Nanostructuring Pt-Pd Bimetallic Electrocatalysts for CO₂ Reduction Using Atmospheric Pressure Atomic Layer Deposition

Preparing supported nanoparticles with a well-defined structure, uniform particle size, and composition using conventional catalyst synthesis methods, such as impregnation, precipitation, and deposition-precipitation is challenging. Furthermore, these liquid phase methods require significant solvent consumption, which has sustainable issues...

The role of the substrate on the mechanical and thermal stability of Pd thin films during hydrogen (de)sorption

In this work, we studied the mechanical and thermal stability of ~100 nm Pd thin films magnetron sputter deposited on a bare oxidized Si(100) wafer, a sputtered Titanium (Ti) intermediate layer, and a spin-coated Polyimide (PI) intermediate layer. The dependence of the film stability on the film morphology and the film-substrate interaction...

Ultra-thin electron collectors based on nc-Si:H for high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells

Low parasitic absorption and high conductivity enable (n)-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon [(n)nc-Si:H], eventually alloyed with oxygen [(n)nc-SiO_x:H], to be deployed as window layer in high-efficiency silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. Besides the appropriate opto-electrical properties of these nanocrystalline...

Cross-sectional characterization of the conversion layer formed on AA2024-T3 by a lithium-leaching coating

This work focuses on the cross-sectional characterization of the protective conversion layer formed on AA2024-T3 by lithium-leaching from a polyurethane coating in a corrosive environment. The layer shows a multi-layered arrangement comprising nanoscopic local phases. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and complementary high-resolution...

Epitaxial aluminum nitride tunnel barriers grown by nitridation with a plasma source

High critical current-density (10?to?420?kA/cm2) superconductor-insulator-superconductor tunnel junctions with aluminum nitride barriers have been realized using a remote nitrogen plasma from an inductively coupled plasma source operated in a pressure range of 10?3–10?1?mbar. We find a much better reproducibility and control compared to previous...

Monocrystalline NbN nanofilms on a 3C-SiC/Si substrate

The authors have realized NbN (100) nanofilms on a 3C-SiC (100)/Si(100) substrate by dc reactive magnetron sputtering at 800?°C. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is used to characterize the films, showing a monocrystalline structure and confirming epitaxial growth on the 3C-SiC layer. A film ranging in thickness from 3.4...

Crystal structure and band gap determination of HfO2 thin films

Valence electron energy loss spectroscopy (VEELS) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) are performed on three different HfO2 thin films grown on Si (001) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD). For each sample the band gap (Eg) is determined by low-loss EELS analysis. The Eg values are then...