Thin films of ternary compounds CuxlnyN and CuxTiyN were grown by magnetron sputtering to improve the thermal stability of Cu3N, a material that decomposes below 300 ℃, and thus promises many interesting applications in directwriting. The effect of In or Ti incorporation in altering the structure and physical properties of copper nitride was evaluated by characterizing the film structure, surface morphology, and temperature dependence of electrical resistivity. More Ti than In can be accommodated by copper nitride without completely deteriorating the Cu3N lattice. A small amount of In or Ti can improve the crystallinity, and consequently the surface morphology. While the decomposition temperature is rarely influenced by In, the Ti-doped sample, Cu59.31Ti2.64N38.05, shows an X-ray diffraction pattern dominated by characteristic Cu3N peaks, even after annealing at 500 ℃. Both In and Ti reduce the bandgap of the original Cu3N phase, resulting in a smaller electrical resistivity at room temperature. The samples with more Ti content manifest metal-semiconductor transition when cooled from room temperature down to 50 K. These results can be useful in improving the applicability of copper-nitride-based thin films.
Raman measurements at room temperature reveal a characteristic concentration for a series of aqueous solutions of electrolytes, through which O–H stretching vibration of H2 O or dilute HDO obviously changes their concentration dependence. This characteristic concentration is very consistent with another, through which the solutions undergo an abrupt change in their glass-forming ability. Interestingly, the molar ratio of water to solute at these two consistent concentration points is almost solute-type independent and about twice the hydration number of solutes. We suggest that just when the concentration increases above this characteristic concentration, bulk-like free water disappears in aqueous solutions and all water molecules among closely-packed hydrated solutes exhibit the characteristics of confined water.
