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Thin films based on tungsten oxide (WO3) were grown by nanosecond pulsed laser deposition on alumina printed-circuit boards to fabricate electrochemical sensors for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) detection. Samples exposed to thermal annealing (400 °C for 3 h) were also produced to compare the main properties and the sensor performance. Before gas testing, the morphology and structural properties were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy showed the formation of granular films with a more compact structure before the thermal treatment. Features of the main WO3 phases were identified for both as-deposited and annealed samples by Raman spectroscopy, whereas X-ray diffraction evidenced the amorphous nature of the as-deposited samples and the formation of crystalline phases after thermal annealing. The as-deposited samples showed a higher W/O ratio, as displayed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. An Arrhenius plot revealed a lower activation energy (0.11 eV) for the as-deposited thin films, which are the most electrically conductive samples, presenting a better gas response (30% higher than the response of the annealed ones) in the investigated NO2 concentration range of 5–20 ppm at the moderate device operating temperature of 75 °C. This behavior is explained by a larger quantity of oxygen vacancies, which enhances the sensing mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthorhombic κ-Ga2O3 thin films were grown for the first time on polycrystalline diamond free-standing substrates by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy at a temperature of 650 °C. Structural, morphological, electrical, and photoelectronic properties of the obtained heterostructures were evaluated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, current-voltage measurements, and spectral photoconductivity, respectively. Results show that a very slow cooling, performed at low pressure (100 mbar) under a controlled He flow soon after the growth process, is mandatory to improve the quality of the κ-Ga2O3 epitaxial thin film, ensuring a good adhesion to the diamond substrate, an optimal morphology, and a lower density of electrically active defects. This paves the way for the future development of novel hybrid architectures for UV and ionizing radiation detection, exploiting the unique features of gallium oxide and diamond as wide-bandgap semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin films based on barium fluoride (BaFx) have demonstrated the capability to reduce the work function of photovoltaic (PV) anodes in hybrid thermionic devices for the conversion of thermal‐to‐electrical energy. Because PV anodes integrated in thermionic converters can operate at temperatures higher than room temperature, in this study, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) were used to investigate the temperature dependence up to 300°C of the chemical and physical properties of BaFx thin‐films, deposited on gallium arsenide and silicon, that represent possible candidates for PV anodes. A correlation between chemical composition and work function reduction by 0.5 ± 0.1 eV for the thin films on both GaAs and Si has been found as a function of temperature from room temperature to 300°C. According to XPS analyses, this effect can be ascribable to the thermal desorption of the first contaminated layers of BaFx coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tantalum boride is an ultra-refractory and ultra-hard ceramic known so far for its favorable high-temperature thermo-mechanical properties and also characterized by a low spectral emittance, making it interesting for novel high-temperature solar absorbers for Concentrating Solar Power. In this work, we investigated two types of TaB2 sintered products with different porosities, and on each of them, we realized four femtosecond laser treatments differing in the accumulated laser fluence. The treated surfaces were then characterized by SEM-EDS, roughness analysis, and optical spectrometry. We show that, depending on laser processing parameters, the multi-scale surface textures produced by femtosecond laser machining can greatly increase the solar absorptance, while the spectral emittance increase is significantly lower. These combined effects result in increased photothermal efficiency of the absorber, with interesting perspectives for the application of these ceramics in Concentrating Solar Power and Concentrating Solar Thermal. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of successful photothermal efficiency enhancement of ultra-hard ceramics using laser machining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoelectronic properties of orthorhombic undoped κ-Ga2O3 epitaxial thin films, grown on sapphire substrates by metal–organic vapour phase epitaxy, were evaluated under X-ray irradiation (CuKα line, 8.05 keV) for the first time. Photoresponse linearity at low dose-rates (varying in the 10–200 μGy s−1 range), and excellent detection sensitivity (up to 342.3 μC Gy−1 cm−3), were demonstrated even at very low applied electric fields (down to 0.001 V μm−1). Photocurrent rise time was evaluated to be <0.5 s, and signal stability was assessed for exposure times up to 2 h, highlighting no degradation of the performance. These encouraging results, mostly due to the extremely low dark current measured (in the pA range), suggest that orthorhombic undoped κ-Ga2O3 is a promising material for the fabrication of sensitive and stable large-area X-ray detectors with minimum power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric microspacers (DMS) are important components in thermal energy converters. Engineered DMS are fabricated and characterized on different substrates by depositing patterned ceramic thin films of alumina (Al2O3) and zirconia (ZrO2) with a thickness ranging from 0.3 to 3 μm. Both Al2O3 and ZrO2 films are electrically and thermally optimized, finding zirconia more suitable as a thermal and electrical insulating material at high temperature, whereas the developed DMS are morphologically analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The analysis of thermal simulations carried out with COMSOL Multiphysics allows identifying the best geometrical constraints for each single structure, whereas simulations carried out by the Fluent software allow identifying the best arrangement for DMS, leading to a solution with optimized pattern in terms of amount and spatial distribution so to achieve the required electrical and thermal insulation for practical applications. DMS are integrated within thermionic‐photovoltaic devices to be validated experimentally, and enhanced electron emission measurements are successfully performed at a cathode temperature up to 1350 °C to verify the operational feasibility and potential of this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon has been recently proposed as a very promising phase change material for applications in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) and conversion systems working at ultra-high temperatures. However, in order to successfully develop such kind of devices, suitable refractories showing low reactivity and non-wetting behavior upon the melting and storing of molten silicon at temperatures much higher than its melting point have to be selected. In our previous work, we have documented that the non-wetting behavior in Si/h-BN system is preserved at temperatures up to 1650 °C, with the absence of new reaction products formed at the interface. These findings make hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) a reasonable first candidate for Si-based LHTES applications. Nevertheless, the rather poor mechanical strength of "pure" h-BN ought to be improved in order to enhance the reliability under thermocycling operational conditions and to increase the life period of the device. Therefore, in the present paper, we examine for the first time the interactions at ultra-high temperatures between a high strength commercial h-BN-based composite and molten Si. At temperatures up to 1750 °C, the wettability of the h-BN-based composite (h-BN + SiC + ZrO2) with molten Si is much lower if compared to the pure h-BN counterpart. Additionally, the role of reinforcements (SiC + ZrO2) and occured microstructural evolution is discussed based on the results obtained by SEM and XRD analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]