The electrical breakdown strength of TiO2 nanoparticle-filled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) nanocomposites was investigated. It was found that the surface water on the nanoparticles played a very important role in determining the breakdown strength. The breakdown strength at 63.2% cumulative failure probability (E0) for the composites filled with dried nanoscale TiO2 was similar to that of neat LDPE and 50% higher than that for the samples filled with as-received nanoscale TiO2. This increase was due to a better dispersion, a better interface, and a morphology change of the matrix. It was also found that surface modification of nanoscale TiO2 had a significant influence on the breakdown strength. N-(2-aminoethyl) 3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (AEAPS)-coated TiO2-filled samples showed about 40% higher E0 than that of uncoated, as-received TiO2-filled samples. This was mainly due to enhanced electron scattering because of the presence of polar groups in AEAPS.

The uniformity and reproducibility of the CdTe QD arrays on the GaAs substrates can be improved by using a nanoporous mask. The CdTe QDs on the GaAs substrate were grown by a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method. The nanoporous alumina masks used for the fabrication of QD arrays have the thickness from 0.3 νm to 5 νm with the nanochannels of ∼ 80 nm diameter and the pore density of ∼ 1010cm−2. When the thickness of the alumina mask used for the CdTe QD growth was about 300 nm, the CdTe QD arrays formed as a replica of the nanochannels of the mask. Smaller self-assembled CdTe QDs located randomly were produced by using the thicker nanochannel mask than 0.5 νm. The thickness of the nanochannel mask controls the size of the CdTe/GaAs QDs.

(200)-oriented Pt thin films were deposited on SiO2/Si substrates by dc magnetron sputtering using Ar/O2 gas mixtures. Oxygen incorporation into Pt films changed deposition rate, resistivity, stress, and preferred orientation of the films. Increase in film resistivity and decrease in tensile stress were presumed to be the results of the incorporated oxygen into grain boundaries, while the change of preferred orientation resulted from the oxygen incorporation into the Pt lattice. The preferential growth of (200) planes with less total strain energy from the incorporated oxygen resulted in strong (200) preferred orientation in Pt films.

Highly (200)-oriented Pt films on SiO2/Si substrates were successfully prepared by a combination of a dc magnetron sputtering using Ar/O2 gas mixtures and subsequent controlled annealing. The intensity ratio of (200) to (111) planes (I200/I111) was over 200. The (200)-oriented Pt microcrystallites were less susceptible to amorphization due to their lower strain energy with oxygen incorporation than (111)-oriented ones. The controlled grain growth from the selected (200)-oriented seed microcrystallites during subsequent annealing provided a kinetic pathway where grain growth of the seed microcrystallites was predominant, while suppressing the nucleation of surface energy-driven, (111)-oriented seed microcrystallites and subsequent (111) preferred orientation.

Pt thin films were deposited by a DC magnetron sputtering with Ar/O2 gas mixtures. Due to the oxygen incorporation into the Pt films, deposition rate and resistivity of as-deposited Pt thin films increased with oxygen fraction in the sputtering gas. No peaks from crystalline Pt oxides were observed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and excessive oxygen incorporation into Pt lead to an amorphous Pt oxide formation. More oxygen could be incorporated in the Pt thin films deposited at lower temperatures and at higher total pressures. Incorporated oxygen was completely removed after an annealing at 800 °C for an hour in air ambient, as the resistivity of the Pt thin films recovered their bulk resistivity values. Tensile stress of the Pt films decreased with oxygen incorporation, and approached a saturation level at high resistivity of the films, presumably due to the formation of amorphous Pt oxides.