Constructing Al@C-Sn pellet anode without passivation layer for lithium-ion battery

Al is considered as a promising lithium-ion battery(LIBs)anode materials owing to its high theoretical capacity and appropri-ate lithation/de-lithation potential.Unfortunately,its inevitable volume expansion causes the electrode structure instability,leading to poor cyclic stability.What’s worse,the natural Al2O3 layer on commercial Al pellets is always existed as a robust insulating barrier for elec-trons,which brings the voltage dip and results in low reversible capacity.Herein,this work synthesized core-shell Al@C-Sn pellets for LIBs by a plus-minus strategy.In this proposal,the natural Al2O3 passivation layer is eliminated when annealing the pre-introduced SnCl2,meanwhile,polydopamine-derived carbon is introduced as dual functional shell to liberate the fresh Al core from re-oxidization and alle-viate the volume swellings.Benefiting from the addition of C-Sn shell and the elimination of the Al2O3 passivation layer,the as-prepared Al@C-Sn pellet electrode exhibits little voltage dip and delivers a reversible capacity of 1018.7 mAh·g^(-1) at 0.1 A·g^(-1) and 295.0 mAh·g^(-1) at 2.0 A·g^(-1)(after 1000 cycles),respectively.Moreover,its diffusion-controlled capacity is muchly improved compared to those of its counterparts,confirming the well-designed nanostructure contributes to the rapid Li-ion diffusion and further enhances the lithium storage activity.

Significantly Improved High-Temperature Energy Storage Performance of BOPP Films by Coating Nanoscale Inorganic Layer

Biaxially oriented polypropylene(BOPP)is one of the most commonly used commercial capacitor films,but its upper operating temperature is below 105℃due to the sharply increased electrical conduction loss at high temperature.In this study,growing an inorganic nanoscale coating layer onto the BOPP film's surface is proposed to suppress electrical conduction loss at high temperature,as well as increase its upper operating temperature.Four kinds of inorganic coating layers that have different energy band structure and dielectric property are grown onto the both surface of BOPP films,respectively.The effect of inorganic coating layer on the high-temperature energy storage performance has been systematically investigated.The favorable coating layer materials and appropriate thickness enable the BOPP films to have a significant improvement in high-temperature energy storage performance.Specifically,when the aluminum nitride(AIN)acts as a coating layer,the AIN-BOPP-AIN sandwich-structured films possess a discharged energy density of 1.5 J cm^(-3)with an efficiency of 90%at 125℃,accompanying an outstandingly cyclic property.Both the discharged energy density and operation temperature are significantly enhanced,indicating that this efficient and facile method provides an important reference to improve the high-temperature energy storage performance of polymer-based dielectric films.

In-situ interfacial passivation and self-adaptability synergistically stabilizing all-solid-state lithium metal batteries

The function of solid electrolytes and the composition of solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)are highly significant for inhibiting the growth of Li dendrites.Herein,we report an in-situ interfacial passivation combined with self-adaptability strategy to reinforce Li_(0.33)La_(0.557)TiO_(3)(LLTO)-based solid-state batteries.Specifically,a functional SEI enriched with LiF/Li_(3)PO_(4) is formed by in-situ electrochemical conversion,which is greatly beneficial to improving interface compatibility and enhancing ion transport.While the polarized dielectric BaTiO_(3)-polyamic acid(BTO-PAA,BP)film greatly improves the Li-ion transport kinetics and homogenizes the Li deposition.As expected,the resulting electrolyte offers considerable ionic conductivity at room temperature(4.3 x 10~(-4)S cm^(-1))and appreciable electrochemical decomposition voltage(5.23 V)after electrochemical passivation.For Li-LiFePO_(4) batteries,it shows a high specific capacity of 153 mA h g^(-1)at 0.2C after 100 cycles and a long-term durability of 115 mA h g^(-1)at 1.0 C after 800 cycles.Additionally,a stable Li plating/stripping can be achieved for more than 900 h at 0.5 mA cm^(-2).The stabilization mechanisms are elucidated by ex-situ XRD,ex-situ XPS,and ex-situ FTIR techniques,and the corresponding results reveal that the interfacial passivation combined with polarization effect is an effective strategy for improving the electrochemical performance.The present study provides a deeper insight into the dynamic adjustment of electrode-electrolyte interfacial for solid-state lithium batteries.

Numerical Study and Optimization of CZTS-Based Thin-Film Solar Cell Structure with Different Novel Buffer-Layer Materials Using SCAPS-1D Software

This study explored the performances of CZTS-based thin-film solar cell with three novel buffer layer materials ZnS, CdS, and CdZnS, as well as with variation in thickness of buffer and absorber-layer, doping concentrations of absorber-layer material and operating temperature. Our aims focused to identify the most optimal thin-film solar cell structure that offers high efficiency and lower toxicity which are desirable for sustainable and eco-friendly energy sources globally. SCAPS-1D, widely used software for modeling and simulating solar cells, has been used and solar cell fundamental performance parameters such as open-circuited voltage (), short-circuited current density (), fill-factor() and efficiency() have been optimized in this study. Based on our simulation results, it was found that CZTS solar cell with Cd0.4Zn0.6S as buffer-layer offers the most optimal combination of high efficiency and lower toxicity in comparison to other structure investigated in our study. Although the efficiency of Cd0.4Zn0.6S, ZnS and CdS are comparable, Cd0.4Zn0.6S is preferable to use as buffer-layer for its non-toxic property. In addition, evaluation of performance as a function of buffer-layer thickness for Cd0.4Zn0.6S, ZnS and CdS showed that optimum buffer-layer thickness for Cd0.4Zn0.6S was in the range from 50 to 150nm while ZnS offered only 50 – 75 nm. Furthermore, the temperature dependence performance parameters evaluation revealed that it is better to operate solar cell at temperature 290K for stable operation with optimum performances. This study would provide valuable insights into design and optimization of nanotechnology-based solar energy technology for minimizing global energy crisis and developing eco-friendly energy sources sustainable and simultaneously.

Influence of annealing temperature on passivation performance of thermal atomic layer deposition Al_2O_3 films

Chemical and field-effect passivation of atomic layer deposition （ALD） Al2O3 films are investigated, mainly by corona charging measurement. The interface structure and material properties are characterized by transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, respectively. Passivation performance is improved remarkably by annealing at temperatures of 450 ℃ and 500 ℃, while the improvement is quite weak at 600 ℃, which can be attributed to the poor quality of chemical passivation. An increase of fixed negative charge density in the films during annealing can be explained by the Al2O3/Si interface structural change. The Al–OH groups play an important role in chemical passivation, and the Al–OH concentration in an as-deposited film subsequently determines the passivation quality of that film when it is annealed, to a certain degree.

Atomic layer deposition for nanoscale oxide semiconductor thin film transistors:review and outlook

Since the first report of amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O based thin film transistors,interest in oxide semiconductors has grown.They offer high mobility,low off-current,low process temperature,and wide flexibility for compositions and processes.Unfortunately,depositing oxide semiconductors using conventional processes like physical vapor deposition leads to problematic issues,especially for high-resolution displays and highly integrated memory devices.Conventional approaches have limited process flexibility and poor conformality on structured surfaces.Atomic layer deposition(ALD)is an advanced technique which can provide conformal,thickness-controlled,and high-quality thin film deposition.Accordingly,studies on ALD based oxide semiconductors have dramatically increased recently.Even so,the relationships between the film properties of ALD-oxide semiconductors and the main variables associated with deposition are still poorly understood,as are many issues related to applications.In this review,to introduce ALD-oxide semiconductors,we provide:(a)a brief summary of the history and importance of ALD-based oxide semiconductors in industry,(b)a discussion of the benefits of ALD for oxide semiconductor deposition(in-situ composition control in vertical distribution/vertical structure engineering/chemical reaction and film properties/insulator and interface engineering),and(c)an explanation of the challenging issues of scaling oxide semiconductors and ALD for industrial applications.This review provides valuable perspectives for researchers who have interest in semiconductor materials and electronic device applications,and the reasons ALD is important to applications of oxide semiconductors.

Passivation engineering via silica‐encapsulated quantum dots for highly sensitive photodetection

Organometal halide perovskites are promising semiconducting materials for photodetectors because of their favorable optoelectrical properties.Although nanoscale perovskite materials such as quantum dots(QDs)show novel behavior,they have intrinsic stability issues.In this study,an effectively silane barrier-capped quantum dot(QD@APDEMS)is thinly applied onto a bulk perovskite photosensitive layer for use in photodetectors.QD@APDEMS is synthesized with a silane ligand with hydrophobic CH_(3)-terminal groups,resulting in excellent dispersibility and durability to enable effective coating.The introduction of the QD@APDEMS layer results in the formation of a lowdefect perovskite film with enlarged grains.This is attributed to the grain boundary interconnection effect via interaction between the functional groups of QD@APDEMS and uncoordinated Pb^(2+)in grain boundaries.By passivating the grain boundaries,where various trap sites are distributed,hole chargecarrier injection and shunt leakage can be suppressed.Also,from the energy point of view,the deep highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO)level of QD@APDEMS can work as a hole charge injection barrier.Improved charge dynamics(generation,transfer,and recombination properties)and reduced trap density of QD@APDEMS are demonstrated.When this perovskite film is used in a photodetector,the device performance(especially the detectivity)stands out among existing perovskites evaluated for energy sensing device applications.

Anti-Corrosion and Reconstruction of Surface Crystal Plane for Zn Anodes by an Advanced Metal Passivation Technique

For the aqueous Zn-ion battery,dendrite formation,corrosion,and interfacial parasitic reactions are major issues,which greatly inhibits their practical application.How to develop a method of Zn construction or treatment to solve these issues for Zn anodes are still great challenges.Herein,a simple and cheap metal passivation technique is proposed for Zn anodes from a corrosion science perspective.Similar to the metal anticorrosion engineering,the formed interfacial protective layer in a chemical way can sufficiently solve the corrosion issues.Furthermore,the proposed passivity approach can reconstruct Zn surface-preferred crystal planes,exposing more(002)planes and improving surface hydrophilicity,which inhibits the formation of Zn dendrites and hydrogen evolution effectively.As expected,the passivated Zn achieves outstanding cycling life(1914 h)with low voltage polarization(<40 mV).Even at 6 mA cm^(−2) and 3 mA h cm^(−2),it can achieve stable Zn deposition over 460 h.The treated Zn anode coupled with MnO_(2) cathode shows prominently reinforced full batteries service life,making it a potential Zn anode candidate for excellent performance aqueous Zn-ion batteries.The proposed passivation approach provides a guideline for other metal electrodes preparation in various batteries and establishes the connections between corrosion science and batteries.

Influence of reflow processing conditions on the uniformity of the chromium passivation film on tinplate

This study aims to systematically analyze the key parameters of the reflow process that influence the uniformity of the chromium passivation film coated on tinplate. The distribution characteristics of the chromium passivation film coated on the tinplate surface under different treatment conditions were systematically characterized using the scanning Kelvin probe technique, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Results indicate that the use of flux reduces the porosity of tin coating, thereby favoring the uniform growth of the passivation film. Furthermore, an increase in the reflow power and quenching temperature facilitates the homogeneous distribution of the passivation film on the tinplate surface,particularly when treated with electrolytic cathodic sodium dichromate.

Effect of seed layers on the static and dynamic magnetic properties of CoIr films with negative effective magnetocrystalline anisotropy

The c-axis oriented hcp-Co_(81)Ir_(19)magnetic films were prepared on different seed layers(Ni,Cu,Ir,Pt,Au,and No seed).We systematically investigated the impact that surface-free energy and strain energy have on the orientation and defects and/or internal stress of the grains by increasing the lattice mismatch ratio.Moreover,the initial permeability and the natural resonance frequency were discussed in great detail using a comparison between calculated values and experimental values.We found that the almost unchanged 4πM_(s) andμ_(i) are not affected,while the changed H_(c),intrinsic K_(grain),and f_(r) are strongly dependent on the seed layer and seed layer material.Moreover,the extracted damping constant is sensitive to the defects and/or internal stress and orientation of the grains.Therefore,the soft magnetic properties and microwave properties are adjusted and optimized by seed layers with different materials.

A high mobility C_(60) field-effect transistor with an ultrathin pentacene passivation layer and bathophenanthroline/metal bilayer electrodes

C60 field-effect transistor （OFET） with a mobility as high as 5.17 cm2/V.s is fabricated. In our experiment, an ultrathin pentacene passivation layer on poly-（methyl methacrylate） （PMMA） insulator and a bathophenanthroline （Bphen）/Ag bilayer electrode are prepared. The OFET shows a significant enhancement of electron mobility compared with the corresponding device with a single PMMA insultor and an Ag electrode. By analysing the C60 film with atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques, it is shown that the pentacene passivation layer can contribute to C60 film growth with the large grain size and significantly improve crystallinity. Moreover, the Bphen buffer layer can reduce the electron contact barrier from Ag electrodes to C60 film efficiently.

Low-Temperature Aging Provides 22% E cient Bromine-Free and Passivation Layer-Free Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

Previous reports of formamidinium/methylamine(FAMA)-mixed halide perovskite solar cells have focused mainly on controlling the morphology of the perovskite film and its interface—for example,through the inclusion of bromine and surface passivation.In this paper,we describe a new processing pathway for the growth of a high-quality bromine-free FAMAPbI3 halide perovskites via the control of intermediate phase.Through low-temperature aging growth(LTAG)of a freshly deposited perovskite film,α-phase perovskites can be seeded in the intermediate phase and,at the same time,prevent beta-phase perovskite to nucleate.After postannealing,large grain-size perovskites with significantly reduced PbI2 presence on the surface can be obtained,thereby eliminating the need of additional surface passivation step.Our pristine LTAG-treated solar cells could provide PCEs of greater than 22%without elaborate use of bromine or an additional passivation layer.More importantly,when using this LTAG process,the growth of the pure alpha-phase FAMAPbI3 was highly reproducible.

Growth and corrosion behavior of molybdate passivation film on hot dip galvanized steel

Hot dip galvanized steel sheets were passivated by molybdate aqueous solution containing 10 g/L Na 2MoO 4·2H 2O, and the growth behavior and corrosion resistance of the passivation film were investigated. In the initial stage of passivation, the mass gain of film increases with passivation time proportionally. The film grows up more quickly and is apt to cracking at grain boundaries of zinc, then the cracks spread gradually on the whole surface of the film, and eventually the film will flake off with the increasing of film thickness. XPS results indicate that Mo compounds are present in Mo(Ⅵ) state on the surface of the film, and Mo(Ⅵ) and Mo(Ⅳ) states inside the film. NSS test shows that, the corrosion resistance of the passivation film decreases as the cracks occur, but in AASS test, the thicker the film is, the better the corrosion resistance is, the cracks of film have little effect on the corrosion resistance.

Improvement of Ge MOS Electrical and Interfacial Characteristics by using NdAlON as Interfacial Passivation Layer

The Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors were fabricated with HfO2 as gate dielectric.AlON,NdON,and NdAlON were deposited between the gate dielectric and the Ge substrate as the interfacial passivation layer (IPL).The electrical properties (such as capacitance-voltage (C-V) and gate leakage current density versus gate voltage (J_(g)-V_(g))) were measured by HP4284A precision LCR meter and HP4156A semiconductor parameter analyzer.The chemical states and interfacial quality of the high-k/Ge interface were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).The experimental results show that the sample with the NdAlON as IPL exhibits the excellent interfacial and electrical properties.These should be attributed to an effective suppression of the Ge suboxide and HfGeOx interlayer,and an enhanced blocking role against inter-diffusion of the elements during annealing by the NdAlON IPL.

Crystalline silicon surface passivation investigated by thermal atomic-layer-deposited aluminum oxide

Atomic-layer-deposited（ALD） aluminum oxide（Al2O3） has demonstrated an excellent surface passivation for crystalline silicon（c-Si） surfaces, as well as for highly boron-doped c-Si surfaces. In this paper, water-based thermal atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 films are fabricated for c-Si surface passivation. The influence of deposition conditions on the passivation quality is investigated. The results show that the excellent passivation on n-type c-Si can be achieved at a low thermal budget of 250℃ given a gas pressure of 0.15 Torr. The thickness-dependence of surface passivation indicates that the effective minority carrier lifetime increases drastically when the thickness of Al2O3 is larger than 10 nm. The influence of thermal post annealing treatments is also studied. Comparable carrier lifetime is achieved when Al2O3 sample is annealed for 15 min in forming gas in a temperature range from 400℃ to 450℃. In addition, the passivation quality can be further improved when a thin PECVD-SiNx cap layer is prepared on Al2O3, and an effective minority carrier lifetime of2.8 ms and implied Voc of 721 mV are obtained. In addition, several novel methods are proposed to restrain blistering.

Effects of gallium surfactant on AlN thin films by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

In this work, AlN films were grown using gallium (Ga) as surfactant on 4° off-axis 4H-SiC substrates via microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). We have found that AlN growth rate can be greatly improved due to the catalytic effect of trimethyl-gallium (TMGa), but AlN crystal structure and composition are not affected. When the proportion of TMGa in gas phase was low, crystal quality of AlN can be improved and three-dimensional growth mode of AlN was enhanced with the increase of Ga source. When the proportion of TMGa in gas phase was high, two-dimensional growth mode of AlN was presented, with the increase of Ga source results in the deterioration of AlN crystal quality. Finally, employing a two-step growth approach, involving the initial growth of Ga-free AlN nucleation layer followed by Ga-assisted AlN growth, high quality of AlN film with flat surface was obtained and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of 415 nm AlN (002) and (102) planes were 465 and 597 arcsec.

Efficient and Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Modules Enabled by Solid-Liquid Two-Step Film Formation

A considerable efficiency gap exists between large-area perovskite solar modules and small-area perovskite solar cells.The control of forming uniform and large-area film and perovskite crystallization is still the main obstacle restricting the efficiency of PSMs.In this work,we adopted a solid-liquid two-step film formation technique,which involved the evaporation of a lead iodide film and blade coating of an organic ammonium halide solution to prepare perovskite films.This method possesses the advantages of integrating vapor deposition and solution methods,which could apply to substrates with different roughness and avoid using toxic solvents to achieve a more uniform,large-area perovskite film.Furthermore,modification of the NiO_(x)/perovskite buried interface and introduction of Urea additives were utilized to reduce interface recombination and regulate perovskite crystallization.As a result,a large-area perovskite film possessing larger grains,fewer pinholes,and reduced defects could be achieved.The inverted PSM with an active area of 61.56 cm^(2)(10×10 cm^(2)substrate)achieved a champion power conversion efficiency of 20.56%and significantly improved stability.This method suggests an innovative approach to resolving the uniformity issue associated with large-area film fabrication.

The effect of Mn-doped ZnSe passivation layer on the performance of CdS/CdSe quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

ZnSe as a surface passivation layer in quantum dot-sensitized solar cells plays an important role in preventing charge recombination and thus improves the power conversion efficiency(PCE).However, as a wide bandgap semiconductor, ZnSe cannot efficiently absorb and convert long-wavelength light.Doping transition metal ions into ZnSe semiconductors is an effective way to adjust the band gap, such as manganese ions.In this paper, it is found by the method of density functional theory calculation that the valence band of ZnSe moves upward with manganese ions doping, which leads to acceleration of charge separation, wider light absorption range, and enhancing light harvesting.Finally, by using ZnSe doped with manganese ions as the passivation layer, the TiO2/CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cell has a PCE of 6.12%, and the PCE of the solar cell increases by 9% compared with the undoped one(5.62%).

A Facile Surface Passivation of Hematite Photoanodes with Molybdate Overlayers for Efficient PEC Water Oxidation

α-Fe2O3 thin films have been synthesized and used as photoanodes for photo-electrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. Molybdate was introduced to mediate hematite thin films via two synthesis routes (namely in situin situ mediation and ex situ modification). Through the in situ mediation process, the morphology and film thickness could be changed significantly due to the addition of MoO42-, while for the ex situ modification, the PEC performance of the hematite has been greatly improved without changing the nanorod morphology. Various characterizations such as UV-Vis absorption, transmission electronic microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, Mott-Schottky, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were conducted and the PEC performances were investigated.

The Effect of a Monatomic Layer on a Surface on the Transition Radiation

The transition radiation of a charged particle crossing the interface of two media having a monatomic impurity layer is investigated. It is shown that at sliding angles of incidence of a particle on the boundary of the media, the transition radiation is mainly determined by the properties of the surface layer. The possibility of using transition radiation to study the surface of substances is discussed. In addition, due to the hard radiation present in space, this research may be important for the use of light monoatomic layers as a material for satellite antennas, “solar sails” and cover layers in a future space (interstellar) mission.