Nitrogen-Doped Amorphous Carbon Homojunction from Palmyra Sugar as a Renewable Solar Cell

An a-C/a-C:N junction,which used palmyra sugar as the carbon source and ammonium hydroxide(NH4OH)as the dopant source,was successfully deposited on the ITO glass substrate using the nano-spraying method.The current-voltage relationship of the junction was found to be a Schottky-like contact,and therefore the junction shows the characteristic rectifiers.This means the a-C and a-C:N are semiconductors with different types of conduction.Moreover,the samples showed an increase in current and voltage value when exposed to visible light(bright state)compared to the dark condition,thereby,indicating the creation of electron-hole pairs during the exposure.It was also discovered that the relationship between current and voltage for the a-C/a-C:N junction sample formed a curve that satisfies the rule of the photovoltaic effect when exposed to visible light from a light bulb.The exposure of this sample to direct sunlight at AM 1.5 conditions produced a curve that meets the rules for the emergence of the photovoltaic effect with higher characteristics for the current-voltage relationship.Thus,the a-C/a-C:N junction sample is a solar cell successfully fabricated using a sample method and has a maximum efficiency of 0.0013%.

Ultralight pyrolytic carbon foam reinforced with amorphous carbon nanotubes for broadband electromagnetic absorption

For electromagnetic wave-absorbing materials,maximizing absorption at a specific frequency has been constantly achieved,but enhancing the absorption properties in the entire band remains a challenge.In this work,a 3D porous pyrolytic carbon(PyC)foam matrix was synthesized by a template method.Amorphous carbon nanotubes(CNTs)were then in-situ grown on the matrix surface to obtain ultralight CNTs/Py C foam.These in-situ grown amorphous CNTs were distributed uniformly and controlled by the catalytic growth time and can enhance the interface polarization and conduction loss of composites.When the electromagnetic wave enters the internal holes,the electromagnetic energy can be completely attenuated under the combined action of polarization,conductivity loss,and multiple reflections.The ultralight CNTs/Py C foam had a density of 22.0 mg·cm^(-3)and a reflection coefficient lower than-13.3 d B in the whole X-band(8.2-12.4 GHz),which is better than the conventional standard of effective absorption bandwidth(≤-10 dB).The results provide ideas for researching ultralight and strong electromagnetic wave absorbing materials in the X-band.

Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous carbon films deposited by the dual plasma technique

Direct current metal filtered cathodic vacuum arc （FCVA） and acetylene gas （C2H2） were wielded to synthesize Ti-containing amorphous carbon films on Si （100）. The influence of substrate bias voltage and acetylene gas on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the films were investigated. The results show that the phase of TiC in the （111） preferential crystallographic orientation exists in the film,and the main existing pattern of carbon is sp2. With increasing the acetylene flow rate,the contents of Ti and TiC phase of the film gradually reduce; however,the thickness of the film increases. When the substrate bias voltage reaches -600 V,the internal stress of the film reaches 1.6 GPa. The micro-hardness and elastic modulus of the film can reach 33.9 and 237.6 GPa,respectively,and the friction coefficient of the film is 0.25.

Microwave Absorption of Crystalline Fe/MnO@C Nanocapsules Embedded in Amorphous Carbon

Crystalline Fe/MnO@C core–shell nanocapsules inlaid in porous amorphous carbon matrix(FMCA)was synthesized successfully with a novel confinement strategy.The heterogeneous Fe/MnO nanocrystals are with approximate single-domain size which gives rise to natural resonance in 2–18 GHz.The addition of MnO2 confines degree of graphitization catalyzed by iron and contributes to the formation of amorphous carbon.The heterogeneous materials composed of crystalline–amorphous structures disperse evenly and its density is significantly reduced on account of porous properties.Meanwhile,adjustable dielectric loss is achieved by interrupting Fe core aggregation and stacking graphene conductive network.The dielectric loss synergistically with magnetic loss endows the FMCA enhanced absorption.The optimal reflection loss(RL)is up to−45 dB,and the effective bandwidth(RL<−10 dB)is 5.0 GHz with 2.0 mm thickness.The proposed confinement strategy not only lays the foundation for designing high-performance microwave absorber,but also offers a general duty synthesis method for heterogeneous crystalline–amorphous composites with tunable composition in other fields.

THE IMPROVEMENT OF ELECTRON FIELD EMISSION FROM AMORPHOUS CARBON FILMS DUE TO HYDROGEN PLASMA CHEMICAL ANNEALING EFFECT

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films were fabricated by using layer-by-layer deposition method and hydrogen dilution method in a small d.c.-assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. It was found that the hydrogen plasma treatment could change the sp2/sp3 ratio to some extent by chemical etching. The improvements of field emission characteristics were observed compared with that from conventionally deposited a-C films, which can be attributed to the large field enhancement effect due to the inhomogeneous distribution of nanometer scale sp2 clusters and the reduction of the surface emission barrier due to the hydrogen termination.

Synthesis and Characteristics of Fe_3C Nanoparticles Embedded in Amorphous Carbon Matrix

We proposed a new way to synthesize a nanocomposite consisted of cementite Fe3C nanoparticles and amorphous carbon by radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Transmission electron microscope images show the existence of nanometric dark grains（Fe3C） embedded in a light matrix（amorphous carbon） in the samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiment exhibit that the chemical bonding state in the films corresponded to sp3/sp2 amorphous carbon, sp^3 C-N（287.3 eV） and C15 in Fe3C（283.5 eV）. With increasing deposition time, the ratio of amorphous carbon increased. The magnetic measurements show that the value of in-lane coercivity increased with increasing carbon matrix concentration（from about 6.56× 10^3 A/m for film without carbon structures to approximately 2.77× 10^4 and 5.81 × 10^4 AJm for nanocomposite films at room temperature and 10 K, respectively）. The values of saturation magnetization for the synthesized nanocomposites were lower than that of the bulk Fe3C （ 140 Am^2/kg）.

Selective reduction of carbon dioxide into amorphous carbon over activated natural magnetite

Natural magnetite formed by the isomorphism substitutions of transition metals,including Fe,Ti,Co,etc.,was activated by mechanical grinding followed by H2 reduction.The temperature-programmed reduction of hydrogen(H2-TPR)and temperature-programmed surface reaction of carbon dioxide(CO2-TPSR)were carried out to investigate the processes of oxygen loss and CO2 reduction.The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM),and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS).The results showed that the stability of spinel phases and oxygen-deficient degree significantly increased after natural magnetite was mechanically milled and reduced in H2 atmosphere.Meanwhile,the activity and selectivity of CO2 reduction into carbon were enhanced.The deposited carbon on the activated natural magnetite was confirmed as amorphous.The amount of carbon after CO2 reduction at 300°C for 90 min over the activated natural magnetite was 2.87wt%higher than that over the natural magnetite.

Effect of Radio-Frequency and Low-Frequency Bias Voltage on the Formation of Amorphous Carbon Films Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

The effect of radio-frequency （RF） or low-frequency （LF） bias voltage on the for- mation of amorphous hydrogenated carbon （a-C：H） films was studied on silicon substrates with a low methane （CH4） concentration （2-10 vol.%） in CH4＋Ar mixtures. The bias substrate was applied either by RF （13.56 MHz） or by LF （150 kHz） power supply. The highest hardness values （~18-22 GPa） with lower hydrogen content in the fihns （~20 at.%） deposited at 10 vol.% CH4, was achieved by using the RF bias, However, the films deposited using the LF bias, under similar RF plasma generation power and CH4 concentration （50 W and 10 vol.%, respectively）, displayed lower hardness （~6-12 GPa） with high hydrogen content （~40 at.%）. The structures analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared （FTIR） and Raman scattering measurements provide an indication of trans-polyacetylene structure formation. However, its excessive formation in the films deposited by the LF bias method is consistent with its higher bonded hydrogen concentration and low level of hardness, as compared to the film prepared by the RF bias method. It was found that the effect of RF bias on the film structure and properties is stronger than the effect of the low-frequency （LF） bias under identical radio-frequency （RF） powered electrode and identical PECVD （plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition） system configuration.

Friction and Wear Properties of Amorphous Carbon Nitride Coatings in Water Lubrication

The friction and wear properties of amorphous carbon nitride(a-CN x)coatings in water lubrication were reviewed.The influences of mating materials and tribological variables such as normal load(W)and sliding speed(V)on the friction and wear properties of the a-CN x coatings were analyzed.It was indicated that the specific wear rate of the a-CN x coatings was related to the hydration reaction of mating materials with water.If the mating materials were easily hydrated,the specific wear rate of a-CN x coatings was low.The water-lubricated properties of the a-CN x coatings were better in comparison to the a-C coatings.The a-CN x/Si-based non-oxide ceramics tribo-pairs exhibited the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate.To describe their friction and wear properties at the normal loads of 3—15Nand the sliding speeds of 0.05—0.5m/s,the wear-mechanism maps for the a-CN x/SiC(Si3N4)tribo-pairs in water were developed.

Electron emission degradation of nano-structured sp^2-bonded amorphous carbon films

The initial field electron emission degradation behaviour of original nano-structured sp^2-bonded amorphous carbon films has been observed, which can be attributed to the increase of the work function of the film in the field emission process analysed using a Fowler-Nordheim plot. The possible reason for the change of work function is suggested to be the desorption of hydrogen from the original hydrogen termination film surface due to field emission current-induced local heating. For the explanation of the emission degradation behaviour of the nano-structured sp2-bonded amorphous carbon film, a cluster model with a series of graphite （0001） basal surfaces has been presented, and the theoretical calculations have been performed to investigate work functions of graphite （0001） surfaces with different hydrogen atom and ion chemisorption sites by using first principles method based on density functional theory-local density approximation.

3D amorphous carbon and graphene co-modified LiFePO_4 composite derived from polyol process as electrode for high power lithium-ion batteries

Amorphous carbon and graphene co-modified LiFePO4 nanocomposite has been synthesized via a facile polyol process in connection with a following thermal treatment.Various characterization techniques,including XRD.Mossbauer spectra,Raman spectra,SEM,TEM,BET,O2-TPO,galvano charge-discharge,CV and EIS were applied to investigate the phase composition,carbon content,morphological structure and electrochemical performance of the synthesized samples.The effect of introducing way of carbon sources on the properties and performance of LiFePO4/C/graphene composite was paid special attention.Under optimized synthetic conditions,highly crystalized olivine-type LiFePO4was successfully obtained with electron conductive Fe2P and FeP as the main impurity phases.SEM and TEM analyses demonstrated the graphene sheets were randomly distributed inside the sample to create an open structured LiFePO4 with respect to graphene,while the glucosederived carbon mainly coated over LiFeP04 particles which effectively connected the graphene sheets and LiFePO4 particles to result in a more efficient charge transfer process.As a result,favorable electrochemical performance was achieved.The performance of the amorphous carbon-graphene co-modified LiFePO4 was further progressively improved upon cycling in the first 200 cycles to reach a reversible specificcapacity as high as 97 mAh·g-1 at 10 C rate.

Dispersing SnO_2 nanocrystals in amorphous carbon as a cyclic durable anode material for lithium ion batteries

We demonstrate a facile route for the massive production of SnCb/carbon nanocomposite used as high-capacity anode materials of nextgeneration lithium-ion batteries.The nanocomposite had a unique structure of ultrafine SnO2 nanocrystals（5 nm,80 wt%） homogeneously dispersed in amorphous carbon matrix.This structure design can well accommodate the volume change of Li＋ insertion/desertion in SnO2,and prevent the aggregation of the nanosized active materials during cycling,leading to superior cycle performance with stable reversible capacity of 400 mAh/g at a high current rate of 3.3 A/g.

First-principles study of structural and opto-electronic characteristics of ultra-thin amorphous carbon films

Most amorphous carbon(a-C)applications require films with ultra-thin thicknesses;however,the electronic structure and opto-electronic characteristics of such films remain unclear so far.To address this issue,we developed a theoretical model based on the density functional theory and molecular dynamic simulations,in order to calculate the electronic structure and opto-electronic characteristics of the ultra-thin a-C films at different densities and temperatures.Temperature was found to have a weak influence over the resulting electronic structure and opto-electronic characteristics,whereas density had a significant influence on these aspects.The volume fraction of sp3 bonding increased with density,whereas that of sp2 bonding initially increased,reached a peak value of 2.52 g/cm^(3),and then decreased rapidly.Moreover,the extinction coefficients of the ultra-thin a-C films were found to be density-sensitive in the long-wavelength regime.This implies that switching the volume ratio of sp2 to sp3 bonding can effectively alter the transmittances of ultra-thin a-C films,and this can serve as a novel approach toward photonic memory applications.Nevertheless,the electrical resistivity of the ultra-thin a-C films appeared independent of temperature.This implicitly indicates that the electrical switching behavior of a-C films previously utilized for non-volatile storage applications is likely due to an electrically induced effect and not a purely thermal consequence.

Synergistic coupling of amorphous carbon and graphitic domains toward high-rate and long-life K^(+) storage

Amorphous carbon materials hold great potential for practical use in potassium-ion batteries(PIBs)due to their abundant resources,low cost and high structural stability.However,given the challenge of sluggish potassiation kinetics,the rate performance of amorphous carbon is severely hindered.Herein,amorphous carbon compounded with graphitic domains(HG-CNTs)was proposed as an advanced anode for PIBs.As directly verified by in situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM),the graphitic domains guarantee fast K-ions transport in the carbon composite at a high current density,while the amorphous carbon shells ensure the structural integrity during potassiation,thus boosting its fast and durable K^(+)storage.As a PlB anode,the HG-CNTs electrode exhibits not only a super-stable long-term cyclability(191.6 mAh g^(-1)at 1 A g^(-1)with almost no capacity decay over 3000 cycles),but also an outstanding rate performance(184.5 mAh g^(-1)at 2 A g^(-1)).Ex situ Raman and TEM results further suggest that the highly reversible structure of HG-CNTs is responsible for its superior electrochemical stability.This work provides helpful insights into the development of carbonaceous electrodes with both high rate capability and long cycle life for PIBs.

Morphology controllable growth of CaO/amorphous carbon ropes by a hydrothermal approach

A versatile hydrothermal strategy for the growth of a centimeter-sized CaO/amorphous carbon rope was introduced in this article. It is demonstrated that the centimeter-sized rope is composed of abundant amorphous carbon ＂belt＂ and ＂stick＂ with small polygonal CaO particles in the size of 3.0-5.0 nm embedded in the ＂belt＂ and ＂stick＂ framework. With the increase in NaOH amount, polygonal Ca（OH）2 particles in the size of 0.5-3.0 μm are found, instead of the CaO/amorphous carbon rope. This morphology evolution results from the competition of structure-directing and hydrothermal-carbonizing of organic agents during hydrothermal reaction. These results may give good suggestions for the controllable growth of newly unique morphological micro/nano architectures in solution phase reactions.

Incorporation of Nitrogen Into Amorphous Carbon Films Produced by Surface-Wave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

In order to study the influence of nitrogen incorporated into amorphous carbon films, nitrogenated amorphous carbon films have been deposited by using surface wave plasma chemical vapor deposition under various ratios of N2/CH4 gas flow. Optical emission spectroscopy has been used to monitor plasma features near the deposition zone. After deposition, the samples are checked by Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS). Optical emission intensities of CH and N atom in the plasma are found to be enhanced with the increase in the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio, and then reach their maximums when the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio is 5%. A contrary variation is found in Raman spectra of deposited films. The intensity ratio of the D band to the G band (Id/Ig) and the peak positions of the G and D bands all reach their minimums when the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio is 5%. These show that the structure of amorphous carbon films has been significantly modified by introduction of nitrogen.

Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Films from Palmyra Sugar

A simple,highly reproducible,and environmentally friendly method is a considered approach in generating renewable energy materials.Here,hydrogenated amorphous carbon(a-C)films have been successfully prepared from palmyra liquid sugar,employing spin-coating and spraying methods.Compared with the former method,the latter shows a significance in producing a better homogeneity in particle size and film thickness.The obtained films have a thickness of approximately 1000 to 100 nm and contain an sp^(2) hexagonal structure(~70%)and sp^(3) tetrahedral configuration(~30%)of carbons.The introduction of boron(B)and nitrogen(N)as dopants has created the local structural modification of bonding,inducing a slight change of electrical conductivity,electronic energy bandgap,and optical transparency near-infrared region.The obtained α-C film features a“green”semiconducting material.

ENHANCING ADHESION OF TETRAHEDRAL AMORPHOUS CARBON FILMS

Objective The high energy ion bombardment technique is applied to enhancing the adhesion of the tetrahedral amorphous carbon (TAC) films deposited by the filtered cathode vacuum arc (FCVA). Methods The abrasion method, scratch method, heating and shaking method as well as boiling salt solution method is used to test the adhesion of the TAC films on various material substrates. Results The test results show that the adhesion is increased as the ion bombardment energy increases. However, if the bombardment energy were over the corresponding optimum value, the adhesion would be enhanced very slowly for the harder material substrates and drops quickly, for the softer ones. Conclusion The optimum values of the ion bombardment energy are larger for the harder materials than that for the softer ones.

Effects of Deposition Temperature on the Properties of Fluorinated Amorphous Carbon Films

Fluorinated amorphous carbon films (a-C:F) were prepared at different temperatures using a microwave electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) reactor with CHF3 and C2H2 as source gases. Films were annealed at 500℃ in vacuum ambience in order to investigate the relationship of their thermal stability, optical and electrical properties with deposition temperature. Results indicate that the films deposited at high temperature have a less CFX bonding and a more cross-linking structure thus a better thermal stability. They also have a lower bandgap, higher dielectric constant and higher leakage current.

Influence of dc bias on amorphous carbon deposited by pulse laser ablation

Amorphous carbon films were deposited on single-crystalline silicon and K9glass by pulse laser ablation using different negative substrate bias. Scanning electron microscope(SEM) was used to observe morphology of the surface. Thickness and refractive index of the filmdeposited on K9 glass were measured by ellipsometry. Micro-hardness of films was measured relativelyto single crystal silicon. All films deposited on silicon were analyzed by Raman spectra. Allspectra were deconvoluted to three peaks. Line-width ratios varied similarly with bias voltage whenthe laser energy was kept invariant.