An anti-leakage liquid metal thermal interface material

An improved form of LM/indium film/LM sandwich pad with surface micropillar arrays is a high-performance thermal interface material for thermal management.

Combinatorial nanocalorimetry

The parallel nano-scanning calorimeter (PnSC) is a silicon-based micromachined device for calorimetric measurement of nanoscale materials in a high-throughput methodology. The device contains an array of nanocalorimeters. Each nanocalorimeter consists of a silicon nitride membrane and a tungsten heating element that also serves as a temperature gauge. The small mass of the individual nanocalorimeters enables measurements on samples as small as a few hundred nanograms at heating rates up to 104 K/s. The sensitivity of the device is demonstrated through the analysis of the melting transformation of a 25-nm indium film. To demonstrate the combinatorial capabilities, the device is used to analyze a Ni–Ti–Zr sample library. The as-deposited amorphous samples are crystallized by local heating in a process that lasts just tens of milliseconds. The martensite–austenite transformation in the Ni–Ti–Zr shape memory alloy system is analyzed and the dependence of transformation temperature and specific heat on composition is revealed.

Formation Mechanisms of Tribo-Coating for Low Friction in UHV

Solid lubrication film formed by tribo-coating, which deposits a solid lubricant by evaporation to the contact interface during friction in vacuum, gives low friction coefficient below 0.03 that can not be observed by any other solid lubricants of soft metals. The tribo-coating film formed on the pin has nano-order composite structure which the crystalline indium of nano size are distributed in an amorphous matrix of silicon oxide and chromium oxide. Because of the nano composite structure, a very thin indium film is formed without break down like conventional pre-coated thin film. The thinner indium film can give smaller value of friction coefficient than that of conventional solid lubricant.

Low-Temperature, Solution-Based Routes to Nanocrystalline InS Powders and Thin Films

ABSTRACTWe have developed several solution-based preparations for nanocrystalline orthorhombic InS, which is a mid band gap semiconductor (2.44 eV) with potential applications in photovoltaics. Various reagents were used as indium (t-Bu3In, t-Bu2InCl) and sulfur (H2S, (TMS)2S) sources. Growth of crystalline powders was dependent upon the addition or in-situ generation of indium metal. These reactions represent the first reported use of a Solution-Liquid-Solid (SLS) mechanism by which semiconductors are grown from a molten metal flux for a system other than the III-V family of semiconductors. The studies on powder preparations were used to develop a new, low-temperature (185 °C) chemical-bath process for depositing a polycrystalline InS thin film. The film was deposited from a solution of t-Bu3In and elemental sulfur onto an indium-coated fused-silica substrate; the indium film acted as the crystallization medium.