| 1. |
- Cattelan, Mattia, et al.
(författare)
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Anodization study of epitaxial graphene : insights on the oxygen evolution reaction of graphitic materials
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nanotechnology. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 30:28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The photoemission electron microscopy and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy were utilized for the study of anodized epitaxial graphene (EG) on silicon carbide as a fundamental aspect of the oxygen evolution reaction on graphitic materials. The high-resolution analysis of surface morphology and composition quantified the material transformation during the anodization. We investigated the surface with lateral resolution amp;lt;150 nm, revealing significant transformations on the EG and the role of multilayer edges in increasing the film capacitance.
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| 2. |
- Giannazzo, F., et al.
(författare)
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Probing the uniformity of hydrogen intercalation in quasi-free-standing epitaxial graphene on SiC by micro-Raman mapping and conductive atomic force microscopy
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nanotechnology. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 30:28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, micro-Raman mapping and conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) were jointly applied to investigate the structural and electrical homogeneity of quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene (QFMLG), obtained by high temperature decomposition of 4H-SiC(0001) followed by hydrogen intercalation at 900 degrees C. Strain and doping maps, obtained by Raman data, showed the presence of sub-micron patches with reduced hole density correlated to regions with higher compressive strain, probably associated with a locally reduced hydrogen intercalation. Nanoscale resolution electrical maps by C-AFM also revealed the presence of patches with enhanced current injection through the QFMLG/SiC interface, indicating a locally reduced Schottky barrier height (Phi(B)). The Phi(B) values evaluated from local I-V curves by the thermionic emission model were in good agreement with the values calculated for the QFMLG/SiC interface using the Schottky-Mott rule and the graphene holes density from Raman maps. The demonstrated approach revealed a useful and non-invasive method to probe the structural and electrical homogeneity of QFMLG for future nano-electronics applications.
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| 3. |
- Khranovskyy, Volodymyr, et al.
(författare)
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Light emission enhancement from ZnO nanostructured films grown on Gr/SiC substrates
- 2016
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Ingår i: Carbon. - : Pergamon Press. - 0008-6223 .- 1873-3891. ; 99, s. 295-301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the application of a single layer graphene substrates for the growth of polycrystalline ZnO films with advanced light emission properties. Unusually high ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) photoluminesce was observed from the ZnO/Gr/SiC structures in comparison to identical samples without graphene. The photoluminescence intensity depends non-monotonically on the films thickness, reaching its maximum for 150 nm thick films. The phenomena observed is explained as due to the dual graphene role: i) the dangling bond free substrate, providing growth of relaxed thin ZnO layers ii) a back reflector active mirror of the Fabry-Perot cavity that is formed. The reported results demonstrate the potential of two-dimensional carbon materials integration with light emitting wide band gap semiconductors and can be of practical importance for the design of future optoelectronic devices.
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| 4. |
- Santangelo, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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Real-time sensing of lead with epitaxial graphene-integrated microfluidic devices
- 2019
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Ingår i: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA. - 0925-4005 .- 1873-3077. ; 288, s. 425-431
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since even low concentrations of toxic heavy metals can seriously damage human health, it is important to develop simple, sensitive and accurate methods for their detection. Graphene, which is extremely sensitive to foreign species, is a key element in the development of a sensing platform where low concentrations of analyte have to be detected. This work discusses the proof of concept of a sensing platform for liquid-phase detection of heavy metals (e.g. Pb) based on epitaxial graphene sensors grown on Si-face 4H-SiC substrate (EG/SiC). The sensing platform developed includes a microfluidic chip incorporating all the features needed to connect and execute the Lab-on-chip (LOC) functions using 3D printing fast prototyping technology. Herein, we present the response of EG to concentrations of Pb2+ solutions ranging from 125 nM to 500 mu M, showing good stability and reproducibility over time and an enhancement of its conductivity with a Langmuir correlation between signal and Pb2+ concentration. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed and clearly explain the conductivity changes and the sensing mechanism in agreement with the experimental results reported, confirming the strong sensitivity of the sensor to the lowest concentrations of the analyte. Furthermore, from the calibration curve of the system, a limit of detection (LoD) of 95 nM was extrapolated.
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| 5. |
- Shtepliuk, Ivan I., 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Lead (Pb) interfacing with epitaxial graphene
- 2018
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 20:25, s. 17105-17116
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here, we report the electrochemical deposition of lead (Pb) as a model metal on epitaxial graphene fabricated on silicon carbide (Gr/SiC). The kinetics of electrodeposition and morphological characteristics of the deposits were evaluated by complementary electrochemical, physical and computational methods. The use of Gr/SiC as an electrode allowed the tracking of lead-associated redox conversions. The analysis of current transients passed during the deposition revealed an instantaneous nucleation mechanism controlled by convergent mass transport on the nuclei locally randomly distributed on epitaxial graphene. This key observation of the deposit topology was confirmed by low values of the experimentally-estimated apparent diffusion coefficient, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. First principles calculations showed that the nucleation of Pb clusters on the graphene surface leads to weakening of the interaction strength of the metal-graphene complex, and only spatially separated Pb adatoms adsorbed on bridge and/or edge-plane sites can affect the vibrational properties of graphene. We expect that the lead adatoms can merge in large metallic clusters only at defect sites that reinforce the metal-graphene interactions. Our findings provide valuable insights into both heavy metal ion electrochemical analysis and metal electroplating on graphene interfaces that are important for designing effective detectors of toxic heavy metals.
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| 6. |
- Shtepliuk, Ivan, et al.
(författare)
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Raman probing of hydrogen-intercalated graphene on Si-face 4H-SiC
- 2019
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Ingår i: Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing. - : ELSEVIER SCI LTD. - 1369-8001 .- 1873-4081. ; 96, s. 145-152
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the results of in-depth Raman study of quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene on the (0001) Si- face of 4H-SiC, which contains similar to 0.1-2.10(11) cm(-2) sp(3) defects that have been introduced by hydrogen intercalation. The nature of the intercalation-induced defects is elucidated and ascribed to the formation of the C-H bonds. At the higher intercalation temperature in the formed monolayer graphene the defect-related Raman scattering displays a great enhancement and new spectral features attributed to D and D+D modes appear. Comprehensive statistical analysis of the Raman data enabled us to estimate the homogeneity of the Raman scattering processes and to separate strain and doping effects. Analysis of the compressive strain and carrier density maps revealed that the intercalation temperature of 900 degrees C and intercalation time of 1 h are more favorable conditions for conversion of the buffer layer to uniformly relaxed and p-doped monolayer graphene in comparison to annealing at 1100 degrees C for 30 min.
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| 7. |
- Shtepliuk, Ivan, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding Graphene Response to Neutral and Charged Lead Species: Theory and Experiment
- 2018
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Ingår i: Materials. - : MDPI. - 1996-1944. ; 11:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deep understanding of binding of toxic Lead (Pb) species on the surface of two-dimensional materials is a required prerequisite for the development of next-generation sensors that can provide fast and real-time detection of critically low concentrations. Here we report atomistic insights into the Lead behavior on epitaxial graphene (Gr) on silicon carbide substrates by thorough complementary study of voltammetry, electrical characterization, Raman spectroscopy, and Density Functional Theory (DFT). It is verified that the epitaxial graphene exhibits quasi-reversible anode reactions in aqueous solutions, providing a well-defined redox peak for Pb species and good linearity over a concentration range from 1 nM to 1 mu M. The conductometric approach offers another way to investigate Lead adsorption, which is based on the formations of stable charge-transfer complexes affecting the p-type conductivity of epitaxial graphene. Our results suggest the adsorption ability of the epitaxial graphene towards divalent Lead ions is concentration-dependent and tends to saturate at higher concentrations. To elucidate the mechanisms responsible for Pb adsorption, we performed DFT calculations and estimated the solvent-mediated interaction between Lead species in different oxidative forms and graphene. Our results provide central information regarding the energetics and structure of Pb-graphene interacting complexes that underlay the adsorption mechanisms of neutral and divalent Lead species. Such a holistic understanding favors design and synthesis of new sensitive materials for water quality monitoring.
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| 8. |
- Yazdi, Gholamreza, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of epitaxial graphene morphology on adsorption of ambient species
- 2019
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Ingår i: Applied Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-4332 .- 1873-5584. ; 486, s. 239-248
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This work illustrates the impact of atmospheric gases on the surface of epitaxial graphene. The different rate of adsorption on different parts of graphene samples provides a concrete evidence that the surface morphology of graphene plays a significant role in this process. The uneven adsorption occurs only on the surface of the monolayer graphene and not on bilayer graphene. The second monolayer is distinguished and verified by the phase contrast mode of atomic force microscopy and the low energy electron microscopy, respectively. Raman spectroscopy is used to study the strain on the surface of graphene; results indicate that monolayer and bilayer graphene exhibit different types of strain. The bilayer is under more compressive strain in comparison with monolayer graphene that hinders the process of adsorption. However, the wrinkles and edges of steps of the bilayer are under tensile strain, hence, facilitate adsorption. Samples were subjected to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy which confirms that the adsorbates on the epitaxial graphene are carbon clusters with nitrogen and oxygen contamination. For reversing the adsorption process the samples are annealed and a method for the removal of these adsorbates is proposed.
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| 9. |
- Asada, Satoshi, et al.
(författare)
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Calibration on wide-ranging aluminum doping concentrations by photoluminescence in high-quality uncompensated p-type 4H-SiC
- 2017
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Ingår i: Applied Physics Letters. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 111:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous work has shown that the concentration of shallow dopants in a semiconductor can be estimated from the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum by comparing the intensity of the bound-to-the- dopant exciton emission to that of the free exciton. In this work, we study the low-temperature PL of high-quality uncompensated Al-doped p-type 4H-SiC and propose algorithms for determining the Al-doping concentration using the ratio of the Al-bound to free-exciton emission. We use three different cryogenic temperatures (2, 41, and 79 K) in order to cover the Al-doping range from mid 10(14) cm(-3) up to 10(18) cm(-3). The Al-bound exciton no-phonon lines and the strongest free-exciton replica are used as a measure of the bound-and free-exciton emissions at a given temperature, and clear linear relationships are obtained between their ratio and the Al-concentration at 2, 41, and 79 K. Since nitrogen is a common unintentional donor dopant in SiC, we also discuss the criteria allowing one to determine from the PL spectra whether a sample can be considered as uncompensated or not. Thus, the low-temperature PL provides a convenient non-destructive tool for the evaluation of the Al concentration in 4H-SiC, which probes the concentration locally and, therefore, can also be used for mapping the doping homogeneity. Published by AIP Publishing.
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| 10. |
- Bakoglidis, Konstantinos, et al.
(författare)
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Rolling performance of carbon nitride-coated bearing components in different lubrication regimes
- 2017
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Ingår i: Tribology International. - : Pergamon Press. - 0301-679X .- 1879-2464. ; 114, s. 141-151
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The performance of carbon nitride (CN) coated roller bearings is investigated, using a micropitting rig. The rolling performance is evaluated using Stribeck test, with a continuously varying rolling speed (0.2 - 2 m/s). Rolling contact fatigue tests with constant speeds (0.5, 1, 2, and 3.5 m/s) are also conducted in order to study the high-cycle performance of the rollers. The obtained Stribeck curve shows that the presence of coatings eliminates run-in, resulting in low friction coefficients (similar to 0.08). Raman spectroscopy, performed at the wear tracks, reveals that CNx maintain stable chemical state. Coatings show abrasion although the wear rate is not detrimental for the performance of the rollers, since a CNx to-steel contact is retained during the entire rolling contact fatigue test.
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