Effects of surface roughness of substrate on properties of Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coatings

Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coatings were deposited on Cr_17Ni_2 steel substrates with different surface roughnesses by vacuum cathodic arc deposition method. Microstructure, micro-hardness, adhesion strength and cross-sectional morphology of the obtained multilayer coatings were investigated. The results show that the Vickers hardness of Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coating, with a film thickness of 11.37 μm, is 29.36 GPa. The erosion and salt spray resistance performance of Cr_17Ni_2 steel substrates can be evidently improved by Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coating. The surface roughness of Cr_17Ni_2 steel substrates plays an important role in determining the mechanical and erosion performances of Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coatings. Overall, a low value of the surface roughness of substrates corresponds to an improved performance of erosion and salt spray resistance of multilayer coatings. The optimized performance of Ti/TiN/Zr/ZrN multilayer coatings can be achieved provided that the surface roughness of Cr_17Ni_2 steel substrates is lower than 0.4μm.

Significant Enhancement in Built-in Potential and Charge Carrier Collection of Organic Solar Cells using 4-（5-hexylthiophene-2-yl）-2,6-bis（5- trifluoromethyl）thiophen-2-yl）pyridine as a Cathode Buffer Layer

An electron transporting material of TFTTP （4-（5-hexylthiophene-2-yl）-2,6-bis（5-trifluoromethyl）thiophen-2-yl）pyridine） was investigated as a cathode buffer layer to enhance the power efficiency of organic solar cells （OSCs） based on subphthalocyanine and C60. The overall power conversion efficiency was increased by a factor of 1.31 by inserting the TFTTP interfacial layer between the active layer and metallic cathode. The inner mechanism responsible for the performance enhancement of OSCs was systematically studied with the simulation of dark diode behavior and optical field distribution inside the devices as well as the characterization of device photocurrent. The results showed that the TFTTP layer could significantly increase the built-in potential in the devices, leading to the enhanced dissociation of charge transfer excitons. In addition, by using TFTTP as the buffer layer, a better Ohmic contact at C60/metal interface was formed, facilitating more efficient free charge carrier collection.

Inverted Organic Solar Cells with Improved Performance using Varied Cathode Buffer Layers

Organic solar cells with inverted planar heterojunction structure based on subphthalocya- nine and C60 were fabricated using several kinds of materials as cathode buffer layer （CBL）, including tris-8-hydroxy-quinolinato aluminum （Alq3）, bathophenanthroline （Bphen）, bathocuproine, 2,3,8,9,14,15-hexakis-dodecyl-sulfanyl-5,6,11,12,17,18-hexaazatrinaphthylene （HATNA）, and an inorganic compound of Cs2CO3. The influence of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital level and the electron mobility of organic CBL on the solar cells perfor- mance was compared. The results showed that Alq3, Bphen, and HATNA could significantly improve the device performance. The highest efficiency was obtained from device with an- nealed HATNA as CBL and increased for more than 7 times compared with device without CBL. Furthermore~ the simulation results with space charge-limited current theory indicated that the Schottky barrier at the organic/electrode interface in inverted OSC structure was reduced for 27% by inserting HATNA CBL.

Buffer anion effects on water oxidation catalysis: The case of Cu(Ⅲ) complex

Water oxidation is the bottleneck of artificial photosynthesis.Since the first ruthenium-based molecular water oxidation catalyst,the blue dimer,was reported by Meyer’ s group in 1982,catalysts based on transition metals have been widely employed to explore the mechanism of water oxidation.Because the oxidation of water requires harsh oxidative conditions,the stability of transition complexes under the relevant catalytic conditions has always been a challenge.In this work,we report the redox properties of a CuⅢ complex(TAML-CuⅢ] with a redox-active macrocyclic ligand(TAML) and its reactivity toward catalytic water oxidation.TAML-CuⅢ displayed a completely different electrochemical behavior from that of the TAML-CoⅢ complex previously reported by our group.TAML-CuⅢ can only be oxidized by one-electron oxidation of the ligand to form TAML·+-CuⅢand cannot achieve water activation through the ligand-centered proton-coupled electron transfer that takes place in the case of TAML-CoⅢ.The generated TAML·+-CuⅢ intermediate can undergo further oxidation and ligand hydrolysis with the assistance of borate anions,triggering the formation of a heterogeneous B/CuOx nanocatalyst Therefore,the choice of the buffer solution has a significant influence on the electrochemical behavior and stability of molecular water oxidation catalysts.

Evaluation of cathode quality and damage of aluminium electrolytic cell based on non-destructive technology

To evaluate the quality and damage condition of the electrolyzer,wave velocity detection technology and impact echo technology were used to detect the cathode part of the electrolyzer.The experimental results show that wave velocity is linearly related to the porosity,and there is also a linear relationship between wave velocity and the square root of reciprocal density in cathode carbon blocks(CCBs)before installation into electrolyzer.Combined with detection results of wave velocity and voltage drop,the large-size CCBs with relatively good quality can be found.Through the impact echo technology on cathode steel rods(CSRs),the results of the on-site detection show that the damage condition of CSRs can be effectively evaluated,and the damage location of CSRs can be determined.This study proposes a novel and quantifiable method for the evaluation of cathode quality and damage,which provides a reference for prolonging the service life of the electrolyzer.

Using an Anion Exchange Membrane to Predict Soil Available N and S Supplies and the Impact of N and S Fertilization on Canola and Wheat Growth

A growth chamber study was conducted to determine the relationships between the supply of soil available nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) and canola (Brassica napus) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L. 'Biggar') N and S uptake and yield in three Western Canadian soils. The suitability of one-hour burial with an anion exchange membrane (AEM) was assessed for its utility as a quick test of the available N:S balance in the soil. Canola and wheat were grown on a Luvisolic soil low in available S and on Brown and Black Chernozemic soils low in both available N and S, with different rates and combinations of N and S fertilizers applied. AEM burial was used to assess soil available nitrate and sulfate supply rates after fertilization. Dry matter yield and N and S concentrations in plant tissues were determined after 6 weeks of growth. The soil available N:S ratio determined by AEM burial closely reflected the relative supplies of available N and S as revealed in the N:S ratios of plant tissue dry matter. The highest yields were achieved where the available N:S ratio in soil and plant tissue ranged from 5 to 13. Thus, a one-hour burial of an AEM probe in the field may be a useful tool to quickly test if a balanced N and S supply is present in the soil for optimum crop yield.

Acupuncture Treatment of Melancholia

Case HistoryMs. Liu, a 63-year-old housewife, paid her first visit on Oct.7, 1986 with main complaint of distension and pain in the chest and hypochondrium, and insomnia for one month.

Metal cathode patterning for OLED by nanosecond pulsed laser ablation

In this paper,nanosecond pulsed laser is introduced to selectively ablate away indium tin oxide film and metal film without destroying the underlying layers for fabricating organic light-emitting diodes.By varying density of energy,pulse number and width of the laser,the influence on morphology of the laser trenches of indium tin oxide and metal films are investigated.It is presented that uniform ablation trench can be obtained with 16 laser pulses at 0.15 J/cm^2 for aluminum film and 10 laser pulses at 0.65 J/cm^2 for indium tin oxide film.It is found that the characteristics of the organic light-emitting diodes prepared with laser ablation are almost the same as those of that prepared with conventional patterning method.

Shadow detection combining characters of human vision

A shadow detection method using pulse couple neural network inspired by the characters of human visual system is proposed.More precisely,lateral inhibition of human vision and coefficient of variation are combined together to improve the pulse couple neural network.Shadow detection is considered to be a shadow region segmentation problem.Experiment shows that the presented method is consistent with human vision compared to shadow detection methods based on HSV and pulse couple neural network(PCNN) by both subjective and objective assessments.

灼口

克孜尔别克从山北边的外国回来了。这个消息像炸雷一般,震得哈拐子目瞪口呆,半晌魂不守舍。这怎么可能呢?这怎么得了呢?那个刺猬脸可不是吃素的,论打论杀十个哈拐子也不是他的对手。忧愁、惊惧像只大手攫着拐子的心。

MoO_3 as a cathode buffer layer for enhancing the efficiency in white organic light-emitting diodes

Molybdenum trioxide （MOO3） as a cathode buffer layer is inserted between LiF and A1 to improve the efficiency of white organic light-emitting diodes （OLEDs） in this paper..By changing the MoO3 thickness, a higher current efficiency of 5.79 cd/A is obtained at a current density of 160 mA/cm2 for the device with a 0.8 nm-thick MoO3 layer as the cathode buffer layer, which is approximately two times greater than that of the device without MoO3. The mechanism for improving the device efficiency is discussed. Moreover, at a voltage of 13 V, the device with a 0.8 nm-thick MoO3 layer achieves a higher luminance of 22370 cd/m2, and the Commission Internationale de I＇Eclairage （CIE） color coordinate of the device with 1 nm-thick MoO3 layer is （0.33, 0：34）, which shows the best color purity. Simple electron-only devices are tested to confirm the impact of the MoO3 layer on the carrier injection.

A thermal stable cathode buffer based on an inexpensive tetranuclear zinc(Ⅱ) complex for organic photovoltaic devices

An inexpensive material, i.e., tetranuclear zinc（Ⅱ） complex, （Zn40（A/D）6） [AID = 7-azaindolate], was utilized as a cathode buffer in organic photovoltaic （OPV） devices, leading to the improvement of device performance. Compared to OPV devices based on a conventional cathode buffer of TPBi （1,3,5-tris（2-N-phenylbenzimidazolyl）benzene）, although the freshly prepared devices showed similar performance, when heated to a series of high temperatures under air, the short circuit current and the open circuit voltage of the Zn40（AID）6 devices dropped more slowly, indicating the superiority of using Zn40（AID）6 as a cathode buffer over TPBi in OPV devices.

Large field emission current and density from robust carbon nanotube cathodes for continuous and pulsed electron sources

Highly adhesive cold cathodes with high field emission performance are fabricated by using a screen-print- ing method. The emission density of carbon nanotube （CNT） cold cathode reaches 207.0 mA cm-2 at an electric field of 4.5 Vμm-1 under continuous driving mode, and high peak current emission of 315.8 mA corresponding to 4.5 A cm 2 at the electric field of 10.3 V μm-1 under pulsed driving mode. The emission patterns of the cold cathodes are of excellent uniformity that was revealed by vivid luminescent patterns of phosphor coated transparent indium tin oxide （ITO） an- ode. The cold cathodes also exhibit highly stable emission under continuous and pulsed driving modes. The high adhe- sion of CNTs to molybdenum substrates results in robust cold cathodes and is responsible for the high field emission performance. This robust CNT emitter could meet the operating requirements of continuous and pulsed electron sources, and it provides promising applications in various vacuum- micro/nanoelectronic devices.

Enhancement of the efficiency and stability of planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells via incorporation of an amine-modified fullerene derivative as a cathode buffer layer

A methanol-soluble diamine-modified fullerene derivative(denoted as PCBDANI)was applied as an efficient cathode buffer layer(CBL)in planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells(pero-SCs)based on the CH_3NH_3PbI_(3-x)Cl_x absorber.The device with PCBDANI single CBL exhibited significantly improved performance with a power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 15.45%,which is approximately17%higher than that of the control device without the CBL.The dramatic improvement in PCE can be attributed to the formation of an interfacial dipole at the PCBM/Al interface originating from the amine functional group and the suppression of interfacial recombinationby the PCBDANI interlayer.To further improve the PCE of pero-SCs,PCBDANI/LiF double CBLs were introduced between PCBM and the top Al electrode.An impressive PCE of 15.71%was achieved,which is somewhat higher than that of the devices with LiF or PCBDANI single CBL.Besides the PCE,the long-term stability of the device with PCBDANI/LiF double CBLs is also superior to that of the device with LiF single CBL.

Solution-derived poly（ethylene glycol）-TiOx nanocom- posite film as a universal cathode buffer layer for enhancing efficiency and stability of polymer solar cells

Highly efficient and stable polymer solar cells （PSCs） have been fabricated by adopting solution-derived hybrid poly（ethylene glycol）-titanium oxide （PEG-TiOx） nanocomposite films as a novel and universal cathode buffer layer （CBL）, which can greatly improve device performance by reducing interface energy barriers and enhancing charge extraction/collection. The performance of inverted PSCs with varied bulk-heterojunctions （BHJs） based on this hybrid nanocomposite CBL was found to be much better than those of control devices with a pure TiOx CBL or without a CBL. An excellent power conversion efficiency up to 9.05% under AM 1.5G irradiation （100 mW-cm^-2） was demonstrated, which represents a record high value for inverted PSCs with TiOx-based interface materials.