Modifying the photocatalytic property of ZnO-based photoelectrodes by introducing MgFe2O4 nanoparticles

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Limited light absorption and acute charge recombination on the surface of ZnO nanostructure-based photoelectrodes are the basic challenges...     

尖晶石MgFe2O4纳米粉的水热反萃合成

介绍一种合成尖晶石铁酸镁纳米粉的新方法--水热反萃合成法,并用此法合成了晶粒粒度在12～18nm的MgFe2O4粉体.借助于XRD和TEM测试手段.考察了反萃温度、水相的pH和组成对产物形貌和粒度的影响.结果表明:在190～210℃时,用纯水反萃负载金属铁和镁的混合有机相可以直接得到尖晶石结构、近似球形和粒度分布均匀的MgFe2O4纳米粉体,且不会发生硬团聚.     

Mechanochemical synthesis of stoichiometric MgFe2O4 spinel

The influence of long-term milling of a mixture of (1) MgO and α-Fe₂O₃, (2) MgCO₃, and α-Fe₂O₃, and (3) Mg(OH)₂ and α-Fe₂O₃ powders in a planetary ball mill on the reaction synthesis of nanosized MgFe₂O₄ ferrites was studied. Mechanochemical reaction leading to formation of the MgFe₂O₄ spinel phase was followed by electron microscopy, (SEM and TEM), X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements. The spinel phase was observed first in cases (1) and (2) after 5 h of milling, and its formation was observed in all cases after 10 h. The synthesized MgFe₂O₄ ferrite has a nanocrystalline structure with a crystallite size of about 11, 10, and 12 nm, respectively for cases (1)–(3). Magnetic measurements after 10 h of milling show magnetization values of 19.8 J/(Tkg), 23.5 J/(Tkg) and 13.8 J/(Tkg), respectively for the cases (1)–(3).     

Conductivity Study of Polyaniline-Cobalt Ferrite (PANI-CoFe2O4) Nanocomposite

Nano-Micro Letters - In this investigation, the structural and electrical properties of nanocomposites of polyaniline (PANI) and cobalt ferrite synthesized by hydrothermal route are reported for...     

Humidity-sensitive electrical response of sintered MgFe2O4

Pellets of MgFe₂O₄ were prepared by sintering, at different temperatures, powders prepared either by solid-state reaction between MgO and Fe₂O₃, or by the thermal decomposition of hydroxide mixtures, co-precipitated from magnesium and iron nitrate solutions with an Mg/Fe ratio of 1:2. Mercury porosimetry, specific surface area measurements and scanning electron microscopy were used in order to determine the main microstructural characteristics of the pellets. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to correlate the humidity-sensitive electrical response of the pellets with their microstructure, in particular with total open porosity and pore-size distribution. EIS measurements showed a close correlation between their relative humidity dependence of the electrical resistance and the microstructure of the sintered bodies. Rather good reproducibility and a fast response time to humidity variations, evaluated from d.c. measurements, were also observed. These properties are also strictly dependent on the microstructure.     

Epitaxial growth of MgFe2O4 (111) thin films on sapphire (0001) substrate

Pulsed laser deposition technique is used to fabricate thin films of MgFe₂O₄ on sapphire substrate. X-ray diffraction patterns show that films are epitaxial along (???) direction on c-axis oriented sapphire. The observation of six fold symmetry in phi scan for the film suggests the presence of twinned in-plane alignments. The presence of magnetic hysteresis loop at room temperature indicates the ferromagnetic behavior of the film. The coercive field of 742 Oe and remnant magnetization of 151 emu/cm² is observed at room temperature. The coercive field and remnant magnetization decrease with increase in temperature.     

Comparative antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesised by biological and chemical routes with pluronic F68 as a stabilising agent

The authors report the comparative antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesised by biological (using Fusarium oxysporum) and chemical routes in the presence and absence of pluronic F68 as a stabilising agent. The production of silver nanoparticles was evidenced by UV–visible spectra, with absorbance at about 420 nm in the case of both biological and chemical synthesis. X‐ray diffraction pattern confirmed the presence of face‐centred cubic structure (FCC plane). The nanoparticles characterised by transmission and scanning electron microscopy showed spherical silver nanoparticles with size range of 5–40 and 10–70 nm in the case of biologically and chemically synthesised nanoparticles, respectively. Addition of pluronic F68 showed the stabilisation of silver nanoparticles. Antibacterial efficacy of silver nanoparticles demonstrated different inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Overall, biologically synthesised silver nanoparticles showed higher activity as compared with chemically synthesised nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles synthesised in the presence of pluronic F68 by the chemical route exhibited synergism in antibacterial activity as compared with those synthesised without pluronic F68. On the contrary, biogenic silver nanoparticles without pluronic F68 showed higher antibacterial potential.Inspec keywords: antibacterial activity, nanofabrication, silver, X‐ray diffraction, biomedical materials, nanomedicine, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet spectra, visible spectra, materials preparation, nanoparticlesOther keywords: pluronic F68, stabilising agent, comparative antibacterial activity, Fusarium oxysporum, UV‐visible spectra, biological synthesis, chemical synthesis, X‐ray diffraction pattern, face‐centred cubic structure, FCC plane, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, spherical silver nanoparticles, antibacterial efficacy, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, synergism, biogenic silver nanoparticles, wavelength 420 nm, size 10 nm to 70 nm, size 5 nm to 40 nm, Ag     

Crystallization from Na2O-P2O5-Fe2O3-MIIO (MII = Mg, Ni) melts and the structure of Na4MgFe(PO4)3

We have studied general trends of phosphate crystallization from Na₂O-P₂O₅-Fe₂O₃-M^IIO (M^II = Mg, Ni) high-temperature solutions at Na/P = 1.0?1.4, M^II/Fe = 1.0, and Fe/P = 0.15 or 0.3, and identified the stability regions of the phosphates Na₄M^IIFe(PO₄)₃ (M^II = Mg, Ni), NaFeP₂O₇, and Na₂NiP₂O₇. The synthesized compounds have been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The structure of Na₄MgFe(PO₄)₃ (sp. gr. $R\bar 3cWe have studied general trends of phosphate crystallization from Na₂O-P₂O₅-Fe₂O₃-M^IIO (M^II = Mg, Ni) high-temperature solutions at Na/P = 1.0−1.4, M^II/Fe = 1.0, and Fe/P = 0.15 or 0.3, and identified the stability regions of the phosphates Na₄M^IIFe(PO₄)₃ (M^II = Mg, Ni), NaFeP₂O₇, and Na₂NiP₂O₇. The synthesized compounds have been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The structure of Na₄MgFe(PO₄)₃ (sp. gr. R[`3]cR\bar 3c, a = 8.83954(13) ?, c = 21.4683(4) ?) has been determined by Rietveld powder diffraction analysis.     

Co(3)O(4) nanoparticles produced by mechanochemical reactions

Co(3)O(4) nanoparticles have been produced by mechanochemical reactions involving cobalt carbonate, sodium oxide and sodium carbonate. The mechanochemical reactions are carried out during milling at room temperature and the nanoparticles have been obtained without the need for any thermal treatment after the milling operation. The CoO phase is produced in the first 30?min of the mechanochemical process, followed by a second stage of oxidation to Co(3)O(4) which lasts for several hours. Under proper milling conditions the final products were soft agglomerates of ultrafine particles with average sizes between 15 and 20?nm.     

Synthesis and characterization of CoFe(2)O(4) ferrite nanoparticles obtained by an electrochemical method

Uniform size cobalt ferrite nanoparticles have been synthesized in one step using an electrochemical technique. Synthesis parameters such as the current density, temperature and stirring were optimized to produce pure cobalt ferrite. The nanoparticles have been investigated by means of magnetic measurements, M?ssbauer spectroscopy, x-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The average size of the electrosynthesized samples was controlled by the synthesis parameters and this showed a rather narrow size distribution. The x-ray analysis shows that the CoFe(2)O(4) obtained presents a totally inverse spinel structure. The magnetic properties of the stoichiometric nanoparticles show ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature with a coercivity up to 6386?Oe and a saturation magnetization of 85?emu?g(-1).     

Magnetic and electrical properties of Al3+-substituted MgFe2O4

The structural, magnetic and electrical properties of the Al³⁺-substituted disordered spinel system Mg(Fe_2–x Al _x )O₄ have been investigated by X-ray diffraction, magnetization, a.c. susceptibility and electrical resistivity measurements. The cation distribution derived from the X-ray diffractometry data was found to agree very well with the cation distribution obtained through Mössbauer spectroscopy. The variation of saturation magnetization per formula unit as a function of aluminium context, x, has been satisfactorily explained on the basis of Neel's collinear spin model and the slight discrepancy between the observed and calculated n _B values can be explained in terms of a random canting model. The Néel temperatures calculated theoretically by applying molecular field theory agreed well with the experimentally determined values from thermal variation of susceptibility and electrical resistivity. An unusual metal-like thermo-electric behaviour was found for the compositions with x 0.3 which was attributed to the decrease in the Fe-Fe separation distance arising from aluminium substitution.     

The effect of defects on some photoelectrochemical properties of semiconducting MgFe2O4

Undoped Magnesium Ferrite, when functioning as a photoanode in aqueous solution, shows a large transient current response; in contrast Sn-doped material shows no transients and has comparatively small photocurrents. This difference is correlated with the resistivities of the samples and is attributed to the presence of defects in the undoped material. The undoped material shows a photoresponse at 1.1 eV photon energy, well below the 2.18 eV bandgap of MgFe₂O₄. A comparison with the analogous properties of Fe₂O₃ is made.     

Dielectric behaviour of MgFe2O4 prepared from chemically beneficiated iron ore rejects

Chemically beneficiated high silica/alumina iron ore rejects (27–76% Fe₂O₃) were used to synthesize iron oxides of purity 96–98% with SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio reduced to 0.03. The major impurities on chemical beneficiations were Al, Si, and Mn in the range 2–3%. A 99.73% purity Fe₂O₃ was also prepared by solvent extraction method using methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) from the acid extracts of the ore rejects. The magnesium ferrite, MgFe₂O₄, prepared from these synthetic iron oxides showed high resistivity of ∼ 10⁸ ohm cm. All ferrites showed saturation magnetization, 4πM_s, in the narrow range of 900–1200 Gauss and the Curie temperature,T, _cof all these fell within a small limit of 670 ± 30 K. All ferrites had low dielectric constants (ε′), 12–15, and low dielectric loss, tan δ, which decreased with the increase in frequency indicating a normal dielectric dispersion found in ferrites. The presence of insignificant amount of polarizable Fe²⁺ ions can be attributed to their high resistances and low dielectric constants. Impurities inherent in the samples had no marked influence on the electrical properties of the ferrites prepared from the iron ore rejects, suggesting the possibility of formation of ferrite of constant composition, MgFe₂O₄, of low magnetic and dielectric losses at lower temperatures of 1000°C by ceramic technique.     

Non-aqueous synthesis of water-dispersible Fe3O4-Ca3(PO4)2 core-shell nanoparticles

The Fe(3)O(4)-Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) core-shell nanoparticles were prepared by one-pot non-aqueous nanoemulsion with the assistance of a biocompatible triblock copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEO-PPO-PEO), integrating the magnetic properties of Fe(3)O(4) and the bioactive functions of Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) into single entities. The Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles were pre-formed first by thermal reduction of Fe(acac)(3) and then the Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) layer was coated by simultaneous deposition of Ca(2+) and PO(4)(3-). The characterization shows that the combination of the two materials into a core-shell nanostructure retains the magnetic properties and the Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) shell forms an hcp phase (a = 7.490 ?, c = 9.534 ?) on the Fe(3)O(4) surface. The magnetic hysteresis curves of the nanoparticles were further elucidated by the Langevin equation, giving an estimation of the effective magnetic dimension of the nanoparticles and reflecting the enhanced susceptibility response as a result of the surface covering. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis provides the characteristic vibrations of Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) and the presence of the polymer surfactant on the nanoparticle surface. Moreover, the nanoparticles could be directly transferred to water and the aqueous dispersion-collection process of the nanoparticles was demonstrated for application readiness of such core-shell nanostructures in an aqueous medium. Thus, the construction of Fe(3)O(4) and Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) in the core-shell nanostructure has conspicuously led to enhanced performance and multi-functionalities, offering various possible applications of the nanoparticles.     

Synthesis and structural study of new potassium uranyl selenates K2(H5O2)(H3O)[(UO2)2(SeO4)4(H2O)2](H2O)4 and K3(H3O)[(UO2)2(SeO4)4(H2O)2](H2O)5

Single crystals of new uranyl selenates K₂(H₅O₂)(H₃O)[(UO₂)₂(SeO₄)₄(H₂O)₂](H₂O)₄ (1) and K₃(H₃O)[(UO₂)₂(SeO₄)₄(H₂O)₂](H₂O)₅ (2) were prepared by isothermal evaporation at room temperature. The crystal structure of 1 was solved by the direct method [C2/c, a = 17.879(5), b = 8.152(5), c = 17.872(5) Å, β = 96.943(5)°, V = 2585.7(19) ų, Z = 4] and refined to R ₁ = 0.0449 (wR ₂ = 0.0952) for 2600 reflections with |F _o| ≥ 4σ _F . The structure of 2 was solved by the direct method [P2₁/c, a = 17.8377(5), b = 8.1478(5), c = 23.696(1) Å, β = 131.622(2)°, V = 2574.5(2) ų, Z = 4] and refined to R ₁ = 0.0516 (wR ₂ = 0.1233) for 4075 reflections with |F _o| ≥ 4σ _F . The structures of 1 and 2 are based on [(UO₂)₂(SeO₄)₄(H₂O)₂]^4? layers. The charge of the inorganic layer is compensated by potassium and oxonium ions arranged in the interlayer space. Each K ion is surrounded by seven O atoms belonging to uranyl selenate layers and water molecules, so that it binds with each other the adjacent uranyl selenate structural elements.     

Optical and morphological studies of L-histidine functionalised silver nanoparticles synthesised by two different methods

Silver nanoparticles (NPs) functionalised with L-histidine is synthesised by a chemical reduction approach using two different methods of stirring – using a magnetic stirrer and an ultrasonicator. The former method exhibits a strong narrow absorption peak at 396 nm and the latter a blue-shifted weak broad plasmon band for the bare silver NPs. When the capping agent is incorporated, a single broad peak at low intensity evolves for the first method of stirring whereas two distinct peaks are noticed for the second. The Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) results confirm the spherical shape of the silver NPs in the first case. In the second case, both spherical and elliptical particles are obtained. Zeta potential measurements further confirm the stability of the histidine-capped silver NPs in comparison with the pure silver NPs. A study of the variation of the plasmon peak with pH indicates that a basic medium favours the growth of the histidine-capped silver NPs. A surface-enhanced Raman scattering investigation confirms the adsorption of the capping molecule through the nitrogen of the imidazole ring with the carboxylate group pointing outwards. L-histidine-capped silver NPs can find application in biosensors and biomedicine, particularly when prepared by the magnetic stirrer method due to its greater stability.     

Photocatalytic degradation of synthetic dyes using iron (III) oxide nanoparticles (Fe2 O3 ‐Nps) synthesised using Rhizophora mucronata Lam

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles through plant extracts is gaining attention due to the toxic free synthesis process. The environmental engineering applications of many metal oxide nanoparticles have been reported. In this study, iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂ O₃ ‐Nps) were synthesised using a simple biosynthetic method using a leaf extract of a mangrove plant Rhizophora mucronata through reduction of 0.01 M ferric chloride. Fe₂ O₃ ‐Np synthesis was revealed by a greenish colour formation with a surface plasmon band observed close to 368 nm. The stable Fe₂ O₃ ‐Np possessed excitation and emission wavelength of 368.0 and 370.5 nm, respectively. The Fourier‐transform infrared spectral analysis revealed the changes in functional groups during formation of Fe₂ O₃ ‐Np. Agglomerations of nanoparticles were observed during scanning electron microscopic analysis and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopic analysis confirmed the ferric oxide nature. The average particle size of Fe₂ O₃ ‐Np based on dynamic light scattering was 65 nm. Based on transmission electron microscopic analysis, particles were spherical in shape and the crystalline size was confirmed by selected area electron diffraction pattern analysis. The synthesised Fe₂ O₃ ‐Np exhibited a good photodegradation efficiency with a reduction of 83 and 95% of phenol red and crystal violet under irradiation of sunlight and florescent light, respectively. This report is a facile synthesis method for Fe₂ O₃ ‐Np with high photodegradation efficiency.Inspec keywords: photochemistry, dyes, nanofabrication, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanoparticles, iron compounds, X‐ray diffraction, catalysts, catalysis, particle size, X‐ray chemical analysis, electron diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, surface plasmonsOther keywords: energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopic analysis, ferric oxide nature, transmission electron microscopic analysis, selected area electron diffraction pattern analysis, iron oxide nanoparticles, plant extracts, toxic free synthesis process, metal oxide nanoparticles, metal nanoparticles, nanofiltration, nanobiocides, Rhizophora mucronata Lam, crystalline size, phenol red, crystal violet, sunlight irradiation, florescent light, scanning electron microscopic analysis, Fourier‐transform infrared spectral analysis, surface plasmon, ferric chloride, leaf extract, nanocatalysts, nanoadsorbents, photocatalytic degradation, synthetic dyes, mangrove plant, water remediation, wastewater pollutant, wavelength 370.5 nm, wavelength 368.0 nm, Fe₂ O₃      

Comparative studies between synthetic routes of SiO2@Au composite nanoparticles

We studied two different methods for the deposition of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) onto the functionalized silica microspheres. One method was to mix the two kinds of particles together and react at room temperature overnight. The other one was to reduce hydrochloroauric acid to Au NPs with sodium citrate in the presence of the functionalized silica microspheres (one for the naked silica microspheres, the other for the Au-attached silica microspheres). We investigated the morphologies of SiO₂@Au composite nanoparticles synthesized by these two methods, and found that the latter achieved a denser Au coverage on silica microspheres. Furthermore, we studied the effect of the pH values in a wide range, respectively, for the two methods. A possible mechanism was put forward to interpret the formation of SiO₂@Au composite nanoparticles and the effects of the synthetic routes and pH values on the morphologies and optical properties.