MgO Layer Research Articles

Developing an efficient anticorrosive system through advanced modification of plasma-electrolyzed MgO with CeNiLDH complexed with V₂O₅ nanoparticles and (2E)-But-2-enedioic acid

Advanced hybrid materials with unique properties are essential for addressing the demands of increasingly complex applications. Despite their importance, the self-assembly of layered double hydroxides (LDH) with metallic oxide nanoparticles and dicarboxylic acids is constrained by a limited understanding of the formation mechanisms and difficulties in evaluating their anticorrosive performance. In this study, we developed a novel anticorrosive system by intercalating CeNiLDH with a complex of vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) nanoparticles and (2E)‑but-2-enedioic acid ((2E)-BDA) on a MgO layer created through plasma-electrolysis of AZ31 Mg alloy. This system was compared with LDH films intercalated with either V₂O₅ or (2E)-BDA alone. The intercalation of LDH with V₂O₅ and (2E)-BDA resulted in a flower-like structure, while modification with their complex led to a more compact, cloud-like formation. These cloud-like structures, driven by enhanced absorption and robust hydrogen bonding throughout the hierarchical network, effectively suppress corrosion by delaying the movement of corrosive anions. This was reflected in a polarization resistance of 1.51 × 10¹⁰ Ω·cm², which is approximately two orders of magnitude times higher than the resistance of the unmodified LDH film (3.41 × 10⁸ Ω·cm²). Additionally, the corrosion current density (icorr) of the VOBDA sample showed a decrease by four orders of magnitude compared to the unmodified LDH sample, emphasizing the superior anticorrosive performance of this hybrid coating. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to elucidate the bonding and formation mechanisms between LDH and the inorganic-organic complex.

Surface Science and Engineering for Electrochemical Materials.

ConspectusIn electrochemical energy storage systems, the reversible storage capacity of battery materials often degrades due to parasitic reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interface, transitional metal dissolution, and metallic dendrite growth at the surface. Surface engineering techniques offer the opportunity to modify the composition and structure of a surface, thereby enabling control over chemical reactions occurring at the surface and manipulating chemical interactions at the solid-solid or solid-liquid interface. These modifications can help stabilize the surface of electrode materials and prevent unwanted reactions with electrolytes without changing the original properties of the bulk structure. This allows for achieving full theoretical capacity and maximizing battery material capacity retention with minimal overpotentials. In the past decade, our teams have been working on developing a variety of surface engineering techniques. These include applying atomic and molecular layer deposition (ALD and MLD), templating, doping, and coating via wet-chemical processes to stabilize the surfaces of electrode materials. The aim is to mitigate parasitic side-reactions without impeding charge transfer kinetics, suppress dendrite growth, and ultimately improve the electrode performance.This Account summarizes the research conducted in our research laboratory with an aim to improve battery cycling durability and efficiency by modifying electrode surfaces. We have employed techniques such as ALD, MLD, templating, and wet-chemical processes to illustrate how the stabilized surface improves the performance of lithium-ion (Li-ion), solid-state electrolytes and magnesium-metal (Mg-metal) batteries. For instance, by applying ultrathin layers of inorganic (e.g., Al2O3) or organic-inorganic coatings (e.g., alucone, lithicone, and polyamides) to the surface of LiNixMnyCozO2 (x + y + z = 1, NMC) and silicon (Si) electrodes─usually just a few angstroms or nanometers thick─we have observed notable improvements in cycling efficiency and durability. When using ultrathick electrodes, the traditional electrode fabrication has a problem with high tortuosity, which hinders both rate capability and long-term cycling. To solve this issue, three-dimensional templates have been employed to reduce electrode tortuosity, enabling high-rate performance and long-term cycling. In the case of Mg-metal batteries, the buildup of an insulating MgO layer due to side reactions with electrolytes blocks Mg2+ ion transport, which can ultimately cause the battery to fail. To address this issue, we have developed an artificial solid-electrolyte interface using cyclized polyacrylonitrile and magnesium trifluoromethanesulfonate. This interface prevents the reduction of the carbonate electrolyte while allowing Mg2+ diffusion, ultimately boosting overall cell performance.This Account also discusses the significance of choosing suitable materials and effective surface engineering methods with the objective of enhancing surface properties while preserving the bulk properties of the electrodes. It is believed that surface modification and engineering can not only significantly improve the electrochemical performance of existing battery materials but also facilitate the development of new battery materials that were previously incompatible with current electrolytes. By highlighting these aspects, this Account underscores the transformative potential of surface modification and engineering in battery technology, paving the way for future innovations in energy storage solutions.

Atomic-Scale Mechanism of Enhanced Electron-Phonon Coupling at the Interface of MgB2 Thin Films.

In conventional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superconductors, electron-phonon coupling is the fundamental mechanism of superconductivity. For instance, the superconductivity of magnesium diboride (MgB2) comes from the coupling between E2g modes (in-plane boron-boron bond vibrations) and self-doped charge carriers. In thin films and ceramics of BCS superconductors, interfaces with discontinuous chemical bonds may alter the local electron-phonon coupling. However, such effects remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the heterointerface of the MgB2 film on the SiC substrate at the atomic scale using electron microscopy and spectroscopy. We detect the presence of a thin MgO layer with a thickness of ∼1 nm between MgB2 and SiC. Atomic-level electron energy loss spectra (EELS) show MgB2-E2g mode splitting and softening near the MgB2/MgO interface, which enhances electron-phonon coupling at the interface. Our findings highlight the potential of interface engineering to enhance superconductivity via modulating local phonon states and/or electron states.

In vitro corrosion mechanism of biodegradable Mg-Zn-Gd alloy

The corrosion mechanisms of a high-anticorrosive Mg-Zn-Gd alloy have been unveiled. Numerous particles were observed and identified as anodic W phase. Nevertheless, due to a small potential difference between the secondary phase and Mg matrix, and the nanoscale size and dispersed distribution of the particles, no serious pitting would occur. The segregation of Zn in the MgO layer was found to be favorable for the compactness of the whole corrosion layer. The preferential corrosion of W phase should be partly responsible for this segregation. A new method has been presented to develop Mg alloys with high corrosion resistance by alloying.

A plasma-catalytic system with MgO/NiO/Ni cathode for SF6 degradation

In this work, a plasma-catalytic system in DC discharge with MgO/NiO/Ni (MNN) cathode is proposed for the degradation of SF6 greenhouse gas. The discharge power with MNN cathode is significantly increased compared with Ni cathode due to its good electron emission characteristics, and an effective and stable SF6 degradation performance is achieved in this multi-needle plate discharge system. Besides, surface discharge occurs on the MNN cathode in addition to the needle tips, which is believed to be conducive to the catalytic decomposition of SF6 on the MgO surface. Nontoxic products of MgF2 and MgSO4 are detected on the MgO layer after discharge from various characterizations (XRD, XPS, FTIR and Raman, etc.), suggesting that there is a series of catalytic reactions between SF6/intermediates and MgO. The addition of appropriate O2 (O2:SF6 = 1:1) in the background is not only conducive to the defluorination decomposition of SF6 in ionization region, but also O atom generated from O2 discharge promotes the formation of MgF2 and MgSO4, thus resulting in an effective SF6 degradation performance. Then, the possible degradation mechanism of SF6 in gas phase and on the MgO layer is discussed and the possible degradation pathways are proposed. This research first demonstrates the effectiveness of enabling degrading SF6 gases in a plasma-catalytic system with MNN cathode.

Grain size effect on tribocorrosion kinetics in ultrahigh-purity magnesium

Tribocorrosion readily removes the protective corrosion product, creates new reactive corrosion sites and thus accelerates material loss in metallic materials. This is evidenced by a pronounced or gradual decline in open circuit potential (OCP) during tribocorrosion assessments. Here we report that grain refinement can not only enhance wear resistance in dry conditions, but also induce an anomalously stable OCP variation and fortify tribocorrosion resistance in ultrahigh-purity magnesium during tribocorrosion. The tribocorrosion tests revealed that the fine-grained Mg (FG-Mg) sample exhibited a wear rate (4.56 × 10−4 mm3/Nm) approximately half that of the coarse-grained Mg (CG-Mg) sample (7.87 × 10−4 mm3/Nm). CG-Mg showed a gradual OCP decrease, associated with a thin, unprotective tribocorrosion layer, even thinner than that resulting from dry sliding. Conversely, FG-Mg exhibited stable OCP evolution and quasi-linear tribocorrosion kinetics over time, attributed to a thick, protective tribocorrosion layer. Transmission electron microscopy data suggest that high-diffusivity pathways for oxygen along grain boundaries at the early tribocorrosion stages facilitate the formation of a continuous, protective MgO layer and an adjacent oxidized layer with a depth-dependent oxygen content gradient, enhancing tribocorrosion resistance in FG-Mg. Our findings offer valuable insights for strategically tailoring tribocorrosion resistance by modulating the OCP variation of highly active metals and alloys.

Preparation and Magnetic Properties of Low-Loss Soft Magnetic Composites Using MgO-Phenolic Resin Coating.

Optimizing the interface between a magnetic powder matrix and an oxide-insulating layer is an effective method to improve the permeability and lower eddy current loss of iron-based soft magnetic composites. In this study, in order to improve the bonding strength of the substrate and insulation layer, soft magnetic composites were prepared by pressing and heat treating with reduced iron powder as a magnetic matrix, high-temperature MgO nanoparticles as insulating coating, and phenolic resin as an adhesive. The effects of MgO content on the microstructure and magnetic properties of the composites were investigated. The results of a scanning electron microscopy and an energy-dispersive spectrometer analysis corroborate that the results obtained regarding the frequency characteristics and the resistivity of the iron powder agree with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis and confirm their improvement by the presence of an insulating layer of MgO. The resistivity of the sample coated with 4 wt.% MgO is nearly 45 times higher than that of the uncoated sample under the same conditions. The MgO-insulating film formed on the surface of iron powder makes the coated sample have low effective grain size, high resistivity, and low magnetic loss at a high frequency. At 1 kHz, the magnetic loss of the 4 wt.% MgO-coated sample is reduced by 77.3%, and the magnetic loss is only 5.8% compared with the uncoated sample at 50 kHz. This magnetic loss separation study shows that the addition of MgO insulation material can effectively reduce the eddy current loss of the magnetic powder core. The 4 wt.% MgO-coated sample has the lowest hysteresis loss factor and relatively low eddy current loss factor, so it can be determined that the addition of 4 wt.% MgO is the optimum content to attain a low magnetic loss.

Multi-Level Synaptic Device Having Perpendicular Magnetic-Tunnel-Junction Spin-Valve Sensor Via Skyrmion Generated By Nano-Scale Current Emitter

Recently, with the expansion of deep learning-based artificial intelligence into various fields, high integration density and recognition accuracy are essentially necessary for neuromorphic devices. In particular, skyrmion-based artificial synaptic devices have been actively researched due to complete linearity, topological stability, and small nanoscale size. This device can emulate the synaptic plasticity (i.e., long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD)) depending on the number of generated skyrmions. Magnetic skyrmions have been characterized by various methods such as perpendicular magnetic-tunnel-junction (p-MTJ) spin-valve structure, Hall bar measurements [3], and non-collinear magnetoresistance [4]: However, in the previous study using a p-MTJ spin-valve, they only measured the resistance of a single skyrmion and did not demonstrate synaptic behavior (i.e., multi-level characteristics) [5]. In addition, they essentially require an additional external magnetic field to generate skyrmions. Moreover, the reported device has low resistance margins, indicating it is extremely difficult to sense in bit-lines.In this study, for the first time, we introduced a novel multi-level synaptic device having a p-MTJ spin-valve sensor via skyrmion generated by a nano-scale current emitter. To generate skyrmion, we employed nano-scale oxygen vacancy filaments as a current emitter on the p-MTJ spin-valve sensor, and interface reducing W layer between the free layer and MgO layer, as shown in Fig.1(a). In addition, we performed a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis to measure the PMA characteristics (i.e., squareness, saturation magnetization) of the SyAF layer and the free layer, as shown in Fig.1(b). Moreover, the generation of skyrmions depending on the thickness of the interface reducing W layer was investigated using VSM and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) analyses, as shown in Fig.1(c-f). Furthermore, MOKE analysis was conducted to analyze the mechanism of skyrmion generation in the synaptic device having the p-MTJ spin-valve sensor patterned by 5μm diameter, as shown in Fig. 1(g). Finally, we have directly observed the generation of skyrmions using a nano-scale current emitter and demonstrated synaptic plasticity via the skyrmion-based synaptic device having the p-MTJ spin-valve sensor into a 300 nm diameter cell. In our presentation, we will review in detail the synaptic behavior and generation mechanism of the skyrmions. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Technology Innovation Program (or Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program-Public-private joint investment semiconductor R&D program(K-CHIPS) to foster high-quality human resources) ("RS-2023-00235634", Development of high speed/low power/high reliability 2-terminal field-free SOT-MRAM) funded By the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy(MOTIE, Korea)(1415187787) and Institute of Information & communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) under the artificial intelligence semiconductor support program to nurture the best talents (IITP-(2023)-RS-2023-00253914) grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT).

Improvement in adhesion and corrosion resistance of Ce-based coating on micro-arc oxidized AZ31B Mg alloy via employing graphene oxide as an effective interlayer

Ce-based coatings are often used as protective coatings on Mg alloy because of their excellent self-healing and anticorrosion properties. However, poor adhesion of Ce coating can easily cause it peel off and thus lose its protective effect. In this work, for the first time, the graphene oxide (GO) was employed as an interlayer between micro-arc oxidation (MAO) and Ce-based coatings to improve their adhesion strength. The results show that the addition of GO layer can effectively improve the adhesion strength and hardness of the composite coating. The MAO/GO/Ce composite coating not only significantly enhance the corrosion resistance of the substrate, but also has self-healing ability. According to the molecular dynamics calculations, the GO interlayer can form a good bond with the inner MgO layer and the outer CeO2 layer. The MAO/GO/Ce composite coating with high adhesion and self-healing property may extend the practical application of Mg alloys.

Quasi-"In Situ" Analysis of the Reactive Liquid-Solid Interface during Magnesium Corrosion Using Cryo-Atom Probe Tomography.

The early stages of corrosion occurring at liquid-solid interfaces control the evolution of the material's degradation process, yet due to their transient state, their analysis remains a formidable challenge. Here corrosion tests are performed on a MgCa alloy, a candidate material for biodegradable implants using pure water as a model system. The corrosion reaction is suspended by plunge freezing into liquid nitrogen. The evolution of the early-stage corrosion process on the nanoscale by correlating cryo-atom probe tomography (APT) with transmission-electron microscopy (TEM) and spectroscopy, is studied. The outward growth of Mg hydroxide Mg(OH)2 and the inward growth of an intermediate corrosion layer consisting of hydrloxides of different compositions, mostly monohydroxide Mg(OH) instead of the expected MgO layer, are observed. In addition, Ca partitions to these newly formed hydroxides and oxides. Density-functional theory calculations suggest a domain of stability for this previously experimental unreported Mg(OH) phase. This new approach and these new findings advance the understanding of the early stages of magnesium corrosion, and in general reactions and processes at liquid-solid interfaces, which can further facilitate the development of corrosion-resistant materials or better control of the biodegradation rate of future implants.

Interfacial reaction behavior between ferromagnetic CoFeB and the topological insulator Sb2Te3

The successful prevention of interfacial reactions between ferromagnetic materials and topological insulators (TIs) is crucial for the realization of reliable spintronic devices using TIs. To this end, we investigated the magnetic properties and interfacial reaction behavior of a bilayer structure composed of ferromagnetic CoFeB and TI Sb2Te3. The effects of including a MgO interlayer was also investigated. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) studies showed a remarkably weak resonance peak for the sample annealed at 400 °C for the 2-nm-thick interlayer, and finally, no resonance peak for a film below 1 nm in thickness was observed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrated that the Sb2Te3 peak intensities started to decrease upon annealing at 200 °C and completely disappeared for annealing temperatures >400 °C. Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) results also support that the core-level peaks of Sb and Te split upon annealing at temperatures >200 °C, suggesting the dissociation of Sb2Te3. These results indicate that Sb2Te3 and CoFeB react at the interface during annealing, resulting in a loss of the ferromagnetic properties of the CoFeB layer. Meanwhile, a sample containing a 3-nm-thick MgO layer retained its original Sb2Te3/MgO/CoFeB structure even after annealing at 400 °C, as evidenced by its unchanged XRD peak intensity and FMR spectrum. We expect that our findings will be highly valuable in developing TI-based spintronic devices.

Crystallinity regulation of ZIF-67 via defective MgO layer made by high voltage-assisted oxidation approach for optimal 4-nitrophenol reduction

Due to their unique structural characteristics, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as favorable contenders for photocatalytic applications. In this study, the crystallization of ZIF-67, a subclass of MOFs, on Mg and MgO substrates via dip coating was explored, and the resulting materials were employed as a photocatalyst for the 4-nitrophenol reduction. Due to the defective surface resulting from plasma activity during the high-voltage-assisted oxidation of AZ31 Mg alloy, MgO significantly impacts the crystallization of ZIF-67. This influence promotes the formation of a stable foundation and strong bonds, contributing to the emergence of a regular and symmetrical structure. This differs from the asymmetrical and irregular structure observed in ZIF-67@Mg when ZIF-67 is grown directly on the Mg substrate. Hence, the ZIF-67@MgO catalyst demonstrated remarkable enhancements in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, achieving an efficiency of approximately 97.12 % within 12 min under visible light. Importantly, the catalyst exhibited no stability decay even after ten consecutive cycles, surpassing the performance of previously reported catalysts. This research sheds light on the superior capabilities of ZIF-67@MgO in the context of visible-light-driven reduction of 4-NP. The results suggest potential for future progress in creating effective and eco-friendly photocatalytic materials for addressing environmental challenges.

Corrosion Enhancement of PM Processed Magnesium by Turning Native Oxide on Mg Powders into Carbonates

In addition to its use as a lightweight material, pure magnesium is a promising candidate for prospective bioimplants considering its excellent biocompatible properties. Regardless of what Mg application is used, the ultimate goal is to improve magnesium's mechanical properties and degradation behaviour. Because of the high affinity for oxygen native oxide layer of gas-atomized powders is naturally formed in contact with the atmosphere. S/TEM investigation of the native oxide of the Mg powder particles revealed a nonhomogeneous nano-crystalline MgO layer. MgO is relatively soluble in water and does not provide sufficient corrosion protection. Among various surface treatment methods, conversion of the non-protective magnesium oxide to carbonate products is possible depending on the environmental conditions. This work used a simple experimental method using CO2 and water vapour to achieve surface carbonation of Mg powders. Two carbonated samples and pure magnesium were prepared by direct extrusion. The samples after carbonation retained good mechanical properties and the layer of carbonates had a significant impact on corrosion resistance. 1 day carbonation resulted in transformation of native oxide into amorphous layer and reduction of corrosion rate. Longer carbonation (10 days) revealed layer growth and transformation of native oxide to crystalline nesquehonite structure.

Application of MgO/ZrO2 coating on 309 stainless steel to increase resistance to corrosion at high temperatures and oxidation by an electrochemical method

Abstract 309 stainless steel is one of the steels that have the highest resistance to corrosion and thermal oxidation compared to other steel grades, but it should not be used at temperatures higher than 980°C if there are temperature fluctuations. Additionally, 309 stainless steel is not designed for use in wet environments and has the least corrosion resistance. This study aims to cover 309 stainless steel with MgO/ZrO2 particles using a two-step electroplating deposition method and then sintering to increase its resistance to wet corrosion and oxidation in temperature fluctuations. The intermediate ZrO2 coating makes the outer MgO layer about two times thicker and reduces the corrosion current density. The morphology of the coatings was determined using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, and oxidation resistance was determined using cyclic oxidation tests and the wet corrosion test of the corrosion solution. 3.5% NaCl was used. The results showed that the coated samples, due to the use of TiO2 middle layer and MgO protective layer in the electrochemical method, have a 2-fold increase in wet corrosion and an increase in hardness of about 77%, as well as an increase in oxidation resistance of 1.8% compared to the sample without coating. Also, the reason for using the electrochemical deposition method is for better surface smoothness and less porosity of the coating as well as its use on all metals compared to thermal spray methods.

Microstructure of corrosion product film formed on aged WE43 alloy

A dense three-layer corrosion product film was formed on aged WE43 alloy in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The microstructure of the film was analyzed in detail by TEM. The three-layer corrosion product film is composed of RE2O3, MgO layer doped with RE2O3 and Mg(OH)2 layer doped with RE2O3 from the inside to the outside. A large amount of rare earth oxide particles formed both by the outward oxidation of rare earth precipitates and rare earth elements, are the main reason for the formation of the corrosion film. The RE2O3 has the preferential orientation with ( 2-11) plane and [231] direction parallel to (002) plane and [ 1-1-0] direction of MgO, respectively. Thus, the rare earth oxide particles can fill the gap of porous MgO layer, and improve the compactness of the film. The inner RE2O3 layer and mixed layer of MgO and RE2O3 play an important role in the formation of the film. The compact inner film can prevent the corrosion medium from reacting with the Mg matrix.

Impact of functional coatings on microstructure and properties of periclase-magnesium aluminate spinel ceramic filter and its purification capacity on molten steel

Reticulated ceramic filters play an important role in the reduction of non-metallic inclusions in molten steel, which can improve the quality of steel products. In this work, periclase-magnesium aluminate spinel ceramic filters with Al2O3 and TiO2 functional coatings were fabricated by using microporous MgO powder, respectively. The effects of the functional coatings on their microstructure, properties and purification capacity on molten steel were studied. The filter with Al2O3 functional coating exhibited the best mechanical properties owing to the good rheological properties of the coating slurry, as well as the formation of in-situ spinel layer connection between the Al2O3 functional coating and the microporous MgO layer of the filter substrate. Compared with the filters without functional coating or with TiO2 functional coating, the filter with Al2O3 functional coating made more Al2O3 inclusions deposit on the filter surface by physical adsorption due to the same chemical composition between the functional coating and inclusions, which significantly improved the adsorption capacity of filter for Al2O3 inclusions in molten steel. Overall, the filter with Al2O3 functional coating had the highest cold compressive strength of 1.4 MPa, a residual retention of cold compressive strength after thermal shock of 65.71 % and an efficiency of 36.56 % in reducing the total oxygen content of the steel.

Controlling effective field contributions to laser-induced magnetization precession by heterostructure design

Nanoscale heterostructure design can control laser-induced heat dissipation and strain propagation, as well as their efficiency for driving magnetization precession. Here, we incorporate MgO layers into the experimental platform of metallic Pt-Cu-Ni heterostructures to block the propagation of hot electrons. We show via ultrafast x-ray diffraction the capability of our platform to control the spatio-temporal shape of the transient heat and strain. Time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr experiments with systematic tuning of the magnetization precession frequency showcase control of the magnetization dynamics in the Ni layer. Our experimental analysis highlights the role of quasi-static strain as a driver of precession when the magnetic material is rapidly heated via electrons. The effective magnetic field change originating from demagnetization partially compensates the change induced by quasi-static strain. The strain pulses can be shaped via the nanoscale heterostructure design to efficiently drive the precession, paving the way for opto-magneto-acoustic devices with low heat energy deposited in the magnetic layer.

RF sputtered metal oxide layers as ARCs to improve photovoltaic performance of commercial monocrystalline solar cell

The rf-sputtered ZnO, MgO and Al2O3 transition metal oxide nano layers were developed as efficient antireflection coatings (ARCs) on commercial monocrystalline silicon (m-Si) photovoltaic cells. Wavelength dependence reflectance measurements show minimal reflectance (i.e., ∼1.3–2.0%) between 350 and 800 nm wavelength regions affirming antireflection behavior of oxide layers. The phase formation studies of these oxide layers display the crystalline phase however the presence of non-crystalline phase is noted in Al2O3 diffractogram pattern. Cross section microstructure characterization carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to know the ARC layer thickness illustrates MgO, ZnO and Al2O3 layers with coating thickness around 85 nm, 87 nm and 77 nm respectively. Also, the thickness of antireflection coatings computed using wavelength dependent refractive index measurement is consistent with cross section microstructure images. Photon to energy conversion (PEC) of ARC coated device under 1 sun condition display 1.99%, 1.07% and 0.39% improvement in efficiencies compared with commercial m-Si-solar cell endorsing suitability of selected transition metal oxides as efficient ARC materials. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements show notable improvement in efficiency for MgO, ZnO and Al2O3 coated devices reaffirming their usability as efficient ARC materials on commercial m-Si-solar cells.

Resistivity size effect in epitaxial face-centered cubic Co(001) layers

Metastable face-centered cubic (fcc) Co layers are deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering in 5 mTorr N2 at 400 °C followed by vacuum annealing at 500 °C. The resulting phase-pure Co(001)/MgO(001) layers contain negligible nitrogen and exhibit a surface roughness <0.8 nm and a cube-on-cube epitaxial relationship with the substrate with Co[100]ǁMgO[100]. The measured resistivity vs thickness d = 10–1000 nm indicates a bulk resistivity ρo = 6.4 ± 0.3 μΩ cm for fcc Co at room temperature and ρo = 1.3 ± 0.1 μΩ cm at 77 K, and an effective electron phonon mean free path λ = 27 ± 2 nm and 79 ± 6 nm at 295 and 77 K, respectively. The resulting ρo × λ benchmark quantity is 3–5 times larger than that predicted from first principles, suggesting a breakdown of the Fuchs–Sondheimer model at small dimensions. The overall results indicate that fcc Co exhibits no intrinsic conductance benefit over stable hcp Co nor conventional Cu for narrow interconnects. The developed method for growth of epitaxial fcc Co(001) layers provides opportunities to study this metastable material for potential spintronic applications.

Impact of the gate work function on the experimental I-V characteristics of MOS solar cells simulated with the Sentaurus TCAD software

In this work, the influence of gate work function on the experimental J-VG characteristics of MOS solar cells was investigated with the aid of the Sentaurus TCAD for 2D numer-ical simulations of TiN/SiOxNy/Si Al/SiOxNy/Si and Al/MgO/Mg/SiOxNy/Si structures aiming at solar cells for en-ergy harvesting applications. The increase of the gate work function led to the increase of the reverse current density as pointed out by the Sentaurus TCAD simulations and by the ex-perimental J-VG characteristics. The work functions of Mg, Al, and un-annealed TiN used in the TCAD simulations were 3.7 eV, 4.1 eV, and 4.4 eV, respectively. It was observed that the onset voltage at 0.5 mA/cm2 in the forward-biasing region was at a lower voltage for TiN (~ - 0.06 V) compared to Al (~ - 0.42 V) and the Al/MgO/Mg stack (~ - 0.47 V). On the other hand, the current density increased steeply in the forward biasing for TiN and Al compared to the Al/ MgO/Mg stack gate and the thin MgO layer between Al and Mg worked as a potential barrier in an opposite direction to the potential barrier of the Mg/Si-OxNy/Si structure, which meant an onset voltage lowering for the Al/MgO/Mg/SiOxNy/Si solar cell. For the Al/MgO/Mg stack, the barrier effect of the MgO layer was fitted as a series re-sistance RS = 100 Ω and an equivalent Al/MgO/Mg work func-tion of 4.15 eV considering a substrate doping NA = 1.2x1016 cm-3 and parallel conductance GP = 0. Also, the experimental JxVG characteristic of the Al/SiOxNy/Si cell was fitted for Al work function of 4.10 eV, a series resistance RS = 100 Ω, a parallel resistance RP = 0.02 Ω (GP = 50 S) and a substrate doping NA = 5.5x1015 cm-3. In this case, the high parallel conductance fitted was attributed to the tunneling through the dielectrics as a pre-dominant effect possibly caused by a high concentration of de-fects in the SiOxNy layer. Finally, the MOS solar cell parameters were relatively lower compared to those of commercial outdoor solar cells, but the power generated by the MOS cells reached the mW range, and the conversion efficiency from light energy into electrical energy was higher (12.7%) than the typical values found for energy-harvesting solar cells.