filamentous material with superior superelastic effects may be promising materials for minor-devices.

Preparation and photodetection performance of high crystalline quality and large size β-Ga_(2)O_(3)microwires

Ultrawide band gap semiconductors are promising solar-blind ultraviolet(UV)photodetector materials due to their suitable bandgap,strong absorption and high sensitivity.Here,β-Ga_(2)O_(3)microwires with high crystal quality and large size were grown by the chemical vapor deposition(CVD)method.The microwires reach up to 1 cm in length and were single crystalline with low defect density.Owing to its high crystal quality,a metal–semiconductor–metal photodetector fabricated from a Ga_(2)O_(3)microwire showed a responsivity of 1.2 A/W at 240 nm with an ultrahigh UV/visible rejection ratio(R_(peak)/R_(400 nm))of 5.8×10^(5),indicating that the device has excellent spectral selectivity.In addition,no obvious persistent photoconductivity was observed in the test.The rise and decay time constants of the device were 0.13 and 0.14 s,respectively.This work not only provides a growth method for high-quality Ga_(2)O_(3)microwires,but also demonstrates the excellent performance of Ga_(2)O_(3)microwires in solar-blind ultraviolet detection.

Effects of Strain Rate and Texture on the Tensile Behavior of Pre-strained NiCr Microwires

The stress–strain behavior and strain rate sensitivity of pre-strained Ni80Cr20（Ni20Cr） were studied at strain rates from 4.8×10^（–4）s^（–1） to 1.1×10^（–1）s^（–1）. Specimens were prepared through cold drawing with abnormal plastic deformation. The texture of the specimen was characterized using electron backscatter diffraction. Results revealed that the ultimate tensile strength and ductility of the pre-strained Ni20Cr microwires simultaneously increased with increasing strain rate. Twinning-induced negative strain rate sensitivity was discovered. Positive strain rate sensitivity was present in fracture flow stress, whereas negative strain rate sensitivity was detected in flow stress values of σ_（0.5%） and σ_（1%）. Tensile test of the pre-strained Ni20Cr showed that twinning deformation predominated, whereas dislocation slip deformation dominated when twinning deformation reached saturation. The trends observed in the fractions of 2°-5°, 5°-15°, and 15°-180° grain boundaries confirmed that twinning deformation dominated the first stage.

Microstructure and magnetocaloric properties of melt-extracted SmGdDyCoAl high-entropy amorphous microwires

This paper presents a systematic investigation of the microstructure and magnetocaloric properties of melt-extracted Sm_(20)Gd_(20)Dy_(20)Co_(20)Al_(20)high-entropy microwires.The fabricated wires exhibited an amorphous structure,and the temperature interval of the undercooled liquid AT was 45 K.The microwires underwent a second-order magnetic transition from a ferromagnetic to a paramagnetic state near the Curie temperature(T_(C)=52 K),The maximum magnetic entropy change(-ΔS_M^(max)),the relative cooling power and the refrigeration capacity reached 6.34 J·kg^(-1)·K^(-1).422.09 J·kg^(-1)and 332.94 J·kg^(-1),respectively,under a magnetic field change of 5 T.In addition,the temperature-averaged entropy changes with two temperature lifts(3 and 10 K)were 6.32 and 6.27 J·kg^(-1)·K^(-1),respectively.The good magnetocalorie performance highlights the significant potential for the Sm_(20)Gd_(20)Dy_(20)Co_(20)Al_(20)microwires to be used as magnetic refrigerant materials in low-temperature region applications.This work will serve as a valuable reference for future investigations on low-temperature high-entropy magnetocaloric materials.

High-performance solar-blind photodetector arrays constructed from Sn-doped Ga_(2)O_(3)microwires via patterned electrodes

Ga_(2)O_(3)has been regarded as a promising material for solar-blind detection due to its ultrawide bandgap and low growth cost.Although semiconductor microwires(MWs)possess unique optical and electronic characteristics,the performances of photodetectors developed from Ga_(2)O_(3)MWs are still less than satisfactory.Herein,we demonstrate high-performance solar-blind photodetectors based on Sn-doped Ga_(2)O_(3)MWs,possessing a light/dark current ratio of 107 and a responsivity of 2,409 A/W at 40 V.Moreover,a 1×10 solar-blind photodetector linear array is developed based on the Sn-doped Ga_(2)O_(3)MWs via a patternedelectrodes method.And clear solar-blind images are obtained by using the photodetector array as the imaging unit of a solarblind imaging system.The results provide a convenient way to construct high-performance solar-blind photodetector arrays based on Ga_(2)O_(3)MWs,and thus may push forward their future applications.

Reversible phase transition for switchable second harmonic generation in 2D perovskite microwires

Highly efficient second-harmonic generation(SHG)has facilitated the development of nanophotonics and sustained promising applications,ranging from electro-optical modulation,frequency conversion,and optical frequency combs to pulse characterization.Although controllable SHG switching has been observed in nanophotonics structures and molecule systems,the relatively small SHG switching contrast impedes its application in switchable nonlinear optics.Herein,reversible phase transitions between glassy and crystalline states without material degradation are demonstrated based on solution-processed chiral perovskite microwire arrays.Breaking of lattice inversion symmetry and high crystallinity support efficient SHG in microwire arrays.By synergy of high-performance SHG and reversible phase transitions between glassy and crystalline states,reversible switching of SHG is demonstrated under facile conditions.The high SHG switching performances,together with a small footprint,pave the way toward the integration of switchable nonlinear devices based on microwire arrays.

The combined effects of grain and sample sizes on the mechanical properties and fracture modes of gold microwires

Hall-Petch relation was widely applied to evaluate the grain size effect on mechanical properties of metallic material. However, the sample size effect on the Hall-Petch relation was always ignored. In the present study, the mechanical test and microstructure observation were performed to investigate the combined effects of grain and sample sizes on the deformation behaviors of gold microwires. The polycrystalline gold microwires with diameter of 16 ?m were annealed at temperatures from 100°C to 600°C, leading to different ratios(t/d) of wire diameter(t) to grain size(d) from 0.9 to 16.7. When the t/d was lower than 10, the yield stress dropped fast and deviated from the Hall-Petch relation. The free-surface grains played key role in the yield stress softening, and the volume fraction of free-surface grains increased with the t/d decreasing. Furthermore, the effects of t/d on work-hardening behaviors and fracture modes were also studied. With t/d value decreasing from 17 to 3.4, the samples exhibited necking fracture and the dislocation pile-ups induced work-hardening stage was gradually activated.With the t/d value further decreasing(t/d < 3.4), the fracture mode turned into shear failure, and the work-hardening capability lost. As the gold microwire for wire bonding is commonly applied in the packaging of integrated circuit chips, and the fabrication of microwire suffers multi-pass cold-drawing and annealing treatments to control the grain size. The present study could provide instructive suggestion for gold microwire fabrication and bonding processes.

Formation and Optical Properties of ZnO:ZnFe_(2)O_(4) Superlattice Microwires

Pure ZnO hexagonal microwires and Fe(Ⅲ)-doped ZnO microwires(MWs)with a novel rectangular cross section were synthesized in a confined chamber by a convenient one-step thermal evaporation method.An oriented attachment mechanism is consistent with a vapor-solid growth process.Photoluminescence(PL)and Raman spectroscopy of the Fe(Ⅲ)-doped ZnO MWs and in situ spectral mappings indicate a quasi-periodic distribution of Fe(Ⅲ)along a one-dimensional(1-D)superlattice ZnO:ZnFe_(2)O_(4) wire,while PL mapping shows the presence of optical multicavities and related multimodes.The PL spectra at room temperature show weak near-edge doublets(376 nm and 383 nm)and a broad band(450-650 nm)composed of strong discrete lines,due to a 1-D photonic crystal structure.Such a 1-D coupled optical cavity material may find many applications in future photonic and spintronic devices.

Chlorine-substituted chiral 2D perovskite microwires with enhanced lattice rigidity for sensitive circularly polarized light detection

Chiral two-dimensional(2D) perovskites offer numerous attractive features for optoelectronics owing to their soft, deformable lattices and a high degree of chemical tunability. While tremendous advances have been made in perovskite-based direct circularly polarized light(CPL) detection, the low circular polarization anisotropy factor and sensitivity of those photodetectors arising from large lattice distortion still limit practical applications. Herein, chiral 2D perovskite-based single-crystalline microwire arrays with enhanced circular dichroism(CD) absorption are fabricated with the synergy of the capillary-bridgeconfined assembly method and chlorine-substituted phenethylamine(Cl-MBA). Compared with phenethylamine(MBA)-inserted perovskites, the smaller lattice distortion and increased halogen–halogen interaction within Cl–MBA-inserted perovskites strengthen lattice rigidity and weaken electron–phonon coupling to improve carrier transport and thermal stability, resulting in high-performance CPL photodetectors with an anisotropy factor of 0.25, responsivity exceeding 95.7±9.3 A W^(-1)and detectivity exceeding(3.05±0.30)×10^(13)Jones. This work opens a new perspective to modulate circular polarization sensitivity and will be helpful to realize promising implementations in quantum computation and communication.

Giant magneto-impedance effect of two paralleled amorphous microwires

Giant magneto-impedance （GMI） is effectively enhanced by the mutual magnetic interaction between two amorphous microwires. A comparative study on GMI properties of a single wire and two wires arranged in par- allel mode was reported in this work. Two-peak （TP） of impedance characteristic is presented when the dc external field changed from 0 to 320 A,m-＇ in two-wire system, which is attributed to successive magnetization process in two wires induced by their magnetic interaction. And the evolution of single peak to TP phenomenon, when the distance between two wires is upto 8 ram, evidences a distance dependence of transformation from successive magnetization to simultaneous via a corresponding dis- tance dependence of magnetostatic interactions. It is pro- posed that the recombination of magnetic interaction and the shielding effect results in a distance dependency of GMI response. When the distance is 8 ram, the magneti- zation process is close to synchronous between two wires, which give rises to higher circular permeability and better GMI response. The impedance ratio AZ/Z increases from 74.5 % of single wire to 172.4 % at 10 MHz. However, when the distance is upto 12 mm, the magnetic interaction is weak and magnetization process is completely independent, and GMI response decreases, relatively. This indicates that the GMI response could be effectively improved in a two-wire connection with an optical distance, which is promising and useful for the application of high-performance GMI sensors.

Synthesis of halide perovskite microwires via methylammonium cations reaction

Low-dimensional halide perovskites(HPs)have received considerable attention in recent years due to their novel physical properties such as compositional flexibility,high quantum yield,quantum size effects and superior charge transport.Here we show room temperature solution synthesis of 1D organic-inorganic lead bromide perovskite microwires(MWs).Our method uses acetone as a reactant,and when CH3NH3PbBr3 is immersed,acetone reacts with CH3NH3+cations in the CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystal by the dehydration condensation.The reaction generates a large(CH3)2C=NHCH3+A-site which cannot be accommodated by the cuboctahedron formed by the corner-sharing[PbBr6]4−octahedral,leading to the transition of corner-sharing octahedra to face-sharing triangular prism and the crystal structure transformation from 3D to 1D.The formation process of(CH3)2C=NHCH3PbBr3 MWs does not involve any ligands,templates or catalysts.A two-terminal memory device was constructed using the(CH3)2C=NHCH3PbBr3 MWs,showing great potential of the method in fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices.

AC-current-induced magnetization switching in amorphous microwires

We studied the influence of AC current flowing through microwires, on magnetization dynamics. We used a previously developed Sixtus-Tonks modified setup to evaluate the domain wall （DW） velocity within the microwire. However, instead of a magnetizing solenoid, we used a current flowing through the microwire. We observed that the AC current flowing through the annealed Co-rich microwire leads to remagnetization by fast domain wall propagation. The estimated DW velocity was approximately 4.5 km/s, which is similar to and even higher than that reported for the magnetic-field-driven domain wall propagation in Fe- and Co-rich microwires. We measured the DW velocity under tensile stress, and found that the DW velocity decreases under applied stress. An observed DW propagation induced by the current flowing through the microwire is explained considering the influence of an Oersted magnetic field on the outer domain shell. This field has a circular easy magnetization direction and magnetostatic interaction between the outer circumferentially magnetized shell and the inner axially magnetized core.