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Author Chen, C.; Sang, X.; Cui, W.; Xing, L.; Nie, X.; Zhu, W.; Wei, P.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Zhang, Q.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Zhao, W.
Title Atomic-resolution fine structure and chemical reaction mechanism of Gd/YbAl₃ thermoelectric-magnetocaloric heterointerface Type (up) A1 Journal article
Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Alloys And Compounds Abbreviated Journal J Alloy Compd
Volume 831 Issue Pages 154722-154728
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Thermoelectric materials and magnetocaloric materials are promising candidates for solid-state refrigeration applications. The combination of thermoelectric and magnetocaloric effects could potentially lead to more efficient refrigeration techniques. We designed and successfully synthesized Gd/YbAl3 composites using a YbAl3 matrix with good low-temperature thermoelectric performance and Gd microspheres with a high magnetocaloric performance, using a sintering condition of 750 degrees C and 50 MPa. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), it was discovered that the heterointerface between Gd and YbAl 3 is composed of five sequential interfacial layers: GdAl3, GdAl2, GdAl, Gd3Al2, and Gd3Al. The diffusion of Al atoms plays a crucial role in the formation of these interfacial layers, while Yb or Gd do not participate in the interlayer diffusion. This work provides the essential structural information for further optimizing and designing high-performance composites for thermoelectric-magnetocaloric hybrid refrigeration applications. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000531727900005 Publication Date 2020-03-10
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0925-8388 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.2 Times cited 1 Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes ; This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11834012, 51620105014, 91963207, 91963122, 51902237) and National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2018YFB0703603, 2019YFA0704903, SQ2018YFE010905). EPMA experiments were performed at the Center for Materials Research and Testing of Wuhan University of Technology. The S/TEM work was performed at the Nanostructure Research Center (NRC), which is supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WUT: 2019III012GX). ; Approved Most recent IF: 6.2; 2020 IF: 3.133
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:169447 Serial 6455
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Author Wei, P.; Ke, B.; Xing, L.; Li, C.; Ma, S.; Nie, X.; Zhu, W.; Sang, X.; Zhang, Q.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Zhao, W.
Title Atomic-resolution interfacial structures and diffusion kinetics in Gd/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 magnetocaloric/thermoelectric composites Type (up) A1 Journal article
Year 2020 Publication Materials Characterization Abbreviated Journal Mater Charact
Volume 163 Issue Pages 110240-110248
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract The demand of a full solid-state cooling technology based on magnetocaloric and thermoelectric effects has led to a growing interest in screening candidate materials with high-efficiency cooling performance, which also stimulates the exploration of magnetocaloric/thermoelectric hybrid cooling materials. A series of Gd/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 composites was fabricated in order to develop the hybrid cooling technology. The chemical composition, phase structure and diffusion kinetics across the reaction layers in Gd/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 composites were analyzed at different reaction temperatures. Micro-area elemental analysis indicates that the formation of interfacial phases is dominated by the diffusion of Gd and Te while the diffusion of Bi and Sb is impeded. The interfacial phases, including GdTe2, GdTe3, and intermediate phases GdTex, are identified by atomic-resolution electron microscopy. The concentration modulation of Gd and Te is adapted by altering the stacking of the Te square-net sheets and the corrugated GdTe sheets. Boltzmann-Marano analysis was applied to reveal the diffusion kinetics of Gd and Te in the interfacial layers. The diffusion coefficients of Te in GdTe2 and GdTe3 are much higher than that of Gd while in GdTe the situation is reversed. This study provides a clear picture to understand the interfacial phase structures down to an atomic scale as well as the interfacial diffusion kinetics in Gd/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 hybrid cooling materials.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000551341700045 Publication Date 2020-03-03
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1044-5803 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4.7 Times cited 1 Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes ; This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 91963122, 11834012, 51620105014, 51521001, 51902237), National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFB0703603), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WUT: 2019III012GX, 183101006). XRD and EPMA experiments were performed at the Center for Materials Research and Testing of Wuhan University of Technology. ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.7; 2020 IF: 2.714
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:171317 Serial 6456
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Author Cui, W.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Unocic, R.R.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Sang, X.
Title Atomic defects, functional groups and properties in MXenes Type (up) A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Chinese Chemical Letters Abbreviated Journal Chinese Chem Lett
Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 339-344
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract MXenes, a new family of functional two-dimensional (2D) materials, have shown great potential for an extensive variety of applications within the last decade. Atomic defects and functional groups in MXenes are known to have a tremendous influence on the functional properties. In this review, we focus on recent progress in the characterization of atomic defects and functional group chemistry in MXenes, and how to control them to directly influence various properties (e.g., electron transport, Li' adsorption, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, and magnetism) of 2D MXenes materials. Dynamic structural transformations such as oxidation and growth induced by atomic defects in MXenes are also discussed. The review thus provides perspectives on property optimization through atomic defect engineering, and bottom-up synthesis methods based on defect-assisted homoepitaxial growth of MXenes. (C) 2020 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000618541800057 Publication Date 2020-04-17
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1001-8417 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 1.932 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.932
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:177568 Serial 6777
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Author Zhou, X.-G.; Yang, C.-Q.; Sang, X.; Li, W.; Wang, L.; Yin, Z.-W.; Han, J.-R.; Li, Y.; Ke, X.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Cheng, Y.-B.; Van Tendeloo, G.
Title Probing the electron beam-induced structural evolution of halide perovskite thin films by scanning transmission electron microscopy Type (up) A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 125 Issue 19 Pages 10786-10794
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract A deep understanding of the fine structure at the atomic scale of halide perovskite materials has been limited by their sensitivity to the electron beam that is widely used for structural characterization. The sensitivity of a gamma-CsPbIBr2 perovskite thin film under electron beam irradiation is revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) through a universal large-range electron dose measurement, which is based on discrete single-electron events in the STEM mode. Our research indicates that the gamma-CsPbIBr2 thin film undergoes structural changes with increasing electron overall dose (e(-).A(-2)) rather than dose rate (e(-).A(-2).s(-1)), which suggests that overall dose is the key operative parameter. The electron beam-induced structural evolution of gamma-CsPbIBr2 is monitored by fine control of the electron beam dose, together with the analysis of high-resolution (S)TEM, diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Our results show that the gamma-CsPbIBr2 phase first forms an intermediate phase [e.g., CsPb(1-x)(IBr)((3-y))] with a superstructure of ordered vacancies in the pristine unit cell, while a fraction of Pb2+ is reduced to Pb-0. As the electron dose increases, Pb nanoparticles precipitate, while the remaining framework forms the Cs2IBr phase, accompanied by some amorphization. This work provides guidelines to minimize electron beam irradiation artifacts for atomic-resolution imaging on CsPbIBr2 thin films.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000655640900061 Publication Date 2021-05-11
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:179187 Serial 6880
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Author Lu, W.; Cui, W.; Zhao, W.; Lin, W.; Liu, C.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Sang, X.; Zhao, W.; Zhang, Q.
Title In situ atomistic insight into magnetic metal diffusion across Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 quintuple layers Type (up) A1 Journal article
Year 2022 Publication Advanced Materials Interfaces Abbreviated Journal Adv Mater Interfaces
Volume Issue Pages 2102161
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Diffusion and occupancy of magnetic atoms in van der Waals (VDW) layered materials have significant impact on applications such as energy storage, thermoelectrics, catalysis, and topological phenomena. However, due to the weak VDW bonding, most research focus on in-plane diffusion within the VDW gap, while out-of-plane diffusion has rarely been reported. Here, to investigate out-of-plane diffusion in VDW-layered Bi2Te3-based alloys, a Ni/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 heterointerface is synthesized by depositing magnetic Ni metal on a mechanically exfoliated Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 (0001) substrate. Diffusion of Ni atoms across the Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 quintuple layers is directly observed at elevated temperatures using spherical-aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the diffusion energy barrier of Ni atoms is only 0.31-0.45 eV when they diffuse through Te-3(Bi, Sb)(3) octahedron chains. Atomic-resolution in situ STEM reveals that the distortion of the Te-3(Bi, Sb)(3) octahedron, induced by the Ni occupancy, drives the formation of coherent NiM (M = Bi, Sb, Te) at the heterointerfaces. This work can lead to new strategies to design novel thermoelectric and topological materials by introducing magnetic dopants to VDW-layered materials.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000751742300001 Publication Date 2022-02-07
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2196-7350 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 5.4 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 5.4
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:186421 Serial 6960
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Author Cui, W.; Lin, W.; Lu, W.; Liu, C.; Gao, Z.; Ma, H.; Zhao, W.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Zhao, W.; Zhang, Q.; Sang, X.
Title Direct observation of cation diffusion driven surface reconstruction at van der Waals gaps Type (up) A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication Nature communications Abbreviated Journal
Volume 14 Issue 1 Pages 554-10
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Weak interlayer van der Waals (vdW) bonding has significant impact on the surface/interface structure, electronic properties, and transport properties of vdW layered materials. Unraveling the complex atomistic dynamics and structural evolution at vdW surfaces is therefore critical for the design and synthesis of the next-generation vdW layered materials. Here, we show that Ge/Bi cation diffusion along the vdW gap in layered GeBi2Te4 (GBT) can be directly observed using in situ heating scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The cation concentration variation during diffusion was correlated with the local Te-6 octahedron distortion based on a quantitative analysis of the atomic column intensity and position in time-elapsed STEM images. The in-plane cation diffusion leads to out-of-plane surface etching through complex structural evolutions involving the formation and propagation of a non-centrosymmetric GeTe2 triple layer surface reconstruction on fresh vdW surfaces, and GBT subsurface reconstruction from a septuple layer to a quintuple layer. Our results provide atomistic insight into the cation diffusion and surface reconstruction in vdW layered materials. Weak interlayer van der Waals (vdW) bonding has significant impact on the structure and properties of vdW layered materials. Here authors use in-situ aberration-corrected ADF-STEM for an atomistic insight into the cation diffusion in the vdW gaps and the etching of vdW surfaces at high temperatures.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001076227200001 Publication Date 2023-02-02
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2041-1723 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 16.6 Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 16.6; 2023 IF: 12.124
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:201342 Serial 9021
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Author Yang, C.-Q.; Yin, Z.-W.; Li, W.; Cui, W.-J.; Zhou, X.-G.; Wang, L.-D.; Zhi, R.; Xu, Y.-Y.; Tao, Z.-W.; Sang, X.; Cheng, Y.-B.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Su, B.-L.
Title Atomically deciphering the phase segregation in mixed halide perovskite Type (up) A1 Journal article
Year 2024 Publication Advanced functional materials Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 1-10
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Mixed-halide perovskites show promising applications in tandem solar cells owing to their adjustable bandgap. One major obstacle to their commercialization is halide phase segregation, which results in large open-circuit voltage deficiency and J-V hysteresis. However, the ambiguous interplay between structural origin and phase segregation often results in aimless and unspecific optimization strategies for the device's performance and stability. An atomic scale is directly figured out the abundant Ruddlesden-Popper anti-phase boundaries (RP-APBs) within a CsPbIBr2 polycrystalline film and revealed that phase segregation predominantly occurs at RP-APB-enriched interfaces due to the defect-mediated lattice strain. By compensating their structural lead halide, such RP-APBs are eliminated, and the decreasing of strain can be observed, resulting in the suppression of halide phase segregation. The present work provides the deciphering to precisely regulate the perovskite atomic structure for achieving photo-stable mixed halide wide-bandgap perovskites of high-efficiency tandem solar cell commercial applications. The phase segregation in mixed halide perovskite film predominantly occurs at Ruddlesden-Popper anti-phase boundaries (RP-APBs)-enriched interfaces due to the defect-mediated lattice strain. The RP-APBs defects can be eliminated by compensating for their structural lead halide deficiency, resulting in the suppression of halide phase segregation. image
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001200673300001 Publication Date 2024-04-12
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1616-301x ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
Impact Factor Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:205509 Serial 9134
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Author Wu, X.; Ding, J.; Cui, W.; Lin, W.; Xue, Z.; Yang, Z.; Liu, J.; Nie, X.; Zhu, W.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Sang, X.
Title Enhanced electrical properties of Bi2-xSbxTe3 nanoflake thin films through interface engineering Type (up) A1 Journal article
Year 2024 Publication Energy & environment materials Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages e12755-8
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract The structure-property relationship at interfaces is difficult to probe for thermoelectric materials with a complex interfacial microstructure. Designing thermoelectric materials with a simple, structurally-uniform interface provides a facile way to understand how these interfaces influence the transport properties. Here, we synthesized Bi2-xSbxTe3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4) nanoflakes using a hydrothermal method, and prepared Bi2-xSbxTe3 thin films with predominantly (0001) interfaces by stacking the nanoflakes through spin coating. The influence of the annealing temperature and Sb content on the (0001) interface structure was systematically investigated at atomic scale using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Annealing and Sb doping facilitate atom diffusion and migration between adjacent nanoflakes along the (0001) interface. As such it enhances interfacial connectivity and improves the electrical transport properties. Interfac reactions create new interfaces that increase the scattering and the Seebeck coefficient. Due to the simultaneous optimization of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, the maximum power factor of the Bi1.8Sb0.2Te3 nanoflake films reaches 1.72 mW m(-1) K-2, which is 43% higher than that of a pure Bi2Te3 thin film.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001204495900001 Publication Date 2024-04-18
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:205438 Serial 9148
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