[en] Highlights: •CIGS films showed distinct structures in the observation of cross section. •CIGS films is strongly affected by the choice of preparation of CIG precursors. •CIG alloy precursors resulted in the phase separation in the CIGS thin films. •CuGa/In stacked precursors showed the single phase CIGS at high selenized temperature. •Ga accumulation in large amounts in the films depends on the selenization temperature. -- Abstract: Cu(In_1−x,Ga_x)Se₂ (CIGS) thin films were prepared by the sputtering of CuInGa (CIG) alloy precursors and CuGa/In stacked precursors followed by selenization. The effects of the using CIG precursors prepared by various methods and that of use of various selenization temperatures on the microstructural characteristics of CIGS thin films were investigated and the nature of phase transformation and Ga accumulation are discussed. Observation of the cross section morphologies revealed that the CIGS thin films prepared from CIG alloy precursors show two distinct types of structure. In addition, Ga was found to accumulate in high concentrations in the films. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the films indicated the coexistence of CuInSe₂ (CIS) and CIGS phases at low selenization temperatures. However, the CIGS phase seemed to disappear when the selenization temperature was increased to 580 °C. In comparison, the films prepared from CuGa/In stacked precursors also showed Ga accumulation after selenization. Surprisingly, the distinct structure of the films improved when the selenization temperature was increased to 580 °C. The XRD patterns of the films showed that the CIS and Ga-rich CIGS phases coexisted at low selenization temperatures. When the selenization temperature was increased to 580 °C, the positions of the CIS and Ga-rich CIGS peaks seemed to mix and shift to the position of Cu(In_0.7,Ga_0.3)Se₂

[en] The aims of this study were to observe the antimicrobial effect and mechanism of cinnamon oil combined with gamma radiation on Shewanella putrefaciens. Gamma radiation increased the antimicrobial activity of cinnamon oil, and the relative radiation sensitivity of gamma radiation on S. putrefaciens was increased by cinnamon oil. Gamma radiation significantly increased the changes of bacterial morphology, intra-adenosine 5′-triphosphate (intra-ATP) and extra-ATP concentrations and pH_in value of S. putrefaciens treated cinnamon oil. Although, gamma radiation used alone didn’t damage the bacterial morphology and ATP concentrations significantly. Gamma radiation assisted cinnamon oil to damage the cell permeability and integrity of S. putrefaciens, thus the combination of cinnamon oil and gamma radiation showed a better antimicrobial activity than used alone.

[en] Highlights: ► CuInGa (CIG) ternary targets were prepared by vacuum arc remelting. ► The sputtering energy has a great influence on microstructure of CIG films. ► Increase in sputtering energy resulted in phase transformation and indium loss. ► The surface roughness of CIGS films is determined by the morphology of precursors. ► Rough surface enriched in In lead to poor crystalline CIGS containing InSe phases. - Abstract: CuInGa (CIG) ternary targets were prepared by vacuum arc remelting and used to deposit CIG thin films through direct current (DC) sputtering. We adjusted the sputtering energy (1–2 kWh) by tuning both the sputtering power and the accumulative sputtering time. The impact of the varying sputtering energy on the microstructure of CIG targets and thin films was subsequently investigated. The experimental results indicated that the compositional uniformity of CIG targets is strongly influenced by this parameter. CIG thin films with a flat topography, low porosity, and dense grain boundaries were obtained when targets were accumulatively sputtered at 1 kWh. These films showed good compositional uniformity while the CIG targets were found to maintain their microstructural characteristics as compared to their as-melted counterparts. On the other hand, Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) thin films, obtained by a selenization process, exhibited large faceted grains composed of a single chalcopyrite phase with a preferred orientation along the (1 1 2) plane. Accumulative sputtering of CIG targets at higher energies (e.g., 2 kWh) resulted in phase transformation and loss of In material as a result of an excess of residual heat budget on the surface generated by Ar ions bombardment. The CIG thin films thus showed an In-rich composition ratio, thereby potentially leading to In-rich CIGS thin films containing traces of an InSe compound.