Co2FeO4@rGO composite: Towards trifunctional water splitting in alkaline media

Development of efficient, low cost and multifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting to harvest hydrogen fuels is a challenging task, but the combination of carbon materials with transition metal-based compounds is providing a unique and attractive strategy. Herein, composite systems based on cobalt ferrite oxide-reduced graphene oxide (Co₂FeO₄) @(rGO) using simultaneous hydrothermal and chemical reduction methods have been prepared. The proposed study eliminates one step associated with the conversion of GO into rGO as it uses direct GO during the synthesis of cobalt ferrite oxide, consequently rGO based hybrid system is achieved in-situ significantly, the optimized Co₂FeO₄@rGO composite has revealed an outstanding multifunctional applications related to both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen counterpart (HER). Various metal oxidation states and oxygen vacancies at the surface of Co₂FeO₄@rGO composites guided the multifunctional surface properties. The optimized Co₂FeO₄@rGO composite presents excellent multifunctional properties with onset potential of 0.60 V for ORR, an overpotential of 240 mV at a 20 mAcm^?2 for OER and 320 mV at a 10 mAcm^?2 for HER respectively. Results revealed that these multifunctional properties of the optimized Co₂FeO₄@ rGO composite are associated with high electrical conductivity, high density of active sites, crystal defects, oxygen vacancies, and favorable electronic structure arisinng from the substitution of Fe for Co atoms in binary spinel oxide phase. These surface features synergistically uplifted the electrocatalytic properties of Co₂FeO₄@rGO composites. The multifunctional properties of the Co₂FeO₄@ rGO composite could be of high interest for its use in a wide range of applications in sustainable and renewable energy fields.     

Effect of apple cider vinegar agent on the microstructure,phase evolution,and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles

In the present study, spinel structure CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by the sol-gel auto-combustion technique. The effect of apple cider vinegar (ACV) addition as an organic biocompatible agent on the size, morphology, and magnetic properties of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was investigated in detail. The phase evolution, particle size, and lattice parameter changes of the synthesized phase have been estimated by using Rietveld structure refinement analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data. Also, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) of the samples verified the presence of two expected bands correspond to tetrahedral and octahedral metal-oxygen complexes within the spinel structure. Furthermore, microstructural observations revealed that ultrafine particles have a semi-spherical morphology. It was shown that the particles size decreased from ~45 to ~17 nm with an increase in the amount of ACV. Magnetic properties were carried out by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. Both the saturation magnetization (M_s) and coercivity (H_c) were found to be significantly dependent on the crystallite size and the amount of ACV.     

Carbon supported bimetallic Ru‐Co catalysts for H2 production through NaBH4 and NH3BH3 hydrolysis

This work investigates the effect of the addition of small amounts of Ru (0.5‐1 wt%) to carbon supported Co (10 wt%) catalysts towards both NaBH₄ and NH₃BH₃ hydrolysis for H₂ production. In the sodium borohydride hydrolysis, the activity of Ru‐Co/carbon catalysts was sensibly higher than the sum of the activities of corresponding monometallic samples, whereas for the ammonia borane hydrolysis, the positive effect of Ru‐Co systems with regard to catalytic activity was less evident. The performances of Ru‐Co bimetallic catalysts correlated with the occurrence of an interaction between Ru and Co species resulting in the formation of smaller ruthenium and cobalt oxide particles with a more homogeneous dispersion on the carbon support. It was proposed that Ru^°, formed during the reduction step of the Ru‐Co catalysts, favors the H₂ activation, thus enhancing the reduction degree of the cobalt precursor and the number of Co nucleation centers. A subsequent reduction of cobalt and ruthenium species also occurs in the hydride reaction medium, and therefore the state of the catalyst before the catalytic experiment determines the state of the active phase formed in situ. The different relative reactivity of the Ru and Co active species towards the two investigated reactions accounted for the different behavior towards NaBH₄ and NH₃BH₃ hydrolysis.     

Surface structural and solar absorptance features of nitrate-based copper-cobalt oxides composite coatings: Experimental studies and molecular dynamic simulation

The copper and cobalt oxides composites coatings on aluminum substrates have been successfully synthesized via sol-gel method using nitrate-based sol precursors. The composites were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometry. The sol-gel reactions were discussed and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation was integrated into the study to predict molecules assembly properties. The XRD analyses revealed that the CuO and the Co₃O₄ composites were formed after the annealing process with the average difference of the calculated lattice parameters compared to ICDDs was 1.17%. The surface electronic structure was mainly consisted of tetrahedral Cu(I), octahedral Cu(II), tetrahedral Co(II), octahedral Co(III) as well as surface, sub-surface and lattice oxygen O^?. The XRD, XPS and MD simulation results showed that there was minimal (or possibly non-existing) indication of copper-cobalt mixed phase oxides formations. FESEM and AFM surveys revealed that the coating had a porous surface composed of interlinked nanoparticles in the range of ~?10 to ~?40?nm. UV–Vis–NIR reflectance spectra showed that the sol precursors concentration and the dip-drying cycle significantly influenced the absorptance value with optimum absorptance (α) of 88.7% exhibited by coating synthesized using sol concentration of 0.1?M and 10 dip-drying cycles. High absorptance value and simplicity in the synthesis process render the coatings to be very promising candidates for solar selective absorber (SSA) applications.     

熔融碳酸盐燃料电池阴极材料的导电性

通过交流阻抗方法研究了熔融碳酸盐燃料电池阴极材料锂镍氧化物、锂钴氧化物和锂铁氧化物的导电性能。结果表明:锂镍氧化物电极的导电性最好,锂钴氧化物电极的导电性次之,锂铁氧化物电极的导电性最差;它们的导电性都随着温度的升高而按指数规律增加;在合成锂钴氧化物(或锂铁氧化物)的过程中,使Li2CO3轻微过量,可以提高锂钴氧化物(或锂铁氧化物)电极的导电性,而且在同一温度下,随着nLi∶nCo(或nLi∶nFe,摩尔比)值的增大,锂钴氧化物(或锂铁氧化物)电极的导电性显著增加。     

尖晶石型纳米钴蓝陶瓷颜料的制备

采用化学共沉淀法作为钴蓝颜料的制备方法,探讨了主要工艺因素对制备钴蓝颜料性能的影响,对制备的样品进行了测试与表征。结果表明:Co2+和Al3+物质的量比为1∶2.5时,制备的钴蓝样品颜色饱和度与明度最高,沉淀剂为尿素时制得的样品的粒度最小,粒度分布比较均匀。前驱体的洗涤过程采取水洗加醇洗的方法可有效减少样品的硬团聚现象,且前驱体的最佳煅烧温度为950℃左右。     

Thermogravimetric Study of the M-Co-O System: I, M = Ta and Nb at 1200°C

Phase equilibria in the Ta-Co-O and Nb-Co-O systems have been studied at 1200°C at oxygen partial pressures from 10^−0.68 to 10^−13.50 atm for the former and from 10^−0.68 to 10^−13.30 atm for the latter. In both systems, M₂CoO₆ and M₂Co₄O₉ are stable ternary compounds under the experimental conditions, and a new phase, Nb₅Co₂O₁₄, has been identified. The Ta-Co-O system is simple, whereas the Nb-Co-O system is somewhat more complicated because of the extra phase. The lattice constants of the ternary compounds have been determined and compared with previous values. The standard Gibbs energies of reactions have been determined using oxygen partial pressures in equilibrium with three solid phases.     

Formation of titanium and cobalt germanides on Si (100) using rapid thermal processing

Titanium and cobalt germanides have been formed on Si (100) substrates using rapid thermal processing. Germanium was deposited by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition prior to metal evaporation. Solid phase reactions were then performed using rapid thermal annealing in either Ar or N₂ ambients. Germanide formation has been found to occur in a manner similar to the formation of corresponding silicides. The sheet resistance was found to be dependent on annealing ambient (Ar or N₂) for titanium germanide formation, but not for cobalt germanide formation. The resistivities of titanium and cobalt germanides were found to be 20 μΩ-cm and 35.3μΩ-cm, corresponding to TiGe₂ and Co₂Ge, respectively. During solid phase reactions of Ti with Ge, we have found that the Ti₆Ge₅ phase forms prior to TiGe₂. The TiGe₂ phase was found to form approximately at 800° C. Cobalt germanide formation was found to occur at relatively low temperatures (425° C); however, the stability of the material is poor at elevated temperatures.     

电子束辐照法合成钴纳米粒子的表征

本文论述了在常温常压、无任何催化剂的条件下,通过电子束辐照制备纳米钴。利用X射线衍射仪（XRD）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）和差热分析仪（DSC）分别分析了纳米钴的结构、行貌、大小和熔点。利用激光散射粒度分布仪（LSPSDA）观察了纳米钴的粒度分布,并用样品振荡磁力计（VSM）分析了纳米钴的磁性。结果表明实验所制得的纳米钴粒子平均粒径32nm,粒度分布窄,熔点显著降低。最后,探讨了纳米钴的形成机理。     

Equilibrium Studies of the System'(Fe,Co)O'–(Fe,Co)3O4 by Solid-State emf Measurements in the Temperature Range 970 to 1370 K

The equilibrium reaction 3'(Fe, Co)O'( ss ) +1/2O₂ ( g ) ⇄ (Fe, Co)₃O₄( ss ) was studied in the temperature range 970 to 1370 K for seven different total compositions of molar ratios 0.5 < Fe/(Fe + Co) ≤ 1.0. The equilibrium pressures of oxygen were determined by using galvanic cells incorporating calcia stabilized zirconia as solid electrolyte and the Fe/Co ratios in the solid-solution phases by wavelength dispersive spectrometry microprobe analyses. The activities of 'FeO' in the cobaltowüstite phase were then derived from the experimental results obtained.