Electrical Properties of Nanocomposites
TL;DR: In this article, the state-of-the-art for synthesizing composites of nanometer-sized phases (metal, semiconductor or ceramic) dispersed in a matrix has been reviewed.
Abstract: The present state-of-the-art for synthesizing composites of nanometer-sized phases (metal, semiconductor or ceramic) dispersed in a matrix has been reviewed. Both dc and ac electrical properties of different nanocomposites synthesized have been described. The theoretical models used to explain the experimental results are discussed. It appears that there is a need to have newer theoretical models developed to understand the ac electrical properties of metal-ceramic nanocomposites.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the self-organization of CdSe nanocrystallites into three-dimensional semiconductor quantum dot superiattices (colloidal crystals) is demonstrated.
Abstract: The self-organization of CdSe nanocrystallites into three-dimensional semiconductor quantum dot superiattices (colloidal crystals) is demonstrated. The size and spacing of the dots within the superlattice are controlled with near atomic precision. This control is a result of synthetic advances that provide CdSe nanocrystallites that are monodisperse within the limit of atomic roughness. The methodology is not limited to semiconductor quantum dots but provides general procedures for the preparation and characterization of ordered structures of nanocrystallites from a variety of materials.
36 citations
TL;DR: This paper reviews and enhances numerical models for determining thermal, elastic and electrical properties of carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composites and validated by comparison with various experimental datasets reported in the recent literature.
Abstract: This paper reviews and enhances numerical models for determining thermal, elastic and electrical properties of carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composites. For the determination of the effective ...
26 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the presence of nickel particles of size ∼20nm in the nano-pores of an alumina-silica nanocomposite has been detected using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron micrograph.
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the average particle size of molybdenum carbide is in the range of 5-15 nm and the detailed XRD analyses coupled with thermodynamic arguments show that reduction of ammonium moly bdate is predominantly by in situ generated hydrogen.
Abstract: Molybdenum carbide has been formed in the silica gel matrix by the in situ reduction of ammonium molybdate. The average particle size of molybdenum carbide is in the range of 5-15 nm. The detailed XRD analyses coupled with thermodynamic arguments show that reduction of ammonium molybdate is predominantly by in situ generated hydrogen.
2 citations
TL;DR: The low frequency (20 Hz to 1 MHz) ac conductivity and magnetoconductivity behavior of ceramic nanocomposite (Ni-SiO2) at low temperature down to 77 K are reported in this article.
Abstract: The low frequency (20 Hz to 1 MHz) ac conductivity and magnetoconductivity behaviour of ceramic nanocomposite (Ni-SiO2) at low temperature down to 77 K are reported. The frequency dependent conductivity followed the power law, σ(ω) ∝ ω
s
. The fractional exponent s is a function of temperature and was found to increase with increasing temperature. This type of variation may be attributed to small polaron hopping. A peak present in the loss tangent indicates the presence of a Debye relaxation process. The magnetoconductivity of the samples is positive, which strongly depends on frequency. A firm theoretical explanation of frequency dependent magnetoconductivity is still lacking.
1 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the self-organization of CdSe nanocrystallites into three-dimensional semiconductor quantum dot superlattices (colloidal crystals) is demonstrated.
Abstract: The self-organization of CdSe nanocrystallites into three-dimensional semiconductor quantum dot superlattices (colloidal crystals) is demonstrated. The size and spacing of the dots within the superlattice are controlled with near atomic precision. This control is a result of synthetic advances that provide CdSe nanocrystallites that are monodisperse within the limit of atomic roughness. The methodology is not limited to semiconductor quantum dots but provides general procedures for the preparation and characterization of ordered structures of nanocrystallites from a variety of materials.
1,996 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a statistical growth model based on the Central Limit Theorem has been formulated for liquid-like coalescence of particles; this theory accounts satisfactorily for all the data, as well as for most size distributions published in the literature.
Abstract: In this paper we present a novel and versatile t e c h n i q u e f o r t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f u l t r a f i n e m e t a l p a r t i c l e s by evaporation from a temperature‐regulated oven containing a reduced atmosphere of an inert gas. An extensive investigation of particles of oxidized Al, with diameters of 3 to 6 nm, has been performed. We have also studied ultrafine particles of Mg,Zn, and Sn produced in the same manner. A supplementing investigation has been carried out for particles of Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Ga, as well as larger Al particles, produced by ’’conventional’’ inert‐gas evaporation from a resistive filament. Diameter as a function of evaporation rate, inert‐gas pressure, and the kind of inert gas are reported. Crystalline particles smaller than 20 nm look almost spherical in the electron microscope, while larger ones often display pronounced crystal habit. S i z e d i s t r i b u t i o n s have been investigated in detail, and consistently the logarithm of the particle diameter has a Gaussian distribution to a high precision for the smallest sizes, whereas larger particles deviate from such a simple behavior. A statistical growth model, based on the Central Limit Theorem, has been formulated for liquidlike coalescence of particles; this theory accounts satisfactorily for all our data, as well as for most size distributions published in the literature. Applications of the model to colloids, discontinuous films, and supported catalysts are discussed. By comparing size distributions for particles produced by a variety of techniques we found a number of empirical rules for the width of the distributions, as defined by a (geometric) standard deviation σ. For crystalline inert‐gas‐ evaporated particles we obtained consistently 1.36?σ?1.60; for coalescing islands in discontinuous films we found 1.22?σ?1.34; and similar rules are applicable to colloids, supported catalysts, and to ultrafine droplets.
1,483 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the transition from the metallic regime to the dielectric regime (10−50 A size isolated metal particles in an insulator continuum) is associated with the breaking up of a metal, where the volume fraction of metal, x, was varied from x = 1 to x = 0.05.
Abstract: Granular metal films (50–200,000 A thick) were prepared by co-sputtering metals (Ni, Pt, Au) and insulators (SiO2, Al2O3), where the volume fraction of metal, x, was varied from x = 1 to x = 0.05. The materials were characterized by electron micrography, electron and X-ray diffraction, and measurements of composition, density and electrical resistivity at electric fields e up to 106 V/cm and temperatures T in the range of 1.3 to 291 K. In the metallic regime (isolated insulator particles in a metal continuum) and in the transition regime (metal and insulator particles in a metal continuum) and in the transition regime (metal and insulator labyrinth structure) the conduction is due to percolation with a percolation threshold at x⋍0.5. Tunnelling measurements on superconductor-insulator-granular metal junctions reveals that the transition from the metallic regime to the dielectric regime (10–50 A size isolated metal particles in an insulator continuum) is associated with the breaking up of a metal ...
1,088 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a planar array of nanometer-diameter metal clusters that are covalently linked to each other by rigid, double-ended organic molecules have been self-assembled.
Abstract: Close-packed planar arrays of nanometer-diameter metal clusters that are covalently linked to each other by rigid, double-ended organic molecules have been self-assembled. Gold nanocrystals, each encapsulated by a monolayer of alkyl thiol molecules, were cast froma colloidal solution onto a flat substrate to form a close-packed cluster monolayer. Organic interconnects (aryl dithiols or aryl di-isonitriles) displaced the alkyl thiol molecules and covalently linked adjacent clusters in the monolayer to form a two-dimensional superlattice of metal quantum dots coupled by uniform tunnel junctions. Electrical conductance through such a superlattice of 3.7-nanometer-diameter gold clusters, deposited on a SiO2 substrate in the gap between two gold contacts and linked by an aryl di-isonitrile [1,4-di(4-isocyanophenylethynyl)-2-ethylbenzene], exhibited nonlinear Coulomb charging behavior.
1,081 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown that the observed temperature dependence of low-field conductivity in granular metals can be attributed to a relationship between the separation of neighboring metal grains and the electrostatic energy required to create a positive-negative charged pair of grains.
Abstract: We present evidence that in granular metals the observed temperature dependence of the low-field conductivity, $\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}\frac{b}{{T}^{\ensuremath{\alpha}}})$ with $\ensuremath{\alpha}=\frac{1}{2}$, can be ascribed to a relationship $s{E}_{c}=\mathrm{const}$ between $s$, the separation of neighboring metal grains, and ${E}_{c}$, the electrostatic energy required to create a positive-negative charged pair of grains. This relationship results from simple considerations of the structure of granular metals. The predictions of the theory, for both the high- and the low-field electrical conductivity, are in excellent accord with experimental results in granular Ni-Si${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ films.
765 citations