Coulomb-gap magnetotransport in granular and porous carbon structures

Sign change of magnetoresistance in Gd-doped amorphous carbon granular films

Gd/C granular films with 11% Gd were fabricated by facing-target magnetron sputtering at room temperature and then annealed at 300-650 °C for 1.5 h. A magnetoresistance of -82% was obtained in the Gd/C films annealed at 650 °C at 3 K under a magnetic field of 50 kOe. A sign change of the magnetoresistance from negative to positive and then back to negative was observed in all samples as the temperature decreases. Grain boundary scattering effects, wave-function-shrinkage, cotunneling and Gd-Gd interactions account for the mechanisms of the magnetoresistance effects in different temperature regions. The sign of the magnetoresistance also varies as the magnetic field increases. At the transition temperature of 25 K, the wave-function-shrinkage effect competes with cotunneling and Gd-Gd interactions at different magnetic fields. The competition between the wave-function-shrinkage effect and the grain boundary scattering effect is approximately at the transition temperature of 100 K. The temperature range of positive magnetoresistance expands and transition temperatures are changed as the annealing temperature increases. It is related to the expansion of the temperature region for the wave-function-shrinkage effect which occurs in the Mott variable range hopping conduction mechanism.

Experimental techniques for the characterization of carbon nanoparticles - a brief overview

THE REVIEW OF FOUR EXPERIMENTAL METHODS

X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance and four-point electrical conductivity measurements is presented to characterize carbon nanoparticles. Two types of carbon nanoparticle systems are discussed: one comprising the powder of individual carbon nanoparticles and the second as a structurally interconnected nanoparticle matrix in the form of a fiber. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy reveal the atomic structure of the carbon nanoparticles and allow for observation of the changes in the quasi-graphitic ordering induced by ultrasonic irradiation and with the so-called quasi-high pressure effect under adsorption conditions. Structural changes have strong influence on the electronic properties, especially the localization of charge carriers within the nanoparticles, which can be observed with the EPR technique. This in turn can be well-correlated with the four-point electrical conductivity measurements which directly show the character of the charge carrier transport within the examined structures.

Sulfur-impregnated activated carbon fiber cloth as a binder-free cathode for rechargeable Li-S batteries

A route for the preparation of binder-free sulfur-carbon cathodes is developed for lithium sulfur batteries. The method is based on the impregnation of elemental sulfur into the micropores of activated carbon fibers. These electrodes demonstrate good electrochemical performance at high current density attributed to the uniform dispersion of sulfur inside the carbon fiber.

Aryl functionalization as a route to band gap engineering in single layer graphene devices

Chemical functionalization is a promising route to band gap engineering of graphene. We chemically grafted nitrophenyl groups onto exfoliated single-layer graphene sheets in the form of substrate-supported or free-standing films. Our transport measurements demonstrate that nonsuspended functionalized graphene behaves as a granular metal, with variable range hopping transport and a mobility gap ∼0.1 eV at low temperature. For suspended graphene that allows functionalization on both surfaces, we demonstrate tuning of its electronic properties from a granular metal to a semiconductor in which transport occurs via thermal activation over a transport gap ∼80 meV from 4 to 300 K. This noninvasive and scalable functionalization technique paves the way for CMOS-compatible band gap engineering of graphene electronic devices.

Effects of confinement on freezing and melting

We present a review of experimental, theoretical, and molecular simulation studies of confinement effects on freezing and melting. We consider both simple and more complex adsorbates that are confined in various environments (slit or cylindrical pores and also disordered porous materials). The most commonly used molecular simulation, theoretical and experimental methods are first presented. We also provide a brief description of the most widely used porous materials. The current state of knowledge on the effects of confinement on structure and freezing temperature, and the appearance of new surface-driven and confinement-driven phases are then discussed. We also address how confinement affects the glass transition.