Ricardo Henriquez

Size effects in thin gold films: Discrimination between electron-surface and electron-grain boundary scattering by measuring the Hall effect at 4 K

We report the Hall effect measured in gold films evaporated onto mica substrates, the samples having an average grain diameter D that ranges between 12 and 174 nm, and a thickness t of approximately 50 nm and 100 nm. The Hall mobility was determined at low temperatures T (4 K ≤ T ≤ 50 K). By tuning the grain size during sample preparation, we discriminate whether the dominant collision mechanism controlling the resistivity of the samples at 4 K is electron-surface or electron-grain boundary scattering, based upon whether the Hall mobility depends linearly on film thickness t or on grain diameter D.

Size effects on the Hall constant in thin gold films

We report the Hall constant RH, drift mobility μD, and Hall mobility μH measured at 4 K in thin gold films deposited on mica substrates, where the dominant electron scattering mechanism is electron-surface scattering. RH increases with increasing film thickness and decreases with increasing magnetic field. For high magnetic fields B≥6 T, RH turns out to be approximately independent of magnetic field, and its value is close to that of the free electron model. We use the high magnetic field values of RH to determine film thickness. This nondestructive method leads to a determination of film thickness that agrees to within 10% with the thickness measured by other techniques. The theoretical predictions, based upon the theory of Fuchs–Sondheimer and the theory of Calecki, are at variance with experimental observations.

Resistivity of thin gold films on mica induced by electron-surface scattering from a self-affine fractal surface

We present a rigorous comparison between resistivity data and theoretical predictions involving the theory of Palasantzas [G. Palasantzas and J. Barnas, Phys. Rev. B 56, 7726 (1997)], and the modified Sheng, Xing, and Wang-fractal theory [R. C. Munoz et al., Phys. Rev. B 66, 205401 (2002)], regarding the resistivity arising from electron scattering by a self-affine fractal surface on gold films using no adjustable parameters. We find that both theories lead to an approximate description of the temperature dependence of the resistivity data. However, the description of charge transport based upon fractal scaling seems oversimplified, and the predicted increase in resistivity arising from electron-surface scattering seems at variance with other experimental results. If the samples are made up of grains such that the mean grain diameter D > l0(300), the electronic mean free path in the bulk at 300 K, then the predicted increase in resistivity at 4 K is of the order of a few percent. This contradicts publishe...

The Many Faces of Graphene as Protection Barrier. Performance under Microbial Corrosion and Ni Allergy Conditions

In this work we present a study on the performance of CVD (chemical vapor deposition) graphene coatings grown and transferred on Ni as protection barriers under two scenarios that lead to unwanted metal ion release, microbial corrosion and allergy test conditions. These phenomena have a strong impact in different fields considering nickel (or its alloys) is one of the most widely used metals in industrial and consumer products. Microbial corrosion costs represent fractions of national gross product in different developed countries, whereas Ni allergy is one of the most prevalent allergic conditions in the western world, affecting around 10% of the population. We found that grown graphene coatings act as a protective membrane in biological environments that decreases microbial corrosion of Ni and reduces release of Ni2+ ions (source of Ni allergic contact hypersensitivity) when in contact with sweat. This performance seems not to be connected to the strong orbital hybridization that Ni and graphene interface present, indicating electron transfer might not be playing a main role in the robust response of this nanostructured system. The observed protection from biological environment can be understood in terms of graphene impermeability to transfer Ni2+ ions, which is enhanced for few layers of graphene grown on Ni. We expect our work will provide a new route for application of graphene as a protection coating for metals in biological environments, where current strategies have shown short-term efficiency and have raised health concerns.

Photoelectrochemical Activity of Graphene Supported Titanium Dioxide

Thin TiO2 layers grown over few-layers graphene were prepared in order to evaluate the photoinduced chemical response of this composite. Graphene was grown over copper foils by decomposition of acetylene in a standard chemical vapor deposition apparatus. Graphene was subsequently transferred to a silicon substrate, on which the titanium dioxide was grown to form a TiO2/FLG/SiO2/Si composite. The formation of each layered material was verified by Raman spectroscopy and the morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The photoelectrochemical evaluation of the resulting composite, using it as a photoanode, was accomplished with a potentiostat, a solar simulator, and a three-electrode configuration. The electrochemical response indicates that the new composite preserves the average photoactive properties of the base material and at the same time shows a singular transient response where explicit benefits seem to be derived from the FLG/TiO2 combination.

Electrical Percolation and Aging of Gold Films

Electric transport in ultrathin metallic films can be either “percolative” or “conductive” depending on the links between the islands that constitute the film. Once the formation of long-range connections is established within the film, the overlayer reaches the so-called percolation threshold. This work describes a quantitative study of the electrical resistance of Au films, as a function of coverage. Film resistance displays a universal scaling law dependence with a critical exponent of 1.9 before percolation, which changes to 1.5 after percolation. These values are between the theoretical predictions for the evolution of growth as 2D or 3D systems. Results also indicate deposition parameters have a defining role in the evolution of the resistance during fabrication. A rise in pressure or deposition rate results in a lowering of the thicknesses at which percolation occurs. A decrease in the substrate temperature modified the typical resistance behavior of the Volmer–Weber growth mode to a trend of 2D growth mode. Finally, results describing the effect of film’s aging on the electrical resistance are presented. Aging is responsible for an important reduction in the film resistance after percolation, a process mainly mediated by material diffusion.

Unoccupied interface and molecular states in thiols and dithiols monolayers

The electronic structure of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed by thiols of different lengths and dithiol molecules bound to Au(111) has been characterized. Inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) and density functional theory have been used to describe the molecule/Au substrate system. All molecular layers display a clear signal in the IPES data at the edge of the lowest unoccupied system orbital (LUSO), roughly 3 eV above the Fermi level. There is also evidence, in both the experimental data and the calculation, of a finite density of states just below the LUSO edge, which has been recognized as localized at the Au-substrate interface. Regardless of the molecular lengths and in addition to this induced density of interface states, an apparent antibonding Au-S state has been identified in the IPES data for both molecular systems. The main difference between the electronic structures of thiol and dithiol SAMs is a shift in the energy of the antibonding state.