Phys.org July 19, 2024 By subjecting the films to post-heat-treatment at various temperatures up to 600 °C in both H2 and Ar gases Researchers in Japan investigated the changes in the crystal structure and ferroelectric properties of aluminum scandium nitride films sandwiched between platinum and titanium nitride and titanium nitride electrodes. The remanent polarization underwent slight change, whereas the coercive field was strengthened by approximately 9% because of the post-heat-treatment up to 600 °C irrespective of the atmosphere and electrode material. This change was much smaller than that reported for ferroelectric zirconium dioxide films as well as for lead zirconate titanate and […]
Tag Archives: Thin films
Material would allow users to ‘tune’ windows to block targeted wavelengths of light
Phys.org September 26, 2023 Dual-band electrochromism, the independent modulation of visible and near-infrared light by a single material, is highly desirable for smart windows to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings. Tungsten oxides are commercially important electrochromic materials, exhibiting reversible visible and near-infrared absorption when electrochemically reduced in an electrolyte containing small cations or protons. The presence of structural water in tungsten oxides has been associated with faster electrochromic switching speeds. A team of researchers in the US (North Carolina State University, UT Austin, Vanderbilt University) found that WO3·H2O, a crystalline hydrate, exhibited dual-band electrochromism unlike the anhydrous WO3. Making […]
How to fire projectiles through materials without breaking anything
Nanowerk November 28, 2022 Researchers in Austria bombarded ultrathin materials with highly charged ions to explain why sometimes the projectile penetrates the material layer without any noticeable change in the material and sometimes the material layer around the impact site is also completely destroyed. They found that it is not the momentum of the projectile that is mainly responsible for the holes, but its electric charge. When an ion with multiple positive charge hits the material layer, it attracts a larger number of electrons and takes them with it leaving a positively charged region in the material layer. Graphene’s high […]
Invention of teeny-tiny organic films could enable new electronics
Phys.org November 8, 2019 A team of researchers in the US (University of Chicago, Cornell University, Argonne National Laboratory) filled a reactor halfway with liquid A, then add liquid B. At the line where the two meet, they used a tiny tube to inject the rest of the ingredients, which assembled into a film. Then scientists evaporated or drain the liquids, and the film gently glides down to rest intact. The film grows in one continuous motion, so there are no awkward joints between patches. It can be performed at room temperature. The method provides an innovative way to combine […]