Abstract: We present a theoretical study on plasmon-polariton modes in graphene placed inside an optical cavity and driven by a source-to-drain electric field. The electron velocity and electron temperature are determined by solving self-consistently the momentum-and energy-balance equations in which electron interactions with impurities, acoustic-, and optic-phonons are included. Based on many-body self-consistent field theory, we develop a tractable approach to study plasmon-polariton in an electron gas system. We find that when graphene is placed inside a Fabry-Perot cavity, two branches of the plasmon-polariton modes can be observed and these modes are very much optic-or plasmon-like. The frequencies of these modes depend markedly on driving electric field especially at higher resonant frequency regime. Moreover, the plasmon-polariton frequency in graphene is in terahertz (THz) bandwidth and can be tuned by changing the cavity length, gate voltage, and driving electric field. This work is pertinent to the application of graphene-based structures as tunable THz plasmonic devices. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

Abstract: Accurate geometrical calibration between the scan coordinates and the camera coordinates is critical in four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) for both quantitative imaging and ptychographic reconstructions. For atomic-resolved, in-focus 4D-STEM datasets, we propose a hybrid method incorporating two sub-routines, namely a J-matrix method and a Fourier method, which can calibrate the uniform affine transformation between the scan-camera coordinates using raw data, without a priori knowledge about the crystal structure of the specimen. The hybrid method is found robust against scan distortions and residual probe aberrations. It is also effective even when defects are present in the specimen, or the specimen becomes relatively thick. We will demonstrate that a successful geometrical calibration with the hybrid method will lead to a more reliable recovery of both the specimen and the electron probe in a ptychographic reconstruction. We will also show that, although the elimination of local scan position errors still requires an iterative approach, the rate of convergence can be improved, and the residual errors can be further reduced if the hybrid method can be firstly applied for initial calibration. The code is made available as a simple-to-use tool to correct affine transformations of the scan-camera coordinates in 4D-STEM experiments.

Abstract: The electronic and transport properties of a three-dimensional (3D) Dirac system are investigated theoretically, which is motivated by recent experimental measurements on quantum and transport mobilities in the 3D Dirac semimetal Na3Bi by J. Xiong et al. [Science 350, 413 (2015); Europhys. Lett. 114, 27002 (2016)]. The electron Hamiltonian is taken from a simplified k center dot p approach. From the obtained electronic band structure and the Fermi energy, we explain why the anomalous effect induced by the chiral anomaly and the Berry curvature in the energy band can be observed experimentally in magnetotransport coefficients in both low-and high-density samples. Moreover, the quantum and transport mobilities are calculated on the basis of the momentum-balance equation derived from a semiclassical Boltzmann equation with the electron-impurity interaction. The quantum and transport mobilities obtained from this study agree both qualitatively and quantitatively with those measured experimentally. We also examine the electron mobilities along different crystal directions in Na3Bi and find them largely anisotropic. The theoretical findings from this work can be helpful in gaining an in-depth understanding of the experimental results and of the basic electronic and transport properties of newly developed 3D Dirac systems.

Abstract: We investigate experimentally the terahertz (THz) optoelectronic properties of monolayer (ML) tungsten disulfide (WS2) placed on different substrates using THz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS). We find that the THz optical response of n-type ML WS2 depends sensitively on the choice of the substrate. This dependence is found to be a consequence of substrate induced charge transfer, extra scattering centers, and electronic localization. Through fitting the experimental results with the Drude-Smith formula, we can determine the key sample parameters (e.g., the electronic relaxation time, electron density, and electronic localization factor) of ML WS2 on different substrates. The temperature dependence of these parameters is examined. Our results show that the THz TDS technique is an efficient non-contact method that can be utilized to characterize and investigate the optoelectronic properties of nano-devices based on ML WS2.

Abstract: When monolayer (ML) MoS2 is placed on a substrate, the proximity-induced interactions such as the Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) and exchange interaction (EI) can be introduced. Thus, the electronic system can behave like a spintronic device. In this study, we present a theoretical study on how the presence of the RSCO and EI can lead to the band splitting, the lifting of the valley degeneracy and to the spin polarization in n- and p-type ML MoS2. We find that the maxima of the in-plane spin orientation in the conduction and valence bands in ML MoS2 depend on the Rashba parameter and the effective Zeeman field factor. At a fixed Rashba parameter, the minima of the split conduction band and the maxima of the split valence band along with the spin polarization in ML MoS2 can be tuned effectively by varying the effective Zeeman field factor. On the basis that the EI can be induced by placing the ML MoS2 on a ferromagnetic substrate or by magnetic doping in ML MoS2, we predict that the interesting spintronic effects can be observed in n- and p-type ML MoS2. This work can be helpful to gain an in-depth understanding of the basic physical properties of ML MoS2 for application in advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Abstract: The discovery of the hydrodynamic electron liquid (HEL) in graphene [D. Bandurin et al., Science 351, 1055 (2016) and J. Crossno et al., Science 351, 1058 (2016)] has marked the birth of the solid-state HEL which can be probed near room temperature in a table-top setup. Here we examine the terahertz (THz) magneto-optical (MO) properties of a graphene HEL. Considering the case where the magnetic length l(B) = root h/eB is comparable to the mean-free path l(ee) for electron-electron interaction in graphene, the MO conductivities are obtained by taking a momentum balance equation approach on the basis of the Boltzmann equation. We find that when l(B) similar to l(ee), the viscous effect in a HEL can weaken significantly the THz MO effects such as cyclotron resonance and Faraday rotation. The upper hybrid and cyclotron resonance magnetoplasmon modes omega(+/-) are also obtained through the RPA dielectric function. The magnetoplasmons of graphene HEL at large wave-vector regime are affected by the viscous effect, and results in red-shifts of the magnetoplasmon frequencies. We predict that the viscosity in graphene HEL can affect strongly the magneto-optical and magnetoplasmonic properties, which can be verified experimentally.

Abstract: It remains a real challenge to control the selectivity of the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (eCO(2)R) reaction to valuable chemicals and fuels. Most of the electrocatalysts are made of non-renewable metal resources, which hampers their large-scale implementation. Here, we report the preparation of bimetallic copper-lead (CuPb) electrocatalysts from industrial metallurgical waste. The metal ions were extracted from the metallurgical waste through simple chemical treatment with ammonium chloride, and CuxPby electrocatalysts with tunable compositions were fabricated through electrodeposition at varying cathodic potentials. X-ray spectroscopy techniques showed that the pristine electrocatalysts consist of Cu-0, Cu1+ and Pb2+ domains, and no evidence for alloy formation was found. We found a volcano-shape relationship between eCO(2)R selectivity toward two electron products, such as CO, and the elemental ratio of Cu and Pb. A maximum Faradaic efficiency towards CO was found for Cu9.00Pb1.00, which was four times higher than that of pure Cu, under the same electrocatalytic conditions. In situ Raman spectroscopy revealed that the optimal amount of Pb effectively improved the reducibility of the pristine Cu1+ and Pb2+ domains to metallic Cu and Pb, which boosted the selectivity towards CO by synergistic effects. This work provides a framework of thinking to design and tune the selectivity of bimetallic electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction through valorization of metallurgical waste.

Abstract: Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is considered as an ideal semiconductor material for solid-state neutron detector, owing to its large neutron scattering section because of the low atomic number of B and excellent physical properties. Here we study the influence of neutron irradiation on crystal structure and on intermediate energy state (IMES) levels induced by the presence of impurities and defects in hBN. Large-size and thick pyrolytic and hot-pressed hBN (PBN and HBN) samples, which can be directly applied for neutron detector devices, are prepared and bombarded by neutrons with different irradiation fluences. The SEM and TEM are used to observe the sample difference of PBN and HBN. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy are applied to examine the influence of neutron irradiation on lattice structures along different crystal directions of PBN and HBN samples. Photoluminescence (PL) is employed to study the effect of neutron irradiation on IMESs in these samples. We find that the neutron irradiation does not alter the in-plane lattice structures of both PBN and HBN samples, but it can release the inter-layer tensions induced by sample growth of the PBN samples. Interestingly and surprisingly, the neutron irradiation does not affect the IMES levels responsible for PL generation, where PL is attributed mainly from phonon-assisted radiative electron-hole coupling for both PBN and HBN samples. Furthermore, the results indicate that the neutron irradiation can weaken the effective carrier-phonon coupling and exciton transitions in PBN and HBN samples. Overall, both PBN and HBN samples show some degree of the resistance to neutron irradiation in terms of these basic physical properties. The interesting and important findings from this work can help us to gain an in-depth understanding of the influence of neutron irradiation on basic physical properties of hBN materials. These effects can be taken into account when designing and applying the hBN materials for neutron detectors.

Abstract: Plasma is considered one of the promising technologies to solve greenhouse gas problems, as it can activate CO2 and CH4 at relatively low temperatures. Among the various types of plasmas, the gliding arc plasmatron (GAP) is promising, as it has a high level of non-equilibrium and high electron density. Nevertheless, the conversion of CO2 and CH4 in the GAP reactor is limited. Therefore, combining the GAP reactor with catalysts and making use of the heat produced by the plasma to provide thermal energy to the catalyst, forming a post-plasma catalytic (PPC) system, is hypothesized to improve its performance. Therefore, in this PhD research, we investigate important aspects of the PPC concept towards the use of the heat produced by GAP plasma to heat the plasma bed, without additional energy input. Aiming at this, based on a literature study (chapter 1), Ni-loaded layered double hydroxide (LDH) derived catalyst with good thermal catalytic DRM performance were chosen as the catalyst material. Before applying the LDH as a support material, the rehydration property of calcined LDH in moist and liquid environment was studied as part of chapter 2. The data indicated that after high temperatures calcination (600-900 C), the obtained layered double oxides (LDOs) can rehydrate into LDH, although, the rehydrated LDH were different from the original LDH. In chapter 3, different operating conditions, such as gas flow rate, gas compositions (e.g. CH4/CO2 ratio and nitrogen dilution), and addition of H2O were studied to investigate optimal conditions for PPC DRM, identifying possible differences in temperature profiles and exhaust gas compositions that might influence the catalytic performance. Subsequently, the impact of different PPC configurations, making use of the heat and exhaust gas composition produced by the GAP plasma, is shown in Chapter 4. Experiments studying the impact of adjusting the catalyst bed distance to the post-plasma, the catalyst amount, the influence of external heating (below 250 C) and the addition of H2O are discussed. As only limited improvement in the performance was achieved, a new type of catalyst bed was designed and utilized, as described in chapter 5. This improved configuration can realize better heat and mass transfer by directly connecting to the GAP device. The performance was improved and became comparable to the traditional thermal catalytic DRM results obtained at 800 C, although obtained by a fully electrically driven plasma.

Abstract: The electro-phonon resonance effect is a consequence of a resonant interaction between two electric subbands mediated by an optical phonon. It occurs in a quasi-two-dimensional electron system each time the energy difference between two electric subbands equals the energy of a Lo phonon. We study the influence of this effect on the electron mobility by using the momentum balance equation. The temperature and electron density dependences of the resonances are studied in the linear and non-linear response regimes.

Abstract: We study the mobility of Dirac fermions in monolayer graphene on a GaAs substrate, limited by the combined action of the extrinsic potential of piezoelectric surface acoustical phonons of GaAs (PA) and of the intrinsic deformation potential of acoustical phonons in graphene (DA). In the high-temperature (T) regime, the momentum relaxation rate exhibits the same linear dependence on T but different dependencies on the carrier density n, corresponding to the mobility mu proportional to 1 root n and 1/n, respectively for the PA and DA scattering mechanisms. In the low-T Bloch-Gruneisen regime, the mobility shows the same square-root density dependence mu proportional to root n, but different temperature dependencies mu proportional to T-3 and T-4, respectively for PA and DA phonon scattering. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.075443

Abstract: We present a theoretical study on the optoelectronic properties of ABC-stacked trilayer graphene (TLG). The optical conductance and light transmittance are evaluated through using the energy-balance equation derived from the Boltzmann equation for an air/graphene/dielectric-wafer system in the presence of linearly polarized radiation field. The results obtained from two band structure models are examined and compared. For short wavelength radiation, the universal optical conductance sigma(0) = 3e(2)/(4h) can be obtained. Importantly, there exists an optical absorption window in the radiation wavelength range 10-200 mu m, which is induced by different transition energies required for inter- and intra-band optical absorption channels. As a result, we find that the position and width of this window depend sensitively on temperature and carrier density of the system, especially the lower frequency edge. There is a small characteristic absorption peak at about 82 mu m where the largest interband transition states exist in the ABC-stacked TLG model, in contrast to the relatively smooth curves in a simplified model. These theoretical results indicate that TLG has some interesting and important physical properties which can be utilized to realize infrared or THz optoelectronic devices.

Abstract: We present a theoretical study of the plasmon and coupled plasmon-phonon modes induced by intraband electron-electron interaction in graphene in the presence of driving dc electric field. We find that the electric field dependence of these collective excitation modes in graphene differs significantly from that in a conventional two-dimensional electron gas with a parabolic energy spectrum. This is due mainly to the fact that graphene has a linear energy spectrum and the Fermi velocity of electrons in graphene is much larger than the drift velocity of electrons. The obtained results demonstrate that the plasmon and coupled plasmon-phonon modes in graphene can be tuned by applying not only the gate voltage but also the source-to-drain field. The manipulation of plasmon and coupled plasmon-phonon modes by source-to-drain voltage can let graphene be more conveniently applied as an advanced plasmonic material.

Abstract: We investigate the effect of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on the optoelectronic properties of n- and p-type monolayer MoS2. The optical conductivity is calculated within the Kubo formalism. We find that the spin-flip transitions enabled by the Rashba SOC result in a wide absorption window in the optical spectrum. Furthermore, we evaluate the effects of the polarization direction of the radiation, temperature, carrier density, and the strength of the Rashba spin-orbit parameter on the optical conductivity. We find that the position, width, and shape of the absorption peak or absorption window can be tuned by varying these parameters. This study shows that monolayer MoS2 can be a promising tunable optical and optoelectronic material that is active in the infrared to terahertz spectral range.