The Interaction of Water with Solid Surfaces: Fundamental Aspects Revisited

Water is perhaps the most important and most pervasive chemical on our planet. The influence of water permeates virtually all areas of biochemical, chemical and physical importance, and is especially evident in phenomena occurring at the interfaces of solid surfaces. Since 1987, when Thiel and Madey (TM) published their review titled ‘The interaction of water with solid surfaces: fundamental aspects’ in Surface Science Reports, there has been considerable progress made in further understanding the fundamental interactions of water with solid surfaces. In the decade and a half, the increased capability of surface scientists to probe at the molecular-level has resulted in more detailed information of the properties of water on progressively more complicated materials and under more stringent conditions. This progress in understanding the properties of water on solid surfaces is evident both in areas for which surface science methodology has traditionally been strong (catalysis and electronic materials) and also in new areas not traditionally studied by surface scientists such as electrochemistry, photoconversion, mineralogy, adhesion, sensors, atmospheric chemistry and tribology. Researchers in all these fields grapple with very basic questions regarding the interactions of water with solid surfaces such as how is water adsorbed, what are the chemical and electrostatic forces that constitute the adsorbed layer, how is water thermally or non-thermally activated and how do coadsorbates influence these properties of water. The attention paid to these and other fundamental questions in the past decade and a half has been immense. In this review, experimental studies published since the TM review are assimilated with those covered by TM to provide a current picture of the fundamental interactions of water with solid surfaces.

Hexagonal boron nitride is the only substrate that has so far allowed graphene devices exhibiting micrometer-scale ballistic transport. Can other atomically flat crystals be used as substrates for making quality graphene heterostructures? Here we report on our search for alternative substrates. The devices fabricated by encapsulating graphene with molybdenum or tungsten disulfides and hBN are found to exhibit consistently high carrier mobilities of about 60 000 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). In contrast, encapsulation with atomically flat layered oxides such as mica, bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide, and vanadium pentoxide results in exceptionally low quality of graphene devices with mobilities of ∼1000 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). We attribute the difference mainly to self-cleansing that takes place at interfaces between graphene, hBN, and transition metal dichalcogenides. Surface contamination assembles into large pockets allowing the rest of the interface to become atomically clean. The cleansing process does not occur for graphene on atomically flat oxide substrates.

/pdf/electronic-properties-of-graphene-encapsulated-with-tjdystm3s5.pdf

Electronic Properties of Graphene Encapsulated with Different Two-Dimensional Atomic Crystals

Rechargeable lithium air (Li–air) batteries, especially the non-aqueous type, are considered the most promising energy storage and conversion device candidates for use in future electric vehicle applications due to their ultrahigh energy density. The air cathode has been identified as a key factor affecting the overall performance of Li–air batteries. The current low level performance of air cathodes is the major challenge hindering commercial applications of Li–air batteries. In the past decade, a great many cathode materials, structures and fabrication processes have been developed and investigated with the goal of enhancing cathode performance. This paper reviews, the role of the cathode in non-aqueous Li–air batteries including the cathode reaction mechanisms and the properties and morphologies of cathode materials, followed by approaches to optimize cathode performance. The most recently published global progress and the main achievements in the field of Li–air batteries are also systematically and critically reviewed in terms of cathode materials, structures and fabrication processes, with the objective of providing some state-of-the-art information. Technical challenges are analyzed, and insights into future research directions for overcoming these development challenges of rechargeable non-aqueous Li–air battery cathodes are also identified in this review paper.

A review of cathode materials and structures for rechargeable lithium–air batteries

Tin sulfide is being widely investigated as an earth-abundant light harvesting material, but recorded efficiencies for SnS fall far below theoretical limits. We describe the synthesis and characterization of the single-crystal tin sulfides (SnS, SnS2, and Sn2S3) through chemical vapor transport, and combine electronic structure calculations with time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements to shed light on the underlying electrical properties of each material. We show that the coexistence of the Sn(II) and Sn(IV) oxidation states would limit the performance of SnS in photovoltaic devices due to the valence band alignment of the respective phases and the “asymmetry” in the underlying point defect behavior. Furthermore, our results suggest that Sn2S3, in addition to SnS, is a candidate material for low-cost thin-film solar cells.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cm403046m

Synthesis, Characterization, and Electronic Structure of Single-Crystal SnS, Sn2S3, and SnS2

Thin films of Molybdenum oxide were prepared by spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates, by using 0.1 M of molybdenum chloride (MoCl 5 ) dissolved in deionized water. Influence of substrate temperature on structural and optical properties is studied in the range from 200 to 300 °C. The prepared samples correspond to MoO 3 phase with orientation and crystallites size which are modified by deposition temperature, the films prepared at 200 °C are monoclinic and the films prepared in the range from 250 to 300 °C are polycrystalline with orthorhombic symmetry. The samples present transmission coefficient and optical gap which vary as function of substrate temperature. Gap energy is located between 3.14 and 3.34 eV depending on the substrate temperature.

Effect of substrate temperature on the structural and optical properties of MoO3 thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

Model for calculating the refractive index of a III-V semiconductor

The zinc oxide thin films, highly transparent, doped aluminium were prepared on glass substrates by the reactive chemical spray method. The incorporation nature of Al atoms in the ZnO lattice was determined by X-ray diffraction and optical analyses. Indeed, for low doping ⩽2%, the results of X-ray spectra analysis show a simultaneous reduction of lattice parameters (a and c), this variation, which follows VEGARD’s law, tends to indicate a substitution of Zn by Al. By against for doping >2% the increase in the lattice parameters thus the grain sizes, in accordance with the VEGARD’s law can be explained by occupation of the interstitial sites by Al atoms. Beyond 4%, the material tends to get disorderly and the crystallites orientation is random. The studied optical properties show that the variation of the optical gap follows a law of the x3/2 form for x

Site location of Al-dopant in ZnO lattice by exploiting the structural and optical characterisation of ZnO:Al thin films

We have studied the structural and electronic properties of niobium nitride and niobium carbide by means of accurate first principle total energy calculations using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method. The calculations are based on density functional theory and we have used the local density approximation as well as the generalized gradient approximation for the exchange and correlation potential. We obtained reasonable results comparatively with the experimental data and other calculations.

https://itp.tugraz.at/LV/ewald/TFKP/Material_18/Amriou_03.pdf

FP-LAPW investigations of electronic structure and bonding mechanism of NbC and NbN compounds

Structural and optical properties of MoO3 and V2O5 thin films prepared by Spray Pyrolysis

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