Abstract: Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) is one of the alternative methods to fabricate and enhance the performance of Li-ion batteries. It enables the fabrication of electrodes with outstanding qualities and different electrochemical properties by the great domination over various parameters. EPD facilitates the processing of electrodes by binder-free grafting of nanomaterials, such as graphene derivatives, carbon nanotube, and nanoparticles, into the battery electrodes. It also enables the assembly of the free-standing electrodes with 3D structure and provides possibilities, such as the fabrication of the electrodes with an oriented microstructure, even on 3D substrates to improve the energy or power density. In this review, after an introduction to EPD, the effect of EPD parameters on the properties of the prepared electrodes is reviewed. Then, EPD is compared with tape cast, and its advantages over the conventional method are evaluated. Also, employing the EPD method as an intermediate process is discussed. Finally, the application of EPD in the fabrication of separators is assessed, and the prospects for the future are described.

Abstract: The influence of the deposition rate on the formation of growth twins in nanocrystalline Pd films deposited by electron beam evaporation is investigated using transmission electron microscopy. Statistical measurements prove that twin boundary (TB) density and volume fraction of grains containing twins increase with increasing deposition rate. A clear increase of the dislocation density was observed for the highest deposition rate of 5 Å/s, caused by the increase of the internal stress building up during deposition. Based on crystallographic orientation indexation using transmission electron microscopy, it can be concluded that a {111} crystallographic texture increases with increasing deposition rate even though the {101} crystallographic texture remains dominant. Most of the TBs are fully coherent without any residual dislocations. However, for the highest deposition rate (5 Å/s), the coherency of the TBs decreases significantly as a result of the interaction of lattice dislocations emitted during deposition with the growth TBs. The analysis of the grain boundary character of different Pd films shows that an increasing fraction of high angle grain boundaries with misorientation angles around 5565° leads to a higher potential for twin formation.

Abstract: Three-dimensional topological insulators are exotic materials with unique properties. Tetradymite type binary chalcogenides of bismuth and antimony, as well as their mixed crystals, belong to prototypical TIs. Potential device applications of these materials require in-depth knowledge of their stability in the ambient atmosphere and other media maintained during their processing. Here we investigated the reactivity of mixed crystals with anion substitution, Bi-2(Se1-xTex)(3) and Sb2(Se1-xTex)(3), towards molecular oxygen using both in situ and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that, in contrast to cation substitution, partial substitution of tellurium by selenium atoms leads to anomalously high surface reactivity, which even exceeds that of the most reactive binary constituent. We attribute this effect to anion ordering that essentially modifies the bond geometry, especially the respective bond angles as modeled by DFT.

Abstract: By using first-principles molecular dynamics, we address the issue of structural stability for the C-60 Ge-m(m) family of doped heterofullerenes through a set of calculations targeting C48Ge12 and C40Ge20. Three kinds of theoretical tools are employed: (a) static structural optimization, (b) a bonding analysis based on localized orbitals (Wannier wavefunctions and centers) and (c) first-principles molecular dynamics at finite temperature. This latter tool allows concluding that the segregated form of C40Ge20 is less stable than its Si-based counterpart. However, the non-segregated forms of C40Ge20 and C40Si20 have comparable stabilities at finite temperatures. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The deactivation of Sn-Beta zeolite catalyst during retro-aldolization and isomerization of glucose is investigated. Confocal fluorescence microscopy reveals that retro-aldolization of glucose in CH3OH at 160 degrees C is accompanied with the build-up of insoluble oligomeric deposits in the micropores, resulting in a rapid catalyst deactivation. These deposits accumulate predominantly in the outer regions of the zeolite crystals, which points to mass transport limitations. Glucose isomerization in water is not only accompanied by the formation of insoluble deposits in the micropores, but also by the structural degradation of the zeolite due to desilication and destannation. Enhanced and sustained catalytic performance can be achieved by using ethanol/water mixtures as the reaction solvent instead of water.

Abstract: The microstructural features of intergranular irradiation-assisted stress corrosion crack tips from a redeemed neutron-irradiated flux thimble tube (60 dpa) have been investigated using focused-ion beam analysis and (scanning) transmission electron microscopy. The current work presents a close examination of the deformation field and oxide assembly associated with intergranular cracking, in addition to the analysis of radiation-induced segregation at leading grain boundaries. Evidence of stress induced martensitic transformation extending from the crack tips is presented. Intergranular crack arrest is demonstrated on the account of the external tensile stress orientation, and as a consequence of MnS inclusion particles segregating close to the fractured grain boundary. Exclusive observations of grain boundary oxidation prior to the cracking are presented, which is in full-agreement with the internal oxidation model.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: This study reports the properties of irradiation assisted stress corrosion crack tips extracted by means of focused-ion beam from 60 to 80 dpa neutron-irradiated O-ring specimens tested under straining conditions under a pressurized-water reactor environment. Various crack tip morphologies and surrounding deformation features were analyzed as a function of applied stress, surface oxidation state and loading form – constant versus cyclic. All investigated cracks exhibit grain boundary oxidation in front of the crack tip, with the extent of oxidation being proportional to applied stress. These findings clearly demonstrate that, under the subcritical crack propagation regime, the grain boundary oxide grows faster than the crack. On the other hand, crack tips appertaining to specimens with removed oxide layer at the outer surface show comparatively less oxidation at the crack tip, which could indicate towards crack initiation from regions that exemplify lower stress, such as the O-ring inner surface. Cyclic loading is found to have a more pronounced effect on the crack tip microstructure, demonstrating increased deformation twinning and -martensitic transformation, which signifies towards an increased susceptibility to intergranular failure. Still, the extent of crack tip grain boundary oxidation in this case agrees well with expected values for maximum stress applied during cyclic loading. All results are interpreted based on the probabilistic subcritical crack propagation mechanism and provide strong support to a stress-driven internal oxidation model.

Abstract: The present contribution reviews some recent electron microscopy investigations on different shape memory systems in which a variety of nano- and micro-defect structures play an essential role in the functional behaviour of the material. (NiTi3)-Ti-4 precipitates in Ni-Ti are a well-known example for which the focus is now on the 3D configurations, in Ni-Ti-Nb Nb-rich nanoprecipitates are thought to have a large impact on the hysteresis, in Co-Ni-Al an Al-enriched zone nearby the y'-precipitates yields a small sandwiched austenite while some first signs of quasidynamical lattice deformation in non-frozen Ni-Ti strain glass are measured by Cs-aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Ni4Ti3 precipitates play an important role in the shape memory and superelastic behaviour of thermo-mechanically treated Ni-Ti material. The 3D morphology and distribution of such precipitates with lenticular shape and rhombohedral atomic structure in the austenitic B2 matrix of a binary Ni-rich Ni-Ti alloy has been elucidated via a slice view procedure in a Dual-Beam FIB/SEM system. With the sequence of cross-section SE images obtained from the SEM, a 3D reconstruction has been achieved after proper alignment and image processing, from which both qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed. Careful imaging is needed to ensure that all variants of the precipitates are observed with equal probability, regardless sample orientation. Moreover, due to the weak contrast of the precipitates, proper imaging conditions need to be selected to allow for semi-automated image treatment. Finally, a volume ratio of 10.2% for the Ni4Ti3 precipitates could be calculated, summed over all variants, which yields a net composition of Ni50.36Ti49.64 for the matrix, leading to an increase of 113 degrees for the martensitic start temperature Ms. Also, the expected relative orientation of the different variants of the precipitates could be confirmed. In the near future, other quantitative measures on the distribution of the precipitates can be expected.

Abstract: Two-dimensional atomic crystals can radically change their properties in response to external influences, such as substrate orientation or strain, forming materials with novel electronic structure(1-5). An example is the creation of weakly dispersive, 'flat' bands in bilayer graphene for certain 'magic' angles of twist between the orientations of the two layers(6). The quenched kinetic energy in these flat bands promotes electron-electron interactions and facilitates the emergence of strongly correlated phases, such as superconductivity and correlated insulators. However, the very accurate fine-tuning required to obtain the magic angle in twisted-bilayer graphene poses challenges to fabrication and scalability. Here we present an alternative route to creating flat bands that does not involve fine-tuning. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, together with numerical simulations, we demonstrate that graphene monolayers placed on an atomically flat substrate can be forced to undergo a buckling transition(7-9), resulting in a periodically modulated pseudo-magnetic field(10-14), which in turn creates a 'post-graphene' material with flat electronic bands. When we introduce the Fermi level into these flat bands using electrostatic doping, we observe a pseudogap-like depletion in the density of states, which signals the emergence of a correlated state(15-17). This buckling of two-dimensional crystals offers a strategy for creating other superlattice systems and, in particular, for exploring interaction phenomena characteristic of flat bands. Buckled monolayer graphene superlattices are found to provide an alternative to twisted bilayer graphene for the study of flat bands and correlated states in a carbon-based material.

Abstract: Two new metal-rich palladium-indium selenides, Pd5InSe and Pd8In2Se, were synthesized using a high-temperature ampoule technique. Their crystal structures were determined from Rietveld analysis of powder diffraction data, supported by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and selected area electron diffraction. Both compounds crystallize in tetragonal system with P4/mmm space group (Pd5InSe: a = 4.0290(3) angstrom, c = 6.9858(5) angstrom, Z = 1; Pd8In2Se: a = 4.0045(4) angstrom, c = 10.952(1) angstrom, Z = 1). The first compound belongs to the Pd5TlAs structure type, while the second one – to a new structure type. Main structural units in both selenides are indium-centered [Pd12In] cuboctahedra of the tetragonally distorted Cu3Au type, single-and double-stacked along the c axis in Pd5InSe and Pd8In2Se, respectively, alternating with [Pd8Se] rectangular prisms. DFT electronic structure calculations predict both compounds to be 3D metallic conductors and Pauli-like paramagnets. According to the bonding analysis based on the electron localization function topology, both compounds feature multi-centered palladium-indium interactions in their heterometallic fragments. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Optical properties, spectral dependence of photoconductivity and photoconductivity decay in nanocrystalline indium oxide In2O3 are studied. A number of nanostructured In2O3 samples with various nanocrystals size are prepared by sol-gel method and characterized using various techniques. The mean nanocrystals size varies from 7 to 8 nm to 39-41 nm depending on the preparation conditions. Structural characterization of the In2O3 samples is performed by means of transmission electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The combined analysis of ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy shows that nanostructuring leads to the change in optical band gap: optical band gap of the In2O3 samples (with an average nanocrystal size from 7 to 41 nm) is equal to 2.8 eV. We find out the correlation between spectral dependence of photoconductivity and optical properties of nanocrystalline In2O3: sharp increase in photoconductivity was observed to begin at 2.8 eV that is equal to the optical bandgap in the In2O3 samples, and reached its maximum at 3.2-3.3 eV. The combined analysis of the slow photoconductivity decay in air, vacuum and argon, that was accurately fitted by a stretched-exponential function, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements shows that the kinetics of photoconductivity decay is strongly depended on the presence of oxygen molecules in the ambient of In2O3 nanocrystals. There is the quantitative correlation between EPR and photoconductivity data. Based on the obtained data we propose the model clearing up the phenomenon of permanent photoconductivity decay in nanocrystalline In2O3. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The mechanism allowing the transition from a two-dimensional strained layer of CdSe on ZnSe to self-assembled islands induced by the use of amorphous selenium is still not fully understood. For a better understanding, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies were performed on CdSe films with a thickness close to that for quantum dot formation. Below this thickness, the sample surface results in undulations along the [110] crystal direction, while few quantum dots are situated in the wave valleys. Plan view transmission electron microscopy studies reveal a strong anisotropy of the islands and show that the Se desorption conditions are crucial. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.