Materials LettersPub Date : 2024-11-05DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137666
Zary Adabavazeh
{"title":"Exploring popped-out phenomena in large-scale silicon ingot growth","authors":"Zary Adabavazeh","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137666","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137666","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Silicon wafers are essential for the semiconductor industry, providing the foundation for most integrated circuits. As demand for microelectronics grows, larger silicon wafers, have become crucial for increasing chip production and reducing manufacturing costs. However, the crystal separation phase during Czochralski (CZ) ingot growth is particularly challenging for larger ingots, often resulting in defects due to premature detachment (“popped-out” tails). This study investigates the popping-out stage of 18-inch ingots under varying heater power and ingot pull-out speed conditions. Photoluminescence (PL) imaging and a convolutional neural network (CNN) were used to analyze dislocation density in the silicon wafers. Results show that increasing the pull-out speed after detachment can significantly increase dislocation density, while pausing the ingot near the melt surface minimizes dislocations. Additionally, increasing heater power after detachment reduces dislocation density. The optimal condition for minimizing dislocation was found when heater power was doubled, and the ingot was paused near the melt surface for 30 min.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137666"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synthesis and characterization of the RE2A2O7 oxides with an ultrahigh-entropy sublattice occupied by rare-earth elements","authors":"Evgeny Trofimov , Ahmad Ostovari Moghaddam , Ksenia Litvinyuk , Mariappan Anandkumar , Milena Efimova , Dmitry Mikhailov , Olga Zaitseva","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The possibility of fabricating novel high-entropy oxides (HEOs) with one ultrahigh-entropy sublattice consisting of 13 cations in RE<sub>2</sub>A<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> (RE = [La, Sm, Nd, Gd, Dy, Yb, Y, Er, Eu, Tb, Ho, Lu, Tm], A = Zr, Hf, Ti, Sn, Ce or Pr) is demonstrated. All the samples exhibited a pure pyrochlore-type or defective fluorite crystalline structure with various degrees of cation disordering. Particularly, RE<sub>2</sub>Ti<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> and RE<sub>2</sub>Sn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> exhibited a pure pyrochlore-type structure with high degree of ordering, while RE<sub>2</sub>Ce<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> and RE<sub>2</sub>Pr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> demonstrated a single fluorite type HEO structure. The results pave the way to fabricate RE<sub>2</sub>A<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> HEOs with an ultrahigh-entropy sublattice and potential application as the ceramic layer in thermal barrier coatings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137668"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2024-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137664
Cong Hong , Jihao Ji , Jingguang Huang , Yuanning Zhang , Liangkai Li
{"title":"NiMo/NiFe-LDH heterostructured electrocatalyst for hydrogen production from water electrolysis","authors":"Cong Hong , Jihao Ji , Jingguang Huang , Yuanning Zhang , Liangkai Li","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Constructing low-cost and efficient catalysts for electrocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen is of great significance. In this study, we successfully prepared NiMo/NiFe-LDH electrocatalysts with abundant coupled interfaces using a hydrothermal method and electrodeposition. The synergistic effect between the NiMo alloy and NiFe-LDH nanosheets induces charge redistribution at the interface and accelerates charge transfer, thus improving reaction kinetics and enhancing electrocatalytic performance. Experimental results show that at a current density of 10 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>, the HER overpotential of NiMo/NiFe-LDH is 35 mV, demonstrating excellent water-splitting performance. This work provides insights into the development of alloy/transition metal hydroxides for efficient water-splitting hydrogen production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137664"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2024-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137663
Fuliang Liu , Xiaoshuang Luo , Xiong Zhou , Yin Shen , Junchen Chen , Xing Li , Xiaogang Zhang
{"title":"Strategies for designing high-performance hard carbon anodes with enhanced lithium-ion diffusion and rate capability","authors":"Fuliang Liu , Xiaoshuang Luo , Xiong Zhou , Yin Shen , Junchen Chen , Xing Li , Xiaogang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137663","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137663","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The performance of the electrodes is closely related to the structure of the electrode sheet, and the construction of advanced electrodes is crucial for the lithium-ion diffusion process in high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Hard carbon, with its irregular polycrystalline microstructure, is an ideal candidate material for the anode electrode of LIBs. However, its have some drawbacks such as low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE), low capacity and poor rate performance. In this work, two electrode casting approaches are proposed and tested in pouch cells, which are double-layer blade coated electrode and patterned coated electrode. The results show that both coating methods show a combination of high ICE and rate capability, exceeding the performance of conventional single-coated electrodes composed of the same material. The designed coating method improves the dynamics of lithium ion diffusion process in the electrode, and the magnification performance and comprehensive electrochemical performance are improved. The research has a wide application prospect and can provide design guidance for obtaining high-power batteries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137663"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142592918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"3D printing of soft magnetoactive superhydrophobic elastomers for droplet manipulation","authors":"Xinying Li, Tianqi Pang, Ziyue Huang, Jianping Wang, Fang Huang, Liang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soft responsive surfaces have generated significant interest due to their dynamic control over wetting behaviors through geometrical reorganization in response to external stimuli. Here, magnetoactive elastomeric surfaces are 3D printed using the direct ink writing technology. By designing a “high-wall” structure, superhydrophobic ability is achieved, with water contact angle of 152° and a sliding angle of 9°. The mechanical softness of the elastomer allows for reversible geometrical changes under magnetic field. This deformation can be precisely controlled by adjusting the strength and position of the magnet, causing the water droplet to move towards the desired location with a speed of 3.33 mm/s. This study introduces a new strategy for achieving lossless transportation of μL-scale nonmagnetic droplets, which holds potential for applications in microfluidics and soft robotics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137658"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhanced photocatalytic properties of TiO2/rGO nanocomposites Doped with CdS","authors":"Evgeniya Seliverstova , Timur Serikov , Aigul Sadykova , Niyazbek Ibrayev , Nurxat Nuraje","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137660","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To increase the photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite based on TiO<sub>2</sub> and rGO (NC) and improve its photosensitivity in the visible region of the spectrum, the influence of CdS concentration (1 to 10 wt% with respect to NC) on its physicochemical and photocatalytic properties was studied. The addition of CdS to NC leads to a significant increase in the photocatalytic activity. An almost fivefold increase in photocurrent compared to pure NC was registered for NC/CdS_5%. Data on Methylene blue photodegradation showed that after 210 min of irradiation, only 5 % of dye molecules remained in solution. This value is 14.4 and 11.6 times higher than that of pure NC or CdS, respectively. Enhanced photocatalytic activity is related both to the improvement of NC absorption in the region of 400–800 nm and the decrease of the band gap width of NC upon addition of CdS, as well as the significant change in the electrophysical characteristics of the nanocomposite.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137660"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synthesis and characterization of CeO2 nanoparticles using Plectranthus barbatus leaf extract and its CO gas sensing and antimicrobial activity","authors":"Huda Imran Ahemad , Ganesh Eknath Patil , Yogesh Bhaskar Aher , Momin Shoaib Malik , Laxmi Dilip Sonawane , Manoj Annasaheb More , Abhinay Subhash Mandawade , Dnyaneshwari Yuvraj Patil , Sarika Digambar Shinde , Gotan Hiralal Jain","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO<sub>2</sub> NPs) using <em>Plectranthus barbatus</em> leaf extract. Characterization via X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and UV–visible spectroscopy revealed a bandgap of 2.98 eV. XRD confirmed their crystalline nature, while HRTEM showed cubic fluorite structures with an average particle size of 11.23 nm. The CeO<sub>2</sub> NPs exhibited antibacterial properties against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and high sensitivity to carbon monoxide (CO) at 100 °C, especially at low concentrations. This research highlights the low environmental impact and potential applications of CeO<sub>2</sub> NPs in gas sensing and antibacterial contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137652"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2024-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137654
Zhichuan Shen , Junli Zhu , Junqiao Huang , Keying Cao , Naiguang Wang , Zhicong Shi
{"title":"Superior gel polymer electrolyte for sodium metal battery with long-term cycling stability at elevated current density","authors":"Zhichuan Shen , Junli Zhu , Junqiao Huang , Keying Cao , Naiguang Wang , Zhicong Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137654","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The design of electrolytes holds paramount importance for technology iteration of sodium metal batteries. This study introduces 1,4-Dichloro-2-iodobenzene as an electrolyte additive into the in-situ polymerization process of an gel polymer electrolyte (FS-GPE-DCIB-0.1 %) with high ionic conductivity (3.96 × 10<sup>-3</sup> S cm<sup>−1</sup> at 30 ℃). The Na|FS-GPE-DCIB-0.1 %|Na battery demonstrates stable cycling for over 1000 h at a current density of 0.1 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>. Even at 10C, NVP|FS-GPE-DCIB-0.1 %|Na battery can maintain a capacity retention rate of 91.6 % after undergoing 6000 cycles. This work demonstrates a promising potential for practical implementation of sodium metal battery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137654"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2024-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137656
Jing He, Hongye Xuan, Renwei Jing, Chao Yan, Minjie Shi
{"title":"Modified organic-template synthesis of Co3O4 as high-performance electrode with superior capacitive storage","authors":"Jing He, Hongye Xuan, Renwei Jing, Chao Yan, Minjie Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137656","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137656","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electrochemical supercapacitors (ESCs) have great potential in many energy storage technologies because of their outstanding performance. Transition metal oxides with high theoretical specific capacity are promising for ESC electrodes, but their low utilization of capacitive active components and poor cycle stability limit their practical usage. Herein, we have prepared a novel cobalt metal cyanometallic framework (Co-CMF) and further thermally modified it to easily produce a Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> positive electrode with excellent capacitive storage performance. As a result, the electrode exhibits fast, stable and reversible electrochemical performance with a high specific capacity of 241.9 C g<sup>−1</sup> and long-term stability with as low as 0.004 % decline per cycle in the 5 M KOH aqueous electrolyte, which are confirmed by in-situ Raman investigation and electrochemical tests, further demonstrating that this modified approach provides a new idea for the development of promising high-capacity electrode materials for large-scale energy storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137656"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2024-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137659
Zeliang Ju , Xiujuan Tan , Xuyun Zhang , Yong Wang , Chengfeng Yin , Qingxin Kang
{"title":"Unveiling the synergistic mechanism of Co-Cu catalysts for efficient oxygen evolution reactions","authors":"Zeliang Ju , Xiujuan Tan , Xuyun Zhang , Yong Wang , Chengfeng Yin , Qingxin Kang","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137659","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137659","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of highly active electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reactions (OER) is critical in the field of energy conversion and storage. Among potential candidates, diatomic catalysts have demonstrated the potential to outperform monoatomic counterparts, though comprehensive studies on their reaction mechanisms remain limited. In this study, a Co-Cu diatomic catalyst was computationally designed using density functional theory (DFT), and four reaction pathways involving multiple intermediates (*O, *OH, *OOH, *2OH, *O + *OH) were calculated. The results indicate that the Co-Cu diatomic catalyst exhibits superior catalytic performance on pathway II (H<sub>2</sub>O → *OH → *2OH → *OOH → O<sub>2</sub>) with an overpotential of 0.27 V, overcoming the limitations imposed by the active site of conventional anion exchange membrane (AEM) catalysts. The high catalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic interaction between the metal atoms, bypassing the high-energy barrier step typically observed in conventional pathways. In this mechanism, the Cu d-band center is close to the Fermi energy level, enhancing electron transfer, while Co provides a stable adsorption site and effectively regulates the adsorption and conversion of reaction intermediates. These findings offer new strategies for the rational synthesis of bimetallic catalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"379 ","pages":"Article 137659"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142587136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}