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Huang W, Wu J, Li W, Chen G, Chu C, Li C, Zhu Y, Yang H, Chao Y. Fabrication of Silicon Nanowires by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching Combined with Micro-Vibration. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:5483. [PMID: 37570187 PMCID: PMC10420322 DOI: 10.3390/ma16155483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we design a micro-vibration platform, which combined with the traditional metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE) to etch silicon nanowires (SiNWs). The etching mechanism of SiNWs, including in the mass-transport (MT) and charge-transport (CT) processes, was explored through the characterization of SiNW's length as a function of MaCE combined with micro-vibration conditions, such as vibration amplitude and frequency. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) experimental results indicated that the etching rate would be continuously improved with an increase in amplitude and reached its maximum at 4 μm. Further increasing amplitude reduced the etching rate and affected the morphology of the SiNWs. Adjusting the vibration frequency would result in a maximum etching rate at a frequency of 20 Hz, and increasing the frequency will not help to improve the etching effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiye Huang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (W.H.); (W.L.); (G.C.); (C.C.); (Y.Z.); (H.Y.)
| | - Junyi Wu
- Sanmen Sanyou Technology Inc., Taizhou 472000, China;
| | - Wenxin Li
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (W.H.); (W.L.); (G.C.); (C.C.); (Y.Z.); (H.Y.)
| | - Guojin Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (W.H.); (W.L.); (G.C.); (C.C.); (Y.Z.); (H.Y.)
| | - Changyong Chu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (W.H.); (W.L.); (G.C.); (C.C.); (Y.Z.); (H.Y.)
| | - Chao Li
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (W.H.); (W.L.); (G.C.); (C.C.); (Y.Z.); (H.Y.)
| | - Yucheng Zhu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (W.H.); (W.L.); (G.C.); (C.C.); (Y.Z.); (H.Y.)
| | - Hui Yang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (W.H.); (W.L.); (G.C.); (C.C.); (Y.Z.); (H.Y.)
| | - Yan Chao
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (W.H.); (W.L.); (G.C.); (C.C.); (Y.Z.); (H.Y.)
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2
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Robillard AN, Gibson GW, Meyer R. Thermal transport in kinked nanowires through simulation. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 14:586-602. [PMID: 37228743 PMCID: PMC10204203 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.14.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The thermal conductance of nanowires is an oft-explored quantity, but its dependence on the nanowire shape is not completely understood. The behaviour of the conductance is examined as kinks of varying angular intensity are included into nanowires. The effects on thermal transport are evaluated through molecular dynamics simulations, phonon Monte Carlo simulations and classical solutions of the Fourier equation. A detailed look is taken at the nature of heat flux within said systems. The effects of the kink angle are found to be complex, influenced by multiple factors including crystal orientation, details of transport modelling, and the ratio of mean free path to characteristic system lengths. The effect of varying phonon reflection specularity on the heat flux is also examined. It is found that, in general, the flow of heat through systems simulated through phonon Monte Carlo methods is concentrated into a channel smaller than the wire dimensions, while this is not the case in the classical solutions of the Fourier model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander N Robillard
- Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Graham W Gibson
- Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Ralf Meyer
- Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury P3E 2C6, Canada
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3
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Ray U, Sarkar S, Banerjee D. Silicon Nanowires as an Efficient Material for Hydrogen Evolution through Catalysis: A Review. Catal Today 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2022.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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4
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Li S, Chen K, Vähänissi V, Radevici I, Savin H, Oksanen J. Electron Injection in Metal Assisted Chemical Etching as a Fundamental Mechanism for Electroless Electricity Generation. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:5648-5653. [PMID: 35708355 PMCID: PMC9234978 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) is a widely applied process for fabricating Si nanostructures. As an electroless process, it does not require a counter electrode, and it is usually considered that only holes in the Si valence band contribute to the process. In this work, a charge carrier collecting p-n junction structure coated with silver nanoparticles is used to demonstrate that also electrons in the conduction band play a fundamental role in MACE, and enable an electroless chemical energy conversion process that was not previously reported. The studied structures generate electricity at a power density of 0.43 mW/cm2 during MACE. This necessitates reformulating the microscopic electrochemical description of the Si-metal-oxidant nanosystems to separately account for electron and hole injections into the conduction and valence band of Si. Our work provides new insight into the fundamentals of MACE and demonstrates a radically new route to chemical energy conversion by solar cell-inspired devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengyang Li
- Engineered
Nanosystems Group, School of Science, Aalto
University, Tietotie 1, Espoo, 02150, Finland
| | - Kexun Chen
- Department
of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Aalto
University, Tietotie 3, Espoo, 02150, Finland
| | - Ville Vähänissi
- Department
of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Aalto
University, Tietotie 3, Espoo, 02150, Finland
| | - Ivan Radevici
- Engineered
Nanosystems Group, School of Science, Aalto
University, Tietotie 1, Espoo, 02150, Finland
| | - Hele Savin
- Department
of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Aalto
University, Tietotie 3, Espoo, 02150, Finland
| | - Jani Oksanen
- Engineered
Nanosystems Group, School of Science, Aalto
University, Tietotie 1, Espoo, 02150, Finland
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5
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Bian C, Zhang B, Zhang Z, Chen H, Zhang D, Wang S, Ye J, He L, Jie J, Zhang X. Wafer-Scale Fabrication of Silicon Nanocones via Controlling Catalyst Evolution in All-Wet Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:2234-2243. [PMID: 35071912 PMCID: PMC8772306 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
All-wet metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) is a simple and low-cost method to fabricate one-dimensional Si nanostructures. However, it remains a challenge to fabricate Si nanocones (SiNCs) with this method. Here, we achieved wafer-scale fabrication of SiNC arrays through an all-wet MACE process. The key to fabricate SiNCs is to control the catalyst evolution from deposition to etching stages. Different from conventional MACE processes, large-size Ag particles by solution deposition are obtained through increasing AgNO3 concentration or extending the reaction time in the seed solution. Then, the large-size Ag particles are simultaneously etched during the Si etching process in an etching solution with a high H2O2 concentration due to the accelerated cathode process and inhibited anode process in Ag/Si microscopic galvanic cells. The successive decrease of Ag particle sizes causes the proportionate increase of diameters of the etched Si nanostructures, forming SiNC arrays. The SiNC arrays exhibit a stronger light-trapping ability and better photoelectrochemical performance compared with Si nanowire arrays. SiNCs were fabricated by using n-type 1-10 Ω cm Si(100) wafers in this work. Though the specific experimental conditions for preparing SiNCs may differ when using different Si wafers, the summarized diagram will still provide valuable guidance for morphology control of Si nanostructures in MACE processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyu Bian
- Institute
of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory
for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Bingchang Zhang
- School
of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Advanced
Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Technologies of Education
Ministry of China, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Zhenghe Zhang
- School
of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Advanced
Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Technologies of Education
Ministry of China, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Hui Chen
- School
of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Advanced
Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Technologies of Education
Ministry of China, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Dake Zhang
- Institute
of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory
for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Shaojun Wang
- School
of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Advanced
Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Technologies of Education
Ministry of China, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Jing Ye
- Testing
& Analysis Center, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Le He
- Institute
of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory
for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Jiansheng Jie
- Institute
of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory
for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
- Macao
Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Macau University of
Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, Macau SAR, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Xiaohong Zhang
- Institute
of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory
for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s
Republic of China
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6
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Srivastava RP, Khang DY. Structuring of Si into Multiple Scales by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2005932. [PMID: 34013605 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202005932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Structuring Si, ranging from nanoscale to macroscale feature dimensions, is essential for many applications. Metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE) has been developed as a simple, low-cost, and scalable method to produce structures across widely different dimensions. The process involves various parameters, such as catalyst, substrate doping type and level, crystallography, etchant formulation, and etch additives. Careful optimization of these parameters is the key to the successful fabrication of Si structures. In this review, recent additions to the MaCE process are presented after a brief introduction to the fundamental principles involved in MaCE. In particular, the bulk-scale structuring of Si by MaCE is summarized and critically discussed with application examples. Various approaches for effective mass transport schemes are introduced and discussed. Further, the fine control of etch directionality and uniformity, and the suppression of unwanted side etching are also discussed. Known application examples of Si macrostructures fabricated by MaCE, though limited thus far, are presented. There are significant opportunities for the application of macroscale Si structures in different fields, such as microfluidics, micro-total analysis systems, and microelectromechanical systems, etc. Thus more research is necessary on macroscale MaCE of Si and their applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi P Srivastava
- Soft Electronic Materials and Devices Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Korea
| | - Dahl-Young Khang
- Soft Electronic Materials and Devices Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Korea
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7
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Leonardi AA, Faro MJL, Irrera A. Silicon Nanowires Synthesis by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching: A Review. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 11:383. [PMID: 33546133 PMCID: PMC7913243 DOI: 10.3390/nano11020383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Silicon is the undisputed leader for microelectronics among all the industrial materials and Si nanostructures flourish as natural candidates for tomorrow's technologies due to the rising of novel physical properties at the nanoscale. In particular, silicon nanowires (Si NWs) are emerging as a promising resource in different fields such as electronics, photovoltaic, photonics, and sensing. Despite the plethora of techniques available for the synthesis of Si NWs, metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) is today a cutting-edge technology for cost-effective Si nanomaterial fabrication already adopted in several research labs. During these years, MACE demonstrates interesting results for Si NW fabrication outstanding other methods. A critical study of all the main MACE routes for Si NWs is here presented, providing the comparison among all the advantages and drawbacks for different MACE approaches. All these fabrication techniques are investigated in terms of equipment, cost, complexity of the process, repeatability, also analyzing the possibility of a commercial transfer of these technologies for microelectronics, and which one may be preferred as industrial approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Alessio Leonardi
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catania, Via Santa Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.A.L.); (M.J.L.F.)
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Instituto Processi Chimico-Fisici (CNR-IPCF), Viale F. Stagno D’Alcontres 37, 98158 Messina, Italy
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM) UoS Catania, Via Santa Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Maria José Lo Faro
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catania, Via Santa Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.A.L.); (M.J.L.F.)
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM) UoS Catania, Via Santa Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Alessia Irrera
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Instituto Processi Chimico-Fisici (CNR-IPCF), Viale F. Stagno D’Alcontres 37, 98158 Messina, Italy
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8
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Franz M, Junghans R, Schmitt P, Szeghalmi A, Schulz SE. Wafer-level integration of self-aligned high aspect ratio silicon 3D structures using the MACE method with Au, Pd, Pt, Cu, and Ir. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 11:1439-1449. [PMID: 33029473 PMCID: PMC7522463 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.11.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The wafer-level integration of high aspect ratio silicon nanostructures is an essential part of the fabrication of nanodevices. Metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) is a promising low-cost and high-volume technique for the generation of vertically aligned silicon nanowires. Noble metal nanoparticles were used to locally etch the silicon substrate. This work demonstrates a bottom-up self-assembly approach for noble metal nanoparticle formation and the subsequent silicon wet etching. The macroscopic wafer patterning has been done by using a poly(methyl methacrylate) masking layer. Different metals (Au, Pt, Pd, Cu, and Ir) were investigated to derive a set of technologies as platform for specific applications. Especially, the shape of the 3D structures and the resulting reflectance have been investigated. The Si nanostructures fabricated using Au nanoparticles show a perfect light absorption with a reflectance below 0.3%. The demonstrated technology can be integrated into common fabrication processes for microelectromechanical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Franz
- Nano Device Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Technologie-Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Romy Junghans
- Nano Device Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Technologie-Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Paul Schmitt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, Center of Excellence in Photonics, Albert-Einstein-Straße 7, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Institute of Applied Physics, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Albert-Einstein-Straße 15, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Adriana Szeghalmi
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, Center of Excellence in Photonics, Albert-Einstein-Straße 7, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Institute of Applied Physics, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Albert-Einstein-Straße 15, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan E Schulz
- Nano Device Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Technologie-Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
- Center for Microtechnologies, Chemnitz University of Technology, Straße der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany
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Adhila TK, Elangovan H, John S, Chattopadhyay K, Barshilia HC. Engineering the Microstructure of Silicon Nanowires by Controlling the Shape of the Metal Catalyst and Composition of the Etchant in a Two-Step MACE Process: An In-Depth Analysis of the Growth Mechanism. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:9388-9398. [PMID: 32687375 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c01164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In this work, slanted, kinked, and straight silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are fabricated on Si(111) and (100) substrates using a facile two-step metal-assisted chemical etching nanofabrication technique. We systematically investigated the effect of crystallography, morphology of Ag catalyst, and composition of etchant on the etch profile of Ag catalyst on Si(111) and (100) substrates. We found that the movement of AgNPs inside the Si is determined by physiochemical events such as Ag/Ag interaction, Ag/Si contact, and diffusion kinetics. Further, from detailed TEM and micro-Raman spectroscopy analyses, we demonstrate that the metal catalyst moves in the crystallographically preferred etching direction (viz., <100>) only when the interface effect is not predominant. Further, the metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) system is highly stable at low-concentration plating and etching solutions, but at high concentrations, the system loses its stability and becomes highly random, leading to the movement of Ag catalyst in directions other than ⟨100⟩. In addition, our studies reveal that Ag nanostructures growth on Si(111) and (100) substrates through galvanic displacement is controlled by substrate symmetry and surface bond density. Finally, we demonstrate that by using an optimized balance between the Ag morphology and concentration of the etchant, the angle in slanted SiNWs, kink position in kinked SiNWs, and aspect ratio of straight SiNWs can be controlled judiciously, leading to enhanced optical absorption in the broadband solar spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- T K Adhila
- Nanomaterials Research Laboratory, Surface Engineering Division, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Kodihalli, Bangalore 560 017, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-NAL Campus, Kodihalli, Bangalore 560 017, India
| | - Hemaprabha Elangovan
- Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, CV Raman Road, Bangalore 560 012, India
| | - Siju John
- Nanomaterials Research Laboratory, Surface Engineering Division, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Kodihalli, Bangalore 560 017, India
| | - Kamanio Chattopadhyay
- Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, CV Raman Road, Bangalore 560 012, India
| | - Harish C Barshilia
- Nanomaterials Research Laboratory, Surface Engineering Division, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Kodihalli, Bangalore 560 017, India
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