Surface Electromechanical Coupling on DLC Film with Conductive Atomic Force Microscope

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film composed of microscopically insulation but microscopically a mixture of conducting (sp2) and insulating (sp3) phases was discussed on the local modification with a conductive atomic force microscope (C-APM). Especially, a topographic change was observed when a direct current (DC) bias-voltage was applied to the DLC film. Experimental results show that a nanoscale pit on DLC surface was formed when applying a positive 25 V on DLC film. According to the interacting force between CoCr-coated microelectronic scanning probe (MESP) tip and DLC surface, as well as the Sondheimer oscillation theory, the 'scalewing effect' of the pit was explained. Electromechanical coupling on DLC film suggested that the depth of pits increased with an increase of load applied to surface when the cantilever-deflected signal was less than a certain threshold voltage.

Influence of sputtering parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of GeSbTe films

GeSb2Te4 films were deposited on Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering,and the effects of sputtering power on the surface topography and anti-compression properties were studied with atomic force microscope(AFM)and nanoindenter.Meanwhile,the mechanical properties of GeSb2Te4 films with oxygen impurity were also investigated.The results indicate that proper sputtering power is important for obtaining GeSb2Te4 films with high compact structure and low surface roughness,which present good load-support capacity.Although the effect of oxygen impurity on the anti-compression properties of GeSb2Te4 films is not very significant as a whole,certain oxygen dosage can relax the internal stress,thereby the hardness of the films drops slightly.

Experimental investigation of crossflow characteristics in multi-jets system at small nozzle-to-plate spacing

To further extend knowledge about the detailed knowledge on the crossflow characteristics in a multi-jets system under a confined space,particle image velocimetry (PIV) was employed to investigate the flow structures together with the distributions of the mean velocity components for Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 6 213 to 13 418,nozzle-to-plate spacing (H/D) varying from 0. 20 to1. 25,respectively. Results show that the crossflow configuration is significantly different from those of large nozzle-to-plate spacing. In addition,a turning point H/D=0.50 is revealed in the profile of the normalized maximum radial velocity which is associated with the heat transfer distribution on the impingement plate.

Post-treatment by an ionic tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate for improved efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells

Interface engineering is an effective way to improve efficiency and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells(PSCs).Herein,an ionic compound tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate(TP6)is adopted to passivate surface defects of the perovskite film.It is found that TP6 effectively reduced the surface defects,especially at the grain boundaries where the defects are abundant.Meanwhile,the exposed long alkyl chains and fluorine atoms in the TP6 enhanced the moisture stability of the perovskite film due to its strong hydrophobicity.In addition,the driving force of charge carrier separation and transport is increased by enlarged built-in potential.Consequently,the power conversion efficiency(PCE)of PSCs is significantly improved from 20.59% to 22.41%by increased open-circuit voltage(V_(oc))and fill factor(FF).The unencapsulated device with TP6 treatment exhibits better stability than the control device,and the PCE retains-80%of its initial PCE after 30 days under 15%-25%relative humidity in storage,while the PCE of the control device declines by more than 50%.

Multi-functional stretchable and flexible sensor array to determine the location, shape, and pressure: Application in a smart robot

The rapid increase in the aging population prompts the development of wearable devices and sophisticated robots. With their ability to collect complex information about their surroundings via e-skins, robots could perform more dynamic and variable tasks such as rescue missions or caring for the elderly. In this paper, we present a new concept of utilizing a very simple, highly flexible and stretchable capacitor sensor array, that can be attached on the surface of a retractable robot hand to realize three functions: determining the location, shape, and pressure of an object. This adaptive sensing system is accomplished using capacitors connected by aligned carbon nanotube(CNT) films constructed on an elastomer dielectric material, which can reduce the requirement on the accuracy of the machine vision system. This study has a very broad application in the manufacture of intelligent software robots.