In this work, a series of BaTiO3-based ceramic materials, Ba(Al0.5Nb0.5)xTi1-xO3 (x = 0, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08), were synthesized using a standard solid-state reaction technique. X-ray diffraction profiles indicated that the Al+Nb co-doping into BaTiO3 does not change the crystal structure significantly with a doping concentration up to 8 %. The doping ions exist in Al3+ and Nb5+ chemical states, as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The frequencydependent complex dielectric properties and electric modulus were studied in the temperature range of 100~380 K. A colossal dielectric permittivity (>1.5 × 104) and low dielectric loss (<0.01) were demonstrated at the optimal dopant concentration x = 0.04. The observed dielectric behavior of Ba(Al0.5Nb0.5)xTi1-xO3 ceramics can be attributed to the Universal Dielectric Response. The complex electric modulus spectra indicated the grains exhibited a significant decrease in capacitance and permittivity with increasing co-doping concentration. Our results provide insight into the roles of donor and acceptor co-doping on the properties of BaTiO3-based ceramics, which is important for dielectric and energy storage applications.
The aggressive scaling of dynamic random-access memory capacitors has increased the need to maintain high capacitance despite the limited physical thickness of electrodes and dielectrics. This makes it essential to use high-k dielectric materials. TiO2 has a large dielectric constant, ranging from 30~75 in the anatase phase to 90~170 in rutile phase. However, it has significant leakage current due to low energy barriers for electron conduction, which is a critical drawback. Suppressing the leakage current while scaling to achieve an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) below 0.5 nm is necessary to control the influence of interlayers on capacitor performance. For this, Pt and Ru, with their high work function, can be used instead of a conventional TiN substrate to increase the Schottky barrier height. Additionally, forming rutile-TiO2 on RuO2 with excellent lattice compatibility by epitaxial growth can minimize leakage current. Furthermore, plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) can be used to deposit a uniform thin film with high density and low defects at low temperatures, to reduce the impact of interfacial reactions on electrical properties at high temperatures. In this study, TiO2 was deposited using PEALD, using substrates of Pt and Ru treated with rapid thermal annealing at 500 and 600 °C, to compare structural, chemical, and electrical characteristics with reference to a TiN substrate. As a result, leakage current was suppressed to around 10-6 A/cm2 at 1 V, and an EOT at the 0.5 nm level was achieved.
The effects of La3+ substitution for Sr2+-site on the crystal structure and the dielectric properties of (Ba0.7Sr0.3-3x/2Lax) (Ti0.9Zr0.1)O3 (BSLTZ) (0.005 ≤ x ≤ 0.02) ceramics were investigated. The structural characteristics of the BSLTZ ceramics were quantitatively evaluated using the Rietveld refinement method from X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. For the specimens sintered at 1,550 °C for 6 h, a single phase with a perovskite structure and homogeneous microstructure were observed for the entire range of compositions. With increasing La3+ substitution (x), the unit cell volume decreased because the ionic size of La3+ (1.36 Å) ions is smaller than that of Sr2+ (1.44 Å) ions. With increasing La3+ substitution (x), the tetragonal phase fraction increased due to the A-site cation size mismatch effect. Dielectric constant (εr) increased with the La3+ substitution (x) due to the increase in tetragonality (c/a) and the average B-site bond valence of the ABO3 perovskite. The BSLTZ ceramics showed a higher dielectric loss due to the smaller grain size than that of (Ba0.7Sr0.3)(Ti0.9Zr0.1)O3 ceramics. BSLTZ (x = 0.02) ceramics met the X7R specification proposed by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA).
The effects of Ni2+ substitution for Mg2+-sites on the microwave dielectric properties of (Mg1-xNix)(Ti0.95(Mg1/3 Ta2/3)0.05)O3 (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) (MNTMT) ceramics were investigated. MNTMT ceramics were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction. When the MgO / TiO2 ratio was changed from 1.00 to 1.02, MgTi2O5 was detected as a secondary phase along with the MgTiO3 main phase in the MNTMT specimens sintered at 1,400 °C for 4h. For the MNTMT specimens with MgO / TiO2 = 1.07 sintered at 1,400 °C for 4h, a single phase of MgTiO3 with an ilmenite structure was obtained from the entire range of compositions. The relative density of all the specimens sintered at 1,400 °C for 4h was higher than 95 %. The quality factor (Qf) of the sintered specimens depended strongly on the degree of covalency of the specimens, and the sintered specimens with x = 0.01 showed the maximum Qf value of 489,400 GHz. The dielectric constant (K) decreased with increasing Ni2+ content because Ni2+ had a lower dielectric polarizability (1.23Å3) than Mg2+ (1.32Å3). As Ni2+ content increased, the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (TCF) improved, from -55.56 to -21.85 ppm/°C, due to the increase in tolerance factor (t) and the lower dielectric constant (K)
In recent years, people are increasingly interested in CO2 hydrogenation to produce value-added chemicals and fuels ( CH4, CH3OH, etc.). In the quest for an efficient treatment in CO2 methanation and methanolization, several technologies have been practiced, and DBD plasma technology gain attention due to its easily handling, mild operating conditions, strong activation ability, and high product selectivity. In addition, its reaction mechanism and the effect of packing materials and reaction parameters are still controversial. To address these problems efficiently, a summary of the reaction mechanism is presented. A discussion on plasma-catalyzed CO2 hydrogenation including packing materials, reaction parameters, and optimizing methods is addressed. In this review, the overall status and recent findings in DBD plasma-catalyzed CO2 hydrogenation are presented, and the possible directions of future development are discussed.
In this paper, we report and discuss the semi-permanently hydrophilic (SPH) treatment of polyester fabric using plasma polymerization and oxidation based on atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (APDBD) technology. SiOxCy (-H) was coated on polyester fabric using Hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (HMCTSO) as a precursor, and then plasma oxidation was performed to change the upper layer of the thin film to SiO2-like. The degradation of hydrophilicity of the SPH polyester fabrics was evaluated by water contact angle (WCA) and wicking time after repeated washing. The surface morphology of the coated yarns was observed with scanning electron microscopy, and the presence of the coating layer was confirmed by measuring the Si peak using energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The WCA of the SPH polyester fabric increased to 50 degrees after 30 washes, but it was still hydrophilic compared to the untreated fabric. The decrease in hydrophilicity of the SPH fabric was due to peeling of the SiOxCy(-H) thin film coated on polyester yarns.
This article reported a simple method for preparing diamond/SiC composites by polymer impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP) process, and the advantages of this method were discussed. Only diamond and SiC were contained in the diamond/SiC composite prepared by PIP process, and the diamond particles remained thermally stable up until the pyrolysis temperature was increased to 1600 °C. The pyrolysis temperature has a significant impact on the thermal conductivity and dielectric properties of composites. The thermal conductivity of the composite reaches a maximum value of 63.9 W/mK when the pyrolysis temperature is 1600 °C, and the minimum values of the real and imaginary part of the complex permittivity are 19.5 and 0.77, respectively. The PIP process is a quick and easy method to prepare diamond/SiC composites without needing expensive equipment, and it is of importance for promoting its application in the field of electric packaging substrate.
The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of air and oxygen injected into the underwater non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBD plasma) device used to remove five types of antibiotics (tetracycline, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, clindamycin, and erythromycin) artificially contained in the fish farm discharge water. The voltage given to generate DBD plasma was 27.8 kV, and the measurement intervals were 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 minutes. Tetracycline antibiotics significantly decreased in 4 minutes when air was injected and were reduced in 30 seconds when oxygen was injected. After the introduction of air and oxygen at 32 minutes, 78.1% and 95.8% of tetracycline were removed, 77.1% and 96.3% of doxycycline were removed, and 77.1% and 95.5% of oxytetracycline were removed, respectively. In air and oxygen, 59.6% and 83.0% of clindamycin and 53.3% and 74.3% of erythromycin were removed, respectively. The two antibiotics showed lower removal efficiency than tetracyclines. In conclusion, fish farm discharge water contains five different types of antibiotics that can be reduced using underwater DBD plasma, and oxygen gas injection outperformed air in terms of removal efficiency.
Tributyl phosphate (TBP) is a well-known and important compound in the nuclear industry for the nuclear fuel reprocessing, and it is also used in a various field such as plastic industry as antifoaming agent. Untreated organic pollutants in TBP can remain in the soil water and cause serious environmental pollution, thus it should be degraded through environmentally friendly methods. The non-thermal plasma-based advanced oxidation process (AOP) is one of the most widely studied and best developed processes owing to its simple structure and ease of operation. In this study, a plasma-based AOP was stably generated using submerged multi-hole dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and applied to relatively high concentration of TBP solution. A submerged DBD plasma system was designed to directly interact with water, thereby producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and functioning as a powerful oxidizer. Additionally, UV, O3, and H2O2 are generated by the developed plasma system without using any other additives to produce OH radicals for degrading organic pollutants; therefore, this system circumvents the use of complex and advanced oxidation processes. The electrical properties and concentrations of the active species were analyzed to establish optimal plasma operating conditions for degrading TBP solution. The results were analyzed by measuring the total organic carbon (TOC) and changes in solution properties. Based on these results, a degradation mechanism of TBP solution is proposed. After 50 min of plasma treatment, the concentration of TOC was gradually decreased. Consequently, we found that plasma-based AOP using submerged multi-hole DBD has advantages as an alternative technology for degrading organic pollutants such as TBP solution.
(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3 (BNT)-based ceramics are considered promising candidates for actuator application owing to their excellent electromechanical strain properties However, to obtain large strain properties, there remain several issues such as thermal stability and high operating fields. Therefore, this study investigates a reduction of operating field in (0.98-x)Bi1/2Na1/ 2TiO3-0.02 BiAlO3-xSrTiO3 (BNT-2BA-100xST, x = 0.20, 0.21, 0.22, 0.23, and 0.24) via analyses of the microstructure, crystal structure, dielectric, polarization, ferroelectric and electromechanical strain properties. The average grain size of BNT-2BA- 100xST ceramics decreases with increasing ST content. Results of polarization and electromechanical strain properties indicate that a ferroelectric to relaxor state transition is induced by ST modification. As a consequence, a large electromechanical strain of 592 pm/V is obtained at a relatively low electric field of 4 kV/mm in 22 mol% ST-modified BNT-2BA ceramics. We believe that the materials synthesized in this study are promising candidates for actuator applications.
The various sintered samples comprising of 72 wt%(Al2O3) : 28 wt%(SiO2) based ceramics were fabricated using a colloidal processing route. The phase analysis of the ceramics was performed using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) at room temperature confirming the presence of Al2O5Si and Al5.33Si0.67O9.33. The surface morphology of the fracture surface of the different sintered samples having different sizes of grain distribution. The resistive and capacitive properties of the three different sintered samples at frequency sweep (1 kHz to 1 MHz). The contribution of grain and the non-Debye relaxation process is seen for various sintered samples in the Nyquist plot. The ferroelectric loop of the various sintered sample shows a slim shape giving rise to low remnant polarization. The excitation performance of the sample at a constant electric signal has been examined utilizing a designed electrical circuit. The above result suggests that the prepared lead-free ceramic can act as a base for designing of dielectric capacitors or resonators.
This study investigated the degradation characteristics and biodegradability of phenol, refractory organic matters, by injecting MgO and CaO-known to be catalyst materials for the ozonation process-into a Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma. MgO and CaO were injected at 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2 g/L, and the pH was not adjusted separately to examine the optimal injection amounts of MgO and CaO. When MgO and CaO were injected, the phenol decomposition rate was increased, and the reaction time was found to decrease by 2.1 to 2.6 times. In addition, during CaO injection, intermediate products combined with Ca2+ to cause precipitation, which increased the COD (chemical oxygen demand) removal rate by approximately 2.4 times. The biodegradability of plasma treated water increased with increase in the phenol decomposition rate and increased as the amount of the generated intermediate products increased. The biodegradability was the highest in the plasma reaction with MgO injection as compared to when the DBD plasma pH was adjusted. Thus, it was found that a DBD plasma can degrade non-biodegradable phenols and increase biodegradability.
Orthorhombic dysprosium manganite DyMnO3 with single phase is synthesized using solid-state reaction technique and the crystal structure and dielectric properties as functions of temperature and frequency are investigated. Thermally activated dielectric relaxations are shown in the temperature dependence of the complex permittivity, and the respective peaks are found to be shifted to higher temperatures as the measuring frequency increases. In Arrhenius plots, activation energies of 0.32 and 0.24 eV for the high- and low-temperature relaxations are observed, respectively. Analysis of the relationship between the real and imaginary parts of the permittivity and the frequencies allows us to explain the dielectric behavior of DyMnO3 ceramics by the universal dielectric response model. A separation of the intrinsic grain and grain boundary properties is achieved using an equivalent circuit model. The dielectric responses of this circuit are discerned by impedance spectroscopy study. The determined grain and grain boundary effects in the orthorhombic DyMnO3 ceramics are responsible for the observed high- and low-temperature relaxations in the dielectric properties.
A lead-free bulk ceramic having a chemical formula Ba0.8Ca0.2(Ti0.8Zr0.1Ce0.1)O3 (further termed as BCTZCO) is synthesized using mixed oxide route. The structural, dielectric, impedance, and conductivity properties, as well as the modulus of the synthesized sample are discussed in the present work. Analysis of X-ray diffraction data obtained at room temperature reveals the existence of some impurity phases. The natural surface morphology shows close packing of grains with few voids. Attempts have been made to study the (a) effect of microstructures containing grains, grain boundaries, and electrodes on impedance and capacitive characteristics, (b) relationship between properties and crystal structure, and (c) nature of the relaxation mechanism of the prepared samples. The relationship between the structure and physical properties is established. The frequency and temperature dependence of the dielectric properties reveal that this complex system has a high dielectric constant and low tangent loss. An analysis of impedance and related parameters illuminates the contributions of grains. The activation energy is determined for only the high temperature region in the temperature dependent AC conductivity graph. Deviation from the Debye behavior is seen in the Nyquist plot at different temperatures. The relaxation mechanism and the electrical transport properties in the sample are investigated with the help of various spectroscopic (i.e., dielectric, modulus, and impedance) techniques. This lead free sample will serve as a base for device engineering.
Sodium dodecylbenzen sulfonate (DBS) and linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) are widely used in dishwashing products. Residual levels of these surfactants are commonly found on the surfaces of dishware following dishwashing. Residual surfactants and detergents can act as potential toxicants and may pose health risks. This study explored the applicability of dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBDP) for the degradation of residual surfactants in order to minimize their harmful effects. The plasma was generated using 10 kV pulsed DC power supply at different input currents (2.0-3.0 A) and at various inter-electrode gaps (2.0-3.0 mm). Under simulatory treatment conditions, diluted surfactants (DBS and LAS) and DBS-containing dishwashing detergents dispersed on slide glasses were exposed to DBDP for predetermined periods of time. Results indicated that, under optimal treatment conditions of 3.0 A current and 2.0 mm inter-electrode gap, tested surfactants and surfactants in detergents were degraded in the range of 60- 70% following the plasma treatment for 120 min. Modeling of degradation kinetics indicated that Weibull distribution was the best-fit model, and decimal degradation times (δ) were calculated. Pure surfactants were degraded at relatively higher level than surfactants in detergents. Among these anionic surfactants, DBS was more rapidly degraded than LAS by plasma treatment.
This objective of this study was to investigate the degradation characteristics of phenol, a refractory substance, by using a submerged dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor. To indirectly determine the concentration of active species produced in the DBD plasma, the dissolved ozone was measured. To investigate the phenol degradation characteristics, the phenol and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations were evaluated based on pH and the discharge power. The dissolved ozone was measured based on the air flow rate and power discharged. The highest dissolved ozone concentration was recorded when the injected air flow rate was 5 L/min. At a discharge power of 40W as compared to 70W, the dissolved ozone was approximately 2.7 – 6.5 times higher. In regards to phenol degradation, the final degradation rate was highest at about 74.06%, when the initial pH was 10. At a discharged power of 40W, the rate of phenol decomposition was observed to be approximately 1.25 times higher compared to when the discharged power was 70W. It was established that the phenol degradation reaction was a primary reaction, and when the discharge power was 40W as opposed to 70W, the reaction rate constant(k) was approximately 1.72 times higher.