Effect of PyC Interface Thickness on the Heat-stability of Cansas-ⅡSiC_(f)/SiC Composites

The effect of the pyrolytic carbon(PyC)interface thickness on the heat-stability of CansasⅡSiC_(f)/SiC composites under Ar up to 1500℃was studied in detail.After the heat treatment at 1500℃for 50 h,the interface bonding strength of the thin interface(about 200 nm)decreases from 74.4 to 20.1 MPa(73.0%),while that of the thick interface(about 2μm)declines from 7.3 to 3.2 MPa(52.7%).At the same time,the decline fraction of strength of the composites with the thin interface is 12.1%,less than that with the thick interface(42.0%).The fiber strength also decreases after heat treatment,which may be due to the significant growth ofβ-SiC grains and critical defects.The different heat-stability of the interface with the thin and thick thickness might be related to the inconsistency of the degree of the graphitization of PyC.Compared with the composites with the thick interface,the composites with the thin interface remained higher tensile strength after heat treatment due to the better interface bonding strength.The interface with strong bonding strength could protect the fiber by postponing the decomposition of amorphous phases SiC_(x)O_(y) and hindering the generation of fiber defects.

Numerical evaluation of overestimation of the interface thickness around ellipsoidal particle

Abstract When interfacial layers are viewed as a separate phase, the interface thickness plays an essential role in assessing physico-mechanical properties of particulate materials. However, the interface thickness from sectional analysis is often overestimated, due to the irregularity of surface textures of grains in opaque materials that gives rise to the normal of a cross-sectional plane non-perpendicular to the surface of grains. Hence, the determination of the overestimation degree is very critical to precisely obtain the interface thickness. This article develops a numerical model for the overestimation degree of the interface thickness around an ellipsoidal grain with an arbitrary aspect ratio, by applying an accurate sectional analysis algorithm, and quantitative stereology and geometrical probability theories. Furthermore, on the basis of the developed numerical model, the influence of ellipsoidal particle shape on the overestimation degree is quantitatively charac-terized.

Characterization of Interface Charge in NbAlO/AlGaN/GaN MOSHEMT with Different NbAlO Thicknesses

We investigate the influence of interface charge on electrical performance of NbAIO/A1GaN/GaN metal-oxide- semiconductor high electron mobility transistors （MOSHEMTs）. Through C-V measurements and simulations, we find that the donor-type interface fixed charge density Qit of 2.2 × 10^13 cm^-2 exists at the NbA10/A1GaN interface, which induces the shift of the threshold voltage much more negative. Furthermore, a trap density of approximately 0.43 × 10^13-1.14 ×10^13 cm^-2 eV^-1 is obtained at the NaA10/AlGaN interface, which is consistent with the frequency-dependent capacitance and conductance measurement results.

Interface and energy band manipulation of Bi2O3-Bi2S3 electrode enabling advanced magnesium-ion storage

Rechargeable magnesium-ion(Mg-ion)batteries have attracted wide attention for energy storage.However,magnesium anode is still limited by the irreversible Mg plating/stripping procedure.Herein,a well-designed binary Bi_(2)O_(3)-Bi_(2)S_(3)(BO-BS)heterostructure is fulfilled by virtue of the cooperative interface and energy band engineering targeted fast Mg-ion storage.The built-in electronic field resulting from the asymmetrical electron distribution at the interface of electron-rich S center at Bi_(2)S_(3) side and electron-poor O center at Bi_(2)O_(3) side effectively accelerates the electrochemical reaction kinetics in the Mg-ion battery system.Moreover,the as-designed heterogenous interface also benefits to maintaining the electrode integrity.With these advantages,the BO-BS electrode displays a remarkable capacity of 150.36 mAh g^(−1) at 0.67 A g^(-1) and a superior cycling stability.This investigation would offer novel insights into the rational design of functional heterogenous electrode materials targeted the fast reaction kinetics for energy storage systems.

In-doping collaboratively controlling back interface and bulk defects to achieve efficient flexible CZTSSe solar cells

Focusing on the low open circuit voltage(V_(OC))and fill factor(FF)in flexible Cu_(2)ZnSn(S,Se)_(4)(CZTSSe)solar cells,indium(In)ions are introduced into the CZTSSe absorbers near Mo foils to modify the back interface and passivate deep level defects in CZTSSe bulk concurrently for improving the performance of flexible device.The results show that In doping effectively inhibits the formation of secondary phase(Cu(S,Se)_(2))and VSndefects.Further studies demonstrate that the barrier height at the back interface is decreased and the deep level defects(Cu_(Sn)defects)in CZTSSe bulk are passivated.Moreover,the carrier concentration is increased and the V_(OC) deficit(V_(OC,def))is decreased significantly due to In doping.Finally,the flexible CZTSSe solar cell with 10.01%power conversion efficiency(PCE)has been obtained.The synergistic strategy of interface modification and bulk defects passivation through In incorporation provides a new thought for the fabrication of efficient flexible kesterite-based solar cells.

Boosting redox activity on MXene-induced multifunctional collaborative interface in high Li2S loading cathode for high-energy Li-S and metallic Li-free rechargeable batteries

Use of metallic Li anode raises serious concerns on the safety and operational performance of Li-S batteries due to uncontrolled hazard of Li dendrite formation, which is difficultly eliminated as long as the metallic Li exists in the cells. Pairing lithium sulfide (Li2S) cathode with currently available metallic Lifree high-capacity anodes offers an alternative solution to this challenge. However, the performance of Li2S cathode is primarily restricted by high activation barrier upon initial charge, low active mass utilization and sluggish redox kinetics. Herein, a MXene-induced multifunctional collaborative interface is proposed to afford superb activity towards redox solid-liquid/liquid-liquid phase transformation, strong chemisorption, high conductivity and fast ionic/charge transport in high Li2S loading cathode. Applying collaborative interface effectively reduces initial voltage barrier of Li2S activation and regulates the kinetic behavior of redox polysulfide conversion. Therefore, stable operation of additive-free Li2S cathode with high areal capacities at high Li2S loading up to 9 mg cm^-2 can be achieved with less sacrifice of high capacity and rate capability in Li-S batteries. Rechargeable metallic Li-free batteries are successfully constructed by pairing this high-performance Li2S cathode with high-capacity metal oxide anodes, which delivers superior energy density to current Li-ion batteries.

Schottky Barriers on Layered Anisotropic Semiconductor – WSe₂– with 1000 ÅIndium Metal Thickness

We have studied the forward I-V characteristics of In-pWSe2Schottky barrier diode with 1000 ? indium thickness in the temperature range 140 – 300 K well within the domain of thermionic emission theory with Gaussian distribution of barrier height. However we found some anomalies in the low temperature range below 200 K. Hence we have considered a model that incorporates thermionic emission, generation recombination and tunneling components. The low temperature anomalies observed in the diode parameters were effectively construed in terms of the contribution of these multiple charge transport mechanisms across the interface of the fabricated diodes. Various Schottky diode parameters were also extracted and compared with that of 500 ? metal thickness In-pWSe2 diode.

Effects of Coverage,Water,and Defects on Catechol/TiO2 Interface

Catechol adsorbed on TiO_(2)is one of the simplest models to explore the relevant properties of dye-sensitized solar cells.However,the effects of water and defects on the electronic levels and the excitonic properties of the catechol/TiO_(2)interface have been rarely explored.Here,we investigate four catechol/TiO_(2)interfaces aiming to study the influence of coverage,water,and defects on the electronic levels and the excitonic properties of the catechol/TiO_(2)interface through the first-principles many-body Green’s function theory.We find that the adsorption of catechol on the rutile(110)surface increases the energies of both the TiO_(2)valence band maximum and conduction band minimum by approximately 0.7 eV.The increasing coverage and the presence of water can reduce the optical absorption of charge-transfer excitons with maximum oscillator strength.Regarding the reduced hydroxylated TiO_(2)substrate,the conduction band minimum decreases greatly,resulting in a sub-bandgap of 2.51 eV.The exciton distributions in the four investigated interfaces can spread across several unit cells,especially for the hydroxylated TiO2substrate.Although the hydroxylated TiO_(2)substrate leads to a lower open-circuit voltage,it may increase the separation between photogenerated electrons and holes and may therefore be beneficial for improving the photovoltaic efficiency by controlling its concentration.Our results may provide guidance for the design of highly efficient solar cells in future.

Over 12%efficient kesterite solar cell via back interface engineering

Kesterite Cu_(2)ZnSn(S,Se)_(4)(CZTSSe)has attracted considerable attention as a non-toxic and earthabundant solar cell material.During selenization of CZTSSe film at high temperature,the reaction between CZTSSe and Mo is one of the main reasons that result in unfavorable absorber and interface quality,which leads to large open circuit voltage deficit(VOC-def)and low fill factor(FF).Herein,a WO_(3)intermediate layer introduced at the back interface can effectually inhibit the unfavorable interface reaction between absorber and back electrode in the preliminary selenization progress;thus high-quality crystals are obtained.Through this back interface engineering,the traditional problems of phase segregation,voids in the absorber and over thick Mo(S,Se)_(2)at the back interface can be well solved,which greatly lessens the recombination in the bulk and at the interface.The increased minority carrier diffusion length,decreased barrier height at back interface contact and reduced deep acceptor defects give rise to systematic improvement in VOCand FF,finally a 12.66%conversion efficiency for CZTSSe solar cell has been achieved.This work provides a simple way to fabricate highly efficient solar cells and promotes a deeper understanding of the function of intermediate layer at back interface in kesterite-based solar cells.

Impact of nitrogen plasma passivation on the interface of germanium MOS capacitor

Nitrogen plasma passivation （NPP） on （111） germanium （Ge） was studied in terms of the interface trap density, roughness, and interfacial layer thickness using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition （PECVD）. The results show that NPP not only reduces the interface states, but also improves the surface roughness of Ge, which is beneficial for suppressing the channel scattering at both low and high field regions of Ge MOSFETs. However, the interracial layer thickness is also increased by the NPP treatment, which will impact the equivalent oxide thickness （EOT） scaling and thus degrade the device performance gain from the improvement of the surface morphology and the interface passivation. To obtain better device performance of Ge MOSFETs, suppressing the interfacial layer regrowth as well as a trade-off with reducing the interface states and roughness should be considered carefully when using the NPP process.

Elastic behavior of disclination dipole near nanotube with surface/interface effect

In this paper, we present an analytical solution of the interaction of the nanotube （NT） with a wedge disclination dipole in nanotube-based composites. The corresponding boundary value problem is solved exactly by using complex potential functions. The explicit expression of the force exerted on disclination dipole is given by using the generalized Peach- Koehler formula. As a numerical illustration, both the equilibrium position and the stability of the disclination dipole are evaluated for different material combinations, relative thickness of an NT, surface/interface effects, and the features of the disclination dipole. The results show that as the thickness of the NT layer increases, the NT has a relatively major role in the force acting on the disclination dipole in the NT-based composite. The cooperative effect of surface/interface stresses and the NT becomes considerable as the increase of NT layer thickness. The equilibrium position may occur, even more than one, due to the influences of the surface/interface stress and the NT thickening. The influences of the surface/interface stresses and the thickness of the NT layer on the force are greatly dependent on the disclination angle.

Spacer layer thickness fluctuation scattering in a modulation-doped Al_xGa_(1-x)As/GaAs/Al_xGa_(1-x)As quantum well

We theoretically study the influence of spacer layer thickness fluctuation（SLTF） on the mobility of a twodimensional electron gas（2DEG） in the modulation-doped Al x Ga 1 x As/GaAs/Al x Ga 1 x As quantum well.The dependence of the mobility limited by SLTF scattering on spacer layer thickness and donor density are obtained.The results show that SLTF scattering is an important scattering mechanism for the quantum well structure with a thick well layer.

Novel attributes and design considerations of effective oxide thickness in nano DG MOSFETs

Impacts of effective oxide thickness on a symmetric double-gate MOSFET with 9-nm gate length are studied, using full quantum simulation. The simulations are based on a self-consistent solution of the two-dimensional （2D） Poisson equation and the Schr6dinger equation within the non-equilibrium Green＇s function formalism. Oxide thickness and gate dielectric are investigated in terms of drain current, on-off current ratio, off current, sub-threshold swing, drain induced barrier lowering, transconductance, drain conductance, and voltage. Simulation results illustrate that we can improve the device performance by proper selection of the effective oxide thickness.

Investigation of Correlation between the Temperature on Air-Snow and Snow-Ice Interfaces and the Atmospheric Air Temperature

Solution of the practical problems of the ice engineering requires the data about the strength of the ice cover that depends upon its temperature. In most cases, the snow lies on the ice cover and the ice temperature differs from the atmospheric air temperature. To reveal the correlation of the air temperature with temperature on interfaces air-snow and snow-ice, the known in the thermophysics solution of the problem of the heat transfer through the multilayer plate was applied. Derived solution connects the temperature of air and temperature on the snow-ice interface and satisfactory correlates with data of the field measurements of the temperature within snow layer and ice cover and ice thickness on the Heilongjiang （Amur） River. Results of investigation are recommended for the ice temperature evaluation in engineering practice.

Effects of thermodynamics parameters on mass transfer of volatile pollutants at air-water interface

A transient three-dimensional coupling model based on the compressible volume of fluid （VOF） method was developed to simulate the transport of volatile pollutants at the air-water interface. VOF is a numerical technique for locating and tracking the free surface of water flow. The relationships between Henry＇s constant, thermodynamics parameters, and the enlarged topological index were proposed for nonstandard conditions. A series of experiments and numerical simulations were performed to study the transport of benzene and carbinol. The simulation results agreed with the experimental results. Temperature had no effect on mass transfer of pollutants with low transfer free energy and high Henry＇s constant. The temporal and spatial distribution of pollutants with high transfer free energy and low Henry＇s constant was affected by temperature. The total enthalpy and total transfer free energy increased significantly with temperature, with significant fluctuations at low temperatures. The total enthalpy and total transfer free energy increased steadily without fluctuation at high temperatures.

Exploring how hydrogen at gold-sulfur interface affects spin transport in single-molecule junction

Very recently,experimental evidence showed that the hydrogen is retained in dithiol-terminated single-molecule junction under the widely adopted preparation conditions,which is in contrast to the accepted view[Nat.Chem.11351(2019)].However,the hydrogen is generally assumed to be lost in the previous physical models of single-molecule junctions.Whether the retention of the hydrogen at the gold-sulfur interface exerts a significant effect on the theoretical prediction of spin transport properties is an open question.Therefore,here in this paper we carry out a comparative study of spin transport in M-tetraphenylporphyrin-based(M=V,Cr,Mn,Fe,and Co;M-TPP)single-molecule junction through Au-SR and Au-S(H)R bondings.The results show that the hydrogen at the gold-sulfur interface may dramatically affect the spin-filtering efficiency of M-TPP-based single-molecule junction,depending on the type of transition metal ions embedded into porphyrin ring.Moreover,we find that for the Co-TPP-based molecular junction,the hydrogen at the gold-sulfur interface has no obvious effect on transmission at the Fermi level,but it has a significant effect on the spin-dependent transmission dip induced by the quantum interference on the occupied side.Thus the fate of hydrogen should be concerned in the physical model according to the actual preparation condition,which is important for our fundamental understanding of spin transport in the single-molecule junctions.Our work also provides guidance in how to experimentally identify the nature of gold-sulfur interface in the single-molecule junction with spin-polarized transport.

Synthesis of Silver Sulf ide Quantum Dots Via the Liquid–Liquid Interface Reaction in a Rotating Packed Bed Reactor

We developed the high-gravity coupled liquid-liquid interface reaction technique on the basis of the rotating packed bed(RPB)reactor for the continuous and ultrafast synthesis of silver sulfide(Ag2S)quantum dots(QDs)with near-infrared(NIR)luminescence.The formation of Ag2S QDs occurs at the interface of microdroplets,and the average size of Ag2S QDs was 4.5 nm with a narrow size distribution.Ag2S QDs can disperse well in various organic solvents and exhibit NIR luminescence with a peak wavelength at 1270 nm under 980-nm laser excitation.The mechanism of the process intensification was revealed by both the computational fluid dynamics simulation and fluorescence imaging,and the mechanism is attributed to the small and uniform droplet formation in the RPB reactor.This study provides a novel approach for the continuous and ultrafast synthesis of NIR Ag2S QDs for potential scale-up.

Retinal thickness and vascular parameters using optical coherence tomography in Alzheimer's disease:a meta-analysis

Examining the retinal tissue has the potential to provide a unique method and technique to quantify Alzheimer’s disease-related changes in participants at various stages of the disease.In this metaanalysis,we aimed to investigate the association of various optical coherence tomography parameters with Alzheimer’s disease and whether retinal measurements can be used to diffe rentiate between Alzheimer’s disease and control subjects.Scientific databases including Google Schola r,Web of Science,and PubMed were systematically searched for published articles that evaluated retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and retinal microvascular network in Alzheimer’s disease and control subjects.Seventy-three studies(5850 participants,including 2249 Alzheimer’s disease patients and 3601controls) were included in this meta-analysis.Relative to controls,Alzheimer’s disease patients had a significantly lower global retinal nerve fiber layer thickness(standardized mean difference [SMD]=-0.79,95% confidence intervals [CI]:-1.03 to-0.54,P <0.00001) as well as each quadrant being thinner in Alzheimer’s disease versus controls.Regarding macular paramete rs,values measured by optical coherence tomography were significantly lower in Alzheimer’s disease than controls for macular thickness(pooled SMD:-0.44,95% CI:-0.67 to-0.20,P=0.0003),foveal thickness(pooled SMD=-0.39,95% CI:-0.58 to-0.19,P <0.0001),ganglion cell inner plexiform layer(SMD=-1.26,95% CI:-2.24 to-0.27,P=0.01) and macular volume(pooled SMD=-0.41,95% CI-0.76 to-0.07,P=0.02).Analysis using optical coherence tomography angiography parameters revealed mixed results between Alzheimer’s disease and controls.Superficial vessel density(pooled SMD=-0.42,95% CI:-0.68 to-0.17,P=0.0001) and deep vessel density(pooled SMD=-0.46,95% CI:-0.75 to-0.18,P=0.001) were found to be thinner in Alzheimer’s disease patients whereas the foveal avascular zone(SMD=0.84,95% CI:0.17-1.51,P=0.01) was larger in controls.Vascular density and thickness of various retinal laye rs were decreased in Alzheimer’s disease patients compared to controls.Our results provide evidence for optical coherence tomography technology having the potential to detect retinal and microvascular changes in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and aid in monito ring and early diagnosis methods.

Automated measurement of three-dimensional cerebral cortical thickness in Alzheimer’s patients using localized gradient vector trajectory in fuzzy membership maps

Our purpose in this study was to develop an automated method for measuring three-dimensional (3D) cerebral cortical thicknesses in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using magnetic resonance (MR) images. Our proposed method consists of mainly three steps. First, a brain parenchymal region was segmented based on brain model matching. Second, a 3D fuzzy membership map for a cerebral cortical region was created by applying a fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering algorithm to T1-weighted MR images. Third, cerebral cortical thickness was three- dimensionally measured on each cortical surface voxel by using a localized gradient vector trajectory in a fuzzy membership map. Spherical models with 3 mm artificial cortical regions, which were produced using three noise levels of 2%, 5%, and 10%, were employed to evaluate the proposed method. We also applied the proposed method to T1-weighted images obtained from 20 cases, i.e., 10 clinically diagnosed AD cases and 10 clinically normal (CN) subjects. The thicknesses of the 3 mm artificial cortical regions for spherical models with noise levels of 2%, 5%, and 10% were measured by the proposed method as 2.953 ± 0.342, 2.953 ± 0.342 and 2.952 ± 0.343 mm, respectively. Thus the mean thicknesses for the entire cerebral lobar region were 3.1 ± 0.4 mm for AD patients and 3.3 ± 0.4 mm for CN subjects, respectively (p < 0.05). The proposed method could be feasible for measuring the 3D cerebral cortical thickness on individual cortical surface voxels as an atrophy feature in AD.

Effect of twine thickness on size-selectivity of driftnet for the yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis in southwestern Sea of Korea

In order to determine the effect of twine thickness on the size-selectivity of the driftnet used for the yellow croaker, size-selectivity tests were conducted with three different twine thicknesses(monofi lament diameters of 0.279 mm(number's method; No. 3), 0.321 mm(No. 4), and 0.360 mm(No. 5)) of driftnets for the yellow croaker in the seas around Chooja-do, Jeju Islands. The selectivity curve was estimated by using Kitahara's method. In order to determine the physical properties of the twine used in the experimental fi shing nets, we measured the breaking load, elongation, and stiffness under both dry and wet conditions. In terms of physical properties, the thinnest twine(No. 3) had the strongest breaking strength per unit cross-sectional area, along with good elongation and excellent fl exibility. The thickest twine(No. 5) had the lowest fl exibility. In terms of selectivity, the net of No. 3 twine showed the broadest selection range and, thus, a relatively low selectivity compared with the other nets, while the less fl exible net of No. 5 twine showed the narrowest selectivity range and high selectivity. In addition, it was found that a thicker twine resulted in a smaller haul of small fi sh. Therefore, it can be inferred that the thickness of the twine affects the size of the catch and selectivity, and thus the size composition of the catch as well.