Comparative studies between the growth characteristics of Bi2Te3 thin films deposited on SiO2, Si(100) and Si(111)
Thin films of Bi2Te3 on SiO2, Si(100) and Si(111) were deposited using a hot wall epitaxy (HWE) system. The growth conditions were optimized by the criterion of the highest mobility. XRD and SEM analysis show that the films obtained were stoichiometric and present a good morphology. No difference was observed between layers deposited on Si(100) and on Si(111): the layers were not sensitive to the initial orientation of silicon. The electrical measurements performed at room temperature show that the quality of layers deposited on SiO2 was better than the quality of layers deposited on Si(100) and Si(111). The figure of merit obtained in the case of the SiO2 substrate was Z = 1.9 × 10−3K−1, which is close to those reported for the monocrystal. The study of the first growing stage shows that the difference obtained between the substrates can be explained by the degree of reactivity of their surfaces.
Pressure-induced phase transition in Sb2Te3
Abstract An anomalous change in electrical resistance with pressure was observed in crystalline Sb2Te3 around 80 kbar at room temperature. This anomaly was found to be closely related with a pressure-induced structural phase transition which is discovered by the present x-ray diffraction experiment.
Coated-wire electrodes containing polymer immobilized ionophores blended with poly(vinyl chloride).
Polymers containing covalently attached 18-crown-6 or 2.2.2 cryptand units were incorporated into plasticized PVC membranes and the composite membranes were examined as potassium ion sensor elements. Ionophores were linked to carboxy-PVC and to poly(acrylic acid) via amide linkages to an alkyl spacer unit. Coated-wire electrodes (CWEs) from the immobilized ionophores gave acceptable responses, but conventional ion-selective membrane electrodes (ISEs) prepared by solvent casting were inactive. Dip-cast membranes did give active ISEs. Potassium electrode performance was independent of the loading of the ionophore within the acrylate support polymer, but depended upon the spacer length. Ion selectivity varied with the ionophore loading within the support polymer. Selectivity is a composite of the ionophore selectivity and ion-exchange interactions with the acrylate backbone, giving selectivities akin to carboxylate substituted crown ethers, notably enhanced monovalent/divalent ion discrimination relative to the ionophore in solution. Polymer immobilization extended the lifetime of active electrodes.