Article
Physics, Applied
Patrick Barfield, Vinh Tran, Vikram Nagarajan, Maya Martinez, Amirari Diego, Derek Bergner, Alessandra Lanzara, James G. Analytis, Claudia Ojeda-Aristizabal
Summary: In this work, nanoflake of alpha-RuCl3 was studied through high impedance measurements. The results showed a significant change in transport mechanism at low temperatures and the observation of excitations predicted by the Kitaev-Heisenberg model. This work demonstrated the possibility of realizing the predicted excitations in alpha-RuCl3 at low temperatures and provided information about the transport mechanisms in this material in a wide temperature range.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lekha Nair, Zara Aftab, Indra Sulania, Asokan Kandasami
Summary: The effects of high-energy ion irradiation on indium films were studied. It was found that irradiation with different ion species resulted in decreased crystallinity, enhanced beam-induced reactivity, narrowed particle size distribution, and fusion and fragmentation of grains on the film surface.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
S. Sugumaran, T. A. Divya, R. K. Sivaraman, C. S. Bellan, K. C. Sekhar, M. F. Jamlos
Summary: Nanostructured LaAlO3 thin films with thicknesses of 50 nm, 100 nm, and 150 nm were successfully prepared using thermal evaporation technique. The films exhibited a La-Al-O bond, perovskite LaAlO3 structure, and promising electrical properties for potential applications in electronic devices in the future.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN ELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Aleksandr Lenshin, Pavel Seredin, Dmitry Goloshchapov, Ali O. Radam, Andrey Mizerov
Summary: For the first time, this study demonstrates the advantages of using a compliant hybrid substrate of porSi/SiC for growing high-quality ultra-thin nanostructured AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures using molecular beam epitaxy. The experimental and computational data obtained in this work are important for understanding the physics and technology of AlxGa1-xN/GaN nanoheterostructures and their potential applications in optoelectronics.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Fan-Ying Chuang, Denny Pratama Hasibuan, Clara Sinta Saragih, Ranjit A. Patil, Chih-Hung Tsai, Yung Liou, Yuan-Ron Ma
Summary: This study demonstrates how the electron hopping transport in NiO thin films and nanorods is influenced by the length and dimensionality of electron transmission-paths as well as temperature. The electron conduction mechanisms include nearest-neighbor hopping and variable range hopping.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Katir Ziouche, Ibrahim Bel-Hadj, Zahia Bougrioua
Summary: This paper discusses the optimization of electrical and thermoelectrical properties of nanostructured polysilicon material for use in thermoelectric devices. The nanostructured porous polysilicon (POpSi) thin film is shown to significantly reduce thermal conductivity while maintaining Seebeck coefficient, resulting in a substantial improvement in ZT compared to standard polySi layers. The integration of POpSi into planar TE microgenerators leads to a 28% increase in simulated conversion efficiency compared to those using standard polySi layers.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hannah-Noa Barad, Mariana Alarcon-Correa, Gerardo Salinas, Eran Oren, Florian Peter, Alexander Kuhn, Peer Fischer
Summary: This study presents an integrated fabrication scheme based on glancing angle physical vapor deposition to form a thin-film materials library with controlled variations in nanoshape, multinary composition, and oxidation state on a single large area substrate. The versatility of the method was demonstrated by growing an octonary materials system and revealing variations in several physico-chemical properties. The scheme can be extended to include more starting elements and transferred to other deposition methods, making it an adaptable and versatile platform for combinatorial materials science.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Libin Liang, Katrina Czar, Madalina Furis
Summary: This research investigates the potential of strain engineering in promoting the formation of delocalized excitonic states in organic semiconductors. The results demonstrate that tensile strain leads to the formation of delocalized excitons, accompanied by enhanced photoluminescence intensity and red shift in peak wavelength. These findings offer promising prospects for achieving delocalization at room temperature through strain engineering.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Aum Sagar Panda, Yi-Chien Lee, Chen-Jung Hung, Kang-Ping Liu, Cheng-Yen Chang, Gkreti-Maria Manesi, Apostolos Avgeropoulos, Fan-Gang Tseng, Fu-Rong Chen, Rong-Ming Ho
Summary: This study demonstrates a facile method for the controlled orientation of nanostructures in thin films using a diblock copolymer system. By manipulating the pressure and surface tension of the polymer materials, the researchers were able to achieve long-range order in the nanostructures.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
David S. Knoche, Matthias Steimecke, Yeseul Yun, Lutz Muehlenbein, Akash Bhatnagar
Summary: This study investigates the evolution of bulk photovoltaic effect in BiFeO3 thin films under different polarization conditions, revealing anomalous characteristics in open-circuit voltages under circularly polarized light. Spatially-resolved Raman measurements further analyze the interaction between light and different domains.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
Qiyu Chen, Qing Hao
Summary: Polycrystalline thin films, commonly found in devices and energy-related applications, often exhibit columnar grains and rough grain boundaries. The lack of a simple analytical model to treat phonon scattering at these boundaries and interfaces hinders the understanding of in-plane thermal transport crucial for heat spreading in thin-film devices. In this paper, an effective medium formulation is extended to columnar-grained thin films, and the model predictions are validated with phonon Monte Carlo simulations and experimental data on polycrystalline ZnO thin films.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Grzegorz Dariusz Sulka
Summary: In the field of materials science and engineering, the use of thin films and nanostructured materials to improve material properties has become common practice. Recent progress in customizing the unique properties, such as high surface area to volume ratio, surface charge, structure, anisotropic nature, and tunable functionalities, has expanded the range of applications to various fields including electronics, energy storage, sensing, optoelectronics, catalysis, and biomedicine. Advances have also been made in the importance of electrochemistry in the fabrication and characterization of functional thin films and nanostructured materials.
Article
Physics, Condensed Matter
Divya Dixit, K. Madhuri
Summary: In this study, molybdenum trioxide thin films were grown on Indium Tin Oxide coated glass substrates using Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. Systematic characterization was conducted to investigate the growth, structure, and optical properties of the films. The research revealed that the film properties such as structure, grain size, and optical transmittance varied with substrate temperature.
SUPERLATTICES AND MICROSTRUCTURES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mihyeon Kim, Shunsuke Mori, Yi Shuang, Shogo Hatayama, Daisuke Ando, Yuji Sutou
Summary: This study investigates the electrical conduction mechanism of a beta-MnTe film with a WZ-type structure. The results show that the film exhibits variable-range hopping (VRH) conduction in the temperature range of 120-300 K. Furthermore, it is found that above 310 K, small polaron hopping conduction dominates.
PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Boyce S. Chang, Chen Li, Jinghang Dai, Katherine Evans, Jingyu Huang, Mengdi He, Weili Hu, Zhiting Tian, Ting Xu
Summary: Thermal percolation, the rapid increase in thermal transport in polymer nanocomposites, is of great interest in thermal management. However, it remains a challenging subject in both experimental and modeling aspects. Previous studies on thermal percolation have mainly focused on high-aspect-ratio, conductive fillers. This study demonstrates that thermal percolation can be achieved even with nonconductive spherical fillers at a low volume fraction. Additionally, the effects of volume fraction, interfacial thermal resistance, and filler conductivity on thermal conductivity are found to deviate from effective medium approximations.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Optics
Rida Nasir, Muhammad Rizwan Saleem, Asim Nisar, Muhammad Aftab Rafiq
Summary: Two electrically tunable Fabry-Perot microcavities filled with Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystal (TNLC) based on different mirror materials were designed, simulated, and fabricated in the near-infrared (NIR) regime. The Liquid Crystal Tunable Filter (LCTF) demonstrated wavelength-selection and tunable properties independent of polarization state of incoming light beam. Experimental results showed spectral shifts and distinct spectral channels, in agreement with simulated results.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Fizza Siddique, Sergio Gonzalez-Cortes, Tiancun Xiao, M. A. Rafiq, Peter P. Edwards
SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY-METROLOGY AND PROPERTIES
(2020)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Aqib Zahoor, Rub Nawaz Shahid, Naeem-ul-Haq Tariq, Hassan Wahab, Sabieh Anwar, Muhammad Aftab Rafiq, Asma Ameer, Saqib Izhar, Fahad Ali, B. A. Hasan
Summary: In this study, the change in electric and magnetic characteristics of Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystals by de-alloying of Al from the surface was investigated. The ferromagnetic nature of Al-Cu-Fe QCs was observed after the dissolution of Al in NaOH solution. Mössbauer spectroscopy confirmed the presence of high spin Fe3+ ionic state in the samples.
APPLIED PHYSICS A-MATERIALS SCIENCE & PROCESSING
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Y. Javed, Sikander M. Mirza, M. A. Rafiq
Summary: Density functional theory based computations investigate the pressure effect (0-20 GPa) on mechanical and thermal properties of SnSe2. The material shows mechanical stability and different elastic constant changes in different directions under pressure. As pressure increases, the hardness of SnSe2 increases, while its brittleness decreases, and its heat capacity first increases and then decreases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THERMOPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Fizza Siddique, Sajid Fareed, Arifa Jamil, Muhammad Faheem Afsar, Muhammad Aftab Rafiq, Falak Sher
Summary: This paper reports the development of WO3-WS2 nanoplates for highly selective oxygen sensing application, with XRD confirming the formation of a hybrid structure and showing improved performance compared to WO3 nanoplates. The study demonstrated that the WO3-WS2 nanoplates have shorter response and recovery times, attributed to the formation of a deeper depletion layer providing additional adsorption sites for oxygen species.
JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fizza Siddique, Amir Mirzaei, Sergio Gonzalez-Cortes, Daniel Slocombe, Hamid A. Al-Megren, Tiancun Xiao, M. A. Rafiq, Peter P. Edwards
Summary: Iron oxide nanostructured catalysts synthesized by solution combustion method were investigated for methyl orange degradation under microwave energy. Fe-Fe3O4 exhibited higher degradation efficiency at low power, attributed to its higher electron density and heating effect under microwave energy.
Article
Physics, Applied
Zahid Durrani, Faris Abualnaja, Mervyn Jones
Summary: The room-temperature thermodynamics of a dopant-atom double quantum dot silicon transistor are investigated using measurements of the dual gate charge stability diagram. The current traces corresponding to electron exchange in the Szilard thermodynamic cycle of the one-electron gas are determined. The analysis shows that the condition for observing the operation of the double quantum dot satisfies the Landauer limit for minimum energy consumption per cycle. Simulations of entropy flows reveal an entropy valley near the degeneracy between neighboring electron states, with the minimum value approaching the Szilard limit.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Farhat Saira, Azra Yaqub, Humaira Razzaq, Muazzam Ghous Sohail, Samia Saleemi, Misbah Mumtaz, Muhammad Aftab Rafiq, Sara Qaisar
Summary: This review article presents the potential of hollow nanocages for glucose biosensing applications, compares the electrocatalytic efficiency of different hollow nanocages, and recommends the most suitable metal/metal oxide for glucose sensing.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Uzma Nosheen, Abdul Jalil, Syed Zafar Ilyas, Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahsan Illahi, Muhammad Aftab Rafiq
Summary: This study analyzed the structural and electronic properties of transition metal atom iron supported on nitrogen-doped graphene (FeN/G) and its interaction with various gas molecules. The results showed chemisorption of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), while other gas molecules physisorbed and served as electron donors. Nitrogen-containing gas molecules showed band gap shortening and increased conductivity compared to bare iron embedded graphene supported structure. The structure has potential application for the detection of NO and NO2 and other gases.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Faris Abualnaja, Wenkun He, Kai-Lin Chu, Aleksey Andreev, Mervyn Jones, Zahid Durrani
Summary: A hybrid silicon single-electron transistor-field-effect transistor (SET-FET) that can be tuned between single-electron and classical FET operation at room temperature has been demonstrated. The device utilizes a side-gated heavily doped silicon fin with a width of approximately 6 nm. By controlling the gate voltage, the device transitions from a depletion mode FET to a quantum dot SET with Coulomb diamond characteristics. Statistical analysis of 180 research devices shows a high yield of approximately 37% for room temperature SET-FET operation and a mean single-electron addition energy of approximately 0.3 eV, indicating the possibility of electrically tunable, room temperature quantum and classical mode nanoelectronic circuits.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Wenkun He, Kai-Lin Chu, Faris Abualnaja, Mervyn Jones, Zahid Durrani
Summary: Dark-field optical microscopy, combined with optical simulation based on modal diffraction theory, is used to provide non-invasive, sub-wavelength geometrical information for nanoscale etched device structures. Dark-field imaging enhances the contrast of edge diffraction, and diffraction peaks in the intensity patterns can reveal the device geometry. This approach enables non-invasive fault detection for investigating etched nanodevice morphology.
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kunji Chen, Shunri Oda, Linwei Yu
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Faris Abualnaja, Wenkun He, Aleksey Andreev, Mervyn Jones, Zahid Durrani
Summary: Single and double quantum dot transistors are used to study entropy transitions in the single particle limit. Precisely controlled QD electron states allow a few-particle thermodynamic system to be defined, and charge stability diagrams are calculated to find the relationship between Gibbs entropy S and bias voltage. The results provide a framework to define single particle entropy diagrams and can be applied to experimental dopant atom QD transistor characteristics. As multiple states become occupied, the entropy increases stepwise towards the total number of microstates, retaining the Boltzmann interpretation.
PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fizza Siddique, Sergio Gonzalez-Cortes, Amir Mirzaei, Tiancun Xiao, M. A. Rafiq, Xiaoming Zhang
Summary: The current developments in energy and environment-related areas focus on the fabrication of advanced nanomaterials through green and sustainable methods. The design and preparation methods of photocatalysts are crucial in determining the properties of the final products. Solution combustion synthesis (SCS) technique is a cost-effective and efficient method for producing nanostructured metal oxides, which have great technological importance in photocatalytic, environmental, and energy applications.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Faris Abualnaja, Wenkun He, Mervyn Jones, Zahid Durrani
Summary: Maxwell's Demon and Szilard's single particle engine probe the limits of the 2nd law of thermodynamics and reveal a connection between entropy and information. With advances in nanofabrication techniques, room temperature dual-gate double quantum dot transistors have been fabricated. Experimental results suggest that these devices can be used to investigate the limits of the 2nd law of thermodynamics, even at room temperature.
MICRO AND NANO ENGINEERING
(2022)
