Velimir Radmilovic

Fluorographene: A Wide Bandgap Semiconductor with Ultraviolet Luminescence

The manipulation of the bandgap of graphene by various means has stirred great interest for potential applications. Here we show that treatment of graphene with xenon difluoride produces a partially fluorinated graphene (fluorographene) with covalent C-F bonding and local sp(3)-carbon hybridization. The material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and near edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. These results confirm the structural features of the fluorographane with a bandgap of 3.8 eV, close to that calculated for fluorinated single layer graphene, (CF)(n). The material luminesces broadly in the UV and visible light regions, and has optical properties resembling diamond, with both excitonic and direct optical absorption and emission features. These results suggest the use of fluorographane as a new, readily prepared material for electronic, optoelectronic applications, and energy harvesting applications.

Detection of Single Atoms and Buried Defects in Three Dimensions by Aberration-Corrected Electron Microscope with 0.5-Å Information Limit

The ability of electron microscopes to analyze all the atoms in individual nanostructures is limited by lens aberrations. However, recent advances in aberration-correcting electron optics have led to greatly enhanced instrument performance and new techniques of electron microscopy. The development of an ultrastable electron microscope with aberration-correcting optics and a monochromated high-brightness source has significantly improved instrument resolution and contrast. In the present work, we report information transfer beyond 50 pm and show images of single gold atoms with a signal-to-noise ratio as large as 10. The instruments new capabilities were exploited to detect a buried Sigma3 {112} grain boundary and observe the dynamic arrangements of single atoms and atom pairs with sub-angstrom resolution. These results mark an important step toward meeting the challenge of determining the three-dimensional atomic-scale structure of nanomaterials.

Metallic NEMS components fabricated from nanocomposite Al–Mo films

We have fabricated fully released nano-electro-mechanical system (NEMS) cantilevers of various geometries from metallic alloy nanocomposite films. At thicknesses of 4.3 and 20.0 nm, these are the thinnest released metal cantilevers reported in the literature to date. Such device dimensions are very difficult to achieve using conventional metal films. We were able to overcome this limitation by using room-temperature co-sputtering to synthesize nanocomposite alloy films of Al–Mo. A systematic investigation of microstructure and properties as a function of Mo content resulted in an optimum film composition of Al–32 at.%Mo with a unique microstructure comprising a dense distribution of nano-scale Mo crystallites dispersed in an amorphous Al-rich matrix. These films were found to exhibit unusually high nanoindentation hardness and a very significant reduction in roughness compared with pure Al, while maintaining resistivity in the metallic range. A single-anchored cantilever 5 µm long, 800 nm wide and 20 nm thick showed a resonance frequency of 608 kHz, yielding a Youngs modulus of 112 GPa, in good agreement with a reduced modulus of 138 GPa measured by nanoindentation.

Direct Imaging of Soft-Hard Interfaces Enabled by Graphene

Direct imaging of surface molecules and the interfaces between soft and hard materials on functionalized nanoparticles is a great challenge using modern microscopy techniques. We show that graphene, a single atomic layer of sp(2)-bonded carbon atoms, can be employed as an ultrathin support film that enables direct imaging of molecular layers and interfaces in both conventional and atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy. An atomic-resolution imaging study of the capping layers and interfaces of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles is used to demonstrate this novel capability. Our findings reveal the unique potential of graphene as an ideal support film for atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy of hard and soft nanomaterials.

Synthesis and Stability of a Nanoparticle-Infiltrated Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrode

Nanoparticulate catalysts infiltrated into solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrodes can significantly enhance cell performance, but the stability of these electrodes has been an open issue. An infiltration procedure is reported that leads to stable scandia-stabilized zirconia (SSZ) cathode electrode performance. An SSZ cathode, infiltrated with 50-150 nm lanthanum-strontium manganate electro-catalyst particles, is shown to be voltage-stable for over 500 h of operation at 650°C, at a controlled current density of 150 mA/cm 2 . This demonstrates the potential viability of nanoparticulate-infiltrated electrodes for commercial SOFCs, and illustrates the functional stability of nanoparticulate catalysts in the demanding environment of SOFC electrodes.

Background, status and future of the Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected Microscope project

The strong interaction of electrons with small volumes of matter make them an ideal probe for nanomaterials, but our ability to fully use this signal in electron microscopes remains limited by lens aberrations. To bring this unique advantage to bear on materials research requires a sample space for electron scattering experiments in a tunable electron-optical environment. This is the vision for the Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected Microscope (TEAM) project, which was initiated as a collaborative effort to re-design the electron microscope around aberration-correcting optics. The resulting improvements in spatial, spectral and temporal resolution, the increased space around the sample and the possibility of exotic electron-optical settings will enable new types of experiments. This contribution will give an overview of the TEAM project and its current status, illustrate the performance of the TEAM 0.5 instrument, with highlights from early applications of the machine, and outline future scientific opportunities for aberration-corrected microscopy.

In-plane grain boundary effects on the magnetotransport properties of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3−δ

C-axis oriented La0.7Sr0.3MnO3−δ (LSMO) films were fabricated on the top of SrTiO3/YBa2Cu3O7 grown on MgO (001) substrates. From x-ray φ-scan and planar transmission electron microscopy measurements, the LSMO layer in the LSMO/SrTiO3/YBa2Cu3O7/MgO heterostructure is found to have coherent in-plane grain boundaries with a predominance of 45° rotations (between [100] and [110] grains) in addition to the cube-on-cube epitaxial relationship. Also, epitaxial LSMO/Bi4Ti3O12/LaAlO3 (001) and c-axis textured LSMO/Bi4Ti3O12/SiO2/Si (001) with random in-plane grain boundaries are introduced as the counterparts for comparison. The resistivity and magnetoresistance (MR) of LSMO layer were measured and compared. The low field MR at low temperature shows a dramatic dependence on the nature of the grain boundary. An attempt is made to interpret these results on the basis of correlation between the magnetic properties and grain structures.

Investigation of femtosecond laser assisted nano and microscale modifications in lithium niobate

A study of the physicochemical modifications at micro and nano scales as a result of femtosecond laser processing is essential to explore the viability of this process to write surface and subsurface structures in transparent media. To this end, scanning probe and transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques were used to study these modifications in lithium niobate. A variable power Ti:Sapphire system (800nm,300fs) was used to determine the ablation threshold of (110) lithium niobate, and to write these structures in the substrate for subsequent analysis. Higher processing energies were used to amplify the laser-induced effects for a clear understanding. Evidences of a number of simultaneously occurring mechanisms such as melting, ablation, and shockwave propagation are observed in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Auger and electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) studies indicate loss of lithium and oxygen from the immediate surface of the process...

Formation of a few nanometer wide holes in membranes with a dual beam focused ion beam system

When nanometer-scale holes (diameters of 50 to a few hundred nm) are imaged in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at pressures in the 10−5 to 10−6 Torr range, hydrocarbon deposits build up and result in the closing of holes within minutes of imaging. Additionally, electron or ion beam assisted deposition of material from a gas source allows the closing of holes with films of platinum or tetraethylorthosilicate oxide. In an instrument equipped both with a focused ion beam, and a SEM, holes can be formed and then covered with a thin film to form nanopores with controlled openings, ranging down to only a few nanometers, well below resolution limits of primary beams.

Formation of misfit dislocations in nanoscale Ni-Cu bilayer films

We investigated the mechanism of interface dislocation formation in a 5.0 nm Ni film epitaxially deposited on 100 nm of Cu(001). Threading dislocations that pre-exist in the Cu substrate extend into the coherent Ni overlayer during growth and propagate in the [110] and directions along the interface. These dislocations are perfect glide dislocations with mixed character and lying on the Ni{111} planes, and were by far the most numerous in the microstructure. Lomer edge dislocations lying on the Ni–Cu(001) interface were also detected, constituting approximately 5% of the total interface dislocation content. Closely spaced adjacent pairs of perfect glide dislocations having the same Burgers vector were commonly observed at the interface. This dislocation configuration, together with several others that were observed, is explained in terms of the ability of favourably oriented dislocations to cross-slip.