Novel Zn-Sn-O nanocactus with excellent transport properties as photoanode material for high performance dye-sensitized solar cells

A novel chemically stable Zn-Sn-O nanocactus structure has been synthesized for the first time using a hydrothermal method. The Zn-Sn-O nanocactus structure comprises a Zn poor-Zn(2)SnO(4) plate and Zn-doped SnO(2) nanothorns growing on the plate, both of which have high electron mobilities. The nanocactus is used as the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) for the Zn-Sn-O nanocactus film reaches 2.21%, which is twice the previous reported efficiency of pure SnO(2). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements show that the Zn-Sn-O nanocactus film has a good effective diffusion length and high intrinsic electron mobility. After TiCl(4) treatment of the Zn-Sn-O nanocactus film, the current density increases nearly three times and the PCE increases to 6.62%, which compares favourably with the P25 DSSCs (6.97%) and is much higher than that of the SnO(2) (1.04%) or Zn(2)SnO(4) (3.7%)-based DSSCs.     

Vertically building Zn2SnO4 nanowire arrays on stainless steel mesh toward fabrication of large-area, flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

Zn(2)SnO(4) nanowire arrays were for the first time grown onto a stainless steel mesh (SSM) in a binary ethylenediamine (En)/water solvent system using a solvothermal route. The morphology evolution following this reaction was carefully followed to understand the formation mechanism. The SSM-supported Zn(2)SnO(4) nanowire was utilized as a photoanode for fabrication of large-area (10 cm × 5 cm size as a typical sample), flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The synthesized Zn(2)SnO(4) nanowires exhibit great bendability and flexibility, proving potential advantage over other metal oxide nanowires such as TiO(2), ZnO, and SnO(2) for application in flexible solar cells. Relative to the analogous Zn(2)SnO(4) nanoparticle-based flexible DSSCs, the nanowire geometry proves to enhance solar energy conversion efficiency through enhancement of electron transport. The bendable nature of the DSSCs without obvious degradation of efficiency and facile scale up gives the as-made flexible solar cell device potential for practical application.     

Synthesis and photovoltaic property of fine and uniform Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles

Zn(2)SnO(4) nanoparticles (NPs) with a narrow size distribution were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route by controlling the crystallization process. The average size of NPs was 8 nm, and this was attributed to the formation of a hydroxy carbonate compound as an intermediate phase, which was demonstrated by the structural and elemental analyses. The fine size and visible-transparency of the synthesized NPs enabled the fabrication of transparent films for efficient photoelectrochemical devices. In particular, we demonstrated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employing these transparent Zn(2)SnO(4) photoelectrodes with a high energy conversion efficiency of 4.7%, which is mainly due to an improvement of light harvesting property.     

Fabrication of a transparent ultraviolet detector by using n-type Ga(2)O(3) and p-type Ga-doped SnO(2) core-shell nanowires

This study investigates the feasibility of synthesizing high-density transparent Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires on a sapphire substrate at 1000 °C by VLS. The doping Ga concentrations are 0.46, 1.07, 2.30 and 17.53 atomic%. The XRD spectrum and HR-TEM reveal Ga(2)O(3) and SnO(2) as having monoclinic and tetragonal rutile structures, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the XRD peak shift of SnO(2) to a larger angle increases with the increasing amount of Ga doping. According to the CL spectrum, SnO(2) and Ga(2)O(3) peak at approximately 528-568 nm and 422-424 nm, respectively. The maximum quantum efficiency of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires is around 0.362%. The UV light on-off current contrast ratio of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires is around 1066.7 at a bias of 5 V. Moreover, the dynamic response of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires has an on-off current contrast ratio of around 16. Furthermore, the Ga(2)O(3) region functions similar to a capacitor and continues to accumulate SnO(2):Ga excited electrons under UV light exposure.     

喷雾燃烧制备SnO2纳米棒及其气敏性能

采用喷雾燃烧法制备SnO2纳米棒,对其形貌和结构进行了表征. 所制SnO2纳米棒长200~350 nm,直径30~50 nm,沿(001)方向生长. 考察了Fe掺杂量和Sn4+浓度对SnO2纳米棒形貌的影响,分析了其生长机理. 高温快速反应使Fe3+进入SnO2晶格,促使其沿(001)方向取向生长. 对乙醇等有机气体的气敏性能测试结果表明,棒状SnO2比颗粒状的具有更优的气敏性能,在100′10-6(j)乙醇浓度下,棒状SnO2的灵敏度为12,反应和恢复时间分别为9.5和6 s.     

Controlled synthesis of magnetic iron oxides@SnO2 quasi-hollow core-shell heterostructures: formation mechanism, and enhanced photocatalytic activity

Iron oxide/SnO(2) magnetic semiconductor core-shell heterostructures with high purity were synthesized by a low-cost, surfactant-free and environmentally friendly hydrothermal strategy via a seed-mediated method. The morphology and structure of the hybrid nanostructures were characterized by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The morphology evolution investigations reveal that the Kirkendall effect directs the diffusion and causes the formation of iron oxide/SnO(2) quasi-hollow particles. Significantly, the as-obtained iron oxides/SnO(2) core-shell heterostructures exhibited enhanced visible light or UV photocatalytic abilities, remarkably superior to as-used α-Fe(2)O(3) seeds and commercial SnO(2) products, mainly owing to the effective electron hole separation at the iron oxides/SnO(2) interfaces.     

Cu掺杂SnO_2纳米粉体的制备及气敏特性

控制不同n(Cu2+)/n(Sn4+),用均匀共沉淀法制备了平均粒径约80 nm的金红石型结构Cu掺杂SnO2纳米粉体;并以白云母为基片制备出Cu掺杂SnO2气敏元件。用TG-DSC、XRD、SEM对样品的相变、结构、形貌进行了分析,并测试了气敏元件的阻温特性和75℃氢气敏感性能。结果表明,Cu掺杂抑制了SnO2晶核的生长,使SnO2结晶度由约75%减小到50%,晶粒尺寸由约18 nm减小到6 nm;Cu掺杂使n型半导体SnO2的空气电阻值由1~8 kΩ提高到9×105~3×107MΩ,并使元件在75℃对体积分数为2 000×10-6氢气的灵敏度提高约20倍;n(Cu2+)/n(Sn4+)≈0.01时,元件对体积分数为4 000×10-6氢气的灵敏度高达约42。     

Effect of TiO2 nanoparticle-accumulated bilayer photoelectrode and condenser lens-assisted solar concentrator on light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) with a size of 240 nm (T240), used as a light-scattering layer, were applied on 25-nm-sized TiO₂ NPs (T25) that were used as a dye-absorbing layer in the photoelectrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In addition, the incident light was concentrated via a condenser lens, and the effect of light concentration on the capacity of the light-scattering layer was systematically investigated. At the optimized focal length of the condenser lens, T25/T240 double layer (DL)-based DSSCs with the photoactive area of 0.36 cm² were found to have the short circuit current (I_sc) of 11.92 mA, the open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.74 V, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of approximately 4.11%, which is significantly improved when they were compared to the T25 single layer (SL)-based DSSCs without using a solar concentrator (the corresponding values were the I_sc of 2.53 mA, the V_oc of 0.69, and the PCE of 3.57%). Thus, the use of the optimized light harvesting structure in the photoelectrodes of DSSCs in conjunction with light concentration was found to significantly enhance the power output of DSSCs.     

Porous SnO2 nanospheres as sensitive gas sensors for volatile organic compounds detection

Porous SnO(2) nanospheres with high surface areas have been synthesized through a solvothermal method in the absence of any templates. The structure and morphology of the resultant products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique. The as-prepared SnO(2) porous nanospheres with the diameters ranging from 90-150 nm are composed of small nanocrystals with average sizes of less than 10 nm. Results demonstrated that the formation of porous SnO(2) nanospheres is ascribed to etching the center part of the nanospheres. It was found that hydrochloric acid and NaClO played important roles in determining the final morphologies of the porous SnO(2) nanospheres. The gas sensing properties of the as-prepared porous SnO(2) nanospheres were investigated. By the comparative gas sensing tests, the porous SnO(2) nanospheres exhibited a superior gas sensing performance toward ppb level 2-chloroethanol and formaldehyde vapor, implying promising applications in detecting toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs).     

Exploring the influence of Zn2SnO4/ZIF-8 nanocomposite photoelectrodes on boosting efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells

It is imperative to develop innovative efficient photoelectrode materials for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this work, cubic spinel Zn₂SnO₄ (ZTO)+(5, 10, 15, 20%) zeolite imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles were applied as photoanode materials of DSSC devices. The Zn₂SnO₄ was effectively synthesized in a simple and cost-effective manner by carefully controlling the hydrothermal conditions. The Zn₂SnO₄/ZIF-8 nanocomposite photoelectrodes were coated over the TiO₂ compact layer to decrease charge recombination at the transparent conductive oxide/mesoporous interface. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis methods were used to study the properties of all nanostructured photoanodes. In addition, the effects of Zn₂SnO₄/ZIF-8 nanocomposites were evaluated on DSSCs performances. The results clearly showed that adding ZIF-8 to Zn₂SnO₄ improved the photovoltaic performance of the fabricated DSSCs. Furthermore, compared to pure Zn₂SnO₄ NPs, Zn₂SnO₄+15% ZIF-8 increased open circuit voltage (V_OC) from 0.64 to 0.77 V and short current density (J_SC) from 6.89 to 11.27 mA/cm². The Zn₂SnO₄+15% ZIF-8 photoanodes increased the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSSC by about 195% (from 2.02 to 3.94%) relative to the pure ZTO photoanode. This was due to the fact that the Zn₂SnO₄+15% ZIF-8 nanocomposite had the quickest electron transport rate, the best electron collecting efficiency, and the greatest charge recombination resistance, all of which are extremely advantageous to improve device efficiency.     

Fe掺杂对纳米晶SnO_2粉体结构的影响(英文)

采用共沉淀法制备了一系列Fe掺杂含量由低到高的纳米晶SnO2粉体。采用X射线衍射、透射电镜、X射线光电子谱分析等测试手段对其进行了表征。结果表明:当Fe掺杂含量(摩尔分数)低于15%时,晶粒大小随掺杂含量的增加显著下降,从无掺杂的5.2nm到掺杂15%Fe的2.4nm,随后继续增加Fe掺杂含量对晶粒大小无影响。而当Fe掺杂量大于20%时,Fe在SnO2晶粒表面才出现较为明显的偏析。掺杂物对SnO2晶粒长大的阻碍作用主要归因于掺杂物与SnO2体相形成固溶体,产生的溶质拖曳和晶格畸变效应,掺杂物在晶粒表面偏析所起作用较小。     

One-step hydrothermal synthesis of hybrid core-shell Co3O4@SnO2–SnO for supercapacitor electrodes

We successfully synthesized a novel core-shell hybrid metal oxide via a simple one-step hydrothermal method without annealing. This composite of Co₃O₄ particles covered with SnO₂–SnO (Co₃O₄@SnO₂–SnO) predicted better performance compared to pure Co₃O₄, which strongly depends on the synthetic temperature. The Co₃O₄@SnO₂–SnO prepared at a temperature of 250 °C (labeled Co₃O₄@SnO₂–SnO-250) exhibited an outstanding specific capacitance of 325 F g⁻¹ under the current density of 1 A g⁻¹, which was much higher than those of Co₃O₄ (12.6 F g⁻¹) and other composites. Additionally, the sample also exhibited good cycle stability performance with a retention rate of 100% after 5000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g⁻¹. Through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, the presumed mechanism was that Sn-O_x decreases the surface electron densities of Co₃O₄, which is beneficial to OH⁻ adsorption and specific capacitance improvement, and the synthetic temperature had a strong impact on the microstructure and thus on the surface electron densities. The most.obvious finding to emerge from this study is that the specific capacitance can be improved through adjusting the surface electron densities of transition metal oxides.     

微波加热室温离子液体中介孔SnO2微球的制备与表征

在液相反应条件下,采用微波加热,在室温离子液体1-甲基-3-丁基咪唑四氟硼酸盐中成功地制备出SnO2微球。采用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、N2物理吸附仪、热重分析仪对所制备的样品进行了结构表征。结果表明,制备的SnO2是平均直径为2～3μm的实心小球,具有四方金红石结构且含有介孔孔道结构性质。     

表面活性剂PEG在掺锑纳米SnO2粉末氧化共沉淀制备中的作用

通过粒度分布、红外光谱及Zeta电位等研究了氧化共沉淀方法制备掺锑纳米SnO2粉料时表面活性剂聚乙二醇(PEG-6000)的作用机理. 采用沉降实验、粘度测定等手段,确定了表面活性剂适宜的使用量. 结果表明,聚乙二醇的防团聚性能是通过在纳米粉体的前驱体上吸附、进而主要通过空间位阻稳定机制进行作用的. 其使用量的多少直接影响粉体的粒度大小. 制备出了团聚程度轻、分散性良好的纳米掺锑SnO2粉料.     

核壳结构SiO_2/SnO_2纳米复合微粒的合成与表征

文章从TEOS出发,先水解制备了纳米二氧化硅微粒,再以五水四氯化锡为锡源,碳酸铵为沉淀剂,通过控制反应条件,用共沉淀法在二氧化硅表面包覆上一层锡化物层,经600℃煅烧2 h后形成了具有核壳结构的SiO2/SnO2纳米复合微粒,并用透射电镜、激光粒度仪、FTIR等手段对其形貌、结构、组成进行了表征。结果表明：形成的核壳结构SiO2/SnO2纳米复合微粒是以二氧化硅为核,氧化锡为壳,内核直径约为120 nm,壳层厚度为8～18 nm;氧化锡基本以成膜包覆为主,伴有部分氧化锡自身成核团聚。     

SnO_2/In_2O_3纳米材料的制备及其吸附-光催化性能研究

采用水热法制备了一系列不同SnO2/In2O3比例的光催化剂,应用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)和扫描电子显微镜(FESEM)对其微观形貌和晶型进行了分析,通过紫外-可见分光光度计(UV-Vis)评价了复合材料对甲基橙(MO)溶液的吸附性能及催化活性,考察了Sn/In比例值对SnO2/In2O3样品吸附性能及光催化性能的影响。结果表明:当Sn与In摩尔比为2∶1时,对MO的吸附性能和催化性能最好。     

Core-shell structured photovoltaic devices based on PbS quantum dots and silicon nanopillar arrays

We fabricated three-dimensional silicon nanopillar array (SiNP)-based photovoltaic (PV) devices using PbS quantum dots (QDs) as the hole-transporting layers. The core-shell structured device, which is based on high aspect ratio SiNPs standing on roughed silicon substrates, displays a higher PV performance with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.53% compared with that of the planar device (2.11%). The enhanced PCE is ascribed to the increased light absorption and the improved charge carrier collections in SiNP-modified silicon surfaces. We also show that, for the core-shell structured device, the thickness of the shell layer plays a critical role in enhancing the PV performance and around five monolayers of QDs are preferred for efficient hole-transporting. Wafer-scale PV devices with a radial PbS/SiNP heterojunction can be fabricated by solution phase techniques at low temperatures, suggesting a facile route to fabricate unique three-dimensional nanostructured devices.     

湿化学共沉淀法制备Sb掺杂SnO2粉体导电机理研究

采用化学共沉淀法,以SnCl4·5H2O和SbCl3为原料,制备了Sb掺杂SnO2（ATO）微晶粉体。电导率、XPS测试表明：Sb掺杂量、煅烧温度对Sb在SnO2晶粒中的分布、Sb价态的存在形式、电导率的变化有较大的影响。Sb掺杂SnO2（ATO）的导电机理由有效施主Sb^5＋和有效氧空位共同控制。当低摩尔分数（小于12％）掺杂或低温煅烧（小于500℃）时,Sb^3＋→SbSb^5＋,Sb^3＋／Sb^5＋〉1,Sb^5＋逐渐占主导地位,ATO的导电载流子浓度主要由有效施主Sb^5＋提供;当高摩尔分数（大于12％）掺杂或高温煅烧（大于500℃）时,Sb^5＋→Sb^3＋,Sb^5＋／Sb^3＋≤1,Sb^3＋逐渐占主导地位,ATO的导电载流子浓度主要由有效氧空位提供。     

SnO2/ZnO复合中空纤维材料的制备及其光催化性能

采用天然棉花为模板制备了具有高光催化活性的SnO2/ZnO复合中空纤维光催化材料;利用X-射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)技术对其相结构和形貌进行了表征;以亚甲基蓝(MB)的脱色降解为模型反应,考察了Sn4+和Zn2+物质的量比为0.1∶1时煅烧温度对其催化性能的影响。实验结果表明:制备的样品为复制了棉花纤维模板形貌、具有中空结构的SnO2和ZnO半导体复合材料(SnO2/ZnO);煅烧温度对材料SnO2/ZnO的结晶度、晶粒大小﹑表面微结构和催化性能等有显著影响;650℃左右所得样品在太阳光下的催化活性最好,1 h可使MB溶液的脱色降解率达100%;该材料易于离心分离,具有良好的催化活性和重复使用性能。     

新型抗静电剂氧化锡对聚丙烯复合材料结构与性能的影响

采用共混法制备了聚丙烯/氧化锡(PP/SnO2)抗静电复合材料。探讨了新型抗静电剂SnO2用量、表面处理剂种类等对复合材料体系结构与性能的影响。结果表明:经钛酸酯311w处理后的SnO2的分散性较好;SnO2用量在3～6phr时,复合材料可以获得较好的冲击性能和拉伸性能,添加6phr处理后的SnO2复合材料的冲击强度提高至24.3kJ/m2。