A Novel Approach to Synthesizing Porous ZnO Films: Inorganic Chelating Sol-Gel Method

Porous ZnO films are synthesized by inorganic chelating sol-gel method,which is a novel sol-gel technique using zinc nitrate as starting materials and citric acid as the chelating reagent.The crystal structure,surface morphology,porous and optical properties of the deposited films are investigated.X-ray diffraction pattern analysis shows that crystal structure of the ZnO films is hexagonal wurtzite.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the ZnO film is porous.The curve of pore size distribution has two peak values at about 2.02nm and 4.97nm and BET surface area of the ZnO film is 27.57m2/g.In addition,the transmittance spectrum gives a high transmittance of 85% in the visible region and optical bandgap of the ZnO film (fired at 500℃) is 3.25eV.

Grain Size and Photocatalytic Activity of Nanometer TiO_2 Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-gel Method

Transparent anatase TiO2 nanometer thin films with photocatalytic activity were prepared via the sol-gel method on soda-lime glass. The thickness , crystalline phase, grain size, surface hydroxyl amount and so on were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) , X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy ( TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-visible spectrophotometer ( UV-VIS). The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 thin films was evaluated for the photocatalytic decolorization of aqueous methyl orange . The effects of film thickness on the crystalline phase, grain size, transmittance and photocatalytic activity of nanometer Ti02 thin films were discussed.

Characterization and photoelectrochemical performance of Zn-doped TiO_2 films by sol-gel method

Zn-doped TiO2 (Zn?TiO2) thin films were prepared by the sol?gel method on titanium substrates with heat treatment at different temperatures. The effects of heat treatment temperatures and Zn doping on the structure, photocathodic protection and photoelectrochemical properties of TiO2 thin films were investigated. It is indicated that the photoelectrical performance of the Zn?TiO2 films is enhanced with the addition of Zn element compared with the pure-TiO2 film and the largest decline by 897 mV in the electrode potential is achieved under 300 °C heat treatment. SEM?EDS analyses show that Zn element is unevenly distributed in Zn?TiO2 films; XRD patterns reveal that the grain size of Zn?TiO2 is smaller than that of pure-TiO2; FTIR results indicate that Zn - O bond forms on Zn?TiO2 surface. Ultraviolet visible absorption spectra prove that Zn?TiO2 shifts to visible light region.Mott?Shottky curves show that the flat-band potential of Zn?TiO2 is more negative and charge carrier density is bigger than that ofpure-TiO2, implying that under the synergy of the width of the space-charge layer, carrier density and flat-band potential, Zn?TiO2 with 300 °C heat treatment displays the best photocathodic protection performance.

Propagations of Rayleigh and Love waves in ZnO films/glass substrates analyzed by three-dimensional finite element method

Propagation characteristics of surface acoustic waves（SAWs） in ZnO films/glass substrates are theoretically investigated by the three-dimensional（3D） finite element method. At first, for（11ˉ20） ZnO films/glass substrates, the simulation results confirm that the Rayleigh waves along the [0001] direction and Love waves along the [1ˉ100] direction are successfully excited in the multilayered structures. Next, the crystal orientations of the ZnO films are rotated, and the influences of ZnO films with different crystal orientations on SAW characterizations, including the phase velocity, electromechanical coupling coefficient, and temperature coefficient of frequency, are investigated. The results show that at appropriate h/λ, Rayleigh wave has a maximum k^2 of 2.4% in（90°, 56.5°, 0°） ZnO film/glass substrate structure; Love wave has a maximum k^2 of 3.81% in（56°, 90°, 0°） ZnO film/glass substrate structure. Meantime, for Rayleigh wave and Love wave devices, zero temperature coefficient of frequency（TCF） can be achieved at appropriate ratio of film thickness to SAW wavelength. These results show that SAW devices with higher k^2 or lower TCF can be fabricated by flexibly selecting the crystal orientations of ZnO films on glass substrates.

BIMORPH-TYPE PIEZOELECTRIC THIN FILM BENDING ACTUATORS SYNTHESIZED BY HYDROTHERMAL METHOD

Lead zirconate titanium solid-solution (PZT) thin films with variousthickness are synthesized on titanium substrates by repeated hydrothermal treatments. Young modulus,electric-field-induced displacement and the density of the PZT film are measured respectively.Bimorph- type bending actuators are fabricated using these films. The model, which is used toanalyze the driving ability of bimorph-type bending actuators by hydrothermal method, is set up. Itcan be seen that the driving ability of bimorph-type bending actuators can be greatly improved byoptimizing the thickness of PZT thin film and substrate from the theoretical analysis results. Themeasured values are expected to agree with the theoretical values calculated by the above model.

Preparation and optical characteristics of ZnO films by chelating sol-gel method

The effect of different annealing temperatures on the structure, morphology,and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by the chelating sol-gel method was investigated.Zinc-oxide thin films were coated on quartz glass substrates by dip coating. Zinc nitrate, absoluteethanol, and citric acid were used as precursor, solvent, and chelating agent, respectively. Theresults show that ZnO films derived from zinc-citrate have lower crystallization temperature (below400℃), and that the crystal structure is wurtzite. The films, treated over 500℃, consist ofnano-particles and show to be porous at 600℃. The particle size of the film increases with theincrease of the annealing temperature. The largest particle size is 60 nm at 600℃. The opticaltransmittances related to the annealing temperatures become 90% higher in the visible range. Thefilm shows a starting absorption at 380 nm, and the optical band-gap of the thin film (fired at500℃) is 3.25 eV and close to the intrinsic band-gap of ZnO (3.2 eV).

Dual-phase coexistence enables to alleviate resistance drift in phase-change films

The amorphous phase-change materials with spontaneous structural relaxation leads to the resistance drift with the time for phase-change neuron synaptic devices. Here, we modify the phase change properties of the conventional Ge_2Sb_2Te_5(GST) material by introducing an SnS phase. It is found that the resistance drift coefficient of SnS-doped GST was decreased from 0.06 to 0.01. It can be proposed that the origin originates from the precipitation of GST nanocrystals accompanied by the precipitation of SnS crystals compared to single-phase GST compound systems. We also found that the decrease in resistance drift can be attributed to the narrowed bandgap from 0.65 to 0.43 eV after SnS-doping. Thus, this study reveals the quantitative relationship between the resistance drift and the band gap and proposes a new idea for alleviating the resistance drift by composition optimization, which is of great significance for finding a promising phase change material.

Formation of epitaxial Tl_2Ba_2Ca_2Cu_3O_(10) superconducting films by dc-magnetron sputtering and triple post-annealing method

For obtaining pure phase T12Ba2Ca2Cu3O10 （T1-2223） films with good superconducting properties, the growth technique is improved by dc magnetron sputtering and a triple post-annealing process. The triple post-annealing process comprises annealing twice in argon and once in oxygen at different temperatures. In the first low-temperature annealing phase in argon, T12Ba2CaCu2O8 （T1-2212） is obtained to effectively minimize evaporation in the next step. With the increase of temperature in the second annealing stage in argon, the previously prepared T1-2212 inter-phase is converted into T1-2223 phase. An additional annealing in oxygen is also adopted to improve the properties of T1-2223 films, each containing an optimal oxygen content value. The results of X-ray diffraction （XRD） θ-2θ scans, 09 scans and rotational φ scans show that each of the T1-2223 films has a high phase purity and an epitaxial structure. Smooth films are observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The critical temperatures Tc of the films are measured to be about 120 K and the critical current densities Jc can reach 4.0 MA/cm2 at 77 K at self field.

Preparation of Nanometer-structured TiO_2 Thin Films by Sol-Gel Method

The transparent anatase TiO 2 nanometer thin films were prepared by the sol-gel method on soda-lime glass.X-ray diffraction,thermal analysis and UV-visible spectrophotometer were used to analyze the formation of the phases.Only increasing the heat-treatment time,the average grain size has no obvious change.The mechanism of grain growth in TiO 2 thin film is probably as follows:the grain of coating will become grain core later;TiO 2 sol constantly deposited on the surface of TiO 2 grain and formed membrane with increasing of coating cycle times;TiO 2 grain in the film grow steadily.

Effect of Annealing on Ferroelectric Properties of Bi_ (3.25)La_(0.75)Ti_3O_ (12) Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-gel Method

Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12（BLT）thin films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate by the sol-gel method.The effect of annealing on their structures and ferroelectric properties was investigated.The XRD patterns indicate that the BLT films annealed at different temperatures are randomly orientated and the single perovskite phase is obtained at 550℃.The remmant polarization increnses and the coercive field decreases with the annealing temperature increasing.The leakage current density of the BLT films annealed at 700℃ is about 5.8×10^-8A/cm^2 at the electrie field of 250kv/cm.

Characterization of La-doped xBiInO_3(1-x)PbTiO_3 Piezoelectric Films Deposited by the Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Method

La-doped and undoped xBiIn03-（1 - x）PbTi03 （BI-PT） thin films are deposited on （101）SrRuO3/（lOO）Pt/（lO0） MgO substrates by the rf-magnetron sputtering method. The structures of the films are characterized by XRD and SEM, and the results indicate that the thin films are grown with mainly （100） oriented and columnar structures. The ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity of the BI-PT films are also measured, and the measured results illustrate that both performances are effectively improved by the La-doping with suitable concentrations. These results will open up wide potential applications of the films in electronic devices.

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.

ZnO micro-nano composite hydrophobic film prepared by the three-step method

The hydrophobicity of the lotus leaf is mainly due to its surface micro-nano composite structure. In order to mimic the lotus structure, ZnO micro-nano composite hydrophobic films were prepared via the three-step method. On thin buffer films of SiO2, which were first fabricated on glass substrates by the so,gel dip-coating method, a ZnO seed layer was deposited via RF magnetron sputtering. Then two different ZnO films, micro-nano and micro-only flowerlike structures, were grown by the hydrothermal method. The prepared films have different hydrophobic properties after surface modification. The structures of the obtained ZnO films were characterized using x-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. A conclusion that a micro-nano composite structure is more beneficial to hydrophobicity than a micro-only structure was obtained through research into the effect of structure on hydrophobic properties.

Fabrication of Au/SiO_(2) Nanocomposite Films by Self-Assembly Multilayer Method

Gold colloid was prepared by chemical reduction of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate, polyelectrolyte/gold nanoparticle/silica nanoparticie composite films were fabricated via an electrostatic self-assembly multilayer method, and composite films of gold nanoparticle dispersed in silica matrix were formed by heat-treating the polyelectrolyte/gold nanoparticle/silica nanoparticle composite films to eliminate the polyelectrolyte. The obtained composite films were investigated with UV-vis, TEM, AFM and XRD. The results show that the self-assembly multilayer method is a promising process to produce composite films of gold nanoparticle-dispersed in organic and/or inorganic matrixes.

Fabrication and Thermally Sensitive Properties of VO_x Thin Films by Sol-Gel Method

For the high temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) of VO_x thin films,the preparation process including the heat-treating and the application of seed layer,has been investigated.When the films were prepared without a seed layer, heated in air for 2 h,and then in N_2 for 2 h at 470℃,the TCR of about 1.07% K^(-1) (3.75% K^(-1) at 45℃～65℃) was gained.The R_(20℃)/R_(100℃) was about 28.75,while the R_(20℃)/R_(100℃) of the thin films prepared on a seed layer was 5.5.The X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that better heating conditions led to less phase compositions and higher V_2O_5 diffraction peak,which led to higher TCR.The experiment results showed that the optimum heating condition was at 470℃for 4 h.

Magnetic behaviors of cerium oxide-based thin films deposited using electrochemical method

Zn and Co multi-doped CeO2 thin films have been prepared using an anodic electrochemical method. The structures and magnetic behaviors are characterized by several techniques, in which the oxygen states in the lattice and the absorptive oxygen bonds at the surface are carefully examined. The absorptive oxygen bond is about 50% of the total oxygen bond by using a semi-quantitative method. The value of actual stoichiometry δ′ is close to 2. The experimental results indicate that the thin films are of a cerium oxide-based solid solution with few oxygen vacancies in the lattice and many absorptive oxygen bonds at the surface. Week ferromagnetic behaviors were evidenced by observed M-H hysteresis loops at room temperature. Furthermore, an evidence of relative ferromagnetic contributions was revealed by the temperature dependence of magnetization. It is believed that the ferromagnetic contributions exhibited in the M-H loops originate from the absorptive oxygen on the surface rather than the oxygen vacancies in the lattice.

Bactericidal and Photoeatalytie Activity of Fe^(3+)-TiO_2 Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-gel Method

Pure TiO2 thin films and iron doped TiO2 thin films on glass substrate were prepared by sol-gel method, and characterized by X-ray diffractometer （XRD）, thermo-gravimetric analysis （TG-DSC）, high resolution transmission electron microscope （HRTEM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and UV-Vis spectroscopy, respectively. The experimental results show that the pure TiO2 thin films and iron doped TiO2 thin films can destroy most of the escherichia coli and bacillus subtillis under the irradiation of 365 nm UV-light. However, the iron doped TiO2 thin film is a better photocatalyst than pure TiO2 thin film. The ultrastructural studies provide direct evidences for understanding the bactericidal mechanism of the TiO2 photocatalyst.

Gas Sensitivity of Poly (3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene) Prepared by a Modified LB Film Method

An arachidic acid/poly （3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene） （AA/PEDOT） multilayer Langmuir-Blodgett （LB） film was prepared by a modified LB film method. The theories were utilized to explain the effects between HCl molecule and LB film. The gas sensitivity mechanism of poly （3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene） （PEDOT） multilayer film can be explained by the charge transfer between p system of PEDOT and oxidization HCl system. The gas sensitivity of PEDOT LB film deposited interdigital electrode to HCl was tested. The results showed that film thickness, treating temperature, deposition speed had different influence on film gas sensitivity. The AA/PEDOT film deposited device exhibited nonlinear behavior to HCl gas at lower concentration （20-60 ppm） and linear response behavior at higher gas concentration was observed. The time of the compound LB film of the AA/PEDOT responding to the 30 ppm HCl gas is about 20 seconds, which is far quicker than the time of the film to the PEDOTPRESS film（about 80 seconds）. It is not higher film press to better film. When the film press attains 45 mNs/m, the sensitivity of the AA/PEDOT film on the contrary descends.

X-RAY STUDY ON TITANIUM NITRIDE FILMS DEPOSITED BY VCAD METHOD

TiN films deposited by the VCAD method at the substrate of stainless steel and superhigh speed tool steels are uniform and dense.Their colour,orientation and lattice parameter depend on deposited condition The lattice structure of deposited film,the change of the lattice parameter and its preferred orientation were studied by the XRD method,different behaviours of TiNx film were analysed.The lattice parameter of TiNx films is increased with the nitrogen content and The colour of TiNx film is strongly related to the content of Nitrogen also.The change of preferred orientation depends mainly on the Bias.

Bismuth Substituted Yttrium Iron Garnet Single Crystal Films Prepared by Sol-gel Method

Magneto-optic Faraday rotation effect and the amount of bismuth substituted in yttrium iron garnet single crystal films prepared by gel-coating on modified gadolinium-gallium garnet substrates are investigated, where the gel is synthesized by a sol-gel reaction of nitrates and ethylene glycol. The coated gel is annealed in air at temperatures up to 660 ℃ for 4 h, which is about 300 ℃ lower than that of liquid-phase epitaxy. The maximum amount of Bi substitution is x =2.7 and the crystallization temperature of garnet phase decreases with the increase of x down to 520 ℃ for x =2.7. In this film, a huge Faraday rotation of -8.1×10 4 (°)/cm at λ =0.633 μm is obtained.