Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been one of the most studied materials in the last decades. Either as bulk material, epilayers or nanostructures, this direct wide band gap semiconductor is known to possess great potential for fundamental science and modern technology applications.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Multiferroic materials, combining at least two of three properties: ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity and ferroelasticity in the same phase, have been widely studied nowadays and have tremendous potential for multifunctional applications, although magnetoelectric multiferroics are difficult to obtain. Recently, dielectric and magnetic anomalies were found to be coupled in the incipient ferroelectrics SrTiO3 and KTaO3 doped with Mn on A-site of ABO3 perovskite lattice.

ZnO is a promising material for use in solar cell applications which require antireflective coatings and transparent conducting materials in front contacts. Its resistivity can be reduced by appropriate doping with different group III elements, which act as donors, without sacrificing optical transmission. Besides, it constitutes a non-toxic and cheap alternative to ITO (In2O3:SnO2), which is nowadays commonly used as transparent conducting oxide (TCO) in optoelectronic devices. Al(III) is one of the cheapest elements on nature, and has been therefore one of the first candidates to be used as a dopant. However recent studies demonstrate that for similar amounts of dopant the use of Ga largely improves both the optical and electrical properties of the films. The interface between Si (used as substrate) and the corresponding TCO is a critical part of Si-based solar cells, since the conversion efficiency may be profoundly altered by the presence of recombination centers formed at the interface. In this work we present a comparison of Si/ZnO, Si/ZnO:Ga and Si/ZnO:Al interfaces (with [dopant]/[Zn] = 2%) by using HRTEM and associated spectroscopies. Resistivity values of the films are: ρ(ZnO) = 4.4 × 10-2 Ω × cm; ρ(Ga:ZnO) = 6.3 × 10-4 Ω × cm; ρ(Al:ZnO) = 2.9 × 10-3 Ω × cm. and the films optical transmitance is larger than 80% along the visible spectrum.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Thermoelectric ceramic materials for practical applications must present high thermopower and relatively low electrical resistivity along with high chemical stability at high temperatures. These properties can be found in thermoelectric ceramics, for example in misfit cobaltites. These materials possess a high crystallographic anisotropy which is reflected on their thermoelectric properties. Therefore, controlling their grains orientation is mandatory in order to achieve better performance for practical applications. In this perspective, texturing methods can play an important role for enhancing the final properties of the bulk materials.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

SbVO4 series of compounds could be used as oxidation catalysts of industrial interest yielding 20% cheaper acrylonitrile by the ammoxidation of propane compared to current method producing 8×106 ton/year based on propylene as starting reactant.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

In the present work, we present the microstructural study of a cast magnesium alloy AM60B processed by Friction Stir Processing (FSP) in order to achieve Ultra-Fine Grain (UFG) size (200–700nm) in the stirred zone. Focused ion beam (FIB) has been used for sample preparation, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) for the structural characterization. To explain the differences induced by the FSP, two lamellas obtained by FIB from the bottom and the upper part of the cross-section of the nugget are compared to one extracted from the parent material (unaffected zone A). The obtained results show the remarkable homogenization and grain refinement produced in the structure in the processed zone, as previous reported works indicate. The microstructure of the as cast base material reveals the presence of dendrites of solid solution of Al in Mg (α-phase), with an average grain size of ~400–500 µm, and a partially divorced eutectic structure at the interdendritic spaces, where the massive and lamellar β-Mg17Al12 intermetallic phase can be observed (Figure 1). The SAED on one particle of β-phase shows a diffraction pattern that fits the crystalline structure of the cubic I -4 3 m space group (Nº 217). Also Mn containing phases were homogeneously distributed throughout the section. The performed analyses demonstrate that these particles are basically Al-Mn binary phases containing trace elements as Si or Fe, and the measured Mn/Al ratio allow to classify them into two types previously reported: Type I are particles of equiaxed or almost rounded shape and type II are needle like or flowerlike particles, with a lower Mn/Al ratio.

The production of a Tantalum solid electrolytic capacitor requires the impregnation of MnO2 by pyrolysis in one of the several manufacturing steps. It has been reported that niobium oxides are a good alternative, presenting potentially better dielectric properties and a better cost effectiveness. Thus, it is important to study the conditions and the effect of the MnO2 impregnation on niobium oxide in order to understand and optimize the parameters of this process. The morphology and microstructure of the anode is one of the most important aspects that interfere with the dielectric properties of the capacitor. In this work, it is presented a study of the morphology and microstructure of different niobium oxide anodes after electrochemical oxidation (NbO/Nb2O5 core-shell grain structure), and after MnO2 impregnation with different pyrolysis temperatures. This impregnation is made by dipping the anodes, with the NbO/Nb2O5 core-shell structure, in a slurry of Mn(NO3)2. Heating this slurry while the anode is dipped, will lead to a pyrolysis reaction where the liberation of NO2 occurs as a gas, and where the product MnO2 solidifies around the grains.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Perovskite manganites have been the focus of worldwide research during the last two decades because of the observation of colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) effect. These materials have potential applications in magnetic field sensors, spin filters, infrared bolometers and cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells. Such manganites are also important from the fundamental study viewpoint as they offer interplay among various degrees of freedom viz. spin, lattice and charge ordering. Moreover, phase separation may occur in manganites with low concentration of the dopant. In such scenario, ferromagnetic metallic clusters are embedded in antiferromagnetic insulating matrix. The fraction of these magnetic phases may vary from the nano- to micro-scale. With higher dopant concentration, the percolation of these magnetic metallic clusters leads to the apparent CMR effect. In this study we focus our attention to the low doped La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSMO) manganite and investigate the possible magnetic phase separation and effect of variation in grain size on the magnetic domain size. La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 possesses Curie temperature (TC) higher than room temperature, therefore the material is supposed to be in the magnetic state at room temperature.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Recently, much attention has been given to directional solidified eutectic (DSE) materials for functional and structural applications. DSE materials take advantage from their microstructural features. Typically, DSE are dense homogeneous materials composed by fine microstructures without grain boundaries (GBs). Since impurities and defects typically concentrate at GBs, their deleterious effects on the mechanical, thermal and electrical properties can thus be minimized.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.