Search results for "amorphous"
showing 10 items of 790 documents
Intrinsic stability of quasicrystals under the generation of Frenkel pairs
2015
Under irradiation metastable quasicrystals undergo a phase transition to an amorphous state. This transition can be reversed by annealing. As in normal crystalline materials the phase transition is considered to be triggered by generation and recombination of vacancies and interstitial atoms (Frenkel pairs). We have classified the possible Frenkel defects in a metastable monatomic quasicrystal with respect to geometric and energetic properties. With numerical simulation we have studied the behaviour of the quasicrystal under a load of Frenkel defects for various defect concentrations. We find three ranges of behaviour: up to 5% defects per atom the structure remains icosahedral, in a middle…
Simulations clarify when supercooled water freezes into glassy structures
2014
Although liquid water is a ubiquitous substance and its properties are crucial for all living species, the precise understanding of these properties is still a matter of active scientific research. One rather mysterious aspect concerns the conditions when undercooled water freezes not into ice crystals but into glass-like structures. Based on a rather novel type of computer simulation approach, in PNAS, Limmer and Chandler (1) propose a nonequilibrium phase diagram that attempts to clarify the conditions (temperature, pressure, cooling protocol) under which one should observe transitions from undercooled water to different forms of amorphous ice.
The Influence of Thermal Treatment on the Electronic Properties of a-Nb2O5
2009
The effect of thermal treatments for 1h at 250{degree sign}C in air or under vacuum on the electronic structure of thick amorphous anodic niobia was characterized by electrochemical impedance, differential admittance (DA) and photocurrent spectroscopy (PCS). The analysis of anodized niobia has revealed that it behaves as a pure dielectric. The thermal treatment in air increases the value of the differential capacitance of the niobia sample. The effect is stronger when the thermal treatment is carried out in vacuum and can be cancelled out by reanodizing the oxide to the initial formation potential. In the case of thermally vacuum-treated sample, a behavior typical of semiconducting amorphou…
Growth and Characterization of Anodic Films on Al-Nb Alloys
2006
Abstract The anodizing behaviours of sputtering-deposited aluminium, niobium and Al-Nb alloys, containing 0.4, 7.5, 21, 40 and 55 at.% niobium, have been examined in 0.1 M ammonium pentaborate electrolyte with interest in the morphology, structure and electronic properties of the anodic oxides. Transmission electron microscopy revealed amorphous oxides, containing units of Nb2O5 and Al2O3, with formation ratios intermediate between those of anodic alumina and anodic niobia. Photocurrent spectroscopy provided increased understanding of the electronic properties of the anodic films, suggesting the formation of “mixed oxides” with insulating behaviours. The estimated band gap values are correl…
Influence of the crystallization process on the photoelectrochemical behaviour of anodic TiO2 films
1997
On the basis of kinetic and photoelectrochemical studies we show that the formation of amorphous or strongly disordered TiO2 films on electropolished titanium rods can occur upon anodization in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution in a range of thickness which depends on the anodization rate. This finding is confirmed both by the changes in the shape of the photocurrent vs. potential curves with the energy of the incident photons, and by the impedance behaviour of the junction. Our data indicate that TiO2 films having different degree of disorder are formed depending on the anodization rate and oxide thickness. Crystalline films are formed at very low growth rates since very low thicknesses. Amorphous or s…
Photoelectrochemical characterization of amorphous anodic films on Ti-6at.%Si
2013
Abstract The solid state properties of anodic films grown galvanostatically on sputtering-deposited Ti–6at.%Si alloys were studied as a function of the formation voltage (5–40 V). From the photocurrent spectra a band gap of ∼3.4 eV was estimated for all the investigated thicknesses, which is almost coincident with the value measured for amorphous TiO 2 . The photocharacteristics allowed to estimate the flat band potential of the films, which resulted to be more anodic for thicker layers and allowed to evidence a change from n-type semiconducting material to insulator by increasing the formation voltage. A dielectric constant of ∼31 was estimated by differential capacitance measurements. The…
Physicochemical characterisation of thermally aged anodic films on magnetron sputtered niobium
2010
The influence of thermal aging, at intermediate temperature (1h at 250°C) and in different environments, on the electronic and solid-state properties of stabilized 160 nm thick amorphous anodic niobia, grown on magnetron sputtered niobium metal, has been studied. A detailed physicochemical characterisation of the a-Nb2O5/0.5M H2SO4 electrolyte junction has been carried out by means of photocurrent and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as well by differential admittance measurements. A change in the optical band gap (3.45 eV) of niobia film has been observed after aging (3.30 eV) at 250°C in air for 1 hour. A cathodic shift (0.15-0.2 Volt) in the flat band potential of the junction has …
Photoelectrochemical characterization of photocatalysts
2021
Abstract This chapter aims to provide an overview of the photoelectrochemical characterization of semiconducting photocatalysts and, in particular, present Photocurrent Spectroscopy (PCS) as a useful tool in determining the band structure of semiconducting/insulating materials. Some fundamentals on PCS will be provided looking at the experimental setup and underlying its advantages and disadvantages. Then, the photoelectrochemical behavior of a semiconductor/electrolyte junction under irradiation will be presented, also taking into account its crystalline or amorphous nature, highlighting how it is possible to get information on the energetics of the junction. This will be exploited to show…
Photoelectrochemical study of passive films on stainless steel in neutral solutions
1991
Abstract Passive films formed on AISI 304 stainless steel in neutral solutions are studied using photoelectrochemical technique. Photocurrents were investigated as a function of the wavelength of the incident light, the electrode potential and the time. The results of the measurements together with capacity measurements indicate that the passive film on AISI 304 shows characteristics of a highly doped amorphous or highly disordered n-type semiconductor. The potential dependence of the optical gap values and of the photocurrent transients can be interpreted assuming that the passive film is an iron-chromium oxide solid solution.
ChemInform Abstract: A Photocurrent Spectroscopic Study of the Initial Stages of Anodic Oxide Film Formation on Niobium.
2010
Abstract An extensive electrochemical and photoelectrochemical investigation has been carried out with very thin anodic oxide layers grown on niobium metal in sulphuric acid solutions. From the experiments the presence of an initial suboxide layer on the metal surface was inferred. Upon anodic polarization a strongly non-stoichiometric pentoxide film is formed, which is subsequently oxidized to the normal amorphous pentoxide phase (a-Nb 2 O 5 ). The use of photocurrent spectroscopy (PCS) allowed this oxidation process to be followed at various potentials and polarization times. Moreover, from the experimental results we obtain information both on the composition and the solid-state structur…