Strong tribocatalytic dye degradation by tungsten bronze Ba4Nd2Fe2Nb8O30

The triboelectric effect has recently demonstrated its great potential in environmental remediation and even new energy applications for triggering a number of catalytic reactions by utilizing trivial mechanical energy. In this study, Ba₄Nd₂Fe₂Nb₈O₃₀ (BNFN) submicron powders were used to degrade organic dyes via the tribocatalytic effect. Under the frictional excitation of three PTFE stirring rods in a 5 mg/L RhB dye solution, BNFN demonstrates a high tribocatalytic degradation efficiency of 97% in 2 h. Hydroxyl radicals (?OH) and superoxide radicals (?O₂－) were also detected during the catalysis process, which proves that triboelectric energy stimulates BNFN to generate electron-hole pairs. The tribocatalysis of tungsten bronze BNFN submicron powders provides a novel and efficient method for the degradation of wastewater dye by utilizing trivial mechanical energy.     

High energy storage performance in BaTiO3-based lead-free relaxors via multi-dimensional collaborative design

The application of advanced pulse power capacitors strongly depends on the fabrication of high-performance energy storage ceramics. However, the low recoverable energy storage density (W_rec) and energy efficiency (η) become the key links limiting the development of energy storage capacitors. In this work, a high W_rec of ～5.57 J cm^?3 and a large η of ～85.6% are simultaneously realized in BaTiO₃-based relaxor ceramics via multi-dimensional collaborative design, which are mainly attributed to the ferroelectric-relaxor transition, enhanced polarization, improved breakdown electric field, and delayed polarization saturation. Furthermore, the excellent temperature stability (ΔW_rec < ± 5%, 25–140 °C), frequency stability (ΔW_rec < ± 5%, 1–200 Hz), and outstanding charge/discharge performance (current density ～1583.3 A cm^?2, power density ～190.0 MW cm^?3) with good thermal stability are also achieved. It is encouraging that this work demonstrates that multi-dimensional collaborative design is a good strategy to develop new high-performance lead-free materials used in advanced dielectric capacitors.     

Excellent humidity sensing properties of cadmium titanate nanofibers

We report humidity sensing characteristics of CdTiO₃ nanofibers prepared by electrospinning. The nanofibers were porous having an average diameter and length of ～50–200 nm and ～100 μm, respectively. The nanofiber humidity sensor was fabricated by defining aluminum electrodes using photolithography on top of the nanofibers deposited on glass substrate. The performance of the CdTiO₃ nanofiber humidity sensor was evaluated by AC electrical characterization from 40% to 90% relative humidity at 25 °C. The frequency of the AC signal was varied from 10^?1 to 10⁶ Hz. Fast response time and recovery time of 4 s and 6 s were observed, respectively. The sensor was highly sensitive and exhibited a reversible response with small hysteresis of less than 7%. Long term stability of the sensor was confirmed during 30 day test. The excellent sensing characteristics prove that the CdTiO₃ nanofibers are potential candidate for use in high performance humidity sensors.     

Hierarchical SnO2 nanosheets@SiC nanofibers for enhanced photocatalytic water splitting

Producing eco‐friendly hydrogen (H₂) as a renewable energy by solar‐driven water splitting has triggered considerable interests. In this paper, we reported the in situ growth of ultrathin tin oxide nanosheets (SnO₂ NSs) on the surface of mesoporous silicon carbide nanofibers (SiC NFs) using a simple hydrothermal method to form a core‐shell structures. The H₂ production rate of the sample was 471.8 μmol g^?1 h^?1 under solar‐light illumination without any noble metals as catalysts, which was almost 1.25 and 3 times higher than pure SiC NFs and pure SnO₂ NSs, respectively. The synergistic effect of the SnO₂‐SiC heterojunction between the core‐shell microstructure played an important role in the superior performance of this photocatalyst.     

Electrospun porous carbon nanofibers/TiO2 composite coated over carbon cloth- A flexible electrode for capacitive deionization

The combination of porous carbon matrix and metal oxide is trending for capacitive deionization (CDI) due to their synergistic electrochemical behaviour and properties. In this research, a flexible electrode based on electrospun porous carbon nanofibers and TiO₂ nanoparticles (particle size ～7 nm) i.e., PCNFs/TiO₂ composite coated over carbon cloth is developed. A facile in-situ activation procedure using sacrificial polymer is adopted over typical chemical activation treatment to synthesize PCNFs/TiO₂ composite. PCNFs/TiO₂ composite is prepared in two steps, possessing a high specific surface area of ～343 m² g^?1 and pore volume of 0.038 cm³ g^?1. Interestingly, CDI unit assembled with PCNFs/TiO₂ composite based flexible electrodes delivers the large salt electrosorption capacity of 204.8 mg g^?1 at voltage 1.2 V in a salt solution of concentration 500 ppm and conductivity 880 μS cm^?1. The excellent adsorption capacity retention of 96.4% up to ten adsorption-regeneration cycles can be a tempting option for future flexible CDI applications.     

Electrospinning synthesis and negative thermal expansion of one-dimensional Sc2Mo3O12 nanofibers

Orthorhombic Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ nanofibers have been prepared by ethylene glycol assisted electrospinning method. The effects of annealing temperature, precursor concentration, spinning distance and solvent on the preparation of Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ nanofibers were characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, EDX and high-temperature XRD. XRD analysis shows as-prepared nanofibers are amorphous. Orthorhombic Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ nanofibers can be fabricated after annealing at different temperatures in 500–800 °C for 2 h. The crystallinity of Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ nanofibers improves and the nanofiber diameter decreases gradually as the annealing temperature increases. However, the nanofiber structure was destroyed at the annealing temperature above 700 °C. Higher precursor concentration results in a slight increase of diameter and decrease in destroying temperature of Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ nanofibers. Spinning distance also affects the diameter of nanofibers, and the nanofiber diameter decreases as the distance increases. One-dimensional orthorhombic Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ nanofibers exhibit anisotropic negative thermal expansion. In 25–700 °C, the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of α_a, α_b and α_c are ?5.81 × 10^?6 °C^?1, 4.80 × 10^?6 °C^?1 and -4.33 × 10^?6 °C^?1, and the α_l of Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ nanofibers is ?1.83 × 10^?6 °C^?1.     

Improved energy storage performance of Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 modified Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3 lead-free ceramics for pulsed power capacitors

(1–x)Ba_0.55Sr_0.45TiO₃–xBi(Mg_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃ (x = 0, 0.08, 0.1, 0.12, 0.15, 0.2) ceramics were fabricated via a solid-state reaction route. The ultrahigh recoverable energy density (W_rec = 4.05 J cm^?3), efficiency (η = 78%), maximum polarization (P_max = 51.40 μC cm^?2), and high dielectric breakdown strength (BDS = 230 kV cm^?1) were achieved for the 0.9BST?0.1BMT ceramic. The fast discharge rate (t_0.9～0.14 μs), current density (C_D～637.02 A cm^?2), high power density (P_D～38.70 MW cm^?3), good temperature stability (20?180 °C), frequency stability (10?500 Hz), and fatigue endurance for cycling (10⁵) of 0.9BST?0.1BMT ceramic make it suitable for the development of energy-storage devices. The relaxor behavior with a high W_rec (3.06 J cm^?3) and η (93%) at BDS (220 kV cm^?1) was also achieved for the 0.8BST?0.2BMT ceramic. This study systematically investigates the correlation among the structural, dielectric, impedance, and energy storage properties of BMT-doped BST ceramics.     

Well‐functioned photovoltaics based on nanofibers composed of PBDT‐TIPS‐DTNT‐DT and graphenic precursors thermally modified by polythiophene,polyaniline and polypyrrole

Reduced graphene oxide nanosheets modified by conductive polymers including polythiophene (GPTh), polyaniline (GPANI) and polypyrrole (GPPy) were prepared using the graphene oxide as both substrate and chemical oxidant. UV–visible and Raman analyses confirmed that the graphene oxide simultaneously produced the reduced graphene oxide and polymerized the conjugated polymers. The prepared nanostructures were subsequently electrospun in mixing with poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/phenyl‐C71‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) and poly[bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)benzodithiophene‐bis(decyltetradecylthien)naphthobisthiadiazole] (PBDT‐TIPS‐DTNT‐DT)/PC₇₁BM components and embedded in the active layers of photovoltaic devices to improve the charge mobility and efficiency. The GPTh/PBDT‐TIPS‐DTNT‐DT/PC₇₁BM devices demonstrated better photovoltaic features (J_sc = 11.72 mA cm^?2, FF = 61%, V_oc = 0.68 V, PCE = 4.86%, μ_h = 8.7 × 10^?3 cm² V^–1 s^?1 and μ_e = 1.3 × 10^?2 cm² V^–1 s^?1) than the GPPy/PBDT‐TIPS‐DTNT‐DT/PC₇₁BM (J_sc = 10.30 mA cm^?2, FF = 60%, V_oc = 0.66 V, PCE = 4.08%, μ_h = 1.4 × 10^?3 cm² V^–1 s^?1 and μ_e = 8.9 × 10^?3 cm² V^–1 s^?1) and GPANI/PBDT‐TIPS‐DTNT‐DT/PC₇₁BM (J_sc = 10.48 mA cm^?2, FF = 59%, V_oc = 0.65 V, PCE = 4.02%, μ_h = 8.6 × 10^?4 cm² V^–1 s^?1 and μ_e = 7.8 × 10^?3 cm² V^–1 s^?1) systems, assigned to the greater compatibility of PTh in the nano‐hybrids and the thiophenic conjugated polymers in the bulk of the nanofibers and active thin films. Furthermore, the PBDT‐TIPS‐DTNT‐DT polymer chains (3.35%–5.04%) acted better than the P3HT chains (2.01%–3.76%) because of more complicated conductive structures. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Optical transmittance and electrical conductivity of silica glass with biserial and hierarchical network structures made of carbon nanofibers

Silica glass composites, with biserial and hierarchical percolative network made of carbon nanofibers (CNFs), was fabricated using a layer-by-layer technique and spark plasma sintering to obtain high optical transmittance and electrical conductivity. Owing to the network, the critical volume fraction, V_c, for the CNF percolation in the silica glass-matrix composite (0.5–0.7 vol%), when the electrical conductivity of the composite drastically increased with change from insulator (～10^?10 S/m) to conductor (～10^?1 S/m), is smaller than theoretical V_c predicted for the three-dimensional random orientation of CNFs (2.6 vol% for the CNF aspect ratio of 30). The conductivity of the composite with above the V_c of CNFs (～10 S/m) is higher than that reported for the polymer-matrix composite (～10^?5–～10^?3 S/m). Furthermore, high optical transmittance was observed for the electrically conductive composite with V_c of CNFs.     

Construction of pseudocapacitive Li2-xLaxZnTi3O8 anode for fast and super-stable lithium storage

Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) composed of battery-type anodes with large energy densities and capacitor-type cathodes with high power densities are considered as appealing energy-storage devices. Here, a LIC with good performance is constructed using active carbon (AC) as the cathode and Li_1.95La_0.05ZnTi₃O₈ (LL5ZTO) as the anode. LL5ZTO doped with La is synthesized via a one-step solid-state route. The kinetics and structural stability of LZTO are enhanced by La-doping. Thus, LL5ZTO exhibits good Li-storage performance. The discharge specific capacity reaches 182.6 mAh g^?1 at 3 A g^?1 (120th cycle) for LL5ZTO. The LIC based on the LL5ZTO anode and the AC cathode delivers an energy density of 59.72 Wh kg^?1 at 846.4 W kg^?1, and a high power density of 8771 W kg^?1 at 19.49 Wh kg^?1. Furthermore, the capacity retention is over 90% after 3000 cycles for the LIC at 2 A g^?1. The good electrochemical performance indicates that the constructed LIC is expected to use in advanced energy storage devices.     

Facile fabrication of 3D interconnected porous boron doped polymeric g-C3N4 with enhanced visible light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and dye contaminant elimination

Researchers have attempted to developing high-efficiency catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and organic pollution elimination simultaneously to alleviate the issues of energy shortage and water pollution. In this work, we fabricated 3D interconnected porous boron doped polymeric g-C₃N₄ catalysts with efficient photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution and dye contaminant elimination under visible-light irradiation. The as-fabricated catalysts exhibited significantly enhanced hydrogen evolution (4.37 mmol g ^?1 h^?1) and RhB contaminant elimination (96.37%) activity. Based on characterization and photocatalytic tests, an enhanced mechanism of the superior photocatalytic performance was proposed: 3D interconnected porous structure and B-doping have a synergistic effect on the greatly improved photocatalytic activity. The 3D interconnected structures endowed g-C₃N₄ with a higher specific surface area and abundant active sites and improved the capacity of rapid absorption to facilitate the photocatalytic process. B doping provided enhanced visible-light absorption capacity and a narrowed bandgap and served as a “highway” for electron-hole pairs to facilitate migration and separation and suppress the combination of photogenerated carriers. Besides, the possible mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic performance was elucidated according to the results of characterization measurements and active species analysis.     

Graphene-wrapped polyaniline nanofibers as electrode materials for organic supercapacitors

Graphene-wrapped polyaniline nanofibers were prepared by assembly of negatively charged graphene oxide with positively charged aqueous dispersible polyaniline nanofibers in an aqueous dispersion, followed by the reduction of the graphene oxide. The hybrid material with a graphene oxide loading of 9.1 wt.% displayed a high specific capacitance of over 250 F g⁻¹ in a 1 M Et₄N⁺·BF₄⁻/propylene carbonate electrolyte, a 39.7% increase compared with pristine polyaniline nanofibers. A significant improvement in long-term cycle life was also realized. The hybrid exhibited an initial specific capacitance of 236 F g⁻¹, which remained as high as 173.3 F g⁻¹ over 1000 cycles, or a 26.3% decrease, much better than that for pure polyaniline nanofibers. An asymmetric supercapacitor based on this hybrid material and activated carbon was assembled. An energy density of 19.5 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 738.95 W kg⁻¹ was obtained for the cell under an operating voltage window of 2 V.     

Fabrication of novel Mn0.43Cd0.57S/ZnCo2O4 p-n heterojunction photocatalyst with efficient charge separation for highly enhanced visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution

The construction of efficient and low-cost photocatalytic systems is a major challenge in the field of photocatalysis. An efficient heterojunction photocatalyst designed for water splitting is also an interesting prospect in energy conversion. In this study, a novel Mn_0.43Cd_0.57S/ZnCo₂O₄ p-n heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared via a simple solvothermal method. Mn_0.43Cd_0.57S was loaded on the surface the of noble metal-free transition metal oxide ZnCo₂O₄ to prevent the agglomeration of particles, resulting in efficiently improving the photocatalytic performance of the material. Due to the Fermi level balance, the band bending of the two materials constructs a p-n heterojunction, which stimulates the transfer of photogenerated electrons from the CB of Mn_0.43Cd_0.57S to the CB of ZnCo₂O₄. The uniformly dispersed p-n heterojunction structure effectively suppresses the recombination of photoinduced charges and preserves stronger redox charges. As a result, the established Mn_0.43Cd_0.57S/ZnCo₂O₄ heterojunction showed the best photocatalytic hydrogen production concentration (92.1 mmol g^?1 h^?1), which was 4.7 times that of the original Mn_0.43Cd_0.57S (19.4 mmol g^?1 h^?1) and 54.2 times that of ZnCo₂O₄ (1.7 mmol g^?1 h^?1). This strategy will provide new insights into the development of new photocatalysts.     

Hierarchical nanoarchitecture of vanadium disulfide decorated 3D porous carbon skeleton with improved electrochemical performance toward Li ion battery and supercapacitor

Vanadium disulfide (VS₂) is deemed to be a competitive active material in electrochemical energy storage field in both lithium-ion battery and supercapacitor owing to its unique chemical and physical property. Nevertheless, serious aggregation and structure damage in continuous charge-discharges would result in a decreased capacity, an inferior cycling stability and a poor rate capability, which severly limits the practical application of VS₂. In this current work, a hierarchical porous nanostructured composite composed of VS₂ nanoparticles confined in gelatin-derived nitrogen-doped carbon network (VS₂-NC) was successfully designed and synthesized via a simple freeze drying plus an annealing method. In this VS₂-NC composite, porous architecture is conductive to providing high active surface areas, facilitating the access of electrolyte into active materials and ion diffusion. The confinement of carbon matrix on VS₂ nanoparticles is beneficial to inhibition of the volume change, reinforcement of the structural stability and improvement of the overall electrical conductivity of composite. Benefitting from the advantages mentioned above, the as-prepared VS₂-NC electrode demonstrates outstanding electrochemical performances. Employed as an anode for lithium ion battery, VS₂-NC delivers a relatively high reversible capacity about ～1061 mA h g^?1 in 200-cycle test at 100 mA g^?1. When applied in supercapacitor, VS₂-NC electrode manifests a large pseudocapacitance of 407.3 F g^?1 at a current density of 10 A g^?1 and superior cycling stability.     

New La3+ doped TiO2 nanofibers for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants: Effects of thermal treatment and doping loadings

The pure TiO₂ and lanthanum (La³⁺)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning method followed via calcination at different temperatures (from 400 °C to 700 °C). Structures of the nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, TEM images and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The size of the nanofiber diameters was determined to be 129 and 101 nm, for pure TiO₂ and (0.1%)La³⁺:TiO₂ materials, respectively. The prepared nanofibers possess a crystalline structure, and wide distribution of the band-gaps, in the 2.867–3.210 eV range. Effects of La³⁺-dopant content, calcination temperature, and different doses of photocatalysts on the photodegradation efficiency were studied. The optimal level of La³⁺ and the optimal temperature of calcination were 0.1% La³⁺ and 600 °C, respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (91%, with a rate constant of 2.179 × 10^?2 min^?1) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) (99.5%, with a rate constant of 1.981 × 10^?2 min^?1) pollutants was highest on the (0.1%)La³⁺:TiO₂ annealed at 600 °C, after 300 min irradiation under visible light. This photocatalyst displayed sustainable efficiency for CIP degradation up to five consecutive uses.     

Nano-graphite platelet loaded with LiFePO4 nanoparticles used as the cathode in a high performance Li-ion battery

LiFePO₄ nanoparticles were grown on nano-graphite platelet (NGP) using a simple chemical route. The material was used as the cathode in Li-ion rechargeable batteries and exhibited excellent cyclability and rate capability because of the easy electron transport in it. The electrochemical stability of the electrode was improved by the two-dimensional conductive network of the NGP. The resulting electrodes delivered a specific capacity of about 150 mA h g^?1 at a current rate of 135 mA g^?1 (～0.8 C) after 100 cycles with no capacity fade. At elevated current rates, the electrodes exhibited capacities of more than 100 mA h g^?1 at a current density of 2000 mA g^?1 (～12 C) without further incorporation of conductivity agents or coatings.     

Corrosion resistance of AlN-based ceramics to molten uranium

A kind of AlN-based ceramics was prepared as a lining material of the high-density graphite crucible for high temperature melting uranium. During the corrosion experiment, the corrosion rate showed a downward trend with the increase of corrosion time. As the corrosion time increased from 2 h to 8 h, the corrosion rate showed a gradual downward trend from 0.25 mg cm^?2 h^?1 to 0.22 mg cm^?2 h^?1, and then decreased significantly to 0.07 mg cm^?2 h^?1 at 16 h. A dense layer consisting of UO₂, Y₂O₃ and UC was formed between molten uranium and AlN-based ceramics, and the thickness increased with the extension of corrosion time, resulting in a significant decrease in corrosion rate.     

Composite Electrodes for Electrochemical Supercapacitors

Manganese dioxide nanofibers with length ranged from 0.1 to 1 μm and a diameter of about 4–6 nm were prepared by a chemical precipitation method. Composite electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitors were fabricated by impregnation of the manganese dioxide nanofibers and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) into porous Ni plaque current collectors. Obtained composite electrodes, containing 85% of manganese dioxide and 15 mass% of MWCNT, as a conductive additive, with total mass loading of 7–15 mg cm⁻², showed a capacitive behavior in 0.5-M Na₂SO₄ solutions. The decrease in stirring time during precipitation of the nanofibers resulted in reduced agglomeration and higher specific capacitance (SC). The highest SC of 185 F g⁻¹ was obtained at a scan rate of 2 mV s⁻¹ for mass loading of 7 mg cm⁻². The SC decreased with increasing scan rate and increasing electrode mass.     

Giant permittivity in Nb-doped SrTiO3 single crystal: Compositional gradient and local structure

Nb-doped SrTiO₃ single crystal exhibited a giant permittivity (>6.5 × 10⁵) with an acceptably low dielectric loss (<10^?1) in a wide temperature range from ?120 to 200 °C, making this material a good candidate for energy storage devices and modern microelectronics components. The mechanisms responsible for the giant permittivity of Nb-doped SrTiO₃ single crystals were studied by means of microstructure characterizations, dielectric measurements, and density-functional theory calculations. A chemical compositional gradient extending from the surfaces was found, forming the internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) effect. Polar nanoregions (PNRs) were observed because of local fluctuations in distributions of Nb and oxygen vacancies. While both compositional gradients and local chemistry fluctuations increased polarization of the Nb-doped SrTiO₃ single crystals, the local fluctuations dominated enhanced polarizability. This work suggests that optimizing local structures and chemistries in dielectrics is an effective way to tailor the desired dielectric performance.     

Agar-assisted sol-gel synthesis and electrochemical characterization of TiNb2O7 anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

TiNb₂O₇ powders are synthesized via a newly developed agar-assisted sol-gel process for the first time. Phase-pure TiNb₂O₇ powders are obtained upon calcination at 800 °C. On contrast, TiNb₂O₇ powders synthesized via the conventional solid-state method require high calcination temperature at 1100 °C for the complete compound formation. The samples synthesized with agar improve the morphology with submicron-sized particles. The formed porous structure is favorable for enhancing the electrochemical kinetics due to the large contact area between the electrode and the electrolyte. Based on the electrochemical active surface area analysis, the electrical double-layer capacitance of TiNb₂O₇ powders synthesized via both the agar-assisted and the solid-state method is 145 mF cm^?2 and 22 mF cm^?2, respectively. The electrochemical active surface area of the sample prepared via the agar-assisted method is higher than that of the sample prepared via the solid-state method. The TiNb₂O₇ sample synthesized via the agar-assisted process yields 284 mAh g^?1 at 0.1 C, whereas the sample synthesized via the conventional solid-state method yields only 265 mAh g^?1 at 0.1 C. The discharge capacities of the agar-assisted synthesized sample are 205 mAh g^?1 and 174 mAh g^?1 at 5 C and 10 C, respectively. Moreover, the sample exhibits high capacity retention of 91% after 100 discharge-charge cycles at 5 C. Based on the obtained results, the agar-assisted sol-gel process is inferred as one of the facile methods for preparing high performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.