Journal Of Physics Research Articles

Nonideal Incompressible Lattice-Boltzmann Method for Multicomponent Phase Separating Systems

Understanding and predicting the dynamics of complex fluid systems including liquid–liquid phase separation, relevant to both biological and engineered applications, typically uses a nonideal free energy. Introducing such a thermodynamic constraint into the Lattice-Boltzmann Method can be accomplished by altering either the equilibrium distribution function or the external force. The former requires a lengthy parameterization for a free energy of multiple independent variables which becomes cumbersome for more than three components. The latter has been done for a multicomponent compressible system, but a correction term for the force is required to recover the expected conservation equations. This work builds upon the incompressible single component forcing method from He et al. (Journal of Computational Physics, Vol. 152, No. 2, 1999) by deriving and implementing the required force needed to successfully recover the expected mass conservation from a nonideal free energy with an arbitrary number of components. This allows the simulation of more realistic phase separating fluid systems by including many interacting components, which is demonstrated here for up to five components and phases.

Almost global synchronization of Kuramoto oscillators with symmetry breaking terms

M.A. Lohe first proposed the high-dimensional Kuramoto model with symmetry-breaking terms (Quantum synchronization over quantum networks, Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 43:465301, 2010), which is the real form of a quantum network synchronization model. For the homogeneous case, by analyzing the limit set and the spectrum of the linearized model, the almost global synchronization is derived from the topology of some kind of connecting graphs.

Dear DrDr Omid Massah Thank you very much for submitting your manuscript to Physical Treatments Journal. Your Manuscript with the code "A-10-263-1" and entitled " Is Opium Smoking A Cause of Sway Back Posture and Spinal Musculoskeletal Disorders? What is the Relation?", has been reviewed by PTJ international reviewers and their comments are included at the bottom of this letter

Cultural care in nursing is an essential component of holistic healthcare that recognizes the importance of cultural diversity in patient care. As societies become increasingly multicultural, the healthcare system must adapt to meet the diverse needs of its patient population [1]. Nurses, often at the frontline of patient care, play a critical role in providing culturally competent care that respects and responds to their patients' cultural backgrounds. This article explores cultural care's significance in nursing, its challenges, and strategies for effective implementation [2].

Editorial for two-dimensional materials-based heterostructures for next-generation nanodevices.

Heterostructures, such as van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, provide a versatile platform for engineering the physical properties of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials, spanning electronics, mechanics, optics, as well as electron-phonon couplings. Furthermore, vdW heterostructures, which are composed of metal/semiconductor or semiconductor/semiconductor combinations, not only maintain the unique properties of their individual constituents but also exhibit tunable physical and chemical properties that can be externally adjusted through strain, heat, and electric fields. These externally tunable properties offer significant advances in the fields of solid-state devices and renewable energy applications. Additionally, 2D material-based heterostructures, such as those composed of 0D clusters or quantum dots, as well as 1D nanotubes/wires in combination with 2D materials, also show immense potential for advancing next-generation nanodevices. The vast design space of vdW heterostructures enables their versatile applications spanning numerous fields, such as light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, photocatalysis, solar cells, photodetectors, and so on.
In the Special Issue of Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, entitled "Two-dimensional Materials-based Heterostructures for Next-generation Nanodevices", we have gathered a comprehensive collection of 14 articles, presenting the latest achievements in the fields of designing novel 2D materials and 2D heterostructures. Below, we have briefly condensed the essential research findings from these studies.&#xD.

Preface

The NEWRAD Conferences bring together participants from National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and key user communities in advanced radiometry. The 15th International Conference on New Developments and Applications in Optical Radiometry (NEWRAD 2023) was held at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington, UK, from 11th to 15th September 2023. The confernce was organised by NPL’s Optical Radiometric Metrology (ORM) group, who also handled abstract submissions and website administration. The NEWRAD 2023 conference saw 143 registered participants, with a total of 129 papers presented. Among these, 41 were oral presentations, complemented by 7 invited talks. Additionally, 88 posters were showcased during breaks and dedicated sessions, sparking lively discussions and idea exchange. The NEWRAD 2023 conference proceedings comprise contributions from the conference presentations. The submitted papers underwent peer review following the procedures of the Journal of Physics: Conference Series. I wish to thank the diligent reviewers and the dedicated editorial staff at the Journal of Physics: Conference Series for their meticulous work in facilitating the publication of these proceedings. I also wish to thank Nicole George, Dan Moore, Roger Hughes, Paris Aitken-Smith, and the entire organizing teams at NPL for hosting an exceptional conference. Finally, I want to express sincere appreciation to the NEWRAD scientific committee, who diligently reviewed and selected all the abstracts submitted to the conference, and provided unwavering support in organizing this event. Undoubtedly, this issue will serve as a valuable reference for radiometry. The venue of the next NEWRAD Conference is being organised and will be announced very shortly. List of NEWRAD scientific committee member is available in this Pdf.

Preface

Welcome to the vibrant world of ICPMMT conferences! We are thrilled to share the journey with you. The inaugural ICPMMT 2015 sparkled in Kenting, Taiwan, showcasing cutting-edge research. Submitted papers underwent rigorous review and earned commendation in the esteemed KEM (EI Compendex). The 2nd ICPMMT 2017 continued the tradition at Howard Beach Resort, Kenting, Taiwan. The 3rd edition in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2018 was a splendid success. Papers from ICPMMT 2017 and 2018 found their spotlight in the reputable MATEC Web of Conferences, celebrated for Open-access in Materials Science, Engineering, and Chemistry, with recognition across Google Scholar, CAS, EI Compendex, Inspec, DOAJ, Web of Science, and Scopus. The 4th (2019) and 5th (2020) ICPMMT events were held in Taiwan and New Zealand. Their impactful papers underwent robust peer review, making a mark in IOP: Materials Science and Engineering and Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS) and Solid State Phenomena (SSP). List of Committee of ICPMMT 2024 are available in this Pdf.

Preface

Remote sensing technology and global positioning system (GPS), as the two pillars of modern space information technology, are changing the way we perceive and manage the Earth at an unprecedented speed. In order to promote academic exchanges and cooperation in this field, and to promote the transformation of scientific research and academic achievements, the 2024 International Conference on Remote Sensing and Global Positioning Algorithm (RSGPA 2024) was successfully held from June 28th to 30th, 2024 in Beijing, China via virtual form. The conference not only focused on the latest achievements of remote sensing mapping technology, but also discussed in depth the innovation and application of global positioning algorithms, aiming at promoting the transformation of scientific research and academic achievements through experience sharing and wisdom collision, promoting the gathering of talents, technology and capital, and injecting new kinetic energy into the development of related fields. It attracted a number of paper submissions related to remote sensing technology and global positioning system, and featured a variety of research directions, including Remote Sensing Mapping, Positioning Algorithms, AI-Assisted Localization, Hyperspectral Image Processing, Optical Remote Sensing, Microwave Remote Sensing, Remote Sensing Information Engineering, Image Processing Techniques, Geospatial Data Modeling and so on. The conference’s agenda covered a wide range of topics and presentations, mainly falling into keynote speeches, oral presentations, poster presentations, and academic discussion. Keynote speakers shared their latest research results and innovative ideas in the fields of remote sensing technology and global positioning system and their relevant domains, providing participants with valuable academic resources and inspiration. Professor Tao Chen (China University of Geosciences, Wuhan) talked about landslide recognition based on deep learning; Professor Muhammad Bilal (Henan Polytechnic University) presented a novel method for aerosol retrievals from multisensor remote sensing data over urban areas; Professor Kannimuthu Subramaniyam (Karpagam College of Engineering) illuminated the advancements and challenges in utilizing machine learning for cyber threat detection and mitigation. By fostering an environment of academic exchange and collaboration, RSGPA 2024 promoted the exploration of new ideas, the formation of partnerships, and the dissemination of research findings, ultimately contributing to the advancement of remote sensing and positioning technologies. All of the submissions received from the conference were exhaustively reviewed by the program committee members and peer-reviewers, who took into account the breadth and depth of the research topics that fall under the scope of RSGPA. The most promising contributions have been selected for inclusion in this Proceedings, which present innovative original ideas or results of general significance supported by clear and rigorous reasoning and compelling new evidence, as well as methods. This Proceedings not only provides participants with valuable academic resources, but also provides important references and insights for researchers in related fields. We would like to acknowledge all the speakers, authors, supporters, committee members and anonymous reviewers for their efforts in making RSGPA 2024 a complete success. We’d also appreciate the support from the staff of Journal of Physics: Conference Series for making this Proceedings published. The Committee of RSGPA 2024 List of Committee Member is available in this pdf.

Preface

Abstract With the continuous changes in material demand and the development of related disciplines driven by economic and social development, in recent years, material research has shown some new trends. The deep integration of material technology and information technology has deepened our understanding of material structure and performance, leading to more precise control over the material preparation process and functionality. The conference shares practical experiences and enlightening ideas from mateirals physics and appliacations and will be of interest to researchers in and practitioners everywhere. Keynote speakers includes Prof. Junhui Hu, from Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics, China, Prof. Karamanis Dimitrios from University of Patras, Greece, Prof. Osman Adiguzel from Firat University, Elazig, Turkey. The proceedings present papers from the International Conference on Materials Physics and Applications, held in Xi’an during 1-3 October, 2024. All papers were carefully reviewed by the technical program committee (TPC) and reviewers, bearing in mind the quality, novelty, breadth and depth of the research themes which fall into the ICMPA scope. The topics of papers accepted in the Proceedings of ICMPA 2024 can be classified as Material Modeling and Application, Phase Transition and Mechanical Properties of Materials, Glasses & Ceramics, Composites Materials. Furthermore, we are very grateful to everyone, especially the program committee members and reviewers, who devoted time to assess the papers. Our particular thanks and regards also go to the Journal of Physics: Conference Series, for supporting this conference. List of Conference Committees are available in this Pdf.

Publisher’s Note

IOP Publishing presents Volume 2877 of the open-access Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS) as the HAPP 10th Anniversary Commemorative Volume. This volume of JPCS is quite different to standard IOP Conference Series proceedings volumes which contain a single edition of a conference. This unique volume contains contributions from the St Cross Centre for the History and Philosophy of Physics (HAPP) derived from a decade of HAPP termly one-day conferences and standalone lectures and seminars. We hope this compilation will contribute to discussions about philosophy and methodologies that inform how current research in physics is undertaken and will be useful for the general public, scientists, historians and philosophers.

Pentagoning the Circle with Straightedge & Compass

This study idea came from the exact solution “Circling the Regular Pentagon with Straightedge & compass in Euclidean Geometry”, published by the Scholars Journal of Physics, Mathematics and Statistics on 22/08/2024 [1]. In this research, the ANALYSIS method is adopted to prove the process of solving this new challenge problem, which has not existed in the Mathematics field till today. The process is an inverse/converse solution solving the inverse problem “Circling the Regular Pentagon with Straightedge & compass in Euclidean Geometry” problem, using a straightedge & a compass. I hereby commit that this is my own personal research project.

The Medical and Physical Journal and the construction of medical journalism in Britain, 1733-1803.

Medical practitioners, inevitably scattered across the country, need frequent periodicals to communicate the latest medical information. Journals are an essential component of the infrastructure of modern medicine, yet they were slow to achieve firm roots in Britain during the eighteenth century, with few sustained quarterly periodicals and the only attempt at a monthly lasting a year. Then in 1799, Richard Phillips, owner of the Monthly Magazine, published the Medical and Physical Journal, the first sustained monthly medical journal, which lasted for thirty-four years. Ever since, Britain has never been without a monthly or weekly general medical journal. Responding to the need for a strong commercial focus, the Journal used a magazine format which blended reviews and abstracts of already published material with original contributions and medical news, and it quickly achieved a national circulation by close engagement with all types of practitioners across the country.Contrary to the historiography, the Journal was distinctly different from the contemporaneous monthly science journals. The key to success was two-way communication with all practitioners, especially the numerous surgeons and surgeon-apothecaries who were increasingly better trained and confident of their status. Much of the content of the Journal was written by these readers, and with rapid, reliable distribution and quick publication of correspondence, controversial topics could be bounced back and forth between all practitioners, including the distinguished. Initially, the editors tried to maximise circulation by avoiding any controversy, but this started to change in the first few years of the next century.

Comment on “tracking rule” and generalization of special relativity

In a recent article in this journal (Canadian Journal of Physics 102, 43 (2024)), Alexander L. Kholmetskii, Oleg V. Missevitch, and Tolga Yarman criticized our views on the tracking rule and issued some inaccurate statements related to them. We clarify those statements explicating their content and analyze the meaning of the tracking rule as a valid principle to generalize special relativity.

Erratum: Electrıc Fıeld Enhancement by Gold Nano-Sphere and Its Clusters [East European Journal of Physics, 2, 388-393 (2024)

The purpose of this Erratum is to correct a misprint presented in the original article.

Preface

Against the backdrop of the rapidly evolving global energy transition, power, grid and energy storage technology are receiving unprecedented attention as key forces in promoting cleaner, smarter and more efficient energy sources. The Proceedings of the 2024 2nd International Conference on Power, Grid and Energy Storage (PGES 2024) brings together the latest research results and cutting-edge explorations of experts and scholars in the field of power energy from all over the world, demonstrating the vigorous vitality and unlimited potential of this field. The PGES 2024 took place virtually in Kunming, China from June 21st to 23rd, 2024. The conference was organized in order to provide an international academic forum for promoting research and other academic activities as well as developing research cooperation in field of power, grid and energy. It is worth mentioning that the number of international participants in this conference hit a record high. Experts and scholars from Canada, Malaysia, Italy, New Zealand, China, and many other countries and regions gathered together to contribute to the development of power, grid and energy. They brought cutting-edge technologies and research results in their respective fields, injecting new vitality and momentum into the conference. The conference fully demonstrated the characteristics of globalized exchanges. Participants from different countries and regions promoted international academic exchanges and cooperation by sharing their research achievements and experiences. At the same time, the conference also invited a number of internationally renowned experts and scholars to give keynote speeches, bringing participants cutting-edge academic views and profound insights. The keynote speakers include Hossam A. Gabbar (full Professor of Ontario Tech University, Canada), Tao Lin (Professor of Wuhan University, China), M A Hannan (Professor of Sunway University, Malaysia), Pierluigi Siano (Full Professor of University of Salerno, Italy), Udaya Madawala (Professor of The University of Auckland, New Zealand), as well as Guobing Zhou (Professor of North China Electric Power University, China). In addition, the conference also organized oral and poster presentations, which provided participants with more opportunities for in-depth exchanges and discussions. These activities not only helped to enhance the friendship and cooperation among the attendees, but also laid a solid foundation for promoting international exchanges and cooperation in the field of information education and artificial intelligence. The topics of papers collected and undergone rigorous peer review in the Proceedings of PGES 2024 can be classified as follows: Power Systems and Automation, Energy Storage Equipment and Systems, Smart Grid Information Engineering, Electrical Power Generation Technology, Power Transmission and Distribution, Communication and Control in The Power System, etc. We would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all the keynote speakers, authors, committee members and other colleagues for the success of PGES 2024, which has given rise to this present volume of selected papers. We would also like to acknowledge the staff of Journal of Physics: Conference Series for their effective work to make this Proceedings published. The Committee of PGES 2024 List of Committee Member is available in this Pdf.

Pointwise hemi-slant Riemannian maps ($\mathcal{PHSRM}$) from almost Hermitian manifolds

In 2022, the notion of pointwise slant Riemannian maps were introduced by Y. G\"{u}nd\"{u}zalp and M. A. Akyol [Journal of Geometry and Physics, 179, 104589, 2022] as a natural generalization of slant Riemannian maps \cite{s3}, slant Riemannian submersions \cite{lee}, slant submanifolds \cite{c1}. As a generalization of pointwise slant Riemannian maps and many subclasses notions (see also: \cite{ga2}), we introduce {\textit pointwise hemi-slant Riemannian maps (briefly, $\mathcal{PHSRM}$)} from almost Hermitian manifolds to Riemannian manifolds, giving non-trivial (proper) examples and investigate some properties of the map, we deal with their properties: the J-pluriharmonicity, the J-invariant, and the totally geodesicness of the map. Finally, we study some curvature relations in complex space form, involving Chen inequalities and Casorati curvatures for pointwise hemi-slant Riemannian maps, respectively.

In Situ Raman Spectroscopy of Plasma Electrochemical and Plasma Catalytic Reactors

Plasma electrochemistry (PEC) has been under investigation for an expanding number of potential applications such as agriculture, water treatment, decarbonized chemical processing, and nanomaterials synthesis [1–4]. PEC in water leads to the formation of gas-phase species that undergo a cascade of processes in the liquid to produce aqueous species such as OH, H2O2, ONOOH, NO2 -, and NO3 - that are sought after in these applications. Plasma-assisted catalysis (PAC) is another growing research field for some of the same applications and others that occur in the gas phase, such as industrial catalyst decoking, VOC abatement, gas reforming, and CO2 conversion [5]. For such problems, popular catalysts include zeolites, TiO2, and CeO2 [6]. Similar to PEC, in PAC the operating conditions for catalysis become more relaxed (e.g. lower temperature to activate the catalyst). There can be plasma-catalyst synergistic effects that improve the process yield well beyond that using plasma or catalyst alone.In both PEC and PAC, the plasma produces energetic photons, electrons, ions, and excited species, and enhances the electric field near plasma-liquid and plasma-solid interfaces. These strongly non-equilibrium conditions enable the plasma to perform the required processes for these applications in many cases in a single step and without assistance, compared to conventional methods that can require multiple steps, potentially toxic chemical agents (e.g. acids, reducing agents), and/or external heating.A major challenge facing the development of PEC- and PAC-related applications is the direct and detailed experimental investigation of the plasma-liquid and plasma-catalyst interfacial regions, respectively. The majority of existing liquid- and solid-phase diagnostics must be performed ex situ, removed from the plasma reactor and after treatment. To extend the scope of diagnostics, we employ an in situ approach using multiple diagnostic techniques to study a wide range of physical and chemical properties at the plasma-water interface. The centrepiece of this platform is in situ spontaneous Raman microspectroscopy, which is advantageous because of its non-intrusiveness, selectivity, versatility, and straightforward calibration. Shaping the laser beam into a light sheet enables probing of the interfacial region with micron-scale spatial resolution. For PEC in pure water, in situ Raman spectra showed that the concentrations of aqueous H2O2 and NO3 - both exceed those of the bulk liquid at a depth of a few tens of microns from the plasma-liquid interface [7].We will focus on transient changes to Raman spectra that appear in the presence of plasma, then disappear when the plasma is switched off. Such changes are observable in situ, not ex situ, and indicate the energy exchange from the plasma to water or the catalyst surface. The general approach will be to establish relationships between plasma properties and changes to the Raman spectra. Two primary cases will be studied. First, we will study PEC in air plasma-water systems at atmospheric pressure, using both batch reactor and electrospray configurations. We will focus on the spectral profile of the –OH stretch band of water and of probe molecules such as NO3 -. Analysis of the –OH stretch band reveals that the plasma weakens the hydrogen bonding network of water. To help pinpoint the cause, we will track the broadening of the N-O symmetric stretch mode (v 1) of NO3 - at less than 20 µm depth from the plasma-liquid interface. Second, we will investigate a PAC reactor consisting of a low- to medium-pressure CO2 plasma in contact with CeO2 as a catalyst. In this case, the catalyst temperature will be tracked using the Stokes-to-anti-Stokes ratio of the Raman intensities of the first-order optical phonon of CeO2, as well as the spectral shift of this spectral feature. Acknowledgments Financial support: Campus France Franco-Thai PhD fellowship (French Embassy in Thailand, E4C Engie sponsorship), IP Paris Energy4Climate “E4C” Interdisciplinary Center, Campus France PHC Stefanik project (49885SJ), CNRS-IEA “GRAFMET”, EUR PLASMAScience, Fédération Plas@Par, ANR grant ANR-15-CE06-0007-01 References [1] T. Orriere, D. Kurniawan, Y.-C. Chang, D. Z. Pai, and W.-H. Chiang, Nanotechnology 31, 485001 (2020).[2] J.-S. Yang, D. Z. Pai, and W.-H. Chiang, Carbon 153, 315 (2019).[3] S. Kooshki, P. Pareek, R. Mentheour, M. Janda, and Z. Machala, Environmental Technology & Innovation 32, 103287 (2023).[4] D. S. Mallapragada et al., Joule 7, 23 (2023).[5] E. Baratte, C. A. Garcia-Soto, T. Silva, V. Guerra, V. I. Parvulescu, and O. Guaitella, Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing s11090-023-10421-z (2023).[6] C. A. Garcia-Soto, E. Baratte, T. Silva, V. Guerra, V. I. Parvulescu, and O. Guaitella, Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing s11090-023-10419-7 (2023).[7] D. Z. Pai, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 54, 355201 (2021).

Enhanced Discharge Capacity in Carbon Felt Electrodes for Aqueous Aluminium-Ion Half-Cells

Diversifying the battery technology in use is an important step in ensuring a sustainable transition to a carbon neutral society, and reducing the emissions associated with lithium-ion cell manufacture. Aluminium is an attractive material for battery applications due to its high theoretical volumetric charge storage capacity of 8046 mA h cm−3 compared to lithium’s 2061 mAh cm-3 and relative abundance in the earth’s crust (1). Aqueous Al-ion batteries are one of many metal-ion systems being investigated utilising water as the electrolyte (2). Further, there are well-established mining, processing, and recycling routes for aluminium, with Li-ion battery recycling still in its infancy (3). Using aqueous electrolytes further provides improved safety as fire risk is reduced, and manufacturing costs are also reduced (4).The substrate on which the electrode material is applied impacts how it is utilised within an electrochemical system. The substrate provides both a shape to the electrode, as well as the material itself forming part of the system, and common substrates double as current collectors e.g. thin metal foils, but carbon polymers have also been explored as a substrate (5, 6). Carbon felt is a conductive substrate, with thin fibres of 5-10 μm diameter, providing a flexible porous structure and large surface area for the active material ‘ ink’ to adhere (0.4 m2 g-1 (7)) . Carbon based electrodes have been assessed in a non-aqueous Al-ion cathodes (8), with varying performance metrics based on the structure and make-up of the electrode, however, these were not investigated as a substrate for further electrode ink. In adding the ink to the carbon felt, the electrode becomes an effective 3D-matrix electrode.This poster explores the use of such 3D-matrix electrodes in order to increase the amount of active material utilised within the aq. Al-ion battery system (9) – a key requirement in reducing the environmental impacts of the battery overall (5), and a means for increasing the capacity of an individual electrode without increasing the overall volume. The cell described in (10) has a carbon-polymer electrode substrate, anatase TiO2 negative electrode and a copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) positive electrode, with the electrolyte being 1 M AlCl3 + 1 M KCl. While the CuHCF redox reaction is partially understood, the negative electrode mechanism has not been fully elucidated. A theorised surface reaction, and pseudo-capacitance of the TiO2 electrode in the aq. Al-ion battery would benefit from an increased surface area of the electrode provided by the carbon felt. Therefore, a key factor in achieving the optimum utilisation of active material is not purely an increase of TiO2 in the electrode, but an increase in the surface area in contact with the electrolyte. Key findings presented show that the lower active material loadings result in a higher discharge capacity for both the positive and negative electrodes, with values reaching an order of magnitude higher than seen for the 2D electrodes studied in the past. For the TiO2 electrode, we see 205.0 mAh g-1 @978 mA g-1 (1.81 mg cm-2 active material loading) and for the CuHCF, 259 mA h g-1 @ 1256.8 mA g-1 (2.5 mg cm-2 active material loading). Elia GA, Kravchyk KV, Kovalenko MV, Chacón J, Holland A, Wills RGA. An overview and prospective on Al and Al-ion battery technologies. Journal of Power Sources. 2021;481:228870. Wu D, Li X, Liu X, Yi J, Acevedo-Peña P, Reguera E, et al. 2022 Roadmap on aqueous batteries. Journal of Physics: Energy. 2022;4(4):041501. Baum ZJ, Bird RE, Yu X, Ma J. Lithium-ion battery recycling─ overview of techniques and trends. ACS Publications; 2022. Chao D, Zhou W, Xie F, Ye C, Li H, Jaroniec M, et al. Roadmap for advanced aqueous batteries: From design of materials to applications. Science Advances. 2020;6:eaba4098. Melzack N. Advancing battery design based on environmental impacts using an aqueous Al-ion cell as a case study. Scientific Reports. 2022;12(1):8911. Holland A, Kimpton H, Cruden A, Wills R. CuHCF as an electrode material in an aqueous dual-ion Al3+/K+ ion battery. Energy Procedia. 2018 d;151:69-73. Sigracell. Speciality Graphites for Energy Storage. 2016. McKerracher RD, Holland A, Cruden A, Wills RGA. Comparison of carbon materials as cathodes for the aluminium-ion battery. Carbon. 2019;144:333-41. Holland A, McKerracher RD, Cruden A, Wills RGA. An aluminium battery operating with an aqueous electrolyte. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry. 2018;48(3):243-50. Melzack N, Wills R, Cruden A. Cleaner Energy Storage: Cradle-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment of Aluminum-Ion Batteries With an Aqueous Electrolyte. Frontiers in Energy Research. 2021;9(290).

Electrodeposition Processes for Controlling Surface Morphology of Thick Cu2Se Films As Thermoelectric Conversion Materials

Copper selenides (Cu2Se) are a class of chalcogenides found in various applications owing to their semiconductor material properties. Cu2Se has shown great potential for thermoelectric (TE) device applications, and it has also demonstrated significant room for improvement at high temperatures owing to its phonon glass electron crystal (PGEC), an intrinsic property in potential thermoelectric materials1. Compact morphology and smooth surface are essential parameters in reducing the contact resistance between a thermoleg and the metal electrode2,3. Other studies have focused on further lowering thermal conductivity by increasing phonon drag through nano-structuring and introducing nano-inclusion4,5,6.Among synthesis approaches, the electrodeposition of TE materials appears promising. Morphology control in electrochemical deposition has been demonstrated and has shown outstanding results7. In a Bi2Se3 growth study, the films showed a simultaneous change in morphology, smooth to rough films, and phase, rhombohedral to orthorhombic, with film thickness. These phases exhibit different crystallite sizes and Seebeck coefficients8. It has been demonstrated that film growth and thickness by electrodeposition mainly depend on electrolyte composition and the applied potential to control morphology and stoichiometry. Most studies have focused on tuning these parameters,resulting in films with well-defined stoichiometry but with porous, mossy, or low compactness 9,10,11. There is, therefore, room for improvement, and a better understanding of the deposition processes is key to controlling the growth modes, morphology, and composition.In this work, we study the early stages of Cu2Se electrodeposition for TE application. Our goal is to optimize the electrodeposition conditions to obtain compact, well-crystallized films with Cu2Se stoichiometry. The films were obtained by potentiostatic deposition on a gold electrode from an acidic electrolyte, H2SO4 (pH 0.9 to 1.9), containing 10 mM CuSO4, (1 to 10 mM) H2SeO3, and the bath temperature varied from 25oC to 55oC. All potentials were measured and referred to Ag/Agl/sat, with a platinum mesh serving as the counter electrode. Results showed that at elevated temperature (55oC), pH 1.5, and a precursor concentration ratio [Cu(II) 10mM]/[Se(IV) 5mM] are suitable for Cu2Se film deposition. For films deposited in the potential range -500 mV ≤ V ≤ -50 mV, EDS analysis indicated that atomic composition is relatively constant and close to the desired Cu2Se stoichiometry (66.7 % Cu, 33.3 % Se). XRD spectra present sharp peaks corresponding to Cu2Se, indicating films are well crystallized, with an average crystallite size of 18 nm. SEM showed relatively smooth and compact films with, however, a high density of bulges. For films obtained at potentials more positive than -50 mV and more negative than -500 mV, notable changes in composition to Cu 60.8%, morphology, and the appearance of Cu3Se2 XRD peaks were observed, denoting the existence of mixed phases of Cu3Se2 and Cu2Se. Progress in the investigation of the growth mechanism/processes of Cu2Se films at the early deposition stages will also be presented.References T. Wei, Y.Qin, T. Deng, Q. Song, B. Jiang, R. Liu, P.Qiu, X. Shi, L. Chen,Sci. Chi. Mat. 62, 1, 8–24 (2019) P. Nieroda, A. Kusior, J. Leszczynski, P. Rutkowski, A. Kolezynski, Materials, 14, 3650 (2021)N. Su, S. Guo, F. Li, B. Li. Nanomaterials, 10, 431 (2020)S. Li, X. Lou, X. Li, J. Zhang, D. Li, H. Deng, J. Liu, G. Tang. Chemistry of Materials, 32 (22), 9761-9770, (2020)H. Zhang, D V. Talapin. Angew. Chem Int, 53, 9126-9127 (2014) N. K. Singh, S. Bathula, B. Gahtori, K Tyagi., D. Haranath, A. Dhar. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 668, 152-158 (2016) K. Cicvaric, L. Meng, D. W. Newbrook, R. Huang, S. Ye, W. Zhang, A. L. Hector, G. Reid, P. N. Bartlett, C. H. K. Groot. ACS Omega , 5, 24, 14679–14688 (2020)R. Ahmed, M. G. Rosul, Y. Xu, M. Zebarjadi, G. Zangari. Electrochimica Acta, 368, 137554, (2021)A. Moysiadou, R. Koutsikou, M. Bouroushian. Materials Letters, 139, 112–115 (2015)D. Lippkow, H. H. Strehblow. Electrochimica Acta, 43, 14-15, 2131-2140, (1998)S. Thanikaikarasan, D. Dhanasekaran, K. Sankaranarayanan. Chinese Journal of Physics, 63, 138-148 (2020)

(Invited) Spatially–Resolved Luminescence Properties of Etched Quantum Well Microstructures

Fabrication processes for photonic devices, especially micro- or nano-photonic devices, call for some kind of control of the materials’ optical properties at the stage of the final device. Our study focusses on measuring the optical quality of quantum well (QW) containing materials after device processing, using steps such as etching which allows fabrication of optical waveguides for example. We first designed and realized specific material structures based on an InP substrate, with a series of InAsxP1-x quantum wells such as illustrated on the figure. The samples were grown by gas-phase molecular beam epitaxy. The samples were characterized by spatially-resolved photoluminescence (PL) at low temperature (10 K). The top right part shows a typical spectrum measured from the sample we have grown: sharp lines associated with each QW can be clearly identified thanks to a careful grading of the As/P composition in each QW, while keeping its thickness to a constant value (typically 7 to 8 nm). Then we etched the samples (in the form of rectangular ridges as shown) using different etching processes, based either on wet etching or reactive ion etching (RIE), and recorded the PL spectra with high spatial resolution across the obtained structures. In parallel, the samples after etching were also characterized by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy. Data processing from the series of PL spectra was then performed in order the characterize the effects of etching on the QW materials.We show PL intensity profiles across a series of etched stripes of different widths resulting from a RIE process. These intensity profiles were obtained from the lines associated with the different QWs in the structure. One can observe, first of all, that the PL intensity gradually increases from the edges to the center of the stripes, over a range of up to 10 µm. One can also observe that for “wide” stripes, i.e. 30 or 50 µm, the PL intensity for each line saturates at the same level in the central part. However, for the narrower stripes (10 or 20 µm), the PL signal does not reach the same level. This is the signature of some PL-limitation phenomenon, which extends its effects far from the etched sidewalls. A “standard” phenomenon resulting solely from non-radiative recombination at the etched sidewalls is excluded. Non-radiative recombination can only affect regions which are less than one charge carrier diffusion length from the sidewalls. Diffusion length in our materials is less than 1 µm. Therefore, some kind of “long range” interaction seems to affect our samples. We propose that this long range interaction is due to some stray static electric field resulting from the presence of residual ions left by the etching process at the sidewalls. The electric field affects the PL intensity through dissociation of excitons. Moreover, we observed that different conditions for the etching process (wet etching versus RIE, crystallographic orientation of the stripes) impact the magnitude of this PL intensity quenching.[1] Pearton S 1997 Materials Science and Engineering: B 44 1–7[2] Landesman J P, Isik-Goktas N, LaPierre R R, Levallois C, Ghanad-Tavakoli S, Pargon E, Petit-Etienne C and Jiménez J 2021 Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 54 445106[3] Fiore A, Rossetti M, Alloing B, Paranthoen C, Chen J X, Geelhaar L and Riechert H 2004 Physical Review B 70 205311[4] Bludau W and Wagner E 1976 Physical Review B 13 5410–5414 Figure 1

Preface

This Volume contains the papers presented at Eurotherm Seminar 118 on Hydrogen Energy Technologies held in Krakow, Poland from 08–10 May 2024 and accepted for Proceedings published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series. Eurotherm Seminar 118 is being organized under the auspices of the EUROTHERM Committee. Hydrogen is recognized as a clean energy source and a key chemical raw material. Currently, more than 90% of hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels via reforming. Therefore, hydrogen production powered by renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, hydro) is highly desired for realizing a sustainable, carbon-neutral energy future. This seminar is connected with 20 years of cooperation between AGH University of Krakow and Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo. The aims of the cooperation are as follows: • Enhancing cooperation and networking; • Developing new partnerships and strengthening existing ones; • Exchanging existing and creating new knowledge; • Enhancing level of science and technology; • Increasing impact of research and development activities. The aims of seminar was to collect presentations dealing with hydrogen energy technologies: production, storage, utilization and transport phenomena. List of Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee and Acknowledgments are available in this Pdf.