Structure Of Thin Layers Research Articles

Transforming Prussian Blue Analogues: The Future-Centric Pathway to Rise of Thin Layered Double Hydroxides for Superior Water Oxidation: An Overview

Prussian blue analogues (PBAs)[1–5] have exhibited great performance towards electrochemical water oxidation because of their high activity and stability. However, there were some challenges because of their limited surface area and less accessible active sites. Herein this work, we have explored the synthesis of a Prussian blue analogue-based thin layered double hydroxide (PBA-TLDH)[6–9] through a reconstruction method. The (PBA-TLDH) possessed high surface area and a large number of active sites for enhanced electrochemical water oxidation. These PBA-LDH materials were well characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electrochemical techniques[1,7,10–12]. The PBA-TLDH materials had a well-defined thin layered structure with the PBAs uniformly distributed in the interlayer spaces of the LDHs. The PBA-LDH catalyst showed enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards water oxidation, with a very low overpotentials up to 240 mV and current density of 10 mA cm-2,[9,13–16] have been achieved which is significantly lower than that of the pristine PBAs. Moreover, these thin layered double hydroxides material showed excellent stability over large electrochemical cycle. This work provides a new strategy for the design and synthesis of highly active and stable electrocatalysts for water oxidation.

Acoustic metamaterials of double-layer structure for sound insulation

Insulation against air-borne sound is one of the earliest research fields of acoustic metamaterials. The sound insulation of the conventional sound insulation structure is generally limited by the law of mass. When the density of the structural surface is doubled, the low-frequency sound insulation is only increased by 6dB.In our report, we introduce a double-layer resonator-type acoustic metamaterial, which consists of two honeycomb sandwich panels, two perforated panels, and a thin air layer. Firstly, for two singer -layer resonator-type acoustic metamaterial, different sound absorption frequency points were designed. Secondly, a calculation model of sound insulation metamaterial with double-layer resonator type is established. The results show that the sound insulation performance of the structure greatly breaks through the law of mass in the frequency range of 165Hz-3150Hz. Finally, for the application requirements of the manufacturer, the compartment wall components and composite sound insulation door core components are designed. The reasonable design of Double-layer resonator-based honeycomb metamaterial structural parameters can solve the problem of low-frequency noise of thin-layer lightweight structure.

Features of the Formation of a Labyrinthine Structure in Thin Layers of Magnetic Fluids in a Constant Electric Field

Features of the Formation of a Labyrinthine Structure in Thin Layers of Magnetic Fluids in a Constant Electric Field

Diffusion models for multidimensional seismic noise attenuation and superresolution

Seismic data quality proves pivotal to its interpretation, necessitating the reduction of noise and enhancement of resolution. Traditional and deep-learning-based solutions have achieved varying degrees of success on low-dimensional seismic data. We develop a deep generative solution for high-dimensional seismic data denoising and superresolution through the innovative application of denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPMs), which we refer to as MD Diffusion. MD Diffusion treats degraded seismic data as a conditional prior that guides the generative process, enhancing the capability to recover data from complex noise. By iteratively training an implicit probability model, we achieve a sampling speed 10 times faster than the original DDPM. Extensive training allows us to explicitly model complex seismic data distributions in synthetic data sets to transfer this knowledge to the process of recovering field data with unknown noise levels, thereby attenuating the noise and enhancing the resolution in an unsupervised manner. Quantitative metrics and qualitative results for 3D synthetic and field data demonstrate that MD Diffusion exhibits superior performance in high-dimensional seismic data denoising and superresolution compared with the UNet and seismic superresolution methods, especially in enhancing thin-layer structures and preserving fault features, and indicates the potential for application to higher-dimensional data.

Thermal Property Estimation of Thin-Layered Structures by Means of Thermoreflectance Measurement and Network Identification by Deconvolution Algorithm

Abstract Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is a powerful tool for micro and nanoscale digital printing of metals for electronic packaging. In the metal LIFT process, the donor thin metal film is propelled to the receiving substrate and deposited on it. Morphology of the deposited metal varies with the thermodynamic responses of the donor thin film during and after the laser heating. Thus, the thermophysical properties of the multilayered donor sample are important to predict the LIFT process accurately. Here, we investigated thermophysical properties of a 100 nm-thick gold coated on 0.5 mm-thick sapphire and silicon substrates by means of the nanosecond time-domain thermoreflectance (ns-TDTR) analyzed by the network identification by deconvolution (NID) algorithm, which does not require numerical simulation or analytical solution. The NID algorithm enabled us to extract the thermal time constants of the sample from the nanosecond thermal decay of the sample surface. Furthermore, the cumulative and differential structure functions allowed us to investigate the heat flow path, giving the interfacial thermal resistance and the thermal conductivity of the substrate. After calibration of the NID algorithm using the thermal conductivity of the sapphire, the thermal conductivity of the silicon was determined to be 107–151 W/(m K), which is in good agreement with the widely accepted range of 110–148 W/(m K). Our study shows the feasibility of the structure function obtained from the single-shot TDTR experiments for thermal property estimation in laser processing and electronics packaging applications.

Architectures of MoS2/SnO2 nanoflowers for NO2 gas detection

In this research, a two-step hydrothermal technique is used to fabricate a NO2 gas sensor based on MoS2 nanoflowers with SnO2 nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), were used to determine the morphologies, nanostructures, and compositions of the materials. The nanocomposites consisting of MoS2/SnO2 demonstrated a remarkable sensing response (38.6) towards 100 ppm of NO2. Moreover, the nanocomposites showed a rapid response and recovery time (42/147 S) when exposed to 100 ppm at temperature (250 °C). The MoS2/SnO2 nanocomposites demonstrated exceptional selectivity to NO2 against CO, NH3, and H2S, as well as demonstrated good repeatability. The significant gas detection characteristics could potentially be controlled by the distinctive structures of thin layers assembled into flower-like formations of two-dimensional MoS2. The multi-joint nanostructures promote the process of transferring the electrical charge of the carrier and the response to MoS2/SnO2 and NO2. The fabricated sensors are considered as potential candidates for the commercial in the nitrogen dioxide gas-sensing applications.

Impact of the spatial structure of alkyl chains on properties of thiophene-substituted diketopyrrolopyrroles: Part II – Spectroscopic study

The study concerns the impact of a difference in geometry of the side alkyl chains of oligothiophene derivatives of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) on their spectroscopic properties and aggregation in solutions, in Langmuir layers, and thin films. Using a combination of theoretical and experimental approaches, this study aims to explain the aggregating behaviour of thiophene-substituted DPP derivatives. Various methods were used to characterise the dyes, including absorption spectroscopy also with polarized light, fluorescence spectroscopy, Langmuir techniques, and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. The presented results emphasise a significant impact of side alkyl chains on DPP's molecular behaviour, notably evident in thin-layer structures. Interestingly, the deconvolution of the absorption spectra revealed three bands in the red region. Insightful analysis of temperature-dependent absorption, excitation, and emission fluorescence spectra indicates the co-existence of monomer, dimer, and a higher aggregate forms, most likely a tetrameric structures. Moreover, such a complexity of molecular organisation of dyes appears already in the solution. Differences in spectral properties of the dyes studied are robustly visible in changes in the spectra of the air–water interface, where the dye with the branched side group changes the mutual orientation in dimeric structures, leading to the formation of H-type aggregates, which was observed as an almost 20-nm spectral blue shift during Langmuir layer compression. The results presented highlight the need for care in interpretation of the intensity ratio of DPP spectra and spectral shift as the sole determinants of the aggregation state.

4D Tomography for neutron depth profiling applications

High-rate Neutron Depth Profiling (NDP) is a very efficient and precise probe for studying the evolution of lithium concentration in thin-layer structures, e.g., battery electrodes. NDP is typically limited to a one-dimensional depth analysis summed over the profile area covered by the neutron beam. We developed a detector system based on double-sided silicon strip detectors (DSSSD) with extremely thin and homogeneous entrance windows to provide a new quality of NDP measurements in 3+1 dimensions for the N4DP instrument at the FRM II in Garching, Germany. Using the 6Li(n, α)3H reaction in an experiment conducted at the research reactor in Delft, we achieved a lateral position resolution down to ∼100μm and an energy resolution with FWHM≈10keV for the triton particles at energies of 2.7MeV. High-resolution 3D pictures with a contrast uncertainty <10% per pixel can be achieved faster than 1 picture per minute. This rate can be adjusted individually for each experiment by sacrificing granularity in the position measurement.

Lamellar copper molybdate as a novel photocatalyst for the degradation of Rhodamine B

Water containing organic pollutants poses increasingly severe challenges to the clean water resources that humans rely on for survival. Photocatalysis is one of the technologies for removing organic pollutants from wastewater, which is green and has no secondary pollution. Here layered HCu1.5MoO5 photocatalyst is synthesized by wet chemistry. It is assembled from multiple stacked thin nanosheets with a thickness of ∼12.5 nm. The thin-layer structure of two-dimensional photocatalysts considerably reduces the migration distance of photo-generated charge carriers, thereby promoting efficient charge separation. In addition, it exhibits near-ultraviolet light response with the remarkable local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect in the visible light region. The specific surface area and mesoporous structure of HCu1.5MoO5 are particularly advantageous for the mass transfer process of photocatalytic degradation. These characteristics enable it to effectively degrade Rhodamine B, achieving a degradation rate of 78.4 % after 120 min. The work provides a new perspective for the development of layered photocatalysts for photocatalytic degradation.

Microstructural Optimization of Sn-58Bi Low-Temperature Solder Fabricated by Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Irradiation

In this study, intense pulsed light (IPL) soldering was employed on Sn-58Bi solder pastes with two distinct particle sizes (T3: 25–45 μm and T9: 1–8 μm) to investigate the correlation between the solder microstructure and mechanical properties as a function of IPL irradiation times. During IPL soldering, a gradual transition from an immature to a refined to a coarsened microstructure was observed in the solder, impacting its mechanical strength (hardness), which initially exhibited a slight increase followed by a subsequent decrease. It is noted that hardness measurements taken during the immature stage may exhibit slight deviations from the Hall–Petch relationship. Experimental findings revealed that as the number of IPL irradiation sessions increased, solder particles progressively coalesced, forming a unified mass after 30 sessions. Subsequently, after 30–40 IPL sessions, notable voids were observed within the T3 solder, while fewer voids were detected at the T9-ENIG interface. Following IPL soldering, a thin layered structure of Ni3Sn4 intermetallic compound (IMC) was observed at the Sn-58Bi/ENIG interface. In contrast, reflow soldering resulted in the abundant formation of rod-shaped Ni3Sn4 IMCs not only at the reaction interface but also within the solder bulk, accompanied by the notable presence of a P-rich layer beneath the IMC.

Ultra-thin layer HTaMoO6 catalyst for the upgrading of carbohydrates into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

The conversion of carbohydrates into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a vital and valuable platform chemical, is sought after in industrial applications but poses significant challenges. In this research, we engineered an ultra-thin layer HTaMoO6 catalyst using ball-milling/liquid-exfoliation technique, demonstrating its efficiency in catalyzing the transformation of carbohydrates to HMF. In contrast to the conventional method utilizing tetra(n-butylammonium) hydroxide as the intercalation agent, the ball-milling/liquid-exfoliation technique not only reduces catalyst preparation time (within 12 h) but also enhances the efficient intercalation, leading to the formation of an ultra-thin layer structure. The resulting catalyst exhibits high total acidity, a favorable Brønsted/Lewis acid ratio, and improved accessibility of active sites due to the thin layer structure post-exfoliation. Compared with bulk LiTaMoO6, the ultrathin layer HTaMoO6 catalyst enables complete fructose dehydration with an HMF yield reaching 89.1 % under moderate reaction conditions (120 °C, 1 h) and 47.2 % yield of HMF is obtained from sucrose at 130 °C. This work provides a new method to fabricate the solid acid for the transformation of carbohydrates.

First-principles study of the thickness-dependent shift current in γ-GeSe thin layers

We investigate the stable structure and optoelectronic properties of thin γ-GeSe layers through first-principles calculations. We examine three stacking configurations (A-A, A-B, and A-C) of adjacent quadruple layers (QLs), revealing the structural stability of A-C stacking. Due to broken inversion symmetry in atomically thin γ-GeSe layers, shift currents are generated, which are very sensitive to their stacking order and thickness. Despite similar optical absorption trends in A-B and A-C stackings, their shift current responses differ significantly. The shift current is notably decreased at odd-number stackings for all cases, attributed to opposite generated flows between the top and bottom surfaces. The analysis of orbital contributions reveals the charge shift's origin in γ-GeSe. We also explore mechanical modifications, such as sliding and strain, demonstrating the tunability of the shift current spectrum in γ-GeSe. This research enhances our understanding of the optoelectronic response in atomically thin materials, providing valuable insights for future applications.

MXene-enhanced sulfonated TFN nanofiltration membranes for improved desalination performance

MXene, a recently identified 2D nanosheet, has drawn interest due to its potential application in the modification of thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for the production of clean water. This study presents the development of MXene-based sulfonated TFN (STFN) nanofiltration membrane for the desalination application and chlorine resistance. A novel amine monomer approach of combination such as 1-(2-aminoethyl)piperazine (APIP) and 2,5-diaminobenzenesulfonic acid (DABSA) was proposed for the interfacial polymerization. The as-prepared MXene displayed a thin-layer nanoflakes-like structure. The surface morphology of the membrane indicated that the MXene bound well on the sulfonated TFN membrane. The hydrophilicity of the membrane was enhanced significantly in the STFN membrane, and the lower contact angle value was decreased up to 24°. The filtration performance showed that the water flux and salt rejection were improved in both sulfonated thin film composite (STFC) and STFN membranes. STFN membranes achieved a higher rejection of >93 % for Na2SO4 and MgSO4. The antifouling and chlorine resistance were also improved in STFC and STFN membranes. This study would be an insight for the development of novel STFN membranes for desalination applications.

Oxidation resistance of Mo/Cr bilayer coating on Zr alloy in a 1200 °C steam environment

The Cr-coated Zr alloys demonstrate excellent resistance to high-temperature steam oxidation. However, the rapid diffusion pathways for oxygen formed by the inter-diffusion between the coating and alloy at high temperatures significantly affect the steam oxidation resistance of the coated alloys. To address this issue, we developed a Mo/Cr bilayer coating on Zr alloy by a combination of dc-MS and HiPIMS surface treatments. The coating exhibits outstanding steam oxidation resistance at high temperatures, resulting in a mass gain approximately 86.6% and 44.1% lower than that of the bare Zr alloy and Cr coating, respectively, after 30 min of steam oxidation at 1200 °C. This is mainly because, during the oxidation process, the Mo interface layer undergoes a transformation into a thin and high-quality double diffusion layer structure, effectively avoiding high-temperature inter-diffusion between the Cr coating and Zr alloy, thereby inhibiting the formation of oxygen diffusion pathways.

The Effects of Layer-Induced Elastic Anisotropy on Microseismic Monitoring Records in Underground Coal Mines

Real-time microseismic observations are extensively used in underground hard rock mines. However, microseismic monitoring in coal mines is not common. In this study, the features of microseismic (MS) event waveforms were discussed under conditions of thin-layered sedimentary media. The possibility of source mechanism evaluation was considered for the MS event recorded in coal mine. Moment tensor (MT) inversion of the waveforms can be challenging due to influence of thin-layered medium structure. Splitting of shear SH- and SV-waves is one of the characteristic features that affect MS records in coal mines. The effect of splitting was demonstrated using real microseismic data collected by an underground seismic array installed in the Polosukhinskaya coal mine, Russia. Velocities of shear SH- and SV-waves were estimated from travel times. The results reveal significant variations in shear wave velocities composed of a radial anisotropy of 75%, thus confirming the importance of a thin-layered model for moment tensor inversion. The thin-layered model was built for geological conditions at the Polosukhinskaya coal mine and synthetic seismograms were generated using QSEIS (Pyrocko OS). A full moment tensor of a single typical event was found employing the layered 1D velocity model.

A Novel Thin-Layer Flow Cell Sensor System Based on BDD Electrode for Heavy Metal Ion Detection.

An electrochemical sensor based on a thin-layer flow cell and a boron-doped diamond (BDD) working electrode was fabricated for heavy metal ions determination using anodic stripping voltammetry. Furthermore, a fluidic automatic detection system was developed. With the wide potential window of the BDD electrode, Zn2+ with high negative stripping potential was detected by this system. Due to the thin-layer and fluidic structure of the sensor system, the electrodepositon efficiency for heavy metal ions were improved without using conventional stirring devices. With a short deposition time of 60 s, the system consumed only 0.75 mL reagent per test. A linear relationship for Zn2+ determination was displayed ranging from 10 μg/L to 150 μg/L with a sensitivity of 0.1218 μA·L·μg-1 and a detection limit of 2.1 μg/L. A high repeatability was indicated from the relative standard deviation of 1.60% for 30 repeated current responses of zinc solution. The system was applied to determine Zn2+ in real water samples by using the standard addition method with the recoveries ranging from 92% to 118%. The system was also used for the simultaneous detection of Zn2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+. The detection results indicate its potential application in on-site monitoring for mutiple heavy metal ions.

Electronic structure and composition of tin oxide thin epitaxial and magnetron layers according to synchrotron XANES studies

The materials of the tin-oxygen system and thin-film structures based on them are modern and actual for the creation of a wide range of electronic devices, for example, resistive gas sensors of high sensitivity and short response time with low energy consumption and high manufacturability. An important direction in the study of such materials and structures is the control of properties with variations in technological formation regimes. Information on the composition, local atomic and electronic structure of thin layers of the tin-oxygen system with varying approaches to their production is in demand. The work is devoted to the study of the electronic structure of thin layers of tin oxides obtained by modern methods of molecular beam epitaxy and magnetron sputtering. A study of the local partial density of electronic states in the conduction band by X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy of tin and oxygen has been carried out. The data were obtained using high-intensity synchrotron radiation, which allows varying the monochromatized radiation quantum energy without loss in intensity, that is necessary to obtain high-resolution X-ray spectral data. It is shown that the composition, local atomic surrounding, electronic spectrum and their features depend on the technology of formation and storage conditions of the studied structures. Synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy data show the presence of intermediate oxides of the tin-oxygen system in the studied materials after prolonged storage in laboratory conditions. The data obtained indicate the possibility of controlled variation in the composition, local atomic surrounding and electronic spectrum of thin-film structures of tin oxides of small thickness. The results of the work can be used in the formation and subsequent modification of thin and ultrathin layers of tin oxides by magnetron sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy, as well as in their further application as active layers of microelectronics devices

Improved HIE-FDTD Method for Simulating Thin Layer Structure in Linear Dispersive Media

Improved HIE-FDTD Method for Simulating Thin Layer Structure in Linear Dispersive Media

Synthesis and characterization of MoSe2 nanoscrolls via pulsed laser ablation in deep eutectic solvents.

There is ongoing interest in the rapid, reproducible production of 2-dimensional (2-D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), such as molybdenum-based TMD (MoX2), where X is a chalcogen atom such as sulphur (S), selenium (Se) or tellurium (Te), driven by their unique optical and electronic properties. Once fabricated into an atomically thin layer structure, these materials have a direct-indirect bandgap transition, strong spin-orbit coupling, and favourable electronic and mechanical strain-dependent properties which are attractive for electronics. Pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) is an economic, green alternative for synthesis of TMD. It has been shown that in the case of MoX2, the chemical processes during the plasma phase of the ablation can yield the formation of multispecies, including MoOx quantum dots when oxygen-containing solvents are used. Here, we introduce the formation of MoSe2 nanoscrolls with low oxygen content synthesized via pulsed laser ablation in deep eutectic solvents (PLADES). Our results suggest that the synthesis produces a stable colloidal solution of large 2-D structures with tuneable surface charge by replacing the deep eutectic solvent (DES) with DI water. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) results suggest that irradiating the solvent at near infrared NIR energy does not affect its chemical composition. NMR also proves that serial washing can completely remove solvent from the nanostructures. Raman shifts suggest the formation of large, thin MoSe2 nanosheets aided by the solvent confinement resulting from van der Waal forces and hydrogen bonds interactions between MoSe2 and urea. Binding energies measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirm MoSe2-DES preference to form 1T-MoSe2versus molybdenum oxides and 2H MoSe2 in DI-water. Raman and XPS findings were validated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Results of this work validate the use of PLADES for the synthesis of stable, crystalline, low-surface-oxygen-content colloidal MoSe2 nanoscrolls in scalable quantities.

Simulation of thin-film detectors of ionizing radiation and thermal neutrons based on CdTe

The article is dedicated to the numerical simulations of thin-layer structures based on CdTe semiconductors, which can be fabricated by using low-cost technologies. Structures Mo/Au/CdS/CdTe/Au, and their modifications, with different thicknesses of the main layers are investigated. The possibility of creating a detector of ionizing radiation based on these structures, which has selective properties with respect to the radiation type, and very low operation voltage, is shown. The detection efficiencies of α-, β-, and γ-radiation in different energy ranges were calculated based on the obtained values of energy losses of ionizing particles, which are proportional to the output signal of the detector. The use of such detectors, together with a solid-state converter made of boron carbide containing either natural boron natB or boron enriched with the 10B isotope up to 95%, for the detection of thermal neutrons was also studied. It was shown that the structures could be used to create α-particle spectrometers, given that the CdTe thickness is tailored to the highest expected α-particle energy. Detectors with thin CdTe (1–5 μm) can be successfully used in the counting mode. For neutron detection, stacking multiple single structures into sandwich structures was proposed and investigated. In such a configuration, the detector qualities were markedly improved: the efficiency of neutron detection reached ∼60%, while the sensitivity to the background γ- and β-radiation was ∼100 times lower than that for neutrons. The very low sensitivity of the simulated neutron detectors to the neutron incidence angle was shown.