Clockwise vs Counter-Clockwise I-V Hysteresis of Point-Contact Metal-Tip/Pr0.7 Ca0.3MnO3/Pt Devices

Metal-tip/Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3/Pt devices possess two types of I-V hysteresis： clockwise vs counter clockwise depending on the tip materials. The criteria for categorization of these two types of devices can be simply based on whether the Gibbs free energy of oxidation for the metal tip is lower or higher than that of PCMO, respectively. While the clockwise hysteresis can be attributed to electric field induced oxidation/reduction, the counter clockwise hysteresis can be explained by oxygen vacancy migration in an electrical field. Alternating-current conductance spectra also reveal distinct hopping barriers between these two categories of devices at high resistive states.

Design and Application of a Near Field Microwave Antenna for the Spin Control of Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers

Controlled manipulation of the electron spin by means of a microwave field is investigated. The near magnetic field generated by a copper wire antenna is measured experimentally and simulated theoretically, and the optimum antenna length and position are obtained. By measuring the change in the fluorescence of nitrogen-vacancy （N-V） centers in diamond after excitation with a 532 nm continuous wave laser at room temperature, it is verified that the spin of the N-V center can be effectively controlled by the microwave field.

A Novel Ce3＋/Tb3＋ Codoped Phosphate Glass as Down-Shifting Materials for Enhancing Efficiency of Solar Cells

For the purpose of improving conversion efficiency of solar cells by applying the effect of the wavelength conversion of rare earth ions, photo-luminescence and excitation spectrums of Ce3＋-Tb3＋ doped phosphate glass are investigated. Results show that incorporating Ce3＋ ions to Tb3＋-doped phosphate glass can greatly increase the absorption coefficient in the range 300-400 nm and then the energy transfer （ET） from Ce3＋ to Tb3＋ occurs. In addition, increasing Tb3＋ concentration in Ce3＋/Tb3＋ co-doped phosphate glass can greatly enhance the ET efficiency and 545 nm emission intensity. This shows that Ce3＋/Tb3＋ co-doped phosphate glass would be a promising down-shifting material for enhancing the efficiency of solar cells.

Effect of Poly（Ether Urethane） Introduction on the Performance of Polymer Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The introduction of poly（ether urethane） （PEUR） into polymer electrolyte based on poly（ethylene oxide）, LiI and I2, has significantly increased the ionic conductivity by nearly two orders of magnitudes. An increment of I3- diffusion coefficient is also observed. All-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells are constructed using the polymer electrolytes. It was found that PEUR incorporation has a beneficial effect on the enhancement of open circuit voltage VOC by shifting the band edge of TiO2 to a negative value. Scanningelectron microscope images indicate the perfect interfacial contact between the TiO2 electrode and the blend electrolyte.

Electromechanical Behavior of Interdigitated SiO2 Cantilever Arrays

Bending and first flexural mode vibration behavior of electrostatic actuated nanometer-sized interdigitated cantilever arrays are characterized under vacuum conditions. The pull-in＇＇ effect in dc driving and the hard spring effect＇＇ in ac driving are observed. A mass sensitivity of 20 fg is expected for our devices due to the ultra-small mass of the arm and relative high Q factor. The mass-spring lump model combined with Green＇s function method is used to fit the dc driving behaviors including the pull-in voltage. For the ac driving case, the polynomial expansion of the capacitive force is used in the model. The successfully fittings of the pull-in voltage and the hard spring effect prove that our simulation method could be used for guiding the geometrical design of cantilever-based sensors.