1
|
Rezaee S, Korpi AG, Karimi M, Jurečka S, Arman A, Luna C, Ţălu Ş. Influence of film thickness on structural, optical, and electrical properties of sputtered nickel oxide thin films. Microsc Res Tech 2024; 87:1402-1412. [PMID: 38380821 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Utilizing radio frequency magnetron sputtering, we successfully fabricated nickel oxide thin films with different thickness (from 80 to 270 nm), and conducted an in-depth examination of their structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties. The crystal structure and surface roughness were determined using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The XRD analyses showed that the films were composed of cubic nickel oxide, exhibiting a notable orientation along the (200) direction. This crystal texture partially increased when the film thickness reached 270 nm. In addition, a direct correlation between film thickness and crystallite size was observed, with the latter increasing as the former did. AFM analysis provided insights into the surface morphology, revealing metrics like the bearing area, 3D surfaces intersections, and statistical properties of surface height. These insights underscore the relationship between film thickness and surface properties, which in turn influence the overall electrical, and prominently, optical properties of the films. Employing transmittance UV-visible spectroscopy, we characterized the optical behavior of these films, noting a proportional increase in refractive index with film thickness. Additionally, resistivity was observed to increase concomitantly with film thickness. In conclusion, the deposition process's film thickness acts as a pivotal parameter for fine-tuning the structural, morphological, and optical properties of nickel oxide thin films. This knowledge paves the way for optimizing nickel oxide-based devices across various applications. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We synthesized and characterized of p-type semiconducting NiO thin films sputtered on substrates by using RF magnetron sputtering with different thickness. Advanced crystalline structures and fractal features extracted from XRD and AFM analysis. The 2D and 3D surface analysis of the samples indicates a complex structure with an imperfect self-similarity that suggests a multifractal structure. We represented graphically the relative representation of higher geometric objects in the AFM image. We attributed the optical and electrical properties of the samples to the crystallite size, and the concurrent reduction in oxygen vacancies and crystalline defects within the films.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Rezaee
- Department of Physics, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Alireza Grayeli Korpi
- Physics and Accelerators Research School, Nuclear Science & Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Karimi
- Physics and Accelerators Research School, Nuclear Science & Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
| | - Stanislav Jurečka
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Aurel Stodola, University of Žilina, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
| | - Ali Arman
- Vacuum Technology Research Group, ACECR, Sharif University Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | - Carlos Luna
- Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas (FCFM), Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL), San Nicolás de loss Garza, Mexico
| | - Ştefan Ţălu
- Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, The Directorate of Research, Development and Innovation Management (DMCDI), Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dong P, Deng Q, Zhang Q, Chen C, Yang C. Enabling high rate capability and stability all-solid-state batteries via cationic surfactant modification of composite electrolyte. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 652:567-576. [PMID: 37611466 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
The garnet-type solid electrolyte Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) was modified with a cationic surfactant Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) to improve the dispersion of LLZTO inorganic particles in Poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) electrolyte (PEO-LLZTO@CTAB) by a liquid phase casting method. During fabrication, the cationic modifier CTAB is uniformly adsorbed on the surface of LLZTO particles, which can effectively reduce their surface energy and lead to a thin CTAB surface coating layer. This fabricated PEO-LLZTO@CTAB can avoid the aggregation of LLZTO particles in the composite solid-state electrolyte (CSSE) and improve the interfacial contact at the PEO/LLZTO interface, thus reducing the overall resistance of PEO-LLZTO@CTAB/Li half-cell and inhibiting the dendrite growth during cycling. The all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) with LiFePO4 (LFP) as the cathode, PEO-LLZTO@CTAB as the electrolyte and Li as the anode exhibit a high initial discharge capacity of 146.6 mAh-g-1, excellent rate performance and high-capacity retention of 91.0 % after 300 cycles at 0.2 C multiplier and 60 °C within the voltage range of 2.7-4.0 V.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pengyuan Dong
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Surface Chemistry of Energy Materials, New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Qiang Deng
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Surface Chemistry of Energy Materials, New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Qimeng Zhang
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Surface Chemistry of Energy Materials, New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Changdong Chen
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Surface Chemistry of Energy Materials, New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan 467000, China
| | - Chenghao Yang
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Surface Chemistry of Energy Materials, New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Quinn H, Wang W, Werner JG, Brown KA. Screening for electrically conductive defects in thin functional films using electrochemiluminescence. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2023. [PMID: 37466448 DOI: 10.1039/d3ay00687e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Multifunctional thin films in energy-related devices often must be electrically insulating where a single nanoscale defect can result in complete device-scale failure. Locating and characterizing such defects presents a fundamental problem where high-resolution imaging methods are needed to find defects, but imaging with high spatial resolution limits the field of view and thus the measurement throughput. Here, we present a novel high-throughput method for detecting sub-micron defects in insulating thin films by leveraging the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of luminol. Through a systematic study of reagent concentrations, buffers, voltage, and excitation time, we identify optimized conditions under which it is possible to detect sub-micron defects at high-throughput. Extrapolating from the signal to background observed for detecting 440 nm wide lines and 620 nm diameter circles, we estimate the minimum detectable features to be lines as narrow as 2.5 nm in width and pinholes as small as 70 nm in radius. We further explore this method by using it to characterize a nominally insulating poly(phenylene oxide) film and find conductive defects that are cross-correlated with high-resolution atomic force microscopy to provide feedback to synthesis. Given this assay's inherent parallelizability and scalability, it is expected to have a major impact on the automated discovery of multifunctional films.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harley Quinn
- Division of Materials Science & Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Wenlu Wang
- Division of Materials Science & Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Jörg G Werner
- Division of Materials Science & Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Keith A Brown
- Division of Materials Science & Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Fan X, Zhong C, Liu J, Ding J, Deng Y, Han X, Zhang L, Hu W, Wilkinson DP, Zhang J. Opportunities of Flexible and Portable Electrochemical Devices for Energy Storage: Expanding the Spotlight onto Semi-solid/Solid Electrolytes. Chem Rev 2022; 122:17155-17239. [PMID: 36239919 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The ever-increasing demand for flexible and portable electronics has stimulated research and development in building advanced electrochemical energy devices which are lightweight, ultrathin, small in size, bendable, foldable, knittable, wearable, and/or stretchable. In such flexible and portable devices, semi-solid/solid electrolytes besides anodes and cathodes are the necessary components determining the energy/power performances. By serving as the ion transport channels, such semi-solid/solid electrolytes may be beneficial to resolving the issues of leakage, electrode corrosion, and metal electrode dendrite growth. In this paper, the fundamentals of semi-solid/solid electrolytes (e.g., chemical composition, ionic conductivity, electrochemical window, mechanical strength, thermal stability, and other attractive features), the electrode-electrolyte interfacial properties, and their relationships with the performance of various energy devices (e.g., supercapacitors, secondary ion batteries, metal-sulfur batteries, and metal-air batteries) are comprehensively reviewed in terms of materials synthesis and/or characterization, functional mechanisms, and device assembling for performance validation. The most recent advancements in improving the performance of electrochemical energy devices are summarized with focuses on analyzing the existing technical challenges (e.g., solid electrolyte interphase formation, metal electrode dendrite growth, polysulfide shuttle issue, electrolyte instability in half-open battery structure) and the strategies for overcoming these challenges through modification of semi-solid/solid electrolyte materials. Several possible directions for future research and development are proposed for going beyond existing technological bottlenecks and achieving desirable flexible and portable electrochemical energy devices to fulfill their practical applications. It is expected that this review may provide the readers with a comprehensive cross-technology understanding of the semi-solid/solid electrolytes for facilitating their current and future researches on the flexible and portable electrochemical energy devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiayue Fan
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
| | - Cheng Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
- Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou350207, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
| | - Jia Ding
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
| | - Yida Deng
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
| | - Xiaopeng Han
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Energy, Mining & Environment, National Research Council of Canada, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6T 1W5, Canada
| | - Wenbin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
- Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou350207, China
| | - David P Wilkinson
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6T 1W5, Canada
| | - Jiujun Zhang
- Energy, Mining & Environment, National Research Council of Canada, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6T 1W5, Canada
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6T 1W5, Canada
- Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou350108, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Krisyuk VV, Urkasym kyzy S, Sukhikh AS, Turgambaeva AE. New volatile lithium complexes with methoxy-substituted beta-diketonates. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.133500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
6
|
Wang Q, Liu L, Zhao B, Zhang L, Xiao X, Yan H, Xu G, Ma L, Liu Y. Transport and interface characteristics of Te-doped NASICON solid electrolyte Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3. Electrochim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.139367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
|
7
|
Electrical and Structural Properties of Li 1.3Al 0.3Ti 1.7(PO 4) 3-Based Ceramics Prepared with the Addition of Li 4SiO 4. MATERIALS 2021; 14:ma14195729. [PMID: 34640127 PMCID: PMC8510155 DOI: 10.3390/ma14195729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The currently studied materials considered as potential candidates to be solid electrolytes for Li-ion batteries usually suffer from low total ionic conductivity. One of them, the NASICON-type ceramic of the chemical formula Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3, seems to be an appropriate material for the modification of its electrical properties due to its high bulk ionic conductivity of the order of 10−3 S∙cm−1. For this purpose, we propose an approach concerning modifying the grain boundary composition towards the higher conducting one. To achieve this goal, Li4SiO4 was selected and added to the LATP base matrix to support Li+ diffusion between the grains. The properties of the Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3−xLi4SiO4 (0.02 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) system were studied by means of high-temperature X-ray diffractometry (HTXRD); 6Li, 27Al, 29Si, and 31P magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MAS NMR); thermogravimetry (TG); scanning electron microscopy (SEM); and impedance spectroscopy (IS) techniques. Referring to the experimental results, the Li4SiO4 additive material leads to the improvement of the electrical properties and the value of the total ionic conductivity exceeds 10−4 S∙cm−1 in most studied cases. The factors affecting the enhancement of the total ionic conductivity are discussed. The highest value of σtot = 1.4 × 10−4 S∙cm−1 has been obtained for LATP–0.1LSO material sintered at 1000 °C for 6 h.
Collapse
|
8
|
El Hariri El Nokab M, Sebakhy KO. Solid State NMR Spectroscopy a Valuable Technique for Structural Insights of Advanced Thin Film Materials: A Review. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 11:1494. [PMID: 34200088 PMCID: PMC8228666 DOI: 10.3390/nano11061494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Solid-state NMR has proven to be a versatile technique for studying the chemical structure, 3D structure and dynamics of all sorts of chemical compounds. In nanotechnology and particularly in thin films, the study of chemical modification, molecular packing, end chain motion, distance determination and solvent-matrix interactions is essential for controlling the final product properties and applications. Despite its atomic-level research capabilities and recent technical advancements, solid-state NMR is still lacking behind other spectroscopic techniques in the field of thin films due to the underestimation of NMR capabilities, availability, great variety of nuclei and pulse sequences, lack of sensitivity for quadrupole nuclei and time-consuming experiments. This article will comprehensively and critically review the work done by solid-state NMR on different types of thin films and the most advanced NMR strategies, which are beyond conventional, and the hardware design used to overcome the technical issues in thin-film research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mustapha El Hariri El Nokab
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Khaled O. Sebakhy
- Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|