Browsing by Author "Zhang, Yuanyuan"

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Microstructure evolution determined by the crystalline phases competition in self-assembled WO3-BiVO4 hetero nanostructures
(2018-02-28)
Song, Haili
;
Li, Chao
;
Chien Nguyen Van
;
Dong, Wenxia
;
Qi, Ruijuan
A series of self-assembled WO3-BiVO4 nanostructured thin films were grown on the (001) yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrate at the substrate temperatures of 400 degrees C, 500 degrees C, 550 degrees C, 600 degrees C, 650 degrees C and 700 degrees C by a pulsed laser deposition method. The microstructures including crystalline phases, epitaxial relationships, surface morphologies and interface structures were investigated by a combination of x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The sample grown at 400 degrees C was amorphous due to the low driving forces for nucleation and diffusion. For the samples made at 500 degrees C, 550 degrees C and 600 degrees C, the monoclinic BiVO4 matrix epitaxially grew on YSZ, forming the matrix, where the WO3 nanopillars were embedded in with a specific orientation relationship among BiVO4, WO3 and YSZ. However, in thin films deposited at 650 degrees C and 700 degrees C, the WO3 grains randomly grew on the YSZ substrate, which dominated the microstructures of the resultant thin films. Quantitative analyses of the microstructures revealed that the lateral grain sizes of BiVO4 and WO3 increased and the volume fraction of BiVO4 in the thin films decreased with the increase of the deposition temperature. A three-regime growth mechanism of the WO3-BiVO4 composite thin film was proposed based on the growth dynamics determined by the competition between BiVO4 and WO3. Published by AIP Publishing.
Role of indium tin oxide electrode on the microstructure of self-assembled WO3-BiVO4 hetero nanostructures
(2017-11-07)
Song, Haili
;
Li, Chao
;
Chien Nguyen Van
;
Dong, Wenxia
;
Qi, Ruijuan
Self-assembled WO3-BiVO4 nanostructured thin films were grown on a (001) yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrate by the pulsed laser deposition method with and without the indium tin oxide (ITO) bottom electrode. Their microstructures including surface morphologies, crystalline phases, epitaxial relationships, interface structures, and composition distributions were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. In both samples, WO3 formed nanopillars embedded into the monoclinic BiVO4 matrix with specific orientation relationships. In the sample with the ITO bottom electrode, an atomically sharp BiVO4/ITO interface was formed and the orthorhombic WO3 nanopillars were grown on a relaxed BiVO4 buffer layer with a mixed orthorhombic and hexagonal WO3 transition layer. In contrast, a thin amorphous layer appears at the interfaces between the thin film and the YSZ substrate in the sample without the ITO electrode. In addition, orthorhombic Bi2WO6 lamellar nanopillars were formed between WO3 and BiVO4 due to interdiffusion. Such a WO3-Bi2WO6-BiVO4 double heterojunction photoanode may promote the photo-generated charge separation and further improve the photoelectrochemical water splitting properties. Published by AIP Publishing.
The preparation, and structural and multiferroic properties of B-site ordered double-perovskite Bi2FeMnO6
(2017-06-14)
Sun, Lin
;
Fang, Yue-Wen
;
He, Jun
;
Zhang, Yuanyuan
;
Qi, Ruijuan
We report the structural, magnetic, and ferroelectric properties of double-perovskite Bi2FeMnO6 in which Fe3+ and Mn3+ cations are present with alternative ordering along the [111] direction. High-flux synchrotron X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy show that the pseudo-cubic lattice of Bi2FeMnO6 consists of alternatively corner-shared octahedra of FeO6 and MnO6. In the highly ordered Bi2FeMnO6 thin films, the unusual spin-glassy magnetic state is observed below 18 K by a superconducting quantum interference device, and this is ascribed to the magnetic frustration at the [111] Fe3+ and Mn3+ planes as indicated by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements. Combining with the orbital model analysis based on Goodenough-Kanamori-Anderson rules, first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulations suggest that magnetic frustration is dominated by the long-range second nearest neighboring antiferromagnetic interactions of Fe3+-Fe3+ and Mn3+-Mn3+ and leads to the surprisingly weak magnetism. On the other hand, robust room-temperature ferroelectricity in Bi2FeMnO6 films is confirmed by piezoelectric force microscopy through electrically switching the polarization state and the ferroelectric retention.