Transforming a Two-Dimensional Layered Insulator into a Semiconductor or a Highly Conductive Metal through Transition Metal Ion Intercalation

Atomically thin two-dimensional(2D) materials are the building bricks for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics, which demand plentiful functional properties in mechanics, transport, magnetism and photoresponse.For electronic devices, not only metals and high-performance semiconductors but also insulators and dielectric materials are highly desirable. Layered structures composed of 2D materials of different properties can be delicately designed as various useful heterojunction or homojunction devices, in which the designs on the same material(namely homojunction) are of special interest because preparation techniques can be greatly simplified and atomically seamless interfaces can be achieved. We demonstrate that the insulating pristine ZnPS_3, a ternary transition-metal phosphorus trichalcogenide, can be transformed into a highly conductive metal and an n-type semiconductor by intercalating Co and Cu atoms, respectively. The field-effect-transistor(FET) devices are prepared via an ultraviolet exposure lithography technique. The Co-ZnPS_3 device exhibits an electrical conductivity of 8 × 10^(4) S/m, which is comparable to the conductivity of graphene. The Cu-ZnPS_3 FET reveals a current ON/OFF ratio of 1-05 and a mobility of 3 × 10^(-2 )cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1). The realization of an insulator, a typical semiconductor and a metallic state in the same 2D material provides an opportunity to fabricate n-metal homojunctions and other in-plane electronic functional devices.

Light welding nanoparticles:from metal colloids to free-standing conductive metallic nanoparticle film

Bottom-up assembly of nanostructured thin films could offer an alternative low-cost approach to elec- tronic thin films. However, such solution-processed thin films are often plagued by excessive inter-particle resistance and only exhibit limited current delivering capability. Here, we report a novel approach to fabricate highly conductive free-standing metallic thin film, accomplished by combining interfacial self-assembly of nanoparticles （NPs） and a light welding process. We found that light from a xenon lamp can weld adjacent Ag and Au NPs assembled at the water-air interface, forming a highly interconnected, free-standing metallic thin film structure with excellent electrical transport properties. With such a unique structure, the resultant thin metallic films show not only high flexibility and robustness, but also high conductivity comparable to bulk metallic thin films. Our studies offer a low-cost, room-temperature, and solution-processable approach to highly conductive metallic films. It can significantly impact solution-processable elec- tronic and optoelectronic devices.

Effects of Metal Absorber Thermal Conductivity on Clear Plastic Laser Transmission Welding

In our previous study, metals have been used as absorbers in the clear plastic laser transmission welding. The effects of metal thermal conductivity on the welding quality are investigated in the present work. Four metals with distinctly different thermal conductivities, i.e., titanium, nickel, molybdenum, and copper, are selected as light absorbers. The lap welding is conducted with an 808 nm diode laser and simulation experiments are also conducted. Nickel electroplating test is carried out to minimize the side-effects from different light absorptivities of different metals. The results show that the welding with an absorber of higher thermal conductivity can accommodate higher laser input power before smoking, which produces a wider and stronger welding seam.The positive role of the higher thermal conductivity can be attributed to the fact that a desirable thermal field distribution for the molecular diffusion and entanglement is produced from the case with a high thermal conductivity.

Analytical design of effective thermal conductivity for fluid-saturated prismatic cellular metal honeycombs

A comparative optimal design of fluid-saturated prismatic cellular metal honeycombs （PCMHs） having different cell shapes is presented for thermal management applications. Based on the periodic topology of each PCMH, a unit cell （UC） for thermal transport analysis was selected to calculate its effective thermal conductivity. Without introducing any empirical coefficient, we modified and extended the analytical model of parallel-series thermal-electric network to a wider porosity range （0.7 ~ 0.98） by considering the effects of two-dimensional local heat conduction in solid ligaments inside each UC. Good agreement was achieved between analytical predictions and numerical simulations based on the method of finite volume. The concept of ligament heat conduction efficiency （LTCE） was proposed to physically explain the mechanisms underlying the effects of ligament configuration on effective thermal conductivity （ETC）. Based upon the proposed theory, a construct strategy was developed for designing the ETC by altering the equivalent interaction angle with the direction of heat flow： relatively small average interaction angle for thermal conduction and relatively large one for thermal insulation.

Charge transport and bipolar switching mechanism in a Cu/HfO_2/Pt resistive switching cell

Bipolar resistance switching characteristics are investigated in Cu/sputtered-HfO_2/Pt structure in the application of resistive random access memory（RRAM）.The conduction mechanism of the structure is characterized to be SCLC conduction.The dependence of resistances in both high resistance state（HRS） and low resistance state（LRS） on the temperature and device area are studied.Then,the composition and chemical bonding state of Cu and Hf at Cu/HfO_2 interface region are analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）.Combining the electrical characteristics and the chemical structure at the interface,a model for the resistive switching effect in Cu/HfO_2/Pt stack is proposed.According to this model,the generation and recovery of oxygen vacancies in the HfO_2 film are responsible for the resistance change.

Study on Conductivity of Ceramics LaFe_(1 - x) Ni_xO_(3-δ)

The LaFe 1-x Ni x O 3-δ serial ceramics were prepared by standard solid phase reaction method. Two arm electric bridge principal and four electrode method were adopted to measure the resistivity. The results indicate that LaFe 1-x Ni x O 3-δ ceramics are of metallic state conductivity when x varies from 0 6 to 0 8. There are oxygen vacancies and conductive electrons in the ceramics, which results in highly mixed conductivity of electrons and oxygen ions. The amount of oxygen vacancies depends on the sintering techniques, so the proper increase of sintering temperature can decrease the room temperature resistivity. A phase transition is found at around 120 K in the low temperature experiment.

Cold plasma-induced effects on electromagnetic wave scattering in waveguides:a mode-matching analysis

This article presents advancements in an analytical mode-matching technique for studying electromagnetic wave propagation in a parallel-plate metallic rectangular waveguide.This technique involves projecting the solution onto basis functions and solving linear algebraic systems to determine scattering amplitudes.The accuracy of this method is validated via numerical assessments,which involve the reconstruction of matching conditions and conservation laws.The study highlights the impact of geometric and material variations on reflection and transmission phenomena in the waveguide.

A promising new class of plasticine: Metallic plasticine

Soft, malleable, and non-dry on exposure in air are the typical features for plain plasticine, which lead plasticine to be widely used in many industrial fields and our daily life. As a kind of clay, poorly elec- tric conductivity and thermal conductivity of plain plasticine seriously limit its applications. Therefore, synthesizing a kind of plasticine having metallic bond is of importance for extending its applications in some special cases, such as thermal-cooling medium, anti-static electricity, electromagnetic shielding, etc. Here, we report a novel GalnSnCdZn2 alloy, which exhibits similar behavior as compared to those of plasticine at near room temperature （30-40 ℃）, and a good electrical conductivity due to its nature of metal. This new GalnSnCdZn2 alloy can be called as metallic plasticine that contains the near-eutectic structure with low melting point and the other relatively high melting point phases. In this metallic plas- ticine, the near-eutectic structure with low melting point plays the same role as the oily ingredient in plain plasticine, dominating the plastic deformation, while the other relatively high melting point phases act as the stuffing like the CaCO3 in plain plasticine. The creation of metallic plasticine offers a general strategy for designing/preparing a new class of plasticine which possesses both the nature of metal and plasticine.

Printable inorganic nanomaterials for flexible transparent electrodes:from synthesis to application

Printed and flexible electronics are definitely promising cutting-edge electronic technologies of the future. They offer a wide-variety of applications such as flexible circuits, flexible displays, flexible solar cells, skinlike pressure sensors, and radio frequency identification tags in our daily life. As the most-fundamental component of electronics, electrodes are made of conductive materials that play a key role in flexible and printed electronic devices. In this review, various inorganic conductive materials and strategies for obtaining highly conductive and uniform electrodes are demonstrated. Applications of printed electrodes fabricated via these strategies are also described. Nevertheless, there are a number of challenges yet to overcome to optimize the processing and performance of printed electrodes.

Synthesis and properties of ionic conduction polymer for anodic bonding

In this study,powders of polyethylene oxide（PEO） and lithium perchlorate（Li Cl O4） were used as the raw materials for producing the ionic conduction polymer PEO–Li Cl O4 with different complex-ratios and used for anodic bonding through high energy ball milling method,and meanwhile,X-ray diffraction,differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）,ultraviolet absorption spectrum test analysis,and other relevant methods were adopted to research the complexation mechanism of PEO and Li Cl O4 and the impact of the ionic conduction polymer with different complex-ratios on the anodic bonding process under the action of the strong static electric field.The research results showed that the crystallization of PEO could be effectively obstructed with increased addition of Li Cl O4,thus increasing the content of PEO–Li Cl O4 in amorphous area and continuously improving the complexation degree and the room-temperature conductivity thereof,and that the higher room-temperature conductivity enabled PEO–Li Cl O4 to better bond with metallic aluminum and have better bonding quality.As the new encapsulating material,such research results will promote the application of new polymer functional materials in micro-electromechanical system（MEMS） components.

Thermal properties of diamond/Al composites by pressure infiltration:comparison between methods of coating Ti onto diamond surfaces and adding Si into Al matrix

This study was pertained to the effects of Ti coating on diamond surfaces and Si addition into Al matrix on the thermal conductivity（TC） and the coefficient of thermal expansion（CTE） of diamond/Al composites by pressure infiltration.The fracture surfaces,interface microstructures by metal electro-etching and interfacial thermal conductance of the composites prepared by two methods were compared.The results reveal that Ti coating on diamond surfaces and only12.2 wt% Si addition into Al matrix could both improve the interfacial bonding and increase the TCs of the composites.But the Ti coating layer introduces more interfacial thermal barrier at the diamond/Al interface compared to adding 12.2 wt% Si into Al matrix.The diamond/Al composite with 12.2 wt% Si addition exhibits maximum TC of 534 W·m^-1·K^-1and a very low CTE of 8.9×10^-6K^-1,while the coating Ti-diamond/Al composite has a TC of 514 W·m^-1·K^-1 and a CTE of 11.0×10^-6K^-1.

Resistive switching characteristics of Ni/HfO_2/Pt ReRAM

This study investigated the resistive switching characteristics of the Ni/HfCVPt structure for nonvolatile memory application.The Ni/HfO_2/Pt device showed bipolar resistive switching（RS） without a forming process, and the formation and rupture of conducting filaments are responsible for the resistive switching phenomenon.In addition,the device showed some excellent memory performances,including a large on/off ratio（〉 3×10~5）,very good data retention（〉 10~3 s @ 200℃） and uniformity of switching parameters.Considering these results,the Ni/HfO_2/Pt device has the potential for nonvolatile memory applications.