Structure and electrical properties of polysilicon films doped with ammonium tetraborate tetrahydrate

Here,p-type polysilicon films are fabricated by ex-situ doping method with ammonium tetraborate tetrahydrate(ATT)as the boron source,named ATT-pPoly.The effects of ATT on the properties of polysilicon films are comprehensively analyzed.The Raman spectra reveal that the ATT-pPoly film is composed of grain boundary and crystalline regions.The preferred orientation is the(111)direction.The grain size increases from 16−23 nm to 21−47 nm,by~70%on average.Comparing with other reported films,Hall measurements reveal that the ATT-pPoly film has a higher carrier concentration(>10^(20)cm^(−3))and higher carrier mobility(>30 cm2/(V·s)).The superior properties of the ATT-pPoly film are attributed to the heavy doping and improved grain size.Heavy doping property is proved by the mean sheet resistance(Rsheet,m)and distribution profile.The R_(sheet,m)decreases by more than 30%,and it can be further decreased by 90%if the annealing temperature or duration is increased.The boron concentration of ATT-pPoly film annealed at 950℃ for 45 min is~3×10^(20)cm^(−3),and the distribution is nearly the same,except near the surface.Besides,the standard deviation coefficient(σ)of Rsheet,m is less than 5.0%,which verifies the excellent uniformity of ATT-pPoly film.

Effect of Zr and Sc on mechanical properties and electrical conductivities of Al wires

In order to obtain the Al wires with good mechanical properties and high electrical conductivities, conductive wires of Al-0.16 Zr, Al-0.16 Sc, Al-0.12Sc-0.04Zr（mass fraction, %） and pure Al（99.996%） were produced with the diameter of 9.5 mm by continuous rheo-extrusion technology, and the extruded materials were heat treated and analyzed. The results show that the separate additions of 0.16% Sc and 0.16% Zr to pure Al improve the ultimate tensile strength but reduce the electrical conductivity, and the similar trend is found in the Al-0.12Sc-0.04 Zr alloy. After the subsequent heat treatment, the wire with the optimum comprehensive properties is Al-0.12Sc-0.04 Zr alloy, of which the ultimate tensile strength and electrical conductivity reach 160 MPa and 64.03%（IACS）, respectively.

Enhanced thermal and electrical properties of poly (D,L-lactide)/ multi-walled carbon nanotubes composites by in-situ polymerization

Biodegradable poly （D,L-lactide） （PLA）/carboxyl-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes （c-MWCNTs） composites were achieved via in-situ polymerization. These as-prepared composite materials were characterized with FT-IR, XRD, TG, DSC, SEM, and high insulation resistance meter. The results demonstrate that the multi-walled carbon nanotube was carboxyl functionalized, which improved the collection between c-MWCNTs and PLA, and further realized the graft copolymerization of c-MWCNTs and PLA. There is a higher glass transition temperature and a lower pyrolysis temperature of PLA/c-MWCNTs composites than pure PLA. The c-MWCNTs gave a better dispersion than unmodified MWCNTs in the PLA matrix, and an even coating of PLA on the surface of c-MWCNTs was obtained, which increased the interfacial interaction. High insulation resistance analysis showed that the addition of c-MWCNTs increased the electric conductivity, and c-MWCNTs performed against the large dielectric coefficient and electrostatic state of PLA. These results demonstrated that c-MWCNTs modified PLA composites were beneficial for potential application in the development of heat-resisting and conductivity plastic engineering.

Effect of Ba_(0.5)Bi_(0.5)Fe_(0.9)Sn_(0.1)O_3 addition on electrical properties of BaCo_(0.02)~ⅡCo_(0.04)~ⅢBi_(0.94)O_3 thick-film thermistors

Thick-film thermistor with negative temperature coefficient（NTC）, low room-temperature resistivity and modest thermistor constant was screen-printed on the alumina substrate by the combination of 30.94III0.04II0.02 B OBi Coa Co with Ba0.5Bi0.5Fe0.9Sn0.1O3. The electrical properties of the thick films were characterized by a digital multimeter, a Keithley 2400 and an impedance analyzer. The results show that with the Ba0.5Bi0.5Fe0.9Sn0.1O3 content increasing from 0.05 to 0.25, the values of room-temperature resistivity, thermistor constant and peak voltage of the thick films increases and are in the ranges of 1.47-26.5 ？·cm, 678-1345 K and 18.9-47.0 V, respectively. The corresponding current at the peak voltage of the thick films decreases and is in the range of 40-240 m A. The impedance spectroscopy measurement demonstrates that the as-prepared thick films show the abnormal electrical heterogeneous microstructure, consisting of high-resistive grains and less resistive grain boundary regions. It can be concluded that the addition of Ba0.5Bi0.5Fe0.9Sn0.1O3 into 30.94III0.04II0.02 Ba Co OBi Co improves the thermistor behavior and but also deteriorates the current characteristics.

Electronic properties of 2D materials and their junctions

With an extensive range of distinctive features at nano meter-scale thicknesses,two-dimensional(2D)materials drawn the attention of the scientific community.Despite tremendous advancements in exploratory research on 2D materials,knowledge of 2D electrical transport and carrier dynamics still in its infancy.Thus,here we highlighted the electrical characteristics of 2D materials with electronic band structure,electronic transport,dielectric constant,carriers mobility.The atomic thinness of 2D materials makes substantially scaled field-effect transistors(FETs)with reduced short-channel effects conceivable,even though strong carrier mobility required for high performance,low-voltage device operations.We also discussed here about factors affecting 2D materials which easily enhanced the activity of those materials for various applications.Presently,Those 2D materials used in state-of-the-art electrical and optoelectronic devices because of the extensive nature of their electronic band structure.2D materials offer unprecedented freedom for the design of novel p-n junction device topologies in contrast to conventional bulk semiconductors.We also,describe the numerous 2D p-n junctions,such as homo junction and hetero junction including mixed dimensional junctions.Finally,we talked about the problems and potential for the future.

Achieving Synergistic Improvement in Dielectric and Energy Storage Properties of All-Organic Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)-Based Copolymers Via Establishing Charge Traps

How to achieve synergistic improvement of permittivity(ε_(r))and breakdown strength(E_(b))is a huge challenge for polymer dielectrics.Here,for the first time,theπ-conjugated comonomer(MHT)can simultaneously promote theε_(r)and E_(b)of linear poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA)copolymers.The PMMA-based random copolymer films(P(MMA-co-MHT)),block copolymer films(PMMA-b-PMHT),and PMMA-based blend films were prepared to investigate the effects of sequential structure,phase separation structure,and modification method on dielectric and energy storage properties of PMMA-based dielectric films.As a result,the random copolymer P(MMA-coMHT)can achieve a maximumε_(r)of 5.8 at 1 kHz owing to the enhanced orientation polarization and electron polarization.Because electron injection and charge transfer are limited by the strong electrostatic attraction ofπ-conjugated benzophenanthrene group analyzed by the density functional theory(DFT),the discharge energy density value of P(MMA-co-PMHT)containing 1 mol%MHT units with the efficiency of 80%reaches15.00 J cm^(-3)at 872 MV m^(-1),which is 165%higher than that of pure PMMA.This study provides a simple and effective way to fabricate the high performance of polymer dielectrics via copolymerization with the monomer of P-type semi-conductive polymer.

Ultrahigh thermoelectric properties of p‐type Bi_(x)Sb_(2−x)Te_(3) thin films with exceptional flexibility for wearable energy harvesting

Use of a flexible thermoelectric source is a feasible approach to realizing selfpowered wearable electronics and the Internet of Things.Inorganic thin films are promising candidates for fabricating flexible power supply,but obtaining highthermoelectric‐performance thin films remains a big challenge.In the present work,a p‐type Bi_(x)Sb_(2−x)Te_(3) thin film is designed with a high figure of merit of 1.11 at 393 K and exceptional flexibility(less than 5%increase in resistance after 1000 cycles of bending at a radius of∼5 mm).The favorable comprehensive performance of the Bi_(x)Sb_(2−x)Te_(3) flexible thin film is due to its excellent crystallinity,optimized carrier concentration,and low elastic modulus,which have been verified by experiments and theoretical calculations.Further,a flexible device is fabricated using the prepared p‐type Bi_(x)Sb_(2−x)Te_(3) and n‐type Ag_(2)Se thin films.Consequently,an outstanding power density of∼1028μWcm^(−2)is achieved at a temperature difference of 25 K.This work extends a novel concept to the fabrication of highperformance flexible thin films and devices for wearable energy harvesting.

Effect of SiO_2 addition on the microstructure and electrical properties of ZnO-based varistors

The microstructure and electrical properties of ZnO-based varistors with the SiO2 content in the range of 0-1.00mol% were prepared by a solid reaction route. The varistors were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that the average grain size of ZnO decreases with the SiO2 content increasing. A new second phase （Zn2SiO4） and a glass phase （Bi2SiO5） are found. Element Si mainly exists in the grain boundary and plays an important role in controlling the Bi2O3 vaporization. The electric measurement shows that the incorporation of SiO2 can significantly improve the nonlinear properties of ZnO-based varistors, and the nonlinear coefficients of the varistors with SiO2 are in the range of 36.8-69.5. The varistor voltage reaches the maximum value of 463 V/mm and the leakage current reaches the minimum value of 0.11 μA at the SiO2 content of 0.75mol%.

Effect of annealing treatment on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films

Highly conductive and transparent Al-doped ZnO （AZO） thin films were prepared from a zinc target containing Al （1.5 wt.%） by direct current （DC） and radio frequency （RF） reactive magnetron sputtering. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of AZO films as-deposited and submitted to annealing treatment （at 300 and 400℃, respectively） were characterized using various techniques. The experimental results show that the properties of AZO thin films can be further improved by annealing treatment. The crystallinity of ZnO films improves after annealing treatment. The transmittances of the AZO thin films prepared by DC and RF reactive magnetron sputtering are up to 80% and 85% in the visible region, respectively. The electrical resistivity of AZO thin films prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering can be as low as 8.06 x 10-4 Ωcm after annealing treatment. It was also found that AZO thin films prepared by RF reactive magnetron sputtering have better structural and optical properties than that prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering.

Effect of sintering temperature on the physical properties and electrical contact properties of doped AgSnO_2 contact materials

AgSnO_ 2 electrical contact materials doped with Bi_2O_3,La_2O_3,and TiO_2 were successfully fabricated by the powder metallurgy method under different initial sintering temperatures.The electrical conductivity,density,hardness,and contact resistance of the Ag Sn O_2/Bi_2O_3,AgSnO_2/La_2O_3,and AgSnO_2/Ti O_2 contact materials were measured and analyzed.The arc-eroded surface morphologies of the doped AgSnO_2 contact materials were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The effects of the initial sintering temperature on the physical properties and electrical contact properties of the doped AgSnO_2 contact materials were discussed.The results indicate that the physical properties can be improved and the contact resistance of the AgSnO_2 contact materials can be substantially reduced when the materials are sintered under their optimal initial sintering temperatures.

Responses of microbial activities and soil physical-chemical properties to the successional process of biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut Desert,Xinjiang

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） are capable of modifying nutrient availability to favor the establishment of biogeochemical cycles. Microbial activities serve as critical roles for both carbon and nutrient transformation in BSCs. However, little is known about microbial activities and physical-chemical properties of BSCs in the Gurbantunggut Desert, Xinjiang, China. In the present research, a sampling line with 1-m wide and 20-m long was set up in each of five typical interdune areas selected randomly in the Gurbantunggut Desert. Within each sampling line, samples of bare sand sheet, algal crusts, lichen crusts and moss crusts were randomly collected at the depth of 0-2 cm. Varia- tions of microalgal biomass, microbial biomass, enzyme activities and soil physical-chemical properties in different succession of BSCs were analyzed. The relationships between microalgal biomass, microbial biomass, enzymatic activities and soil physical-chemical properties were explored by stepwise regression. Our results indicate that micro- algal biomass, microbial biomass and most of enzyme activities increased as the BSCs developed and their highest values occurred in lichen or moss crusts. Except for total K, the contents of most soil nutrients （organic C, total N, total P, available N, available P and available K） were the lowest in the bare sand sheet and significantly increased with the BSCs development, reaching their highest values in moss crusts. However, pH values significantly decreased as the BSCs developed. Significant and positive correlations were observed between chlorophyll a and microbial biomass C. Total P and N were positively associated with chlorophyll a and microbial biomass C, whereas there was a significant and negative correlation between microbial biomass and available P. The growth of cyanobacteria and microorganism contributed C and N in the soil, which offered substrates for enzyme activities thus increasing enzyme activities. Probably, improvement in enzyme activities increased soil fertility and promoted the growth of cyanobacteria, eukary- otic algae and heterotrophic microorganism, with the accelerating succession of BSCs. The present research found that microalgal-microbial biomass and enzyme activities played important roles on the contents of nutrients in the successional stages of BSCs and helped us to understand developmental mechanism in the succession of BSCs.

Effects of silver powder particle size on the microstructure and properties of Ag-Yb_2O_3 electrical contact materials prepared by spark plasma sintering

mg-Yb203 electrical contact materials were fabricated by spark plasma sintefing （SPS）. The effects of silver powder particle size on the microstructure and properties of the samples were investigated. The surface morphologies of the sintered samples were examined by optical microscope （OM）, and the fracture morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The physical and mechanical properties such as density, electrical resistivity, microhardness, and tensile strength were also tested. The results show that the silver powder particle size has evident effects on the sintered materials. Comparing with coarse silver powder （5 ktm）, homogeneous and fme microstmcture was obtained by fine silver powder （_〈0.5-1am）. At the same time, the electrical conductivity, microhardness, and tensile strength of the sin- tered samples with fine silver powder were higher than those of the samples with coarse silver powder. However, silver powder particle size has little influence on the relative densities, which of all samples （both by free and coarse silver powders） is more than 95%. The fracture characteristics are ductile.

Microstructure and Electrical Properties of Er_2O_3-Doped ZnO-Based Varistor Ceramics Prepared by High-Energy Ball Milling

The microstructure, electrical properties and density of ZnO-based varistor ceramics with different Er2O3 content prepared by high-energy ball milling （HEBM） and sintered at 800℃ were investigated. With increasing Er2O3 content, the ZnO grain size decreases due to the Er-rich phases inhibiting grain growth ; and nonlinear coefficient （ α ） decreases because of the decrease of barrier height （φB） The breakdown voltage （Eb） and density increase, whereas leakage current （IL） decreases with increasing Er2O3 content. The barrier height （φB）, donor concentration （Nd）, density of interface states （Ns） decrease and barrier width （ω） increases with increasing Er2O3 content due to acceptor effect of Er2O3 in varistor ceramics.

Microstructure and electrical properties of Y_2O_3-doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics prepared by high-energy ball milling

Y2O3-doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics were prepared using high-energy ball milling （HEBM） and low-temperature sin- tering technique, with voltage-gradient of 1934-2197 V/mm, non-linear coefficients of 20.8-21.8, leakage currents of 0.59-1.04 μA, and densities of 5.46-5.57 g/cm3. With increasing Y2O3 content, the voltage-gradient increases because of the decrease of ZnO grain size; the non-linear coefficient and the leakage current improve but the density decreases because of more porosity; the donor con- centration and density of interface states decrease, whereas the barrier height and width increase because of the acceptor effect of Y2O3 in varistor ceramics.

Effects of Rare-Earth La_2O_3 Addition on Microstructures and Electrical Properties of SrTiO_3 Varistor-Capacitor Dual Functional Ceramics

The effects of rare-earth La_2O_3 addition on microstructures and electrical properties of SrTiO_3 ceramics were investigated. Semiconductor SrTiO_3-based voltage-sensing and dielectric dual functional ceramics was prepared by a single step sintering technology in this study, and the effects of the content of La_2O_3 on characteristics of the product were discussed in terms of microstructures and electrical properties of materials. The results show that SrTiO_3-based ceramics doped with La_2O_3 exhibits more homogeneous grain distribution, greater grain size, and excellent voltage sensing and dielectric characteristics than those without La_2O_3 doping. The samples doped with 1 1% La_2O_3 were sintered at 1420 ℃ in N_2+C weak reducing atmosphere. The average grain size of the samples doped with La_2O_3 is 40 μm, the breakdown voltage of 19.7 V·mm^(-1), the nonlinear exponent of 7.2, and dielectric constant of 22500. The results reveal that final products are suitable to use in low operating voltage.

Effects of Annealing on Microstructure, Mechanical and Electrical Properties of AlCrCuFeMnTi High Entropy Alloy

The multi-component A1CrCuFeMnTi high entropy alloy was prepared using a vacuum arc melting process. Serial annealing processes were subsequently performed at 590 ℃, 750 ℃, 955 ℃ and 1 100 ℃ respectively with a holding time of 4 h at each temperature. The effects of annealing on microstructure, mechanical and electrical properties of as-cast alloy were investigated by using differential thermal analysis （DTA）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The experimental results show that two C14 hexagonal structures remain unchanged after annealing the as-cast A1CrCuFeMnTi alloy specimens being heated to 1 100℃. Both annealed and as-cast microstructures show typical cast-dendrite morphology and similar elemental segregation. The hardness of alloys declines as the annealing temperature increases while the strength of as-cast alloy improves obviously by the annealing treatment. The electrical conductivities of annealed and as-cast alloys are influenced by the distribution of interdendrite re^ions which is rich in Cu element.

Effect of Boron Content on the Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Non-oriented Electrical Steels

The effects of boron content in the range of 0-0.0082 wt%, on the inclusion type, microstructurc, texture and magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steels have been studied. After final annealing, the addition of excess boron（w（B0〉0.004 1 wt%） led to the formation of Fe2B particles. As boron content increased, grain size increased and reached a maximum in steel with 0.004 1 wt% boron. Furthermore, steel containing 0.004 1 wt% boron had the strongest { 100} fiber texture, Goss texture and the weakest { 111 } fiber texture among the five tested steels. Flux density firstly rapidly increased and then suddenly decreased with increasing boron content and reached a maximum in steel with 0.004 1 wt% boron. Conversely, core loss first sharply decreased and then abruptly increased with the increase of boron content and reached a minimum in steel containing 0.004 1 wt% boron. Steel containing 0.004 1 wt% boron obtained the best magnetic properties, predominantly through the development of optimum grain size and favorable texture.

Effects of （LiCe） co-substitution on the structural and electrical properties of CaBi2Nb209 ceramics

The piezoelectric, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties of the （LiCe） co-substituted calcium bismuth niobate （CaBi2Nb209, CBNO） are investigated. The piezoelectric properties of CBNO ceramics are significantly enhanced and the dielectric loss tan 5 decreased. This makes poling using （LiCe） co-substitution easier. The ceramics （where represents A-site Ca2＋ vacancies, possess a pure layered structure phase and no other phases can be found. The Cao.ss（LiCe）0.04[]0.04Bi2Nb209 ceramics possess optimal piezoelectric properties, with piezoelectric coefficient （d33） and Curie temperature （Tc） found to be 13.3 pC/N and 960 ℃ respectively. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the （LiCe） co-substituted CBNO ceramics exhibit very stable temperature behaviours. This demonstrates that the CBNO ceramics are a promising candidate for ultrahigh temperature applications.

Effects of cooling rate on the microstructure and electrical properties of Dy_2O_3-doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics

The microstructure, electrical properties, and density of Dy2O3-doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics, prepared using high-energy ball milling （HEBM） and sintered at 800℃, were investigated by increasing the cooling rate in the order of H （slow cooling in furnace） → L （cooling in furnace） → K （cooling in air）. With the increase in cooling rate, the grain size and density decreased, the breakdown voltage （VImA/mm） increased, and the nonlinear coefficient （α） and leakage current （IL） exhibited extremum. The sample with the cooling type L showed the best properties with the breakdown voltage of 2650 V/ram, o：of 20.3, IL of 5.2 laA, and density of 5.42 g/cm^3. The barrier height （ФB）, donor concentration （Nd）, density of the interface states （Nd）, and barrier width （ω） all exhibited extremum during the alteration in cooling rate. The different relative amount of Bi-rich phase and its distribution as well as the characteristic parameters of grain boundary, resulting from the alteration of cooling rate, led to the changes in the properties of varistor ceramics.

Electrical properties of fly ash and its decarbonization by electrostatic separation

The basic principle of fly ash triboelectrification is analysed. The mineral electrical index and test method are introduced. The electric difference of different mineral composition of fly ash is discussed by analysis of chemical and mineral composition of fly ash in Xinwen power plant. The dielectric constant and charge-mass ratio of carbon and ash of fly ash are tested. Combined with the experimental study on rotary triboelectrostatic separation, the charged characteristic of fly ash particles with different size is gained. The results show that the dielectric constant of fly ash with different grain size decreased with the decrease of particle size, which lead to the poor electrical conductivity, Thus it can be seen that par- ticle size plays a leading role in conductivity, The charge of carbon and ash with each size increased with the decreased of particle size; and the charge-mass ratio between carbon and ash with the same size lar- ger with the decrease of size, which indicated that the finer particle size, the more favorable for triboelec- trification separation. In the same conditions, the best decarburization effect is realized when the particle size ranges from 0.038 to 0.074 ram, whose decarbonization rate and efficiency index reached 38.93% and 120.83% respectively.