Pure and Ni2O3-decorated CeO2 nanoparticles applied as CO gas sensor: Experimental and theoretical insights

In the present work, the structural, morphological and electrical properties of CeO₂ nanoparticles with spherical and rod-like morphologies and rods decorated with Ni₂O₃ were investigated. Morphological, structural and electronic analyses showed a relationship between the shape/size of particles and the respective surface types, number of carriers, density of vacancies and local structural atomic order, in addition to an influence on the electrical properties of the materials. Electrical analyses revealed that the rod-like morphology has a better CO sensor response than the spherical one. In order to complement and rationalize the experimental findings, simulations at the density functional theory (DFT) were carried out to investigate the two possible mechanisms (Langmuir?Hinshelwood and Mars-Van Krevelen) acting on the CO adsorption process and elucidate the behavior of the sensor in heterojunction-type samples.     

Recent progress of Ga2O3-based gas sensors

In recent years, gas sensors fabricated from gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) materials have aroused intense research interest due to the superior material properties of large dielectric constant, good thermal and chemical stability, excellent electrical properties, and good gas sensing. Over the past decades, Ga₂O₃-based gas sensors experienced rapid development. The long-term stable Ga₂O₃-based gas sensors for detecting oxygen and carbon monoxide have been commercialized and renowned with extremely good gas sensing characteristics. Recent pioneering studies also exhibit that the Ga₂O₃-based gas sensors possess great potentials in applications of detecting nitrogen oxides, hydrogen, volatile organic compounds and ammonia gases. This article presents recent advances in gas sensing mechanism, device performance parameters, influence factors, and applications of Ga₂O₃-based gas sensors. The impacts of influence factors, doping, material structure and device structure on the performance of gas sensors are discussed in detail. Finally, a brief overview of challenges and opportunities for the Ga₂O₃-based gas sensors is presented.     

ZnO-enhanced In2O3-based sensors for n-butanol gas

A series of high-response and fast-response/recovery n-butanol gas sensors was fabricated by adding ZnO to In₂O₃ in varying molar ratios to form ZnO-In₂O₃ nanocomposites via a facile co-precipitation hydrothermal method. Morphological characterizations revealed that the shape of pure In₂O₃ was changed from irregular cubes into irregular nanoparticles, 30–50?nm in size, with the addition of ZnO. Compared with the pure In₂O₃ gas sensor, the ZnO-In₂O₃ gas sensor exhibits superior n-butanol sensing performance. With the introduction of ZnO, the response of the sensor to n-butanol was improved from 17 to 99.5 at 180?°C for a [Zn]:[In] molar ratio of 1:1. In addition, the ZnO-In₂O₃ gas sensors show a reduced optimal working temperature, excellent selectivity to n-butanol, and good repeatability. The response of the ZnO-enhanced In₂O₃-based sensors showed a strong linear relationship with the n-butanol gas concentration, allowing for the quantitative detection of n-butanol gas.     

Preparation,microstructure and electrical property of GdSmZr2O7-(Li0.52Na0.48)2CO3 composite electrolyte via carbonate infiltration

Porous GdSmZr₂O₇ (GSZ) with different porosities has been prepared by the solid state reaction, and GSZ-carbonates composites have been prepared by infiltrating (Li_0·52Na_0.48)₂CO₃ (LNC) molten carbonates. Phase structure, microstructure and electrical property have been analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). SEM results show that the voids in porous GSZ are uniformly distributed. The relative density of GSZ-LNC composites obtained by molten salt infiltration is above 93%. The electrical conductivity of the GSZ-LNC composites obtained by molten salt infiltration reaches the highest value of 0.50 S cm⁻¹ at 600 °C, which is much higher than that of GSZ-LNC composites prepared by traditional mechanical mixing method. This excellent electrical property strongly indicates that the GSZ-LNC composite obtained by molten salt infiltration is a promising ionic conductor.     

Electrical transport properties of M2FeV3O11 (M=Mg,Zn, Pb,Co, Ni) ceramics

Multicomponent oxide systems have been widely studied in the last few decades and can be used as cathode materials in high-energy cells. However, the electrical characteristics have not yet been fully disclosed. We report the electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power, the I-V characteristics, conductance and dielectric spectroscopy measurements made for M₂FeV₃O₁₁ (M=Mg, Zn, Pb, Co, Ni) ceramics. This multicomponent oxide system was found to show semiconducting properties strongly thermally activated above room temperature, n-type conduction at higher temperatures, higher conductance for the ceramics containing Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions as well as a strong dependence of relative dielectric constant and loss tangent on temperature and frequency. Moreover, the transition metal ions, which have unfilled 3d-shells strongly affected polarization and conductivity of the ceramics, while the effect of porosity could be neglected. These effects are discussed in terms of microstructure, thermal activation of charge carriers, small polarons as well as the Maxwell–Wagner polarization.     

Structural and electrical properties of La3+-doped Na0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15-Bi4Ti3O12 inter-growth high temperature piezoceramics

New lead-free inter-growth piezoelectric ceramics, Na_0.5Bi_8.5-xLa_xTi₇O₂₇ (NBT-BIT-xLa, 0.00≤x≤1.00), were prepared by the conventional solid-state method. Structural and electrical properties of NBT-BIT-xLa were studied. All the NBT-BIT-xLa samples exhibited a single inter-growth structured phase. XRD and Raman spectroscopy revealed a reduced orthorhombicity, which strongly supports the variation of dielectric and ferroelectric properties. Plate-like grains were found to decrease with the increasing x contents. Impedance spectra analysis indicated that oxygen vacancy defects dominated the contributions to the electrical conductivity. The increased activation energies for dc conductivity evidenced the reduction of oxygen vacancy concentration after La substitution, inducing the enhancement in piezoelectric constant (d₃₃) and remanent polarization (2P_r). The studies of thermal depoling indicated that the optimal d₃₃ of NBT-BIT-0.50La ceramics still remained 22 pC/N at 500 °C, implying that this ceramics could be potentially applied into high temperature devices.     

Metal oxide catalysts for DME steam reforming: Ga2O3 and Ga2O3–Al2O3 catalysts

The steam reforming of dimethyl ether (DME) was performed on Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ mixed oxides prepared by sol–gel method. Ga₂O₃ significantly affects the catalytic performance with respect to the DME conversion and H₂ yield. The catalytic activity increases with the Ga concentration in Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ mixed oxides. It is very interesting that without the aid of an additional transition metal component, Ga₂O₃ and Ga₂O₃ containing Al₂O₃ mixed oxide system exhibit good activity in the reforming reaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that reveals the reforming ability of Ga₂O₃ for the production of H₂ from DME and/or methanol.     

High improvement of degradation behavior of ZnO varistors under high current surges by appropriate Sb2O3 doping

The effects of Sb₂O₃ content on the microstructures and electrical properties of the ZnO varistors, especially on the degradation behavior under pulse current stress were studied. The results showed that the degradation behavior was effectively improved by doping appropriate amount of Sb₂O₃, which attributed to the homogenized microstructure and the compression of the interstitial void. The change rates of positive and negative breakdown voltage gradients of samples doped with 0.92 mol% Sb₂O₃ under 20 * 20 kA + 2 * 30 kA surges were -1.76 % and 1.56 % respectively, which was one of the best levels reported in the previous literatures. In addition, the sample exhibited excellent comprehensive electrical properties, with breakdown voltage gradient of 207.74 V mm^?1, nonlinear coefficient of 119.1, leakage current density of 1.03 × 10^-2 μA cm^-2, and clamping voltage ratio of 2.17 under 20 kA surge, making it a promising candidate for surge protector devices.     

燃烧合成法制备TiB2-Al2O3复相陶瓷的研究

采用自蔓延燃烧合成法在室温下的空气中制备出了TiB2-Al2O3复相陶瓷,通过X射线衍射(XRD)和扫描电镜(SEM)分析表明,合成的产物纯净,无中间相,TiB2的形貌为规则的块状,晶粒细小,平均尺寸为(2～5μm),弥散的分布在晶粒较大的Al2O3(40～50μm)四周,而 Al2O3的形状不是很规则。     

Thermal and optical properties of La2O3–Ga2O3– (Nb2O5 or Ta2O5) ternary glasses

La₂O₃–Ga₂O₃–M₂O₅ (M = Nb or Ta) ternary glasses were fabricated using an aerodynamic levitation technique, and their glass‐forming regions and thermal and optical properties were investigated. Incorporation of adequate amounts of Nb₂O₅ and Ta₂O₅ drastically improved the thermal stabilities of the glasses against crystallization. Optical transmittance measurements revealed that all the glasses were transparent over a wide wavelength range from the ultraviolet to the mid‐infrared. The refractive indices of the glasses increased and the Abbe number decreased upon substituting Ga₂O₃ with Nb₂O₅, and the decrease in the Abbe number was significantly suppressed when Ta₂O₅ was incorporated into the glass. As a result, excellent compatibility between high refractive index and lower wavelength dispersion was realized in La₂O₃–Ga₂O₃–Ta₂O₅ glasses. Analysis based on the single‐oscillator Drude–Voigt model provided more systematical information and revealed that this compatibility was due to an increase in the electron density of the glass.     

ZrO2—SiO2—Al2O3系复相陶瓷制备及其耐磨性试验研究

利用等离子分解锆英石（PDZ）和锆英粉与Al2O3反应烧结制备了ZiO2-SiO2-Al2O3系复相陶瓷。利用XRD、SEM、反光显微镜、显微硬度计等测试手段，对烧成试样的物相组成、显微结构、显微硬度、气孔状况及耐磨性进行了测试分析与讨论。研究结果表明：含镁助剂的加入促进了反应烧结；由PDZ制备的试样的性能优于锆英粉原料的试样：较佳的原料配比为No.4即Al2O3:PDZ=3:1，其耐磨性优于氧化铝质研磨体，适宜的烧成温度范围是1580℃－1600℃。     

A coupled phase diagram experimental study and thermodynamic optimization of the Li2O-CaO-Al2O3 and Li2O-CaO-SiO2 systems,and prediction of the phase diagrams of the Li2O-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 system

A coupled experimental phase diagram study and thermodynamic modeling of the Li₂O-CaO-Al₂O₃ and Li₂O-CaO-SiO₂ systems was conducted at 1 atm total pressure. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements were performed in the Li₂O-CaO-Al₂O₃ and Li₂O-CaO-SiO₂ systems. In addition, the phase relations in the Li₂O-CaO-Al₂O₃ system were determined by equilibration/quenching experiments at 1643 and 1743 K, and the phases were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Electron-probe micro analysis-wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (EPMA-WDS). The absence of ternary compounds or solid solutions was confirmed. Congruent melting of Li₂CaSiO₄ compound in the Li₂O-CaO-SiO₂ system was determined at 1350 ± 5 K. Thermodynamic optimization of the Li₂O-CaO-Al₂O₃ and Li₂O-CaO-SiO₂ systems was carried out based on new phase diagram experiments and critically evaluated literature data. The phase diagrams of the quaternary Li₂O-CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ system were predicted using the thermodynamic models with optimized model parameters.     

Preparation and microstructure of large-sized directionally solidified Al2O3/Y3Al5O12 eutectics with the seeding technique

A large-sized Al₂O₃/Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG) eutectic single crystal is successfully prepared with the external seed by a modified Bridgman furnace. The microstructure, crystallography and interface structure of the large-sized Al₂O₃/YAG eutectic are well investigated. It is found that the longitudinal eutectic microstructure shows large length-to-width phase ratios. The crystallographic orientation relationship of the as-obtained large-sized Al₂O₃/YAG eutectic is consistent with that of the seed. The epitaxial solidification of the binary eutectic occurs, and the dominating of the seed is not lost in the long-range growth. The observed Al₂O₃/YAG interface structure is studied by near-coincidence site lattice (NCSL) theory. The volume strain for the NCSL is very low (0.02), which suggests that the interfaces have locally low interfacial energies. This small volume strain might be the reason for stable induced-growth along the seed.     

Effect of BaOB2O3 composite sintering aid on sinterability and electrical property of BaZr0.85Y0.15O3-δ ceramic

Yttrium-doped barium zirconate (BZY) has been extensively studied as a promising electrolyte material for protonic ceramic fuel cells. However, inferior sinterability is a major barrier in BZY development. In our research, the effect of BaOB₂O₃ composite sintering aid on the sintering behavior and electrical property of BaZr_0.85Y_0.15O_3-δ (BZY15) are examined. BaOB₂O₃ addition reduces the sintering temperature of BZY15 by approximately 200 °C via the liquid-phase sintering mechanism. The corresponding bulk and grain boundary conductivities are prominently improved (<3 wt% BaOB₂O₃ addition), whereas the further addition of sintering aid decreases the grain boundary conductivity. Notably, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses suggest that the enhanced conductivity may be related to the temperature dependence of Ba evaporation.     

Characterization of non-stoichiometric Ga2O3-x thin films grown by radio-frequency powder sputtering

We report the synthesis and characterization of non-stoichiometric Ga₂O_3-x thin films deposited on sapphire (0001) substrates by radio-frequency powder sputtering. The chemical and electronic states of the non-stoichiometric Ga₂O_3-x thin films were investigated. By sputtering in an Ar atmosphere, the as-grown thin films become non-stoichiometric Ga₂O_2.7, due to the difference in sputtering yield between Ga and O species of the Ga₂O₃ target. The electronic states of the thin films consist of ~85% Ga³⁺ and ~15% Ga¹⁺, corresponding to Ga₂O₃ and Ga₂O, respectively. The films have the electrical characteristics of a semiconductor, with electrical conductivity of approximately 5.0 × 10^-4 S cm^-1 and a carrier concentration of 4.5 × 10¹⁴ cm^-3 at 300 K.     

Significant enhancement of the thermoelectric performance in Ca3Co4O9 thermoelectric materials through combined strontium substitution and hot-pressing process

This work explores the possibilities for a further enhancement of the thermoelectric properties of Ca₃Co₄O₉ by Sr-doping combined with hot-pressing. Modified hot-pressing process resulted in highly-textured and dense ceramics. Sr-doping significantly improves electrical properties, resulting in extremely large power factor (1.2 mW/K²m at 800 °C) due to simultaneous electrical resistivity decrease and Seebeck coefficient increase. The main effect on cumulative electrical performance is provided by the Seebeck coefficient, reaching 270μV/K at 800 °C. XPS revealed relatively high average cobalt oxidation state at room temperature (+3.3), compared to materials produced by conventional sintering. The results of combined XPS and Auger electron spectroscopy emphasize the importance of high densification in Ca₃Co₄O₉-based ceramics for preventing phase decomposition and interaction with CO₂ and moisture. Still, despite the exceptional electrical performance, the calculated figure-of-merit (estimated as 0.29 at 800 °C) is around the best reported in the literature due to a high thermal conductivity (4.4 W/K m at room temperature).     

Er2O3高介电常数薄膜的结构和介电性能的研究

采用射频磁控反应溅射技术,在不同的Ar：O2条件下制备Er2O3薄膜,然后把样品分别在600、700和800℃退火60min,研究分析了Ar：O2比例和退火温度对样品的结构和介电性能的影响。结果表明：600℃以上退火处理后,Er203薄膜从非晶态转变为多晶,使薄膜的介电常数和击穿场强明显增加,漏电流密度减小,但不同的退火温度对这些性能的影响不大,退火温度的提高会在Si和Er2O3薄膜的界面形成类SiO2过渡层。但Ar：O2比对薄膜的结晶性能和介电性能影响不大,但工作气体中较少的Ar会导致在Si和Er2O3薄膜的界面形成类Si02过渡层。     

Preparation of In-doped Y2O3 ceramics through a sol-gel process: Effects on the structural and electronic properties

The Pechini-type sol-gel (PSG) process has been used for the preparation of doped oxides due to its capability to overcome most of the difficulties that frequently occur by using other producing methods. In this work we analyze the case of samples of pure and In-doped yttria (Y₂O₃) prepared by the PSG process. We experimentally characterize the synthesized samples by x-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and time-differential perturbed γ-γ angular correlation (PAC) spectroscopy, and we compare these results with those obtained starting from commercial oxide powders. We found that the PSG process can be used to successfully produce doped yttria in the cubic phase, with the impurities substitutionally located at the cationic sites of the structure. By the proposed PSG route, the inclusion of impurities does not affect the particle size nor the resistivity. However, when we compare the PSG samples with other samples produced from commercial powder, we found that the first have lower resistivities at grain interiors. On the other hand, PAC spectroscopy in ¹¹¹In(→¹¹¹Cd)-doped yttria allows the study of the dynamic hyperfine interactions observed by the radioactive ¹¹¹Cd impurity-probe, which can be used to “sense” the host electron availability near the impurities after the electron-capture decay of ¹¹¹In. Differences between PAC spectra for PSG samples and the commercial powder suggest that the PSG process introduces additional donor defects into the yttria electronic structure, which is consistent with the lower resistivity observed in the PSG samples by EIS spectroscopy.     

Ga and Ti co-doped In2O3 films for flexible amorphous transparent conducting oxides

We designed Ga and Ti co-doped In₂O₃ (IGTO) films to use as a flexible and transparent amorphous conducting oxide electrode in thin film heaters (TFHs) and flexible touch screen panels (FTSPs) for automobiles. The properties of the IGTO electrodes deposited on cyclic olefin copolymer (COP) at room temperature were investigated as a function of the O₂/(Ar + O₂) flow ratio, to confirm the best sputtering condition for transparent and flexible electrode. Depending on the oxygen flow ratio, the IGTO/COP electrodes showed sheet resistance of (39.3 – 1.57) × 10⁴ Ohm/sq, an average transmittance of (84.90 – 87.12) % at visible wavelength area, and a surface roughness of (0.95 – 3.23) nm. In addition, IGTO/COP samples exhibited good mechanical flexibility with critical bending radius of 3 mm, which is enough to be used as FTSPs. From the previously mentioned results, we found the amorphous IGTO/COP to be a promising flexible and transparent electrode for curved TFHs and FTSPs. The flexible IGTO/COP TFHs demonstrated a saturated temperature of 78.6 °C when applied with low operating direct current (DC) of 8 V, due to its low sheet resistance. In addition, the IGTO/COP FTSPs showed very stable touch sensitivity, even at a bent state. We found that the optimized IGTO/COP is a promising flexible and transparent electrode for next-generation automobiles.     

Al2O3-SiO2纳米复合粉体材料的超临界制备及其性能

采用sol-gel法和超临界流体干燥技术合成了Al2O3-SiO2纳米复合粉,并研究了该复合粉经不同温度处理后的显微结构形貌、比表面积、孔容分布、物相变化及分形维数等的变化规律.结果表明热处理温度直接影响粉体的显微结构特征,并决定其比表面积、孔容和分形维数;该复合粉体材料的莫来石化温度为1015℃左右.