97 research outputs found

    Deposition of Aluminum-Doped ZnO Films by ICP-Assisted Sputtering

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    Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) assisted DC sputter deposition was used for the deposition of Al-doped ZnO (AZO or ZnO:Al) thin films. With increasing ICP RF power, film properties including deposition rate, crystallinity, transparency, and resistivity were improved. To understand the plasma-surface interaction, several plasma diagnostics were performed. Heat fluxes to the substrate were measured by thermal probes, number densities of sputtered metallic atom species were measured by absorption spectroscopy using hollow cathode lamps (HCL) and light emitting diodes (LEDs), and neutral gas temperatures were measured by external cavity diode laser (ECDL) absorption spectroscopy. As a result, it was revealed that the high-density ICP heated the substrate through a high heat flux to the substrate, resulting in a high-quality film deposition without the need for intentional substrate heating. The heat flux to the substrate was predominantly contributed by the plasma charged species, not by the neutral Ar atoms which were also significantly heated in the ICP. The substrate position where the highest quality films were obtained was found to coincide with the position where the substrate heat flux took the maximum value

    Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt Dissolution from Ni-Rich NMC and Their Effects on NMC622-Graphite Cell

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    Transition metal dissolution from the cathode active material and its deposition on the anode causes significant cell aging, studied most intensively for manganese. Owing to their higher specific energy, the current focus is shifting towards nickel-rich layered LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC, x + y + z = 1) with x > 0.5, so that the effect of Ni dissolution on cell degradation needs to be understood. This study investigates the dissolution of transition metals from a NMC622 cathode and their subsequent deposition on a graphite anode using operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy. We show that in NMC622-graphite cells transition metals dissolve nearly stoichiometrically at potentials > 4.6 V, highlighting the significance of investigating Ni dissolution/deposition. Using NMC622-graphite full-cells with electrolyte containing the bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonimide (TFSI) salts of either Ni, Mn, or Co, we compare the detrimental impact of these metals on cell performance. Using in-situ and ex-situ XRD, we show that the aging mechanism induced by all three metals is the loss of cycleable lithium in the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) of the graphite. This loss is larger in magnitude when Mn is present in the electrolyte compared to Ni and Co, which we ascribe to a higher activity of deposited Mn towards SEI decomposition in comparison to Ni and Co. (C) The Author(s) 2019. Published by ECS

    Li–air batteries: Importance of singlet oxygen

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