Concentration dependence of physical properties of low temperature processed ZnO quantum dots thin films on polyethylene terephthalate as potential electron transport material for perovskite solar cell

Colloidal Zinc oxide quantum dots (ZnO QDs) prepared with varying concentrations through precipitation method were deposited on flexible ITO/PET substrates using spin-coating technique. Various characterization tools were utilized to investigate the morphological, structural, electrical and optical properties of the films. The crystallinity of the films was found to improve with increasing ZnO QD concentration (ZQ_C) as evident from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) studies. Crystallographic and optical parameters were evaluated and explained in depth. The average nanograin size and bandgap were increased and decreased respectively, from ～5 nm to ～8 nm and 3.29 eV–3.24 eV with an increase in ZQ_C from 10 mg/mL to 70 mg/mL. Columnar structure growth of the films is revealed by AFM results. The films showed decent optical transparency up to 81%. All the ZnO films exhibited n-type semiconducting property as indicated by the electrical measurements with carrier mobility and low resistivity of 12.21–26.63 cm²/Vs and 11.84 × 10^?3 to 13.16 × 10^?3 Ω cm respectively. Based on the experimental findings, ZnO QD nanostructure film grown at 50 mg/mL is envisaged to be a potential candidate for flexible perovskite photovoltaic application.     

Enhancing upconversion of Nd3+ through Yb3+-mediated energy cycling towards temperature sensing

Photon upconversion of lanthanides has been a powerful means to convert low-energy photons into high-energy ones. However, in contrast to the mostly investigated lanthanide ions, it has remained a challenge for the efficient upconversion of Nd³⁺ due to the deleterious concentration quenching effect. Here we report an efficient strategy to enhance the upconversion of Nd³⁺ through the Yb³⁺-mediated energy cycling in a core-shell-shell nanostructure. Both Nd³⁺ and Yb³⁺ are confined in the interlayer, and the presence of Yb³⁺ in the Nd-sublattice provides a more matched energy for the upconversion transitions occurring at the intermediate state of Nd³⁺ towards much better population at its emissive levels. Moreover, this design also minimizes the possible cross-relaxation processes at both intermediate level and the emissive levels of Nd³⁺ which are the primary factors limiting the upconversion performance for the Nd³⁺-doped materials. Such energy cycling-enhanced upconversion shows promise in temperature sensing.     

时效工艺对纳米结构2297铝锂合金力学性能与微观组织的影响

采用535 ℃×2 h固溶制度,将热锻态2297铝锂合金固溶水淬后冷轧,冷轧压下量为95%,然后将轧制样品在不同温度(120~190 ℃)和时间(0~80 h)范围内进行时效处理。采用拉伸、扫描电镜(SEM)和透射电镜(TEM)等测试方法,分析时效温度和时间对铝锂合金组织与性能的影响。结果表明:时效前的大塑性变形能获得纳米结构组织,能促进T₁相均匀细小地析出,缩短合金达到峰时效的时间,最终成功制备了高强高塑性铝锂合金。在120~140 ℃温区内时效时,时效温度越高,达到峰时效的时间越短、强度越高。140 ℃达到峰时效时间缩短为40 h,此时合金的抗拉强度、屈服强度和伸长率分别为525 MPa、478 MPa和7.7%,主要强化相为细小的T₁相。在170~190 ℃温区内时效时,时效温度越高,达到峰时效的时间越短,但抗拉强度与屈服强度迅速下降。170 ℃时效8 h达到峰时效状态,此时合金的抗拉强度、屈服强度和伸长率分别是503 MPa、462 MPa和5.0%,主要强化相仍为T₁相,但已经明显粗化。     

超双疏含氟聚合物的研究进展

超双疏功能性材料在当代化工材料中有着重要的地位，其独特的界面性能使得其在各个领域的应用中大显身手。本文介绍了近年来国内外对含氟聚合物在超双疏领域的研究近况，包括超双疏含氟聚合物的结构特点和合成方法等。含氟聚合物的表面拥有超低的表面能和独特的空间排列方式，通过对比不同结构的含氟聚合物分子与其性能的关系以及对各类含氟聚合物合成方法的调研，发现含氟聚合物作为超双疏涂层材料的使用十分广泛，其结构中含氟单体主要为氟取代丙烯酸酯类，合成方法多为乳液聚合。超疏水含氟聚合物与纳米颗粒材料的结合是当今研究的热点，文中列举了大量研究实例，希望其中的研究方法和合成路线等能对今后该领域的研究起到一定的借鉴作用。     

Thin‐film nanostructure and polymer architecture in semicrystalline syndiotactic poly(p‐methylstyrene)–(cis‐1,4‐polybutadiene) multiblock copolymers

The thin‐film morphology of stereoregular syndiotactic poly(p‐methylstyrene)–(cis‐1,4‐polybutadiene) (sP(pMS–B)) multiblock copolymers has been investigated using tapping mode atomic force microscopy with variation of the polymer composition and monomer block lengths. The morphology of the thin films ranges from isolated circular domains of sP(pMS) embedded into a matrix of polybutadiene (PB) to isolated domains of PB embedded into a matrix of sP(pMS), passing through bicontinuous (jagged) lamellae when the pMS concentration is in the range 20–67 mol%. Multiple folding of the polymer segments, i.e. where reciprocal inclusions of polymer segments to each other phase are able to generate greater domain, has been postulated and validated by considerations on the polymer architecture and the thermal and crystalline behaviour. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Three-dimensional ZnO@TiO2 core-shell nanostructures decorated with plasmonic Au nanoparticles for promoting photoelectrochemical water splitting

A novel three-dimensional (3D) core-shell nanostructure decorated with plasmonic Au nanoparticles (NPs) was prepared for photoelectrochemical water splitting. In the new nanostructure, ZnO nanorods (NRs) are perpendicular to ZnO nanosheets (NSs), and the ZnO NSs-NRs are coated with a thin TiO₂ shell formed by liquid phase deposition. The plasmonic Au NPs were formed in situ on the surface of ZnO NSs-NRs@TiO₂ by thermal reduction. A thin TiO₂ shell and uniformly distributed Au NPs were successfully obtained. The photoconversion efficiency and photocurrent density of the 3D ZnO NSs-NRs@TiO₂-Au nanostructure respectively reached 0.48% and 1.73 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, 4.80 and 4.33 times higher than those of ZnO NSs, respectively. The thin TiO₂ shell effectively promoted charge separation, while the surface plasmon resonance effects of the Au NPs improved the photocurrent density. The findings suggest that the 3D ZnO NSs-NRs@TiO₂-Au nanostructure is a promising photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting.     

Hierarchical NiCo2O4 and NiCo2S4 nanomaterials as electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction

In this work, Ni foam supported hierarchical NiCo₂O₄ nanomaterials are successfully prepared through a hydrothermal process and subsequent calcination process, then the hierarchical NiCo₂O₄ is converted to hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ through a hydrothermal anion exchange process. The hierarchical nanomaterials are constructed by a nanorod core and nanoribbons shell. The morphology evolution mechanism of the hierarchical NiCo₂O₄ is studied by exploratory experiments, the results show that the morphology evolution from nanorod to hierarchical nanostructure undergo a solid–solid process, and the calcination temperature is crucial for the formation of the hierarchical nanostructure. The hierarchical NiCo₂O₄ and NiCo₂S₄ nanomaterials are both used as electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction in alkaline electrolyte, and the electrocatalytic activity of the NiCo₂S₄ is higher than that of the NiCo₂O₄. Cycling test shows the good stability of the NiCo₂S₄, and the slight loss of activity during cycling is caused by the surface oxidation of NiCo₂S₄ in alkaline electrolyte. This work indicate that the hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ is a promising non-noble metal electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cells.     

超亲水毛细芯环路热管启动及热性能分析

为解决电子设备高热通量下的散热问题，采用H₂O₂氧化法对烧结毛细芯进行了超亲水改性，研究了毛细芯表面润湿性对吸液性能的影响。并将改性后的超亲水毛细芯应用到环路热管内，研究了倾斜角度及加热功率对超亲水毛细芯环路热管的换热特性的影响。实验结果表明：超亲水毛细芯的吸液速度增加，吸液时间较亲水毛细芯减小了3.52ms；与普通亲水毛细芯环路热管相比，在加热功率Q=200W时，超亲水毛细芯环路热管蒸发器中心温度降低了约6.0℃，在Q=20W时启动时间与温度分别降低了33s与2.5℃。同时发现超亲水毛细芯环路热管在正重力状态时的运行温度更低，热阻较小，最低热阻仅为0.084℃/W。