The electron-spin-resonance (ESR) features of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) samples deposited by S-bend filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) are investigated in a wide temperature range (4.3–295 K) before and after postdeposition annealing at 500 C. Special attention is given to the temperature dependence of the linewidths. While the sp content does not change with annealing, the temperatu...

We describe the setup, characteristics, and application of an in vacuo ion-sputtering and electron-beam annealing device for the postpreparation of scanning probes (e.g., scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) tips) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. The proposed device facilitates the straightforward implementation of a common two-step cleaning procedure, where the first step consists of io...

A non-vacuum, two-step process has been used to prepare a series of nanocrystalline CuIn1−xGaxSe2 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) materials. An open-air solvothermal preparation in triethylenetetramine solvent was followed by annealing at 500 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere for 20 min. All materials have mixed clustered plate, spherical particle, and nanorod morphologies with the smallest particle diam...

A new method combining aqueous solution printing with UV Laser crystallization (UVLC) and post annealing is developed to deposit highly transparent and conductive Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) films. This technique is able to rapidly produce large area AZO films with better structural and optoelectronic properties than most high vacuum deposition, suggesting a potential large-scale manufactur...

We report the assembly and thermal transformation of linear diamondoid assemblies inside carbon nanotubes. Our calculations and observations indicate that these molecules undergo selective reactions within the narrow confining space of a carbon nanotube. Upon vacuum annealing of adamantane molecules encapsulated in a carbon nanotube, we observe a sharp Raman feature at 1857 cm(-1), which we int...

A comprehensive study of the stress release and structural changes caused by postdeposition thermal annealing of tetrahedral amorphous carbon ~ta-C! on Si has been carried out. Complete stress relief occurs at 600–700 °C and is accompanied by minimal structural modifications, as indicated by electron energy loss spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and optical gap measurements. Further annealing i...

The Pd(111) crystal was attached to a motorized manipulator using tantalum wires and could be heated by means of electron bombardment to 900 K or cooled to 77 K, as monitored by a T1T2 thermocouple attached directly to the sample. It was cleaned by cycles of Ar sputtering (4 keV, 7 μA) and annealing (850 K) followed by brief heating to ~ 850 K in the presence of 2×10 mbar of O2 to remove residu...

The FeSe2 nanorod@porous graphene film (FeSe2@PG) was prepared by a simple vacuum filtration, annealing and subsequent selenylation. nanorods were formed via the confined oriented growth of nanoparticles....

In this research, mechanical alloying was used to produce Ti-50Al, Ti-45Al-5Cr and Ti-45Al-5W (at%) alloys. The effect of ternary addition (Cr and W) on microstructure and production efficiency of TiAl alloy were investigated. Alloying was performed in a planetary mill and the milling time varying from 5 to 70h. The structural evaluation in these powders was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) tech...

Thin alumina films, deposited at 280~ by low-pressure, metal-organic, chemical-vapor deposition on stainless steel, type AISI 304, were annealed at 0.17 kPa in a nitrogen atmosphere for 2, 4, and 17 hr at 600, 700, and 800~ The effect of the annealing process on the adhesion of the thin alumina films was studied using a scanning-scratch tester, type SST-IO1, developed by Shimadzu. The best mech...