Electrochemically Induced Shape-Memory Behavior of Si Nanopillar-Patterned Electrode for Li Ion Batteries

A nanopillar-patterned Si substrate was fabricated by photolithography, and its potential as an anode material for Li ion secondary batteries was investigated. The Si nanopillar electrode showed a capacity of ∼3000 mAh g^–1 during 100 charging/discharging cycles, with 98.3% capacity retention, and it was revealed that the nanopillars underwent delithiation via a process similar to shape-memory behavior. Despite the tensile stress and structural fractures resulting from repeated lithiation, the nanoscale size and residual crystalline tip of the pillar (influenced by the bulk crystalline Si base) enabled recrystallization and transformation into a single-crystalline phase. To the best of our knowledge, this observation of shape memory recrystallization mechanism observation was not reported before for Si used as the active material in Li ion battery applications; these findings are expected to provide new insights into electrode materials for rechargeable batteries

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic and Oleophobic Surfaces with Overhang Structure by Reverse Nanoimprint Lithography

This work reports the fabrication of superhydrophobic and oleophobic surfaces with an overhang structure by reverse nanoimprint lithography. An overhang structure is difficult to fabricate by conventional lithography; however, it was conveniently formed by reverse imprint lithography, employed in conjunction with reactive ion etching. The obtained overhang structure was coated with a fluoroalkylsilane monolayer to reduce its surface energy. Further, four different types of nanopatterns were separately embedded on the surface of the obtained overhang structure by modified reverse imprint lithography to enhance its oil-repelling properties. The embedded nanopatterns resulted in different overhang angles, thereby enhancing the oil-repelling properties. The morphology and wetting characteristics of the overhang structure were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements. This study demonstrates that an overhang structure can be successfully fabricated on a substrate by reverse nanoimprint lithography; moreover, oleophobic structures can be realized using materials with contact angles <90

Contribution a l'etude de la cristallisation orientee : application aux alliages Cu-Be riches en Cu

SIGLECNRS T Bordereau / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Metal–Organic Framework-Templated PdO-Co₃O₄ Nanocubes Functionalized by SWCNTs: Improved NO₂ Reaction Kinetics on Flexible Heating Film

Detection and control of air quality are major concerns in recent years for environmental monitoring and healthcare. In this work, we developed an integrated sensor architecture comprised of nanostructured composite sensing layers and a flexible heating substrate for portable and real-time detection of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). As sensing layers, PdO-infiltrated Co₃O₄ hollow nanocubes (PdO-Co₃O₄ HNCs) were prepared by calcination of Pd-embedded Co-based metal–organic framework polyhedron particles. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were functionalized with PdO-Co₃O₄ HNCs to control conductivity of sensing layers. As a flexible heating substrate, the Ni mesh electrode covered with a 40 nm thick Au layer (i.e., Ni­(core)/Au­(shell) mesh) was embedded in a colorless polyimide (cPI) film. As a result, SWCNT-functionalized PdO-Co₃O₄ HNCs sensor exhibited improved NO₂ detection property at 100 °C, with high sensitivity (<i>S</i>) of 44.11% at 20 ppm and a low detection limit of 1 ppm. The accelerated reaction and recovery kinetics toward NO₂ of SWCNT-functionalized PdO-Co₃O₄ HNCs were achieved by generating heat on the Ni­(core)/Au­(shell) mesh-embedded cPI substrate. The SWCNT-functionalized porous metal oxide sensing layers integrated on the mechanically stable Ni­(core)/Au­(shell) mesh heating substrate can be envisioned as an essential sensing platform for realization of low-temperature operation wearable chemical sensor

Chemically Engineered Au–Ag Plasmonic Nanostructures to Realize Large Area and Flexible Metamaterials

We developed a simple and systematic method to fabricate optically tunable and thermally and chemically stable Au–Ag nanocrystal-based plasmonic metamaterials. An Ag nanocrystal-based metamaterial with desirable optical properties was fabricated via nanoimprinting and ligand-exchange process. Its optical properties were controlled by selectively substituting Ag atoms with Au atoms through a spontaneous galvanic replacement reaction. The developed Au–Ag-based metamaterials provide excellent tunable plasmonic properties required for various applications in the visible and near-infrared regions by controlling the Au–Ag composition according to the conditions of the galvanic displacement. Furthermore, their thermal and chemical stabilities significantly improved because of the protective Au thin layer on the surface. Using this developed process, chemically and thermally stable and flexible plasmonic metamaterials were successfully fabricated on a flexible polyester terephthalate substrate

Lithography-Free, Large-Area Spatially Segmented Disordered Structure for Light Harvesting in Photovoltaic Modules

Optical losses in photovoltaic (PV) systems cause nonradiative recombination or incomplete absorption of incident light, hindering the attainment of high energy conversion efficiency. The surface of the PV cells is encapsulated to not only protect the cell but also control the transmission properties of the incident light to promote maximum conversion. Despite many advances in elaborately designed photonic structures for light harvesting, the complicated process and sophisticated patterning highly diminish the cost-effectiveness and further limit the mass production on a large scale. Here, we propose a robust/comprehensive strategy based on the hybrid disordered photonic structure, implementing multifaceted light harvesting with an affordable/scalable fabrication method. The spatially segmented structures include (i) nanostructures in the active area for antireflection and (ii) microstructures in the inactive edge area for redirecting the incident light into the active area. A lithography-free hybrid disordered structure fabricated by the thermal dewetting method is a facile approach to create a large-area photonic structure with hyperuniformity over the entire area. Based on the experimentally realized nano-/microstructures, we designed a computational model and performed an analytical calculation to confirm the light behavior and performance enhancement. Particularly, the suggested structure is manufactured by the elastomeric stamps method, which is affordable and profitable for mass production. The produced hybrid structure integrated with the multijunction solar cell presented an improved efficiency from 28.0 to 29.6% by 1.06 times

Spontaneous Registration of Sub-10 nm Features Based on Subzero Celsius Spin-Casting of Self-Assembling Building Blocks Directed by Chemically Encoded Surfaces

For low-cost and facile fabrication of innovative nanoscale devices with outstanding functionality and performance, it is critical to develop more practical patterning solutions that are applicable to a wide range of materials and feature sizes while minimizing detrimental effects by processing conditions. In this study, we report that area-selective sub-10 nm pattern formation can be realized by temperature-controlled spin-casting of block copolymers (BCPs) combined with submicron-scale-patterned chemical surfaces. Compared to conventional room-temperature spin-casting, the low temperature (<i>e.g.</i>, −5 °C) casting of the BCP solution on the patterned self-assembled monolayer achieved substantially improved area selectivity and uniformity, which can be explained by optimized solvent evaporation kinetics during the last stage of film formation. Moreover, the application of cold spin-casting can also provide high-yield <i>in situ</i> patterning of light-emitting CdSe/ZnS quantum dot thin films, indicating that this temperature-optimized spin-casting strategy would be highly effective for tailored patterning of diverse organic and hybrid materials in solution phase