No Arabic abstract
Dielectric and antiferroelectric materials are particularly promising for high-power energy-storage applications. However, relatively low energy density greatly hinders their usage in storage technologies. Here, we report first-principles-based calculations predicting that epitaxial and initially non-polar AlN/ScN superlattices can achieve an ultrahigh energy density of up to 200 J/cm$^{textrm{3}}$, accompanied by an ideal efficiency of 100%. We also show that high energy density requires the system being neither too close nor too far from a ferroelectric phase transition under zero electric field. A phenomenological model is further proposed to rationalize such striking features.
Heterostructures consisting of alternating GaN/AlN epitaxial layers represent the building-blocks of state-of-the-art devices employed for active cooling and energy-saving lightning. Insights into the heat conduction of these structures are essential in the perspective of improving the heat management for prospective applications. Here, the cross-plane (perpendicular to the samples surface) thermal conductivity of GaN/AlN superlattices as a function of the layers thickness is established by employing the $3omega$-method. Moreover, the role of interdiffusion at the interfaces on the phonon scattering is taken into account in the modelling and data treatment. It is found, that the cross-plane thermal conductivity of the epitaxial heterostructures can be driven to values as low as 5.9 W/(m$cdot$K) comparable with those reported for amorphous films, thus opening wide perspectives for optimized heat management in III-nitride-based epitaxial multilayers.
Typical ferroelectrics possess a large spontaneous polarization Ps but simultaneously a large remnant polarization Pr as well, resulting in an inferior energy storage density.A mechanism that can reduce the Pr while maintain the Ps is demanded to enhance the energy storage property of ferroelectrics.In the present study, it is shown that after acceptor doping and aging treatment, the domain switching in ferroelectrics becomes reversible, giving rise to a pinched double hysteresis loop. The pinched loop with a large Ps and a small Pr thus results in an enhanced energy storage density. The physics behind is a defect induced internal field that provides a restoring force for the domains to switch back.The idea is demonstrated through a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulation as well as experimental measurements in BaTiO$_3$ based single crystal and ceramics. The mechanism is general and can be applied to various ferroelectrics, especially the environment-friendly ones.
We report structural, optical, temperature and frequency dependent dielectric, and energy storage properties of pulsed laser deposited (100) highly textured BaZr(x)Ti(1-x)O3 (x = 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) relaxor ferroelectric thin films on La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/MgO substrates which make this compound as a potential lead-free capacitive energy storage material for scalable electronic devices. A high dielectric constant of ~1400 - 3500 and a low dielectric loss of <0.025 were achieved at 10 kHz for all three compositions at ambient conditions. Ultrahigh stored and recoverable electrostatic energy densities as high as 214 +/- 1 and 156 +/- 1 J/cm3, respectively, were demonstrated at a sustained high electric field of ~3 MV/cm with an efficiency of 72.8 +/- 0.6 % in optimum 30% Zr substituted BaTiO3 composition.
The current energy transition imposes a rapid implementation of energy storage systems with high energy density and eminent regeneration and cycling efficiency. Metal hydrides are potential candidates for generalized energy storage, when coupled with fuel cell units and/or batteries. An overview of ongoing research is reported and discussed in this review work on the light of application as hydrogen and heat storage matrices, as well as thin films for hydrogen optical sensors. These include a selection of single-metal hydrides, Ti-V(Fe) based intermetallics, multi-principal element alloys (high-entropy alloys), and a series of novel synthetically accessible metal borohydrides. Metal hydride materials can be as well of important usefulness for MH-based electrodes with high capacity (e.g. MgH2 ~ 2000 mAh g-1) and solid-state electrolytes displaying high ionic conductivity suitable, respectively, for Li-ion and Li/Mg battery technologies. To boost further research and development directions some characterization techniques dedicated to the study of M-H interactions, their equilibrium reactions, and additional quantification of hydrogen concentration in thin film and bulk hydrides are presented at the end of this manuscript.
In this paper, we describe the growth and characterization of 530-nm-thick superlattices (100 periods) of AlxGa1-xN/AlN (x = 0, 0.1) Stranski-Krastanov quantum dots for application as the active region of electron-beam pumped ultraviolet lamps. Highly dense (>10e11 cm-2) quantum dot layers are deposited by molecular beam epitaxy, and we explore the effect of the III/V ratio during the growth process on their optical performance. The study considers structures emitting in the 244-335 nm range at room temperature, with a relative linewidth in the 6-11% range, mainly due to the QD diameter dispersion inherent in self-assembled growth. Under electron pumping, the emission efficiency remains constant for acceleration voltages below 9 kV. The correlation of this threshold with the total thickness of the superlattice and the penetration depth of the electron beam confirms the homogeneity of the nanostructures along the growth axis. Below the threshold, the emission intensity scales linearly with the injected current. The internal quantum efficiency is characterized at low injection, which reveals the material properties in terms of non-radiative processes, and high injection, which emulates carrier injection in operation conditions. In quantum dots synthesized with III/V ratio < 0.75, the internal quantum efficiency remains around 50% from low injection to pumping power densities as high as 200 kW/cm2, being the first kind of nanostructures that present such stable behaviour.