Control of competing parameters such as thermoelectric (TE) power and electrical and thermal conductivities is essential for the high performance of thermoelectric materials. Bulk-nanocomposite materials have shown a promising improvement in the TE performance due to poor thermal conductivity and charge carrier filtering by interfaces and grain boundaries. Consequently, it has become pressingly important to understand the formation mechanisms, stability of interfaces and grain boundaries along with subsequent effects on the physical properties. We report here the effects of the thermodynamic environment during spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the TE performance of bulk-nanocomposites of chemically synthesized Bi(2)Te(2.7)Se(0.3) nanoplatelets. Four pellets of nanoplatelets powder synthesized in the same batch have been made by SPS at different temperatures of 230, 250, 280, and 350 °C. The X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermoelectric, and thermal transport measurements illustrate that the pellet sintered at 250 °C shows a minimum grain growth and an optimal number of interfaces for efficient TE figure of merit, ZT∼0.55. For the high temperature (350 °C) pelletized nanoplatelet composites, the concurrent rise in electrical and thermal conductivities with a deleterious decrease in thermoelectric power have been observed, which results because of the grain growth and rearrangements of the interfaces and grain boundaries. Cross section electron microscopy investigations indeed show significant grain growth. Our study highlights an optimized temperature range for the pelletization of the nanoplatelet composites for TE applications. The results provide a subtle understanding of the grain growth mechanism and the filtering of low energy electrons and phonons with thermoelectric interfaces.
Mechanisms of lighting enhancement of Al nanoclusters-embedded Al-doped ZnO film in GaN-based lightemitting diodes
Single-crystalline CrSi(2) nanostructures with a unique hexagonal nanoweb morphology have been successfully synthesized for the first time. These nanowebs span 150-200 nm and are composed of <112̅0> nanowire segments with a thickness of 10-30 nm. It is proposed that surface charges on the {101̅0} sidewalls and the minimization of electrostatic energy induce the nanoweb formation. Calculations of the electrostatic energies were used to predict the transitions between different modes of bending, which agreed well with the experimental observations.
Pure Sr2Y8(SiO4)6O2 powders were obtained after a solid‐state reaction at 1400 °C for 6 h using the nanosized Y2O3, commercial SrCO3, and silica gel. The nanosized Y2O3 powder was synthesized by a precipitation method using Y(NO3)3 and NH4HCO3, followed by a heat treatment. The crystal structure of Sr2Y8(SiO4)6O2 was characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement, and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy. Results show that Sr2Y8(SiO4)6O2 has a typical apatite‐type structure AI4AII6(BO4)6X2 in the P63/m space group. The lattice parameters are a=9.3884(6) Å and c=6.8657(4) Å. There are two special sites, AI (4f) and AII (6h), in the apatite structure. The AII sites are fully occupied by Y, while the AI sites are randomly filled by Y and Sr atoms. The crystallographic data obtained from Sr2Y8(SiO4)6O2 and other silicate oxyapatites are compared and summarized.
An ultrafast and template-free method to synthesize three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical layered titanate microspherulite (TMS) particles with high surface area is reported. The synthesis makes use of an electrochemical spark discharge spallation (ESDS) process, during which a fast anodic reaction on the titanium surface creates a layer of titanium dioxide that instantly breaks down by the applied electrical field into the solution in the form of titanium oxide particles. The spalled particles readily react with the heated NaOH electrolyte to form the titanate particles. A typical as-prepared TMS with a diameter of 0.4 similar to 1.5 mu m is synthesized by ESDS of Ti foils in 10 M NaOH solution under an applied current density of 0.5 A cm(-2), leading to a reaction yield of approximately 0.10 similar to 0.15 g per square centimetre of exposed Ti foil within 20 min. After hydrogen ion exchange, the surface area can reach as high as similar to 406 m(2) g(-1). On the Ti surface, a crystalline rutile TiO2 nanosheet structure is formed, which is attributed to the local exothermic heat caused by the spark discharge. A formation mechanism of the TMS is discussed based on field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study and Raman scattering spectroscopy analysis. The as-prepared TMS shows excellent adsorption performance compared with a titanate micro-particle (TMP), nanowire (TNW) and nanotube (TNT) when methylene blue (MB) and Pb-II ions are used as representative organic and inorganic pollutants. The mechanism of adsorption has also been discussed.National Research Foundation of Singapore Government [MEWR651/06/160
Intense near-infrared (NIR) emission around 1534 nm has been obtained from ZnO-SiO2:Er3+ composites upon broadband ultraviolet light excitation. Remarkably, enhancement of the NIR emission as much as 20 times was achieved by optimal codoping with Li+ ions. To elucidate the relevant mechanisms, comprehensive spectroscopic measurements have been performed on ZnO-SiO2 composites with and without Er3+ ions doping. Photoluminescence spectroscopy and fluorescence decay dynamics clearly verify the efficient energy transfer from ZnO quantum dots (QDs) to Er3+ ions. Our results have not only demonstrated an efficient approach of color down-conversion but also indicated that ZnO-SiO2:Er3+ composites could be a promising material for optical amplifier using broadband UV pumping.
The structural and optical properties of post surface Eu-treated ZnO nanowires (NWs) have been investigated systematically. It is found that the Eu 3+ ions are in the Eu 2 O 3 -like state located at the surface of ZnO NWs. Sharp intense red emissions in the range of 580-650 nm due to the intra-4f transition of Eu 3+ ions are observed from the sample. The temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurement shows that the intensity of the Eu 3+ ions emission is related to the near-band-edge (NBE) emission of ZnO NWs, indicating direct energy transfer from ZnO to Eu 3+ ions. Finally, the time-resolved PL measurement was carried out, and the roles played by the Eu 2 O 3 -like layers are discussed in detail. It is found that the Eu 2 O 3 layers not only suppress the deep level emission (DLE) in ZnO NWs but also provide efficient energy trap centers supporting the direct energy transfer from ZnO to Eu 3+ ions.
0.5, 1.0, and 5.0 at. % Pr 3+ doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 ͑Pr:LuAG͒ optical ceramics are fabricated and compared with Bi 4 Ge 3 O 12 ͑BGO͒ and Pr:LuAG single crystals as for their optical, luminescence and scintillation properties. Radio-luminescence intensity of the fast UV emission based on 5d 1 → 4f Pr 3+ transition reaches up to 20 times of that of BGO single crystal reference scintillator. Photoelectron yield of the best performing 0.5 at. % Pr:LuAG ceramic sample is about 1002 phels/MeV, about 30% lower than that of BGO reference sample and about 65% lower than that of Pr:LuAG single crystal. The trapping phenomena at grain boundaries and/or structural defects are proposed as the main cause of degradation of the scintillation response of the Pr:LuAG optical ceramics.
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