Influence of thermal annealing-induced molecular aggregation on film properties and photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on a squaraine dye

Squaraine （SQ） dyes have been considered as efficient photoactive materials for organic solar cells. In this work, we purposely controlled the molecular aggregation of an SQ dye, 2,4-bis[4-（N,N-dibutylamino）-2-dihydroxyphenyl] SQ （DBSQ- （OH）2） in the DBSQ（OH）2：[6,6]-phenyl-Cel-butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） blend film by using the thermal annealing method, to study the influence of the molecular aggregation on film properties as well as the photovoltaic performance of DBSQ（OH）2：PCBM-based bulk heterojunction （BHJ） solar cells. Our results demonstrate that thermal annealing may change the aggregation behavior of DBSQ（OH）2 in the DBSQ（OH）2：PCBM film, and thus significantly influence the surface morphology, optical and electrical properties of the blend film, as well as the photovoltaic performance of DBSQ（OH）2：PCBM BHJ cells.

Influence of Deposition Temperature and Pressure on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Arc Ion Plated Ag Films

The films deposited at low temperature（LT-films） have increasingly attracted theoretical and technical interests since such films exhibit obvious difference in structure and performances compared to those deposited at room temperature.Studies on the tribological properties of LT-films are rarely reported in available literatures.In this paper,the structure,morphology and tribological properties of Ag films,deposited at LT（166 K） under various Ar pressures on AISI 440C steel substrates by arc ion plating（AIP）,are studied by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,atomic force microscopy（AFM） and a vacuum ball-on-disk tribometer,and compared with the Ag films deposited at RT（300 K）.XRD results show that（200） preferred orientation of the films is promoted at LT and low Ar pressure.The Crystallite sizes are 70 nm-80 nm for LT-Ag films deposited at 0.2 Pa and 0.8 Pa and larger than 100 nm for LT-Ag films deposited at 0.4 Pa and 0.6 Pa,while they are 55 nm-60 nm for RT-Ag films deposited at 0.2 Pa-0.6 Pa and 37 nm for RT-Ag films deposited at 0.8 Pa.The surfaces of LT-Ag films are fibre-like at 0.6 Pa and 0.8 Pa,terrace-like at 0.4 Pa,and sphere-like at 0.2 Pa,while the surfaces of RT-Ag films are composed of sphere-like grains separated by voids.Wear tests reveal that,due to the compact microstructure LT-Ag films have better wear resistances than RT-Ag film.These results indicate that the microstructure and wear resistance of Ag films deposited by AIP can be improved by low temperature deposition.

Electrical and Optical Properties of GaSe Thin Films

The structure, electrical transport, and optical properties of GaSe films fabricated by means of radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering in Ar were investigated. The as-sputtered GaSe films were amorphous, and their optical energy gap Eg are 1.9～2.6 eV. The effect of the synthesis conditions on the optical and electrical properties of the GaSe films has also been studied

Properties of Reactive Magnetron Sputtered ITO Films without in-situ Substrate Heating and Post-deposition Annealing

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were prepared on polyester, Si and glass substrate with relatively high deposition rate of above 0.9 nm/s by DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique at the sputtering pressure of 0.06 Pa system, respectively. The dependence of resistivity on deposition parameters, such as deposition rate, target-to-substrate distance (TSD), oxygen flow rate and sputtering time (thickness), has been investigated, together with the structural and the optical properties. It was revealed that all ITO films exhibited lattice expansion. The resistivity of ITO thin films shows significant substrate effect: much lower resistivity and broader process window have been reproducibly achieved for the deposition of ITO films onto polyester rather than those prepared on both Si and glass substrates. The films with resistivity of as low as 4.23 x 10^-4 Ω.cm and average transmittance of ～78% at wavelength of 400～700 nm have been achieved for the films on polyester at room temperature.

The Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties in Cobalt-Doped ZnO Films

We quantitatively investigate the third-order optical nonlinear response of Co-doped ZnO thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering using the Z-scan method. The two-photon absorption and optical Kerr effect are revealed to contribute to the third-order nonlinear response of the Co-doped ZnO films. The nonlinear absorption coefficient β is determined to be approximately 8.8 × 10-5 cm/W and the third-order nonlinear susceptibility X（3） is 2.93 × 10-6 esu. The defect-associated energy levels within the band gap are suggested to be responsible for the enhanced nonlinear response observed in Co-doped ZnO films.

Influence of Negative Bias Voltage on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of MoS_2/Zr Composite Films

MoS2/Zr composite films were deposited on the cemented carbide YT14 （WC＋14%TiC＋6%Co） by medium-frequency magnetron sputtered and coupled with multi-arc ion plated techniques.The influence of negative bias voltage on the composite film properties,including adhesion strength,micro-hardness,thickness and tribological properties were investigated.The results showed that proper negative bias voltage could significantly improve the mechanical and tribological properties of composite films.The effects of negative bias voltage on film properties were also put forward.The optimal negative bias voltage was -200 V under this experiment conditions.The obtained composite films were dense,the adhesion strength was about 60 N,the thickness was about 2.4 μm,and the micro-hardness was about 9.0 GPa.The friction coefficient and wear rate was 0.12 and 2.1×10-7 cm3/N·m respectively after 60 m sliding operation against hardened steel under a load of 20 N and a sliding speed of 200 rev·min-1.

Phase Transformation and Enhancing Electron Field Emission Properties in Microcrystalline Diamond Films Induced by Cu Ion Implantation and Rapid Annealing

Cu ion implantation and subsequent rapid annealing at 500℃ in N2 result in low surface resistivity of 1.611 ohm/sq with high mobility of 290 cm2 V-1S-1 for microcrystalline diamond （MCD） films. Its electrical field emission behavior can be turned on at Eo = 2.6 V/μm, attaining a current density of 19.5μA/cm2 at an applied field of 3.5 V/#m. Field emission scanning electron microscopy combined with Raman and x-ray photoelectron mi- croscopy reveal that the formation of Cu nanoparticles in MCD films can catalytically convert the less conducting disorder/a-C phases into graphitic phases and can provoke the formation of nanographite in the films, forming conduction channels for electron transportation.

Electroneutral Quaternization/Sulfosuccination for Alleviating the Adverse Effect of Paste Aging on the Properties of Corn Starch Film

For the purpose of alleviating the adverse effect of paste aging on the properties of corn starch film, a series of electroneutrally quaternized/sulfosuccinylated starches（EQSS） with different degrees of substitution（DS） were synthesized via the quaternization/sulfosuccination of acid-thinned corn starch（ATS） by varying the amounts of N-（3-chloro-2-hydroxypropl） trimethylammonium chloride, maleic anhydride, and sodium hydrogen sulfite. The influence of paste aging on the properties of starch film cast from heat-induced starch paste was investigated and the properties were explored in terms of tensile strength, elongation, work at break, degree of crystallinity, and flex-fatigue resistance. The experimental results showed that the paste ageing generated adverse influence on the elongation, work at break, and flex-fatigue resistance of starch film. Further experiments showed that electroneutral quaternization/sulfosuccination of starch were able to alleviate the negative effect of paste ageing on the elongation, work at break, and flex-fatigue resistance, thereby obviously enhancing the elongation, work at break and flex-fatigue resistance, and thus reducing the drawback of brittleness. The enhancement depended on the amounts of the substituents introduced. With the increase in DS value, the elongation and work at break as well as flex-fatigue resistance continuously rose, whereas the tensile strength gradually reduced.

Structural, Optical and Luminescence Properties of ZnO Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Spin-Coating Method： Effect of Precursor Concentration

Transparent zinc oxide（ZnO） thin films are fabricated by a simple sol-gel spin-coating technique on glass substrates with different solution concentrations（0.3-1.2 M） using zinc acetate dehydrate [Zn（CH_3COO）_2·2H_2O] as precursor and isopropanol and monoethanolamine（MEA） as solvent and stabilizer, respectively. The molar ratio of zinc acetate dehydrate to MEA is 1.0. X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy are employed to investigate the effect of solution concentration on the structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films. The obtained results of all thin films are discussed in detail and are compared with other experimental data.

The Synthesis and Film Forming Properties of Unsymmetrical Phthalocyanine Bearing One Crown Ether Void

The synthesis of phthalocyanines bearing one crown ether macrocycle and three alkoxyl chains is described. They form stable monolayers and can be employed for the preparation of multilayer films by the Langmuir-Blogett technique. The orientations of the molecules in the film were affected by alkali metal ions in the subphase. lt is suggested that a kind of 'sandwich' dimer was formed in the film induced by potassium ions

Effects of Thickness and Temperature on Thermoelectric Properties of Bi2Te3-Based Thin Films

Bi_2Te_3 thin films and GeTe/B_2Te_3 superlattices of different thicknesses are prepared on the silicon dioxide substrates by magnetron sputtering technique and thermally annealed at 573 K for 30 min. Thermoelectric（TE）measurements indicate that optimal thickness and thickness ratio improve the TE performance of Bi_2Te_3 thin films and GeTe/B_2Te_3 superlattices, respectively. High TE performances with figure-of-merit（ZT） values as high as 1.32 and 1.56 are achieved at 443 K for 30 nm and 50 nm Bi_2Te_3 thin films, respectively. These ZT values are higher than those of p-type Bi_2Te_3 alloys as reported. Relatively high ZT of the GeTe/B_2Te_3 superlattices at 300-380 K were 0.62-0.76. The achieved high ZT value may be attributed to the unique nano-and microstructures of the films,which increase phonon scattering and reduce thermal conductivity. The results indicate that Bi_2Te_3-based thin films can serve as high-performance materials for applications in TE devices.

Effect of Nickel Distributions Embedded in Amorphous Carbon Films on Transport Properties

Electrical properties of C/Ni films are studied using four mosaic targets made of pure graphite and stripes of nickel with the surface areas of 1.78,3.21,3.92 and 4.64%.The conductivity data in the temperature range of400-500 K shows the extended state conduction.The conductivity data in the temperature range of 150-300 K shows the multi-phonon hopping conduction.The Berthelot-type conduction dominates in the temperature range of 50-150 K.The conductivity of the films in the temperature range about 〈 50 K is described in terms of variable-range hopping conduction.In low temperatures,the localized density of state around Fermi level（F）for the film deposition with 3.92% nickel has a maximum value of about 56.2×10^（17）cm^（-3）eV^（-1） with the minimum average hopping distance of about 3.43 × 10^（-6） cm.

Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Evaporated CdSe Films

CdSe films are of great interest for use in thin film photoelectric devices. A simple chemical precipitation method is adopted for the first time to synthesise CdSe powder. Films on glass obtained at different substrate temperatures TS such as 300, 373, 423 and 473 K have been characterised by X-ray diffraction, optical absorption and Hall measurements.

THE LUBRICATING PROPERTIES OF ION-PLATING FILMS OF Pb-Sn ALLOY

Experimental results of the lubricating behaviour of Pb-Sn alloy films formed by ion-plating on brass substrates are given. It is shown that the film microhardness, friction coefficient and wear life per thickness are under the influence of the substrate. The wear failure of film appears to be film adhesion and transferring by the mating surface.

Influence of the Source to Substrate Distance on the Growth,Tribological Properties and Optical Properties of Be Films

The Be films were prepared by thermal evaporation at different sources to substrate distances（SSD） on glass substrates. The decrease of SSD from 90 mm to 50 mm caused the increase of substrate temperature and the rising density of incident Be atoms, thus the properties of Be films greatly changed accordingly. The experimental results showed that the grain diameter in the Be films transited from below 100 nm to 300 nm, the film growth rate increased from 2.35 nm/min to 4.73 nm/min and the roughness increased from 7 nm to 49 nm. The performance study suggested that the friction coefficient of Be films increased from 0.13 to 0.27 and was related to the surface roughness and inner structure, the near-infrared reflectance of Be films increased from 40% to 85% with the increase of wavelength and concurrently decreased with the decrease of SSD, respectively. The performance study indicated that the Be film had the potential application in specific near-infrared reflectance optical system.

Preparation and structural properties of thin carbon films by very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering

Growth and structural properties of thin a-C films prepared by the 60 MHz very-high-frequency（VHF） magnetron sputtering were investigated. The energy and flux of ions impinging the substrate were also analyzed. It is found that the thin a-C films prepared by the 60 MHz sputtering have a lower growth rate, a smooth surface, and more sp3 contents.These features are related to the higher ion energy and the lower ions flux onto the substrate. Therefore, the 60 MHz VHF sputtering is more suitable for the preparation of thin a-C film with more sp3 contents.

Structural Evolution and Phase Change Properties of C-Doped Ge_2Sb_2Te_5 Films During Heating in Air

We elucidate the importance of a capping layer on the structural evolution and phase change properties of carbondoped Ge2 Sb2 Te5（C-GST） films during heating in air. Both the C-GST films without and with a thin SiO2 capping layer（C-GST and C-GST/SiO2） are deposited for comparison. Large differences are observed between C-GST and C-GST/SiO2 films in resistance-temperature, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,Raman spectra, data retention capability and optical band gap measurements. In the C-GST film, resistancetemperature measurement reveals an unusual smooth decrease in resistance above 110℃ during heating. Xray diffraction result has excluded the possibility of phase change in the C-GST film below 170℃. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experimental result reveals the evolution of Te chemical valence because of the carbon oxidation during heating. Raman spectra further demonstrate that phase changes from an amorphous state to the hexagonal state occur directly during heating in the C-GST film. The quite smooth decrease in resistance is believed to be related with the formation of Te-rich GeTe4-n Gen（n = 0, 1） units above 110℃ in the C-GST film. The oxidation of carbon is harmful to the C-GST phase change properties.

Effect of substitution group on dielectric properties of 4H-pyrano [3,2-c] quinoline derivatives thin films

The AC electrical conductivity and dielectrical properties of 2-amino-6-ethyl-5-oxo-4-（3-phenoxyphenyl）-5,6-dihydro-4H-pyrano[3, 2-c]quinoline-3-carbonitrile（Ph-HPQ） and 2-amino-4-（2-chlorophenyl）-6-ethyl-5-oxo-5,6-dihydro-4H-pyrano [3, 2-c] quinoline-3-carbonitrile（Ch-HPQ） thin films were determined in the frequency range of 0.5 k Hz–5 MHz and the temperature range of 290–443 K. The AC electrical conduction of both compounds in thin film form is governed by the correlated barrier hopping（CBH） mechanism. Some parameters such as the barrier height, the maximum barrier height, the density of charges, and the hopping distance were determined as functions of temperature and frequency. The phenoxyphenyl group has a greater influence on those parameters than the chlorophenyl group. The AC activation energies were determined at different frequencies and temperatures. The dielectric behaviors of Ph-HPQ and Ch-HPQ were investigated using the impedance spectroscopy technique. The impedance data are presented in Nyquist diagrams for different temperatures. The Ch-HPQ films have higher impedance than the Ph-HPQ films. The real dielectric constant and dielectric loss show a remarkable dependence on the frequency and temperature. The Ph-HPQ has higher dielectric constants than the Ch-HPQ.

Structure and Strain Properties of GaN Films Grown on Si（111） Substrates with AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN Superlattices

CaN films with an AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-xN superlattice （SL） buffer layer are grown on Si（111） substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition （MOCVD）. The structure and strain properties of the samples are studied by optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffractometry and atomic force microscopy. The results show that the strain status and crystalline quality of the CaN layers are strongly dependent on the difference of the Al composition between AlxCa1-xN barriers and AlyCa1-yN wells in the SLs. With a large Al composition difference, the CaN film tends to generate cracks on the surface due to the severe relaxation of the SLs. Otherwise, when using a small Al composition difference, the crystalline quality of the CaN layer degrades due to the poor function of the SLs in filtering dislocations. Under an optimized condition that the Al composition difference equals 0.1, the crack-free and compressive strained CaN film with an improved crystalline quality is achieved. Therefore, the AlxGa1-xN/AlyGal-yN SL buffer layer is a promising buffer structure for growing thick CaN films on Si substrates without crack generation.