Recent progresses in thermal treatment of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) single crystals and devices

In recent years,ultra-wide bandgap β-Ga_(2)O_(3) has emerged as a fascinating semiconductor material due to its great potential in power and photoelectric devices.In semiconductor industrial,thermal treatment has been widely utilized as a convenient and effective approach for substrate property modulation and device fabrication.Thus,a thorough summary of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) substrates and devices behaviors after high-temperature treatment should be significant.In this review,we present the recent advances in modulating properties of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) substrates by thermal treatment,which include three major applications:(ⅰ)tuning surface electrical properties,(ⅱ)modifying surface morphology,and(ⅲ)oxidating films.Meanwhile,regulating electrical contacts and handling with radiation damage and ion implantation have also been discussed in device fabrication.In each category,universal annealing conditions were speculated to figure out the corresponding problems,and some unsolved questions were proposed clearly.This review could construct a systematic thermal treatment strategy for various purposes and applications of β-Ga_(2)O_(3).

The effects of radio frequency atmospheric pressure plasma and thermal treatment on the hydrogenation of TiO_(2) thin film

The effects of radio frequency(RF)atmospheric pressure(AP)He/H_(2)plasma and thermal treatment on the hydrogenation of TiO_(2)thin films were investigated and compared in this work.The color of the original TiO_(2)film changes from white to black after being hydrogenated in He/H_(2)plasma at160 W(gas temperature~381℃)within 5 min,while the color of the thermally treated TiO_(2)film did not change significantly even in pure H_(2)or He/H_(2)atmosphere with higher temperature(470℃)and longer time(30 min).This indicated that a more effective hydrogenation reaction happened through RF AP He/H_(2)plasma treatment than through pure H_(2)or He/H_(2)thermal treatment.The color change of TiO_(2)film was measured based on the Commission Internationale d’Eclairage L*a*b*color space system.Hydrogenated TiO_(2)film displayed improved visible light absorption with increased plasma power.The morphology of the cauliflower-like nanoparticles of the TiO_(2)film surface remained unchanged after plasma processing.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that the contents of Ti3+species and Ti-OH bonds in the plasma-hydrogenated black TiO_(2)increased compared with those in the thermally treated TiO_(2).X-ray diffraction(XRD)patterns and Raman spectra indicated that plasma would destroy the crystal structure of the TiO_(2)surface layer,while thermal annealing would increase the overall crystallinity.The different trends of XRD and Raman spectra results suggested that plasma modification on the TiO_(2)surface layer is more drastic than on its inner layer,which was also consistent with transmission electron microscopy results.Optical emission spectra results suggest that numerous active species were generated during RF AP He/H_(2)plasma processing,while there were no peaks detected from thermal processing.A possible mechanism for the TiO_(2)hydrogenation process by plasma has been proposed.Numerous active species were generated in the bulk plasma region,accelerated in the sheath region,and bumped toward the TiO_(2)film,which will react with the TiO_(2)surface to form OVs and disordered layers.This leads to the tailoring of the band gap of black TiO_(2)and causes its light absorption to extend into the visible region.

Effects of Melt Thermal Treatment on A356 Alloy

To increase the casting quality of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys, the effects of melt thermal treatment on the solidification structure of the A356 alloy were analyzed by a factorial experiment, in which the overheated melt was mixed with the low temperature melt. Experimental results show that the elongation ratio and strength of the treated samples increase remarkably compared with the control sample. The primary dendrite size reduces dramatically and the dendrite changes from columnar to equiaxed, with a little change of the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS). Combined with the measurement of the nucleation undercooling, it is concluded that the solidification structure and refining effect are dependent primarily on the low temperature melt. The refining mechanism is believed as a result of the multiplication of the nuclei in the melt thermal treatment procedure.

Effect of Thermal Treatment and Acid Leaching Process on Pore Characteristics of Nanometer Porous Glass

Porous glass was prepared by thermally treating sodium borosilicate glass for different time, the effect of thermal treatment on pore size distribution was discussed and the pore size of the prepared porous glass was measured by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and differential thermal analysis （DTA）. The results show that the optimum porous glass with an average diameter of 80 nm can be prepared by thermal treatment at 600℃ for 12 h and then acid treatment for 12 h in 2 mol·L^-1 hydrochloric acid solution.

Impacts of freezing and thermal treatments on dimensional and mechanical properties of wood flour-HDPE composite

Wood plastic composite （WPC） of wood flour （WF）, high density polyethylene （HDPE）, maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene （MAPE） and lubricant was prepared by extrusion, and then exposed to different temperatures to evaluate the effects of freezing and thermal treatment on its dimensional and mechanical properties. At elevated temperatures, WPC expanded rapidly initially, and then contracted slowly until reaching an equilibrium state. Treatment at 52°C and relative humidity of 50% for 16 days improved the mechanical properties of WPC： flexure, tensile strength, and izod unnotched impact strength increased by 8%, 10% and 15%, respectively. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction （XRD） tests showed that the degree of crystalization of HDPE in WPC declined with increasing treatment temperature.

Microstructural Characteristic of Montmorillonite and Its Thermal Treatment Products

The montmorillonite was studied by differen t methods, such as chemical analysis, DAT, TG, X RD, IR, AFM and MAS NMR. The experimental results show that the hydroxyl in octa hedra sheets begins dehydrating when the thermal treatment temperature reaches 659℃, but th e layer structure remains the same,and the corresponding Al(Ⅵ) is turned into Al(Ⅳ) in octahedra sheets. When the temperature reaches 900℃, the layer struct ure of montmorillontite is destroyed, and the new mineral phase μ-cordierite i s found. When the temperature reaches 1200℃, the μ-cordierite phase loses its stability, and decomposes into cristobalite phase and mullite phase.Meanwhile, the recrystallization phenomenon in thermal treatment products is obvious. There is a small quantity of Al Ⅵ signal in MAS NMR spectrum, corresponding to Al of mullite. When the temperature reaches 1350℃, the cristobalite and mullite phases reduce slightly, and more Fe-cordierite phase appears, corresponding to Fe-cordierite spectrum in XRD and MAS NMR.

Spatially resolved micron-scale wrinkle structures at asphaltene films induced by mild thermal treatment and its impact on emulsion stability

Mild thermal treatment is an important partial upgrading technique to enable bitumen pipeline transportation,but no attention has been paid to the impact of mild thermal treatment on the emulsification behavior of emerging partially upgraded bitumen.Asphaltene compounds are active emulsion stabilizers in bitumen oil.The emulsion stabilizing capacity of bitumen asphaltenes was investigated,before and after a mild thermal treatment at 400℃.The structural morphology and mechanical property of the asphaltene interfacial films were analyzed by using a combination of cryo-SEM,Langmuir trough,and Brewster angle microscopy.The thermal treatment significantly enhanced the emulsion stabilizing capacity of bitumen asphaltenes;the interfacial films formed by the thermally treated asphaltene samples appeared to be rougher and thicker with more abundant micron-scale wrinkle structures.The interfacial corrugation may intensify the mechanical stability/flexibility of the asphaltene films and consequently strengthen the stability of emulsion droplet.

Preparation and thermal treatment of Pd/Ag composite membrane on a porousα-alumina tube by sequential electroless plating technique for H_2 separation

Pd/Ag/α-Al2O3 composite membranes were prepared by sequential electroless plating technique. The prepared membranes were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy techniques （ICP-AES）. Effects of annealing time, Ag content, and air treatment on the hydrogen permeation flux and morphology of the alloys were investigated. The results of the investigation showed that the prepared type of tube had a good potential as substrate for membrane preparation. In addition, a uniform defect-free alloy was prepared by annealing at 550 ℃ in H2 atmosphere. The permeation results showed an increase in H2 permeation flux by increasing the Ag content and the annealing time. In addition, the air treatment of the prepared membranes at 400 ℃ for 1 h changed the morphology of the alloy and substantially enhanced the hydrogen flux.

Effect of Thermal Treatment on the Properties of TEMPO Oxidized Cellulose Film for the Flexible Substrate of Solar Cell

The 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl(TEMPO)oxidized cellulose film(TOCF)has been attempted to be used as a substrate in electronic and optoelectronic devices,but the changes in the TOCF properties before and after annealing treatment have usually been neglected during device fabrication.In this study,TOCF was treated in different atmospheres(air,vacuum,and N2)and at different temperatures,and the properties were investigated.The results indicate that the optical properties are slightly affected by atmosphere and temperature;only slight transmittance loss and haze increase have been observed when TOCF is exposed to an air atmosphere at temperatures of above 120℃.In contrast to the slight effects on the optical properties,cellulose degradation and a loss of film strength have been observed regardless of the atmosphere used when placed at temperatures of above 100℃.Specifically,TOCF was exposed to air,followed by N2 and vacuum atmospheres.Additional Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR)and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)results showed that increasing the temperature had no significant effect on the structure of TOCF.Therefore,the annealing temperature should be controlled at a temperature of lower than 100℃and a vacuum atmosphere is preferred.

Investigation of the role of Ca(OH)2 in the catalytic Alkaline Thermal Treatment of cellulose to produce H2 with integrated carbon capture

The Alkaline Thermal Treatment(ATT)of biomass is one of the few biomass conversion processes that has a potential for BECCS(bio-energy with carbon capture and storage).Combining in-situ carbon capture withcreates a carbon-neutral process that has the potential to be carbon-negative.This study has shown that the conversion of cellulose tosuppressedcan be achieved through the reforming of gaseous intermediates in a fixed bed of 10%Ni/ZrO2.Reforming occurs at low temperatures≤773 K,which could allow for improved sustainability.

End-of-life vehicles processing,towards a thermal treatment of auto shredder residue

All over the world,the management of End-of-life Vehicles(ELV) and Automobile Shredder Residue(ASR) is an increasing issue for the car industry.The setting up of several environmental directives,among others the notion of extended producer responsibility,encourage car manufacturers to find alternatives solutions to waste disposal.For 2017,China aims for the recyclability and energy recovery of 95% of total weight of used cars,and in order to reach this rate,the development of some ASR thermal processes could be envisaged.With this research,an overview of ELV management was given and the different solutions about ASR thermal treatment were presented.It is showed that in spite of its big heterogeneity,the high heating value of ASR makes pyrolysis and gasification very interesting,compared to incineration or disposal of in landfills.

Influence of coke rate on thermal treatment of waste selective catalytic reduction(SCR)catalyst during iron ore sintering

Waste selective catalytic reduction(SCR)catalyst as a hazardous waste has a significant impact on the environment and human health.In present study,a novel technology for thermal treatment of waste SCR catalyst was proposed by adding it to sinter mix for iron ore sintering.The influences of coke rate on the flame front propagation,sinter microstructure,and sinter quality during sintering co-processing the waste SCR catalyst process were studied.In situ tests results indicated the maximum sintering bed temperature increased at higher coke rate,indicating more liquid phase generated and higher airflow resistance.The sintering time was longer and the calculated flame front speed dropped at higher coke rate.Sinter microstructure results found the coalescence and reshaping of bubbles were more fully with increasing coke rate.The porosity dropped from 35.28%to 25.66%,the pore average diameter of large pores decreased from 383.76μm to 311.43μm.With increasing coke rate,the sinter indexes of tumbler index,productivity,and yield,increased from 33.2%,9.2 t·m^(-2)·d^(-1),28.9%to 58.0%,36.0 t·m^(-2)·d^(-1),68.9%,respectively.Finally,a comprehensive index was introduced to systematically assess the influence of coke rate on sinter quality,which rose from 100 to 200 when coke rate was increased from 3.5%(mass)to 5.5%(mass).

Influence of Thermal Treatment on the Structure and Thermal Properties of Kaolin Modified Polyester Fibers

Modified polyester fibers were obtained using 2% and 6% of kaolin blends through melt spinning.The influences of two thermal treatments maintaining the original tension(180 ℃×2 min and 200 ℃×1 min)on the structure and properties of fiber were compared.The changes of grain size and crystallinity of fiber were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD).The changes of thermal properties of fibers were analyzed using dynamic mechanical analyzer(DMA).The results show that the crystalline structure of kaolin modified polyester fiber doesn't change with the thermal treatment.With the kaolin content increasing,the grain size of fiber changed.The higher the thermal treatment temperature is,the higher the crystallinity of fiber is.There are two glass-transition temperatures for kaolin modified:the lower one is the glass-transition temperature of polyester fiber matrix,and the higher one is derived from the heterogeneous blend of polyester matrix and nano kaolin.The higher the kaolin content is,the higher the glass-transition temperature is.Thermal treatment could increase the compatibility of polyester matrix and nano kaolin.There was only one glass-transition temperature for the thermal treatment fiber,and the heat resistance of fiber was improved.Thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry(TGA-DSC)results of kaolin modified polyethylene terephthalate(PET)matrix indicate that the decomposition temperature of PET fibers,kaolin modified PET fibers,and thermal treated fibers were little different within 40%-60% of weight loss rate range.

Effect of melt pulse electric current and thermal treatment on A356 alloy

Effects of the melt pulse electric current and thermal treatment on solidification structures of A356 alloy were investigated. In the experiments, the low temperature melt(953 K and 903 K) treated by pulse electric current was mixed with high temperature melt(1 223 K). By the control experiments, the results show that the solidification structure of A356 alloy is refined apparently by the pulse electric current together with melt thermal treatment process, and the mechanical properties, especially the elongation ratio of the specimen treated is improved greatly. The structure change of the melt by pulse electric current and melt thermal treatment is the main reason for the refinement of the solidification structure of A356 alloy.

Alteration of diaspore by thermal treatment

Diaspore （α-AlOOH） was heated at various temperatures from 300 to 1 000 ℃ for 2 h. The alteration of diaspore by thermal treatment was investigated by differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. The mechanism of thermal decomposition of diaspore was discussed according to the Coats-Redfern （equation.） It is found that after thermal treatment at 500 ℃, diaspore is transformed entirely to corundum （（α-Al2O3）.） Combined with the mass loss ratio obtained from the thermogravimetric analysis data, the activation energies for the thermal treatment of diaspore are calculated as Ea=10.4 kJ/mol below 400 ℃ and Eb=47.5 kJ/mol above 400 ℃, respectively, which is directly related to the structural alteration of diaspore during the thermal treatment. The results indicate that the thermal decomposition of diaspore is conducted primarily by means of an interfacial reaction.

Effect of Thermal Treatment of the Hydroxyapatite Powders on the Micropore and Microstructure of Porous Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Composite Granules

The effect of thermal treatment of the hydroxyapatite powders on the micropore structure of porous biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) granules was examined. The porous BCP granules could be attained through mixing and sintering/fracturing thermally treated 60 wt% hydroxyapatite powders and calcined 40 wt% β-tricalcium phosphate powders. The observed Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphologies showed that the density of micropores (0.1 - 2.0 μm) including interconnected micropores of the porous BCP granules mixed with hydroxyapatite powders thermally treated at 900°C was significantly improved and the composite particles of porous BCP granules were homogeneously mixed and distributed. This result indicates that the particles of hydroxyapatite powders that have a tendency to agglomerate at a room temperature were well isolated and dispersed through thermal treatment processing before mixing with calcined β-tricalcium phosphate powders. The microstructural characterizations such as phase purity and composition of porous BCP granules were performed and verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis.

Synthesis and Characterization of Ni-Zn Ferrite Nanoparticles (Ni_0.25Zn_0.75Fe₂O₄) by Thermal Treatment Method

Cubic structured nickel-zinc ferrite nanoparticles (Ni0.25Zn0.75Fe2O4) have been synthesized by thermal treatment method. In this procedure, an aqueous solution containing metal nitrates as precursors, polyvinyl pyrrolidone as a capping agent, and deionized water as a solvent were thoroughly stirred, dried at 353 K for 24 h, and crushed into powder before calcination to remove organic matters and crystallize the particles. The structure and particle size were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The average particle size increased from 7 to 25 nm with increase of calcination temperature from 723 to 873 K respectively. The magnetic properties were determined by vibrating sample magnetometer and electron paramagnetic resonance electron paramagnetic resonance at room temperature. By increasing the calcinations temperatures from 723 to 873 K it showed an increase of the magnetization saturation from 11 to 26 emu/g and the g-factor from 2.0670 to 2.1220. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm the presence of metal oxide bands at all temperatures and the removal of organic matters at 873 K.

Structural Changes by Thermal Treatment up to Glass Obtention of P₂O₅-Na₂O-CaO-SiO₂Compounds with Bioglass Composition Types

P2O5-Na2O-CaO-SiO2 compounds are the base of certain glass types. Glasses are solids obtained by fast cooling of melted mix of certain compounds. Different compositions give origin to many products with a variety of applications such as: bottles, coatings, windows, tools for chemical industry, laboratory equipment, optics, as bioceramics, etc. The aim of this work was to analyze structural changes of different composition in the P2O5-Na2O-CaO-SiO2 systems thermally treated up to 1250?C, that is to say, before glass formation, by X ray diffraction. Intermediate and final developed phases up to 1100?C thermal treatment in samples were generated as a function of Na2O/CaO (1 and 1.62) and P2O5/Na2O ratios (0, 0.2 and 0.245). High-and low-combeites, calcium and sodium-calcium silicate were found at the highest studied temperature.

Differentiation of the Aging Process of PEDOT:PSS Films under Inert Helium and Ambient Atmosphere for Two Different Rates of Thermal Treatment

The conductivity difference Δσ between two similar PEDOT:PSS films, 120 nm thick, heated by 5 and 15 K/min from 80 to 440 K, the one under inert He and the other under ambient air gives an approximate measure of the influence of oxygen and moisture on the conductivity vs temperature T. The resulting curves Δσ = f(T) exhibit three different regions: at temperatures from 80 to 145 K for heating rate 5 K/min and from 80 to 200 K for 15 K/min, an intense degradation of the sample under ambient atmosphere was revealed by the abrupt increase of the difference of the conductivities between He and atmospheric air. At intermediate temperatures from 145 to 380 K for 5 K/min and 200 to 400 K for 15 K/min, the conductivity difference remains basically constant indicating a stabilization of the damage produced by oxygen and moisture. Finally, for temperatures higher than 380 to 400 K the degradation increases again. An explanation of this behavior is proposed based on the hydrophilic character of the PSS and the destructive role of oxygen at high temperatures. Moreover, the isotherms σ = σ(t), where t is the heating time, at 443 K, under inert He and under atmospheric air for one hour verify the significant role of oxygen and moisture on the electrical conductivity. Under He the conductivity increases monotonically with t, but under ambient air factors the conductivity competes with others decreasing it producing a maximum at about t = 10 min.

Densification of Thin Aluminum Oxide Films by Thermal Treatments

Thin AlOx films were grown on 4H-SiC by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (ALD) and plasma assisted electron-beam evaporation at 300°C. After deposition, the films were annealed in nitrogen at temperatures between 500°C and 1050°C. The films were analyzed by X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in order to determine film thickness, surface roughness and density of the AlOx layer. No differences were found in the behavior of AlOx films upon annealing for the two different employed deposition techniques. Annealing results in film densification, which is most prominent above the crystallization temperature (800°C). In addition to the increasing density, a mass loss of ~5% was determined and attributed to the presence of aluminum oxyhydroxide in as deposited films. All changes in film properties after high temperature annealing appear to be independent of the deposition technique.