Spin Current Amplification by a Geometrical Ratchet Effect

A lateral spin-valve (LSV) is a structure to achieve non-local spin accumulation in future spintronic devices. Although numerous studies have been performed and have demonstrated highly efficient and reliable non-local accumulation, the use of a LSV is still hampered by the small magnitude of spin-current signals. Therefore, this study focused on the amplification of the pure spin-current signals by controlling the geometry of the non-magnetic nanowire in the LSV for the first time. A two-dimensional model was developed based on a diffusion equation and was used for a series of Cu nanowires with different shapes implemented at their centre to identify their geometrical ratchet effect (GRE) upon the spin-polarised electron transport. Asymmetric shapes, such as obtuse- and right-angle triangles, were found to induce the GRE, leading to the spin-current amplification in both time-dependent and steady states. The geometries have then been optimised for the maximum amplification. Before the experimental validation of the GRE, Py and Cu bars and conventional Py/Cu/Py LSVs were fabricated and characterised to optimise the fabrication and transport-measurement processes. The spin-current amplification was then investigated in LSVs with right-angle triangles maintaining the same base (100nm) but varying their height (0 ≤ h ≤ 60nm). The non-local signals were measured by a direct current (DC)-reversal technique. The spin-current signals were measured to be significantly amplified by a factor of more than 7 for h = 60nm as compared with the conventional LSV (h = 0 nm). These results were compared with the steady-state calculations using measured device dimensions, showing a good qualitative agreement. The measurements were also carried out with a DC setup, which revealed the junction spin polarisation (~1% in this study) allowed both up- and down-spin currents with similar amplitudes to flow. Further improvement in the junction spin polarisation should increase the GRE, leading to future device implementation

New Method for the Development of Plasmonic Metal-Semiconductor Interface Layer: Polymer Composites with Reduced Energy Band Gap

Silver nanoparticles within a host polymer of chitosan were synthesized by using in situ method. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy was then carried out for the prepared chitosan : silver triflate (CS : AgTf) samples, showing a surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) peak at 420 nm. To prepare polymer composites with reduced energy band gap, different amounts of alumina nanoparticles were incorporated into the CS : AgTf solution. In the present work, the results showed that the reduced silver nanoparticles and their adsorption on wide band gap alumina (Al2O3) particles are an excellent approach for the preparation of polymer composites with small optical band gaps. The optical dielectric loss parameter has been used to determine the band gap experimentally. The physics behind the optical dielectric loss were interpreted from the viewpoint of quantum mechanics. From the quantum-mechanics viewpoint, optical dielectric loss was also found to be a complex equation and required lengthy numerical computation. From the TEM investigation, the adsorption of silver nanoparticles on alumina has been observed. The optical micrograph images showed white spots (silver specks) with different sizes on the surface of the films. The second semicircle in impedance Cole-Cole plots was found and attributed to the silver particles

Non suitability of silver ion conducting polymer electrolytes based on chitosan mediated by barium titanate (BaTiO3) for electrochemical device applications

In this study, we report the non-suitability of silver ion conducting polymer electrolytes mediated by barium titanate (BaTiO3) for electrochemical device applications. Various amounts of BaTiO3 fillers have been added to chitosan: silver triflate (CS:AgTf) solution to prepare polymer composites. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been used to characterize electrical properties of the samples. Charge transfer resistance has been correctly estimated for the samples using electrical equivalent circuit (EEC) model. At 3 and 5 wt % of BaTiO3 filler, the charge transfer resistance was found to increase and diameter of the impedance plots are shown to be widened due to the increase of grain boundaries. The dielectric constant is also observed to decrease with the increase of BaTiO3 concentration. DC conductivities for the composite samples are estimated from AC conductivity spectra. The DC conductivity was found to decrease from 4.7 × 10−7 S/cm to 5.4 × 10−9 S/cm for CS:AgTf system incorporated with BaTiO3 filler. Such decrease has revealed that the electrolytes are not suitable for electrochemical device applications. Shifting of relaxation peaks of imaginary part of electric modulus towards low frequency side has indicated the increase of relaxation time and hence the decrease in DC conductivity. The relaxation processes are also studied using Argand plots. The existence of metallic silver nanoparticles has been examined via ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. The UV–Vis spectra showed that surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks are broadened and increased in their intensity as the BaTiO3 concentration increased from 1 to 3 wt %. This implied that the reduction rate of silver ions to silver nanoparticles is increased. Moreover, disappearance of SPR peak was found for the BaTiO3 concentration of 5 wt %, revealing the bulk formation of silver metals. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were obtained for the samples, in which the formation of bulk metallic sizes of silvers was found to be obvious. This growth of bulk silver metals at high BaTiO3 concentration was further supported by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The distribution of white specs due to silver nanoparticles on the surface of chitosan-silver triflate solid film was investigated. Large white sheets were appeared on the surface of CS:AgTf incorporated with 5 wt% BaTiO3 and related to the huge amount of aggregated metallic silver particles. Sharp intense peaks due to metallic silver particles and weak peaks due to BaTiO3 fillers have been observed in the analyses of energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra

Role of Ion Dissociation on DC Conductivity and Silver Nanoparticle Formation in PVA:AgNt Based Polymer Electrolytes: Deep Insights to Ion Transport Mechanism

In this study, the role of ion dissociation on formation of silver nanoparticle and DC conductivityin PVA:AgNO3 based solid polymer electrolyte has been discussed in detail. Samples of silver ion conducting solid polymer electrolyte were prepared by using solution cast technique. Absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectral region was used to investigate the formation of silver nanoparticles. Broad and sharp peaks due to plasmonic silver nanoparticles subjected to ion dissociation have been observed. The influence of dielectric constant on the intensity of surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) peaks attributed to silver nanoparticles was discussed. From impedance plots, the diameter of high frequency semicircle was found to be decreased with increasing salt concentration. The DC conductivity in relation to the dielectric constant was also explained. From the AC conductivity spectra, the dc conductivity was estimated to be close to that calculated from the bulk resistance. The temperature dependence of the DC conductivity was studied and found to follow Arrhenius equation within two distinguished regions. The AC conductivity at different temperatures has been studied to comprehend the ion conduction mechanism. The AC conductivity against frequency was found to obey the universal power law of Jonscher. Three distinct regions were recognized from the spectra of AC conductivity. The frequency exponent (S) was calculated for the dispersive region of the measured AC conductivity spectra. Various models were discussed to explain the behavior of S value with temperature. The behavior of S value with temperature was then used to interpret the DC conductivity pattern against 1000/T. Finally, from the comparison of calculated activation energy (Ea) and maximum barrier height (Wm), deep insights into ion conduction mechanism could be grasped

The Anodic Behaviour of Bulk Copper in Ethaline and 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride

The anodic dissolution of bulk metallic copper was conducted in ionic liquids (ILs)-a deep eutectic solvent (DES) ((CH3)3NC2H4OH) comprised of a 1:2 molar ratio mixture of choline chloride Cl (ChCl), and ethylene glycol (EG)-and imidazolium-based ILs, such as C4mimCl, using electrochemical techniques, such as cyclic voltammetry, anodic linear sweep voltammetry, and chronopotentiometry.To investigate the electrochemical dissolution mechanism, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used. In addition to spectroscopic techniques, for instance, UV-visible spectroscopy, microscopic techniques, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), were used. The significant industrial importance of metallic copper has motivated several research groups to deal with such an invaluable metal. It was confirmed that the speciation of dissolved copper from the bulk phase at the interface region is [CuCl3]- and [CuCl4]2- in such chloride-rich media, and the EG determine the structure of the interfacial region in the electrochemical dissolution process. A super-saturated solution was produced at the electrode/solution interface and CuCl2 was deposited on the metal surface. © 2019 by the authors

Synthesis of Amorphous Conjugated Copolymers Based on Dithienosilole-Benzothiadiazole Dicarboxylic Imide with Tuned Optical Band Gaps and High Thermal Stability

Two alternating copolymers of dithienosilole (DTS) were designed and synthesized with small optical band gaps, flanked by thienyl units as electron-donor moieties and benzothiadiazole dicarboxylic imide (BTDI) as electron-acceptor moieties. The BTDI moieties were anchored to two different solubilizing side chains, namely 3,7-dimethyloctyl and n-octyl chains. An analysis of the effect of the electrochemical, optical, thermal, and structural characteristics of the resulting polymers along with their solubility and molecular weight is the subject of this paper. The Stille polymerization was used to synthesize PDTSDTBTDI-DMO and PDTSDTBTDI-8. The average molecular weight of PDTSDTBTDI-DMO and PDTSDTBTDI-8 is 14,600 and 5700 g mol−1, respectively. Both polymers have shown equivalent optical band gaps around 1.4 eV. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels of the polymers were comparable, around −5.2 eV. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) values were −3.56 and −3.45 eV for PDTSDTBTDI-DMO and PDTSDTBTDI-8, respectively. At decomposition temperatures above 350 °C, both copolymers showed strong thermal stability. The studies of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) have shown that they are amorphous in a solid-state

Reducing the Crystallite Size of Spherulites in PEO-Based Polymer Nanocomposites Mediated by Carbon Nanodots and Ag Nanoparticles

The PEO-based polymer nanocomposites were prepared by solution cast method. Green approaches were used for synthesis of carbon nanodots (CNDs) and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). It was found that the crystallite size of spherulites of PEO was greatly scarified upon incorporation of CNDs and Ag NPs. In the present work, in opposition to other studies, broadening of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of metallic Ag NPs in PEO-based polymer composites was observed rather than peak tuning. Various techniques, such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL), were used to characterize the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the samples. Increase of amorphous phase for the PEO doped with CND particles was shown from the results of XRD analyses. Upon the addition of suspended Ag NPs to the PEO:CNDs composites, significant change of XRD peak position was seen. A field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) was used to investigate the surface morphology of the samples. In the SEM, a significant change in the crystalline structure was seen. The size of PEO spherulites in the PEO nanocomposite samples became smaller and the percentage of amorphous portion became larger, owing to the distribution of CNDs and Ag NPs. The UV–Vis absorption spectra of the PEO-based polymer were found to improve and shift to higher wavelengths upon incorporation of CNDs and Ag NPs into the PEO matrix. The SPR peak broadening in the UV–Vis spectra was observed in the PEO:CNDs composites due to the Ag NPs. The absorption edge value of PEO was found to shift toward lower photon energy as the CNDs and Ag NPs are introduced. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra were also observed for the PEO:CNDs and PEO:CNDs:Ag samples and found to be more intense in the PEO:CNDs system than in the PEO:CNDs:Ag system. Lastly, the optical band gap of the samples was further studied in detail using of Tauc’s model and optical dielectric loss parameter. The types of electron transition were specified. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Bio-Based Plasticized PVA Based Polymer Blend Electrolytes for Energy Storage EDLC Devices: Ion Transport Parameters and Electrochemical Properties

This report shows a simple solution cast methodology to prepare plasticized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/methylcellulose (MC)-ammonium iodide (NH4I) electrolyte at room temperature. The maximum conducting membrane has a conductivity of 3.21 × 10−3 S/cm. It is shown that the number density, mobility and diffusion coefficient of ions are enhanced by increasing the glycerol. A number of electric and electrochemical properties of the electrolyte—impedance, dielectric properties, transference numbers, potential window, energy density, specific capacitance (Cs) and power density—were determined. From the determined electric and electrochemical properties, it is shown that PVA: MC-NH4I proton conducting polymer electrolyte (PE) is adequate for utilization in energy storage device (ESD). The decrease of charge transfer resistance with increasing plasticizer was observed from Bode plot. The analysis of dielectric properties has indicated that the plasticizer is a novel approach to increase the number of charge carriers. The electron and ion transference numbers were found. From the linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) response, the breakdown voltage of the electrolyte is determined. From Galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) measurement, the calculated Cs values are found to drop with increasing the number of cycles. The increment of internal resistance is shown by equivalent series resistance (ESR) plot. The energy and power density were studied over 250 cycles that results to the value of 5.38–3.59 Wh/kg and 757.58–347.22 W/kg, respectively

Plasticized Sodium-Ion Conducting PVA Based Polymer Electrolyte for Electrochemical Energy Storage—EEC Modeling, Transport Properties, and Charge-Discharge Characteristics

This report presents the preparation of plasticized sodium ion-conducting polymer electrolytes based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)via solution cast technique. The prepared plasticized polymer electrolytes were utilized in the device fabrication of electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). On an assembly EDLC system, cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), transfer number measurement (TNM) and charge–discharging responses were performed. The influence of plasticization on polymer electrolytes was investigated in terms of electrochemical properties applying EIS and TNM. The EIS was fitted with electrical equivalent circuit (EEC) models and ion transport parameters were estimated with the highest conductivity of 1.17 × 10−3 S cm−1 was recorded. The CV and charge-discharging responses were used to evaluate the capacitance and the equivalent series resistance (ESR), respectively. The ESR of the highest conductive sample was found to be 91.2 Ω at the first cycle, with the decomposition voltage of 2.12 V. The TNM measurement has shown the dominancy of ions with tion = 0.982 for the highest conducting sample. The absence of redox peaks was proved via CV, indicating the charge storing process that comprised ion accumulation at the interfacial region. The fabricated EDLC device is stable for up to 400 cycles. At the first cycle, a high specific capacitance of 169 F/g, an energy density of 19 Wh/kg, and a power density of 600 W/kg were obtained

Electrochemical properties of a novel EDLC derived from plasticized biopolymer based electrolytes with valuable energy density close to NiMH batteries

Abstract This study introduces a novel system of solid electrolytes for electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) utilizing biopolymer electrolytes with high energy density comparable to NiMH batteries. To prepare the electrolytes, a proton-conducting plasticized chitosan: poly(2-oxazoline) (POZ) with good film-forming properties was fabricated using a solution casting technique, and ammonium trifluoromethanesulfonate (NH4CF3SO3) salt was employed as a proton provider. Various glycerol concentrations were incorporated into the chitosan:POZ: NH4CF3SO3 system to enhance the ionic conductivity and fully transparent films were obtained. The impedance technique was utilized to determine the conductivity and measure the diffusion coefficient, mobility, and number density of ions. The electrochemical measurements, including linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), validated the high performance of the system. The EDLC was examined using galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) equipment, and the results revealed an energy density of 43 Wh/kg, specific capacitance of 300 F/g, and power density of 1800 W/kg over 500 cycles. These findings suggest that it is plausible to develop EDLCs that resemble batteries, making them a more desirable energy storage option for the industry